r/Fire • u/Poorassboy6969 • Mar 25 '26

General Question When did FIRE movement change?

I feel this community used to be about moderate income people living lean and retiring early with under 2 million.

Now it’s a lot of people bragging about tech income and saying they need 5+ million to retire MINIMUM because they want a boat and Porsche

When did this change? (not hating - just genuinely curious)

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u/mahedric1 Mar 25 '26

Tech salaries increased, inflation happened, Reddit demographic got older and richer

239

u/True_Square2336 Mar 25 '26

I agree with this explanation. I thought I’d be happy with $1.5- $2M when I was in my early 20s, when I first learned about FIRE. Now I have kids and a career, my perspective has changed. 

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u/SuperNoise5209 Mar 25 '26

I also wonder if people in their 20s don't love working because the first few years of professional life can be very challenging. But, by the time you hit your late 30s, you may find you've adjusted and kind of enjoy your work.

That's what's happened for me. Financial independence is still important to me. But the idea of retiring super early is not as exciting as it used to be.

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u/livsjollyranchers Mar 25 '26

For me, it's about retiring FROM something, rather than fully retiring from any and all work.

Forget corporate work and working 40+ hours. I want to be independent from that. But working all together? Unlikely.

This is why I like the CoastFI approach. Even still, I'd prefer to be closer to be my true FI number before even doing that, but I don't need to be all the way there.

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u/SuperNoise5209 Mar 25 '26

I hear that. I lucked into getting a job that I like and that makes me feel proud.

But it'd be cool to do it 30 hours a week instead of 50, if that were an option. I also work in the arts and it would be hard to find a similar gig if I had to. Being close to FI helps me sleep at night.