Early Retirement Extreme
by Jacob Lund Fisker · first published 2010
65% recommend35% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Level-headed, systematic take on frugality and financial independence that reframes spending and consumerism rather than offering typical money-advice tips; suits readers who want a philosophy plus practical examples.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…still flexible enough for basic business problems and some of the old gems are able to explain important concepts found in other fields without getting bogged down in the math. https://www.amazon.com/Early-Retirement-Extreme-Philosophica... is my favourite, it's not about retirement, it's about using systems thinking to devise a robust lifestyle. https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-General-Systems-Thinking... will make a…
on “Ask HN: Any recommended resources to develop system thinking?” ↗…to, but after 6 years on and off, I am using it for the last 8 months regularly, and I already saved enough money for the next 4 months in advance. This, and in addition, read https://www.amazon.com/Early-Retirement-Extreme-philosophica... You don't need more, trust me. But, of course, what these two have in common, is simply: 1. Spend much less than you earn 2. Try to just spend 30-40% of your income, but an emergency…
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite way to save money?” ↗It takes 5-10 years of work to retire. http://www.amazon.com/Early-Retirement-Extreme-Philosophical... http://earlyretirementextreme.com/
on “Immortality Begins at Forty” ↗I also highly recommend "Early Retirement Extreme: A Philosophical and Practical Guide to Financial Independence" by Jacob Lund Fisker.
on “I Took a Pay Cut for a More Meaningful Job” ↗…him writing somewhere that he does not have another startup in him - that, at best, he can now do the YC. It's kind of a hint that doing a startup sucks. BTW you may want to try reading Jacob Fisker's "Early retirement extreme". He's an ex-astrophysicist who became disillusioned with the way modern society is organized and wrote what is essentially a philosophy book about how one can live differently.
on “Extremely disillusioned with technology. Please help” ↗…Tolstoy [1]. An autobiographical story of Tolstoy's "search for meaning" when he was, I believe, around the same age. A masterpiece in around 80 pages. From a more practical angle, I wish I had had "Early Retirement Extreme" by Jacob Lund Fisker [2] in my shelf at that age. Don't get fooled by the title, this is by no means a "highway to financial independence" book; rather, it's a really deep book about, well, sensible…
on “Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?” ↗If you're looking for a good read on some of the principles discussed in the parent, Early Retirement Extreme [1], is an excellent resource. [1] http://www.amazon.com/dp/145360121X/?tag=oildepletiove-20
on “I'm 25 years old and I am lost” ↗Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Lund Fisker. It's an introduction to systems thinking, social organization and lifestyle design with a practical focus.
on “Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?” ↗…follow after about 5-6 days of adjustments. Here's an article on the method by Hofmekler: http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/09/14/... My frugality hero Jacob Lund Fisker (author of "Early Retirement Extreme", a fascinating book about radical saving and beyond) also follows Hofmekler's diet: http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-we-eat.html
on “Eating less and more than needed on alternate days prolongs life (2006)” ↗If you enjoy this comment by kcorbitt you should read this book [1] and check out this blog [2]. They are both enlightening on consumerism. 1] https://www.amazon.com/Early-Retirement-Extreme-Philosophica... 2] http://www.mrmoneymustache.com
on “More is More” ↗Hi Jesse, I want to recommend two books for you to read. One is about developing your monetary power. The other is about developing your career capital. "Early Retirement Extreme" by Jacob Lund Fisker. "So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport. You might be homeless right now because you haven't been protecting your personal power. The personal power to command a good…
on “My Story as a Homeless Developer” ↗…at the processes that operate in the society the same way. Warning, this and it's sibling The Propaganda are scary and depressing read. Perhaps you may want to balance it with something positive. 4) Early Retirement Extreme - Jacob Lund Fisker - Specialization is for cockroaches. Looking at the first 2 books you named, may be you will like this.They are one his references. The savings rate chart is worth it, to put things…
on “Ask HN: What are some deep, mentality changing books?” ↗"Early Retirement Extreme" by Jacob Lund Fisker. It's not your typical "rich dad/poor dad" financial advice book, but rather a systematic approach to seeing the economy aspect of your life in a new way. Interesting read just to…
on “Ask HN: Books for Reevaluation of Life” ↗In this subject area, I recommend Jacob Lund Fisker[0]'s Early Retirement Extreme book [1]. Don't let the title fool you. The man has a surprisingly level-headed and refreshing approach to spending. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Lund_Fisker [1] https://archive.org/details/earlyretiremente0000fisk
on “Maladaptive Frugality” ↗Have you read Early Retirement Extreme? http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ Very similar philosophy.
on “It Is Not About the Money, Silly, It Is All About the Time” ↗