>If you relying on investing in anything related to stocks,
>then that throws the whole "financial independence" thing
>completely out the window. You're very MUCH dependent on a TON
>of factors...

That's true... that's why people wanting to follow FIRE while primarily being invested in the stock market often use Monte Carlo simulations to come up with the probabilities that their nest egg will last as long as they need it.

You give the simulation parameters such as how much your nest egg will be, how much you'll spend each year and how long it will need to last and it will tell you the probability of you making your target based the best and worst markets overt he same length of time.

People that want to be as safe as possible keep saving until they're almost certain they won't run out of money in even the worst market periods.

While your building your nest egg, your less dependent on market returns the more aggressively you save. With "25 times living expenses" being the magical target, you can easily figure out how long it will take to save towards that goal with the charts on this site http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/

If you save minimally, it'll take forever to hit 25x mechanically but you'll likely get there a little sooner since you'll give the market time to give you returns.

If you can manage to hit the aggressive end of the savings rate (55%+), your investments won't have alot of time to really grow so most of your savings is just saved money.

>Then there's this list, or the "10 pillars". Each and every
>one of them is faulty:
>
>Lowering your housing costs
>
>Driving used cars
>
>Cutting the cable
>
>Lowering your tax liability by maxing out your tax-deferred
>vehicles such as your 401k, 457, 403b, IRA, HSA, etc.
>
>Using cheaper cell phone service
>
>Use credit card rewards and smart financial habits to help
>fund your travel
>
>Cut your grocery bills
>
>Increase your income and consider adding multiple income
>streams
>
>Low-cost index fund investments
>
>The 4% rule: The ultimate equation behind achieving financial
>independence. (The 4% rule involves how much you can safely
>withdraw from your nest egg each year in order to make sure
>you still have enough money down the road.)

The first 9 things are different avenues to save money. They may not be available to everybody but they're things to keep in mind when making financial decisions.

Like, I'd love to live near work and be able to walk or bike... but, we bought into the suburbs, far from my current job. I dunno if I'll ever be able to find a job close enough to bike to, but I'll keep that in mind when I'm looking for my next job or if we consider moving.