Where We Discovered FIRE

David Sawallisch
Jul 12
4 min read

~ And the Books that Lit the Path

"This post is dedicated to JL Collins and Kristy Shen, whose books opened the door to our FIRE journey. Thank you for lighting the path we now walk."

Before FIRE ever entered our vocabulary, Winnie and I were saving money the way most couples do: one partner is disciplined, strategic, and financially enlightened… and the other partner is me. Winnie was the CFO of our relationship long before I understood what index investing even meant. She saved because she grew up with scarcity. I saved because she told me to. That was our system. It worked. It wasn’t glamorous, but it kept us afloat.

But FIRE?

Early retirement?

Traveling the world for less than the cost of living in the U.S.?

Choosing work instead of needing work?

That wasn’t even on our radar — not until two books hit us like a financial meteor. The Books That Broke Our Brain (In a Good Way) Everything changed the day we discovered Kristy Shen and JL Collins — two people who didn’t just teach FIRE, but lived it loudly, confidently, and unapologetically off the beaten path. Kristy Shen: The Emotional Spark Kristy’s book, Quit Like a Millionaire, wasn’t just informative — it was personal.

Her childhood mirrored Winnie’s so closely it felt eerie: scarcity, frugality, survival mindset, the “stretch every yuan until it screams” up bringing. Kristy escaped that life earlier. Winnie didn’t get a chance to get out until after college, after meeting me, after navigating immigration, and finally landing in the U.S. But the emotional blueprint was the same. For Winnie, Kristy wasn’t just a FIRE author — she was proof that someone with her background could build a life of abundance, freedom, and choice. JL Collins: The Practical Road map. If Kristy lit the emotional spark, JL Collins handed us the map. His book, The Simple Path to Wealth, didn’t just explain investing — it made it feel possible.

Simple.

Clear.

Unintimidating.

JL Collins taught us: why simplicity beats complexity, why low‑cost index funds win, why freedom is the ultimate dividend, why money is a tool, not a master. Kristy showed us the lifestyle. JL showed us the math.

Together, they gave us permission to imagine a life we didn’t even know we were allowed to want. Travel was always the itch — but FIRE made it a choice. I had already lived overseas for nine years. I knew the secret:

Living abroad can be cheaper.

Life can be simpler.

Culture can be addictive.

And once you’ve traveled, you never fully come back. But FIRE reframed travel from “something we do when we can” to: “something we can live every day, whenever we want.” That’s the difference.

Travel isn’t the goal.

Freedom is the goal.

Travel is just one expression of that freedom.

We were born to be Nomads.

Some people thrive in stability.

Big families.

Rooted communities.

Generations in the same city. And that’s beautiful. But that’s not us. We became nomads by accident — not because we were running from anything, but because we were running toward everything: new cities, new cultures, new food, new versions of ourselves, every job overseas was just a way to fund the next adventure. Every school was a steppingstone. Every city was a chapter. And honestly? I wouldn’t trade any of it.

It’s how I met Winnie.

It’s how we grew.

It’s how we learned what kind of life we actually wanted. Ironically, the last three years — staying put, working more than ever, grinding toward FIRE — is the longest we’ve ever stayed in one place. The longest we’ve ever stayed with one company. The longest we’ve ever lived one version of life.

FIRE Isn’t About Travel — It’s About Freedom.

This is the part Kristy and JL both hammer home: FIRE isn’t about quitting work. It’s about quitting needing work. Once you reach financial independence, the world opens up in ways you can’t imagine. You can:

start a business
try a new job just because it sounds fun
volunteer more
spend more time with family
travel slowly
learn a new skill
take a sabbatical
move to a new country
The possibilities aren’t just endless — they’re yours.

FIRE doesn’t give you a vacation. It gives you agency. It gives you the ability to wake up and say: “What do I want my life to look like today?” And then actually do it.

The Roadmap That Changed Everything Kristy Shen gave us the dream. JL Collins gave us the instructions. Together, they gave us: a vision, a strategy, a path, a reason, a future. They showed us we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.

We just had to follow it. And because of them — because of Winnie’s discipline, because of our shared love for travel, because of the itch that never went away — we’re here now:

Saving 75% of our income.