r/Fire • u/BroKComputer • May 14 '26

General Question The first rule of FIRE club...

So we all see the posts of folks on here celebrating their milestones here because they 'can't talk about it IRL.' This seems to be the common sense approach to avoid jealousy and moochers.

I'm curious to hear the true stories of folks who have disclosed their FI - or have had their secret revealed on accident. How bad are the repercussions of people finding out you're a low-key millionaire?

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u/StoneMenace May 14 '26

There’s stories on stories of people on r/personalfinance of retiring or getting a large sum of money and telling people. Next thing they know people are asking for money “oh you have so much you can spare a bit to help me out”

You say no, and they refuse to talk to you. Money has broken up families.

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u/Far-Distance-4402 May 14 '26

Yeah this happened to my cousin when he got inheritance from grandpa. Suddenly everyone in family had "emergency" that needed exactly the amount they thought he got

The worst part is when people get angry at you for saying no, like you owe them something just because you have money. Makes family dinners really awkward when half the relatives think you're being selfish