David Kowalski & Leanne Kowalski
Dual income, disciplined saving, and a classic plan that lands early.
Hit target 4 years early
See how they made it work ↓
The story
David and Leanne are the regular FIRE archetype: two good salaries, a strong savings habit, and no desire to cosplay extreme frugality. They discovered FIRE through Australian podcasts, salary-sacrifice into super, buy index funds every month, and still run a lifestyle that feels recognisably middle-class rather than monastic.
At 38 and 37 they have meaningful super balances, a large non-super portfolio, and a Melbourne mortgage that is still very real. Their plan has always been straightforward: keep the habits boring, let the balances compound, and leave work while their son is still at home.
What FIRE means to them
Enough security that work becomes optional before traditional retirement age, but without needing a stripped-down life. They want time with their son while he is still young, room for travel, and the comfort of a plan that does not depend on the Age Pension rescuing them later.
Retirement plans
David wants time for junior cricket coaching and woodworking. Leanne wants to study art history properly, not just in scraps after work. They expect more travel, a probable downsizing move later, and a phase where paid work becomes consulting or project-based rather than permanent.
Key challenge
The practical question is how much margin they want while the mortgage still exists. The plan works in the base case before 50, but it asks them to be comfortable with a few years where investment income, non-super assets, and the remaining mortgage all coexist before later downsizing or payoff decisions simplify things.
The numbers
What is Regular FIRE?
Regular FIRE (sometimes called 'Classic FIRE') targets retiring 10-20 years before the traditional retirement age, typically between 45 and 55, on an income that covers a comfortable lifestyle without luxury or deprivation. It's the most common FIRE variant in Australia, typically requiring a sustained savings rate of 40-60% over a 15-20 year accumulation phase.
The projection
Monte Carlo check
The base case reaches FIRE early, but only 52% of futures hit the plan by age 50.
Annual income sources in retirement
Stacked bars show where income comes from each year. Line shows target expenses.
Bars above the red line indicate surplus spending capacity (SWR floor > expenses)
Key insights
That's 15 years after FIRE. The non-super portfolio must bridge this gap entirely.
Leanne works 5 more years, covering ~84% of household expenses during David & Leanne's early retirement.
Eliminates ~$42k/year in housing costs, freeing cash for investments.
A savings rate above 30% is the engine that powers early retirement. Every dollar saved today compounds for decades.
Key takeaway
Regular FIRE is mostly boring in the best possible way. David and Leanne do not have a hack; they have repeatable habits. The current projection shows those habits are enough to bring financial independence forward into their mid-forties without requiring a completely different lifestyle.
What David & Leanne did next
The projection put their base-case FIRE date at 46 instead of 50. It was the kind of result that looks small on paper and large in real life.
Leanne moved first, stepping away from full-time work once the number looked durable. David gave it longer, partly for buffer and partly because he wanted a softer landing out of the career. By the time he shifted to lighter consulting work, the household was already operating like the plan had succeeded.
Nothing about their life became exotic. That was the point. The same habits that built Regular FIRE made the transition out of work feel stable instead of chaotic.
The Regular FIRE moment
David & Leanne reached Regular FIRE through consistency rather than a gimmick. The model shows about $120k a year flowing into investments and super, which is enough to build toward $2M without needing a radically lean or luxury-level plan.