As a financial planner it’s common to come across articles, blogs, and other material advocating individuals, especially those that are young to embrace FIRE. The acronym FIRE stands for Financial Independence Retire Early. Essentially what this movement advocates is for individuals to save as much as they can, in order to retire early, preferably while young, and no longer be dependent on wages. At first glance, this appears to be a great concept to embrace. After all, there are many individuals who would like to retire early and not have to worry about where the next paycheck is coming from. However, the FIRE lifestyle is not a strategy to be taken lightly. Additionally, be wary of those selling the idea of FIRE, without having skin in the game. Let me explain. First, to retire early, and be financially independent requires an enormous amount of discipline and an extreme amount of […]

Sterling Raskie, MSFS, CFP®, ChFC®
The latest in our Owner’s Manual series, A 401(k) Owner’s Manual, was published in January 2020 and is available on
A Medicare Owner’s Manual, is updated with 2020 facts and figures. This manual is available on
Social Security for the Suddenly Single can be found on Amazon at
Sterling’s first book, Lose Weight Save Money, can be
An IRA Owner’s Manual, 2nd Edition is available for purchase on Amazon. Click the link to choose the
Jim’s book – A Social Security Owner’s Manual, is now available on Amazon. Click this link for the
And if you’ve come here to learn about queuing waterfowl, I apologize for the confusion. You may want to discuss your question with Lester, my loyal watchduck and self-proclaimed “advisor’s advisor”.