ChooseFI

The FIRE is spreading my friends.

ChooseFI is a global community of people pursuing Financial Independence through Investing, Real Estate and Business creation. Jonathan and Brad explore life optimization and FI strategies through their Website, Facebook Group and Podcast.


Brad Barrett is the co-host of the ChooseFI Podcast and he lives in Richmond, VA with his wife and two young daughters. He’s a CPA who left the corporate world in 2015 thanks to 15 years of diligent savings and the passive income he earns from his websites. His FI focus points are: money saving hacks, positive mindset, and living a happier, healthier, more intentional life. He also helps people travel the world with credit card rewards points & miles on his sites RichmondSavers.com and TravelMiles101.com.

Jonathan Mendonsa lives in Richmond VA with his wife, son and two dogs. He enjoys travel rewards, coffee, and board games and calls himself a “reluctant frugalist” and not a natural saver. At the age of 28 he started his job as a pharmacist saddled with $168,000 in student loan debt. He devised a plan to pay them off in 4 years and finished this repayment (almost exactly 48 months later!) in 2017. This decision, coupled with his frugal lifestyle, led directly to the freedom to leave pharmacy and pursue ChooseFI full-time.

The ChooseFI podcast started in early 2017 out of Jonathan’s living room in a Richmond, VA suburb. Using the same startup and community-based principles they advocate on the show, the ChooseFI network has grown to: 3+ million downloads, listeners in 169 different countries and 140+ ChooseFI local groups with ‘in real life’ meetups on 5 continents. It has quickly become one of the most highly rated and largest personal finance podcasts in iTunes.

watch playing with fire

A documentary about the FIRE movement and one family's quest to achieve financial independence and retire early. Available on the following:

Get your copy of the

book

A perfect follow up on the film to dive deeper into the philosophies and "how-tos of the FIRE movement"
Playing the FIRE book image

Reading material

We have assembled the foundational information to get your start on the right foot down the FIRE path to financial independence.

The Role of Frugality in FIRE

Dive into the transformative world of financial independence with a refreshing take on frugality versus being cheap. Embrace the art of living well without living beyond your means, and find out how being frugal, not cheap, can unlock the door to your financial liberation.

Understanding the 4% Rule

Retirement withdrawal strategies are anything but one-size-fits-all. For many FIRE fans, determining how much to withdraw each year requires a balance between ensuring your savings last and meeting your current financial needs.

The Importance of Savings Rate in FIRE

Explore the essential role of savings rate in the FIRE movement for achieving financial independence and early retirement. Learn how to balance frugality, investment strategies, and lifestyle to accelerate your journey towards financial freedom.