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No, my actual thoughts aren’t on fire. And yes, right now in one corner of my brain, Alicia Keys is belting out her hit single, “Girl on Fire.”

Thank you, Alicia!

But my actual thoughts are on the acronym FIRE which stands for “Financial Independence Retiring Early.” Have you heard of it? It’s a movement that’s picking up steam and even headlines. Last year, the New York Times ran a story about it with the title, “Retiring at 43? You’re on FIRE.”

FIRE adherents try to do exactly what the acronym spells out – achieve financial independence as quickly as possible and retire early. Many try to save as much as half of their income during their 20s and 30s, and then retire in their 30s or 40s at the latest.

In order to accomplish FIRE, a massive overhaul of status quo living is required. If possible, cars get replaced with bikes. Renting gets replaced with owning, even if it means downgrading. Budgets are whittled down to extreme measures, leaving little to no room for luxuries or vacations. It may even include relocating to a less expensive region of the country.

The FIRE community plays out virtually, as members blog about their experiences. Mostly though, they share life hacks to live more efficiently and save more money. Some bloggers, who have achieved FIRE, are rock stars in the community. Fans flock to their blogs and discuss recent postings.

So, these are my thoughts on FIRE…

FIRE’s call is a lone voice in today’s wilderness of financial illiteracy and irresponsibility. How many others are placing a premium on responsible personal finances? Not many, so it’s refreshing to find people who are maximizing their own economies for the greatest possible effect.

FIRE’s goal of early retirement could easily be dismissed as shallow and self-serving. But given a chance, it could also provide a unique opportunity.  I know people who have reached financial independence early in life and leveraged it to work for a not-for-profit organization at a reduced salary. That’s pretty cool!

But when I read FIRE blogs, I do wonder if there’s an assumption that the “successfully lived life” can be boiled down to a system of life hacks. Although this would be great, life’s not that simple.

Here’s a basic assumption I make: the human condition and its resultant messiness is a monkey wrench for even the smartest systems.

Indeed, God’s “fix” for the messiness of the human condition was no simple life hack. Redemption’s plan required the Son of God to fully enter the depths of human messiness.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).

To the extent that “getting life right” means practicing personal financial responsibility, FIRE brings a lot to the table. And if retiring early doesn’t merely mean pointless living on a golf course, then FIRE can provide a framework for accomplishing some admirable life goals.

But ultimately “getting life right” isn’t our burden. Thanks be to God! Even when the smartest measures possible are taken, financial independence is still relative to the degree of human clutter.

FIRE misses this.

The old adage that there aren’t any guarantees in life rings true. The exception, of course, is found in God’s promise to make all things new through Jesus Christ. This assurance safely carries us for a lifetime and beyond, no matter how messy life gets.

Comments

How does this view align with things written in proverbs about being a good steward of your money? Doesn't proverbs also offer "life hacks" on how to live a wise and righteous life? Especially when it comes to money? I worry your response to the movement, that life is too messy for a system, is over broad because it doesn't make room for trying to align the values of FIRE with the wisdom found in Proverbs.

Scott -- I really like the idea of proverbs as life hacks. I think that would make a great sermon series!!

I wouldn't say that life is too messy for a system because systems are built into the fabric of our existence. However, the assumption I am making is that human brokenness can throw off even the best systems. I read a lot of FIRE blogs and often am left with the impression that nearly anyone can achieve FIRE if they have the right priorities, make the right decisions, save enough etc. I might be able to achieve FIRE but I'm under no illusion that my own frailties (or the frailties of others) have the potential to undo my perfect life scenario. I just read a story in the news today about (another) financial planner who bilked his clients out of millions of dollars. These were friends who attended the same church as him! This is what I mean when I say that the human condition and its resultant messiness is a monkey wrench for even the smartest systems.

I appreciate your feedback. Hope this helps.

I guess I might be considered one of the FIRE adherents. I retired one day before my 51st birthday from a police force. Having said that, I did not plan for any of this. Senior advisors recommended not to retire too early so, I considered a couple of things. 1) I had to struggle with the question “how much income is enough? And the second consideration was that when I vacate my space as a police officer, another person gets the opportunity for employment. I with my wife enjoyed working as volunteers for World Missions and Service Link at the time, representing those two entities to central Canada for about three years. We decided to relocate back to our home town , took on different jobs with the freedom to stop the job if it didn’t satisfy. We, my wife and I have had the opportunity to do a great many different things in our retirement, and now enjoy home in our 70s. 

The point I’m trying to make with all this, is we did not plan our retirement, nor what we would get involved with, but all opportunities were presented by a merciful God, Who knows our name. It’s been wonderful so far. Incidentally my wife never worked outside of raising 6 kid, and a number of foster children. 

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