Is FIRE reallistic without investing in bonds, stocks... ?

[nomadscientist]

Control over a small business is often illusory, e.g. you have a lot more control over a sushi restaurant you own than I have over Pfizer which I own [in some tiny proportion], yet the sushi owner has no control over the covid lockdowns and has likely been wiped out while Pfizer (and the broad basket of stocks it sits inside) has continued to be profitable for me. Lack of diversification makes you much more vulnerable to random events.

[7Wannabe5]

Right. So, do both, and maybe choose something like septic system repair over sushi.