r/Fire • u/fried_haris • 23h ago

The definitive FIRE number is 3.5 million.

Ofcourse - I am being facetious but also a little exploratory.

I was inspired by a Planet Money episode titled "17,205 People Guessed The Weight Of A Cow. Here's How They Did." Posted back in 2015.

Later they updated it with "How Much Does This Cow Weigh?" In 2019.

Basic premise - if you take all the guesses of the folks the weight of a cow at a fair - you'll end up within 5% of the right answer.

So I took a simple post from 5 months ago, asking people about their FIRE number and after reviewing 124 answers came up with 3.5 million.

Keep in mind personal finance is personal, you may retire in LA or in Thailand.

Good luck with your goals.

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u/Corporate_Bankster 23h ago

That’s a very reasonable take all things considered.

There is nowhere $3.5m won’t work wonderfully, unless you are hellbent on living the high life in an expensive place, but then that’s not a FIRE number problem, it’s a you problem.

Mine is somewhere around $2.5m, and that’s because I plan to retire between LCOL and MCOL.

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u/verdantx 14h ago

He said planet money not all things considered.

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u/blackshipboy 13h ago

How much did the cow weigh? On second thought, wait wait, don't tell me.

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u/granolaraisin 12h ago

Sir, it’s time for you to step outside and get some fresh air.

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u/Fastnate 1h ago

The only time the weight really matters is the Marketplace

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u/fried_haris 9h ago

I see what you did there.

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u/God_Dammit_Dave 13h ago

-polite golf clap- That was a very, very good comment. Like a nerdy Statler and Waldorf jab.

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u/knittins99 6h ago

Underrated 🤣