The Irish FIRE Podcast

In this episode, Michael sits down with Sjoerd Bak, founder of BAMillionaire.com. Originally from The Netherlands, Sjoerd moved to Ireland in 2006 and worked in the tech industry before becoming a qualified financial advisor. Today, he provides financial coaching to help professionals in the tech sector build financial literacy and achieve their financial goals.

We dive deep into Sjoerd's own FIRE journey, and he shares valuable insights and advice that he offers to his clients on how to become financially independent.

Show Notes:

Connect with Sjoerd on Linked In:

Visit Sjoerd's Website:

Get Sjoerd's tracking template by subscribing to his newsletter:

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In this episode, Michael shares the news that he has been asked to write regularly on personal finance for The Irish Independent and how writing on a main stream newspaper has meant that his near FI status is now being shared on a national scale!  He discusses the challenges and joys of transitioning to semi-retirement, from embracing flexibility in his work schedule to tackling more household tasks. Looking ahead, Michael outlines his family’s plans for 2025, including a long-awaited trip to New Zealand and paying off a personal loan for solar panels and vehicle upgrades. He explains the financial balancing act of covering these expenses, working less, and managing higher taxes while letting his FI portfolio coast.

In this episode, Michael discusses how embracing a low-cost lifestyle has helped him and his family move closer to Financial Independence.  He shares updates on his portfolio, his transition into semi-retirement, and the conscious trade-offs he's made to prioritise time freedom over material wealth.

Show Notes:

The Three Phases of FI

Limerick FI Meet Up Group:

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In this episode, Michael celebrates episode 100 of The Irish FIRE Podcast by looking back over the last 7 years of his FIRE journey, and giving his reflections on a year by year basis since he started his journey in 2018.

In this episode, Michael dives into the Playing with FIRE documentary and explores the balance between achieving financial independence and living a fulfilling life in the present. He discusses the Rieckens' journey, the challenges they face, and whether the sacrifices they make are truly aligned with their core mission of spending more time as a family.

In this episode, Michael explores some of the ideas from Ramit Sethi and his book, podcast and TV program 'I will Teach You To Be Rich' and 'How to Get Rich'.

In this episode, Michael explains and introduces the philosophy of 'The Simple Life' - a concept that his wife sold him on back in 2010.  It is a philosophy that ensures that his family can maintain a low cost lifestyle, while ensuring maximum happiness and contentment.

In this episode, Michael concludes a 3 part series on his FI calculations.  He talks about how the Die with Zero Calculator is actually an improvement on the 4% rule and discusses the art of subtraction once one reaches (or gets close to) FI.

Show Notes

Link to Die with Zero Calculator:

Link to my FI calculations:

Link to online meet up on 31st July 2024:

Link to Mad Fientist Article:

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In this episode, Michael covers the 7 steps to financial independence.  He also gives a personal portfolio update, as well as gives his own definition of financial independence.

It has been 5 years today since The Irish FIRE Podcast launched - what better way to celebrate with a personal update from Michael, sharing his thoughts on defining enough, as he is looking to adopt early retirement.