“FITS” is the New “FIRE” for Bitcoiners: Financially Independent, Time Sovereign

By Sovereign Origin

Summary

This note introduces the FITS (Financially Independent, Time Sovereign) philosophy, a concept designed for bitcoiners as an evolution of the traditional FIRE (Financially Independent, Retire Early) movement. While FIRE has gained traction for enabling individuals to escape the “rat race” by accumulating wealth and retiring early, FITS redefines this goal under a bitcoin standard, emphasizing not just financial independence but also sovereignty over one’s time.

Bitcoin’s unique properties, such as scarcity and resistance to inflation, position it as a superior asset for long-term wealth accumulation. Unlike FIRE, which typically relies on diversified investments in fiat-based assets, FITS leverages bitcoin’s deflationary nature to provide a path to financial and time sovereignty. This document contrasts traditional FIRE strategies with the FITS method, detailing how bitcoin’s characteristics can be harnessed to escape fiat dependency and achieve a state where work is a choice rather than a necessity.

The note also provides actionable steps to get started on the FITS journey, covering everything from accumulating bitcoin through strategies like Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) to planning for withdrawals in a way that considers bitcoin’s inherent volatility. By the end, readers will understand how to transition from merely surviving within the fiat system to thriving in a state of true time sovereignty under a bitcoin standard.

NOTE BEFORE YOU START: The links in the article may include referrals where the author of the article gets a small portion of the sales price for bringing the business to Amazon. Please consider using these links to support the author, or donate sats using SovereignOrigin@primal.net

What is FIRE?

FIRE is abbreviated from “Financially Independent, Retired Early”. It’s a financial strategy and lifestyle adopted by many as part of the so-called FIRE-movement, where people aim to escape the rat race created by the fiat system.

At its heart, FIRE advocates for living below one’s means by cutting unnecessary expenses and focusing on maximizing savings. Practitioners often strive to save and invest 50-70% of their income, leveraging frugality as a key tool. This disciplined saving is coupled with aggressive investing, primarily in low-cost index funds, to build a portfolio capable of sustaining them through the withdrawal phase. By optimizing both spending and income, FIRE adherents aim to accumulate sufficient wealth to retire decades earlier than the norm, shifting from a life dominated by work to one where personal passions and meaningful activities take precedence – without financial constraints. These concepts and approach to retirement were popularized by influential voices like Mr. Money Mustache.

While FIRE practitioners aim for similar goals as many bitcoiners, their means are not the same, nor are their methods. In both FIRE and traditional employment, work is often reduced to selling time for money—usually fiat currency that cannot preserve the value of one’s time. However, the underlying motivation for many seeking early retirement or bitcoin accumulation is the desire to achieve true time sovereignty, where one’s time is no longer dictated by the need to exchange it for depreciating fiat.

EDUCATIONAL BIT: A fiat currency is government-issued money that is not backed by a physical commodity like gold or silver. Instead, its value is derived from the trust and authority of the government that issues it. The value of fiat money can be eroded by inflation, especially when governments print more money to cover deficits, leading to what many call 'fiat dependency'. A great source to understand more about how fiat money came about is The Creature of Jekyll Island.