Why I Left the FIRE Movement w/ Gwen of Fiery Millennials #779

Most folks have no problem spending their money. I hate to say it, but shopping is basically an American pastime! It certainly drives production as data shows that consumption is responsible for ⅔ of our economy. But not everyone indulges in retail therapy- hopefully the majority of listeners to the podcast are less likely to mindlessly spend. And there’s a certain subset of folks who actually struggle with the opposite problem: they mindlessly save. We frequently discuss Financial Independence Retire Early, and we’re excited to be joined by a recovering member of the FIRE movement, Gwen Merz. Gwen has been a part of the community for years. She’s the creator behind the blog Fiery Millennials and was recently featured in multiple Business Insider articles. And now she’s working on a book documenting her FIRE journey!- here’s a quote from her book proposal: “Supersavers will improve the quality of their lives by shedding maladaptive behaviors and emotions…”. It turns out that the habits that lead to more savings and investments, may not be the same ones that lead to happy and fulfilling lives. Listen as we discuss Gwen’s introduction to FIRE, how far she pushed her savings rate, a failed attempt at investing in real estate, her spending experiments, and more!

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