Yes, I agree with your take. One can be "financially independent" somewhere between level 3 and 5. Most folks who say they have met FI in the FIRE movement li

Yes, I agree with your take. One can be "financially independent" somewhere between level 3 and 5. Most folks who say they have met FI in the FIRE movement likely have NOT made it to Level 5 ("Home Price Matters Less"/$10mm+). FI people can generally say they can cover their housing costs, but they still need to make sacrifices with regard to location, quality, and size (housing costs matter).