Playing with FIRE

Playing with FIRE is the companion book to the documentary of the same name, chronicling filmmaker Scott Rieckens' real-time journey from spending $100,000+ per year in Southern California to pursuing financial independence. When Rieckens discovered the FIRE movement through a Mr. Money Mustache article, he convinced his skeptical wife Taylor to radically restructure their finances.

The book is refreshingly honest about the tensions and compromises that come with pursuing FIRE as a couple. It covers the emotional side of money decisions, the difficulty of cutting spending when you have a lifestyle you enjoy, and the practical steps the Rieckens family took — moving to a lower-cost city, reducing expenses by 50%, and building an investment portfolio. Mr. Money Mustache wrote the foreword, and the book has become a popular entry point for people curious about the FIRE movement.