Subscribe to the email list and join other savvy readers to get this first each Monday!
Welcome to another edition of #AusFIWeekly. It’s Michelle here from FrugalityandFreedom.com, bringing you this regular selection of great financial independence links, news, and events from Australia and beyond.
Got some news or a milestone to share on your FI journey in Australia? Share your February highlights via this survey to be featured in an end-of-month post!
I’m excited to feature FIRE for One as curator for today’s edition of Australian FI Weekly. Every fortnight, I welcome a guest from the Australian FI community to select their favourite financial independence links (see the archives here). Say hello to FIRE for One!
FIREforOne.com
Twitter @FIREforOneAus
Hi! I blog at FIRE for One about my discovery of, and journey towards, FIRE. A latecomer to the FIRE movement, I’m a single woman in my early 50s looking primarily to ensure that I’ll be okay financially during retirement. I started getting my financial act together nearly three years ago, and discovered FIRE through my Barefoot Investor membership. At the moment, I’m challenging myself to improve my savings rate over the 2019-20 financial year. My main FIRE-related interests are women’s finance (naturally!), financial issues of being single, politics and social equity issues. My selection of articles is based around these themes.
Australian Links
My thoughts on the election – and what I’ll do from now – A Family on FIRE
“Years from now, we’ll have case studies examining how the Coalition won the unwinnable election (and maybe even why we should never trust polls again) – but first I’d like to talk about my perspective of the election – especially when my personal politics clearly conflicts with my FIRE goal.”
Ms FireMum of A Family on FIRE on the political and ethical dilemmas of FIRE, and the importance of remaining flexible about our investment strategies.
The Real Cost of Living: An Inconvenient Truth – Strong Money Australia
“We all want to be financially independent. But for many reasons, it just doesn’t happen. The main reason, the chief problem, is that life is expensive. Simply put, there’s just very little cash left over once our living expenses are paid.”
Dave from Strong Money Australia on how we’re all kidding ourselves that we’re hard up.
The secret to success. – Burning Desire For FIRE
“Obviously, one cow (even a pregnant cow) does not a herd make. But over time, it’s possible to build something from nothing if you keep quietly focussed and take strategic steps towards a goal, just putting one foot in front of the other.”
The ever-inspiring Frogdancer Jones from Burning Desire for FIRE, on how small steps get you to your goal. This post comes with the added bonus of photos of her gorgeous doggos.
Avoid the circling vultures during your next ’emergency’ – Life Long Shuffle
“These loans appeal to both the most careless with their money but also to the most vulnerable members of our society, and for that reason they draw my ire. But what truly made my blood boil was the truly deplorable fee structure underpinning these loans.”
Pat the Shuffler from Life Long Shuffle on the Dick Dastardlys of the finance world (aka Nimble, Wallet Wizard).
Australian Events
Brisbane: Mustachians Australia – South Brisbane March MMM Meet Up – Sat 21 Mar 1pm, Holland Park
Melbourne: FI Meetup Melbourne – Monthly Wednesday Night Meetup – Wed 26 Feb 6pm, Docklands
Perth: Choose FI Perth – March Meetup – Sun 8 Mar 11am, Kings Park
International Links
When she said colorism, we heard wealth – Rich & Regular (US)
“In many cases, when the conversation steers towards the financial struggles facing the Black community, we run into a handful of themes. One of the most common being the importance of financial literacy. The thought is, if people were simply taught these concepts, they’d make better decisions. But…when you center the problem around financial literacy, financial education appears as the only logical solution. This approach wrongly assumes that when people know better, they do better.”
Achieving FIRE requires a level of tenacity and commitment. But how much harder is it when you’re part of a socially disadvantaged demographic?
How Can You Avoid Financial Mistakes In A Divorce? – Women Who Money (US)
“When you walk down the aisle to marry the one you love, divorce is the furthest thing from your mind. But the reality is that 40-50% of marriages end in divorce. And it’s important to realize that women make severe financial mistakes during this emotionally charged time. Mistakes that can have a significant impact on their financial futures.”
I’ve known a number of women who’ve been through divorce. It’s never pretty.
Ask the Bitches: Is It Too Late to Get My Financial Shit Together? – Bitches Get Riches (US)
“Many of the discouraging messages mean so, so well! Yet for the late bloomers, reading about thirty-year-old retirees and debt-free millennials can make it feel like they were late to the show and missed the main act.”
A post for us late starters to FIRE. If swearing offends you, just pretend the rude words are too blurry to read.
Building Climate Change Into Your Early Retirement Plans – Our Next Life (US)
“As much as I talk about rising health care costs and uncertainty about which social programs will still exist by the time many of us reach traditional retirement age, the truth is that the far greater threat to financial solvency for early retirees is climate change. And people don’t need to agree on why it’s happening to acknowledge that it is happening. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released a horrifying report on what we’re likely to face, with severe effects coming by 2040, just over 20 years from now.”
Although this one is US-related, climate change is a hotly debated topic here in Australia, particularly given the atrocious bushfires we’ve had over the past few months. Even for those of us who’ve come to FIRE closer to traditional retirement, we’re still likely to experience the effects.
Thanks for taking us on this journey into your favourite content, FIRE For One. Read more from this week’s guest curator at FIREforOne.com.
Want to be a guest curator? Got some other Australian events or favourite blogs to include? Get in touch.
Yours in pursuit of FI,
Michelle @ Frugality and Freedom
PS. Subscribe to get Australian FI Weekly in your inbox each Monday.
3 comments
Wow! This was a nice surprise, being included in such illustrious company.
Thanks, Fire For One!
You’re very welcome, Frogdancer! I love reading your blog.
Lots of interesting posts — a wide variety of topics. I think climate change and investing is a big one, and it’s not clear yet how it’s going to shake out. We’re mostly invested in real estate, and thinking about what geographies could be a good climate hedge is one criteria we are factoring in.