A Visit With Mr. Money Mustache

Pete Adeney retired at age 30 and has been working hard ever since to inspire his FIRE followers.

- Lisa Gerstner

ON A SUNNY SEPTEMBER morning in downtown Longmont, Colo., 80 or so people are packed into the Mr. Money Mustache headquarters. Pete Adeney, the man behind the blog that helped ignite the FIRE movement, owns the venue, and today, students are cramming in for the “PopUp Business School,” a free, 10-day course on how to start a business with minimal costs and develop the skills necessary for success. The vibe is Colorado casual—T-shirts, shorts and sneakers—but energy crackles among the attendees, many of them FIRE devotees with dreams of launching their own ventures.

Adeney makes introductory remarks. He has full coverage stubble rather than a mustache, although he sported a handlebar in the blog’s earlier days. But true to the bold persona he’s developed for Mr. Money Mustache, he uses the word badass a couple of times. (The blog’s logo bears the slogan “Financial Freedom Through Badassity.”) The edge that he injects into his musings about frugal living and financial independence is one ingredient in the secret sauce that draws a cultlike following to the blog. Dedicated readers form meet-up groups all over the country, and road tripping fans stop by the headquarters daily (Adeney discourages such unannounced visits).

Despite his celebrity status in the world of FIRE and his blog’s brazen tone, Adeney is modest and mellow when we talk later. He believes that his blog resonates because he peppers it with personal, relatable stories about his own journey. “It appeals to people’s sense of aspiration and the life they want,” he says.