The rule says that you can think about retiring when your living expenses equal 4% of your income producing capital. The 4% rule is a rule of thumb that gives you a reasonable estimate of how much money it will take for you to never have to work again. But to make an informed decision, you should know that the math favors Minimalist FIRE. The Math That Explains Why Minimalist FIRE is Powerful Many people will find that they can save more than they ever thought if they simplify their life.

What if you turned off the faucet of continuous spending? What if you practiced frugality and were careful with allocating your resources? “Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for-in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.” Ellen Goodman There’s a quote by Ellen Goodman that describes it well: It’s not a treadmill that they ever chose to get on, but it’s one they’ve never considered getting off of. Minimalism recognizes that many people are stuck on a treadmill. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.” Tyler Durden, Fight Club The Absurdity of “Normal” Life Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. That’s why many of his quotes still resonate today: Tyler Durden might have turned out to be a maniacal fascist, but he was sure right about a lot of problems. But I trace it all the way back to the 1999 film (and 1996 book) Fight Club. You might trace this trend to influencers like The Minimalists: Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. The reason I use the term Minimalist FIRE instead of the more popular “Lean FIRE” is to highlight the connection between FIRE and another trend of recent years: Minimalism. While cutting costs is subject to diminishing returns, increasing income can result in exponential gains.You don’t have to deal with the discomfort of cutting back your lifestyle.There are two main advantages this approach enjoys: Professions like doctor and lawyer can work here. If you’re going to think about Fat FIRE, you should already be on a high-income track. The idea behind Fat FIRE is to keep spending at a high level, but ratchet your income up to even higher levels. There are two different ways you can think about approaching FIRE:īoth can work, but one seems far more likely to work for most people looking to escape the rat race. Once your investments produce more income than your job, you no longer have to work. Save as high a percentage of your income as possible. In recent years, the idea of financial independence, popularized by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin in the classic Your Money or Your Life, has seen a resurgence in popularity.Įxcept now it’s gone through a rebrand: Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE).

Shockingly simple math for