A Simpler life by the Bay through FIRE, Financial Independence, Retire Early
My husband, two kids and I live in the Bay Area. We became financially independent (FI) in 2018. However this is when we include the value of our home in our net worth. Since I believe, your home is not an asset, till it produces income, I don’t factor the value of our house into our available investments to pay for our lifestyle. Our available investments can fund our mortgage but we need income to cover the rest of our expenses.
We have embarked on a different path. Both of us have left behind the traditional path of well paying Corporate America jobs in our early forties to do things we are more passionate about and that can make a difference. For my husband this is about creating, teaching and selling art. And for me, it is about spending more time with dogs, which I love, by providing doggy boarding and about writing this blog on personal finance, personal development and travel. I share strategies we’ve used to achieve Financial independence, Retire Early (FIRE) and some of the resources I recommend to drive personal growth. I hope to help others realize FI is attainable and encourage them to reach for it.
Read about how we are redefining what success means for ourselves, simplifying our everyday lives and living by the rules we create rather than those of societies’. When most people hear FI, they think you are rich and don’t need to work but to us FI is having a enough of a monetary buffer to feel secure enough to try doing the things you are really want to.