I discovered FIRE in October of 2012 when a google search led me to MMM:
How do I retire early?
I wasn’t expecting much. The search was a hail mary move during a difficult part of my life. But MMM popped up in my search results and I quickly became addicted. MMM gave me a clear blueprint backed by simple math to escape a job that I wasn’t happy with.
I was thrilled to have found financial independence. And I was already a saver, so was mostly there with the money. Before MMM, I had no idea what I was going to do with my savings. Now, the money had purpose.
I thought FIRE would be a short part of my life. I’d:
- move to cheaper, fixer-upper home in a cheaper town to get to FI sooner
- save even more money than we were already saving
- write on this blog to amuse myself (I thought that it would be fun to openly document my journey)
And that would be it. After my 1500 days were up, I’d delete the blog and move on with my life. Now, 4241 days later, I’m still here. The writing is too much fun. And more than that, FI has taken over my life.
FI Travel, FI Neighborhood, And FI Job?
Travel Is Better With Friends
My daughter had a conference in Bloomington Indiana last month. I decided to make a roadtrip out of it, stopping to see friends along the way.
First, we stopped in St. Louis to see my good friend Kristen.
I met Kristen at the EconoMe conference a couple of years ago.
After that, it was on to Kentucky where we spent the weekend hanging out with Eric Cooper (met at Camp FI) and the local Choose FI group.
Then it was up to Michigan to see my friend Leif, the Physician on FIRE. (I virtually met Leif when he emailed me early on in my blog career.) On the way to Leifdom, we stopped in Indianapolis to meet a blog reader who I’ve emailed with over the years (Hi Dan!).
After Michigan, we took the ferry across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin. We stopped in Madison and hung out with the local Choose FI group before heading home.
And it’s not over yet. In October, I head to Stuttgart to hang out with FI friend Bob Haines and others. Later in October, Mindy and I will attend FinCon in Atlanta. Next year, Mindy and I are going on the FinTalks Cruise with our friend and neighbor Amberly. Maybe I’ll see you on one of these adventures?
FI Neighborhood!
Way back in 2017, I connected with another Longmontian who I call Mr. Palindrome here on the blog. Mr. P and I started chatting in the MMM forums before meeting up in person at one of the local festivals.
A short time after meeting Mr. P, the little dead-end street where we lived started to change. There were three other families with kids and they all moved away in the span of about 12 months. Our children’s community was gone and we had little reason to stay there. We decided to move to Mr. P’s part of Longmont.
It took us a couple of years to find a home, but in 2019 we found one and we’re still here. And since we moved in, two other families from the FI community have also moved close. And there are more on the way.
FI Job?!??
And I even found myself a new job through FI. I co-own a coworking space with MMM himself. It doesn’t make much money, but we’ve created an excellent community of fun and interesting people. Come for the coworking, stay for the parties.
Some jobs pay you with lots of money; others with satisfaction. At this point in life, the latter is more important.
Making Friends As An Adult Is Hard
Everything I’ve written about in this post is related to people and community. I could travel anywhere to look at a mountain or lake, but it’s more fun to share those experiences with friends. I could live in any house, but I’d rather live around people I can relate to. I never want a formal job, but if I have to work on something, it’s going to be a project with friends.
I’m not one of those politician types who can strike up a conversation with a random person on the street and become “best friends” in 5 minutes. Making new friends as an adult is hard. Hell, sometimes just holding on to old ones isn’t easy. People move. People change. Life circumstances (kids, divorce) don’t align. It’s hard to make friends as an adult.
- You can talk to your kid’s friend’s parents, but what are the chances you’ll have much in common besides your kids?
- Neighbors are hit or miss. I find that people get stuck in their silos. Or maybe I’m stuck in mine?
The number 1 thing people take away from FI events like EconoMe or Camp FI is connection. We don’t really go to learn. All of the information is already there on the internet. Besides, these conferences post their presentations on YouTube for free. (Note: Here’s my big EconoMe talk!) People go to these events and keep returning to make new friends and visit with old ones.
And that’s my story too. FI attracted me because I was obsessed with money. But I stick around for the friends. Here’s a thought I had about my recent trip:
When I met up with Kristen, we talked about living abroad and tornados (she’s a meteorologist after all). With Leif, we talked about architecture and fitness. We watched this Tiny Desk Concert with Cypress Hill. At the Choose FI Madison meetup, we talked about camping, EVs, and playing music.
The trip was focused on visiting people I met through FI. However, I can’t remember even one conversation about money. Why?
- Money is boring. Have you ever gotten into a heated conversation with someone about index funds? (Note: I actually did once and it was unpleasant.)
- Money is a tool. Get money right and you can do interesting and unconventional things with your time.
- Money is a filter. If FI lights you up, it’s not because you love money; it’s because of everything you can do with money. A lot of FI people live eclectic lives and that’s what brings us together.
I’m not sure how long I’ll stick around here writing this blog. Everything runs its course and there isn’t much left to be said.
However, I’m fortunate to have friends all over the world because of FI. I hope those friendships never run out of steam.
More 1500 Days!!!
You can also find me (and the dinosaurs) at:
Mile High FI podcast:
MindyOnMoney podcast!
Also here:
- Facebook: Facebook group and page
- YouTube: My channel is mostly devoted to home improvement, but I have some other material coming up soon too.
- Instagram: Pretty pictures of dinosaurs, sunsets, and nail guns!
- Twitter: Spontaneous, often insane, ramblings
- Coworking space: On the surface, MMM HQ is a coworking space. Look a little deeper and you’ll see that we’re really building community. The members of MMM HQ are some of the finest people I know
- Buying a Tesla? Use my referral code to get some perks!
The biggest thing that you have in common with all of theses friends that you have made through FI is that you have leisure time that you use to pursue interests. Being free of working 40 plus hours a week and worrying financial security has opened up your lives in ways that other people can’t relate to.
Don’t forget hanging out with us in St Louis in September to celebrate our nuptials! Brunch and board games and baseball oh my!
Oh hell yeah!
I really hope you keep writing! I check your blog daily for a new post. I find your writing insightful and inspiring. I’m still on my road to FI. If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve probably hit a very, very, super lean FI. Funny thing is I don’t dislike working now that I feel as though I have a choice.
Don’t leave us Carl! We love your updates and your mild-toned financial advice. Couldn’t agree more that making, and keeping, friends as an adult is hard. Hope more FIers come to my part of the West Coast so we can connect and build each other up. Living in a silo, as a neighbor, is sad.
Hey Gary, thank you for the kind words! I really appreciate it. At the very least, I don’t feel like I can give up until I meet you in person which could happen later this year as I may be in your neck of the woods!
Discovering FI through MMM changed my life in ways I never expected. What started as a quest for financial freedom has evolved into a journey filled with friendships and community. FI isn’t just about money; it’s about the amazing experiences and connections that come with it. From road trips to meetups and even finding a new job with MMM, FI has brought incredible people into my life. It’s no longer just a phase — it’s a way of life that keeps me engaged and excited every day.
Super cool!
> “Money is boring.” “Money is a tool.” “Money is a filter.”
I like to think that if you went to a gathering of homebuilders that the conversations would not all be about what style of hammer is ideal (curved claw vs. straight claw) or what cordless power tool kit is better (Kobalt vs. Ryobi), or whether it is better to frame with nails or screws, but about the cool things that the builders are doing in the homes they are building with those tools.
It should be the same with the FIRE world. Money, real estate, and index funds are our tools, but what we are really building is a life for each one of us. Our most interesting discussions should be and are about the cool things we are doing with the money tools in our belts, not about the tools themselves.
Robert, that’s a great analogy.
Some of us (including me!) get way too caught up in the tools. How many wealth building courses are there out there? TONS! Not so much on how to build a great life.
Hey Carl, I really enjoy reading your blog. The tab with your blog is always open in my browser. I refresh it almost every day and wait for a new article.
If you are visiting Germany, let me know. I live a few hours away from Stuttgart. The last time you were in Germany, we talked in one of the related posts. It didn’t come to a meeting then
Martin! Thank you for the kind comment!
I’ll be in Stuttgart 10/1-10/4. It would be cool to buy you a bier!
That would be cool. 10/3 is a public holiday in Germany (German Reunification).
Second round would be on me 🙂
We have a beer tent reservation on 10/3 at 18:00. Would you like to join us? I sent you an email, but it may have gone to spam.
You were right. The mail was in the spam folder. You got mail
I’m glad we had a change to meet years back in good ol’ Longmont, Señor! I couldn’t agree more with your sentiments about friendship. I’d go so far as to say that working a corporate gig under the right circumstances can yield lots of wonderful connections that last beyond the job.
Glad you made it to Northern Michigan – it’s amazing up there. Our little getaway is close to Leif’s spot of pond and we never find enough time there. (Time for the wifey to retire yet??) 😉
The FI community is full of amazing people.
Keep blogging!
I love living vicariously through you, Mr. 1500. I have to say some of the things you have brought up have really changed our (my husband and I’s) lives. I had a goal to reach FIRE as soon as possible, and I was making myself miserable. When I let off the gas a bit, it turns out that it inspired my husband too (not FIRE, he just liked seeing our savings grow). We paid off everything years ago and were maxing out our accounts and we are well on our way when he got laid off two weeks ago. He decided he wanted to change sectors and go into teaching. Thanks to the information I have learned from you and MMM, there was only a moment of can we do this and it turns out…. yes we can, very easily. I don’t know if we will ever fully retire, but I sure do love where our life is headed. So again thank you… and if you fade off into the sunset, I hope you realize how many people you have assisted with transforming their lives.
I hope you keep writing the blog and providing updates on your progress both financially and in life. It gives me encouragement as I press ahead on my own journey to FI!
Hi Carl,
Longtime newsletter subscriber and massive podcast fan here. I’ve been following you for years. Just wanted to mention that your wonderful insights are super educational! Also wanted to say thanks for the courageous transparency regarding your personal FIRE journey. This blog was a HUGE inspiration for my wife and I during our working years. We ended up retiring back in December 2018, traveled around the U.S. in an RV for 3 years and now live in The Philippines.
You and Doug have great rapport on the Mile High FI podcast! The friendly banter coupled with tremendous subject matter knowledge is a joy for folks to experience. Your humility also shines through. It seems like I always learn something new during each episode!
FYI, I’m also 100% on the Van Hagar bandwagon. Sammy is an awesome guy and a fantastic interviewer! Go check out the AXS TV YouTube channel for more information.
Take care,
Jon
This post really resonated with me, especially the part about how FI can start to take over your thoughts and daily life. I’ve been on my own journey toward financial independence, and it’s amazing how much it shifts your perspective on everything — from how you spend your time to what really matters in life. Thanks for sharing your experience; it’s motivating to know I’m not alone in this!
I can relate to your experience with FI (Financial Independence). It’s amazing how pursuing financial goals can become such a central part of our lives. While it’s empowering to have a clear vision and plan, it’s also important to maintain a balance and ensure that other aspects of life don’t get overshadowed. Have you found any strategies that help you keep a healthy equilibrium between your financial ambitions and personal well-being?