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Playing With Fire – Documentary Film Review And Thoughts

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One of the unexpected benefits of pursuing FIRE (financial independence, retire early) is getting to be part of the community that has built around this movement. Going on the journey towards FIRE is great, but it’s made even better when you can learn and go on that journey with others – not to mention make some new friends in the process. It’s been interesting to see how the concept of FIRE has evolved as more and more people learn about it and impart their own views and beliefs into it.

Last week, I attended a screening of the new documentary, Playing With Fire, that was set up by our local Choose FI Twin Cities group. As a pro-tip, these Choose FI groups are definitely worth joining if you want to learn more about FIRE and become part of a community. My recommendation is to join the main Choose FI Facebook group and then get yourself connected with your local Choose FI community. If I hadn’t been a part of these groups, I wouldn’t have even known about this movie screening.

The movie itself was packed, with over 160 people in attendance. After the movie, a few of us met up at a bar to meet each other and learn more about what brought us towards FIRE and what we’ve been doing on our journeys. I learned about what others were doing on their path toward FIRE. And I spit some of my knowledge about all of my gig apps and how I use them in my life.

It’s always fun to learn from others and I also feel like I have some interesting things to share with people as well.

Playing With Fire: What Is It About?

Playing With Fire is a documentary that follows a young family, Scott and Taylor Rieckens and their toddler daughter, discovering the FIRE movement and setting out to change their life. Their story begins like many of our stories begin – two parents living the normal American life. A nice car. A fancy house. They seem to be doing pretty well, living a normal, upper-middle-class life. But they’re also trapped in the very life they’ve created.

Their story starts to change once they discover the FIRE movement and begin to really assess the things they value in life. Interestingly enough (as many of us probably discover), they find that their spending doesn’t really align with their values. And from there, they make the drastic move of selling everything, moving in with their parents temporarily, and figuring out what it is they are really looking for. Eventually, after learning more about FIRE and traveling across the country for a few months, they settle on a move to Bend, Oregon.

Throughout the movie, we get a sprinkling of interviews with many of the big names in the FIRE movement, including Vicki Robin, Mr. Money Mustache, JL Collins, Mad Fientist, Choose FI, and Millennial Revolution. All of them drop some knowledge, not just about FIRE and how to invest and save, but also just how to think about life. 

The film doesn’t necessarily end because it’s starting from the beginning of this young family’s FIRE journey. Along the way, we can see their struggles as they have to make that mindset shift from the typical, upper-middle-class family, to someone venturing along their own FIRE path.

It was an interesting documentary to watch, and at only 76 minutes, it won’t take up a lot of your time.

Closing Thoughts

I think Playing With Fire is a good introduction to what the FIRE movement is about and it has the advantage of using a medium that’s never been used to talk about FIRE before. Playing With Fire is the first movie about FIRE, which has the potential to introduce this way of life and thinking to an entirely new audience that wouldn’t otherwise be interested in blogs, books, podcasts, Youtube videos, or the other countless ways people consume content.

One lesson I think a lot of people could take away from this movie is that rarely are we really stuck where we are, even though we might feel that way. A lot of people get into the habit of telling themselves what is and isn’t possible – but we often forget that we have a lot more control of our lives than we think.

In this case, the Rieckens (the subjects of this movie), simply packed up everything and moved, eventually settling down in a lower-cost city that they believed made sense to them. Admittedly, they had the benefit of being able to move in with their parents while they made this move – something that isn’t available to everyone – but the general idea is still there.

There’s no exact FIRE roadmap you can follow – and that’s not what this movie is trying to do. It’s sharing an example of someone’s journey. The important thing you can take away from this movie is to remember that you have the power to make changes to your life and to do the things that really make you happy.

I suspect that at some point, Playing With Fire will probably make its way to the various streaming services, so you’ll probably be able to check it out there whenever or if it comes out. 

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:

  • GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
  • Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
  • Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
  • Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
  • Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

  • M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
  • SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
  • Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
  • Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
  • Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
  • Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

  • GO2Bank ($100) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $100 referral bonus.
  • Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
  • US Bank Business ($750) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
  • SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
  • Fifth Third Bank ($225) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
  • Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
  • Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
  • Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
  • Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
  • Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
  • Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
financial panther

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

  • SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
  • US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $750 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
  • M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
  • DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a savings account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000.
  • Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.

Feel free to send Kevin a message here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. LukeM says

    I went to the screening in London, UK the other week, which sold out. One of our UK bloggers, Barney “the Escape Artist” – very nice chap – sorted it out. I enjoyed the film, and do hope it gets a wide audience. Our Financial Independence London and UK Facebook groups are very busy, and we get together quite often – we’re meeting in St James’s Park next week, for example. By the way, it’s Vicki *Robin*.

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