How I Define FIRE
When I first encountered the word FIRE, I got stuck on two words.
“Early retirement.”
Retirement. The word felt foreign. The image of quitting my job and doing absolutely nothing came to mind. Is dreaming of retiring in your early 40s even realistic? And is that what I really want?
For a while, FIRE didn’t feel like my kind of language.
First, YOLO Was Not in My Vocabulary
In the mid-2010s, YOLO (You Only Live Once) became a trend. The idea was to enjoy the present moment.
The logic spread that spending money on experiences was better than cutting consumption and saving more. It wasn’t entirely wrong. But it didn’t fit my personality.
I’ve held a certain belief for a long time.
“Only the prepared get the opportunity.”
It was a sentence I used in my self-introduction during my very first job interview. Then and now, it remains the foundation of how I act.
YOLO was the complete opposite of this syntax. Consuming now and not preparing for later means intentionally reducing your future options. If you spend freely today, you won’t be in a position to seize opportunities when they arise tomorrow.
YOLO looked like freedom, but it was structured to hold your future freedom hostage.
A Sensation Forged in Corporate Life
As I worked my corporate job, one sensation slowly became distinct.
When you’re part of an organization, moments inevitably come up where you have to sacrifice pieces of your personal life for the company’s direction and profit—regardless of your own situation. Sometimes it feels like a big deal, sometimes small. But as long as you belong to the organization, it’s hard to refuse.
That is how organizations operate. It’s not a matter of right or wrong. As long as an individual belongs to an organization, their life is, to some extent, subordinate to the organization’s logic.
I hated that structure itself.
I didn’t hate working. I hated being placed in situations I couldn’t refuse. No matter what my personal situation was, corporate life structurally contained phases where I had to comply against my will. Escaping that structure completely is impossible. But even within that structure, you can create a state where you hold the right to choose.
That thought was the core engine that drove me toward FIRE.
Rereading FIRE
FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early.
I thought again about why I got stuck on the word “retirement.” What actually concerned me wasn’t retirement itself.
What concerned me was having no other choice.
Doing work you hate because you have no money. Wanting to quit but being unable to. Having to follow corporate decisions because you lack options.
That was the real problem.
Framed this way, FIRE is no longer a question of “retirement” but of “preparation.” Building a structure in advance so you can make choices when opportunities arise. This is exactly where it connected back to my belief: “Only the prepared get the opportunity.”
My Definition of FIRE
“Escaping the state of being forced to do work you don’t want to do, simply for money.”
This is my definition of FIRE.
Retirement isn’t the goal. The freedom to choose is.
You can keep working. You can quit. You can transition to doing something you love. You can say no to the organization’s demands. The important thing is that money isn’t forcing your decision.
Approached with this definition, FIRE isn’t about “leaving your job in your 40s through extreme frugality.” It’s about maintaining your current standard of living while ensuring that income outside of your salary can sustain it.
The moment your pipeline covers your living expenses, work shifts from an obligation to an option.
2019: The Preparation Began
In early 2019, I seriously began investing in US dividend growth stocks and set a 10-year goal.
Of course, a part of me dreamed of retirement. But that wasn’t everything. The stronger sensation was knowing I was preparing a state where I could make choices—even if I decided to stay at my company.
The direction of that preparation was dividend growth stocks. A structure that works even when I’m not watching the market during trading hours. A structure that can be maintained alongside a full-time corporate job. And a structure where dividends grow on their own over time.
Preparation didn’t require any special talent. Starting and maintaining was all it took.
A Goal Built on Numbers
Once the definition is clear, the numbers follow.
My initial goal was roughly $3,000 (4 million KRW) a month. It was the minimum scale required to cover my actual consumption adjusted for inflation. Later, as my family situation changed, I raised the goal. My current target is roughly $4,000 (5 million KRW) a month.
The structure looks like this:
- Dividends: ~$3,000 (approx. 4 million KRW)
- Additional Pipelines (FX Futures, etc.): ~$1,000 (approx. 1 million KRW)
Covering the full targeted amount solely with dividends takes more time and capital. Therefore, I chose a strategy of running additional pipelines alongside dividends. As dividend income accumulated, my tax structure changed, and in that process, FX futures became a supplementary tool. A pipeline doesn’t have to be just one stream.
The goal is simple. This monthly target is the benchmark that removes money as a variable in my decision-making.
Where I Am Now
As of 2026, my average monthly dividend income is approximately $3,400 (4.5 million KRW). The potential dividend growth rate is roughly 11%.
I have roughly achieved my 10-year goal in just 7 years. The compounding accelerated as dividends were reinvested.
It’s too early to call it finished. As long as the dividend growth rate outpaces inflation, this structure will keep getting stronger. And preparation doesn’t mean stopping once you hit your goal. You maintain it, check it, and adjust it when necessary.
That is the reason I write these records. To share the numbers, log the process, and verify with data whether my strategy is right. Time will tell the results.
Once the definition of FIRE is set, the next question naturally follows. Why dividend growth stocks, of all things? What is the difference between high-yield and dividend growth stocks, and why did I choose the latter?
Read Deeper
FIRE Strategy
Dividend Stocks vs Dividend Growth Stocks — Why No Growth Means FIRE Fails
FIRE Strategy
Why I Pursue FIRE Through Dividend Growth Stocks
All content on this blog reflects my personal investment journey and is not financial advice. Investment decisions and their outcomes are solely your responsibility.