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How to get FIRE

The road to FIRE, one short read at a time

Saving, debt, investing, the paths people take, and health cover before 65. Every term explained.

A blank notebook, a pen, a mug and a camera on a wooden table.

New to FIRE? Start here

FIRE basics: what it is, and Lean, Fat, Coast and Barista FIRE

The core idea behind Financial Independence, Retire Early, how people work out their number, and the four styles of FIRE you'll hear about most.

Read it · 6 min

Passive income and side hustles

Extra income, honestly explained

What “passive” really means, the work behind rentals and digital products, side work built on skills you already have, and the tax basics. No get-rich-quick.

Passive income as a path to FIRESide hustles as a path to FIREWhat side income does to your number

Start here

The whole road to FIRE, in the order most people meet it.

  • Start here · 20 min read

    Paths to FIRE: the many roads people take

    There's no single way to reach financial independence. Here are the paths people describe most often when they share their journeys, with how each one works, who it tends to suit, the trade-offs and the first steps.

    October 5, 2026

  • Start here · 4 min read

    The road to FIRE, on one page

    Financial independence isn't one big move. It's a handful of steps most people take in roughly the same order. Here they are, in plain English.

    October 5, 2026

Spending and saving

Every FIRE plan starts with the gap between what comes in and what goes out.

  • Spending and saving · 6 min read

    Avoiding lifestyle creep: keep your raises working for you

    When income rises, spending tends to follow, quietly. Here's why that matters so much for FIRE, how it happened even to uFIRE's founder, and simple ways to enjoy more without falling behind.

    October 6, 2026

  • Spending and saving · 7 min read

    Savings rate: the number that matters most

    Why the share of your pay you keep shapes your FIRE timeline more than the size of your paycheck, how to work yours out, and ways people raise it without making life miserable.

    October 6, 2026

FIRE with a family

One income, kids, college savings: planning FIRE around the people you're doing it for.

  • FIRE with a family · 6 min read

    FIRE on one income

    Many families live on one paycheck while one partner raises kids, cares for family or goes back to school. FIRE is still possible. Here's how the math, the accounts and the risks change.

    October 6, 2026

  • FIRE with a family · 7 min read

    FIRE with kids: 529 plans and the family math

    Kids change the budget, the timeline and the reasons for FIRE. Here's how families balance college and retirement saving, how 529 plans work, and the 2026 tax rules worth knowing.

    October 6, 2026

Paying off debt

Debt payments are money that can't go toward freedom. Here's how people clear them.

Investing basics

What stocks, bonds and funds are, and the accounts they live in. No tips, no picks.

Earning more

Saving has a floor. Income doesn't. Raises, job changes and going back to work. For businesses and side income, see Paths to FIRE below.

Paths to FIRE

Five ways to build the income

A pension, passive income, self-employment, startups and side hustles.

See all five paths

The flagship guide

Paths to FIRE: the many roads people take

There's no single way to reach financial independence. Here are the paths people describe most often when they share their journeys, with how each one works, who it tends to suit, the trade-offs and the first steps.

Read it · 20 min

Pensions and public service

How firefighters, police officers, teachers, military members and government workers use a pension on the way to FIRE.

  • Pensions and public service · 7 min read

    Military retirement and FIRE

    A 20-year military career can end with a lifetime pension while you're still young enough to start something new. Here's how the Blended Retirement System, the TSP and TRICARE fit into a plan for financial independence.

    October 6, 2026

  • Pensions and public service · 6 min read

    Pension check or lump sum? What people weigh

    Some pension plans let you take a monthly check for life or one large payment. It's often a once-only, can't-undo choice. Here are the questions people work through, without telling you which to pick.

    October 6, 2026

Pensions and public service: the common kinds, and questions to ask first

Passive income

Money that keeps coming in with little day-to-day work once it's set up, and why it's rarely as passive as it sounds.

  • Passive income · 7 min read

    Becoming a landlord: the work behind the rent

    Rental property can be a real path to financial independence. It's also a small business with tenants, repairs, debt and tax rules. Here's what it takes before you count rent as passive income.

    October 6, 2026

  • Passive income · 6 min read

    Digital products and content: what it really takes

    Make it once, sell it many times. Books, courses, templates, music, channels and newsletters can pay for years. Here's the realistic version: the up-front work, the upkeep, the rules and the taxes.

    October 6, 2026

  • Passive income · 7 min read

    Dividends versus total return: how investments pay you

    Living off dividends sounds like the perfect early retirement. Here's how dividends and interest actually work, how they're taxed, and why the total return of a portfolio usually matters more than its yield.

    October 6, 2026

  • Passive income · 6 min read

    What “passive income” really means

    Passive income sounds like money for nothing. In real life it's money for something you already did, bought or built. Here's what it takes, what upkeep is left, and why the word can mislead.

    October 6, 2026

Passive income: the common kinds, and questions to ask first

Self-employment

Working for yourself: consulting, freelancing, a trade, or owning a practice.

  • Self-employment · 8 min read

    FIRE for business owners, doctors and dentists

    A big income doesn't guarantee freedom. Here's how high earners with high debts, from new dentists to practice owners, think about debt, lifestyle creep, retirement plans and protecting their income.

    October 6, 2026

  • Self-employment · 6 min read

    Going out on your own: what changes

    Working for yourself can speed up FIRE, or slow it down. Here's what changes with pay, taxes, retirement accounts, health insurance and the jobs your employer used to do for you.

    October 6, 2026

Self-employment: the common kinds, and questions to ask first

Startups

Building a new company meant to grow. The biggest possible upside, and the biggest risk.

Startups: the common kinds, and questions to ask first

Side hustles

A few paid hours on the side, to add income, test an idea, or stay busy in early retirement.

  • Side hustles · 7 min read

    Side hustles and passive income: a realistic guide

    Extra income can speed up FIRE a lot, or burn you out. Here's an honest look at side hustles and "passive" income, the taxes and trade-offs, and how to pick one that fits your life.

    October 6, 2026

  • Side hustles · 6 min read

    Side hustles that use the skills you already have

    Side work built on what you already know can cost less to start and may pay better per hour. Ideas for firefighters, police officers, teachers, tradespeople, healthcare professionals and office workers, and the rules to check before you start.

    October 6, 2026

  • Side hustles · 7 min read

    Side income and your taxes: the basics

    Extra income from a side hustle is taxed differently from a paycheck. Here's how self-employment tax, quarterly estimates, Schedule C and 1099 forms work, with 2026 figures and links to the IRS.

    October 6, 2026

Side hustles: the common kinds, and questions to ask first

Health insurance before 65

The bridge from your last paycheck to Medicare, where many early plans get expensive.

Medicare

Signing up on time, the parts of Medicare, and the costs that surprise people.

The first guides here are being written and checked.

Coming: Medicare in plain English: Parts A, B, C and D · When to sign up for Medicare

Until then, the glossary and the FAQ cover the basics.

Using your savings

Turning savings back into a paycheck: which account, in what order, and the tax side.

  • Using your savings · 7 min read

    Getting to your money before 59½

    Most retirement accounts charge a 10% additional tax on early withdrawals. Here are the main ways early retirees reach their money anyway, with what the IRS rules actually say.

    October 6, 2026

  • Using your savings · 7 min read

    The 4% rule, and where it falls short

    The famous rule of thumb behind most FIRE numbers, the research it came from, and the limits every early retiree should understand before leaning on it.

    October 6, 2026

  • Using your savings · 6 min read

    Which account do you spend first?

    Once you stop working, the order you draw from taxable, tax-deferred and Roth accounts can change your taxes for decades. Here's the conventional order, why many early retirees bend it, and what to watch.

    October 6, 2026

Mindset and life after work

The part nobody puts in a spreadsheet: purpose, identity and what you'll do on a Tuesday.

  • Mindset and life after work · 3 min read

    What will you retire to? Meet the uFIRE Hearth

    FIRE buys you time. The harder question is what you'll fill it with. Here's a simple way to think about purpose, on the way to FIRE and after it.

    October 5, 2026

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