Andrew Xu
Andrew's Corner

About Andrew Xu

I spent about a decade as a software engineer, working in different domains, industries and tech stack, before burning out and leaving full-time work in early 2021. Since then I've been living a lean FIRE experiment in my 30s, because I didn't fully hit my original FIRE goal when I quit cold turkey! That's the experiment I'm on: navigating what financial independence actually looks like day to day, sharing the journey and learnings along the way, and building tools I use myself that might help you on yours.

What I believe

Time is the only thing you can't earn back

You can always make more money, if you put in the hard work. You cannot make more time, not matter how hard you try.

Modern life is designed to distract you

Materialism and consumerism are loud by design. Most of what they sell you is distance from what you actually need.

Money can buy material things, but also freedom

The debate about whether money buys happiness is one I don't have the answer to. But I do believe money buys options, and freedom is one of them.

Simple is not easy, but it's worth it

Simplicity isn't a shortcut, it's a practice. And the peace and stability it brings is something complexity never can.

Expenses are the one thing you control

Income is uncertain. Markets are uncertain. Your spending baseline is yours. The choices you make here compound, in both directions.

I'm not a licensed financial advisor. Everything here is personal experience and opinion — please read the disclaimer and privacy policy.