BREAK FREE
THE PANDEMIC HAS prompted people like 30-year-old Michelle Ives to realise how fragile her financial security is.
“Anything can happen that has the potential to shake the normalcy of our lives. It has reminded me of what matters – it’s not sitting at a desk for eight hours a day,” says Michelle.
She is drastically overhauling her family’s finances, so they have more control over their lives. She wants to have the freedom to make choices about her life and work.
Michelle was already plugged into the growing personal finance movement that offers an abundance of information about saving and investing online. It is FIRE, an acronym for financial independence, retire early. As well, there is a more laid-back version, FI, or financial independence.
“If anything, the pandemic has just encouraged us to reach our goal more aggressively,” says
