Space Camp for Money Nerds

I first learned of FIRE in 2016 by way of a New Yorker article on Mr. Money Mustache (MMM). The piece referenced MMM’s blog, to which I soon thereafter headed. Before then, I don’t know if I’d ever read a single blog post, or listened to a podcast episode. On any subject. 

MMM’s blog blew my mind. I fell down the FIRE rabbit hole immediately. Lo these many years later I’ve still not yet emerged. Blogs, podcasts, books, TV shows and movies, and local FIRE community meetups have since been a constant part of my life ever since.

For all this, however, I never attended a FIRE conference or retreat. Not for lack of interest mind you. I first learned of these events in 2016 or 2017 and year after year thought it’d be cool to go to one or more. But I always found an excuse to not go. Sometimes good excuses. Other times questionable excuses. Most often just plain lame excuses. 

The main event

Then, this past February, I got a text from a friend of mine (whom, not for nothing, I met at a FIRE community meetup) reading: “Any interest in attending Econome?” For those not in the know, Econome is a multiday educational and social FIRE conference held in mid-March in Cincinnati. It’s become the FIRE conference that all the cool kids go to.

My knee-jerk reaction was to say “no.” After all, between the conference attendance fee, accommodations, airfare, food, and any other trip- and event-related expenses, we could be talking about a price tag over $1,000 if I couldn’t travel hack anything.* And as to this conference in particular, for various reasons I wasn’t sure if I’d get a lot out of it. 

I let the idea stew in my head for a while. I had no good excuse not to go and ultimately concluded that the time for questionable and lame excuses needed to come to an end. After all, I genuinely did want to go to the conference. I looked forward to the presentations, the chance to meet content creators I’ve long admired and learned so much from, and the opportunity to hang out with lotsa of FIRE geeks like me. 

The next day, my friend texted that he definitely was going to the conference. That night I committed, too. We were off to the races. 

Highlight, fer’real

I arrived in Cincinnati—a city I’d never spent time in—two days early, giving my friend and me time to visit this fair metropolis. And explore it we did. Nice city, Cincinnati. 

An unofficial social/happy hour kicked off the conference. It rhymed with the meetups I’ve long attended, but the people were brand new to me. Which was nice. 

The conference officially began the next day. Over the course of three days, I met lotsa people and learned a fair number of things. 

The Tl; dr is that I had a great time, got a lot out of Econome—both substantively and socially—and am entirely glad I went. What follows is a bit more detail on my experience. 

Day one was all social: an urban group hike, fowling (it’s like bowling, but instead of rolling a round ball, you thrown a football at the pins) and drinks, and speed friendshipping. The hike turned out to be less seeing and learning about the city than a nice and long walk with like-minded people, and the fowling was fun and I met some more interesting people. In between was one of the highlights of the conference for me and my friend: going to Skyline Chili with a bunch of people. That group included Carl Jensen and Doug Cunnington, hosts of the Mile High FI podcast, many episodes of which include discussions of Skyline. Put another way, we had chili con Carl. Aaahhh, see what I did there?!

Speed friendshipping turned out to my favorite event of the day. The highlight was meeting Amy Minkley, the person behind FI Freedom Retreats, a newish annual FIRE event held in Bali. I’d previously heard Amy on a few podcasts and was impressed. In person, she didn’t disappoint. Sharp, kind, and passionate about FIRE and personal finance education, Amy’s fantastic. Most valuable about my discussion with Amy, however, was that she was about the fifth Econome attendee to suggest that I attend a Camp FI. Camp FI is another FIRE event, held in several locations in the United States, and is more a retreat than a conference. I’ve long thought about attending one, but . . . excuses. I think Amy sold me on going. 

Day two of Econome included lotsa educational sessions. Did I learn a ton of stuff? Honestly, no. But given how much FIRE and personal finance content I’ve consumed over the years it’d have been a surprise if I had. But did I some things of value to me? Yep. And in that, my expectations were met. 

The evening’s scheduled activity was attendance at a live recording of a joint episode of the Choose FI podcast and The Earn & Invest Podcast, two of the biggest FIRE podcasts. It was interesting and fun for a few reasons. First because most attendees (myself included) haven’t ever been present for the conducting and recording of a podcast. Second, because the episode was interesting in that it dealt with vulnerabilities and insecurities—the hosts’ and two podcast guests’—and included a big reveal by one of the hosts. 

But the real highlight for me—heck it was highlight of the whole conference—came just after the recording. One guest’s story resonated deeply with me, so after the podcast wrapped up, I ambled over to talk to him. Another attendee was chatting him up as I neared, so I waited and listened. The attendee asked the guest if his wife is on board for the FIRE stuff and if he’d asked her to join him at Econome. The guest, who’s really funny, replied, “No, when I asked her if she wanted to join me, she said, “No, you . . . you go off to your space conference for money nerds.” Priceless. That’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.

Another notable conference highlight happened later, in the same space, when someone I was chatting with said, “Isn’t it amazing what a large concentration of millionaires there are in this room?!” I almost always think to myself when I’m at a FIRE community event. So, it was validating finding out I’m not the only one. But the reason I (and presumably the attendee I was chatting with) note and get a kick out of this fact is that most everyone (myself included) at these events is dressed casually at best and, on occasion, what might be described as shabbily. My own standard attire is shorts, a t-shirt, maybe a sweatshirt if it’s cool out, and gym shoes. And let’s just say that I never stand out for being underdressed. I’ve not once seen anyone at a FIRE community event dressed in high-end designer clothes, a tailored suit or dress, or anything remotely saying, “Look at me! I’m rich!” And I absolutely and completely freaking love that. A more down to earth, unassuming crowd of driven, wealthy people you’re unlikely to find.

The final day of the conference was more educational sessions. All good, but one on health care options was the clear standout for me. First, because learned a ton. But just as much because I got to meet Jackie Cummings Koski, a whip-smart pillar in the FIRE community, and a new co-host on the most excellent Catching up to FI podcast. Jackie was generous with her knowledge and time and more than lived up to the high regard I held her in. 

The night’s activity was a social at a well-regarded Cincinnati bar. As much as anything during the conference, it symbolized the weekend for me: a relaxed setting in which I met new like-minded and impressive people just as passionate about FIRE as I am. 

And in the end . . . 

All in all, a good long weekend and money and time entirely well spent. Will I attend another Econome? Probably, although I’m not sure if it’ll be in 2025. Regardless, I’m glad I went. What I learned from the experience is that I think I’d get the most out of an event that’s more of a retreat that includes advanced-level sessions on subjects of interest to me. So, I’m more likely to next attend a Camp FI . . . or six. And the idea of attending an FI Freedom Retreat, something I’d previously dismissed out of hand because of the expense (to say nothing of the time) it’d entail, now is firmly in my sights. I’m not into drugs, but I’ll be totally into getting Bali ha’i.

* I ended up travel hacking the airfare, and my friend and I booked an Airbnb, which allowed us to cut down on food costs by getting groceries so we eliminate a lot of potential restaurant expenses. All told, I probably spent $750 on this event.