Early Retirement Extreme

A Philosophical and Practical Guide to Financial Independence

By: Jacob Lund Fisker

Narrated by: Douglas Martin

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

"A carefully-crafted combination of smart financial choices, simple living, and increased self-sufficiency brought me financial independence at 30 and allowed me to retire from my profession at 33. Early Retirement Extreme shows how I did it and how anyone can formulate their own plan for financial independence." (Jacob Lund Fisker, author)

In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of its publication and nearly 50,000 readers, Early Retirement Extreme is available as a freshly adapted, listener-friendly audiobook for the first time. If you're one of the 50,000, the audiobook is a perfect way to revisit the principles and framework of Early Retirement Extreme.

A classic text for advanced students of personal finance, each new listen will reveal new layers of insight as previous concepts click into place.

More than just a book on how to retire extremely early by spending less and earning more while investing in a few funds and hoping they go up in the long run. Written for those wanting a deep and detailed understanding of the strategies and building blocks required to design and live an interesting life independent of the winds of the economy. An information-dense study of economic resilience and how to thrive in an increasingly fragile job- and consumer-oriented world hitting its limits.

It teaches how a shift in focus from consuming to producing can help people out of the consumer trap and offers a path to achieving the freedom necessary to pursue interests other than working for a living. The principles in Early Retirement Extreme show how to break the financial chains that hold people back from doing what they truly want to do. The framework and principles revealed in the book has been used by many people over the last few years to accomplish a variety of goals. It provides people a means to achieve almost any goal, whether it’s debt-free living, extended travel, a sabbatical, a career change, time off to raise a child, a traditional retirement, or simply a desire for a more resilient and self-sufficient lifestyle. The book was initially written for people in their 20s and 30s, but its ideas aren’t limited to early retirees. Middle-aged people in the grips of consumerism can use the principles to take back control of their lives. People closer to retirement age who don’t feel adequately prepared can use it to set themselves up for a comfortable retirement in a relatively short period of time. Anyone worried about their financial future can use the principles in Early Retirement Extreme to make their future more secure.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2020 Jacob Lund Fisker (P)2020 Upfront Books

Terrible advice, had a few good laughs though

This book is good for entertainment purposes I found myself laughing a lot. One of the ways the author suggests saving on heating oil is pitching a tent in the middle of your living room and sleeping in that, as opposed to heating up a large bedroom. I stopped before he got to advice on what add the best places to find food in dumpsters. One idea he has is to raise meat rabbits in the basement, saying there’s no smell if you keep it clean. I say, why stop at rabbits? how about crickets, roaches or rats?

I’m rating it 5 stars for performance, as this is truly a stoned guy’s diary.

Unconventional thinking

The author goes into topics with a completely different point of view than we "ordinary people" are used to or were taught about and does not present direct solutions or step by step on "how-to plan", rather he forces us to critically evaluate our current life. Is this how we want to live? Are we happy with our lives, our jobs, our commitments, to spend the best years working for others, so that we can buy more stuff to fill our home? Do we want to live like this until we grow old and gray, and no longer have the energy or health to finally enjoy retirement? Or do we want an alternative lifestyle. Her you need to tailor your own alternative that suits your vision, regardless of whether it goes against the opinions of others. How far you want to go depends on you. Minimalism is starting to become popular and fits nicely into this mindset.

I'm not impressed with performance. Narration was too fast in places and I had to rewind several times as I did not get the full meaning of what he was reading the first time.

Life changing

This book has certainly changed my life. I couldn’t recommend it enough. If you’re interested in self-improvement, living a minimalist life with a small impact on the planet, and improving your happiness then this book will go a long way.