Archive
Category: Financial Independence
The arithmetic of walking away.
-
The Taxable-Brokerage Bridge: Funding the Years Before 59½
Early retirement is often a bridge problem, not a net-worth problem. Here is how taxable accounts fund the years before retirement accounts become easy to reach.
-
The Spending Categories That Vanish When You Stop Working
Most retirement calculators assume your spending stays the same after you walk away. It doesn’t. Here are the categories that quietly vanish — and the ones that grow.
-
Why $1M Is Both Too Much and Too Little
A million dollars is the default FIRE number because a million dollars is a round number. For some readers it is too much. For others, dramatically too little. Both errors come from the same mistake.
-
Geographic Arbitrage: Four Cities Where $20K/Year Buys a Real Life
In Chiang Mai, a one-bedroom with a pool, a maid, and a 15-minute walk to a world-class hospital costs $420 a month. Four cities, four real budgets, what each one trades.
-
How to Quit Your Job in 90 Days Without Losing Your Mind
A concrete 90-day timeline from ‘I want out’ to ‘I am out.’ Week-by-week, no fluff. Most people sit with the desire for years; the actual exit takes three months.
-
Healthcare Without a Job: Honest 2026 Numbers for US Early Retirees
Every SuicideFIRE conversation hits the same wall around the third drink: ‘But what about health insurance?’ Here are the actual 2026 numbers most people don’t know.
-
The Optionality Trap
Optionality is useful until it becomes a religion. Some people keep working not because they need more money, but because every extra dollar preserves a life they will never choose.
-
Your FIRE Number Should Shrink Every Birthday
Most FIRE plans treat your number as static. It should not be. Every birthday reduces the amount of life your portfolio has to fund.