Happy Tuesday,

More than 850 of you signed up for our Financial Independence Retire Early webinar last week!

We know the Thursday afternoon time didn’t work with everyone’s schedules, so we’re sharing both a link to the webinar’s replay as well as a brief description of what the FIRE Movement is in case you’re unfamiliar.

👉 Click here to watch the webinar replay!

🔥 Understanding the FIRE Movement

The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement is creating a stir among people eager to break free from traditional financial constraints and embrace the freedom to live life on their terms. It’s not just a goal; it’s a lifestyle shift that emphasizes saving aggressively, investing wisely, and, perhaps most importantly, redefining what it means to live a fulfilling life.

Let’s dive into what FIRE is really about and why it’s gaining traction.

👉 What is FIRE?

At its core, FIRE is about achieving financial independence early enough to retire years (if not decades) ahead of the conventional retirement age.

It’s not about escaping work altogether but about gaining the flexibility to choose work based on passion rather than paycheck. In FIRE, financial freedom means that work becomes optional, and life’s priorities — family, hobbies, travel, or creative pursuits — take center stage.

The traditional model tells us to work until 65 or even 70, contributing to a retirement fund we’ll access only after decades of labor. FIRE flips this on its head, asking us to prioritize financial independence now. In doing so, FIRE adherents aim to reach a point where their investments, savings, and passive income fully cover their living expenses, freeing them from dependency on traditional employment.

👉 How Does FIRE Work?

The FIRE movement is driven by two key principles: maximizing savings and investing consistently.

FIRE advocates typically save a significant portion of their income, often 50% or more, by living frugally, cutting unnecessary expenses, and focusing on what genuinely adds value to their lives. This is not about deprivation; it’s about making conscious financial decisions to reach independence sooner.

Once saving is in place, investing is the next pillar.

FIRE adherents usually channel their savings into diversified portfolios that may include index funds, real estate, and, in some cases, cryptocurrencies. The goal is to build a nest egg large enough to generate sustainable income through safe withdrawals. A common rule of thumb in FIRE is the “4% rule,” which suggests that if you can live off 4% of your investments annually, you’ve likely saved enough to sustain yourself indefinitely.

👉 Different Paths to FIRE

FIRE isn’t a one-size-fits-all path. Different variations exist to suit various lifestyles, risk tolerances, and financial goals:

• Lean FIRE: This is for those who aim to retire on a lower budget. It emphasizes minimalism and cost-consciousness, focusing on frugal living to reduce overall expenses.

• Fat FIRE: For those who want a more comfortable lifestyle, with room for occasional luxuries, Fat FIRE requires a larger savings target to support a higher standard of living.

• Barista FIRE: This approach is for individuals who reach partial financial independence and supplement their income with a part-time job or side gig, often something they enjoy.

Each version offers a different path to financial freedom, but all share a common goal: the autonomy to choose how you live and work.

👉 Why FIRE Matters

At its heart, FIRE is about more than just money, it’s about redefining freedom.

Many people work 40+ hours a week, often sacrificing family time, passions, and health, only to realize too late that they’ve missed out on what matters. The FIRE movement encourages us to take a step back and ask: What kind of life do I want to build?

👉 Is FIRE For Everyone?

FIRE is not without its challenges. It requires discipline, delayed gratification, and a tolerance for financial planning. Not everyone can—or wants to—save half their income. But even if full FIRE isn’t realistic for you, embracing aspects of the FIRE mentality, like saving more, reducing debt, or investing for the future, can still bring you closer to financial security and autonomy.

If you are looking to start your FIRE journey, FIRE Funds launched the first ETFs designed specifically to help support the FIRE community.

The first fund, FIRE Funds™ Wealth Builder ETF (FIRS), aims for long-term capital appreciation, with a focus on resilience and potential growth across various market cycles. And the second fund, FIRE Funds™ Income Target ETF (FIRI), seeks current income, with an aim to provide a 4% target annual income level.

Visit fire-etfs.com to learn more about these game-changing ETFs.

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Disclaimer: This is not financial advice or a recommendation for any investment. The content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Disclosures & Definitions: Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the ETF carefully before investing. For copies of our prospectus or summary prospectus, which contain this and other information, visit us online at www.fire-etfs.com or call (855) 514-2777. Please read the prospectus and/or summary prospectus carefully before investing. Investing in securities involves risk and there is no guarantee of principal.

Market Risk: The market value of the portfolio’s holdings rise and fall from day to day, so investments may lose value.

New Fund Risk: The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

Non-Diversification Risk: As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may invest a larger portion of its assets in the securities of one or a few issuers than a diversified fund. A non-diversified fund’s investment in fewer issuers may result in the fund’s shares being more sensitive to the economic results of those issuers. An investment in the Fund could fluctuate in value more than an investment in a diversified fund.

Asset Allocation Fund of Funds Risk: Asset allocation decisions, techniques, analyses, or models implemented by the Adviser may not produce the expected returns, may cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment goals. The Fund’s actual asset class allocations may deviate from the intended allocation because an Underlying ETF’s investments can change due to market movements, the Underlying ETF’s investment adviser’s investment decisions or other factors, which could result in the fund’s risk/​return target not being met. As a fund of funds, the Fund is exposed to the same risks as the Underlying ETFs in proportion to the Fund’s allocation to those Underlying ETFs.

Affiliated Fund of Funds Structure Risks. The Adviser does not typically consider unaffiliated ETFs as investment options for the Fund. The Adviser is subject to competing interests that have the potential to influence its investment decisions for the Fund.

Underlying ETF Risks. The Fund will invest its assets in the Underlying ETFs, so the Fund’s investment performance will be directly related to the performance of the Underlying ETFs. The Fund’s NAV will change with changes in the value of the Underlying ETFs in which it invests. An investment in the Fund may entail more costs and expenses than the combined costs and expenses of direct investments in the Underlying ETFs. The Fund is exposed to the risks associated with investments in the following types of Underlying ETFs. In addition, each Underlying ETF is subject to “ETF Risks” described below.

Multi-Asset ETFs Risks. The Fund may invest in multi-asset ETFs, which aim to diversify exposure across multiple asset classes using various securities and derivative instruments. These Underlying ETFs are generally exposed to asset allocation, derivatives, counterparty, high portfolio turnover, and liquidity risks. Success depends on effective asset allocation strategies; failure can lead to underperformance and significant losses. Derivatives use and frequent trading amplify these risks, making these ETFs susceptible to market volatility and potential investor losses.

Distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside is not related to Investment Adviser, Tidal Investments, LLC.