The First FIRE Dating App for Money Minded Singles
For those a part of the FIRE community (Financial Independence, Retire Early), finally there has been a dating app created specifically for us.
The app, that is currently in beta testing is called Fire Dating and is created by another FIRE follower by the name of Viktor who lives in Munich. He is the sole creator and developer, and saw the need and want in our community to create a free app in order to match other FIRE followers to each other.
Did you know that 21% of divorces in today’s society are due to money problems? This is a common trend that can be seen where couples do not get on the same page financially before saying “I do”. Also, a lot of life factors come into play such as how one in the relationship may treat money versus the other, or handling student loan debt.
If you are someone currently in the FIRE community or are just starting your debt-free journey, then this is the app for you. It definitely has a lot of work to be done, and still needs to gain traction in order to better find a match; although the purpose of this blog is to inform you of the app in hopes that more individuals will join.
I spent a few weeks on the app, and the following will be an inside scoop and my opinions on certain features.
DISCLAIMER: Again, please remember that the app is in beta testing, and the creator is always open to suggestions by just sending in a quick response form to him!
Account Creation
The account creation process was insanely easy and was very customizable compared to other apps I have been on in the past such as Tinder or Bumble. Options such as “how did you discover FIRE”, Asset Allocation, FIRE type, and “what percentage of FIRE have you completed” are vital questions that you may not get anywhere else, or more so, a swipe in the wrong direction if you put that on your bio.
Daily Limit
A current feature on the app is that every user gets a daily, two requests, or “hearts”, that you can send to another profile. The amount of two can seem insanely low, although after some thought I realized that of the profiles that I saw for my specifications that two was more than enough, and made me think better for the kind of partner I seek.
Photo Limit
This may be a blessing, or may be a curse — you have the option to blur your profile picture or keep it un-blurred/clear. One thing to note is that if you have a blurred profile picture, upon receiving a request from someone, they then will be able to see your photo un-blurred. I feel like this feature can be very great since our society features on looks, and given the FIRE community focuses on money mindsets of others when we seek partners — not looking at a profile picture can be a fresh take. We also currently only have the option for one profile picture. This can be less pressure during account creation since you are able to choose your favorite.
Location and Age
Something to note is that I am 20. This has produced many challenges on my end to find matches worth pursuing due to huge age differences or even far distances apart. I believe though, that upon more adoption of app users, that the bigger following will provide more age and location options that are more suited for what anyone is seeking.
Chat Functionality
Currently, when you receive a request from someone/or you send the request, you need to wait until it is accepted before you can send a private message. I noticed that of the requests that I sent and received that I did not have a high rate of return on chat messages going on. Something to note is that you have the option during account creation to get text messages or emails when someone may send a request or message you via the chat feature. Although, as I highlighted a little bit ago, certain criteria such as major age differences or far distances may reduce your chance of getting to message with someone.
The FIRE community finally has an app of our own, and it can be a major blessing to find new relationships and friendships with like-minded individuals. The app is constantly changing upon more suggestions and features are being created, so it is sure to improve as time progresses.
In the event of more feature creations and changes to the app, I will make sure to write another blog post in order for others to stay up to date. Hopefully, this take will get you interested to meet your money-savvy mate or even more so share with your social circle.