Movie Screening: Playing With FIRE

[Mindy Jensen]

Movie presentation of Playing with FIRE

Playing with FIRE follows 35 year old Scott Rieckens, his wife Taylor, and their toddler Jovie as they embark on a year-long odyssey to understand the rules of this sub-culture and test their willingness to reject the standard narrative of adult life, which basically prescribes: “go to college, take out tons of student loans, buy a new car, take on a mortgage, buy another car and lots more stuff you don’t need, then work for 40+ years to pay for it all. If you’re lucky you might be able to retire at 65 and not have to live on beans.”  The “F.I.R.E.” subculture (“financially independent, retired early”) is a stunning phenomenon that has emerged in developed Western nations thanks to the Internet and simple, efficient ways to invest and grow money. Rooted in cultural traditions of simplicity and values-based appraisals of what makes life truly worth living, the FIRE sub-culture was born from the minds of engineers and computer programmers who favor life optimization and personal freedom over “stuff.”  Today their followers number in the millions, gobbling up every detail of advice on popular blogs and podcasts. These men and women have proven--through a series of simple life hacks and time-tested investing strategies--that it’s possible to buck the system and walk away from mandatory work decades before the standard narrative would suggest is possible.  Once they reach “their number” (investments equaling 25x annual expenses), they are securely positioned to abandon mandatory work and pursue a life on their own terms. But getting to this place requires significant personal sacrifice, a radical reappraisal of the role of money in our lives, and what truly brings happiness.  Not everyone is cut out for the challenge. Q&A to follow. RSVP, Sponsored by ChooseFI South Florida