I’m Veronica—a mother, immigrant, and builder of this space. What started as a financial journey has become something deeper: a quest for freedom, emotional clarity, and generational strength.
This blog is for anyone who wants to spend with intention, build quietly powerful wealth, and live aligned with their real values.
What You’ll Find Here
- Tools
- Interactive calculators and planning tools for wealth, freedom, and legacy
- [View Tools →]
- Essays
- Long, thoughtful posts on mental health, generational design, and spending with purpose
- [Read Essays →]
- Newsletter
- Quiet, once-a-month reflections on money, parenting, and freedom
- [Join Now →]
Start Here
- [Why I Spend Lavishly on Mental Health]
- [FatFIRE Is a Means, Not the End]
- [What I Want My Kids to Inherit]
- [How We Built to $6M Without Losing Ourselves].
Who Is FatFIRE Woman?
I used to be on the partner track at a top consulting firm, MBA from a top school, and in a prestigious tech job. On paper, it looked perfect. Inside, I was anxious, burnt out, and lost.
This site was born from the ashes of that life. Through therapy, love, and deep self-examination, I rebuilt from the inside out.
My version of FatFIRE isn’t about luxury. It’s about healing, living, and passing on what matters.
Values to Live By
- Love yourself unconditionally.
- Be more generous than required.
- Take risks despite fear.
- Be honest and kind.
- Connect with the right people through vulnerability.
- Prioritize family.
- Ask for what you want.
- Make great memories today.
- Reach out.
- Love your family fiercely.
100% of the content on this website is written by me. There is no catch; I want to share everything that’s helped me to conquer my fears and realize my ideal life, so you can realize yours.
If you find what I’m writing helpful, please consider buying me coffee. I spend a considerable amount of time on writing and hosting the content, your support keeps me going.
Kelly Graham says
Love it. I am a FIRE man that has chosen to teach in a high-school that is filled with young talented minorities and immigrants. I spend a great deal of time explaining that their goal of financial freedom is achievable. There is an emphasis placed on autonomy and education. After reading your story, I think you would relate with my students, so well. Would you consider being a guest speaker or recording a little something for our students at F.L. Schlagle high school located in Kansas City, Kansas? Truly grateful for your blog.
Kelly Graham J.D.
Veronica says
Would love to, Kelly. I’ll reach out to you via email. And thank you for being an amazing teacher who cares about your students!
Sue says
Very excited to find your blog! Love the topics and deep analysis. Happy to be a new subscriber!
Veronica says
Thanks so much, Sue! Welcome and would love to hear if you have any specific questions you’d love to see us discussing!
Katy says
That’s awesome!
This absolutely resonates with me.
And I love a long read!
Jozefien says
I found your website. Looking forward to reading your blog as I am currently on my way too to financial independence.
johny says
Initially I thought this was about a fat woman retiring rich, but I understand you now.
Linda M Campbell says
Dearest Fatfire,
I am grateful, as are thousands of others (for now, but soon many more!) that you are a teacher/ researcher/ synthesizer who honors and gifts each of us distilled gems of thought that enlighten our
thinking.
Linda
Veronica says
Thanks so much Linda!
JohnCD says
Liked what I read. Your philosophy of life is somehow “peace giving.” Not sure why, but i definitely found it so. You are also an insightful, clearly smart, and I suspect “rich in life” woman which is more than “things” and “money”, although those don’t hurt! Thanks for a good read.
Veronica says
Thanks so much for the kind words. Like everyone else, I am trying my best, oftentimes failing, but still trying. 🙂
Kim Woodbury says
Your article on the next stock crash may have been one of the best investing articles I have read in my life, and after getting swept up and totally wrecked in the crypto market recently it was exactly what I needed to hear. Invest for the long the and go live your life… Thank you!
Veronica says
Hi Kim, thank you so much, happy to hear you found it helpful! It’s okay to invest in crypto, just make sure you don’t put too much money into it as it is highly volatile and risky. I’m a crypto investor myself, I find the concept super fascinating. I have about 5% of my net worth in crypto, and won’t go higher than that.
JaZ says
I was looking for long-term index funds/ETFs to buy and hold, and came across your website. I enjoyed very much reading a lot of your articles. They are awesome, insightful, easy-to-follow, and most of all made sense and meaningful to the readers. Really appreciate your hard work and your willingness to share your wisdom and knowledge. Though I am still many years away from retirement, I feel much confident how to handle post retirement wealth growth after your reading your blog.
I would really appreciate if you can write a article on Roth IRA, and the investment strategy on Roth IRA.
JaZ
Veronica says
Hi JaZ, thank you very much. Do you have any specific questions on Roth IRA?
Russell McBride says
Like others so far, I came across your website searching for Vanguard funds and seeking verification that what I had chosen as investments was valid. And the mention, “Best Vanguard Funds for Older Folks Near of In Retirement” confirmed many of my investment choices. My wife and I invested trusting an advisor during the dot.com debacle. The advisor abandoned us, not returning phone calls, as we were ignorant of the trends of the market then, we sold at a 50% loss. Since then, my wife has always been leery of market investments. We then invested in real estate, retired and sold our real estate assets, but have un-invested cash getting zilch return in a savings account. I’m trying to convince my wife that we can invest in the market in an ethical and truthful manner. I am asking her to read this blog. We make all important decisions in agreement. If she feel comfort from your postings and agrees to invest, I’ll owe you more than a cup of coffee.
Veronica says
Hi Russell – Thanks for commenting. Congratulations on retirement! I think what your wife is feeling is very common among many, many people. I, too, have been burned by the 2008 recession, and as a result, I’ve certainly sold or kept money in cash that I later regretted. But I also think fear is a good thing. Fear keeps you from being too aggressive, which a lot of people are these days because they’ve never seen a stock market crash before. Remember: if you are scared, it’s okay, you don’t have to put ALL of your money into the stock market. The stock market is a volatile and sometimes emotionally draining place. Work with her to find a certain amount of money you are comfortable putting into the stock market, knowing that even if it tanks, you still have enough back up to live off of and KEEP the money in the stock market until it recovers. I’d encourage you to talk with her about dollar-cost averaging a certain amount of your un-invested cash into the stock market, and dollar-cost average it over a few years if you are really worried.
For example. If you have $1,000, you don’t dump all $1,000 into the stock market at once. Instead, you put $6 into the stock market every week so that after three years, all $1,000 is fully invested into the stock market (Vanguard can automate this for you, so you don’t have to buy every week). If you do it this way, if the stock market crashes this year, you will have lost a little bit would’ve kept investing. And if the stock market does not crash and keeps going up, you would’ve kept investing and made gains. Remember: fear is sometimes a good thing; it keeps us from making irrational decisions. We don’t want to be too fearful not to act at all.
Russell McBride says
Thanks for your reply. Fortunately we are on the same page. You with your thoughts and actions, and in the past week choices we have made. Gradually investing, Vanguard funds (Life strategy Conservative VSCGX and blending VBIAX). We get a 40/60 with one and a 60/40 US only with the other. Neither require action on our part other than to stay calm when needed. This allows us a 50/50 ratio with some intl with a US predominance. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Veronica says
This makes sense to me. I am not a financial advisor, but this is what I would’ve done for my family nearing or already into retirement.
Russell says
And, with calm discussion and talk about investing, we discussed our past experiences in real estate investing. The 2008 to 2011 downturn in our market in Virginia was very bad. It was very scary then. We even talked to attorney friend about filing for bankruptcy. He gave me some stern advice. Work harder. Or put another way, stay the course with your real estate holdings as history, like the investment markets, rebound in time. In January 2012, the light switch flipped and we had a very successful year and in the following years. We did invest in the Life Strategy and US balanced funds as previously mentioned. Thanks for your article and follow up responses. And I do owe you a cup of coffee.
Russell
cynthia says
This is amazing and touching post I ever see. I am not In USA and I am from Australia. I am also immigrant and have quite basic wage. I used 14 years to reach Fire. But I still did not retire yet. Because retirement is somehow lost purpose. I tried a while due to Covid 19 lock down and it even effect my mental healthy. I love your quality of post and especially your value. It is very high quality and full of meaningful thoughts. I also begin my blog and just thought ad record as my journey.
Veronica says
Hi Cynthia! Thanks for writing in and sharing, and congratulations on reaching FIRE!
ian says
Wow , the more I read the more I see people who are half full of shit . I notice none of your articles have dates on them so your predictions will always be right when you cannot place a date on them . So you are full of shit or maybe 75% . Much of what you say is fact and just a repeat of common sense and what others have said for many many years . The idea you could predict the COVID 19 virus and its huge effects is absurd ( I know you have stated in the fine print this but your headline provides the reader with this initial image . I love the fact your predictions do not have dates on them , very clever . Nostradamus and you have many things in common both of you were full of the preverbal .
Veronica says
Hi Ian – thanks for taking the time to write in! I definitely never said I could predict the covid 19 virus. Also, the entire purpose of my blog is to educate users to not trust expert predictions and time the market. As to your complaint that my advice is common facts – ha, I wish! Too many people still pay a lot of money learning how to day trade. Anyways, have a great day!
Mike says
A date on each article would be helpful.
Davi says
“when will stock market crash” well thought out article, easy to read, written with reference to facts tempered by emotional intelligence.
many thanks
An honest read says
Instead of obsessing over financial freedom, you can save far more grief and effort by winning over your insecurity. You seem unable to extricate yourself from conflating money and self-worth. I doubt reaching your stated $5.4M is going to keep you happy being out of the labor market. Because you will continue your game of comparisons while people in your circles who continue to work will inflate the price of your target lifestyle at the high end at a pace far exceeding your passive income growth rate (because they work!). If you want to sustain an early retirement, you need to settle for less, but this whole concept of ‘fatFIRE’ is fundamentally at odds with that natural implication and underscores your desperate search to overcome insecurity. You won’t find your answer in the bank account. Go give yourself some room to breathe and explore different options that you find fulfilling. Something that’s not a cover for your insecurity, but that keeps you proud and confident. If that path leads you to less money, remind yourself what it was like to be in the rat race. You only have one life to live, true freedom from material goods requires you to let go.
Veronica says
Thanks for writing in, reader! I hear you deeply, and recognize you are right in many ways – this obsession with wealth, especially behind a certain point, does deliver meaningful satisfaction in life. This is why life is a balance, and a struggle to find the ideal balance for YOU and ME. For me, being a full-time mother does not bring me full satisfaction in life. And yet, I also do not want to abandon my children in search of wealth. I have made decisions in life that are the best for my family but not the best for my career, and vice versa. It’s always a fight, and always a struggle to figure out whether I am doing the right thing or not. Only time will tell. What I will say, though, is that everyone had a hierarchy of needs, basic security is at the bottom and enlightenment is at the top. It is okay for some people to focus more on maximizing security while others seek to uncover the true meaning of life. Thanks again for writing in. I love these reminders.