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10 Questions with Gwen from Fiery Millennials

September 24, 2016 by Mr. 1500 Days 12 Comments

Today is the 62nd edition of our guest post series called 10 Questions. It also will be one of the last. Everything must come to an end and 10 Questions will say ‘”Good bye!” at the end of 2016. If you’ve already sent me your answers or told me that you’re going to be doing so, don’t worry; I’m still going to publish you.

I love the Financial Independence (FI) community. By far, the best part of blogging is connecting with like minded people. In some cases, I’ve been able to meet some of you in my real life. Gwen, from Fiery Millennials, is one such person.

Gwen is a great example of someone who has studied life, figured out how to optimize it and is pursuing the good goal full throttle. The best part is that she’s only in her 20s!

In my opinion, the most inspirational folks are the ones who have somehow acquired wisdom far beyond their years at a young age. Gwen is going to kick some serious ass in life. Pay attention folks!

screen-shot-2016-09-23-at-11-56-37-pm

Tell us about your blog

Tell me about your blog and why it’s great.

I started Fiery Millennials to help other Millennials realize not only can we still retire, but we can retire way earlier than normal. At 25, I’m one of the youngest people in the FIRE world, so I have trouble relating to other blogs that are written by older married couples with kids and I thought others might have a similar problem so I started my own. I demonstrate saving for retirement, living below your means, and having fun while doing so!

Tell me how you’re going to change the world with your blog (dream big or don’t dream at all!).

By starting Fiery Millennials, I aim to help cure the world of world hunger. In all seriousness, I want to help Millennials learn to manage their money better. Most of us received approximately zero help from our schooling in this regards, and have no clue what we’re doing. Some have never ever seen a functioning budget! By helping young people manage their money, we can create a stronger and more stable economy going forward if people start to understand the implications of their financial decisions. Some of my other popular posts are:

  • My review of Camp Mustache 2016 (http://www.fierymillennials.com/camp-mustache-2016) (I highly recommend you go!).
  • My Ten Year Plan (http://www.fierymillennials.com/my-10-year-plan) and the update for 2016 (http://www.fierymillennials.com/my-10-year-plan-2016-update), hitting the big $100k Milestone (http://www.fierymillennials.com/mega-milestone-100k).
  • My impressions of the Google FI phone plan (http://www.fierymillennials.com/google-project-fi-review).

1500 Days is about early retirement. Do you have early retirement dreams? At what age do you think you will retire?

My goal is to be retired by the time I’m 35. As I am on the cusp of turning 26, this gives me slightly less than ten years to accomplish it. So far, I’m slightly ahead of schedule thanks to the strong market in 2016. After I’m retired, I plan to enjoy spending more time outside in the sunshine and fresh air, focusing more on my crafty/creative hobbies and giving back to society through volunteering with various organizations.

Money, money, money

Did you grow up with money? How did your money situation growing up influence you?

I did not grow up with money. In fact, we grew up with basically no money. My family lived in Section 8 housing, got free breakfast and lunch at school, and relied on food stamps. That changed when I was 6 and my mom got married to my stepdad. We moved from the ghetto to the rich suburb of a different city with the best schools in the state. I experienced just enough of poverty that I remember what it was like and have zero desire to be back in that situation. I really hated being poor and not being able to afford anything (which was light up shoes back then).

Random silliness

I notice a lot of frugal people are into board games – what is your favorite?

My favorite board game is definitely Monopoly. I love the strategy behind crushing my friends and family into bankruptcy. It’s weird no one will play with me anymore. I wonder why?

What is the best thing you’ve read lately?

I’ve been re-reading the Harry Potter series (for the umpteenth time) in preparation of seeing the new Harry Potter play in London! Still one of the best series ever written in my opinion.

My friend recently introduced me to m and I’ve gotten a kick out of playing it as well. It’s less ruthless than Monopoly by far.

What is your favorite style of beer – and what is your favorite beer in that style?

I’m gluten-intolerant and beer does bad things to me. However, I absolutely love  hard ciders. My current favorite is J.K.’s Scrumpy Cider. I’ve also really gotten into various kinds of mead lately, although those can be more expensive so I don’t get to drink as much mead as I’d like.

What is the best money management or investment tool you have come across?

I love Mint! It really helped me control my spending in the beginning. I also appreciate getting a quick look at all my accounts in one place. Recently, though, I’ve also been spending a lot of time on the OnTrajectory website playing around with my numbers. I love to see the pretty pictures they come up with.

If blogging isn’t your full time gig, what is?

I work for a global corporation as an IT Analyst. I test the changes people make to the databases. Yes, that means I’m a nerd and I’m proud of it 🙂

Tell us about you

Do you enjoy writing?

I do enjoy writing. One of my sisters has her B.A. in English, so she was always pushing me to write better. I also received an excellent education (both k-12 and in college) that further helped my hone my writing skills. Now that I have an IT job, writing serves as a creative outlet from the boring hum drum of sitting in front of a computer and coding for 8 hours a day.

What post are you most proud of and why?

I’m pretty proud of my 2015 Review and what it represents (http://www.fierymillennials.com/2015-year-end-review/). 2015 was a huge year for me. I traveled to the Chautauqua in Ecuador and met a lot of cool FI people, I (almost) doubled my net worth, and I started a new job. I’m really excited that I got to share such a good year with everyone!

Thanks Gwen for contributing! Keep kicking ass!

Be sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter and at Fiery Millennials.

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Filed Under: 10 Questions Tagged With: 10 Questions, fiery millennials, gwen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TJ says

    September 24, 2016 at 8:46 am

    I always go straight to the ciders too. There’s a pineapple one that I randomly found in the grocery store is particularly tasty.
    TJ recently posted…You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed To Talk About Money With Average JoeMy Profile

    Reply
  2. jlcollinsnh says

    September 24, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    “Gwen is going to kick some serious ass in life.”

    I met her in Ecuador, and from what I see she already is. 🙂

    Reply
  3. jlcollinsnh says

    September 24, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    “Gwen is going to kick some serious ass in life.”

    I met her in Ecuador, and from what I see she already is. ?

    Reply
    • Gwen @ Fiery Millennials says

      September 25, 2016 at 7:01 pm

      I’m blushing. Thank you for the kind words, Jim 🙂

      Reply
  4. Finance Solver says

    September 24, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    Yes, a fellow millennial! I’m in my 20s as well so I can relate to you Gwen 🙂 I agree so much that school doesn’t really teach financial education (especially high school). It’s amazing to me how school is teaching students anything but real-life applicable skills. I had to figure out how to do my taxes and how to cook for myself. Why does school exist only to teach stuff that we may never use?!

    Looking forward to your progress!

    Reply
    • Gwen @ Fiery Millennials says

      September 25, 2016 at 6:59 pm

      Thanks Finance Solver! Us kids gotta stick together! On the other hand, we know the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell….. that should count for something, right?

      Reply
      • Finance Solver says

        September 26, 2016 at 7:07 pm

        Yes, the next time I have to pay my tax bill, I will be sure to attach a statement that says the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.. That should give me some tax exemptions because the government rewards people who pays attention in school right?

        Reply
  5. PhysicianOnFIRE says

    September 25, 2016 at 6:47 pm

    “I have trouble relating to other blogs that are written by older married couples with kids”

    Totally. Like this one, for example. If I have to see little 1500’s grumpy sad face one more time…

    I kid! I kid.

    Thanks for sharing your blog and experiences with us, Gwen.

    -PoF (married blogger with children)
    PhysicianOnFIRE recently posted…The Sunday Best (9/25/2016)My Profile

    Reply
    • Gwen @ Fiery Millennials says

      September 25, 2016 at 7:02 pm

      Anytime! Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  6. Matt Warnert says

    September 26, 2016 at 9:23 am

    Hi Gwen,

    Looking forward to reading through your blog in my free time.

    Mr.1500 thanks for the introduction. I think there is a typo in the article. A quick google search yielded no games called “m”.

    “My friend recently introduced me to m and I’ve gotten a kick out of playing it as well. It’s less ruthless than Monopoly by far.”

    Reply
    • Gwen @ Fiery Millennials says

      September 26, 2016 at 6:29 pm

      It’s supposed to be Exploding Kittens. Thanks for the catch! Let me know if you have any questions while reading!
      Gwen @ Fiery Millennials recently posted…Be Brave: FinCon16My Profile

      Reply

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Freedom!

My goal was to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 by February of 2017; 1500 days from the birth of this blog (January 1, 2013). And hey look, I’ve since retired!

Investments only (primary home excluded)
1/1/13 (The Start): $586,043
1/1/14 (1 Yr Later): $869,635
1/1/15 (2 Yrs Later): $987,351
1/1/16 (3 Yrs Later): $1,057,961
1/1/17 (4 Yrs Later): $1,257,128
1/1/18 (5 Yrs Later): $1,527,701
1/1/19 (6 Yrs Later): $1,549,440
1/1/20 (7 Yrs Later): $2,035,040*
1/1/21 (8 Yrs Later): $3,379,746**
1/1/22 (9 Yrs Later): $4,762,642
1/1/23 (10 Yrs Later): $3,112,821

2023: Investments only
1/1: $3,112,821

Overall
2023 investment gains: $0
Investment gains since 1/1/2013: $2,526,778
Net worth***: $3,342,821

* The big jump between 2019 and 2020 was partly because we bought another home, but kept the previous (much more expensive) one as a rental. We have since sold it.

** Tesla.

*** Includes our primary home equity in addition to our investment portfolio.

Finally, we still have about $290,000 in mortgage debt (which I love!). No regrets about the debts!

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