Is a FIRE lifestyle right for you?
Queer people were born to deviate from the norm. The FIRE community is non-conformist, too, with its money to reach financial independence, retire early and enjoy doing what they want when they want. Here’s how to reach your FIRE lifestyle.
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Court is one-third of Modern FiImily, a financially independent lesbian family on a mission to help others achieve financial freedom. Court and her partner Nic went from $110K to $1M in net worth in nine years and achieved financial independence in 2018. Today, Nic stays at home full-time with their daughter and Court works part-time, and they hope that sharing their experiences will inspire others to join the FI/RE community.
On this episode of Queer Money®, Court joins us to discuss how she approaches finances like a game and shares her very simple (but super-powerful) way to track spending. She explains how she was introduced to the FI/RE community, describing how she and Nic spend according to their values and get the most bang for their buck doing the things they love. Listen in for Court’s insight on how being LGBTQ impacts her FI/RE journey and learn how YOU can leverage being a non-conformist to improve your financial life!
Topics covered on living FIRE way
How Court got interested in personal finance
- Always been organized and neat, natural to extend to $
- Started tracking expenses and income on Excel in 2009
Court’s gamification approach to finances
- Mission to crush student loans ($70K in < 3 years)
- House hack to pay off a mortgage in 2½ years
How Court became part of the FI/RE community
- Already living core principles
- Introduced to Mr. Money Mustache by a coworker
How Court and her partner Nic ‘cut out the fluff’
- Spend on things that align with values
- Don’t need cable or latest phone to be happy
Court’s response to the idea that she’s missing out
- Still traveling the world, go to music festivals
- Research to get the biggest bang for their buck (e.g.: volunteer)
Having the freedom to spend time the way you want
- Court and Nic value time with daughter as a family
- Don’t have to do what society sees as important
How being LGBTQ impacts Court’s FI/RE journey
- Parallels around coming out as different
- More comfortable deviating from the norm
Getting the queer community interested in financial freedom
- Literally BORN to deviate from the norm
- Can be non-conformists with money + have a great life
Court’s advice for the LGBTQ community
- Need to start talking about money more
- Showcase that we are different and successful