The Story of Are You FI

Are You FI, the Company

Let's get the formal "about our business" stuff out of the way, quickly. Because we're not your traditional financial or investment-related firm. Welcome to the start of something new!

We're in the lifestyle business.

Our mission is guiding regular people to acquire time freedom through financial independence (FI)—by replacing confusion with clarity... fear with confidence... hubris with humility... greed with contentment. 

Our free podcast mini-series, Invested Poorly: Sad Tales of FInancial Fails, hosted by Jeff Harrell, shares timeless, real-life investing stories to help you overcome common bad investment habits and make smarter investing decisions.

Are You FI, the company, was created in March 2024.
Are You FI, the concept, began some years before...

Are You FI, the Concept

Founder Jeff Harrell Shares His Story and Personal FI Journey

Have you ever had one of those days where it seems like everything you’ve been struggling with or searching for falls by the wayside and suddenly you have total clarity with what life is all about?

Ok, that might be a little dramatic, but something pretty close to that happened to me after watching a documentary on financial independence or “FI” with my sister. When it was over she looked me right in the eye and asked:

“Are You FI?”

Without any hesitation I answered with a confident and emphatic…

"YES!" 

The feeling I had in that moment made such an impact on me that I knew someday I wanted to help as many of my friends, family, and anyone interested in listening to me, feel the same way.

At that time, my career as a portfolio manager and financial advisor was taking a major turn. Corporate America had taken over and I'd completely lost the passion I once felt for the company where I'd been working for two decades (nearly half my lifetime!).

I was now in search of a new purpose going forward. Fortunately, my wife and I had recognized at an early age something crucial.

Experiences and memories are more important to us than physical treasures and creature comforts.

We both realized that at some point a nontraditional lifestyle would be in our future.

In 2022, the stars aligned, we took a leap of faith leaving our careers behind, and set out on the road less traveled. We now refer to our life of travel and adventure as the tales of Short n’ Tall. (I am 6’ 1” my wife is 4’ 10 1/4” and, yes, she always quotes it as four foot ten and a quarter.)

Almost immediately after I left the traditional workforce, I joined an online community that also shares these same nontraditional lifestyle values and a love of travel. As I deepened my involvement with the community, my background in finance and investments became apparent. Numerous members were reaching out to me asking for help. 

Although I absolutely loved what I did during my career in financial services, this felt different.

The genuine appreciation that members of this community expressed to me for my guidance was addicting. I could tell I didn’t want to let that go. As time progressed, they encouraged me to use the unique skills and methods I was conveying to them on a broader scale.

Over time, I began formulating ideas of what I did and didn't want to do. First and foremost, I knew I did not want another full-time office job.

I was FI. I had total time freedom, and I was not going to compromise that for anything.

However, purpose was something I was still lacking. Are You FI is what I imagined on my quest for time freedom and purpose, combined. It will not help you "get rich quickly," nor is it some type of online investing 101 course.

Are You FI is my vision of a resource that will make you think long and hard about what you really want out of life and help guide you to financial independence to reach those dreams. 


Read Jeff's bio for more about the Are You FI founder and Invested Poorly podcast host.