F.I.R.E. For Dummies

Jackie Cummings Koski, MSPFP, CFP, AFC, is a personal finance educator and consultant who reached F.I.R.E. in her 40s after growing her wealth to over $1 million. Her personal finance tips have been featured on media platforms like CNBC, Forbes, and Market Watch. She is author of the award-winning book Money Letters 2 My Daughter.

• Introduction 1Part 1: Getting Started with F.I.R.E. 5Chapter 1: What Is F.I.R.E.? 7Chapter 2: Personalizing the Process of Reaching F.I.R.E. 17Chapter 3: Understanding the Mindset and Psychology behind F.I.R.E. 37Part 2: Organizing Your Finances for F.I.R.E. 57Chapter 4: Knowing and Tracking Your Numbers 59Chapter 5: Understanding How Taxes and Credit Scores Work 77Chapter 6: Getting Your Hands on Documents and Account Information 93Chapter 7: Reviewing Possessions, Probate, and a Plan for Your Estate 111Chapter 8: Using Financial Professionals 131Chapter 9: Celebrating Your Wins 143Part 3: Increasing Income, Savings, and Investing 153Chapter 10: Working Wonders by Growing Your Income 155Chapter 11: Moving Fast by Increasing Your Savings Rate 173Chapter 12: Investing and the Undeniable Power of Compound Growth 183Part 4: Decreasing Debt, Expenses, and Taxes 201Chapter 13: Are You Doomed If You Have Debt? 203Chapter 14: Do You Have to Cut All Your Expenses to the Bone? 215Chapter 15: Can You Really Control Your Taxes? 229Part 5: After F.I.R.E.ing: Things to Do after Retiring Early 253Chapter 16: Planning a Graceful Exit from Your Job 255Chapter 17: Planning Your Post-F.I.R.E. Income and Health Insurance 271Chapter 18: Planning for the Later Retirement Years 295Part 6: The Part of Tens 311Chapter 19: Ten Hot Topics in the F.I.R.E. Community 313Chapter 20: Ten Tips to Make Your F.I.R.E. Journey Fun 319Chapter 21: Ten Big Names to Know in the F.I.R.E. Movement 325Glossary 331Index 335