Levels of the Game
Start at Level I, get to Level II and stay there. Maybe make Level III.
After the longest economic expansion in American history, movements sprung up to reach financial independence and early retirement (FIRE). Focusing on retiring to a life of travel and leisure is a pitfall that blinds seekers from reaching actual financial independence. Many are simply unaware of the level in which they begin or where they currently reside. Reaching the next level of financial standing requires first understanding the levels of the game. To understand how to reach financial independence in a system of modified capitalism, first understand the history of the game, the rules, and what is required to win.
Woven into the fabric of the nation, the American dream is about getting a share of the pie; even if you have to bite out of your neighbors — kill all of his buffalo, enslave him, or build factories for his children to toil away. That dream means that no one has the right to tell you how big your slice should be and that you are considered more American if you resort to violence to keep your slice. This wasn’t an American original idea; it was mainly the British and the French that put it all together after fighting each other for centuries. Americans just perfected it, made it virtuous, aspirational, and turned it into a dream.
