Your Emergency Fund Is Too Big at 50% Savings
Why the 3 to 6 months emergency fund rule overshoots at a 50% savings rate, what idle cash costs at ~4% yields, and how to place it in tiers.
FIREnomics
Practical FIRE movement guides on savings rate, index funds, the 4% rule, and withdrawal strategy for reaching financial independence and retiring early.
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Your FIRE Number Is Copied. Price It in Working Years
Your FIRE number may be a borrowed want. Learn how mimetic desire shapes FI targets and audit yours in minutes, priced in years of your working life.
How to Budget for a Wedding Without Delaying FIRE
How to budget for a wedding without delaying FIRE, from marginal guest cost to the vendor markup, measured in months of financial independence.
SPIA vs TIPS Ladder at 40 for a 50-Year Retirement
SPIA vs TIPS ladder at age 40 really beats the 4% rule's initial withdrawal rate. See what that higher payout honestly costs across a 50-year retirement.
Side Income for Financial Independence Slips Your FIRE Date
Side income for financial independence starts with a gap nobody models. Price a stalled launch honestly and it costs eight to nine months of FI delay.
Adjusting to Early Retirement by Unbundling the Commute
Adjusting to early retirement gets easier once you price the five unpriced services your commute delivered and rebuild each one with a simple monthly plan.
TIPS Ladder Math at 3% Real Yields for Early Retirees
At 3% real yields, a 15-year TIPS ladder costs about $12 per $1 of annual income. Run the FIRE math on cost, payout rate, and when it beats a fund.
How to Save Money on Groceries by Effective Hourly Wage
How to save money on groceries for FIRE, ranked by the hourly wage each tactic pays, with the 25x math that cuts your FI number and the USDA floor.
The Governmental 457(b) Early Retirement Withdrawal Playbook
Governmental 457(b) early retirement means penalty-free withdrawals at any age after separation. Compare it with the rule of 55, Roth ladders, and SEPP.
Early Retirement Health Insurance Is a MAGI Problem
Early retirement health insurance is priced by MAGI, so your withdrawal plan sets the premium. Learn the subsidy-aware playbook before Medicare.
Test Your FIRE Number With a Pre-Retirement Spending Pilot
Your FIRE number is a guess about annual spending. Test it with a pre-FIRE spending pilot, then price being wrong in extra working years or failure risk.
Expert Witness Side Hustle Math, Audited for FIRE
The expert witness side hustle is pitched as $100,000 a year for a few weekly hours. We audit the funnel and taxes to price the real months off FI.