About us
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. Our members teach and encourage each other on our journeys to financial independence (FI). We also talk a lot about the reasons we seek FI and what kinds of lives we’re building, whether or not that includes an early retirement. Our members are diverse in their financial strategies, occupations, age, interests, and goals. This is a group where you can talk openly about money, make friends, and enjoy the FI life together.
We’re a friendly group that encourages genuine conversations. We try to avoid lecturing each other or giving unsolicited advice. 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.
Events:
A couple of ways to connect with FI people beyond Portland
More Resources
We crowd-sourced this list at our April 2026 Monday night event: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TKyCKC8ZVDLDITL6BVUOkCkW0HEhkMfraAros3wmCcY/edit?usp=sharing
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. They retired in their 40s from careers as a lawyer and a software engineer. One of the biggest perks of early retirement is being available to spend more time with their aging parents. Katherine and Nate like making FI-minded friends, doing active stuff, reading, gardening, and traveling. Katherine is also into language-learning and Nate plays chess.
More bios to come!
Upcoming events
3
Past events
110
Group links
Members
1,452
