SINGAPORE: More and more people are jumping on the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) bandwagon, but one man from Singapore has a different perspective. He believes the whole concept is more of a trap than a real solution to life’s problems.
In a post shared on r/singaporefi on Wednesday (Nov 27), he opened up about how FIRE, which once seemed like an exciting and life-changing goal, ended up leaving him feeling unfulfilled.
“When I first discovered FIRE, it rewired my entire brain and beliefs,” he wrote. “Increasing, saving, and investing my income aggressively meant my ‘what’s next’ could be retirement within my 30s, while everyone else was stuck in the rat race till their 60s.”
For him, FIRE wasn’t just a financial strategy—it was a life philosophy. As a non-religious person, he explained that FIRE became his equivalent of heaven, a savior that gave him some kind of hope.
He imagined the freedom he would have in early retirement: travelling the world, playing video games, spending quality time with family, and maybe even learning a new language. All the things he sacrificed now, he believed, would be waiting for him once he hit his financial goals.
To achieve this dream, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the process. Spreadsheets, budgeting, and portfolio tracking became his daily rituals.
He obsessively checked apps and websites, watched his net worth inch upwards, and got dopamine hits from browsing FIRE blogs and subreddits. Every milestone on the way to financial independence felt like a step closer to the life he was longing for.
“I’m not guaranteed to live until 35—why was I waiting for retirement?”
However, as he continued down this path, cracks began to form. “One day, fund manager casually mentioned to me that I looked much unhappier than before—despite my net worth having multiplied several times since,” he said.
That’s when he started to question whether FIRE was really the answer he had been searching for. This introspection also led him to explore several books, including Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, which offered him a fresh perspective.
From this book, he learned that while he had been so focused on achieving early retirement, he had overlooked a much deeper issue—his lack of purpose in life.
“All those years spent in the system had conditioned me to follow and not question. Finding your purpose in life? That was never taught or even mentioned at all. After all, society prioritises collective good over individualism, and schools are meant to mould us into effective cogs for the system,” he explained.
“When your life’s philosophy is ‘Ignore the big questions, sacrifice, work really hard for 15 years, and then figure out my life’s purpose later,’ you know you’re seriously screwed.”
He also mentioned that his experience isn’t unique. According to him, many of those who have achieved financial independence have shared on online forums that they still feel lost and even depressed because they hadn’t spent time figuring out what actually makes life worthwhile.
“I’m not guaranteed to live until 35—why was I waiting for retirement?” he said. “So what I have concluded is that FIRE can be a trap—it’s a way for those of us who haven’t found their life’s purpose to keep delaying.”
He ended his post with a call for others to reflect on their own journeys. He added, “Happiness isn’t something that will magically occur when you get to the other side; rather, it is achieved by being present and finding your purpose.
Your career shouldn’t be a torture to get through as fast as possible; it has to be fulfilling in itself and something to be enjoyed while it lasts. I am not here in life to create a high net worth and then die. Find your purpose in life; do work that fulfils you, and you will never want to retire.”
“FIRE is not a trap. It’s a means to the end.”
In the discussion thread, many Singaporean Redditors disagreed with the man’s view, saying that FIRE is not a trap, but more of a tool for freedom.
One Redditor commented, “I mean this in the gentlest way possible, but just because you focused so strongly on reaching FIRE that you burnt yourself out in the process does not mean that the rest of us will experience the same.”
Another explained, “The journey to FIRE is a long one. Most people get burnt out chasing for it. It’s critical to breakdown into several milestones for your achievements and celebrate when you reach each milestone.
“Then the whole journey will be enjoyable. FIRE is not a trap. It’s a means to the end. The important thing is you have to enjoy the process.”
However, some Redditors shared the man’s perspective and expressed concern about the potential downsides of being overly focused on the pursuit of FIRE.
One Redditor said, “This is a good post. I know there are a number of people who delay their own enjoyment so as to scrimp and save. Who knows what happens.
“Maybe they will live to 120 without any morbidities and hence they can enjoy the last 6 decades in happiness? But we know statistics. You don’t want to save all these money and then spend it all on healthcare. Enjoy measurably when you can when you are younger.”
In related news, a Singaporean woman took to social media to share that she has finally achieved Coast FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) at the age of 29.
In a post on Reddit’s ‘SingaporeFI’ forum, the woman explained that her journey to financial independence was fraught with difficulties, particularly due to her demanding job in the medical field, where she worked long hours (40 to 60 hours a week).
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)