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Hello! It’s Michelle here from FrugalityandFreedom.com, bringing you the latest #AusFIWeekly. Each edition is a handpicked selection of great financial independence links, news, and events from Australia and beyond.
Want to know more about my story and what FI means to me? Check out my guest post for The Fioneers blog, exploring why I semi-retired at age 33 and how I’ve travelled to 40 countries so far.
Thanks very much to the recent guest curators for Australian FI Weekly: Latestarterfire and Keepin It Frugal. Fancy being a contributor? Get in touch.
Australian Links
Why Did The FI/RE Movement Arise? – Smith Money
“FI/RE people are some of the most driven, goal orientated and intelligent people out there. How did we reach a point where they willingly sacrifice a ‘normal’ life achieve FI/RE? … We are in this situation because the social contract broke.”
The Financial Independence Principles We Live By – A Family on FIRE
“It can be daunting starting out. I remember when I started on my journey a long time ago, just dipping my toe in the water was scary enough… Ten years into my investing journey, I still learn new things every day. So how does one get onboard the financial independence train without getting overwhelmed?”
Tracking The FI Crossover Point – Sustainable Living
“Pioneer of the financial independence (FI) movement, Vicki Robin in her book Your Money Or Your Life, came up with a beautifully simple visual way to track your FI crossover point. The exact moment where you go from being a wage earner to being able to live from your investments. By following the basic steps in this article, you’ll be able to create your own FI crossover point graph.”
Frequent Flyer Points and Travel Hacking: My Top 16 Tips – Mawer Money
“The only way I can describe Frequent Flyer points is AWESOME! They allow you to travel around the world for a fraction of the price you would have otherwise. If you are interested in personal finance / FIRE, but also love to travel then point hacking is for you.”
Australian Events
Brisbane: Mustachians Australia – South Brisbane MMM Monthly Meetup, Sat 26 Oct 1pm, Holland Park
Canberra: ChooseFI Australia – Canberra Meetup, Sun 20 Oct 2.30pm, Fyshwick
Melbourne: FI Meetup Melbourne – Monthly Wed Night Meetup, Wed 16 Oct 6pm, CBD
+ Auckland NZ: FIRE & Mustachian Meetup, Sun 10 Nov 2pm, Mt Eden
Michelle is hosting this one while in Auckland! Let your Kiwi friends know.
International Links
Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore – Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic (US)
“The hours in which we work, rest, and socialize are becoming ever more desynchronized. Whereas we once shared the same temporal rhythms—five days on, two days off, federal holidays, thank-God-it’s-Fridays—our weeks are now shaped by the unpredictable dictates of our employers.”
Accepting the Boring Parts of the Financial Independence Journey – Modest Millionaires (Canada)
“For anyone first finding out about financial independence and the idea of retiring early, you’re first motivated to optimize everything… This keeps you busy for a little while, maybe a couple of years as you track your spending closer, but at one point, there isn’t much left to optimize to make it come faster. That’s when you realize that the bulk of this journey, at least from the monetary and logistics standpoint, is overall pretty boring.”
My 4.5 Big Financial Mistakes (Reflecting at 45) – Educator FI (US)
“If I’d done these things better, I’d already be financially independent. I’ve listed the mistake followed by what younger me should have done instead. I know young people never listen to the olds. I was full of righteous certainty when I was 20. But trust me, if you learn from these mistakes you’ll be in a dramatically better financial position.”
What Does Financial Independence Feel Like? – Slightly Early Retirement (US)
“First the space that worrying about money occupies in your life now is freed up. That time is now useful to you. Sure, you still analyze purchases to see if the value you perceive in an item exceeds its price. But you never think “I can’t afford that.” or “Can I afford that?” Those thoughts are gone, never to return.”
Thanks for reading! Have you discovered other Australian FI events or favourite blogs to include? Let me know.
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