What I Love About the FIRE Movement - with Clark Howard

Afford Anything

#158: Clark Howard loves the FIRE movement. That's because he's one of us.

Clark began investing in real estate at age 22, started a travel agency at age 25, and retired at age 31.

He sold his travel agency, moved to the beach and relaxed for four years; then he started a second career as the host of The Clark Howard Show, a popular radio show that's syndicated nationwide.

Today, he's a personal finance celebrity. His website receives more than 50 million views per year. He has more than 1.1 million followers on Facebook.

Clark is a consumer advocate and personal finance voice who walks the talk. He doesn't accept sponsorships that conflict with his values. He loves frugality and efficiency. Last week, he was traveling in New York on a company expense account, yet he still rode the subway, because he didn't like the idea of wasting money on a taxi ... *even if it wasn't his own money.*

He's a philanthropist who leads with a service-first framework. During Hurricane Katrina, he volunteered with a team that handled medical evacuations. After September 11th, he joined the Georgia State Defense Force, which is an unpaid, unarmed volunteer component of the state Department of Defense.

He sponsored the construction of 74 houses through Habitat for Humanity. He's provided toys for more than 150,000 foster children at Christmas.

He's a multimillionaire and he flies in coach.

When the now-infamous Suze Orman episode came out, Clark immediately issued a response on his own syndicated radio show. He came out in strong support of the FIRE movement. He said that he couldn't imagine how anyone could criticize the notion of saving half of your income.

When I heard his remarks, I invited him on this show to elaborate. What does he think about the FIRE movement? Why does he like it? How would he respond to the objections?

For more information, visit the show notes at http://affordanything.com/episode158

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