Jun 9, 2026
For a lot of people chasing financial independence, the end goal is pretty simple in theory: save enough money so work becomes entirely optional.
But for Andy Hill, 44, a family finance coach and podcaster, that idea has shifted over time into something a little less rigid — and, he says, a lot more realistic for regular households trying to make it all work.
Advertisement
He started out following the classic FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) playbook, saving aggressively with the goal of potentially stepping away from work decades ahead of the traditional timeline. But as life, costs, and priorities evolved, he moved toward a more flexible approach known as Coast FIRE. That means you save aggressively for a while, until you have enough to “coast” for a number of years until retirement, no longer needing to save, because of returns and compound interest that you have accumulated on earlier investments.
Coast FIRE, combined with what he calls “F-you money” are, together, the “cheat code” for the FIRE movement, he said in an interview with Business Insider.
And for Hill, that mix didn’t just change his financial plan on paper — it changed the day-to-day feeling of working, saving, and having options in a way he hadn’t experienced before.
What is Coast FIRE and an ‘F-you fund’?
Coast FIRE is basically a lighter, less all-or-nothing version of the FIRE plan.
Instead of trying to save every extra dollar until you can fully walk away from work, you do the heavy lifting early in your career — building up a solid investment base — and then, at some point, shift gears.
Once you hit that “enough is enough” number in savings, you stop aggressively pouring money into retirement accounts. You still work, but you’re no longer in full accumulation mode. Your investments are left alone to grow over time, while your paychecks go toward everything else life throws at you — housing, kids, travel.
For Hill, that number was about $550,000 invested by age 40. From there, the math takes over. With an assumed long-term return of around 6% a year, that portfolio could potentially grow to roughly $2 million over time without adding another dollar, Business Insider reporting says.
Advertisement
And compared to traditional FIRE, where the goal is often to fully replace your income much earlier, the coasting approach can take a lot of pressure off the savings target itself.
But the part that really changed things for Hill’s family financial plan was what he calls his “F-you money.”
It’s not a technical concept — it’s just his word for a cash cushion. It’s like an emergency fund, in that it’s sitting somewhere safe like a high-interest savings account. But it’s enough to give you the ability to walk away from a job or situation that just isn’t working anymore.
Hill told Business Insider there was a stretch where he felt stuck in a stressful corporate job — earning a solid income, but feeling like leaving wasn’t really an option. That mismatch between income and freedom pushed him to build a buffer that felt big enough to give him confidence, not just security.
So his “F-you” goal was simple: Accumulate 12 months of living expenses in cash before making any big career moves, giving him enough runway to step back and try something different without immediately worrying about how the bills would get paid.
By 2020, he and his wife Nicole had both reached their Coast FIRE target and fully built out their FU fund. And according to Hill, that’s when things actually started to feel different.
Advertisement
“The year I left my corporate career, I was making around $180,000 per year working 40 to 50 hours per week,” he told CNBC’s Make It. “This year, I’m paying myself $100,000 working 20 to 25 hours per week.”
So even though the income dropped on paper, the trade-off was obvious: more control over time, less pressure, and a work setup that actually fit his family life — something a growing number of people say feels harder to come by as everyday costs continue to rise faster than paychecks in many industries.
Must Read
- You can now build wealth like a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to chase down rent or take 3 A.M tenant calls
- Goldman Sachs used to hoard prime real estate deals for the ultrarich. Two ex-analysts just opened the door for $250
- Robert Kiyosaki begs investors not to miss this ‘explosion’ — says this 1 asset will surge 400% in a year
Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first — clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.
How to build up an initial cash cushion
Hill stresses that saving up an “F-you fund” isn’t about living on rice and beans or cutting every bit of joy out of your life. In fact, he thinks that approach could backfire for most people.
When savers get too strict, too fast, that’s often when the financial decisions get worse, not better.
“There’s so many other things that you can do with your life besides working,” he said to CNBC.
Instead, he leans on a handful of simple habits that are easy to repeat and actually stick over time.
- Keep the fund somewhere safe. The point isn’t to chase returns or get fancy. It’s just to know the money is there, ready to use if life changes suddenly.
- Hold monthly money meetings. In plain terms, these are regular check-ins with your household to look at where the money is going, what’s coming up, and whether your spending still matches your goals. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. It just keeps everyone on the same page, instead of guessing month to month.
- Zoom out and look at the big stuff first. Think: housing, transportation, and food. “The bigger expenses matter the most,” Hill told Business Insider. “Those are some of the harder questions to ask yourself: Do I actually need this house? Do I need these cars? Are they helping me get where I want to go?” That’s especially relevant now. Even though inflation has cooled from its 2022 highs, prices are still significantly higher than they were just a few years ago — and a lot of households are feeling that squeeze in the fixed costs they can’t easily escape.
- Find space to actually enjoy your life: Hill pushes back against the idea that financial independence should feel like constant restriction. If every decision becomes about cutting back, eventually the whole thing starts to feel unsustainable.
- Increase income as a final piece. “We really need to figure out how to combat inflation by inflating our own income,” he said. That might mean asking for a raise, going after a promotion, or picking up extra hours if they’re available. Beyond that, he suggests looking at side income — but not necessarily reinventing yourself. Start with skills you already have and figure out how they could earn more outside your 9-to-5.
For Hill, the point of all of this isn’t to quit work as quickly as possible. It’s to make sure you’re not stuck in a job just because you have no other choice. And in his view, that’s really where the “cheat code” comes in.
You May Also Like
- Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and the simple steps to fix it ASAP
- Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how
- Millionaires under 43 are reshaping investing — just 25% of their portfolios are in stocks. Here’s where their money is going
- Robert Kiyosaki issues grim warning for baby boomers. Many could be ‘wiped out’ and homeless ‘all over’ the country. How to protect yourself now
Laura Grande is a freelance contributor with nearly 15 years of industry experience. Throughout her career she's written about and edited a range of topics, from personal finance and politics to health and pop culture.
