Michael Houghton: ‘I’ve realised that the “early retirement” part of the FIRE movement is, in many ways, a myth’

All I had really secured was a safety net. My family would be fine whether I worked or not, but we wouldn’t necessarily thrive

There’s a big difference between financial independence and financial freedom. Photo: Getty

For years I imagined the day I would finally hit my “FI number”, the amount of money I needed to reach financial independence and which meant I’d never need to work again.

I fantasised about seeing that figure on the screen and handing in my notice. I even had my retirement party planned out in my head.