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Notes on freedom, early, and across borders
Short, plain writing about financial independence and retiring early: the types of FIRE, the 4 percent rule, and the part almost every tool skips, what happens to your plan when you retire in a different country than the one you saved in. From the maker of Runway.
The Norway FIRE Index 2026: what leaving really buys you
We ran the same Norwegian households through 2026 tax rules for 17 retirement destinations. At equal spending power, leaving never came out earlier: the exit tax eats the win. Make life 100,000 kroner cheaper abroad and the map flips.
The ASK account: Norway's quiet gift to early retirees
The aksjesparekonto defers tax on gains, but its real superpower is the withdrawal order: your deposits come out first, tax-free. What that does to the fragile early years of a FIRE plan. Then the same wrapper in nine other countries: the ISA, ISK, PEA, PIR, TFSA and super.
Formuesskatt: what the wealth tax does to a FIRE pot
Norway taxes what you own, every year: 1.0 percent above 1.9 million kroner in 2026, with shares counted at 80 percent. A worked example of what that adds to your number. Plus how Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy tax a pot, and why the rates do not compare.
The skjermingsfradrag: the deduction Norway forgets to brag about
A risk-free return on your shares is quietly exempted from tax every year, it stacks, and it never expires. The least-understood rule in Norwegian investing, in plain words. And why no other country Runway models has one, though several come close.
IPS or ASK: which should a FIRE saver fill first?
The IPS cap jumped to 25,000 kroner for 2026: a 22 percent deduction, wealth-tax exemption, and an age-62 lock. Three rules for choosing between the strict account and the flexible one. The same choice, priced, in eight countries.
The pension bridge: how folketrygden changes early retirement
Your savings only need to reach the day the state pension starts. How claiming ages, the 18.1 percent accrual and the years FIRE stops earning rights fit into one honest bridge. With every claiming age from 60 to 67, and the one country that gives you no choice at all.
FIRE calculators and retiring abroad: which ones handle a cross-border move
Most FIRE calculators assume you retire where you live now. Plan to move and two things break: the exit tax when you leave and the destination's tax on your withdrawals. A straight comparison of ProjectionLab, Boldin, Empower, the expat calculators, and where Runway fits.
The FIRE number in Norway, and the local rules that bend it
The 4 percent rule gives you a starting number. Then three Norwegian rules move it: the yearly wealth tax on a big pot, the ASK account's friendly withdrawal order, and the state pension that arrives later and shrinks the pot you need. Plus the exit tax if you ever leave. Then the same three rules across ten countries, where the same pot buys different years.
Exit tax: what it really costs to leave Norway with your investments
Leave Norway and the gains you hold on paper but never sold can be taxed as if you cashed out on your last day. What the exit tax is, why it hits early retirees hardest, and how to see it coming before it lands on your plan.
FIRE apps for iPhone: what actually runs on your phone
Most FIRE planners are websites or spreadsheets. A real native iPhone app that is an actual planner, and not wired to US tax law, is rare. A plain look at the iOS field, and where Runway fits.
The types of FIRE, explained: Lean, Fat, Coast, and Barista
FIRE is not one number. Lean, Fat, Coast, and Barista are different routes to the same freedom, and the differences come down to how much you spend and whether you fully stop. A plain guide to which is which.
The 4 percent rule, and where it actually breaks
The most quoted number in FIRE is a great starting point, not a law. Where it holds, where it breaks (long retirements, sequence risk, non-US taxes), and what to do about it.
Coast FIRE: the moment you can stop saving
Coast FIRE is the point where your invested money will grow into your full number on its own, so you can stop adding to it and just cover today's costs. How to find your Coast number.
Barista FIRE: going part-time before the pot is full
Leave the full-time grind for part-time work that covers some of your costs, so your savings can be smaller or last longer. How it works, and the number you need.
New: every country-rules post above now carries its multi-country half, from wealth taxes and share wrappers to state pension ages. Want the next one in your inbox? Join the list.