How did it begin?
A co-worker nudged me into the FIRE movement and I dove down the rabbit hole, landing on MadFientist and Mr. Money Moustache. During a work trip my interest in FIRE, caught fire. I remember walking airport terminals listening to podcasts. Then reading Mr. Money Moustache blog posts for hours at my destination hotel. I became hooked.
This is my way. Catch interest in a topic and then become consumed. Reading, listening, pondering, discussing and diving deep into a topic. Sometimes I lose interest and move on to the next obsession. And sometimes my interest persists and grows.
That is how my journey to financial independence began. As you read through fichronicles.com you will see our family’s progress on the path.
Why did I start creating content?
We were recovering from a tough financial situation, burdened with debt. We were a young family that got by, but struggled financially. In 2018 I found the light at the end of the tunnel – a clear path out. Based on my annual bonus compensation structure, I found I needed two annual bonuses to clear our consumer debt. Freedom from debt was something I had dreamed of for a long time. And until then I couldn’t see a clear path out. That all changed with a job change. We now had a 1.5-year timeline to reach the goal.
To develop Microsoft Excel skills, I built tools and calculators to visualize our progress out of debt.
As an introverted INFJ personality type, I process my thoughts best through written word. I have the desire to delve deep into topics through rigorous study. I am a read/write and visual learner (bi-modal). Which means I learn best through written word and graphical visualization.
Why keep creating content?
I find satisfaction in it. I enjoy settling on a topic and hashing out a post when inspiration strikes. Usually this happens during early-morning neighborhood walks. I get to work immediately with plenty of coffee before the house is awake.
I am trying to instill basic personal financial knowledge in our two young children. They have interest in some of the topics as you will read about through the articles. In the future they may seek further advice and insight and I want them to have this information. As the number of articles increase, I am considering adapting this information into a book. I want others to enjoy reading our fichronicles.
From a skillset standpoint I want learn how to develop a website, adding this to my toolbox.
Structure and Format of fichronicles:
- I wrote some of the articles over the last few years and those contain reference to historical topics. These will be released along with new articles. My goal is to release new content bi-weekly.
- Excel calculators and tools – I have created tools to visualize and motivate. My articles cover these in great detail and there is an area of the site with these tools for your personal use.
- A top priority is to maintain consistency. I value consistency as you will see by reading through our journey.
Why the name, fichronicles?
FI definition: FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early). I’m most interested in the FI part.
Chronicle definition: an account of events in the order that they happened (Merriam Webster).
Enjoy reading our journey.