The Irish FIRE Podcast

What if retirement wasn’t the goal, and the focus was instead on building a life where work fits around what matters most? In this episode, Michael welcomes Brian Herriot, author of Time Freedom, to explore a different way of thinking about work, money and freedom.

Brian’s book explores how people can shape their work and finances around the life they want to live, creating more flexibility and choice along the way. Rather than waiting for retirement to enjoy life, the conversation considers what it means to make work part of a fulfilling life today, on their own terms.

Having enjoyed an advance copy of the book, Michael brings his own perspective as he prepares to take the leap into early retirement. Together, they explore how time freedom might change the way people think about financial independence and what comes next.

Show Notes:

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This episode is supported by Moneycube, one of the sponsors of the Irish FIRE Podcast. Moneycube is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Could becoming a contractor help you earn more, gain flexibility and build towards financial independence? In this episode, Michael is joined by Sarah Flynn from Fenero to discuss contracting in Ireland and the reasons you might consider making the move from permanent employment.

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This episode has been sponsored by KennCo Insurance. KennCo Underwriting Ltd T/A KennCo Insurance is regulated by The Central Bank of Ireland.

In this episode, Anders Skagerberg returns to the show three and a half years after his first appearance as “The Coast FI Guy”. Back then, Anders was embracing Coast FI while Michael was still firmly in the accumulation and grinding phase of his own financial independence journey.

This time, the roles have almost reversed. Anders is no longer coasting. After upgrading his lifestyle, returning to full-time work and increasing his income again, he discovered that going back to the grind wasn’t necessarily the answer either.

The conversation explores the balance between coasting and grinding, frugality and deliberate lifestyle inflation, and the constant tension between building more wealth and actually enjoying the life that wealth is supposed to create.

It’s a thoughtful discussion about how financial independence can evolve over time, why “enough” is rarely a fixed number, and how the real goal may simply be creating the freedom to choose how much - or how little - you want to work.

Show Notes:

Anders original interview:

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Coast FI Guy on Substack:

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This episode has been sponsored by Martina Murphy Solicitor. Legal services with a personal touch.

After a recent radio interview left very little time to explain the realities of financial independence and early retirement, Michael Houghton takes a deeper look at some of the questions people most often ask about FIRE.

Does retiring early mean never working again? Where does fulfillment come from without a traditional job? And how is it possible to build enough wealth to step away from full-time work in less than a decade? Michael discusses the intense saving years behind his family's journey, the role of investing and property, and how compound growth eventually began doing more of the work.

He also looks at the idea of "enough" - why building a larger portfolio is not necessarily better if it comes at the cost of another decade of work, and why the real goal of financial independence has always been greater control over time.

Finally, Michael explains why budgeting will remain part of life in retirement and why FIRE, for his family, has never really been about becoming rich. It has been about building enough wealth to have the freedom to choose how they spend their time.

Show Notes:

The FYI - Top 10 FIRE Podcasts:

Original interview on Claire Bryne:

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This episode is supported by Moneycube, one of the sponsors of the Irish FIRE Podcast. Moneycube is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

In this episode of The Irish FIRE Podcast, Michael is joined by Karena Duane, founder of Money, Just For Her.

Karena has spent more than 25 years working in Irish financial services and now focuses on helping women build greater confidence and understanding around money.

They talk about budgeting, spending habits and our relationship with money, as well as the gender pay gap and the longer-term impact this can have on women’s finances.

They also discuss money within relationships, including what happens when couples have very different attitudes towards saving and spending, and why these conversations can be so important.

Karena also shares the story behind Money, Just For Her, why she created it, and some of the financial challenges women can face at different stages of life.

Show Notes:

You can find out more about Karena and Money, Just For Her here:

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This episode has been sponsored by Martina Murphy Solicitor. Legal services with a personal touch.

Sjoerd Bak returns to the Irish FIRE Podcast for a conversation about financial advice and why simply speaking to a financial adviser doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the right advice for you.

Ireland is planning to introduce a new Personal Investment Account (PIA), designed to make investing easier and encourage more people to move some of their savings out of cash and into investments. On the surface, it sounds like a welcome step, but will it really be as simple as it sounds?

In this episode, Michael is joined by Michael Healy, CEO of IG Consumer, to look at the detail behind the proposed PIA. They discuss the possible tax treatment, what investments could be included, how the account might compare with systems in the UK and Sweden, and why Michael is concerned that Ireland could end up creating something far more complicated than investors are expecting.

They also discuss what the Government needs to get right if the PIA is genuinely going to encourage more ordinary Irish people to invest and whether this could finally be the beginning of a simpler investment system in Ireland.

Show Notes:

Learn more about IG: www.ig.com.

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This episode is supported by Moneycube, one of the sponsors of the Irish FIRE Podcast. Moneycube is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Seven years ago, I sat down with Ralph Benson from Moneycube to talk about pensions, investing and financial independence. Exactly seven years later, Ralph joins me again to look back at what's changed - both in my own financial journey and in the wider world of pensions and financial planning.

Sponsorship disclosure: This episode includes sponsorship from Moneycube, but the interview with Ralph Benson itself was not sponsored or commissioned. I invited Ralph onto the podcast independently and received no payment for interviewing him. I retained full editorial control, including over the questions asked and the final edit, and Moneycube had no approval or influence over the interview or its content.  For more information on how we work with sponsors, please click here.

Moneycube is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

In this episode, Michael talks with David Ferns, author of the recently released financial independence book How to Make It.

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This episode has been sponsored by KennCo Insurance. KennCo Underwriting Ltd T/A KennCo Insurance is regulated by The Central Bank of Ireland.

This episode has also been sponsored by Moneycube.  Moneycube is regulated by The Central Bank of Ireland.

In this episode Michael shares his thinking behind his decision to step away from full-time work and begin early retirement before turning 43. He reflects on two stories that have stayed with him: Norman, an 80-year-old former WWII fighter pilot who wished he could have five years of his life back, and a MrBeast contestant who turned down $500,000 rather than spend another 100 days away from his family. For Michael, both stories underline the same lesson: there comes a point when more money simply isn't worth trading away more time.

After spending much of the summer living a slower, simpler life with his family in West Clare, Michael realised that many of the things that make life enjoyable cost very little - trips to the beach, football in the garden, cooking at home, building a treehouse and simply having time together. With the family investment portfolio now approaching €1 million, he explains the numbers behind his retirement plan, including the proposed sale of their first investment property, drawing income from their rental-property company, and using the money from the property sale to help bridge the years until their longer-term investments and pensions become accessible.

After eight years of pursuing financial independence, Michael believes he has finally reached the point where the most valuable thing his money can buy is time.

Show Notes:

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This episode has been sponsored by KennCo Insurance. KennCo Underwriting Ltd T/A KennCo Insurance is regulated by The Central Bank of Ireland.

This episode has also been sponsored by Moneycube.  Moneycube is regulated by The Central Bank of Ireland.