Hello, welcome, and please feel free to gather “around the FIREplace”! The coffee is brewing, the logs are crackling, and the conversation is about to start…

Our purpose in starting this blog is to reflect on and document our journey towards “Financial Independence and Early Retirement” – a growing movement known as FIRE. We also want to talk about how this intention intersects with health and fitness, and perhaps throw a bit of philosophy into the mix (see, I can spell properly!).

Now, by way of introduction, who are the people behind atFp? Well, for now we would like to stay anonymous, but what we will say is we are a young(ish) married couple living near Edinburgh, Scotland, both with mid-level professional incomes, and 2 young kids. We are about 2 years into our pursuit of Financial Independence (more on that later), and, while we are enthusiastic amateurs, we are not experts in many of the subject we will discuss. Therefore, anything we share is opinion, rather than advice. Please take it as such!

So, what on earth is FIRE? I’ll be brief… 

  1. It’s about saving enough so that at some point, years earlier than traditional retirement (age 68 in the UK for men!), you no longer have to trade your valuable time (your most precious and finite resource) for more money.
  2. There are many ways to attack this, but one approach to start with is to avoid what’s called “hedonic adaptation”. You don’t alway need the best car, phone, house, meal, holiday etc… Instead, spend on things that you truly value, and that make your life better, healthier, and happier. Aim to have a comfortable lifestyle which still allows you to spend significantly less than you earn, and save the difference.
  3. At some point, the amount you save and invest will be enough to support you and your family for the rest of your life, without having to work a single day more… however, you may choose to, and that’s the point! You can choose, you’re in control!
  4. Once this is achieved, you can use your time as you see fit – want to spend more time with your friends and family, try to start your own business, volunteer with a charity, take on an adventure…? Do it!

Now, there are plenty of other websites, blogs, and podcasts dedicated to FIRE, so why start another? The answer is fairly simple – after all the disruption of 2020 with Coronavirus, we decided to work hard to make 2021 our best year ever! Full gas on the health, fitness, finances, and generally trying to live as the best version of us. Part of the goals for the year included starting this blog, partially just for fun, but also to keep ourselves focussed. Also, FIRE isn’t hugely well known in Scotland, and if any of our thoughts become useful to others, then that’s all to the good!

Who knows, some may choose to join in the conversation, and that would be most welcome!