The Echo Chamber - Helllllo o o o

 The Issue is ...

    The issue with FIRE that I see is not the core ideology, it is the other political and social warrior ideology that is sprinkled in. It is an echo chamber so it seems. Well I am just here to write some views, try not to step on the Financial Conservative that leans or jumps to the left, but I probably will offend you with my traditional values, don't worry though some of my views will totally piss off the right. So both of you can sit and cry together if you get offended.

The Case

First a definition:

Conservative:

1. Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
2. Traditional or restrained in style.
3. Moderate; cautious.
4. Of or relating to the political philosophy of conservatism.
5. Belonging to a conservative party, group, or movement.
6. Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political conservatism, especially in the United Kingdom or Canada.
7. Of or adhering to Conservative Judaism.
8. Tending to conserve; preservative.

    I want to focus first on that last one. Tending to conserve or preserve. This is the very idea of FIRE, in fact without being conservative in some manner FIRE might become difficult if not dang near impossible. First live below your means, conserve not spend the finances. This is a very big core of FIRE. So I propose every one that practices FIRE at the very least is a financial conservative. Okay done. No it goes further than this. 
        Let us start with the core real quick. I am a conservative capitalist. I kind of have to be if I believe in currency, investing, and products. Living in a first world country I enjoy the perks of Capitalism, now some in FIRE complain about capitalism and usually it is the same dry arguments of a certain political party. They complain while they enjoy the perks. I lean the other way as you will see. I can see some adjustments, but overall I think the process is great the way it is, in the capitalism portion, not the political, an in a few minutes I am going to piss many off.
    I am not anti-consumerism. I think people should save, but people should buy services and goods, it is what keeps those pesky investments providing money to those that complain about consumerism and got out of the system. Someone wants to buy a Tesla and can afford it after the savings, thanks it helps. They want to buy it without taking care of the savings. Cool thanks. I use Tesla as an example, but it could really be any companies product. 

    A conservative capitalist what do I define that as for a core set of ideology. Free Markets (limited regulation as I believe other countries should not be able to flood the countries market with cheap products. I would love for my countrymen to still have jobs.), private property, limited regulation. True limited government power, some regulation and usually the answer to fix a thing is not more government involvement or rules but less. Traditional Family structures, religious morality and national sovereignty. Low tax, I think the government takes too much and spends far too much on stuff we should not. As a conservative capitalist I think we should put more personal responsibility on a person. Some of our laws and culture should be repealed already.  

    Now this one is going to equally upset the two sides, welfare (in any form) is a disaster and is not needed. It should be the responsibility of the person not the tax payer to create life and liberty in their own way, not financed by those willing to work and sacrifice a paycheck with taxation. Plus welfare creates a false demand, for products and services, which kills the supply and forces an artificial pricing market that never falls. You can see this in college tuition, agriculture (SNAP), and a few other areas. 

    I will get into those issues in more detail later in the blog. In general though all FIRE movement participants are conservative. They are conservative in money, however like everything in life there will be some from all walks. What I will say is let us applaud your conservative ways with money to build that escape velocity to break free. You learned the system, the rules and what it took to escape. Salute. 

The Start

 The Start

    Long time ago I read a book (during 1990's) that talked about how you could kill the mortgage payment by doing a series of steps, later I found this was just an arbitrage way of doing things. I don't think it really helped in the end. It took some really good self control not to mess it up. I did the arbitrage thing on the house and some other debts. Here is how it went; though I advise not doing it, just put extra toward the house. 

    You need low interest Credit Card, HELOC, and a paycheck. You would put the entire paycheck toward Mortgage, then live off Credit Card, then pay credit card off each month with HELOC. The next 1 or 2 cycles you would pay the mortgage the normal way, then pay down the HELOC, while still living off Credit cards and paying them off monthly with HELOC. 

    If you think that sounds stupid it is. I was young and while I understand the concept of it, today I would say it was not the best thing for me, though having a mortgage free house as quick as possible is still something I would have wanted. 
    Here was the setup. In 2016 I had about $39,000 in various debts, so I decided to use the leverage above to get it gone. Then I moved the leverage to the house. To pay it off by 2021, which I start in 2018.

Debt Freedom

    Around October 2023 I was listening to Ramsey and decided debt free sounds good. I took my brokerage and destroyed my last debt about $30,000 for dental implants. Gone. Now debt free. After Ramsey I graduated to Money Guys. I loved the way they taught. I also started reading books like "The Millionaire Next Door" by Dr. Stanley. In fact I think it was that book that started it around then. I went and got a library card and started listening to audio books on Finance. No woke crap though. Feminism, left leaning politics, anytime I hit one of those I would immediately close it. What I can say is Money and Wealth itself is apolitical, amoral, and will only amplify what you believe in. I have made money with a Republican in office and with a Democrat in there. 

    Sorry tangent there. So I started to boost the 401k and it wasn't until 2024 or 2025 that I opened a ROTH IRA. Now Let me tell you what the ROTH IRA was not opened. Back in the early 90's the ROTH IRA and funds had high fees, index what was that. Generation X was the testing generation, we had high fees and was told nothing on how to manage a retirement. After we saw we lost money many of us, not all decided we would keep our money. We probably passed that on to the kids. No one really taught us about finance or index funds back then, and many mutual funds had astronomical expense ratios.

    So I reopened my ROTH. I had a traditional that Primerica was handling probably at a AUM fee. So when I learned about indexing and proper knowledge of mutual funds and ETF's. I had a plan. I went to Fidelity to open the ROTH and Traditional accounts. I moved the Traditional over from Primerica so I could control it. I then later performed a ROTH conversion on it. The 401k at the time was awesome. 

    Work had after tax dollar, so I was able to perform a Mega Backdoor ROTH one year. That process was awesome to do (I wish I could still do it). Sadly the new company does not have the option. But it did help me using Mega Backdoor in order to claw my way to FI. 

    I had a theory and I would not realize this until later but it was a proven theory by those before my time. That 10 Years is all it would take to become FI. That with my debt free, and frugal lifestyle I could become a millionaire. I say frugal by not in the tormented left leaning way. I just simply do not use my money on stuff. I conserve my purchasing power on things I want. I go out but not often, I buy things but not often. A good night at home and playing cards is just as great as a movie to me.

  

Accounts

    I learned you really only need 6 accounts: 

1. Bank Account
2. High Yield account
3. ROTH/ Traditional IRA
4. 401k, 403b, Solo 401k etc. 
5. Health Savings Account
6. Brokerage

    Then learn a couple of strategies and rules and money becomes less mysterious and pretty boring as far as creating wealth. Which I like because I am lazy when it comes to such stuff. Most content creators I listened to always stated automation (usually starting at the bank level is what they elude to). However, I like the idea of just having payroll send the money to my CMA, Brokerage, of High Yield Savings. If anything ever happens to the Job, I do not have to remember to turn off some automation process. 

    Money is actually not so complicated. So after this it will be just topics specific stuff. Maybe some stories. Thanks for the journey and coming with me on it.

The Origin

 

 Origin Reasons 

    Why Conservative FI or Conservative FIRE. When you look at the FIRE (financial independence retire early) sphere one generally gets the idea of Liberal even when they claim apolitical. I am not going to hide it, I am a conservative, and a capitalist (with a lean to free markets). I have read many blogs, and many FIRE people, and usually they have the green idea or the liberal aspect, but yet they truly benefit off the conservative capitalism that has gotten them to that point. I find it adorable that they can live the double life and virtue signal. 

    Now don't get me wrong, I will probably criticize the social programs like ACA, and say how horrible they are, at the same time if the program exists why not use it. FIRE will not like my critique probably, and well that is one of their constitutional or God given right to have their own opinion. 

    So here we go. This is Conservative FI story. Positions, views, and truly the concept of FIRE with conservative twists. Apolitical is fine, but understand this I will be harsh on Democrats almost always and hard on Republicans that have lost their way or is not doing the conservative view on certain topics. Like BTC and Private Equity in 401k, that is a horrible idea. 

    At this point consider this the opening of the blog. It is the story, and it is the views and concepts we all heard about but how one does not have to abandon the values to do FIRE.