Regular readers of this blog will no doubt have figured out that I’m a pretty numbers and data oriented guy. I like thinking about things like sequencing risk and safe withdrawal rates and budgets and the impact of various tax changes and other fun stuff like that.The fact is though that a lot of people don’t actually like numbers or math.
As shocking and disturbing as that is to a guy who was on all the math teams in school and will happily play with spreadsheets all day long, it’s the reality of life. And as mentioned once or twice before, this blog is all about reality.
So what do most people actually like? They like heroes, and they like the stories of those heroes.
Sometimes that’s from the latest movie or comic. Sometimes it’s from a book or a tv show. And sometimes, it’s a blogger.
Now pretty obviously most bloggers aren’t saving the world or rushing into burning buildings or exciting heroic stuff like that. Hell, I don’t even have a cape!
But what will help get people on the path to FIRE is hearing the stort of someone who they feel they have some sort of connection with or similarity to that is already writing about FIRE.
I can write about the math and the data all day long and twice on Sundays, but unfortunately outside of a pretty small percentage of the population it isn’t going to inspire anyone to start being more responsible financially or pursuing FIRE.
There are plenty of FIRE blogs out there that don’t talk much about the math much at all. Oh sure there’s usually some mention of a SWR or assets required etc, but it’s based on the 4% rule without any analysis around that. And you know what, that’s ok.
Because the math isn’t going to be what inspires most people to get on the road to FIRE and lead a more sustainable and responsible financial life.
What is going to get them on the road is finding someone they like, someone they feel they have a connection with, someone whose journey they can follow and seek to emulate.
The fact is that if you’re just starting out in the workforce then you’re probably not looking at my situation and thinking yeah this 40+ year old guy who’s married with two young kids is exactly like me. Oh sure maybe in 20 years that might be where you want to be (or more likely already retired) but pretty clearly my story is only going to appeal to a small subset of the population, and that’s before taking into account that I mostly write about data driven stuff rather than telling much of my personal story.
The great news though is that there are plenty of other bloggers out there in the Australian FIRE scene with a wide variety of situations. I don’t want to say that there is someone for everyone, but it is at least getting a lot closer.
(Showing my age here but this is one of my favourite albums)
There are bloggers who are just starting out and haven’t built up much wealth yet.
There are bloggers who are in their late twenties and have a bit of money behind them but still a long way to go.
There are bloggers who have made mistakes and write about how they’re trying to do better.
There are established bloggers who are a fair way along like Aussie Firebug and Pat the Shuffler but still have a number of years to go.
There are lesser known bloggers who are a fair way along.
There are bloggers who are aiming for a much higher income in retirement than most and can wax poetic with plenty of thought provoking musings and self examination.
There are bloggers who are aiming for a really high income in early retirement.
There are bloggers who are about my age and in similar situations but are mums rather than dads. (As a sidenote I sometimes worry that I write too much from the perspective of a guy and maybe it’s not as relateable for women. I’d like to think it’s pretty neutral but you tend to be bad at judging yourself so who knows, I’m probably overthinking this anyway. I guess people can let me know in the comments.)
There are people older than me (hard to believe I know!).
There are plenty of women bloggers, there are couples bloggers, there are couples with kids bloggers.
There are bloggers who write reviews of a lot of the products or companies and there are bloggers who write a lot about various LICs.
There are bloggers who write about similar stuff to me but from a slightly different perspective and with much better graphics as well as a calculator.
There are bloggers who have already FIREd.
I’ve undoubtedly left out a bunch of other blogs but the message has hopefully sunk in, there are plenty of FIRE blogs out there with all sorts of different situations and bloggers who like to write about different things that people can relate to. And the more that people can find someone whose situation they relate to, the more people that will be hopefully start living a better life financially.
Personally I follow a lot of different blogs. Some for technical stuff, some for the stories, some because they’re thought provoking, some because we have similar interests or are at a similar stage of our lives.
There’s no one blog that’s going to suit everyone and that’s fine. But if you like the concept of FIRE but want to hear from somebody who is in a similar situation to yourself and is more relatable, then there are plenty of Aussie bloggers out there and there is probably someone quite like yourself.
If none of the above appeal then Rockstar Finance has a list of 80 Aussie FIRE blogs, some of which are already mentioned above.
Who are your favourite FIRE bloggers and why? If you liked this post and would like to read more like it then please subscribe using the link on the right!
Love this post! What you’re saying is so true.
I stumbled across a blog a couple of days ago that’s written by a female blogger in the UK who’s been retired for nearly a decade. She’s living my dream and she was talking about things that will be on my radar very soon, as I get closer to pulling the pin.
(Actually, after just coming back from yet another year 8 Grammar class (yawn), if I could pull the pin immediately I would!!)
I loved reading her stuff and I put her on my Feedly straight away.
Thanks for the nod my way. I’ve got a couple of free periods this afternoon and no correction to do, so I’ll wander back and have a look at the links you gave.
🙂
ps. I hate Maths with a passion…
Glad you enjoyed the post Frogdancer and it’s great that you found another blogger to inspire yourself!
I probably should have paid more attention in Year 8 English (and every other grade of English) and I might have been a better writer!
I’m not sure how anyone can hate Maths though, it’s so pure!
Frogdancer Jones! You are that blogger for me… 10 years ahead and living the life I am working on. Certainly your stories have been the most helpful in motivating me since I am in a similar situation to your past in many ways.
Thanks for this great post Hifire! I can’t believe how much Aussie blogging activity there is. After years of being really interested in the US blogs, it is fantastic to be reading directly relevant content.
Thanks for stopping by Girt! The Aussie FIRE blogging scene has been there for a while but it seems like there have been a whole bunch starting up in the last 6 to 12 months. I think it makes a huge difference reading stuff that can be directly applied to your own situation rather than having to figure out what a 401k or Roth IRA or 529 plan etc are and then what the Aussie equivalent might be.
OMG. I hopped on here to make a smartarse reply to HIFIRe, saying that yeah, Maths is pure…ly horrible.
But Girt… thanks so much for that lovely comment. Sometimes it feels like you put out posts and no one reads… this was unexpectedly wonderful to hear!
So two birds with one stone then Frogdancer? 😉
Frogdancer Jones, I recently binge-read your entire blog after coming across you in the comments on a recent post on either this blog, Aussie Firebug or Strong Money Australia (can’t remember which). You’re an inspiration! I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I was to discover that I’m not the only older single woman out there aiming for FIRE.
Wait, you read her entire blog? How many weeks did that take? 😉
Only the Burning Desire for FIRE one, not all FJ’s crafting stuff! It did take a few dedicated evenings 😀
Couldn’t agree more Aussie HiFIRE.
People find it so much easier to relate to a subject when it’s personal – be it stories that move them, or people who are like them. Not everyone can stomach the math stuff (I struggle even on my best days) but I can easily read someone’s story and be inspired by them.
Thanks for the shoutout too. There are a few blogs that I didn’t know about that have piqued my interest – will be giving them a good read. I know that some personal finance forums *cough* Reddit *cough* don’t like blogs, but I’d say the reason why the FIRE movement has such a broad appeal is because of stories/blogs like yours and mine and everyone else’s that make FIRE so relatable. There’s a place for everyone.
No worries on the shoutout, I’m really enjoying your blog and hopefully others are as well! Reddit certainly seems to have gone a bit anti-blog at the moment, perhaps because people feel that if a particular blog doesn’t appeal to them personally then it shouldn’t be allowed instead of accepting that it might appeal to others. Such is life I suppose.
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I love how the Aussie FIRE blog scene has grown so much since I last checked the Rockstar list – time to update my RSS reader!
It’s fantastic to have so many options to choose from and people to be inspired by!
Thanks for this post Aussie HIFIRE – you’ve given me a few more to sink my teeth into, other than the several I’m already trying to get up to speed on!
I’m glad you enjoyed it Nicola! Lots of great Aussie bloggers out there, so there’s hopefully someone for everyone!
I really liked this post mate. Sometimes it seems that there’s too many blogs out there but that’s not true at all when one stops to think about all of us being at different stages, with different lessons learned and different styles of writing, investing and philosophy on money/FI. Each of us are likely to be resonating with different people and that’s why the community works. Just different flavours of early retirement ice cream 🙂
Thanks Dave! Yep the more voices out there in different situations the more likely it is that people will find someone in the same situation as themselves that they can follow and be inspired by!
That is absolutely one of my favourite albums too – in fact, the very first album I ever bought! I heard them play Push live and just loved it!
I’m probably in the blogging category of ‘it’s just great fun!’ Its a big wide world of investing and possibilities, and I just love seeing and hearing as many perspectives as possible (I do also love numbers – but even more than numbers, charts and pictures….)
Cheers, Frankie
I’m not sure what album you’re referring to here and google didn’t help me out?
Hey whatever works for you as a blogger! For anyone who hasn’t checked out Frankie’s blog it is at https://fullyfrankedfinance.com/.
Only just saw this post, Aussie HIFIRE – and we’re honoured to be included in your list, thanks a lot :).
Stories – and heroes – are great! But the community also needs numbers people. In the money game (which is what FI/RE is fundamentally about), it’s the maths and money that makes the reality happen. So thanks for your contributions (maths, money, and wisdom) – they’ve certainly provided food for thought.
Cheers,
Alex
Hi Alex and Ellie,
Whatever works to get people taking more interest in their finances is great I think. Whether it’s your tales of frugality and getting ready to live the high life or my stories of the exciting world of math and data, it hopefully resonates with someone and gets them to try and be in a better financial position.
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Quiet a few of those Aussie bloggers no longer log, I’ve found myself reading Hishermoneyguide and Captain FI a fair bit recently
Yes unfortunately a lot of people are no longer writing, hopefully they’ll make a return at some stage. In the meantime though as you say there are plenty of new bloggers!