The Best Investing Order of Operations for FIRE (2025) | Bigger Pockets Video

Episode #656
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Most people chasing FIRE (financial independence, retire early) are doing it all out of order, and it’s costing them years of financial freedom. So, we thought, “What’s the fastest way to achieve FIRE, and which steps would you take if you were starting from scratch?” Today, we’re bringing you a supercharged financial independence plan, sharing the exact financial order of operations that’ll take you from a $1,000 emergency fund to fully-fledged early retirement.

We know the steps because we’re reverse-engineering our own paths to financial independence, and we WISH we had done some of these earlier. If you’re a beginner in the FIRE movement, start here and work through these steps to FIRE the fastest. If you’re close to FIRE already or at a significant financial milestone, don’t worry. We have tips you can use right now to retire earlier and avoid the “middle-class trap” that kills so many FIRE dreams.

We’re going through retirement accounts, emergency funds, cash-flowing investments, and side hustles to help you earn more. Plus, what to do once you make TOO much money to invest in tax-advantaged retirement accounts.

00:00 Investing Order of Operations for Financial Independence
01:23 Traditional Retirement Order of Operations
02:56 Real Estate and Business Investment Order of Operations
04:13 Deep Dive into Financial Steps
04:25 Emergency Fund Importance
06:33 401k and Employer Benefits
07:42 Employee Stock Purchase Plans
11:53 Health Savings Account (HSA) Benefits
15:25 Maximizing 401k Contributions
18:48 Roth IRA and Backdoor Roth Strategies
21:07 529 Plans
23:20 Taxable Investments and Brokerage Accounts
25:20 Paying Off Low Interest Rate Debt
26:40 You’re Retired!