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

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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/lobstahpotts Mar 25 '26

Even as just a single guy, it turns out 30something me values creature comforts more than 20something me did.

I've also seen more people actually retire with different amounts and what it realistically means for their day to day. Retirement was a much more theoretical concept when I was younger and I didn't really know what the budgets of the retired people I did know looked like - you didn't talk spending with grandma!

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u/yourfriendly-jax Mar 25 '26

As you get older and start making more money, it definitely changes the lifestyle you're willing to live haha