About

About On Cash Flow

On Cash Flow is a personal finance company focused on financial independence, and retiring early. The acronym is commonly referred to as F.I.R.E. We are best known for creating helpful resources that answer financial independence-related questions that people might have.

Some broadly covered topics include retirement planning, investing, tax optimization, increasing income, decreasing expenses, and so much more. The best way to learn more about our content is on the YouTube Channel.Opens in a new tab.


On Cash Flow’s Mission

“We Provide Information On Financial Independence For Anyone Wanting To Join The F.I.R.E Movement And Gain Financial Security”

On Cash Flow started as one man’s passion for personal finance and early retirement. The company is based on values of frugality and maximizing value for every dollar earned, spent, and invested. Today, the brand has become a reliable resource for those who are interested in improving their personal finances to learn more about achieving financial independence and gaining the ultimate financial security.


Meet The Author:

Zachary Smith

Zachary Smith created On Cash Flow in order to share the information he has learned while on the path to financial independence. He is a part of the Financial Independence, Retire Early (F.I.R.E) community and he wants to share all the knowledge he has gained during and after achieving F.I.R.E himself. Zach knows that cash flow is one of the most important aspects of personal finance, especially for those on the path toward financial independence. Join Zach as he learns and discusses various aspects of financial independence and how it could improve your own life.

  • Served 5 years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps.
  • Holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance.
  • Holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems.
  • Achieved Financial Independence at the age of 27 in 2022.
  • Investing in the stock market since 2013.
  • Investing in rental real estate since 2022.

About Zachary Smith

I grew up low income with a single mother working full time in the service industry. I didn’t have many material possessions, but my life was pretty good. Early on I had to find and do things that could make me happy while not spending a lot of money. This was probably why I grew up to be frugal when I started making my own money.

My first real job started right after high school in 2012. I joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17 before I graduated, and then shortly after turning 18, I attended Marine Corps boot camp at Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego. The next 5 years of my life were spent on active duty.

During that time I married my high school sweetheart and she has been a vital part of my inspiration and motivation to keep working toward my goals. When I got my first paycheck from the Marines, I knew that I had to do something important with it.

I didn’t spend it all like most kids my age would, instead I taught myself how to save money, and how to invest money. I stumbled upon many great resources online and then delved deeper and deeper into investing topics. I first started by buying individual stocks, then actively managed mutual funds, but eventually, I settled on investing in index funds.

Index fund investing made the most sense to me since I didn’t want to spend endless hours monitoring the stock market and evaluating individual stocks. Passive investing just fits my personality very well, and I learned that most of the time it actually gives superior returns because of the tax advantages and super low fees.

I can’t say exactly when, but at some point in my young life, researching index investing led me to find Financial Independence, and Retiring Early (FIRE). As soon as I read about the topic I knew that it was for me. Not only because the thought of escaping work sounded ideal, but also because I knew that personal wealth is the ultimate financial security and freedom.

My only regret is not finding out about financial independence sooner. Ever since that faithful day I have tremendously deflated my lifestyle while still living a very prosperous life. I travel, I camp, I workout, I hike, I swim, I bike, I walk, I play games, I do all kinds of things that bring tremendous value to my life for very little cost. I also invest a substantial percentage of my income every month so that one day I can become financially independent.

I have made an incredible amount of progress toward my FIRE goal and it is inevitable that I will reach it soon. I am so grateful for having this opportunity in my life to achieve something so worth achieving. I set out to create On Cash Flow in hopes that I too could help spread the word of Financial Independence and how everyday people like you and I can realistically achieve it in a reasonable amount of time.