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Author Topic: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.  (Read 3790 times)

lauren_knows

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Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« on: July 18, 2021, 08:14:31 PM »
I just wanted to poke my head back to a place that I was very fond of.

I used to be known in many places on the internet by "bo_knows" (I changed by username here). I created cFIREsim, once was a very active moderator here and on /r/financialindependence. And, I'm not gonna lie, had a bit of a mid-life crisis about 5 years ago (along with changing careers) and dropped out of online life.

Last year during the pandemic, I rewrote cFIREsim, and have taken suggestions from community members again for new features and fixes.  I've been really getting back into the social aspect of the FIRE community (mostly on Twitter), and plan on starting to post here more.  I'm also trying to head to a few FIRE/PF related events in the future (EconoMe in November), and was a founding member of a Womens Personal Finance group earlier this year.

I'm only just a year or 2 from FI, so I'm pretty excited (I just turned 40).

Anyways, I was nostalgic and figured that some old-timers here might recognize me. So... hi!

-Lauren (formerly, and still sometimes, Bo)
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seattlecyclone

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2021, 08:19:30 PM »
Welcome back and thanks for the tool!
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terran

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2021, 08:40:00 PM »
Welcome back! cFIREsim is the best of the withdrawal rate simulators IMO.
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SwordGuy

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2021, 10:16:38 PM »
Glad to see you back and feeling better!!!

cFireSim really helped us double-check our plan forward.    Thanks ever so much!
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lauren_knows

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2021, 05:02:24 AM »
Quote from: SwordGuy on July 18, 2021, 10:16:38 PM
Glad to see you back and feeling better!!!

cFireSim really helped us double-check our plan forward.    Thanks ever so much!

Hey, there's a name I recognize. Glad to be of help. And of your signature is up to date, we'll be FIREing around the same time 😂 (though, I may try to work part-time starting in 2023)
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Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2021, 06:58:48 AM »
Thanks so much for all the work that went into cFIREsim - I wouldn't have believed in FIRE without it!
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2Birds1Stone

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2021, 07:22:44 AM »
cFIREsim was instrumental in understanding when/how we could pull the plug. Love the modeling and investigation features to this day.

Welcome back!
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ender

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2021, 07:23:43 AM »
I love cFIREsim!

Welcome.
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dodojojo

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2021, 08:06:48 AM »
Lauren, thank you. cFIREsim is my favorite withdrawal simulator.  As mentioned already, it opened my eyes to the possibility of retiring before the traditional age 65.  I was disappointed that it hadn't been updated for awhile and I used other simulators.  But I never felt that comfort level with them as I had with cFIREsim. It was wonderfully surprising to see cFIREsim updated!
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RainyDay

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2021, 08:11:48 AM »
Cool!  Weirdly, I just used cFIREsim this morning!  (Compared it to results from FIREcalc.)

Also, you live right up the road from me (I'm in Lorton), so I'm tickled that I have a FIRE-type "neighbor." 
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lauren_knows

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2021, 08:16:01 AM »
Quote from: RainyDay on July 19, 2021, 08:11:48 AM
Cool!  Weirdly, I just used cFIREsim this morning!  (Compared it to results from FIREcalc.)

Also, you live right up the road from me (I'm in Lorton), so I'm tickled that I have a FIRE-type "neighbor."

Lorton IS close! My son and I do some mountain biking down by you quite frequently (Laurel Hills and Meadowood)
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FINate

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2021, 09:04:19 AM »
Nice site, thanks for building and maintaining it. I plan on using it to help a friend that's considering FIRE. And welcome back to the community!
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Mrs. Sloth

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #12 on: July 19, 2021, 09:27:48 AM »
Just dropping in to say thank you so much for building that tool! I certainly checked our numbers on it before pulling the plug. Thanks again!

And welcome back!
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RWD

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #13 on: July 19, 2021, 09:35:11 AM »
Welcome back! I'm a big fan of cFIREsim.
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scantee

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #14 on: July 19, 2021, 10:27:10 AM »
Love cFIREsim, thank you so much for building it. Of the many FIRE calculators I think it’s the easiest to use.

Question for you: how do you appropriately enter a one year income/savings adjustment? Like, let’s say 2022 is my last working year and I expect to save $50k. Is my start year 2022 and end year 2023, or are both my start and end years 2022?

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lauren_knows

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #15 on: July 19, 2021, 10:29:17 AM »
Quote from: scantee on July 19, 2021, 10:27:10 AM
Love cFIREsim, thank you so much for building it. Of the many FIRE calculators I think it’s the easiest to use.

Question for you: how do you appropriately enter a one year income/savings adjustment? Like, let’s say 2022 is my last working year and I expect to save $50k. Is my start year 2022 and end year 2023, or are both my start and end years 2022?

There's an option on adjustments to uncheck the "Recurring" box, and it then only lets you choose the Start Year.
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dougules

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #16 on: July 19, 2021, 10:41:10 AM »
Thank you for the tool, and thanks for the revamp.  I love it. 
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Loren Ver

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #17 on: July 19, 2021, 11:03:59 AM »
Hello and welcome (back)!

You certainly made one excellent tool.  It is the one that I use and recommend most often.   Thank you for making that happen.  Most people just complain that a tool doesn't do what they want or doesn't exist, then there are awesome people that fix the issue. 

Your calculator helped us retire even earlier, yah!

Loren
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Blissful Biker

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #18 on: July 19, 2021, 12:23:31 PM »
Thanks!  I sure appreciate the tool and the effort you put into it.
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lauren_knows

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #19 on: July 19, 2021, 12:43:54 PM »
Quote from: Blissful Biker on July 19, 2021, 12:23:31 PM
Thanks!  I sure appreciate the tool and the effort you put into it.

I wish that I could do more! The irony is, that a lot of the things I envision for it will have to wait until I'm FIRE'd lol.
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Woodshark

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2021, 02:51:30 PM »
Welcome back and thank you. I used cFiresim six years ago when we decided to retire. The market has been very good over the past few years so just yesterday I decided to use it again with updated figures. I really like the new interface!
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Paul der Krake

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #21 on: July 19, 2021, 03:02:29 PM »
The "oh hai" is a nice touch from 2015-ish internet era. Welcome back to the online world!

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bmjohnson35

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #22 on: July 19, 2021, 03:52:26 PM »

Welcome back!  It's one of the many online tools I used to help me feel comfortable pulling the pin early last year.  I will take a look at it again to see what's different. 


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nereo

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #23 on: July 19, 2021, 04:02:20 PM »
Great to see you again!
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BicycleB

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #24 on: July 19, 2021, 06:10:23 PM »
Welcome back!
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boarder42

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #25 on: July 19, 2021, 06:16:31 PM »
Welcome back.

Whole gang getting back together to discuss withdrawals and what happens after Fi. Super cool
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brooklynmoney

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #26 on: July 19, 2021, 08:28:51 PM »
Hi! Thanks for the awesome tool. I’m interested in the women’s personal finance group if it’s open to new members it sounds neat.
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Zamboni

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #27 on: July 19, 2021, 10:17:40 PM »
Welcome back! And here's another thanks for cFIREsim!
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Dicey

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #28 on: July 19, 2021, 11:10:25 PM »
We just used this last week. DH is getting ready to pull the trigger and he was nervous about the numbers. He was very reassured to see we are going to be fine. Thank you!!
« Last Edit: July 20, 2021, 12:52:19 PM by Dicey »
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dougules

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #29 on: July 20, 2021, 10:50:49 AM »
Quote from: lauren_knows on July 19, 2021, 12:43:54 PM
Quote from: Blissful Biker on July 19, 2021, 12:23:31 PM
Thanks!  I sure appreciate the tool and the effort you put into it.

I wish that I could do more! The irony is, that a lot of the things I envision for it will have to wait until I'm FIRE'd lol.

Creators always have trouble looking past the warts and loose ends to see how good what they've made is.  I think the rest of us love it. 
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sisto

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #30 on: July 20, 2021, 11:54:46 AM »
Welcome back and Thank you for creating such a wonderful and useful tool!
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Cherry Lane

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #31 on: July 20, 2021, 01:51:48 PM »
cFIREsim was my favorite FIRE tool and I recommend it to everyone.  But I haven't used it in a while (FIREd 3 years ago) so I didn't realize you updated it.  I'll have to check it out.  Welcome back!
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Dulcimina

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #32 on: July 21, 2021, 09:42:06 AM »
I've been enjoying playing around with it all week.
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brandon1827

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #33 on: July 21, 2021, 09:59:05 AM »
Welcome back and thanks for sharing cFIREsim! Will be following here and on Twitter :-)
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GoCubsGo

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #34 on: July 21, 2021, 02:00:12 PM »
You rock.  I used CFIREism 7 months ago to show my old school father that he didn't need to go to work in a manufacturing company in the middle of COVID.  He finally saw the the light.  Very much appreciate smart people sharing their knowledge with complete strangers.
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Monkey Uncle

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #35 on: July 28, 2021, 10:43:31 AM »
Hi Lauren - just joining the chorus of thanks to you for creating and maintaining cFIREsim.  As others have noted, it is the best of the online withdrawal simulators.  I don't think I would have had the confidence to pull the plug without it.  It has also been instrumental in helping me do spending checkups along the way.  Thank you again.
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simonsez

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #36 on: July 28, 2021, 11:36:57 AM »
Thank you for your contribution and your helpful demeanor, you've had a positive impact on many myself included!
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dougules

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Re: Oh hai. I once created a site called cFIREsim. Saying hello again.
« Reply #37 on: July 29, 2021, 11:18:10 AM »
I had a feature to maybe add to the good idea list for cFIREsim.  Let me know if there's already a way to do it.  The current version allows you to input spending for a set number of years.  It would be nice if you could put in earning that ended at a specific portfolio value threshold instead of a specific year.  Basically simulate working until you hit a specific number instead of a specific year.  That way you look at your chances in the context of the years leading up to your FIRE number. 
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