Portland Financial Independence Meetup

Are you pursuing the radical path of financial independence and early retirement (FIRE)?

Whether you're already financially independent, on your way, or curious about how to get started, we'd love to have you join us.

We’re a friendly group that encourages genuine conversations. We try to avoid lecturing each other or giving unsolicited advice. We all come from different backgrounds and have a unique blend of viewpoints and values. We communicate with empathy and sensitivity, while ensuring everyone has an opportunity to participate in discussions.

There are an enormous number of resources available online, but here are some well-known ones. Any of these are good places to start and will have plenty of links to other parts of this community.

Websites / Blogs / Online Tools
Mr. Money Mustache:
One of the OG FI community voices. He’s often the first one people find, and that’s true for a lot of us as well.  He’s great for new people and for anyone wanting to increase their “badassity.” He also hosts an old-school online discussion forum.

Early Retirement Now:
Karsten “Big Ern” Jeske is known for his “Safe Withdrawal Rate” series of blog posts. It’s detailed, rigorous analysis on safe withdrawal/consumption rates (he’s an economist). He has free tools for calculating them, including a relatively new online calculator. He’s also a local and has come to the meetup before! Hi Karsten!

FICalc:
Another free online tool

Projection Lab:
A very detailed, financial modelling tool that is popular in the community.

Podcasts / Videos
ChooseFI podcast
Long-running podcast with big name guests from the FI community and beyond. Many of the guests have their own podcasts as well, so it’s a good entry point for discovering more. You can find ChooseFI Facebook groups and events in Portland and Vancouver. They’re currently working on building a free online platform.

Rebel Finance School:
Free 10-week online course to guide you through everything FI. Created by a couple who were awarded the British Empire Medal for services to financial education. They’ve been regularly running it live but are working on converting it to a self-paced program you can start anytime.

Events:
A couple of ways to connect with FI people beyond Portland

• CampFI (weekend events with around 60 people each)

• EconoMe (large annual conference)

 
Who are our Meetup group organizers?

Katherine and Nate Smith are a couple who’ve been living in Portland since the pandemic let them flee Washington, DC in summer 2020. Nate works remotely as a software engineer at a tech startup. Katherine suddenly retired from her federal government lawyer job in 2021 after being assigned a court appearance she didn’t want to handle. She then planted a garden and makes lunch for Nate. One of the biggest perks of their combined freed-up time is being available to spend more time with their aging parents. Katherine and Nate like making FI-minded friends, doing active stuff, reading, and traveling.

More bios to come!