Jill On Money: The great lock in

"The idea behind it was to become an ultra-saver as soon as possible, in order to have more flexibility later in life. Peter Adeney, aka blogger Mr. Money Mustache, became the poster child for the movement, which he later explained was less about retirement and more about having complete freedom to be the best, most powerful, energetic, happiest and most generous version of You that you can possibly be."

"The financial planning movement du jour that is causing an eye roll here and there is a TikTok campaign called The Great Lock In. The phrase lock in means to focus intensely on a task, and in this iteration, it kicked off the last four months of the year by encouraging people to refocus their attention on any goal that they seek to achieve, rather than wait until the January ritual of setting New Year's financial resolutions."

The FIRE movement promoted extreme saving to gain flexibility and early financial independence. Peter Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache) personified an approach framed as seeking complete freedom to maximize energy, happiness, and generosity. Core principles include spending less than earnings, cutting major expenses with cheaper alternatives, avoiding debt, cultivating side hustles or part-time work, investing in low-cost index funds, and limiting retirement withdrawals. The Great Lock In is a TikTok campaign urging concentrated focus on goals during the last four months of the year instead of waiting for January. The Great Lock In has no set rules and encourages defining priorities and laying out specific steps to achieve them. The approach invites practical habit resets and short-term accountability to accelerate progress toward financial aims.

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