Welcome to Job Jail

Hi. I’m Johnny. I have a desk, a badge, a lanyard, and a black coffee mug that I’m pretty sure has seen things.

I also have a spreadsheet. And the spreadsheet says that one day I get to leave.

That’s what this place is about. Job Jail is the feeling of being stuck in a 9-to-5 you don’t hate exactly, but you’d rather not do forever. The way out isn’t a tunnel dug with a spoon. It’s boring, steady stuff: spend less than you earn, invest the difference, and give it time.

What you’ll find here

• Comics. Short, slightly too-relatable comics about money, office life, and the eternal question of “one more year?” New ones show up on X first and land in the comic archive here.
• Practical FIRE tips. FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. Posts here will stick to plain-English explanations of the ideas that actually move the needle, without the jargon and without pretending anyone can predict the stock market.
• Calculators. Simple, free, no-tracking tools: your FIRE number, years until you can leave, the real cost of a daily habit, and Coast FIRE. Plug in your own numbers and see what the spreadsheet says about you.

The FIRE number, in one paragraph

Your FIRE number is roughly how much you’d need invested to cover your yearly spending without a paycheck. The most common rule of thumb comes from the 4% rule, which grew out of research like the Trinity study: historically, a balanced portfolio could support withdrawing about 4% in the first year (then adjusting for inflation) for around 30 years in most periods tested. Flip that around and you get 25× your annual expenses. Spend $40,000 a year? Your rough FIRE number is $1,000,000. It’s a starting point, not a guarantee. Longer retirements, different markets, taxes, and (yes) health insurance all matter, which is why some people plan with 3.5% or lower.

Why comics?

Because personal finance advice is usually either terrifying or boring, and the truth is in the middle: it’s mostly boring, occasionally terrifying, and frequently funny if you squint. Johnny is here to do the squinting. He’s tired, he’s caffeinated, and he’s slowly feeding a little engine that will someday feed him back.

Come along

If any of this sounds like you, subscribe to the newsletter. You’ll get new comics and real, practical money tips in your inbox. No hype, no “get rich quick,” and no spam. Johnny doesn’t have time for that. He has a 2pm meeting that could’ve been an email.

See you on the outside (eventually).

— Johnny

This site is for education and entertainment only. It’s not financial advice.