FIRE BTC Podcast Episode 1: Joe Burnett on Bitcoin, Career, and Building Wealth
Guest: Joe Burnett, Head of Bitcoin Strategy at Strive Asset Management
Host: Trey Sellers
Recording Date: January 23, 2026
Episode Duration: 56 minutes
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the FIRE BTC Podcast. This conversation with Joe Burnett explores what it actually looks like to build a life around bitcoin — from discovering it in college to navigating a career transition at the 2021 peak, surviving the bear market, and thinking through the real-world questions that come with trying to build wealth on a bitcoin standard.
We cover Joe's journey from his first exposure to bitcoin at around $1,000 in 2017, through stacking sats on a limited income in college, to eventually leaving a traditional finance career to work full-time in the bitcoin industry. Along the way, we dig into practical topics that don't get enough attention: how to think about spending when your savings are in bitcoin, why borrowing against your stack might not make sense even when it's available, how to navigate bitcoin ownership in relationships and marriage, and whether the goal should ever really be to stop working entirely.
This isn't a conversation about macro narratives or price predictions. It's about the personal finance side of bitcoin — the decisions, trade-offs, and mindset shifts that come with trying to align your financial life with a fundamentally different form of money.
About Joe Burnett
Joe Burnett is the Head of Bitcoin Strategy at Strive Asset Management, where he focuses on corporate bitcoin treasury strategy and institutional adoption. He discovered bitcoin in 2017 during college and has been working full-time in the bitcoin industry since 2021. His career path includes roles at EY, Blockware Solutions, Unchained, and Similar Scientific (acquired by Strive). Joe is known for his long-form research and educational content on bitcoin's role in corporate finance and personal wealth building.
Follow Joe:
• X: @IIICapital (https://x.com/IIICapital)
• YouTube: @JoeBurnett27 (https://www.youtube.com/@JoeBurnett27)
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to FireBTC Podcast
02:25 Joe Burnett's Bitcoin Journey
06:18 College Years and Early Investments
12:27 Transitioning to a Bitcoin Career
18:21 Evolving Perspectives on Bitcoin and Spending
24:33 The Future of Bitcoin and Personal Finance
29:04 Navigating Bitcoin Ownership and Tax Implications
31:11 The Risks of Borrowing Against Bitcoin
33:01 Balancing Bitcoin and Personal Relationships
39:43 Career Aspirations in the Bitcoin Space
43:16 Financial Independence and Joint Financial Planning
51:01 Lessons Learned and Advice for Friends
55:23 Subscribe to FIRE BTC
Key Topics Discussed
• First hearing about bitcoin in 2017 when it was trading around $1,000
• Building a commodity price tracking Android app in middle school (2011-2012) and early exposure to markets
• Growing up with a value investing mindset before discovering bitcoin
• Stacking bitcoin in college on a limited income while managing traditional expenses
• The decision to quit a stable job at EY to join Blockware Solutions at the 2021 market peak
• Surviving the 2022 bear market with income directly tied to bitcoin and mining operations
• Natural spending habits and not needing to actively budget or restrict lifestyle
• The concept of declining "BTC yield" as your stack grows and what that means for stacking intensity
• The GBTC confession: why keeping bitcoin in a Coinbase account despite knowing better
• Perspective on borrowing against bitcoin and the real risk of forced liquidation
• Getting married and approaching joint financial planning with a partner
• His fiancée independently choosing to buy bitcoin without prompting
• Career aspirations in bitcoin corporate finance and treasury strategy
• Why full retirement might not be the goal — even with significant bitcoin wealth
• The importance of having purpose and meaningful work beyond just accumulating wealth
Notable Quotes
On discovering bitcoin:
"The market is kind of saying, hey, something is here. And I was like, well, I need to find out what this is."
On spending and lifestyle:
"I live like how I really would want to live without too much excess. I'm not living below my means in a way that's painful."
On allocation strategy:
"It's unnecessary to be all in on Bitcoin from a personal perspective. Like, you don't need to be all in to have life-changing wealth from Bitcoin."
On borrowing against bitcoin:
"I don't want to be a forced seller at $30,000 Bitcoin. That's the worst outcome for me."
On career and purpose:
"If I had a hundred million dollars worth of Bitcoin, which would be incredible, I honestly might still be doing exactly what I'm doing right now."
Resources & Links
People & Companies:
• Strive Asset Management
• Nakamoto Institute
• True North (Jeff Walton's podcast)
Connect with the show:
• Subscribe to FIRE BTC newsletter: https://firebtc.substack.com
• Follow Trey on X: @ts_hodl (https://x.com/ts_hodl)
Subscribe to FIRE BTC
If you're interested in exploring the intersection of financial independence and bitcoin, subscribe to the FIRE BTC newsletter at firebtc.substack.com. Each week covers practical strategies, mental models, and framework for building wealth on a bitcoin standard — from first principles thinking about the 4% rule to navigating career transitions, from expected value calculations to understanding when conventional personal finance advice breaks down.
This podcast is an extension of that work: real conversations with people who are actually living this out, making these decisions, and thinking through what it means to build a financial life around fundamentally different money.
Thanks for listening.
Until next time,
Trey
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.firebtc.io/subscribe
