Links for April 2023: History of FIRE edition

 Links for April 2023: History of FIRE edition!

Happy Financial Literacy Month! Here are some links on the history of financial independence on the Internet:

Who originally coined the term FIRE? Apparently, it came from the Motley Fool discussion boards, circa 2000/2001: https://retireearlyhomepage.com/fire.html

The above information comes from the website of a forgotten pioneer of the movement: https://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/viewtopic.php?t=10436

Greaney's page still has the Web 1.0 look; a simple style that reminds you of a Geocities page (remember them?). However, it's still maintained and updated! Here's a list of articles, in chronological order (some really great stuff, too! I'm fond of the "Retire Early in the News" posted July 1, 1997): https://retireearlyhomepage.com/chronidx.html

Heck, early retirement has apparently been mainstream since 2004! https://www.newsweek.com/retiring-early-quit-time-your-side-124127

Interesting links

Interested in football? In XFL 2020? In the entertainment industry? This is a quick but interesting read:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/xfl-may-pull-off-something-no-league-has-before-but-week-3-is-critical-175105240.html

• On a related note, how much do XFL players get paid? https://www.sportingnews.com/au/nfl/news/how-much-do-xfl-players-get-paid-breaking-down-salary-structure-for-new-league/ez2tp2f528h11s65exqzrhm5g

Interested in cars? In Australia? After 150 years, Holden is going away. This is probably surprising news, unless you live in Australia or work in the automotive industry:
https://www.autoweek.com/news/industry-news/a31023811/saving-holden-would-have-required-billions-report-says/

The human body apparently isn't 98.6 degrees anymore:
https://elemental.medium.com/the-average-human-body-temperature-is-no-longer-98-6-f-c88c19716852

A way to calculate retirement age in each state. Keep in mind that each person's situation is different, but this is a good way for us FIRE enthusiasts to stay focused on the end goal:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/most-realistic-retirement-age-every-100000297.html

Tips on how to save for the down payment on a home, directed especially at first-time homebuyers:
https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/home-buying/how-to-save-for-a-down-payment/

Ideas for passive income, the holy grail for investors:
https://moneydoneright.com/best-passive-income-ideas/

Do you have to work until full retirement? Not if you don't want to:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanderousseau/2020/03/27/32-year-old-stopped-focusing-early-retirement-embrace-mini-ones/#5a7d0fe3420b

Which should I prioritize: my emergency fund, or my retirement? https://www.thebalance.com/average-retirement-savings-by-age-4155888

The 5 Best Money Books

The 5 Money Books You MUST Read!

There are self-help books (and podcasts and so forth) on every conceivable topic! So, as you might expect, there are plenty about money as well.

But how can you sift through the garbage to find the gems? Well, I can't claim to have read everything, but I can share the most helpful books that I've found. So, I've compiled a brief list of my favorites, including a couple that may surprise you!

Links for June 2017

Links for June 2017

-We need basic financial literacy in every high school. And we needed it 30 years ago! http://themoderatevoice.com/217566/

• Here's one article to help: http://www.debtdiscipline.com/financial-literacy-millennials/
• On the topic of education, an interesting hypothesis as to why mediocre students, not valedictorians, change the world: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/295095

http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/maverick_philosopher/2012/10/friday-cat-blogging-the-debt-ceiling-cat.html

Links October 2016

Donald Trump could have had twice as much money as he has now if he'd retired 30 years ago and invested his money into index funds:
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/why-youre-probably-better-investing-than-donald-trump/?all=1

The Parable of the Little Red Hen:
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/makers-vs-takers

We need to encourage entrepreneurial spirit like this:
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/we-need-more-entrepreneurial-children-one

You're not going to get any help in retirement--not from the government, not from your employer. Plan accordingly: http://redpillmoney.blogspot.com/2015/08/saving-means-investing-or-how-to-fund.html

College isn't for everyone. This entertaining video explains more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CmbJzPmQ-M

Speaking of college, jlcollinsnh includes this gem:
"Moreover, one of the more unfortunate results of spiraling college costs and debt is the way it has warped the very concept of higher education. Rather than the pursuit of learning and culture, it has become the pursuit of job training in an effort to secure employment that will justify the astounding cost and debt incurred.

"Even successfully applied, this shackles young people to jobs long after the appeal has faded. Youth should be spent exploring—building and expanding one’s horizons—not grinding away in chains."
http://jlcollinsnh.com/2015/03/26/stocks-part-xxviii-debt-the-unacceptable-burden/
-Amen, brother!

And also this, from the very popular James Altucher: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/8-alternatives-to-college/
When one or two people buck the trend, they may be visionaries--or they may be saying something edgy for the sake of saying something edgy. But when a lot of successful people are saying the same thing, there's probably something to it!

Maybe baby boomers should quit complaining about the 'attitude of entitlement' in the generation they raised:
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/boomers-you-made-us

Speaking of entitlement: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/07/19/college-student-blames-parents-after-blows-0g-college-fund/

How and why the media sometimes creates "news" that may or may not be true:
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/war-worlds-how-media-%E2%80%9Ccreates%E2%80%9D-news