Celebrate Success

Ten Year Anniversary

This is a big week at the Fire Station.  It was 10 years ago that I set up the site and published my first post.  That first week, I had 9 visitors with 28 views.  I think most of the views were from me & my son!  The concept of FIRE – Financial independence and Retiring Early – wasn’t brand new at that point, but it was still a new-ish way to discuss early retirement.

My goal in establishing the site was to share my experience in quitting my “perfectly good career” and pursue early retirement. I was 48 years old when I started writing about the “smartest or stupidest thing I’ve ever done”. At the time, there were very few first-hand, in-depth accounts of others that had done the same thing.

One of my favorites, Retirement: A Full-Time Job, inspired this blog.  There were a bunch of other FIRE sites that started about the time that I did, and it was fun to be part of the “FIRE Movement”. I can only find one other site that I was friendly with back then and has made it this far: Leif Dahleen’s Physician On Fire.  (Leif was a fellow Minnesotan and has steadily made a media empire out of sharing his FIRE journey, particularly for doctors).

I wrote 134 posts in the first year of this blog – counting down from 15 months ahead of my actual FIRE Escape on 4/1/2016.  Since that inauspicious start, I’ve tried to split the content between two sides of the FIRE coin: 1) personal finance discussion; and, 2) early retirement lifestyle change.  I’ve found that most people worry about being either “broke or bored” in early retirement, so I try to cover both issues.  

I thought I knew a thing or two about personal finance before I started the blog, but have learned a lot since then.  Every post on investing, insurance, or taxes, requires a little research to write – so every week I’m learning a bit more.  After 10 years, that adds up. Many readers know even more than I do about these topics and l doubly learn by reading your comments and emails.  Thanks!

It’s easier for me to write the posts on lifestyle change since those come from personal experience.  Travel plans, quirky pursuits, and everyday adventures.  I was initially uncomfortable in sharing these “goof-off” posts, but many readers say these are the most inspirational for them.  When you are hard at work, I guess it’s nice to imagine what you could be doing if you quit your job. 

While not as technical as investing, I’ve found the lifestyle piece of early retirement also requires some thoughtful analysis and planning. The concept that best defines my retirement lifestyle change is “Kidulthood” – a second childhood with all of the benefits of adulthood.

I really haven’t done a lot to promote the site and build readership.  I didn’t want the blog to become work!  The site’s initial audience grew by other people liking what I was writing and sharing it.  My peak came back in 2016 with 100,000+ readers for posts about quitting my job, telling others about my plans, final days in the office, leaving the office for the last time, and plans for enjoying FIRE. 

People seem to stay with the site for a few years and then gradually stray off.  I used to get a lot of clicks through Twitter but WordPress doesn’t connect with Twitter anymore. Readership has been pretty steady over the last 3-4 years.  I try to stay out of politics as people say they get too much of that already.

In total, the site has over a thousand posts (1,052), a half-million views (564,000+), and over a hundred-thousand visitors (132,000+).  Those are the views that come directly to the site.  There are also 1,041 email subscribers (2x per week) and about 44% of them “open” the posts.  My initial measure of success was if 100 people read a post.  So far, an average post averages 5-10x that number.

While I’ve (largely) kept the blog anonymous, many of our family & friends are readers.  Former MegaCorp colleagues, too.  People grab me all the time and comment on what I write.  I love hearing their take on the topics and try to incorporate their thoughts and tell some of their stories too.  Sometimes someone I haven’t heard from for a long time will reach out and say they are still regular readers.  That’s cool.

Still, one of the biggest surprises of the last ten years is how few people have joined me in pulling their own FIRE Escape.  Most of my friends and MegaCorp colleagues are still working despite my claim that with sensible decisions, many people should be able to retire 3-5-10 years earlier than the country’s average age of 62.  I’ll turn 60 in 15 months, so I expect quite a few people will be joining me soon.

Thanks to everyone who is still coming to the Fire Station and sharing your thoughts and experiences over the last 10 years.  It’s really gone from me sharing my experience to everyone sharing their experiences & insights.  Happy to keep facilitating the exchange!

If I haven’t heard from you in a while … please take the time to post a “Hello!” below!

Image: Pixabay

31 thoughts on “Ten Year Anniversary”

  1. Congratulations on 10 great years, I have always enjoyed your posts which are both interesting and insightful. After retiring myself at 49, your blog is one of the few that I still find worth my time to read. Keep up the good work.

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    1. Thanks, Troy – if you are like me, you were a bit uncertain when you pulled the trigger, but are now reflecting on the quiet genius of pulling an early FIRE Escape. I can’t even hardly recall what it was like to get up and go to work every weekday.

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  2. Congratulations on your 10 year blog-versary! I rarely comment but as you mentioned in the post, have really enjoyed the content that you have shared over the years, both on the nuts-and-bolts FIRE side and the lifestyle pieces. I still have another 5+ years to go before I’ll be in a position to retire early, but you are definitely a bit of an anchor point for my as I dream of doing it. Keep up the good work and may your retirement adventures continue for many years to come!

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    1. Just about 5 years left? – that’s going to go surprisingly quickly for you. Suggestion: when you are 3 years out, sit down with your plan and start moving money into your cash buffer. You don’t want a big market downturn to torpedo your plans. Additionally, it will make the idea of retiring soon very, very REAL in your mind. You are on the doorstep!

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  3. Great job. Very interesting and informative. I know firsthand how hard it is to keep and grow a following for a blog.

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  4. Congratulations on your 10-year milestone!

    I catch up on blog posts while I get my steps in. Makes the time go by faster.

    I always read your posts, but I prefer to read them from the email – the email’s black print on a white background is easier for me to read than the website’s white print on a black background is.

    I rarely comment because I usually have to login to do so, which means stopping my walk to go look up the password and then either standing still to type with one finger on my cellphone, or sitting down at my laptop to use my keyboard.

    If it helps you with your counts, I can click the link to go to the website and then just go back to the email. I’m not sure how the views get counted.

    I hope you’re still blogging 10 years from now!

    Donna

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    1. You’re not the only email subscriber with that complaint. My wife is another one. It’s not easy at all for emailers to comment. That’s fine. I know folks are out there!

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  7. Since learning about this back in about 2015? I’ve read every post in email but seldom hit the site, so if I’m like others, you have far more readership than your site data shows…Great content, fun ideas and interesting analysis, thanks for all of your inspiration! You are making a huge impact on many!

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    1. Wow – from the start, eh? That’s a long time, isn’t it?!! Thanks for your participation in the recent flying post, Scott!

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    1. Thanks for YOUR participation & thoughtful comments, Klaus! You’ve made this a better site by bringing your perspective to the topics. Not bad for a Doberman Pincher! 😉

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  9. Congratulations! A fabulous achievement. Always enjoy reading your updates and being a part of the FI community. Here’s to another 10 years! PS I recall typing into google at around age 43, ‘how can I early retire’ after a particularly gruelling/unpleasant day at the office (on top of a series of gruelling years at the office; the internal politics was insanely next level). Spent the next week writing up my first ‘net worth’ spreadsheet with cashflow summaries, expenditure summaries, and realised I could have FI’d at age 36. 51 now.

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    1. Wow – 43 is terrific, 36 would have been incredible. Good for you! I’m sure you’ve been enjoying your last 8 years, all the same. We must have retired about the same time ~2016?

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      1. similar timing! for me I pulled the plug in July 2018. I had the “one more year” syndrome deeply rooted, and probably would have kept on working and being miserable (the golden handcuffs). In the end, it was the birth of my daughter 6-months prior to FIRE that pushed the deal over the line. Nanny fees in my part of the world are similar to San Francisco levels, so financially it just made sense to transition to SAHD duties anyway.

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      2. similar timing! for me I pulled the plug in July 2018. I had the “one more year” syndrome deeply rooted, and probably would have kept on working and being miserable (the golden handcuffs). In the end, it was the birth of my daughter 6-months prior to FIRE that pushed the deal over the line. Nanny fees in my part of the world are similar to San Francisco levels, so financially it just made sense to transition to SAHD duties anyway.

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      3. If you have a little one at home, you left one job for a more important one! My wife worked until our son was born and then stayed home with him. She was the CFO of our household!

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  11. Long time reader. Love the format and hearing about what you’re doing. Lots of interesting posts. I finally retired in 2023 at 60 and made a big move from Ontario to British Columbia. This has been the most fun ever – lots to keep us busy finding new events, restaurants and community. Keep the faith!

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    1. It is fun exploring an entirely new area, isn’t it? I’m still finding new things to do at home in Minneapolis and now have the Orlando / Tampa area to learn! Museums, events, sports, etc.

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  12. I truly appreciated the genuine conversation and the time spent with you, your wife, and your adorable dog during our recent flight. Your blog is both inspirational and educational. It is clear you are making a positive impact on others striving for financial independence and seeking full enjoyment in life. Wishing you all the best as you continue to enjoy life and inspire others along the way!

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    1. Thanks, Lee – appreciate the nice comments! Next time we run into each other on a flight I want to talk about those Pierce Fire Trucks! I’d love to see some of those big rigs up close! Going to be in your area later this year for EAA …

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  13. Congratulations on 10 years, that is quite the achievement. I recall being very excited for you during the countdown to retirement –I can’t quite believe how long ago that has been.

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    1. It IS hard to believe how long ago that was. My wife wisely observes that the days/weeks sometimes go slow, but the months/years go VERY fast!

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