Who is Aussie Firebug?

Aussie Firebug is one of Australia's most well-known and respected FIRE champions. Describing himself as a "millennial from Australia reaching financial independence", he's working towards his goal of achieving FIRE by the time he hits his mid-30s.

Aussie Firebug's story

Aussie Firebug hails from regional Victoria and has had a lifelong fascination with money and wealth.

He's always known how to handle money responsibly. He attributes this to his parents, especially his father, who instilled in him a savings-focused mindset.

From a young age, he was also intrigued by how others built their wealth. He admired the homes of both his friends and the reality stars he saw on TV, and wondered how their families managed to acquire them.

Working towards FIRE

What Aussie Firebug soon realised is that those who lived in these homes typically didn't work the 9-5. Instead, many of them either had their own business or owned assets -- like real estate, land, or shares -- that earned a substantial passive income.

In short, the wealthiest had achieved financial independence and had the assets to show for it.

This understanding triggered Aussie Firebug's early interest in being financially self-sufficient. But it wasn't until he read the famed wealth manual, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, some years later that it all clicked for him. It was then that Aussie Firebug truly grasped the concept of FIRE: to have enough assets under your belt to live entirely off the income they produce.

The concept was simple, but it inspired Aussie Firebug. He then sought to learn as much as he could about FIRE by reading books, attending seminars, subscribing to newsletters, and meeting those who had already reached financial independence.

How Aussie Firebug approaches FIRE

Now, Aussie Firebug is progressing towards getting out of full-time work and into early retirement by making smart investments.

Aussie Firebug's attitude is that time is possibly his most valuable asset and that full-time work is eating up most of his. As he grows older, he's finding that more and more of his time is being dedicated to various responsibilities.

This realisation is what propelled him even further towards his FIRE goal.

He and his wife already own a number of properties and have significant cash holdings (to cover rainy days and any repairs to his properties). They also own shares of Bitcoin and invest in super.

As far as shares investing is concerned, though, Aussie Firebug's goal is to establish a passive income stream mainly made up of dividends. To get there, he's buying and holding a selection of ETFs through Pearler (more on these below).