Top 6 Financial Independence (FI) Blogs You Should Read | ELFI Education Loan Finance

Updated April 7, 2021

The Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement has grown in popularity among young adults in recent years. The goal of this movement is earning sufficient wealth or achieving passive wealth by creating an investment portfolio so that you no longer need to work. 

When most people think about FIRE, they think about having the freedom to pursue the things that they are truly passionate about, such as hobbies, travel, and so much more.

If financial independence, early retirement, or creating an investment portfolio are on your radar, be sure to check out these financial independence (FI) blogs and bloggers. Their experiences, advice, and discussions may be just what you need to kick-start your path towards financial independence.

1500 Days to Freedom by Carl & Mindy

Also known as Mr. and Mrs. 1500, the 1500 Days to Freedom blog chronicles the journey of one blogger (and his wife) whose goal is to retire in 1500 days at the age of 43 — thereby “[thinking] differently and [escaping] the rat race.” Blogs range from a variety of financial independence topics, all of which aim to “encourage and inspire others to abandon their consumer, spendaholic ways in favor of a more fulfilling existence” and learn how to invest and save money via cutting expenses and smart, simple investing. Learn more about Mr. 1500, see if he is accomplishing his goals, check out their blogs, and read more about the resources that helped them grow their money.

The Bogleheads® are a collection of people, inspired to follow the investing advice of Jack Bogle (author, blogger, and financial guru), who “follow a small number of simple investment principles that have been shown over time to produce risk-adjusted returns far greater than those achieved by the average investor.” On the site, visitors will find thousands of forums that “emphasize regular saving, broad diversification, and sticking to one’s investment plan regardless of market conditions.” Using the forum site can look a little overwhelming, but there is a great starter guide that will help you get organized — and prepared — to begin the Bogleheads® investment philosophy. Typical forum topics include: investing (help, theory, news, general), personal finance, personal consumer issues, and more.

Chief Mom Officer by Liz Gendreau 

Liz Gendreau wrote her book, “Chief Mom Officer,” when she realized the lack of FIRE information available to help working moms achieve their goals. She decided to create something that would focus on actionable steps women can take to reach their financial goals, rather than focusing on the challenges working women face.

Following her book’s success, she began interviewing other breadwinning women, publishing their interviews on her website to inspire other working moms. If you’re interested in achieving a work-life balance while staying on-track to achieve your FIRE goals, Gendreau’s book may be for you.

Rich & REGULAR by Julien & Kiersten Saunders

Julien and Kiersten Saunders have always been good with money, but it wasn’t until 2017 that they discovered the FIRE movement. After that, they decided to focus on money moves that would help them to earn financial freedom, rather than spending time climbing the corporate ladder.

From their FIRE success, the rich & REGULAR blog was born. Now, they spend their time teaching other people how to manage their finances in a way that opens doors to new opportunities, like spending more time with loved ones and pursuing hobbies or passions.

JLCollinsNH by Jim L. Collins

Jim L. Collins’ financial independence blog, titled jlcollinsnh, focuses on a simple path to wealth. Best known for his Stock Series on investing — at times called “the best thing you [could] read about how to invest money” by Mr. 1500 — the blog also discusses anything and everything from money, life, travel, and business. The author began the blog as a way to teach his daughter what did — and did not work — financially for him. As far as what you should do with the information, the author states: “If you read my blog you’ll soon have a very clear idea of my views. You can then read other sources, compare and decide for yourself what resonates.”

Mr. Money Mustache by Pete Adeny

Mr. Money Mustache (MMM) is a financial freedom blog, started by a 30-something retiree, who wants to share his frugal, yet fun, life of leisure — and all that comes with it. Along with blogs, there is an MMM forum dedicated to providing The Money Mustache Community with resources, discussions, and advice on all things financial, investing, and more. However, if you would like to stick with the blog itself, Mr. Money Mustache recommends starting with his blog “Getting Rich: From Zero to Hero in One Blog Post,” and working your way to the classics. If you would like to dive into the community forum, try starting with these steps, followed by the Best of Mr. Money Mustache discussions.

The Mad Fientist by Brandon Granch

The Mad Fientist is not mad. He is a scientist of financial independence…or “fience”…or FI, if you will, which is short for “financial independence.” He wants to teach you, and every reader, that early financial independence is possible — and achievable earlier than you might imagine. “By analyzing the tax code and looking at personal finance through the lens of early financial independence, [The Mad Fientist] develop[s] strategies and tactics to help you retire even earlier” — rather than at 60+ years old. Along with well-researched blogs, he offers podcasts that feature some of the heaviest hitters in the financial independence sphere, as well as a free financial independence tracker. Not sure if it sounds legit? Check out this review from Mr. 1500.

The White Coat Investor by Jim Dahle

The White Coat Investor is a blog started by a practicing, full-time, board-certified emergency physician — who received a lot of bad advice and wanted to share what he learned along the way. It covers financial and investing topics and strategies that are specifically targeted at physicians and other high-earners, but the blog and forum are great resources for anyone who wants to find sound financial, investing, tax, and retirement advice. There is a lot of great content to sort through, so the author recommends starting here, which includes their top beginner blogs. Want even more from the White Coat Investor? Order the book — it summarizes the blog and contains material not found on the blog.

Financial Samurai by Sam Dogen

Sam Dogen is doubly successful, as he’s now achieved financial independence twice. After retiring early in 2012, he lost more than a third of his net worth to the Great Recession and was forced to start over. Through hard work and some wisely-placed investments, he rebuilt his wealth and now teaches others to do the same through his blog, Financial Samurai.

If you’re interested in learning from someone with several years of FIRE experience, this could be the blog for you. Best of all, Dogen covers many topics from investing in real estate to making sure you’re ready for retirement.

Our Next Life by Tanja Hester

If you want to learn from one of the original FIRE-starters, then you’ll love Tanja Hester’s blog, Our Next Life. She retired at 38 years old and is currently recognized as one of the matriarchs of the FIRE movement.

Today, she focuses on activism and inclusion in finance, as well as writing on current events and issues from the lens of money management. Hester is also well known for her books, “Work Optional” and “Wallet Activism.”

Physician on Fire by Lief Dahleen

If you work in healthcare, you’ll love Physician on FIRE, written by Leif Dahleen. While his blog has value for readers in many professions, his content is often written for doctors and medical students facing large amounts of student debt.

Dahleen explains how he began his career as a successful young doctor but then lost his footing when the hospital where he worked went bankrupt. Thanks to a strong understanding of personal finance, he was able to leverage his time and resources to work toward financial independence.

Today, Dahleen is retired and spends his time enjoying days with his family, doing some traveling and working on his blog.

The Next Step

The first step in working toward financial independence is to learn the money management skills that can help you to achieve your goals. These blogs provide exceptional information for anyone looking to get started, and if you want to supplement your reading, don’t miss our best financial podcast recommendations.

If you find something interesting and useful, be sure to share it with your family and friends, because education (ideally early education) is key to these strategies.

Also, keep in mind that all of these blogs and forums are meant to teach the foundational concepts of financial independence, investing, and early retirement. The authors want to offer basic knowledge, but they state that it is up to you (and your circumstances) to decide what will be best — and most beneficial — for you. They do not guarantee performance or returns — but they do promise it will make you think!

If you’re looking to work toward your financial independence goals even faster, student loan refinancing could be a great choice for you. Visit our student loan refinancing page to learn how you could lower your interest rate or your monthly student loan payment by refinancing with ELFI.*

Disclaimer

Education Loan Finance is not paid to mention any of these blogs, books, or forums. We also do not promise or guarantee performance or returns based on their advice; we are simply informing you of helpful information sources available for your own research purposes.