Welcome to Fight to FIRE: My Personal Journey Towards Financial Independence and Early Retirement
Hi, I’m the voice behind Fight to FIRE, a 35-year-old married Belgian freelance IT professional with a passion for personal finance and a dream: to achieve Financial Independence and Retire Early (FIRE). Together with my lovely wife and two beautiful children, I live in a self-renovated house in an urbanized town in East-Flanders, Belgium. I balance my (work) life between the comforts of home and the adventures of travel.
My Journey: From Forex Failure to Financial Foresight
My professional career, starting in 2012, wasn’t just about IT at a major European bank; it was a journey filled with financial experiments and learnings. The most significant was my foray into Forex trading. This ended up being a six-year venture that, while ending in financial setbacks, taught me invaluable lessons about risk and resilience.
This blog started in September 2018 and was born from those experiences. It’s a space where I not only document my progress towards FIRE but also share insights and strategies, particularly from a European perspective, which is often missing in mainstream (US) FIRE discourse.
The Goal: FIRE by 45 50
Why FIRE? For me, it’s not just about retiring early; it’s about the freedom to choose how I live my life, free from financial constraints. By 45 50, I aim to have the liberty to pursue my passions without financial worry. This blog tracks that journey: my strategies, setbacks, and successes as I navigate (married) life with kids.
Learning Together: Insights and Interactions
As I navigate this path, I’m keen to share the lessons learned, both mine and those of others. I invite you, my readers, to engage, share your stories, and offer perspectives that might broaden our collective understanding of personal finance.
A European Take on FIRE
Diving into the nuances of achieving financial independence in Europe, I explore how our unique financial landscapes, from tax systems to investment opportunities, shape our strategies toward FIRE. Most of my content will be focusing on Belgium (for obvious reasons), but as Belgium is inside the EU, some rules and regulations mandated by the EU will also get reviewed.
A Family Take on FIRE
Besides the pure financial aspect of FIRE in Belgium, I also explore how our unique family situation shapes our strategies toward FIRE. With a partner who is originally from outside the EU and two kids, with one being give years older, life is quite interesting to say the least. Because of this, you’ll sometimes read posts about how I keep the kids entertained without breaking the bank.
Join the Journey
As I continue writing my story, I hope you are part of it. Whether you’re here to learn, share, or simply follow along, your presence enriches this journey. Don’t hesitate to reach out, suggest improvements, or share your own FIRE experiences. Together, let’s explore the possibilities and pave our paths to financial freedom.
Featered on
Recent posts
Portfolio Update 2026: We Crossed €1 Million. Most of It Is Bricks.
*Looks at last portfolio report, sees Q4 2021* Oops, a lot has changed since then... The last time I published a proper portfolio update, we were still talking about Covid, I was still an employee, the renovation hadn't started, and my daughter was a few months old. That was late 2021. It is now June 2026.
I Lost My Entire Mailing List. Now I’m Starting Over.
A while back, MailerLite did a major platform upgrade. They sent emails asking existing users to migrate to the new version before a certain deadline. Unfortunately, I didn't see those emails.
Why Wall Street Can’t Model AI (And Why They’re Bungling MSFT and Adobe)
A few days ago, I dropped a comment on r/ValueInvesting about Microsoft (MSFT) and Adobe…
Robo Investing in Belgium in 2026: Innovative Evolution or Bland Banking Facelift?
When I first wrote about robo investing in Belgium in early 2022, nine providers were in the market. I looked at them all, compared fees, read the fine print, and then did absolutely nothing with it. Never opened an account, didn't bother with any of them.
The Cost of Raising a child in Belgium: Numbers That Will Surprise You
In Belgium, the saying goes that a child costs you a house. AG Insurance and the Gezinsbond put a number on it: €264,310 over 25 years, or €917 per month when childcare and study costs are included. The Belgian median house price in Q3 2024 was €275,000. Headlines wrote themselves. VRT's Money Time podcast ran with it, and the Gezinsbond has been publishing versions of this research for years.
Freelancer Market Volatility: How to Stay Calm When Both Go Wrong
Freelancer market volatility hits differently when your pipeline is also uncertain. An honest look at how I handle both as a Belgian IT freelancer.
