I am generally in support of FIRE but it seems a lot of it relies having on ever rising stock market and housing prices. I have been around during the 90s and have seen the .COM bubble and the 2008 crash and have seen how things can turn bad quickly. I am not sure if a lot of FIRE people can ride out a longer downturn. Once you have to cut into your principal even a rising market won’t bail you out because you have nothing to invest.

Governments have done a lot to reinflate the last bubbles but I don’t see how they can manage the next downturn (which will come for sure. It’s not different this time). Deficits are already high. Interests are low. What else do they have?