Reader Case: From Cancer Survivor to FIRE
It’s been a while since I’ve done a reader case, so I thought I’d grab one from the ol’ inbox. So here we go! Dear Kristy & Bryce, Firstly- thank you so much for all you do! I have been reading your blog, then book for years and have been quietly inspired. So my story is a little unusual, and I’d love your thoughts (I know, not advice!)… I started on the FI/RE pathway 10 years ago, as a Kiwi living in London who stumbled upon The School of Life (who knew it was a real place? Opened by philosophers […]
What Climbing Grouse Mountain Taught Me About Financial Freedom
Ever since becoming parents, our routine has revolved around being stuck at playgrounds, obsessing over nap times, stopping our kid from eating food off the floor, toilet training, and then coping with all the exhaustion by stuffing our faces with junk food every night. Working out was so low on the priority list it was collecting cobwebs. So, when my friend, Emman, suggested we climb a mountain together, I thought he was nuts. “Um, so when we pass out halfway through, are you going to carry us the rest of the way?” Emman is also a marathon runner, so of […]
My Apartment Gave Me Something That Money Can’t Buy
When people hear I grew up poor in rural China, they usually imagine everything I lacked. The tiny shack shared by three generations. The lack of safe, drinkable water. The constant worry about money. Those things were real. But there was something I had growing up that has become surprisingly difficult to find in modern life. A village. When my mom injured her back so badly she could barely walk, a neighbor carried her to the doctor on her back. When she was unexpectedly called into work, she simply dropped me off at a neighbor’s house. They fed me dinner, […]
To Kid or Not to Kid? The Question that Finally Helped me Decide
I recently got an e-mail from a reader who’s on the fence about having kids, wondering why we decided to have a kid, and how they can make the decision. I told him while I couldn’t give them the answer, I could at least explain how I made my decision, and maybe the question that finally helped me decide could be used to help him and other “fence-sitters”. So, if you’re on-the-fence, here’s the story behind why I chose to become a parent and what I learned after spending a whole decade deliberating this decision. Long time readers know I’m […]
The FIRE Guide to America’s Health Care System (2026)
The most common question I get when being interviewed about FIRE is “What about health care?” It’s a big, scary question. Health care costs in America, if not managed properly, can easily run into tens of thousands of dollars per year, and that can really screw over someone’s FIRE plan. So we have to deal with it, but at the same time, the reason why it’s so difficult is that the game keeps changing. Health care is a political football, and the answer to the question “How much do I need to save for health care?” varies wildly depending on […]
