The uFIRE Dreamboard
What will you do with your freedom?
FIRE isn't really about money. It's about time. Pin what you'd do with yours. No account needed.
Dreams on the board
Work I choose
The first time, Matt W retired at 40 to raise his kids. Now he's working toward round two:
“My goal is to be done by 55. Then I'll go back to the semi-retired life and keep the practice.”
Matt W · uFIRE founder · 45–54Read Matt W's story The board is brand new.
Matt W's is the only dream pinned so far. Real dreams from readers appear here on the board. Below it are a few examples we wrote to get you started. They're labelled, and they'll step aside as real dreams arrive. Yours could be the first from a reader.
Add your dream →- Travel and adventureWhere would you go first, and who would you take?This spot is open. Add your dream →
- Family timeWho would you spend more time with?This spot is open. Add your dream →
- Building somethingWhat have you always wanted to make, build or finish?This spot is open. Add your dream →
- Health and the outdoorsWhat would you do with your mornings?This spot is open. Add your dream →
- Service and giving backWhere would you give your time?This spot is open. Add your dream →
Travel and adventure 
Family time 
Health and the outdoors 
Building something
Not real submissions
Example dreams, to get you thinking
These are made-up examples written by uFIRE to show the kinds of dreams people pin. They aren't real people or real submissions.
Example Family time
“After 25 years of 24-hour shifts, I want to be home every single night. Coach my daughter's softball team, and never miss a game.”
Example · “Dana,” a firefighterHoping for FIRE by 47Your version? Add your dream → Example Building something
“Rebuild my grandfather's old pickup in the garage, then drive it to every national park in the West.”
Example · “Luis,” a firefighterHoping for FIRE by 52Your version? Add your dream → Example Service and giving back
“Teach self-defense classes at the community center for free, and sleep in on weekdays.”
Example · “Renee,” a police officerHoping for FIRE by 48Your version? Add your dream → Example Health and the outdoors
“Buy a small boat and learn to fish properly. No radio, no schedule.”
Example · “Mike,” a police officerHoping for FIRE by 53Your version? Add your dream → Example Travel and adventure
“Spend a full school year living in Spain, finally speaking the Spanish I've been studying for a decade.”
Example · “Ms. Patel,” a teacherHoping for FIRE by 46Your version? Add your dream → Example Work I choose
“Keep tutoring the kids who need it most, but only two afternoons a week, and only because I want to.”
Example · “Tom,” a teacherHoping for FIRE by 57Your version? Add your dream → Example Service and giving back
“Volunteer as a nurse on medical mission trips, without asking anyone for time off.”
Example · “Grace,” a nurseHoping for FIRE by 55Your version? Add your dream → Example Travel and adventure
“Walk the Camino de Santiago, then come home and plant the garden I never had time to weed.”
Example · “Kim,” a nurseHoping for FIRE by 49Your version? Add your dream → Example A place to call home
“After 20 years of moving every three years, put down roots. A porch, a dog, and neighbors who know my name.”
Example · “Sgt. Ray,” in the militaryHoping for FIRE by 45Your version? Add your dream → Example Learning something new
“Learn to play the cello. I've wanted to since I was nine.”
Example · “Andrea,” a government workerHoping for FIRE by 58Your version? Add your dream → Example Building something
“Build a cabin with my own hands, wired right, on a few acres by a lake.”
Example · “Joe,” an electricianHoping for FIRE by 48Your version? Add your dream → Example Service and giving back
“Teach a free trades class to high schoolers who don't want to go to college.”
Example · “Carla,” a plumberHoping for FIRE by 56Your version? Add your dream → Example Travel and adventure
“Take my wife on the honeymoon we skipped when we were broke and 22.”
Example · “Brandon,” a carpenterHoping for FIRE by 44Your version? Add your dream → Example Health and the outdoors
“Never set an alarm again. Read in the morning, hike in the afternoon.”
Example · “Jen,” an office employeeHoping for FIRE by 42Your version? Add your dream → Example Work I choose
“Work on open-source projects I care about, on my own hours, for free.”
Example · “Marcus,” a software engineerHoping for FIRE by 45Your version? Add your dream → Example Family time
“Take a sabbatical year while my kids are still little, and be the parent who walks them to school every day.”
Example · “Priya,” a retail managerHoping for FIRE by 45Your version? Add your dream → Example Work I choose
“Hand the shop to my two best employees and come in once a week to drink coffee and tell stories.”
Example · “Steve,” a small business ownerHoping for FIRE by 60Your version? Add your dream → Example Building something
“Write the family cookbook my mother never got to finish.”
Example · “Lena,” a bakery ownerHoping for FIRE by 57Your version? Add your dream → Example Family time
“Work two days a week at a free clinic, and spend the other five with my kids before they leave home.”
Example · “Dr. Sam,” a physicianHoping for FIRE by 46Your version? Add your dream → Example Travel and adventure
“Sell the practice, sail the Caribbean for a year, and come back to teach at a dental school.”
Example · “Dr. Alicia,” a dentistHoping for FIRE by 49Your version? Add your dream → Example Travel and adventure
“Slow travel through Southeast Asia, one month in each place, both of us retired at the same time.”
Example · “Nate and Mia,” a coupleHoping for FIRE by 48Your version? Add your dream → Example Family time
“Both cut back to part-time, so we raise our kids together instead of passing them off between shifts.”
Example · “Jess and Omar,” a coupleHoping for FIRE by 44Your version? Add your dream → Example Travel and adventure
“I didn't start saving until 38. My dream is simple: stop while I still want to climb every hill in sight, starting with a long trip to see my sister in Ireland.”
Example · “Theresa,” a late starterHoping for FIRE by 55Your version? Add your dream → Example Service and giving back
“Coach my son's Little League team. I've spent too many games watching from the bleachers in my work clothes. I want to be on the field.”
Example · “Frank,” a late starterHoping for FIRE by 47Your version? Add your dream → Example Family time
“Be home when my son gets off the school bus. That's it. That's the whole dream.”
Example · “Olivia,” an employee and single parentHoping for FIRE by 45Your version? Add your dream → Example Health and the outdoors
“Finally take the cross-country motorcycle trip, from Maine to California.”
Example · “Hank,” a union pipefitterHoping for FIRE by 49Your version? Add your dream →
Add your dream
Pin your dream to the board
Whether FIRE is two years away or twenty, it helps to know what it's for. Writing it down is a good start.
Wondering when? Find your Freedom Date and put it in your dream.
Not sure what to pin? Try the Hearth self-check.
Already living the dream?
If you've reached FIRE, or you're getting close, your full story could help someone a few years behind you.
Takes about 10 minutes. No account needed. Pen names welcome.