A common scenario that we see with our clients looks like this: they are mid-career or late-career and have climbed the ladder to a high income. They are compensated well for their skill set and experience, and feel like they have “reached the top”. However, the pace is exhausting. Often they are expected to work unsustainable hours or travel frequently. They may see themselves working at this level for another 5-10 years, or they need to take a step down to a lower income level in order to create a healthy work/life balance. They come to us with the question: can I afford to earn a lower salary?

From my viewpoint as a financial advisor, the Holy Grail of personal finance is finding balance between enjoying today while preparing for tomorrow. While enjoying today doesn’t necessarily require spending money, let’s be honest that it usually does, and often a substantial amount – whether in larger, lump sums or smaller, frequent expenditures. It’s not even just about “fun spending” for hobbies and travel. In the modern era of busy, nonstop lives, we gladly pay for convenience, and sometimes relaxation and rejuvenation, just to keep going on the hamster wheel.

The term “FIRE”, which stands for “Financial Independence, Retire Early” is a term that has been increasing in popularity over the last few years. “FIRE” is thought of as a way to escape a life of working in a stressful occupation for 40+ years before finally enjoying retirement. Although it sounds wonderful on the surface, it takes a very low-expense dedicated lifestyle in order to make this dream come true. Every city has a different cost of living. So we have created a case study to provide an example of: What does it take to successfully FIRE in Denver?

A fallacy that has been spread by the financial services industry for many decades is the idea that collecting a 1% AUM (Assets Under Management) fee provides incentive to achieve high performance (aka “If I win, you win” or “If I lose, you lose”). This concept allows advisors to charge a fee that, once over a certain AUM threshold, can be rather egregious and continue to provide enormous profit margins.