Grant Sabatier started investing around 2010, rode a strong bull market, and reached financial independence in his 30s.
The bestselling author of “Financial Freedom,” who grew his net worth from practically nothing to more than $1 million in five years, has watched the financial independence, retire early (FIRE) movement evolve over the last decade and a half.
When asked how he would define FIRE in 2026, Sabatier said: “It’s never been easier to do it.”
That may sound counterintuitive. Sabatier acknowledged that parts of the FIRE path are harder today than they were when he began. Housing costs are higher, inflation has squeezed budgets, and young investors no longer have the same post-2008 bull-market tailwinds of near zero interest rates that he benefited from.
Still, he said, FIRE has become broader, more flexible, and more accessible. Plus, the internet has made it easier to start businesses and build income streams.
“I think FIRE is attainable for everyone. Literally everyone,” Sabatier said. “It just depends. The timeline becomes different, and the tradeoffs become different, and they’re largely personal.”
The internet has made it easier to build income
While the early FIRE movement focused heavily on living with less, Sabatier said it has evolved as internet-era entrepreneurs have used side hustles, online businesses, and multiple income streams to accelerate their path to financial independence.
FIRE is no longer only about spending as little as possible. For many people pursuing it, the goal is to widen the gap between income and expenses, and earning more can be just as important as cutting back.
“It was like, ‘Oh, okay, we can rapidly accelerate this on our own terms, just by creating different types of businesses and side hustling,'” he said. “So that became the evolution.”
According to Sabatier, it has never been easier to make money outside a traditional job. The internet has lowered the barrier to starting a business, reaching customers, and building an audience through social media, websites, newsletters, and other digital tools.
That does not mean every side hustle will work, he said, and it also means there is more competition, but the opportunity set is much larger than it once was.
For people who don’t know where to start, Sabatier recommends making two lists: one of things they enjoy doing and another of things they are good at. The overlap can point to income opportunities.
Someone who has played music for years might give lessons or play gigs, while someone who loves travel might help people plan trips. The goal is to find a way to monetize skills or interests that already come naturally.
FIRE has become a ‘choose your own adventure’ strategy
Sabatier said FIRE has also become easier to personalize. The movement now includes offshoots such as Coast FIRE, Barista FIRE, Lean FIRE, and Fat FIRE. Some people still pursue traditional FIRE, which often involves saving aggressively to retire decades early. Others use FIRE principles to work less, change careers, or become less dependent on a paycheck.
Sabatier described modern FIRE as a “choose your own adventure” strategy.
“Everyone’s life is different, and everyone has different opportunities, and everyone has different visions for their life,” he said. “You can just choose what it means to you and then discard the rest.”
Sabatier is still clear-eyed about the challenges. He said FIRE is harder for lower earners, especially as inflation and housing costs have risen. While he believes financial independence is possible for everyone in some form, the timeline can vary widely depending on income, expenses, family obligations, and geography.
“I do feel like it’s getting more difficult to do if you just are making minimum wage and trying to keep up with housing costs,” he said. “Inflation has been significantly higher than I could have anticipated, and that disproportionately impacts people who make less money.”
For people who want to accelerate the process, he said, increasing income is often necessary. The math still comes down to the gap between income and expenses — but there have never been more ways to widen that gap.
