Welcome to our financial review for 2025! Below, we’ll detail how we each got on this year, including progress towards our FIRE goals.
For more detail on the spending side of things, see our Annual Spending post.
Mr Way
Despite our spending being quite high this year, it’s really reassuring to see the FIRE fund numbers ticking upwards. We’ve managed to max my Stocks & Shares ISA this year, as we continue to try to replenish it after it took a hit from our house purchase.
2026 should see that process complete, at which point we’ll return to splitting ISA contributions 50/50 between the two of us.
The Numbers
Here’s an overview of how my personal numbers look, in comparison to previous updates.
| Account | March 20 | December 20 | December 21 | December 22 | December 23 | December 24 | December 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks & Shares ISA | £70,400 | £108,069 | £141,578 | £133,721 | £94,904 | £136,105 | £180,106 |
| Workplace Pension | £17,200 | £25,630 | £34,357 | £32,425 | £37,029 | £47,351 | £58,946 |
| SIPP | £3,800 | £5,802 | £7,269 | £6,914 | £7,638 | £9,033 | £10,529 |
| Total | £91,400 | £139,501 | £183,204 | £173,060 | £139,571 | £192,489 | £249,581 |
This means I am now 66.6% FI!
This is much better than I was expecting and I’m now two thirds FI! This feels really strange as it seemed like a distant dream not so long ago. It’s now starting to feel within reach, even with our costs being higher than we would like!
Hopefully this can continue and accelerate towards 100%.
I always had a vague hope to achieve FIRE status around my 4oth birthday, which would be incredible if I could manage it. That gives me 5 years to achieve my target. With reasonable stock market performance and if I’m able to max my ISA each year, it could be possible!
My FIRE goal is based on the 4% rule and annual spending of £15,000. If you keep up to date with our Monthly Spending posts, you’ll know this is quite a comfortable level of spending for me. This combination gives me a rough goal of £375,000.
Exclusions
As mentioned before, the above doesn’t take into account my emergency fund or our property value.
My emergency fund is currently around £10k.
At the minute most of this is in cash ready to use, but should really be utilised better!
Bring on 2026!
That’s it for my 2025 financial review!
I started a new job in January and it’s going really well. Hopefully progression will follow, which always brings a welcome financial boost! Either way, if we continue to progress as we have been, I’ll be content.
Mrs Way
The 2025 financial review for Mrs Way is a picture of steady progress.
The table below gives a summary of Mrs Way’s current ‘FI Fund’ balance. Again, this is compared to previous financial reviews.
| Account | March 20 | December 20 | December 21 | December 22 | December 23 | December 24 | December 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks & Shares ISA | £47,400 | £68,309 | £80,748 | £77,325 | £82,437 | £93,262 | £112,259 |
| Total | £47,400 | £68,309 | £80,748 | £77,325 | £82,437 | £93,262 | £112,259 |
This means Mrs Way is now 29.9% FI!
We haven’t added anything to Mrs Way’s accounts this year, but it’s nice to see a small amount of growth.
Because we raided Mr Way’s FIRE Fund for our house purchase, we have been focussed on re-stocking that pot. Once the process is complete (in 2026), we’ll be able to split more evenly again and push Mrs Way’s FIRE fund on to the next level.
As in Mr Way’s financial review above, this ignores Mrs Way’s emergency fund and property. Our property was purchased 50/50.
The above FIRE fund figure also ignores Mrs Way’s pension. The Teacher’s Pension is a defined benefit system. It is available from age 60. Unfortunately we don’t currently know how much Mrs Way is eligible for so far, because their system is useless!
Mrs Way is always likely to maintain some form of work, even post-FI. She finds the structure this provides benefits her mental health and general productivity levels. As such, she doesn’t technically need a full FI Fund in the same way. Considering this, she’s in a very strong position already!
Overview
Looking back at 2025 from a financial perspective, we would have to say it has been a positive year overall.
With our spending higher than we would like, that will be our main focus in 2026. But we’re also conscious we want to enjoy life, and sometimes things are worth spending money on! There’s always a fine balance to be made, and hopefully we can continue to make progress with our FIRE funds while also focussing on what’s important to us.
We can’t wait to see what 2026 brings! All the best to you all! Keep in touch, and have a fantastic 2026!