Down with the “Standard American Lifestyle”

There is no law that says you have to buy all the things, work until you’re sixty-five to pay the bills, and then retire and never work again. That’s a myth. And this is the rebellion.

 
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SINCE 2011, we’ve been on the road to Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) or Differently

Doesn’t it seem like life should be full of more freedom and time to enjoy it? We’re on a wild adventure to question the Standard American Lifestyle and design a time-rich, work-optional way of living. We desire to support others in their own journey to get out of debt, take control of their finances, and live with intention.

Read more here >>

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE BEGINS WITH FINANCIAL LITERACY

When was the last time you had a conversation with your friends about your household income and spending habits? If you’re normal, our guess is never. Few people talk about finances and few parents teach their kids about financial management. By the time those kids become adults, the subject of personal finances is mysterious at best, and downright off-limits at worst.

We’ve spent the last decade working with students and have found that like us, most don’t know where to start. From other conversations with our older friends, many of them don’t know where to start either. Financial literacy is for all, but has unfortunately been limited to only a few.

We’re here to change that.

It’s never too late to develop financial literacy, and we’re sharing the resources that have helped us along the way on our blog >>

 

The number one problem in today's generation is lack of financial literacy.”

— Alan Greenspan

Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States, 1987 – 2006

“Illiteracy makes you a pawn. Financial literacy makes you sovereign.

— Vicki Robin

New York Times bestselling author, Your Money or Your Life, retired at 24

 

Don’t be a pawn. Let’s become financially literate together.

Follow along as we share the tips, tricks, decisions, and resources that are leading us on the road to Financial Independence since 2011.

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The FIRE Movement is an informal group of disciplined and counter-cultural people who are working to achieve Financial Independence and Retire Early or Differently.

We (Dusty and Cecily) have a goal to be FIREd by October 8, 2025 (Dusty’s 40th birthday). But instead of thinking of retirement as the goal, we are working to become “work-optional.” We don’t believe there’s anything wrong with work. But there is something wrong with feeling like a slave to your work. While the FIRE movement focuses on early retirement, we have intentionally added a “D” to the acronym: differently. Even after we’re FIREd, we’ll continue to work, because we find deep meaning and purpose in having skills and knowledge and value to share with others. But the key point is work-optional. We’ll be free to decide when and for how long and if and for whom and with whom we work. That, to us, is true freedom. And that is retiring Differently