“What’s the Point of Having F-ck You Money, If you Never Say F-ck You”: The Case for Chasing Financial Independence

The line “What’s the point of Having F-ck You money if you never say F-ck You” comes from a confrontation between the billionaire and District Attorney main characters, a very famous scene in the first episode of hit TV series “Billions”. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1WHZQR1tZA)

Of course, I loved this scene and it’s stuck with me since then. Having F-ck you money is important, especially in a money driven place like America. Money for the healthcare emergencies (especially in America which has the most disastrous healthcare systems in the developed world). Money to afford a house in a good school district for your kids. Money to invest and build assets. Money to help family and friends in emergencies. Money to support charities and political movements you believe in.

Additionally you get to spend the time doing what you want, working at places and with people you want to. Not need to tolerate bad behavior, politics and incompetence. You can literally tell them F-CK YOU!

I remember a time in Silicon Valley when FU money was $20M usd. My take is that it’s probably at least $50M usd now. Inflation I guess. Plus the crazy expensive place the San Francisco Bay Area has become despite a declining quality of life and increasing taxes.

But actually I don’t think you need that much to enjoy the principal & freedom of FU Money.

Living beneath your means by managing your cost structure and not living paycheck to paycheck would be a good start.

The concept of geo-arbitrage helps here: doing business and earning in expensive markets & currencies (USA & Eurozone), while living in lower cost countries with a still very good quality of life. Mexico, Thailand, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia & Portugal all come to my mind here.

FU money could mean just having 12 months of cold hard cash in the bank. I make the case here: https://hardfork.substack.com/p/the-first-step-and-goal-for-everyone

My point is that the stage of FU money is obtainable: you do not need billions of dollars or even millions to get there. Trust me here. It’s within reach of anyone with self-discipline to fight the hedonistic treadmill. That and a half decent job. Even more likely if you have a high paying job in tech or Wall Street and a willingness to work hard and sacrifice for a period of time.