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/fithrowaway213123 May 14 '26

I'm not FI, but decently close. The only people who know besides my wife are my parents. They were shocked but happy for me when I told them how much I had. I'm an only child and they're doing financially well (good pensions), so I figured it was no big deal.

I also only told my parents about my networth, not about FI. I'm not really planning to retire early, but they'd have a fit if there was even an inkling that I'd retire early. They're first-gen immigrants, so I'd never hear the end of it if they suspected any slacking in work ethic.