95 Must-Read Articles of FI

If you have read some of my prior posts about Financial Independence, you know I’m a big fan of the ChooseFI Podcast. One thing that I love about the show is that at the end of episodes during which they interview someone, they ask them a few questions.

They call it the “Hot Seat” and it’s a brilliant recurring segment that they did for the first few years. The questions are always the same so you get to see how different guests answers compare. They changed the questions somewhere around episode 160 but kept the general idea alive for a bit longer.

One of the questions prior to the change was “What is your favorite article of all time?” This provides an excellent list of articles that anyone interested in bettering their current financial situation should read. What I’ve done below is compiled the answers to this question so that anyone who is interested in reading the most influential articles in the Financial Independence space as recommended by the influential people in the FI space has a one-stop shop to be able to do that.

Interesting Things About the List

  • The Shockingly Simple Math of Early Retirement by Mr. Money Mustache had the biggest impact based on the list. Nine different people specified that as their “favorite article” and it has been mentioned many other times outside of the answers to this particular hot seat question.
  • Coming in a close second was the Stock Series by JL Collins with 6 votes. This makes sense as his book “The Simple Path to Wealth” is essentially the consolidated form of that series from his blog and is one of the most popular books among the Financial Independence community.
  • Mr. Money Mustache also led the way with total votes with 20 spread across 9 different articles. 20 votes represents almost 17% which shows just how impactful MMM’s blog has been within the community. JL Collins’ blog came in second on total votes with 12 spread across 5 articles.
  • Somewhat surprisingly, Wait But Why had the second most number of articles to receive votes the 6 (behind the aforementioned 9 by MMM). Wait But Why isn’t a blog dedicated to Financial Independence. It’s more of a blog built out of the curiosity of it’s creators. To me, this shows how genuinely curious about life people interested in FI can be.

The List

If you like this list, you should also check out the 174 Must-Read Books of FI.

NameBlog# of Votes
The Shockingly Simple Math of Early RetirementMr. Money Mustache9
Stock SeriesJL Collins6
Why Your House is a Terrible InvestmentJL Collins3
1000 True FansKevin Kelly3
The Tail EndWait But Why3
The Practical Benefits of Outrageous OptimismMr. Money Mustache2
Dirtbag MillionairesEat the Financial Elephant2
A Letter to My 22 Year Old SelfFiery Millennials2
The 4% Rule: The Easy Answer to “How Much Do I Need for Retirement?Mr. Money Mustache2
Getting Rich: from Zero to Hero in One Blog PostMr. Money Mustache2
Triple Value of IncomeMad Fientist1
How to go from Middle Class to KickassMr. Money Mustache1
The Joy That Comes When Less Is EnoughFrugalwoods1
$150,000 INCOME, $150 INCOME TAXRoot of Good1
ZERO TO MILLIONAIRE IN TEN YEARSRoot of Good1
Book review: Early Retirement ExtremeGet Rich Slowly1
How to Give like a BillionaireJL Collins1
They Will Kill You For Your Shoes!Go Curry Cracker1
Mr. Bogle and meJL Collins1
I Retired!!!ESI Money1
How Big is your Circle of Control?Mr. Money Mustache1
Silent Night: A Christmas Story of Love and HopeThe Wealthy Accountant1
Library MillionaireThe Wealthy Accountant1
How to retire early — 35 years earlyMarketwatch1
LIVING A $100,000 LIFESTYLE ON $40,000 PER YEAR – 2016 EXPENSES IN REVIEWRoot of Good1
I DON’T KNOW HOW TO INVEST AND I’M AFRAID OF MAKING EXPENSIVE MISTAKESAfford Anything1
The 'Busy' TrapNY Times1
Safe Withdrawal Rate SeriesEarly Retirement Now1
The AI Revolution: The Road to SuperintelligenceWait But Why1
Guinea Pig ExperimentMad Fientist1
Never Pay Taxes AgainGo Curry Cracker1
Valuable Lessons from My First Year of FreedomMad Fientist1
Mega Backdoor RothMad Fientist1
How to build confidence and destroy fearGet Rich Slowly1
How to be happy and lead a meaningful lifeGet Rich Slowly1
Don’t Listen to Us // Blogs Don’t Tell the Full FI StoryOur Next Life1
7 Ways to Be Insufferable on FacebookWait But Why1
This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What HappenedJames Clear1
ARE DIAMONDS REALLY A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND?The Escape Artist1
The Secret To Happiness… And Why It Has Nothing To Do With MoneyFinancial Mentor1
How Anyone Can Retire Early In 10 Years (Or Less!)Financial Mentor1
The Secret to Achieving Your DreamsRemote Financial Planner1
Setting Up An RIA And Starting A New Financial Planning Practice On Less Than $10,000Nerd's Eye View1
Human Nature, Buddha NatureThe Buddhist Review1
House Hacking: A Beginners Guide to Hack Your Housing and Live for FreeBigger Pockets1
10 Reasons You Should Never Get a JobSteve Pavlina1
WHAT HAVING IT ALL TAUGHT ME ABOUT MONEYMaking Your Money Matter1
$400,000 Home Paid Off in Less Than 4 YearsMarriage Kids and Money1
Why would you make $100,000+ a month and live in an RV?Making Sense of Cents1
What Credit Card Should Be In Your Wallet?Christ Hutchins1
SpaceX’s Big Freaking Rocket – The Full Story (G-Rated Version)Wait But Why1
Goodbye FIRE, hello FFLC!!!Slowly Sipping Coffee1
The “Fog of Work”The Military Wallet1
Retire Even Earlier Without Earning More or Spending LessMad Fientist1
What Does Your Work Truck Say About You?Mr. Money Mustache1
The Lifetime TableAlabamalaysia1
The difference between being good with money and bad with moneyRaptitude1
Why (and how) I Became a Work-At-Home MomFrugalwoods1
Money and Confidence are InterchangeableMr. Money Mustache1
You Will Lose Your Job to a Robot—and Sooner Than You ThinkMother Jones1
How Honest Financial Advisors Should Disclose Their Investment FeesThe College Investor1
The True Cost of CommutingMr. Money Mustache1
Why you need F-you moneyJL Collins1
The Day You Became A Better WriterDilbert Blog1
How Not to Train for a Half-MarathonThe Happy Philosopher1
Alligators and KittensThe Happy Philosopher1
How and why I sold Get Rich SlowlyGet Rich Slowly1
The Psychology of MoneyCollaborative Fund1
Hashtag JOMO: Joy of Missing OutThe Debtist1
Why the heck would a Missionary need so much money to live in a poor country?elsalvadormissionaryfellowship1
Eliminating the ExcuseSaving Sherpa1
Best Investment Portfolios – 150 Portfolios Better Than YoursWhite Coat Investor1
How (and Why) SpaceX Will Colonize MarsWait But Why1
Why is Retirement Harder than Saving for Retirement?Early Retirement Now1
100 Blocks a DayWait But Why1
Long Term UnemploymentGetting Canned1
The wasteful fraud of sorting for youth meritocracy: Stop Stealing DreamsSeth Godin1
SUCCESS ISN’T ABOUT MONEY, IT’S ABOUT PEACEMillenial Money1
20 Brutal Truths About Life No One Wants to AdmitINC1
What Can a Sophomore Parent Do This Year to Ensure a Smooth SAT/ACT Preparation Process?Edison Prep1
Financial Independence Without Ever Writing a Budget43 Blue Doors1
Our Adoption Story…Part 1Wendy Mays1
Equity Shrivels as Homeowners Borrow and BuyNY Times1
Meet The Women Of The Financial Independence Movement Tread Lightly Retire Early1
Life Without the Constraints of Time and MoneyRetire Before Dad1
Letter to Middle Class Black AmericaRich and Regular1
How A Diagnosis Of Postpartum Depression Changed My LifeFrugalwoods1
How Fatherhood Sparked My Desire For Financial IndependenceMarriage Kids and Money1
John T. Reed's analysis of Robert T. Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Part 1John T Reed1
Drank the Emergency FundJosh Overmyer1
Everything Costs More Than You ThinkHow to Money1
COSMO KRAMER AND FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCEThe FI Tax Guy1
Sunny Burns and the Quest for a Frugal, Fantastic, Financially Independent FutureFamvestor1
THE MOST CRUCIAL MONEY LESSON, IN THREE WORDS: MIND THE GAPAfford Anything1
6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better PersonCracked1

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