Podcasts about campfi

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3094: Wanderer shares powerful insights from Chautauqua UK, revealing how financial healing starts with self-forgiveness. When we release the shame of past money mistakes, we unlock the clarity and creativity needed to move forward and take control of our financial future. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.millennial-revolution.com/build/why-you-have-to-forgive-yourself/ Quotes to ponder: "Let's pretend that whoever screwed up in the past was a different person, and that person's gone now." "The only thing that matters is what you do starting now." Episode references: Camp FI: https://campfi.org EconoMe Conference: https://www.economeconference.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3094: Wanderer shares powerful insights from Chautauqua UK, revealing how financial healing starts with self-forgiveness. When we release the shame of past money mistakes, we unlock the clarity and creativity needed to move forward and take control of our financial future. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.millennial-revolution.com/build/why-you-have-to-forgive-yourself/ Quotes to ponder: "Let's pretend that whoever screwed up in the past was a different person, and that person's gone now." "The only thing that matters is what you do starting now." Episode references: Camp FI: https://campfi.org EconoMe Conference: https://www.economeconference.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3094: Wanderer shares powerful insights from Chautauqua UK, revealing how financial healing starts with self-forgiveness. When we release the shame of past money mistakes, we unlock the clarity and creativity needed to move forward and take control of our financial future. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.millennial-revolution.com/build/why-you-have-to-forgive-yourself/ Quotes to ponder: "Let's pretend that whoever screwed up in the past was a different person, and that person's gone now." "The only thing that matters is what you do starting now." Episode references: Camp FI: https://campfi.org EconoMe Conference: https://www.economeconference.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jackie Cummings Koski is co-host of the 'Catching Up to FI' podcast and author of the book 'F.I.R.E. For Dummies'. In case you're new here, FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. In this episode, Jackie comes clean and publicly shares her non-FIRE confessions. Recorded at a CampFI near San Diego, she reveals surprising financial decisions that didn't exactly follow the 'rules' of FI, and some are downright shocking… such as taking a 401(k) loan (don't judge too soon

Someone recently asked me: "How did you reach FI?" I didn't have a great answer for them that didn't take 30+ minutes to explain. So, I recorded a podcast episode outlining my entire FI Journey - all the numbers, all the income streams, all the expenses, year over year. Below are the notes I created to guide the episode. 2016 Read the 4-Hour Workweek Started my first real business, Arsenal Discs Learned how to build a website, marketing, sales, networking, negotiations, pricing, product design… all the HARD way 2017 Discovered FI through Mr. Money Mustache Started listening to podcasts like ChooseFI and Afford Anything Read books like Simple Path to Wealth and Your Money or Your Life Learned about side hustles, taxes, the 4% rule, etc. Despite all this, didn't really have any money since I was paying for college Locked in job for July 2018, plan was to work 7-10 years to hit FI 2018 Went to CampFI in January and FI became “real” Lived in Australia with lots of time on my hands and started side hustling after being unable to find a regular job Blog launched in April 2018 to document my journey Started working as a commercial RE lender in July 2018 once I returned to the U.S. All-in comp was $80-85k Knowing that FI existed was a blessing and a curse Launched podcast in August 2018 (nothing else like it) FinCon 2018 (CampFI on steroids) - met Grant and others By the end of that year, I had tried a dozen new side hustles (blogging, podcasting, freelance writing, building websites, editing podcasts, affiliate marketing, digital products, etc) Income: $44,000, Net worth: $75,000, Stock market: -6.24% 2019 Quit my corporate job on January 31, 2019 with $30,000+ saved Side hustles were bringing in $1,200 per month, but my expenses were the same ($450 rent, paid off car, super frugal) Financial Freedom book tour March-May of 2019 Teamed up with Julie to launch Gold City Ventures in June 2019 So many people asking for 1-on-1, wanted to teach at scale Most of my time after that was spent working on Gold City Ventures Practicing my craft to teach better Managing a community, recording & packaging content, hiring people Originally launched E-Printables, a blogging course, and a freelancing course LOTs of learning lessons from this business Income: $96,000, Net worth: $179,000, Stock market: 28.88% 2020 Went all-in on digital products (dropped blogging and freelancing from GCV) Etsy shop, Shopify store, templates, etc. Continued to live extremely frugally (spending less than $25,000/year) Bought 3-unit house hack in September 2020 $235,000, we lived in the basement, rent $2,200, expenses $1,700 Bought duplex in November 2020 $170,000, rent $2,250, expenses $1,350 Bought 3-unit house hack in December 2020 $315,000, we moved to 1BR/1BA, rent $2,600, expenses $2,100 First house hack jumped to $3,000 in rent once we moved out Income: $198,000, Net worth: $392,000, Stock market: 16.26% 2021 Started freelancing for Motley Fool (who acquired MillennialMoney.com) Extra $10K/month, SEO, “thinking big”, awesome team Bought triplex in May 2021 $245,000, rent $2,900, expenses $1,900 ~$200,000 in down payments came from digital product income Gold City Ventures continues to grow rapidly Income: $403,000, Net worth: $1,035,000, Stock market: 26.89% Financial Freedom!  Had RE making $3,000+ in cash flow, $500,000+ invested in the stock market In addition to the semi-passive $20,000+ per month I was earning with digital products Since I reached financial independence, I have continued to work on my main business, Gold City Ventures and invest 90%+ of my income into index funds and real estate. Links from the Episode CodyDBerman.com (previously FlytoFi) The FI Show (first episode)

I was born with a learning disability. While my friends eagerly devoured their beginner readers, I sat in the corner coloring. Even then, I couldn't keep my crayon marks between the lines. My school noticed the problem immediately. In kindergarten, I was always the last one to reach the playground. While everyone else slipped on their shoes and ran outside, I sat there, struggling to remember how to tie my laces. Neuropsychological testing revealed that I was of average intelligence—not below. But I struggled with visuospatial orientation and reasoning. I was anxious, my memory faltered repeatedly, and I was consistently underperforming compared to my peers. Then, several life-changing events happened all at once. My father died suddenly of a cerebral aneurysm while rounding at the hospital. One moment he was with us, complaining of a severe headache; the next, he was brain dead. At the same time, unbeknownst to me, my parents had placed an offer on a new house in a neighboring Chicago suburb. They'd planned to hold me back a year in school and believed staying in the same district would be too disruptive. They were moving—for me. After my father's death, something miraculous happened. My reading improved. My teacher began placing book after book in front of me, and for the first time in my life, I read. Faster and faster, the words poured out of my mouth. My classmates paused their own reading to watch me in awe. It would still take years for me to catch up. In high school, I wavered between A's and B's. By college, I had become a near-perfect student and eventually made it to medical school. For these reasons, writing a book feels not only like a Herculean feat but also like the achievement of a lifetime. I was never supposed to read, let alone craft sentences into something logical and appealing. I was never supposed to be a doctor, a poet, or a writer. Yet here I stand, writing these words for you. The years of work, the incredible circumstances, and the relentless striving that brought me here—to this moment, as the author of The Purpose Code—are difficult to express. How can I distill a lifetime of yearning, failure, triumph, and self-discovery into words that convey what this book means? My book delves deeply into building a life of purpose. But if the words themselves don't resonate, I offer my life as an example. This is me, on purpose. This book represents everything I've worked toward my entire life: living intentionally and becoming the person I want to be by doing the things that define that identity. This book is the closest expression of my pure, unadorned self. When you buy it, you're buying a piece of me. So here it is—the hard sell. I'm asking each of you to buy at least one copy now during presales. I know it's a big ask. I know you come here for ideas, not products. And I know I've crossed into the realm of self-promotion. Guilty as charged. But if I want to continue on this path as a traditionally published author, I need to sell—a lot of books. Not for money, but for the prestige and momentum necessary to secure the next manuscript. As a thank-you for your support, I'm offering a few bonuses for those who buy multiple copies: 5 copies: A free one-hour coaching session (a $350 value). 25 copies: A virtual presentation on purpose for your book club or community (a $5,000 value). 100 copies: An in-person presentation and Q&A session (you cover travel and accommodations, a $10,000 value). I'm also looking to fund free copies of my book for attendees at my favorite financial independence conference, CampFI. If you're interested in donating $100 or more, please reach out to me directly. Thank you for supporting my journey. This book is more than a project; it's a testament to what's possible when we live with purpose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a live episode in collaboration with Joe Saul-Sehy of The Stacking Benjamins podcast where we interview attendees on their more pressing issues. Listen in and hear what happens when you hang out with a bunch of financial independence minded people. This Episode is Sponsored by: Monarch Money: Monarch is the top-rated, all-in-one personal finance app. It gives you a comprehensive view of all your accounts, investments, transactions, cash flow, net worth, and more. Plus, create custom budgets, track progress toward financial goals, and collaborate with your partner. And now listeners for this show will get an extended thirty day free trial when you go to monarchmoney.com/EARN. Fundrise: Right now, high-interest rates have crushed the real estate market. Prices are falling and properties are available at a discount, which means Fundrise believes now is the time to expand the Fundrise Flagship Fund's billion-dollar real estate portfolio. You can add the Fundrise Flagship Fund to your portfolio in minutes by visiting Fundrise.com/EARN. LinkedIn: LinkedIn isn't just a job board. LinkedIn helps you hire professionals you can't find anywhere else, even those who aren't actively searching for a new job but might be open to the perfect role. In a given month, over 70% of LinkedIn users don't visit other leading job sites. So if you're not looking on LinkedIn, you're looking in the wrong place. NordVPN: Grab the exclusive NordVPN deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/earninvest and get extra subscription time. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Thanks to NordVPN for sponsoring our show. Incogni: Use promo code EARNINVEST to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/earninvest. Here are a few simple ways to support the podcast that would mean the world to us. And guess what? They don't cost a cent. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple, or Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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What does retirement mean in today's world? For some, it's no longer about quitting work for good but about transitioning to something more purposeful and fulfilling. Today, Joe, Doc G, and our guests explore the many facets of retirement, purpose, and the balance between work and personal passion. Join us as we take you to CampFI Midwest 2025, where we'll share stories from amazing Stackers on their journey to financial independence. Discover how Kristen finds community and purpose, Donna navigates significant life transitions, and Tom redefines retirement with passion and flexibility. You'll also hear Joe Saul-Sehy discuss misguided stock purchases, Chris's investment in outdated tech, Kristen's high-fee investments, Jordan's tech stock downturn, and a humorous tale of timeshare regret. Tune in for actionable insights, personal experiences, and valuable lessons that highlight both the triumphs and challenges faced by even the most intelligent investors. Topics: Introduction and Setting the Scene Campfire Guests and Trivia Contest Doug's Hilarious Commentary Journey to Campfire and Minnesota Vibes Inspiring Stories and Personal Growth Kristin's Journey to Financial Independence Trivia Challenge Begins Chelsea Brennan's Bold Move Guessing Game Tension Doug's Hitchcock Trivia Answer Donna's FIRE Journey Financial Empowerment and Mindset Tom's Story and Retirement Insights Lessons from CampFI Dumb Money Mistakes That Smart People Made Whether you're planning for retirement or just looking for inspiration to find more meaning in your second half, this episode is packed with insights, laughs, and the wisdom of experience. What You'll Learn: How retirement has evolved from leaving the workforce to finding purpose. Why it's important to fill your time with meaningful activities, paid or unpaid. The concept of "strength to strength" and how it shapes a fulfilling second half of life. Financial lessons and humorous stories from our hosts and guests. How to avoid common money mistakes, and what to do if you've already made them! FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/live-from-camp-fi-1579 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's easy to feel cynical. The news blares bad news about "them" (defined squarely as whatever group you happen to disagree with). Social media shows you the most awful people, events, and situations. Everything that happens seems to reflect that the world is becoming more distrustful, and it's eating away at many of us. Stanford professor Dr. Jamil Zaki joins us today to give hope to cynics everywhere, by sharing data showing that we're actually far more trustworthy as a group than you may think. He also shares the cost of cynicism, and what to do if you're feeling particularly down about your fellow human beings. Especially with all of the negativity around the election, you'll find today's show is a bright spot to kick off your week! In our headline segment, we set out to share tips on buying used cars, but instead end up in a MONSTER discussion about the efficacy of buying used at all. We talk leasing, buying new, and the many ways you can buy used cars. We review the positives and drawbacks of each approach so that you can make a more informed car-buying decision. Of course, we also leave time for Doug's trivia, and much more! Are you near Minneapolis this weekend? Join Joe and a bunch of other Stackers in Stillwater, MN. on Thursday night at 6:30 (River Siren Brewing) for a pre-Camp FI party! We hope to see many of you there! Head to http://stackingbenjamins.com/meetup for details and to snag a free ticket. FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/the-power-of-optimism-jamil-zaki-1564 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mindy (and Carl) talk about the recent market fluctuations.THE SKY IS FALLING says the financial media. Should most of us care? No.Did Mindydamus predict the 2020 crash?If Mindy goes to Disney, is she Mindy Mouse?Also, the bull gets an email address.Show notes:Camp FI: https://campfi.org/Mindy on Money: https://www.mindyonmoney.comMindy on Money facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindyonmoneyThanks for listening!

Meet David and Stephen Baughier, twin brothers and prominent figures in the Financial Independence community. David, a 20-year Navy veteran and founder of Fiology, and Stephen, creator of CampFI, share their financial journeys from early money lessons to becoming community leaders. David, Stephen, Bill, and Jackie discuss the impact of life events, such as divorce, on financial independence, and the importance of prenups, managing single parenthood, and balancing passion projects. Tune in for insights on creating supportive communities, innovative cohousing projects, and the significant role of mindset in achieving financial goals.

For the 50th Inside Out Money episode, Maggie interviews two early-retiree couples at campFI: Stacey & Andy and Amber & Bob. They share their stories of how they prepared for early retirement, challenges and learnings along the way, and much more. They also talk about their feelings along the journey, how they're maintaining a sense of purpose and fulfillment without traditional work, the value of finding your tribe, and the power of asking interesting questions. We also take a few questions from our live audience. Get the full show notes, show references, and more information here: https://www.insideoutmoney.org/050-from-cubicles-to-campfi-an-interview-with-two-early-retiree-couples/

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2617: Jessica Jokisch, in her insightful article, blends the worlds of practical finance and emotional intelligence to introduce the concept of Mindful Money Management. She emphasizes the importance of not only mastering the technical aspects of personal finance but also understanding the emotional relationship we have with money. This approach promises a transformative journey towards financial dignity and wellbeing. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.christineluken.com/practical-magic-for-your-money/ Quotes to ponder: "Emotions drive our behavior and if we don't understand how this works, we will be forever fighting against them, instead of harnessing their power." "The path to lasting Financial Dignity is this: bringing a deep understanding of the psychology of money together with useful financial strategies." Episode references: Financial Peace University: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace Certified Financial Counselor designation: https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations/afc "Unlocking the Abundance Mindset" speech at Camp FI event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbq4ZLdJms4&ab_channel=CampFI-TogetherWeFI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2617: Jessica Jokisch, in her insightful article, blends the worlds of practical finance and emotional intelligence to introduce the concept of Mindful Money Management. She emphasizes the importance of not only mastering the technical aspects of personal finance but also understanding the emotional relationship we have with money. This approach promises a transformative journey towards financial dignity and wellbeing. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.christineluken.com/practical-magic-for-your-money/ Quotes to ponder: "Emotions drive our behavior and if we don't understand how this works, we will be forever fighting against them, instead of harnessing their power." "The path to lasting Financial Dignity is this: bringing a deep understanding of the psychology of money together with useful financial strategies." Episode references: Financial Peace University: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace Certified Financial Counselor designation: https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations/afc "Unlocking the Abundance Mindset" speech at Camp FI event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbq4ZLdJms4&ab_channel=CampFI-TogetherWeFI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2617: Jessica Jokisch, in her insightful article, blends the worlds of practical finance and emotional intelligence to introduce the concept of Mindful Money Management. She emphasizes the importance of not only mastering the technical aspects of personal finance but also understanding the emotional relationship we have with money. This approach promises a transformative journey towards financial dignity and wellbeing. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.christineluken.com/practical-magic-for-your-money/ Quotes to ponder: "Emotions drive our behavior and if we don't understand how this works, we will be forever fighting against them, instead of harnessing their power." "The path to lasting Financial Dignity is this: bringing a deep understanding of the psychology of money together with useful financial strategies." Episode references: Financial Peace University: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace Certified Financial Counselor designation: https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations/afc "Unlocking the Abundance Mindset" speech at Camp FI event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbq4ZLdJms4&ab_channel=CampFI-TogetherWeFI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Outside of exercise, the primary goal of my sabbatical is to build community. When I was working, I never had time to meet people and build deep relationships. Since we are making friends, Michelle and I have been hosting and attending a lot of gatherings. We have found Priya Parker's tool of having a deep purpose very helpful in creating events that deepen relationships. Having a purpose for a gathering may seem simple and obvious. However, Priya Parker emphasizes having a deep and specific purpose. To “celebrate my birthday” is not an adequate purpose. The purpose is the goal of the gathering. What do we want everyone to get out of the gathering? Back to the birthday party example, the purpose could be to bring all my friends from different groups together and find commonalities among them. Maybe the purpose is simply to have my friends show their appreciation for me on my birthday. See how these two different purposes have two completely different party structures? In the former, the host may use an icebreaker or game to introduce the different guests to each other. In the later example, maybe the host has a friend write down one thing they appreciate about the birthday person and then the host may share these out loud. Knowing the purpose of the party can help structure the agenda, how the room is laid out, who is invited, etc. This week, Michelle and I use Priya Parker's recommendations on the purpose of a gathering from her book The Art of Gathering, to help create more meaningful events. Show Notes:The Art of Gathering by Priya ParkerDeep Talk Meetup CharlestonCommunity TimeThank you NatalieFL for your comments on our CAMPFI episode BWS on Social MediaInstagramTik TokYoutubeOur partner for this episode is our favorite podcasting tool, Riverside.fm! If you have a podcast or are thinking of launching one in the new year, Riverside is the tool that is going to help make the process 10 times easier. With reliable recording for you or your guest, AI editing tools and quick clip making options, you can get your podcast running faster with less of the headaches of other tools. Use our link to get started! Find more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

One silver lining of COVID is that it gave me a new appreciation for in-person gatherings. As much as online meetings can help connect when we cannot meet in person, there is nothing that compares to IRL meetings. Last weekend, Michelle and I attended CAMP FI in Florida. There were 80+ FI/RE lovers present at a summer-camp style venue with speakers, break-out sessions, outdoor activities- kayaking, yoga, archery, karaoke and lots of time to have deep intimate conversations. Michelle and I found five unique benefits to this type of IRL meeting with like-minded people: Meeting real-life people rather than listening to internet personasDeepen your interest in FISimilar strugglesInside jokesVenn diagram of interests Show Notes:CampFI Coast FI/Lean FI definitions by Tally.comThe Complete Guide to Chase Ultimate RewardsOutlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Dr Peter AttiaThe Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe DominguezQuit Like a Millionaire by Kristy Shen and Bryce LeungCommunity TimeJess from Oak and Grain Refinishing YoutubeInstagram BWS on Social MediaInstagramTik TokYoutubeAirHelp: Partner For This EpisodeCheck out our partner for this episode, AirHelp. AirHelp is a part of the Association of Passenger Rights Advocates (APRA) whose mission is to promote and protect passengers' rights. Click this link if you've had a cancelled or delayed flight as well as support our podcast: AirHelp Affiliate LinkFind more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

Michelle and I like to use Charlie Gilkey's Four Project Rule from his book Start Finishing to help create our yearly resolution. Charlie recommends limiting yourself to no more than four projects a quarter. He includes things like moving and starting a new job as a project as they require a significant portion of our time. These projects can be re-visited every quarter. Projects that become systematic habits can be removed from the projects listMichelle and I also like to create a theme for the year as well. I like for this theme to be poetic and capture the general spirit of the new year. Theme for 2023: I tend to the garden of my beingTheme for 2024: I play in gardens of abundance Last year, I focused on taking care of my needs and I embodied this. This culminated in me quitting my job. This year I am focusing on enjoying the fruits of my previous labors. The focus is to play in life. I don't have to take everything so seriously this year because I realize I already have everything I need. This year is about enjoying life. Show notesCharlie Gilkey author of Start FinishingCharlie Gilkey's piece on projects: January 2024 Planning Tips: Projects, Not ResolutionsSparketype Episode Part 1 Sparketype Episode Part 2Sparketype Assessment Community TimeHappy Birthday Michelle!We hit 25k downloads! Thank you, listeners!Did you listen to today's episode? Do you have a better idea for Michelle's theme? Let us know in the comments!CampFI - We will be speaking at CampFI this weekend!BWS on Social MediaInstagramTik TokYoutubeRiverside: Partner For This EpisodeCheck out our partner for this episode, RiversideYour Online Recording Studio — Riverside.fm - Record remote podcasts and video interviews in studio quality from anywhere. Used by +70,000 creators & Fortune 500 firms. App store rating: 5.0/5.0. Get started free.Find more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

In this episode: community, structuring FI events, unstructured time, the energy in the room, and vulnerability. We all know that the online FI community can help you along the journey in a variety of ways, but the abundance and ease of access to that community can lead to us forgetting the impact live FI events can have on your life. Our Guests Stephen, Amy, and Diania from CampFI, FI Freedom Retreats, and The EconoMe Conference respectively can attest to the power of in-person communities as they are the ones who work so hard to put them together! Together with Brad, the foursome talk about the different benefits that can come as a result of joining these conferences, and how “the energy in the room” can help you find value and take in information in ways you never thought possible! Amy, Diania, and Stephen: Stephen (CampFI): campfi.org Diania (EconoMe Conference): economeconference.com (10% off using code "choosefi") Amy (FI Freedom Retreat): fifreedomretreats.com Timestamps: 1:04 – Knowing Versus Doing/The Benefit of Events 8:32 – What Can Be Achieved Through Community 14:02 – Being Vulnerable/The Effect of Multiple Days 22:33 – The Evolution of FI Events 31:23  – Structuring FI Events/The Energy in the Room 43:00 – Attendees Finding Value 51:10 – Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Stacking Benjamins Find Your Local ChooseFI Group Join ChooseFI's Facebook Group Subscribe to The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and FI Resources: Top 10 Recommended Travel Rewards Credit Cards Empower: Free Dashboard to Track Your Finances CIT Bank Platinum Savings Account M1 Finance: Commission-Free Investing, 1-click rebalancing CashFreely: Maximize Your Cash Back Rewards Travel Freely: Track all your rewards cards and points Emergency Binder: For Your Family's Essential Info (code ‘CHOOSEFI' for 20% off) Student Loan Planner: Custom Consult (with $100 Discount)

Deep in the forest, a secret financial independence summer camp is being held. Multiple times a year, all across the country, millionaires, financial freedom achievers, and those still on or just starting their FIRE journey meet up for a weekend like no other. Those who have achieved FIRE in their 30s, 40s, and 50s give advice, tips, and tactics to those who want to leave their jobs behind and see what a life of financial freedom feels like. It's such a can't-miss event that Mindy and Scott are regulars there too! Of course, we're talking about CampFI, where you can roast marshmallows, talk about Roths, scheme with other investors on the best way to make millions, or simply meet the financial independence heroes you've only seen online. Throughout the year, these camps are held in every corner of the country, and today, you'll get to hear exactly what happens around the campFIre. For that, we brought on CampFI founder Stephen Baughier to tell us more about this exclusive financial independence experience and his own journey to FI. After a tough wake-up call in his mid-30s, Stephen made it his goal to reach financial freedom, but not on the fast-paced schedule most FIRE chasers think of. Hear how Stephen was able to downsize his life, cut his spending, and have ultimate time freedom without having to work his tail off! In This Episode We Cover The one thing that made Stephen reevaluate his financial decisions in life Downsizing, cutting spending, and how to reach financial freedom faster Advice from millionaires and those who've already achieved FIRE CampFI costs, activities, events, and why you MUST attend  Why you can (and SHOULD) slow down your path to FIRE  Scott's accidental run-in with a fireside cult-like chanting circle And So Much More! Links from the Show BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group Network with Other Investors on The Path to FIRE Through the BiggerPockets Forums Finance Review Guest Onboarding Join BiggerPockets for FREE Mindy on BiggerPockets Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show Podcast Talent Search! Money Moment Past Episodes Mentioned in Today's Show: Doug Nordman Mr. Money Mustache CampFI Website Click here to check the full show notes: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-474   Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email us: moneymoment@biggerpockets.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special addition of Catching Up to FI, we get to hear a live panel from CampFI Midwest 2023 hosted by Becky, Diania Merriam of Optimal Finance Daily, and Jordan Grumet of Earn & Invest. The hosts discuss the surprising and maybe not-so-fun sides of financial independence and how to work through them. We also hear personal stories from the panel's audience.  Connect with us! @catchinguptofi  buy CUtFI a coffee Resources mentioned on the show: Optimal Finance Daily with Diania Merriam Earn & Invest with Doc G Camp FI EconoMe Disclaimer: We are not lawyers, financial advisors, accountants or tax experts. Please consult your own professional advisors before making any important decisions. Our content is for entertainment and education purposes only.

Today we are talking with Mark Trautman of Mark's Money Mind. Bill and I chatted with Mark on episode 12 where we talked about money in relationships. Mark also stood in for Bill as a co-host with Roger Whitney, the Q&A panel from CampFI, and On the Road with Catching Up to FI. In this conversation, we are going to dive into an alternative to the 4% Rule of Thumb. We see people in our community ask about a drawdown strategy in retirement, and the go-to answer seems to be the 4% Rule. But we would like to present another way of solving for that question, “How much money do I need for retirement?” Connect with us! @catchinguptofi  buy CUtFI a coffee Resources mentioned on the show: 4% Rule Early Retirement Now The Retirement and IRA Show with Jim Saulnier and Chris Stein The 4% Rule: EDU #2216 - The Retirement and IRA Show The Fun Number Part 1: EDU #2302 - The Retirement and IRA Show All About The Minimum Dignity Floor (MDF) Part 1: EDU #2231 - The Retirement and IRA Show What's an Annuity? Delayed Annuity Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC) Fixed Period Annuity Amberly Grant CampFI FI Freedom Retreats   Disclaimer: We are not lawyers, financial advisors, accountants or tax experts. Please consult your own professional advisors before making any important decisions. Our content is for entertainment and education purposes only.

Imagine that you JUST figured out what the financial independence movement is all about. You've been saving, but doing nothing exotic. You earlier had thought that putting money in the stock market was "gambling," like many people do. Today, though, you figure out that you've not only done a great job of making your dreams come true, but you've achieved financial independence, and you're still in your 40's. How happy would you be? Today we're live from Camp FI (camp financial independence), where a group of like-minded people are hanging out for a weekend talking about values, money, and pushing themselves to live a congruent lifestyle. Not only will we tell Jaylyn's story of surprisingly reaching his next phase of life, but so much more. Past guest Dan Sheeks joins Joe and special guest host Roger Whitney (Retirement Answer Man podcast), to share details of his group dedicated to helping young entrepreneurs and savers find each other. Not only does Dan explain what's special about these young achievers (usually between ages 18 and 25), but we get to meet two of them! Mia and Adrian both share their stories of struggle and success, with lessons that apply to all of us, whether you're working for "the man" or trying to reach financial independence by starting a business of your own. We'll also throw things back to Doug at the halfway mark for our trivia segment. While THAT segment isn't about financial independence per se, it IS a look into an area of finance you may not have thought about previously. Financial independence, entrepreneurship, live radio, and trivia? I know! Pinch us! Enjoy! FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/stories-from-camp-fi-1411 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Doc G alongside Becky Heptig and Diania Merriam for a special live episode recorded at CampFI Midwest. In this candid discussion, we peel back the layers of financial independence and explore the unexpected twists and turns that come with pursuing FI. From the surprising joys to the unforeseen challenges, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the FI journey. #FinancialIndependence #CampFIMidwest #CatchingUpToFI #OptimalFinanceDaily #FIRealityCheck #UnexpectedFI #LifeAfterFI #MoneyMilestones #FISurprises #LivePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a live recording at Camp FI Rocky Mountain Week 1 of a Panel Discussion answering questions from the attendees.  On the Panel are the Moderator, our own Becky Heptig, Mark Trautman, a guest on Episode 12 and a guest host on Episode 27, Doug Cunnington (The Doug Show), and Carl Jensen (Mr. 1500 Days).  Doug and Carl are the cohosts of the Mile Hi FI Podcast.  Sit back, relax with your favorite beverage and enjoy the tips, tricks, hacks, and humor of FI. Resources mentioned on the show: Camp FI The Mile High FI Podcast with Carl Jensen and Doug Cunnington Doug Show Podcast 1500 Days to Freedom Mr. Money Mustache Afford Anything FIREdating.me Mark's Money Mind Catching Up to FI

Thinking about a better future? Maybe look at what happened to you during your childhood and learn lessons that can help you grow. That's what today's guest, Charles McCarrick did. He took important lessons from some hilarious, educational, and sometimes disturbing moments from his childhood growing the next-to-youngest of five brothers (and one sister!). Charles shares stories that made him the scientist, entrepreneur, and thinker that he is today, and that can also help you either build your own business or grow inside of the business where you work. We have a guest co-host today! Stephen Baughier from CampFI joins us for our headline, TikTok minute, Haven Life line, and more. He'll share stories from the popular FIRE movement camps, and help us build good lessons from today's show. He also shares what's happening at the upcoming Texas Camp FI, where Joe will be a speaker! In our headline segment, one popular crowdfunding real estate platform has had some trouble. We'll share the details AND what it has to do with your money. Of course, we'll also save time for Doug's trivia! FULL SHOW NOTES: https:www.stackingbenjamins.com/creating-entrepreneurs-and-camp-fi-1392 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg joins this week's podcast, and we discuss our reflections and finances one year into early retirement. First, we share advice our campFI friends have given us along the way as we share how the first year of early retirement has been going. We then share what's working well, what we'd like to improve, and the journey of feelings and experiences we've been through in our first year not working after each of us spent 20+ years working in Corporate America. We wrap up the episode by sharing what our family of 5 spent during our first 12 months early-retired and how our net worth looks a year later.   Get the full show notes, show references, and more information here: https://insideoutmoney.org/005-reflections-on-one-year-of-early-retirement/

In this super-vulnerable conversation, we dig into money wounds--what are they, and how do they show up in our daily lives?The founder of FI Freedom Retreats, Amy Minkley's, life changed when she discovered the Financial Independence movement in 2019. Money was tight in her childhood. To feel secure, Amy became an over-worker and over-saver from a young age. After working in Asia for 18 years, she was burned out. In a frantic bid to save her sanity and relationship, a late-night online search led her to the FIRE movement. Armed with the knowledge of hundreds of FIRE blogs and podcasts, Amy gained a new sense of hope, overcame ‘one more year' syndrome, and quit her job in Bangkok. In 2021, she moved to Bali to live her dream life and share the message of Financial Independence and purposeful living. She is now happily engaged to her Australian partner and organizing transformational FI retreats.Listen to this episode to hear:What childhood money wounds areHow they changed the trajectory of Amy's life--career, relationships, personality traits, etc.The benefits of the coping mechanisms she developed as a result of her money wounds from an outside perspectiveThe symptoms that began to show her she wasn't living an aligned lifeHow she came to awareness--symptomsHow she was able to heal and create the aligned, fulfilling life she lives todayListen all the way to the end to hear about her amazing Bali retreat and for so many juicy nuggets of wisdom!--- L E T ' S  C O N N E C T ---Grab your tickets to join GBY & CampFI this July - we'll be whitewater rafting, hiking, and dropping into some deep conversation around the campfire

--- L E T ' S  C O N N E C T ---Grab your tickets to join GBY & CampFI this July - we'll be whitewater rafting, hiking, and dropping into some deep conversation around the campfire

Having kids is a lifestyle change that has a big impact on our finances. But how much does parenthood really cost? In this episode, Doug and Amberly explore the expected and unexpected costs that come with having children. They talk about the importance of budgeting and share some tips on how to shop wisely for new parents. The (unexpected) costs of having kids Health insurance and dental costs Schooling and tuition Are human parents and dog parents alike? The do's and don'ts of choosing a gift for new parents Tips for navigating friendships as a parent Amberly hosts FinTalks Do you love Mile High FI? Support us over at Buy Me A Coffee. Do you hate Mile High FI? Send us a large sum of money and we'll quit! You win either way! EconoMe: Doug and Carl are going to EconoMe again and are planning a meetup. Get your ticket here and enter MILEHIGHFI at checkout for a discount. Connect with Amberly Grant! AmberlyGrant.com FinTalks Instagram Amberly on Facebook - Check out the Econome Conference - Save money using our coupon code MILEHIGHFI. Carl and Doug will be there, so come and hang out. Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shorts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won't even make such a claim. You shouldn't take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren't certified financial planners or advisors. We're not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles 1500 Days, Carl's Blog about Early Retirement Email us here: doug@milehighfi.com or carl@milehighfi.com 0:00 Intro 2:41 Budgeting and planning for kids 7:57 Is having children similar to dogs? 10:31 The cost of having kids 25:05 Children and health insurance 32:29 Why kids' clothing is a terrible gift idea 36:33 As kids grow, so do their expenses 39:40 How to get free babysitting benefits 41:04 Why do parents count their baby's age in months?! 42:34 Schooling and tuition expenses 46:47 Navigating friendships as a parent 52:10 Amberly is on FinTalks 53:22 Fin Talk's retreat and Camp FI

I am coming off a weekend at Camp FI which is like summer camp with people who are interested in doing things differently with their life and I must say, I have come to think money is the least interesting thing to talk about and perhaps because I am not motivated by money.  Through my own money story and working with and alongside high-net worth individuals I have come to learn that money does not equal happiness.  The sooner we can detach our worth and purpose from money I think the higher the odds for contentment and fulfillment.  That is certainly not easy which is why I was so excited to have this conversation today.   Before I jump into the episode today I wanted to mention that many have asked how they can follow our journey.  I have decided that the best place to stay connected will be through our email list and choose the Family Gap Year Adventure topic (and any other topic you are interested in) https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ I have started a blog and will be sharing some of the stories and deeper learnings of life on the road with 3 kids and a dog and all the real life things that go along with that.  I will still be posting on Instagram and will keep the podcast more broad than our gap year, however there will occasionally be episodes highlighting the gap year diaries :).   Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/104Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts:  https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Subscribe to the email List:  https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Tricia Huffman, aka Your Joyologist, is a rock and roll roadie at heart and by first career. She specializes in working with those in the public eye to keep them in integrity with who they want to be while also enjoying the life they are living. She is a mental health and mindset expert known for sharing real talk with heart, calling you to uncover and honor who YOU are, and empowering you to claim your joy daily via her first book (F The Shoulds. Do The Wants.), social media, Claim it! Podcast, Own Your Awesome daily inspiration App, and everything that she does.  Key Takeaways Tricia was living her dream as a sound engineer next to musical icons living their dreams of making music.  However, her dad died suddenly which shook her more than any anticipated loss.  “I wanted to shake people up to be present in their life.” Even people who appeared to have it all, living their dream life struggled with feeling like they were enough and finding daily joy.  Tricia was living her dream life - she kept getting pulled back into and loved the identity that came with it - and still had a yearning for “what's next?” Music tour life provided everything for her and offered a built in community of people you love like family in some way. There are also toxic environments.  Ironically the bigger tours, bigger venues with bigger artists that she initially defined success by, were actually the most toxic environments.   Taking a pause allowed her to go deep into herself.  By giving up the word should and changing it to want gave her the power and ability to support others being present to their life.  Being present doesn't mean you ignore the struggles of life.  It means you recognize the realities of life AND still make space for joy.   Even though she lived life on her terms, it was surprising how present the word SHOULD was embedded into her language and because of that, her mentality.  In the exercise of eliminating should, she would catch herself and pause, noticing how often she said the word should and was stuck with the question “what can I say instead?” Just paying attention to this one word had her examingin her thoughts, feelings, and truths.  Then having the ability to not take that as her truth.  Should makes us think outside of ourselves, replacing it with want brought it back to me and owning that thought, feeling or belief.   When people notice and work through their should list if often reveals that people might not know what they want.  We have such extensive should files so asking “why do I want that?” can help go deeper. Giving yourself the ability to focus on why offers clarity on impact, and why you might want to do the thing or give flexibility and voice to how else you cn do it.  In the meditation example - maybe I take 3 deep breaths instead of a focused sitting meditation as an example.  We keep ourselves from doing what we want based on what we think it should look like.   When things feel stuck, how can I make space for joy OR how can I nurture myself?  So often we are pursuing something bigger, and our worth is tied up in that bigger thing.  How can you make space to take care of yourself, to nurture yourself, do things that bring you joy and celebrate I am alive today.   It seems we are trained to know what fulfillment looks like, but what does it feel like?  For me it comes from the small day to day stuff.  Walks outside are a strategy to redirect negative energy and practicing how to notice and be present in nature.   To Connect with or Follow Tricia HuffmanBOOK LANDING PAGE:  Ftheshouldsdothewants.com Website: triciahuffman.com Podcast: Claim it!App: Own Your Awesome Social  IG @_triciahuffman TikTok @_triciahuffman  FB @yourjoyologist  Twitter @yourjoyologist

Peer pressure is all around us. There is pressure from marketers, kids, friends, complete strangers, and all around us! What is peer pressure?Peer pressure, by definition, is “a feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one's age and social group to be liked or respected by them.”There is also active and passive peer pressure.  Active is someone saying, “oh you gotta get a Tesla so you can be my bessie with a Tessie.” Passive is me seeing you have a Tesla and then really wanting one. I believe there is positive and negative peer pressure, otherwise known as good and bad influences. Keeping up with the Joneses is peer pressure at its finest. You're doing it for them, not for you.The good kind of peer pressure:We all want to feel accepted and valued by others. It takes courage and confidence to buck the trend. And some peer pressure can be good! Let's talk about that for a moment.The positive effects of peer pressure can include a sense of belonging and support, increased self-confidence, and learning new hobbies and interests. FI and FIRE are great examples of the positive effects of peer pressure.The whole reason and spirit of why we started this podcast were to get more friends to talk about money. Talking to your friends about money is a form of good peer pressure if you do it appropriately.   If the peer pressure is motivating and encouraging, that's the sweet spot! But, if it starts making you feel bad about yourself, that's when you want to reassess things.  More examples of the good kind of peer pressure: Felipe/Shannon sharing their expense tracking and budgets, Mike doing the same, a friend who wants to do a no-drinking month challenge with you, What strategies can help handle negative peer pressure? And how to find more of the good kind of peer pressure and get it into your life:Pay attention to how you feel. Recognizing peer pressure and being able to name it is half the battle.  Plan and communicate. Pack special snacks if you know you're going to feel pressure to buy your kids snacks at the movie theatre with another family letting their kids buy whatever they want.Have a candid conversation with the person pressuring you. For example, tell them something isn't in your budget or how it makes you feel when they talk about a particular topic. Make up an excuse if you have to. For example, you may find with some people; you can't have a direct and candid discussion. You can't change everyone; you can only control yourself.Set boundaries and say no when you need to. Back up a no with a positive statement. You may need to be repetitive to ensure your boundaries and no one comes across clearly.  How to find more of the good kind of peer pressure and get it into your life:Surround yourself with more of the people you truly want to emulate. “You are the sum of the people you surround yourself with.” Sum is the perfect word here cause it can add up quickly if you surround yourself with people focused on materialism and acquiring more and more.If you don't already have that community, go out and find it! It's online with things like Instagram, Facebook, and youtube. It's in person with local meetup groups and events like CampFI and EconoME.Invest in fostering friendships with similar values and beliefs. You have to put time and energy into friendships to foster them.Avoid people and situations that trigger peer pressure and don't feel right to you. Leave a situation if it feels uncomfortable. Encouragement to stick to your values in the face of peer pressure: It's hard enough for adults to do this; imagine if you're a developing teenager. With teenagers and kids specifically, give them opportunities to earn money through an allowance and extra chores. Then, let them manage that money and the decisions themselves with guidance from you. They need boundaries set for them; it's how they learn.Flip the script. Change your mindset and how you're contextualizing and adding perspective to these situations and decisions. It's all about balance and tradeoffs.  Top 3 takeaways:There's good and bad peer pressure.Find more of the good.  This is hard work. Don't beat yourself up too much if you succumb to peer pressure. But continue to work hard to overcome it.Show References:Friends on FIRE podcast #144 | Inflation is out of control! What is happening?Friends on FIRE podcast #158 | Control your lifestyle to find financial freedomFriends on FIRE podcast #035 | 10 F.I.R.E. Extinguishers + How to avoid them---Follow friends on FIRETwitterInstagramFacebookLinkedInLeave us a voicemail or text us: 404-981-3370eMail us at:  friendsonfiremm@gmail.comVisit our website: www.friendsonfire.org---Other LinksMaggie's Blog: Mostly Minimal LifeMike's Book: Your New Relationship with Money

Happy Thanksgiving! This week, we're publishing the audio from the presentation we gave at Rocky Mountain CampFI in July 2022. We go over many of our favorite examples of outlandish on-screen spending, and talk about how the unrealistic portrayals we see on TV affect our psyche. We also discuss our strategies for inoculating ourselves against this constant messaging of how we're supposed to dress, where we're supposed to live, what we're supposed to drive, and who we're supposed to be. Check out the YouTube version (with fun visuals included!) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvPGqhCy7es You can find our blog posts and more at: www.penniesandpopcorn.com Follow us on Twitter at: @penniesnpopcorn Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/penniesandpopcorn/

This episode is full of hilarity and pearls of wisdom. Diania Merriam, the founder of the EconoMe Conference, stopped by to talk about all things personal finance and how to build your dream community. How she started the EconoMe conference. How EconoMe differs from CampFI. Taking on the "75 Hard" challenge. How the FIRE community can change your life. What do people actually talk about at FI events? A Skyline Chili debate that got ... a little out of control. The value of making things. Check out the Econome Conference - Save money using our coupon code MILEHIGHFI. Carl and Doug will be there, so come and hang out! - Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shorts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won't even make such a claim. You shouldn't take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren't certified financial planners or advisors. We're not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles 1500 Days, Carl's Blog about Early Retirement Email us here: doug@milehighfi.com or carl@milehighfi.com

This is a live recording from CampFI Southwest. Here we discuss the connection between money and purpose. Can the concept of purpose (and Identity) actually be toxic? Three guests discuss their opinions and vision of what role purpose should play in our life. 

This hilarious episode is full of our typical shenanigans, but also some nuggets of wisdom! Carl and Doug were joined by Carl's wife, Mindy Jensen from Bigger Pockets, and Rachel from Money Honey. The four of us fielded questions from the Rocky Mountain CampFI audience. A few highlights: How to chase FI with small children How to transition from being a small landlord to a big one Side hustles and self promotion Whether to take out a mortgage Investing in syndications Paying off students early versus investing How hard is the real estate license test Working towards FI or an interesting career Links: Bigger Pockets Money Honey

We're live from Camp FI Rocky Mountain Week 2, in this special episode!We share the mic with guest co-hosts, Dan Sheeks--author of the Bigger Pockets book, First to a Million--and Brad Finn--of his own Brad Finn Youtube channel.Listen in to hear from so many guests (and maybe even a surprise appearance from camp host himself, Stephen Baugher) about what they'll be taking away from camp this year.  You won't want to miss it!

Doug and Carl interview hospice physician Jordan Grumet about what we can learn from the dying. How Jordan learned about FIRE How a Camp FI changed Jordan's life Jordan's journey from Physician to Communicator What is YOUR true identity? What we can learn from the dying The Earn & Invest Podcast Taking Stock by Jordan Grumet Available 8/02 Ulysses Press: Official Book Trailer https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/

In this discussion, we cover many topics, including:The benefits of giving more or less notice when leaving a job. The reactions of coworkers as they shared they are retiring, and how that's changed over time.How they both became more efficient when they knew they were leaving and were better able to focus on the things that really mattered.  The high and low of their last week of work.  If they are having any regrets or second thoughts about leaving their jobs.  The role campFI played on their journey.How they are both feeling, and how those feelings evolve through this process.  They also answer some specific listener questions.  Show References:Friends on FIRE episode #138 -  How a family of 5 can afford to retire at 41 and 43 (part 2 of 5)campFI---Follow friends on FIRETwitterInstagramFacebookLinkedInLeave us a voicemail or text us: 404-981-3370eMail us at:  friendsonfiremm@gmail.comVisit our website: www.friendsonfire.org---Other LinksMaggie's Blog: Mostly Minimal LifeMike's Book: Your New Relationship with Money

Even though Maggie has accomplished a massive amount of things financially and has put herself in a position to retire at 41, she's still afraid of a lot of things.  We talk through a few things related to fear:Everything Maggie is afraid of.  It's a lot of things.The definition of fear.The good and bad sides of fear.“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.  The brave (wo)man is not she/he who does not feel afraid, but she/he who conquers that fear.  -Nelson Mandela8 ways to conquer your financial fears:Be kind to yourself.  Accept that fear is normal, especially when you're taking the path less traveled.Listen and learn.  Educate yourself thru books, podcasts, youtube, blogs, and more!Know your numbers.  Track your expenses + net worth.  What gets measured gets better.Calculate your fears.  Put #s against your fears, worst-case scenario them.  You can deal with them.Remember, you're resilient.  Your skillset is strong; you can work again and do whatever is needed.Write it down.  Write down your fears, imagine the worst, rank, and prioritize them.Breathe + Meditate.  Leverage the science that proves breathwork and meditation can help you with fear and anxiety.  And the good news is these practices are easy and free.Find your community!  Surround yourself with like-minded supportive people.  Your community is powerful!Top 3 takeaways:Fear is normal.Courage is not the absence of fear but our ability to triumph over our fears.There are things you can proactively do to push through your fears, so do them!Show References:campFIBook: Bag Lady PapersFriends on FIRE episode #27 - Why Tracking Net Worth MattersFriends on FIRE episode #15 - Expense Tracking Gone WildNet worth tracking spreadsheetExpense tracking spreadsheetFriends on FIRE episode #130 | Where meditation and money meetMostly Minimal Life: An introduction to fearFIRE---Follow friends on FIRETwitterInstagramFacebookLinkedInLeave us a voicemail or text us: 404-981-3370eMail us at:  friendsonfiremm@gmail.comVisit our website: www.friendsonfire.org---Other LinksMaggie's Blog: Mostly Minimal LifeMike's Book:  Your New Relationship with Money

Live from CampFi Southeast, Doug and Maggie Tucker talk to several guests. We did mini-interviews with a number of CampFi Southeast attendees and learned about their journeys to FI and got some pretty good insights. Here are a few highlights: Why going to vocational school can be a fantastic choice Living for the present and not the future Getting a spouse on board with FI Living full time on the road The psychology of the first six months after leaving a job Links: friends on FIRE – Podcast on Financial Independence Retire Early Camp FI

Live from CampFi Southeast, Doug and Maggie Tucker talk to several guests. We did mini-interviews with a number of CampFi Southeast attendees and learned about their journeys to FI and got some pretty good insights. Here are a few highlights: Why going to vocational school can be a fantastic choice Living for the present and not the future Getting a spouse on board with FI Living full time on the road The psychology of the first six months after leaving a job Links: friends on FIRE - Podcast on Financial Independence Retire Early Camp FI

We had a great sit-down with Diania and Maggie at Camp FI and fielded some fun and off-the-wall questions from the audience. Here are a few highlights: What pursuits have been most fulfilling for you? What is your side-hustle exit plan? Getting started on YouTube Getting started with a podcast and overcoming the fear of being one of many Do you believe in the four-percent rule? What do you know now that you wish you knew ten years ago? What equipment do you use? How much liquid cash is too much? Decompressing after leaving work Keep an eye and ear open for the other episode from Camp FI coming out in a couple of weeks. Links: Friends on FIRE – Podcast on Financial Independence Retire Early EconoMe Conference – March 2023 Optimal Finance Daily Podcast ____ ____

We had a great sit-down with Diania and Maggie at Camp FI and fielded some fun and off-the-wall questions from the audience. Here are a few highlights: What pursuits have been most fulfilling for you? What is your side-hustle exit plan? Getting started on YouTube Getting started with a podcast and overcoming the fear of being one of many Do you believe in the four-percent rule? What do you know now that you wish you knew ten years ago? What equipment do you use? How much liquid cash is too much? Decompressing after leaving work Keep an eye and ear open for the other episode from Camp FI coming out in a couple of weeks. Links: Friends on FIRE - Podcast on Financial Independence Retire Early EconoMe Conference - March 2023 Optimal Finance Daily Podcast ____ Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! ____ **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won't even make such a claim. You shouldn't take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren't certified financial planners or advisors. We're not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Are you a FIRE focused person who is looking for FIRE events to attend? Are you curious about the CampFI events that happen throughout the year? In this episode I share my CampFI review, my thoughts about creating welcoming FIRE spaces, why I'm eating my words about attending EconoMe. And candidly share why I don't feel comfortable in the midwest and why that discomfort impacted my decision NOT to attend EconoMe. Finally, I share tips on what FIRE event creators can do to create better FIRE events.  Show Notes: https://michelleismoneyhungry.com/campfi-review

Diania Merriam is the founder of the EconoMe Conference, a financial independence conference, and the host of the Optimal Finance Daily podcast. At the age of 28, Diania climbed out of $30K of debt in 11 months to begin her journey to financial independence.  In this episode, Diania shares about what it took to reach debt freedom and how she is powering her path to retiring early. This episode is loaded with actionable insights for you to get your finances in order and start building real wealth. --- Transcript   Before we jump into the episode, here's a quick disclaimer about our content. The Remote Real Estate Investor podcast is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as investment advice. The views, opinions and strategies of both the hosts and the guests are their own and should not be considered as guidance from Roofstock. Make sure to always run your own numbers, make your own independent decisions and seek investment advice from licensed professionals.   Michael: Hey, everyone, welcome to another episode of The Remote Real Estate Investor. I'm Michael Albaum. And today with me, I have Diania Merriam, who's going to be talking to us today about the economy conference that she is the founder of as well as some financial independence tips that she has learned along her life's journey. So without further ado, let's get into it.   Diana, thank you so much for taking the time to come talk personal finance with me today. I really appreciate it.   Thanks for having me.   Michael: No, my pleasure. So you are the founder of a really cool conference called economy.   Diania: Yeah.   Michael: Tell us a little bit about what that is. Because I know it's coming up here in like 30 days, right?   Diania: Yes, we are exactly a month away at the time of this recording. But essentially, economy, the easiest way to describe it is it's like the TED talks of the fire movement. And you guys can't see me. But I'm doing air quotes over here, because we're not associated with TED talks, which is like the easiest way to explain what it is. So we have amazing mainstage speakers that talk about financial independence from a lot of different angles, whether it be really tactical information, or just more inspiring stories. And then we also do a number of breakout sessions to kind of connect you with like minded people. Because as you know, money is such a taboo topic, right? And we don't often get the opportunity to surround ourselves with people that are comfortable talking about this stuff.   So one of the things I like to say about pursuing financial independence is like what's the point of being FI and retiring early if you have no one to hang out with? Right, here's your opportunity to meet your people to meet your tribe.   Michael: Your playmates yeah.   Diania: Exactly. So we've got all these breakout sessions, we do an after party, we do a lot of social activities on the last day of the event. So it's really just an amazing weekend, someone last year describes it as a party about money, which is exactly the vibe I was going for.   It's really, the point of it is inspiration and community around a topic that is so you know, influential for us all?   Michael: Oh, that's awesome. And is I know, this year, it's out in Cincinnati. Is it always in Cincinnati? Or does the location move every year?   Diania: Yes. So we're actually in our second year, because I had the brilliant idea of launching an event based business in the middle of a pandemic.   Actually, our first event was March 7 of 2020. It was one week before everything shut down due to COVID. But I had been planning the event for 20 months. This was like something I could have never anticipated that I would have to navigate. So yeah, we got really lucky on our first event. And this is actually going to be our second and yes, it's at the same venue, which is the University of Cincinnati.   Michael: Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I've got kind of a question for you. And I'm curious, why did you think you were qualified to host and found a conference talking about money? What's your story? Like?   Diania: Yeah, like who the hell do I think I am? I mean, as far as qualifications? Um, that's a great question. I think that I was just someone with a really ambitious idea. That's probably crazy. Most people told me I was crazy. When I when I first came up with this idea, but the reason why I wanted to do this is because figuring out my financial situation completely changed my life. So my background is that, you know, my 20s, I was very focused on my career, living in New York City. I got to my late 20s, about 28. I decided I should probably look at my money situation, like what's going on here, right. And I ran a credit report on myself and realize that I was 30 grand in debt for like no good reason. It was simply living outside my means.   And half of that debt was student loan debt, which doesn't sound too bad until you consider that I got a full academic scholarship to college. Like, the fact that I had any student loan debt is just ridiculous. It still blows my mind. But when you're at that age, and you're completely financially illiterate, you know, someone offers you loans, and you don't really…   Michael: Oh look free money!   Diania: I mean, you Yeah, you just, it's just what you do, right? No one like advised me that maybe that wasn't a great idea. So I found myself in this situation where I'm 30 grand in debt in my late 20s. My 30th birthday is looming. I think it's one of those really reflective birthdays for like, what am I doing with my life?   Michael: Yep, right.   So I came across this article that was sent to me by a friend from Mister Money Mustache. I'm sure you know that blog, right?   Michael: Know him very well, yeah.   Diania: Yes, one of the most popular probably the most popular blogger in the fire movement, which I keep throwing around this word fire. I want to make sure everyone's on the same page stands for financial independence retire early. Right, To me it's a it's a lifestyle movement with a goal of financial freedom. But a lot of people look at it as like a bunch of frugal weirdos and we're all in a cult.   Diania: It's not   Michael: Chanting about money.   Diania: Yeah, exactly. So I discovered Mister Money Mustache. And I like to say that I think the article was something about like, viewing your debt as an emergency. And I like to describe finding that blog as a refreshing punch in the face, because I had never heard anyone talk about money the way that he did. And I just devoured that blog with a spoon. I read like every single article, I got a little obsessive over it.   But it really inspired this very deep mindset shift within me. And I did a complete 180 I got out of that 30 grand of debt and 11 months. And from there, I started saving about 60% of my income. And it completely changed my life. It opened up so many options. That just didn't seem possible for me like that, it allowed me to dream bigger, you know. So one of the things that motivated me to even want to get out of debt is I had this goal to go walk the Camino de Santiago, which is a 500 mile trek across Spain. It just seemed like this ridiculous life adventure that felt so outside my comfort zone. But it's what I wanted to do for my 30th birthday.   So getting out that was kind of a motivator for me to get out of debt. And then when I got back from that trip, so that was in 2017.   Michael: Wait, timeout. So you did it?   Diania: I did it. Yes.   Michael: So when I got back, you just glossed over it! Oh, that's incredible.   Diania: Yeah, it took me 38 days, and it was a wild adventure. absolutely wild. Yeah, I walked with anywhere between 10 to 20 miles a day, with like, 20 pounds on my back, I met incredible people. That's actually I have an arrow tattoo on my wrist,   Michael: Okay.   Diania: And it's because the whole way is marked by arrows. They're like spray painted on trees, or like, carved into these stones. And so every time I would see an arrow, it'd be like a very comforting symbol that I like, wasn't lost.   Michael: Still on the right path.   Diania: So yeah, yeah. So um, when I got to Santiago, which for many people is the finish line, I ended up getting this tattoo. But yeah, that's something that I would have never dreamed would be possible, given my financial situation in my late 20s. And, you know, a lot of the people that I met on the trail were in their 60s or they were at traditional retirement age, they had to like wait to be able to do that. So it just getting my money in order opened up this incredible option.   And I just feel like my getting my finances in order almost allowed me to ask bigger questions like, What do I want to do with my time? What do I want to create? What kind of people do I want to surround myself with? And so getting out of debt was a big milestone in that regard. Walking the Camino was a big milestone. I negotiated a remote working arrangement with my employer. So I moved from New York City to Cincinnati, which people are like, what, why? Why would you do that?   But I will tell you that Cincinnati has everything that you would want out of a big city with like none of the downsides. And the cost of living, you just can't beat it. I mean, I really am marketing Cincinnati as the number one city to pursue financial independence. And a couple things we're doing actually at the economy conference in that regard, like our coffee vendor as a local vendor.   We're doing an urban hike on Sunday morning of the event, a three hour urban hike to show off how amazing Cincinnati is. And then with Roofstock, we are doing a chartered real estate bus tour. It's a two hour tour where we're going to drive you around the amazing neighborhoods in Cincinnati that are really good investments. And we have an expert that owns 42 doors here. He's flipped three dozen houses, and he's going to do some case studies on his best properties.   So if you are interested in low cost of living in an amazing city, you've got to come out to Cincinnati and I feel like I have the authority to say that because I came from New York City that's usually whatever where everyone wants to go.   Michael: Yes.   Diania: Now come to Cincinnati.   Michael: I love it. And I'm gonna second that call to action to get out to Cincinnati. I do a lot of investing out in Cincinnati and across the river in Covington, Kentucky, and I went out to visit a property and I happen to be there actually around this time a little bit later in October and found myself and I think the second largest Beer Fest or Oktoberfest, rather outside of Munich, Germany, and just had an absolute bombing, the food scene. I think they've got the most micro breweries like per capita of maybe any city. Tons of coffee places, Coffee Roasters popping up, it is just a very, very cool city for no one who, for people who haven't been before, so totally love it. Love it. Love it.   Diania: Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, being out here getting back from the Camino, you know, I adopted dog, I buy a house, I find myself a Midwestern gentleman, you know, life is good. Yeah. But I was still kind of asking myself these big questions like, What do I want to do with my time. And so at this point, I'm saving 60% of my income, I'm still, you know, fully employed with the same company that I had worked for nine years in New York City. And I had this idea that you know, what I was asking myself, what would I want to do with my time if I no longer had to work for money?   And I decided I wanted to create this party about money. And a big reason for that is because I had been going to different events, and exposing myself to people that were very, like, growth oriented, their life seems so expansive, and it really helped me broaden my perspective on what's possible in my own life. So for example, one of my favorite events is called World Domination Summit. I know that sounds insane, like who produces that, pinky in the brain?   Michael: Pinky and the brain, yeah, exactly.   Diania: But this event, I mean, as someone as frugal as me, you know, I got out of 30 grand of debt and 11 months, I really brought down my spending in order to do that this event is $700 A ticket. And I will tell you, it is worth every single penny. Because the people that you meet there are just incredible, and they're doing such amazing things. And every time I would leave, I would feel like my life is so full of possibility. I also had gone to events like Camp FI, or Camp Mustache, sense positive. These are kind of rooted in the financial independence community. And it's a way for people to spend a weekend together with like minded people.   Now, I saw an opportunity to create kind of a large scale event. So like Camp FI, Camp Mustache, usually around 60 people for like a weekend at a retreat center. Right? I wanted to do something more like World Domination Summit that's a little bit more grand. It's more of a production. You know, it's more of a show. It has a really strong entertainment element to it. And so I modeled my event really after World Domination Summit, but I brought that price tag way down. I'm actually doing it for $200 A ticket, but it is definitely worth $700 A ticket. I'm not charging enough.   But yeah, it's funny, because this event was supposed to be my early retirement project when I reached FI at 40 years old, but I just got so excited about it. I couldn't wait. I had to do it now. And I'm really glad that I did. Because it's been quite the adventure.   Michael: Oh my god, what a cool story. And next time someone asks, don't gloss over the fact that you hiked 500 miles. That's an amazing feat, among many others. You just mentioned that is so cool. That is so cool.   So I,   Diania: Well thanks so much.   Michael: No, of course, of course, what I'd love to do is kind of get into the meat and potatoes, if you will, of financial independence and just kind of getting your finances or so I think your story where you found yourself in your late 20s is so common for so many people, they don't realize what student loans are, how the payback works, how debt works, how finances work. So what did you do? Other than change your mindset, like brass tacks, what did you do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? And you were able to pay off 30,000 in debt in 11 months? Because that's that's something no small feat.   Diania: Yeah, I would say big lifestyle changes, right. So when I looked at where I was spending money, then I would say the first thing I did was increase my awareness around my situation, honestly, because a lot of us are just swiping the credit card, we're not paying attention of where our money is going. So I started tracking every single dollar I spent. And I saw that I was spending a ton of money eating out, you know, going out for happy hour. I mean, let's be honest, I had my 20s in New York City, you know, like I was a party animal.   And I think what I obviously like I was very social creature, I mean that's kind of another reason why I'm into these in person events. I'm a very social person, very extroverted. So I was spending so much money going out. And so what I ended up doing, and I think this is really important, when you think about decreasing your expenses, a lot of people look at that as deprivation, they look they think of it as I can't go out anymore. And I saw it as an opportunity to be resourceful and creative, and really to get to the root of what are my values and how do I align my spending with my values in a more efficient way.   So the value for me was spending time with other people, I don't need to remove that from my life, let me just do that a little bit more efficiently. So I started like hosting these elaborate dinner parties in my apartment, where I would like makeup games, I made my apartment more fun than a bar, everybody else would bring the booze, I would cook the food. And you know, I'd always have themes like, I just, I think back on that time, and it was so wild. Like I would tell people, you know, bring a photo from your awkward phase. And then we'd like all pass around these photos around and like make fun of each other or like   Michael: That's so good   Diania: The night was like, was like tonight's the evening of compliments. And it was like a game of who can give the most compliments to other people at the table. And we would like, we would like keep score. I mean, it was just silly, but it scratched my itch for human connection in a really resourceful way. Another thing I did was, you know, rather than buying clothing, I would host these clothing exchanges, all of my more fashionable friends would clean out their closets, I would do like a clothing swap, while sipping mimosas and listening to music in my apartment on a Sunday afternoon, you know, I started to see my, my frugal behaviors is actually far superior than the convenience of swiping a card because I not only got my needs met, but I also got to be creative in the process.   And so I kind of feel like if you're reducing your expenses, and it feels like deprivation, I think that you're not being creative enough about it, I think it can be a really fun thing. And I also think the other piece of it is really understanding that that hedonic treadmill, we're all on when it comes to consumerism, right? We all want, you know, the new shoes and the fancy car and the nice stuff. And I think that I had to really grow a new sense of gratitude for what I have. Now.   If you develop a deep appreciation for what you have now, you're almost combating that desire for more. Right, I think you're combating your consumerist conditioning. And I started to see things that I used to think were a burden, I would just laugh them off as a first world problem. So for example, we all know, the big three, right? And personal finance, when you're reducing your expenses, you want to reduce your housing, transportation and food, those are the things that people spend the most money on. And so I was locked into a lease, you know, or, you know, with my apartment, so I couldn't really do anything about that transportation. I didn't have a car, I was using public transportation. And I had, like, commuter benefits through my job. So I feel like I was optimized there.   But when it came to food, I could I could really have a huge effect there. So I started cooking every meal that I ate. I was bringing lunch every single day making, you know, gourmet breakfast, of like omelets with goat cheese and smoked salmon. I mean, I was eating very well, I'm not talking rice and beans. But for most people, when I would tell them I'm cooking, every meal I am eating, they look at that as such a burden.   And it's like, actually, no, I should be celebrating the fact that I have access to a grocery store that I can get any ingredient I want at any time at that grocery store, right? Like, we are so fortunate and I think if we can shift our mindset and be grateful for how fortunate we are, we're combating that desire for that consumerist convenience. Another thing that really struck me when I was reading Mister Money Mustache is he says that luxury is a weakness. And that really helped me shift my mindset because I realized if I can be happy on very minimal amount of money, that's like a superpower. Right? And I wanted to learn that skill before something externally happened.   So I think self imposed restriction, it has the opportunity to lead to a lot of personal development, when it's externally imposed by a job loss, or like a health scare. I didn't want to try to learn it under those conditions, I think it would have been a lot less fun, you know. And so I think it was really empowering for me to just learn to live on less and enjoy it. I mean, I spent a lot more time reading books from the library and working out and journaling. And I stopped wearing makeup for a long time and got comfortable with my with what my face looks like. I mean, you know, these are all things that you can look at it as deprivation or you can see it as incredible opportunity to grow.   Michael: That's incredible. Total side note. Do you know Wim Hof?   Diania: Yeah.   Michael: Are you a big Wim Hof fan?   Diania: Oh, What a weirdo. Yeah, that guy. My boyfriend does his breathing every morning. It's really obnoxious.   Michael: Oh, that's awesome.   Diania: Yeah, here I'm like huffing and puffing in the living room this morning. So my wife is a huge fan. And I've come on board to the cold plunge thing I totally buy into, but he talks about forcing yourself to be uncomfortable and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations. So when life throws something that you, you can handle it. And that totally sounded very similar to what you're talking about of, hey, do it for yourself. So that way, when life throws you a curveball, you're more than ready.   Diania: Absolutely.   Michael: No, I love that. I love that. But you also did. I mean, you also uprooted your life and move that in New York and to Cincinnati. So yeah, I mean, you said that you were locked into this lease, but it doesn't sound like you renewed that lease, or you stayed in New York much longer after having this revelation.   Diania: Yeah. And, you know, when I was in New York, for about 10 years, I had to move almost every year. I think the longest I stayed in a place was like a year and a half, maybe two years. But it's, you know, you're constantly changing roommates, because no one can afford to live alone. And then the rents will go up like $100 every year. So you're really forced, I was forced even deeper and deeper into the bowels of Brooklyn, you know, and then I ended up, I ended up getting this. The last place I lived. I did live there for two years is the first time I've ever lived alone as an adult.   It was in Sunset Park and I was paying $1,800 a month for this like cockroach infested apartment. That was just Yeah. So when I was making the decision to go walk the Camino and 2017 My I did the Camino in the fall, my lease was up in May of that year. So my landlord wasn't going to let me sublet for those two months. So I knew I was going to have to leave anyway, and find a different situation. And so it was like if I'm gonna move again. And I'm in this situation where I've got no man, no kids, no debt. Let me just go, like, put my big girl pants on and move to the Midwest and try something different, you know?   Michael: Yeah totally.   Diania: Just, I was always intimidated by the idea of like uprooting my life and starting over in a new city. But I had the benefit of I had a really close friend in Cincinnati, who I visited a few times. And so I got the sense of the area. And she was my only connection to Cincinnati isn't like I grew up here. I grew up in New Jersey. I had no other friends or family or anything besides her. And that was really helpful, though, because she was another very social person. So she just dumped me into her friend circle. Oh, and that's kind of how I got going here. Yeah, yeah.   Michael: That's great. That's great. And so now that you are kind of on the other side of the wall, or standing on top of the wall or the mountain, what advice do you have for people? I mean, in addition to the wealth of knowledge you've already shared, what do you what do you see looking forward? And what can you share with people?   Diania: Yeah, um, I would say when you're first starting out, like I'm helping a friend right now who's really deep in debt, who is just starting from scratch, trying to clean up her finances. And when I sit with her in our meetings, it's like, she's just so overcome with shame, and fear. And she's like sweating, as we're talking about this stuff. And I encourage her as well as anyone else in that situation, let your curiosity be bigger than your fear.   Because when it comes to money, it really is all figureoutable. But you have to have the mindset that it's fixable in order for you to be able to kind of face the music and like look at the reality of your situation, so that you can come up with a plan to dig out of it. It's totally possible. But it really all starts with your belief system. So there's a lot of people where I'll tell my story, and they'll say, Well, you could do that. But here are all the reasons why I can't do that.   Michael: Why I can't, right. Yeah.   Diania: And and I think if that's your initial reaction, that's your first thing that you got to tackle. I think you've got to change your belief system to recognize that it is possible and start to get curious about how it could be possible versus just immediately dismissing it. I think that's good advice for when you're first starting out. I think as you move through your financial journey, and you start hitting milestones, like for me, I hit debt freedom. Amazing. Then I had a fully funded emergency fund. Awesome. Then I started fully funding my retirement vehicles to the point where I reached Coast FI, which for those who aren't familiar Coast FI means that I have invested enough in my retirement vehicles that in 30 years because I'm 34 right now, it will grow to what I need for traditional retirement. So in essence, I don't really have to save for traditional retirement anymore. If I didn't care about early retirement and I can kind of take my foot off the gas a little bit because I've hit those certain milestones.   And then, you know, saving to a place where I got my first side hustle so I started hosting this podcast called optimal finance daily, which is a daily show, 10 minutes or less, I'm reading you articles about personal finance. So I like to say that all these amazing personal finance bloggers wrote these great songs, and I get to perform the covers, you know.   Michael: That's great.   Diania: It's, it's a show that's been around for five years, and they were looking for a new host, and I just went for it. And so this is kind of my first, you know, little side hustle income.   So, I would say though, as I've progressed through these milestones, my trajectory and goals for the future have definitely shifted. So I would say, like, be flexible about financial goals, because when I first started this, I thought, What I wanted was to just reach financial independence and retire early. And then as I've gone along through the years, and it's only been, what, six years that I've been on this journey, my desires and goals kind of keep shifting and changing, because the, it's almost like, the universe presents you with opportunities along the way.   And so if you're so laser focused on just reaching financial independence, you may miss out on these opportunities to learn about yourself and learn about what do you want to do with your time? What do you want to create in the world? And who do you want to spend that time with those three questions to me, has become kind of the focus on my path to FI. It's not like I gave up on my goal. But I just I've kind of, I'm not so laser focused on the money piece of it. Because I've realized that money is only as valuable as your clarity on how you're going to use it, and your comfort level with how much is enough.   So if you don't have clarity and comfort around your money, yeah, if you don't have those two pieces, you could be a multimillionaire and still be miserable. Right? I don't want to reach that point. I want to use my financial bandwidth to kind of explore those two things along the way. I also love this quote from Ayn Rand who wrote like The Fountainhead, and she says, money is only a tool, it will take you wherever you want to go. But it won't replace you as the driver.   And I just think for so many of us, we look at money as the goal versus as the tool to use to reach our goals. And that's something that I had to learn in in for myself, because I had always just kind of had money as the goal once I discovered the fire movement.   Michael: Yep. Yeah, no, I'm right there with you. And I always said, I'll figure it out when I get there. But then I realized, oh, there's too many other things to figure out along the way, that having money be the tool is a much better way to go.   Diania: Absolutely. If you're miserable on your path to FI you're likely going to be miserable when you reach FI   Michael: Yeah. Yeah, I think that's so well said. So well said. And so then I'm curious if you can share with everybody, what is it? What is your investment kind of portfolio look like? Is it stocks? Is it bonds is a real estate? How do you see yourself hitting that hitting the hitting FI?   Diania: Yeah, so I went for the Simple Path to Wealth model. And I would say that most of my money is in the tax advantaged accounts of what my 401k So I actually quit my job in January of this year. That's crazy. That was 10 months ago.   Michael: Congratulations that's awesome.   Diania: Yeah. So okay, so little sidebar, that's kind of a really good representation of what I mean about being flexible, because I had just thought that I was going to stay with my employer until I reached financial independence. But things changed, right, I ended up getting this new boss, the dynamic of the company, after nine years of being employed, there changed considerably. And so, you know, the, I kind of felt like the party was over, and the company didn't value me anymore.   And so I could have just put my head down and pushed through it because I have this goal of financial independence. But instead, I decided to kind of take a risk and a bet on myself to see like, Okay, I've got this, but I like to call FU money. So that that's defined as a year to have your expenses liquid. So I had a year in cash, and I had a year in after tax brokerage, which I really don't want to touch the after tax brokerage, but it's almost like my backup plan, my additional layer of a safety net. But that's something that it was almost like the universe presented me an obstacle and an opportunity at the same time. And so that could potentially slow my path down to FI.   Or something could happen. And I could, you know, find a new source of income. I'm exploring like 14 different sources of income right now. And so one of those could blow up and then it could expedite my path to FI. It's almost like I gave up the security of a regular paycheck and opened myself up to the uncertainty. You know, like I had plotted out my whole plan before because it was based on a steady paycheck. And now it's not. So who knows? Maybe I reach FI by 40? Maybe not. But to answer your question directly, um, I have my IRA. Now a traditional IRA, that was a rollover from my 401k. I've got a Roth IRA, and also my HSA   Michael: That is tough to say five times fast.   Diania: Yeah yeah So I have, I would say, the bulk of my money is invested there, and I am like, VTSAX all the way, I just, I'm 100%. In stocks, I don't have any bonds, because I have a very high risk tolerance. But also I don't want to be, I don't want to have to rebalance every year. Right? It just is simpler for me that I don't need to rebalance every year. It's all in a total market index fund, set it and forget it. I also own my home.   Now, for the first two years, I had a roommate who was paying like 95% of the mortgage. So I did a little bit of house hacking. But I did buy this house with the knowing that it would be an amazing rental one day, so I'm living in it for now. And I believe that this will I don't look at it as an investment yet. I think it's going to be once I start renting it out sometime in the future.   But yeah, I would say that my investments are very much so just simple stock portfolio with my retirement vehicles, a property that could become a rental property, I do want to get more into real estate in the future. I will be honest, that is something that has intimidated me so much I should take your course.   Michael: Come to Roofstock Academy, Yeah absolutely!   Diania: Yes, yes. And all of my friends are reaching financial independence so much quicker than me through the real estate strategy. So I'll tell you a fun story. My one of my first events that I went to five events was called Camp Mustache. It's like followers of Mister Money Mustache. And I actually ran a breakout session. That was all attendee case studies. So there were four of us, who basically opened up the books on our finances, here's our income, here's our expenses. Here's where our portfolio stands today, here are the assumptions that we're making. Here's our growth trajectory. Here are some, you know, nuances we want to point out, and we let people like poke holes in our plan, because we're in a room full of   Michael: Vulnerable that is awesome.   Diania: So yeah, it was, it was great. For me, because, you know, I'm figuring all this stuff out on my own reading about stuff. And to be able to, like be in a room of other really smart people, many of which, who have already reached financial independence. And for them to be like, No, you're good. Like, do you don't need to stress about tax loss harvesting, you're fine. You know, like that, that was really reassuring to me to have. So it was almost like, I was always a good student, you know. So it feels like I got the good star that a plus for my teacher.   But what was fascinating about that breakout session is that two of the case studies, were these two guys, that made half my income, literally half my income, but they were on this fast track to FI they were going to reach it and half of my time, because of their real estate strategy. So I really do think like real estate is the way to do it the fastest. I think it's obviously more complex, it can be more labor intensive than just, you know, buying index funds. And, you know, you don't have to plunge a toilet on an index fund in the middle of the night. You know, you don't have to deal with tenants and all that stuff. So I definitely think that index funds strategy is easier. But it I think it is faster if you go with real estate.   Michael: Yeah. And just for everyone listening, how much did we pay you for that plug for real estate?   Diania: Nothing. I mean, it's just me watching all of my friends killing it. And like trying to work up the courage to do it myself.   Michael: Yeah, come on over. We I know a great place for you, we can get you all squared away. Because I couldn't agree more I think it you hit the nail on the head that anybody can go pick a stock and just put their money into it. And they can make money, they can lose money. I think real estate is more complicated. Coach Tom and I want to do their coaches at the Academy just put out a YouTube video talking about how passive real estate investing really is?   And the answer is, it's not for most of us, it's not here to go buy property it's not. So you really need to go learn about what's involved, versus kind of just throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks in terms of stock picking. Or you get this collective, you know, collective safety when you're buying the entire market. So I love that. I love that data. This has been so awesome. Thank you so much for hanging out with me. Do you have any final parting wisdom for everybody who's listening?   Diania: Oh, man, I feel like I gave you all my gems, all of my sound bites.   Michael: So then let's go back and re listen to this episode if you're listening at home, and where can people find out more about you and the economy conference?   Diania: Yeah, so if you go to economeconference.com. And that's econome with an ME at the end, not an MY, because if you look at the spelling of my name, I really appreciate misspelled words.   Economy conference.com, you can read about all our speakers, you can see all the programming we have planned. You can buy tickets there. Again, it's happening in just a month. So it's right around the corner at the University of Cincinnati. And then you can also subscribe to Optimal Finance Daily, which is the daily podcast that I host and you can allow me to serenade you with the sweet sounds of personal finance knowledge.   Michael: Fantastic. Well, thank you again. I definitely look forward to seeing you again. And I will talk to you soon.   Diania: Awesome. Thanks so much, Michael.   Michael: Thanks and talk to you soon. All righty, everybody, that was our episode a big big, big thank you to Diana that was so much fun. One of one of the most fun episodes I think we've recorded in a long time. So a big thank you to her again. There are so many nuggets of wisdom, pearls of joy of gold, whatever the expression is, so definitely go back and give that episode another listen to again, thanks so much for listening. And as always, we look forward to seeing you on the next one. Happy investing

This is a crossover episode on both the Stacking Benjamins Podcast as well as Earn & Invest. Joe Saul-Sehy and I interview CampFI Southwest participants about their unique financial stories. We cover starting too late, the expat life, and tackling huge amounts of debt. 

We went campin' (well, Joe and Doc G did) and dug up some inspiring and amazing money stories from fellow campers. We are live today from Camp FI (financial independence) and Joe and special guest co-host Doc G (Earn and Invest) hear from four people about their journey to financial independence. One couple didn't start saving for retirement until age 50 and retired at age 60, one woman has been living abroad for 20 years after initially thinking she'd be there for 1 or 2, and two women share their massive debt payoff stories. These are sure to inspire and motivate you in your own journey and it was a blast talking to each of them. Enjoy!

This episode was taped live at CampFI Midwest 2021. We discuss old school vs new school FI. How has the community and movement evolved. Hear some standard bearers for the movement plus many new voices to our community. Why come to a CampFI? Listen to this episode to understand why.

Doug and Carl discuss hiking, guitars, and upcoming conferences they’ll be attending including FInCon and EconoMe. They also discuss their recent adventures at Camp FI. Then it’s time to answer some questions (and respond to hate mail) from the listeners. Topics covered include: What phone apps do you like? What are your favorite podcasts? Where does your money go after you die? Do you include your home in your 4% Rule calculations? How does inflation affect the 4% rule? When withdrawing money from your investment portfolio in retirement, should you take a year’s worth of expenses out at a time? Or is it smarter to take it in smaller chunks? And much more! Links: Lex Fridman: Lex Fridman Podcast – Lex Fridman Tim Ferris (Rolf Potts): Rolf Potts on Travel Tactics, Creating Time Wealth, and Lateral Thinking (#41 & #42) Tim Ferris (Arnold Schwarzenegger): Tim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More) (#60) Huberman Lab: https://hubermanlab.com/ Tropical MBA: The Podcast for Location Independent Entrepreneurs FinCon: finconexpo.com EconoMe Conference: economeconference.com (discount code below) ____ ★ Let's hang out at the EconoMe Conference! ★ Carl is speaking at EconoMe and Doug is attending. You can save 10% by using this coupon code: 1500 *Affiliate link so we get a commission if you buy something.

Doug and Carl discuss hiking, guitars, and upcoming conferences they'll be attending including FInCon and EconoMe. They also discuss their recent adventures at Camp FI. Then it's time to answer some questions (and respond to hate mail) from the listeners. Topics covered include: What phone apps do you like? What are your favorite podcasts? Where does your money go after you die? Do you include your home in your 4% Rule calculations? How does inflation affect the 4% rule? When withdrawing money from your investment portfolio in retirement, should you take a year's worth of expenses out at a time? Or is it smarter to take it in smaller chunks? And much more! Links: Lex Fridman: Lex Fridman Podcast - Lex Fridman Tim Ferris (Rolf Potts): Rolf Potts on Travel Tactics, Creating Time Wealth, and Lateral Thinking (#41 & #42) Tim Ferris (Arnold Schwarzenegger): Tim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More) (#60) Huberman Lab: https://hubermanlab.com/ Tropical MBA: The Podcast for Location Independent Entrepreneurs FinCon: finconexpo.com EconoMe Conference: economeconference.com (discount code below) Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! ____ ★ Let's hang out at the EconoMe Conference! ★ Carl is speaking at EconoMe and Doug is attending. You can save 10% by using this coupon code: 1500 *Affiliate link so we get a commission if you buy something. **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won't even make such a claim. You shouldn't take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren't certified financial planners or advisors. We're not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Doug and Carl interview Stephen Baughier, the creator of Camp FI. They discuss: The creation of Camp FI The importance of community Future Camp FIs Camp FI – Highly recommended! Go if you can… Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! ★ Let's hang out at the EconoMe Conference! ★ Carl is speaking at EconoMe and Doug is attending. You can save 10% by using this coupon code: 1500 *Affiliate link so we get a commission if you buy something.

Doug and Carl interview Stephen Baughier, the creator of Camp FI. They discuss: The creation of Camp FI The importance of community Future Camp FIs Camp FI – Highly recommended! Go if you can… Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! ★ Let's hang out at the EconoMe Conference! ★ Carl is speaking at EconoMe and Doug is attending. You can save 10% by using this coupon code: 1500 *Affiliate link so we get a commission if you buy something. **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won't even make such a claim. You shouldn't take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren't certified financial planners or advisors. We're not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Doug and Carl host a panel of three guests and answer audience questions at Camp FI Rocky Mountain. Also on the stage are Lynn (FI Healthcare), Ray (Waffles On Wednesday), and Josh. Lynn talks about financially taking care of relatives Ray goes down a rabbit hole talking about rabbit holes The pros and cons of two-ply toilet paper Carl learns a new word: “manscaping” And much, much more. Links: Camp FI – Highly recommended! Go if you can… FI Healthcare – Lynn’s Site about Health Care options Waffles on Wednesday – Ray’s Blog Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! ★ Let's hang out at the EconoMe Conference! ★ Carl is speaking at EconoMe and you can save 10% by using this coupon code: 1500 *Affiliate link so we get a commission if you buy something.

Doug and Carl host a panel of three guests and answer audience questions at Camp FI Rocky Mountain. Also on the stage are Lynn (FI Healthcare), Ray (Waffles On Wednesday), and Josh. Lynn talks about financially taking care of relatives Ray goes down a rabbit hole talking about rabbit holes The pros and cons of two-ply toilet paper Carl learns a new word: "manscaping" And much, much more. Links: Camp FI - Highly recommended! Go if you can... FI Healthcare - Lynn's Site about Health Care options Waffles on Wednesday - Ray's Blog Join the Mile High FI Club – It's our email list! ★ Let's hang out at the EconoMe Conference! ★ Carl is speaking at EconoMe and you can save 10% by using this coupon code: 1500 *Affiliate link so we get a commission if you buy something. **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won't even make such a claim. You shouldn't take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren't certified financial planners or advisors. We're not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

After four years of talking about the aggregation of marginal gains and the idea of getting 1% better, ChooseFI has accumulated quite a lengthy list you can stack together. If you can invest a little bit of time to fix something, you’ll never have to invest that time again. Brad recently decided to move away from paper files and bills to join the digital age, while Jonathan has been using a subscription service to stop the paper junk mail sent to him. Chris Hutchins shared a final hack with Brad after the end of the last episode that didn’t make it into the recording. Chris uses a browser extension to view book availability at his local library and borrow or place a hold on it. Brad and Jonathan selectively pick from the list of 100 ways to get 1% better with your finances, starting with #3, Reading (or Listening) to One New Finance or Investing Book Each Month. Jonathan thinks this tip could be expanded to include non-fiction books that improve you in some way. #4 on the list is to learn a new skill. It could be for obtaining background knowledge, gaining a marketable skill, or simply for interest’s sake. Although complacency can be seen as a bad thing, don’t mistake complacency for contentment. Other tips include getting outside to exercise or try a new hiking or biking trail every week. Mix things up. There is a never-ending stream of free YouTube exercise classes to choose from. Are you aware of your local FI group? While COVID has kept us physically apart, we are coming to the other end. You can invest in your local community. As for dealing with debt, Brad says you need to sit down and be honest with yourself. Understand what you owe, who you owe it to, how much you make each month, and how much you spend. If you spend more than you make, you need to stop right now, and at least get to the point where you aren’t adding more debt. Once you get to that place, Jonathan says you can look for ways to optimize your debt payoff, such as zero balance transfers. And then work to improve your credit score by putting a system in place, like autopay, to ensure you never miss a payment. If you do not have $1,000, you don’t need an emergency fund, you need a crisis fund. You need $1,000 that doesn’t have a bill attached to it that you could draw on in a crisis. Once you have that, then you can think about building an emergency fund. Use your tax refund to establish your crisis fund. Next, don’t give the government an interest-free loan and work it so that you don’t get a tax refund. The opportunity cost of having the government hold your money for a year is potentially big. When financially responsible and on the path to FI, you don’t want a big refund. You want to be saving and investing it all year long. You can learn to do just about anything on YouTube, especially do-it-yourself home repair tutorials that will save you money. Even replacing your incandescent bulbs with LED is easy to do and saves on energy costs. While lowering your hot water heater temperatures and adjusting the thermostat won’t make you wealthy overnight, stacking these tips with others is the whole point of getting 1% better. Declutter your home and donate or sell items to simplify your life. Owning a car costs a lot. Trying to manage the payment for a new car every 5 years versus buying a car and driving it for 15 years can have a dramatic impact on your path to FI. The one decision to drive a new car for 15 years, made just three times over an adult’s lifetime can result in a $742,000 difference. If you can stack car ownership savings with other money savings hacks on food, or housing, it can mean a difference of multiple millions. It doesn’t need to be about deprivation but just doing a little better than average to end up with millions more than your counterpart who is drifting through their financial life. #33 on the list is to shop your car insurance every year, which Brad extends as something to be done with all your insurance policies. Make it a yearly “to do” task. Unfortunately, companies don’t incentivize customers to stay, they incentivize customers to leave other companies to come to them. Even if you don’t want to switch, at least try and negotiate a better price. There are even companies who will do this for you. There are a few ways to optimize healthcare, such as using a high-deductible health care plan with an HSA, prescription discount tools, and locking in medical service prices with websites, such as MDSave. The health benefits of focusing on exercise and healthy food choices can not be overstated. 80-90% of the treatment modalities would go so much further if stacked with a healthy diet and lifestyle. To keep food costs in check, Brad and his wife, Laura, try to anchor themselves to a $2 per person per meal goal. Laura has even curated a series of healthy recipes that fall within that cost. Everything is negotiable. When Brad had a recent medical procedure, he simply asked if there was a pay-in-full discount and received a 30% discount. Saving puts money in your pocket, and so does earning more money. There’s never been a better time for a side hustle. CampFI’s are back! Brad will be attending the mid-Atlantic CampFI over Memorial Day weekend. Resources Mentioned In Today’s Conversation ChooseFI Ep 317 All the Hacks | Chris Hutchins PaperKarma Library Extention 100 Ways to Get 1% Better With Your Finances Find your local group at ChooseFI.com/local ChooseFI Episode 022 The True Cost of Car Ownership Trim Review: Bill Negotiation Without the Hassle ChooseFI.com/lemonade GoodRx MDSave Ulta Lab Tests Eat Healthy and Save Money with Laura Barrett Cookbook Sign up for the free travel course at ChooseFI.com/travel ChooseFI Episode 311 How to Travel for Free | Stereo Live Q&A The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Great for Cash Back or Travel Rewards Subscribe to Brad’s newsletter, The FI Weekly CampFI If You Want To Support ChooseFI: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI’s 3-card credit card strategy.  Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence.      

Life gets busy when you have a new baby, so Chris Hutchins is on a quest to learn all the hacks, optimize his life, and share what he’s learned with you in his new podcast, All the Hacks. The goal of the podcast is to help listeners upgrade their lives by living more exciting, fulfilling lives without spending a lot more money and optimizing it all along the way. Life hacks tend to fall into one of three camps. It clicks with and becomes second nature, you find a way to automate it so you don’t even have to think about it, or it’s too much work and you never do it again. If you can find where optimization and excitement intersect, it’s a huge win for you and your family. When Chris thinks about life hacks, he thinks about different aspects of his life and what the important parts are, such as family, work, finances, shopping, travel, and self. Categories may also be broken down into multiple subcategories. Jonathan says the idea of life hacks and living his life in a slightly more optimized way is what led him to financial independence which he says is the ultimate life hack as it helps us reclaim our most precious non-renewable resource, our time. Coming out of a year of lockdown, it seems like everyone is planning to travel somewhere. Chris recommends using Google Flights to get quick insight into flight prices with flexibility on airports and dates. For hotel planning, Chris says it’s often a choice between a better price or a better experience. Trip Advisor recently launched Trip Advisor Plus, a paid membership service that allows them to offer hotel rates around 7-8% off because the rates are not available to the general public. However, booking directly with the hotel will likely get you a better experience. In addition to booking directly, reaching out to someone on the sales team or the general manager will often get you an upgrade or some sort of amenity. You may be able to find the names of individuals by seeing who is responding to reviews on Trip Advisor. Having status with the hotel can help as well. A family life hack Jonathan and his wife began doing is creating a shared family photo library and build a slideshow of their favorites from the year. Brad believes another life hack is just being a good person and making personal connections because it makes others want to go to bat for you. A lot of customer service reps have the discretion to do things for you that they wouldn’t if you get angry with them. Website account hacks are becoming more commonplace and passwords are frequently stolen so using the same password for everything can be trouble. Check to see if your account has been part of a data breach at Haveibeenpwned. A password manager makes it easier to use unique passwords for all your accounts. Increasing security with two-factor authentication helps make your accounts even more secure. Chris has a fireproof box in his home where he keeps important documents and the one password he uses with his password manager 1Password. In the event of death or incapacitation, a legacy binder has all the information loved ones need to manage your affairs. As mentioned on the show previously, Brad uses ToDoist to track all his tasks. Chris says that you can’t use any software system like ToDoist for an hour and see the magic. Commit to it. When it comes to renting cars, Chris rents with Avis using a Costco discount. He says to make sure if you’re a member of something, you find out if they have deals for you. Autoslash and Turo are additional ways to possibly save money on rental cars. Chase and American Express credit cards have offers to save many when using their cards. Listener Jessica asked about life hacks for type A career women and mothers on the path to FI. Chris thinks there is power in being incredibly passionate about a company you want to work for. He also says you can negotiate your salary all of the time especially if you present data that you are being underpaid. Before having their baby. Chris was able to find almost half of the items on their baby register in the second-hand marketplace, which allowed them to have everything they wanted and not skimp out on their savings rate. Similarly, Brad’s wife Laura is able to plan ahead for the future and buy seasonal clothing for their daughters at tremendous discounts. Another life hack, meal planning, is something that Chris and his wife just purchased for introducing their baby to solid foods. He says there is a bare minimum of what your time is worth. While they could have done it for free, buying the meal plan freed up a lot of their time making the cost worth it. Jonathan says for baby clothes, his wife was able to make out like a bandit using local buy nothing groups. Plus, she has been able to arrange a neighbor exchange to keep kids in clothing as they grow. And within their home, they rotate toys to keep them interesting. Another resource Jonathan has for Jessica is Dour and Carol’s book, Raising Your Money-Savvy Family, while Chris recommends moms’ groups, who share information and recommendations with each other Chris says meal planning is his biggest hack when it comes to cooking. He uses Paprika to save recipes, meal plan, and grocery shop. Steven Boyer from CampFI recommends if you cook something often, keep all of the items you use physically together. Brad used a little hack like that to remove the pain points he was experiencing make his morning smoothie prep go more smoothly. Holly says if you have a separate freezer, you can buy meat in bulk when they are on sale and then have them whenever you need them. Although Jonathan and his wife tried once a month meal prep, they have moved to cooking two to three meals a week and eating leftovers. Chris says he intentionally scales his meal sin Paprika up so that they have leftovers. Brad likes to reduce the paradox of choice by eating the exact same meal every day for breakfast and needs a system for lunch. To reduce her paradox of choice and frustration, Leslie created a capsule wardrobe for her closet by pretending she was packing for a three-week trip. Chris has been culling his wardrobe by separating the clothing he has worn and washed from what stays in his drawers. The things that have remained in the drawers he can get rid of. Karen’s daughter hates the idea of college and has an entrepreneurial mindset. Chris says there are so many opportunities to learn these days but the hardest thing is to tangibly identify something you can do. Get experience. Starting something doesn’t mean it has to be your full-time job. You can explore the entrepreneurial side while doing something else. Learning new skills is valuable. Try a bunch and see what lights you up. You don’t need to go to college anymore to earn an above-median income which is something he discusses in the Talent Stacker podcast. Jonathan and Bradley Rice built a job placement program around Salesforce which might be something Karen’s daughter would be interested in. Chris says automation is magical and one of the things that drew him to work at Wealthfront was financial automation where he works on automation that directs your money where you want it to go automatically. Resources Mentioned In Today’s Conversation Lifehacker.com ChooseFI Episode 071 Silicon Valley FI | Chris Hutchins | Grove ChooseFI Episode 121R How to Get Any Job ChooseFI Episode 311 How to Travel For Free | Stereo Live Q&A Sign up for the FREE travel rewards course! Google Flights Trip Advisor Plus Haveibeenpwned.com 1Password ChooseFI’s recommended legacy binder ToDoist Autoslash Turo The Buy Nothing Project Raising Your Money-Savvy Family for Next Generation Financial Independence by Carol Pittner and Doug Nordman Paprika Recipe Manager CampFI.org Talent Stacker Choosefi.com/salesforce Wealthfront.com/cash If You Want To Support ChooseFI: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI’s 3-card credit card strategy.  Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence.  

Growing up in Madagascar, Jessica saw this shocking reality first hand. Later as a Masters' student, Jessica founded Camp Fihavanana (Camp Fi) to lift up the lost generations of her home in Madagascar. The Malagasy word “Fihavanana” embraces the concept of kinship, friendship, and community. In this interview, we sit down with Jessica to learn about the elements of Camp Fi and her masters' thesis research paper titled, “A Day in the Life Madagascar through Camp Fihavanana: Raising Courageous Leaders through a Youth Development Program”. Jessica is the founder of the social enterprise Raffia Madagascar and the non-profit Camp Fi. Jessica wrote her thesis on Camp Fi- a camp that helps students explore their potential through sports, adventure, and leadership training. Her work at Camp Fi is rooted in instilling in a deep sense of community and commitment to do good in the world. Her second venture, Raffia Madagascar was created to unleash economic opportunities for women by equipping them with an entrepreneurial spirit, and the business skills necessary to achieve sustainable income. This is part 2 of 2 of our interview with Jessica Every Wednesday we post a new episode! Don't forget to subscribe and follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and engage on the internet ;) beyondthenowpod.com https://twitter.com/BeyondTheNowPod

Growing up in Madagascar, Jessica saw this shocking reality first hand. Later as a Masters' student, Jessica founded Camp Fihavanana (Camp Fi) to lift up the lost generations of her home in Madagascar. The Malagasy word “Fihavanana” embraces the concept of kinship, friendship, and community. In this interview, we sit down with Jessica to learn about the elements of Camp Fi and her masters' thesis research paper titled, “A Day in the Life Madagascar through Camp Fihavanana: Raising Courageous Leaders through a Youth Development Program”. Jessica is the founder of the social enterprise Raffia Madagascar and the non-profit Camp Fi. Jessica wrote her thesis on Camp Fi- a camp that helps students explore their potential through sports, adventure, and leadership training. Her work at Camp Fi is rooted in instilling in a deep sense of community and commitment to do good in the world. Her second venture, Raffia Madagascar was created to unleash economic opportunities for women by equipping them with an entrepreneurial spirit, and the business skills necessary to achieve sustainable income. This is part 1 of 2 of our interview with Jessica Every Wednesday we post a new episode! Don't forget to subscribe and follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and engage on the internet ;) beyondthenowpod.com https://twitter.com/BeyondTheNowPod

Listen in to this episode as Chris and Debbie have an entertaining and informative conversation with Juan Fernandez, an immigrant from Maracaibo, Venezuela.Juan tells us all about:growing up in a hardworking, middle-class family that emphasized education and valued responsibilityhis family-centered upbringing in which, "what happens to one family member, happens to every family member."his parents' focus on saving for the future ("Money doesn't grow on trees." "Save, save, save because you never know what might happen.")the abundant, booming Venezuela of his youth where, "all you could see were opportunities."scarcity mindsetwhat he learned from seeing his father lose his job of 19 years and how it continues to influence him todayhow he was able to get his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Venezuela and the U.S., debt-free, through scholarships, fellowships, and becoming a research assistantwhy he decided to stay in the U.S. after graduatinghis financial motivations and reasons to work toward financial independence (FI)the ways he continues to improve as a husband, father, and employeeYou'll want to check out Episode 22 to learn about Juan's marriage performance reviews if you missed it. You'll be glad you did!Other resources from this episode:Learn more about Juan, his path to financial independence, and connect with him through his blog, ajourneytofi.com.Check him out on Twitter.Connect with others interested in financial independence at a CampFi near you.Music used in today's episode courtesy of the artist or Free Music ArchiveIntro - Charlie HaydenOutro - Thorn and Shout

Listen in to this "pop-up" episode of the podcast from CampFI Rocky Mountain 2020.Our guests at the mic accepted Stephen Baughier's challenge to share their big ideas with the community at CampFI, where he was sure they'd find support, encouragement, and other big ideas in response.J.D. Roth of getrichslowly.com helps us understand how to find purpose through big and not so big ways.Jason Yamnitz shares a big idea--so big it may even be a bit scary--he's had brewing for a very long time. Get in touch with him on Facebook and/or Instagram.Nick Boonie explains how he's finding that financial independence is possible for us all, even those who don't fit the traditional F.I. mold.Daniel Webb empowers us to reclaim the dream with him through his conversation about rediscovering the dreams of his past by connecting with a community that supports and inspires him.Rachel Richards (moneyhoneyrachel.com) shares all of her big ideas, pre- and post-retirement at the age of 27. She'd like to gift our community with her free, passive income starter kit.Peter Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache) wraps up the conversation with a really big idea, indeed. You'll want to listen through to the end to find out what it is!Other resources mentioned in this episode:https://www.choosefi.com/Money Honey: A Simple 7-Step Guide for Getting Your Financial $hit TogetherPassive Income Aggressive RetirementGoBucketYourself.comFree, Stop the Drift Workbook

Hey F.I.R.E. Folks! How's it going? Are you thinking about attending a F.I.R.E. focused event? I recently attended CampFi Rocky Mountain and thought it would be a great idea to share my experience. I talk about: the venue, the content, the experience, and of course the people. I also share how it was to attend an event during COVID. We did wear masks, socially distanced and spent a lot of time outdoors.  To Access the Show Notes: https://michelleismoneyhungry.com/campfi-rocky-mountain

Today's episode features Christine Hughey who owns A Little Local Flavor food tour business. Christine navigated several cities and years to land her dream job in Nashville. Then shortly after, Christine would be celebrating a new marriage and devastated by their household income dropping from $120k to $35k. At the bottom, she took a challenge to start her own business and in no time had created a six-figure food tour company that is growing at leaps and bounds. Listen, learn, and let us know what you think about Christine's amazing turnaround. Episode Summary Christine's background She feels like she had a better than average financial understanding growing up Christine would go visit who are Grandmother who tasked them with tracking stock prices Her Grandmother would also buy them small stocks in companies they understood It gave them something to chat about over their times apart Christine admits that she took all those lessons for granted until much later When it was time to go to college, Christine wanted to get into the print industry This ended up requiring her to get an engineering degree at the college she was at From there she moved to Colorado and got a job she did not enjoy Journey Towards FI In 2006 she is making around $35k per year and saving around $200 per month She also realized a true engineering job wasn't going to be there for her in Denver From there she moved to a small town in Texas for a few years Then her dream job opened up in Nashville, TN Things Begin to Fall Apart We're now entering 2013 on the journey and Christine is hitting her groove Until she is shocked to find out that she'll be losing that dream job quickly after starting Leading up to this, they had tried to push more and more work on her with no increased pay Christine's husband helped her through this down period Then she got a new contract for a dream job as an engineer and things were looking up Then six weeks after their honeymoon, that new contract got pulled and she was unemployed On top of this, her husband lost his largest income-generating gig Six weeks after their honeymoon they saw their pay get cut from $120k to $35k They started cutting all expenses and downsizing their house Christine admits that the whole experience was crushing She vowed to never let one company be the source of her income The turnaround Christine finally finds work at a food tour company in Nashville The hours are long and the pay had gotten cut in half Then January 2018 happened and her life completely changed This was when she attended her first financial independence event Christine attended CampFI down in Florida At the conference, she was challenged to start her own food tour company When she got home, she quit her job and started her own business that May This was the start of A Little Local Flavor Building a Six-Figure Business Christine admits she was out of her comfort zone What got her through was just taking one small step every day Most of her education came from podcasts It took some time for her to shed being an engineer as her identity As she built her team she had several keys she wanted to hit Some things she wanted was to fair pay, have strong values, and a good work environment She then layers in lots of bonuses into her employees' pay This small step really incentivizes them to do great work By the end of 2018, they had over $60k in sales But then 2019 grew like crazy She grew her team to include 8 employees They also saw the number of visitors grow to 4400 and sales to $330k With that, they took home 23% as profit Christine expects to grow that margin and increase tour types and locations Her 2020 goal is $500k for the company She also hopes to be able to scale back her involvement   Key Takeaways Social Currency: Christine talks about how to put ou...

Today's episode features Josh Overmyer from JoshOvermyer.com Josh lost his job and a major chunk of his home value in 2009. That would force him back under his parents' roof for two years. Luckily he turned things around and discovered FI but it wasn't all roses. Josh takes us through that whole journey including bouncing back from failures with precious metals, penny stocks and peer to peer lending. Listen, learn, and let us know what you think. Episode Summary Josh's background Grew up in small-town Indiana Dad worked in a factory, Mom works as HR manager both 20+ year careers First in his family with a 4-year degree He majored in Urban development Moved down to Fort Myers Florida in 2005 The Great Recession Hits Then the recession hit and work came to a halt Then in July 2009, he lost his job Josh then moved back home to stay above water He had bought a house that saw its value get severely lowered Josh had to keep up a low-cost lifestyle for two years He averaged $19k in spending Josh would move out of his parents' house in 2011 Bumpy Path to FI Then he started finding FI/RE bloggers like J Money Josh eventually found a job in grant administration Then Josh starts talking about the failures he’s learned from These include investing in precious metals, penny stocks, and peer to peer lending Hitting His Stride Josh would land a new job back down in Florida At the exact same time, he would start driving for Uber He just kept saving and saving July of 2017 he started maxing out his 457 Over his 3.5 years working in Florida he would start at  30% and ramp-up Josh then covers all the activities he takes place in the FI community In his day to day life, he doesn’t have people to talk about Finance with But through FinCon and CampFI he has found his people  He has also credited Travel Rewards as the biggest game-changer for him The whole 3.5 years he worked he didn’t have vacation so he saved points Now he’s utilizing those points and recommends the Capital One credit card Josh then talks about how to hit those minimum spends   Key Takeaways Life hits hard: Josh never could have seen his world flipped upside down from the recession, but it did and he wasn't prepared Learning from mistakes: Josh tried several different angles at investing before finding his groove Stay Positive: Josh is so upbeat about his story and now in a great place and will be ready for the next market challenge Call to Action Head over to our Facebook Group and let us know a failure you've had and what you learned from it. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Check out our Sponsors Empower is a mobile app that makes managing your money the easiest thing you do all day. How? Automated saving. Painless budgeting and spend tracking. Human coaches ready to share personalized recommendations on how to pay down debt, uncover extra savings, and tackle any other finance question on your mind. Proactive tips and up-to-the-minute alerts to help you make better financial choices in real-time. Make sure to use offer code FISHOW when you sign up to earn a $5 bonus when you reach your savings goal! To be eligible to receive the $5 bonus, (a) you must enter offer code FISHOW at signup, (b) you must be an active Empower subscriber, (c) you must open your Empower AutoSave account no later than 4/30/20, and (d) your Empower AutoSave account must have reached a balance milestone of $100 or more 30 days after opening the account...

We discuss Short Middle of the Workweek Overnight MicroAdventures, and why getting out into Nature and disconnecting from technology and the drudgery of day to day tasks is essential for raising a healthy vibrant family. https://www.famvestor.com/045 Links: Harriman NY State Park: http://www.myharriman.com/lean-lean-camping/ Dark Skies PA State Park: https://cherryspringsstatepark.com/stargazing/ Watkins Glen NY State Park: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/142/ Robert Treman NY State Park: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/135/ CampFI: https://campfi.org/ REI Garage Sale: https://www.rei.com/events/86150/members-only-garage-sale

Working in Infection Prevention and Control for 13 of the 15 years she’s been a nurse Miranda has been able to turn her specialization into multiple side hustles. Her path to FI has included house hacking in a camper with their two kids and two dogs for eight months while building their home. Financial independence isn’t too far away for Miranda and her supportive husband as they live off of less than they make and invest heavily with real estate investing as their next frontier. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram and Facebook. Join the Financially Intentional community and get access to resources to guide you on the path to Financial Freedom.Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Links mentioned:CampFIReach out to Miranda: miranda.williams.rn@gmail.comAffiliates: Blooom Student Loan PlannerStay connected:Join the NOF Facebook group To read the full show notes, visit www.nursesonfirepodcast.com/podcastHow to share a podcast How to subscribe, rate and review a podcastTo learn more about the giveaway, click hereI’d love for you to join me at the Financial Freedom Summit in St. Louis May 1-3, 2020

Today's episode was recorded live at Camp FI down near Gainesville, Florida. Camp FI is a retreat of 40-60 people at locations across the country filled with people chasing FI and supporting fellow members of the community. This episode highlights people who were convinced to come to CampFI without any background to the FI/RE movement. Two other interviews include a graduate student studying the FI/RE movement and the camp's creator, Stephen. Stephen talks about the origins and future of this camp and the motivations to keep this community growing. Listen, learn, and let us know what you think. Episode Summary Laura Inspired by an interview with Vicki Robbins She was drawn by the way people see the role of work in their lives The community was also very open to being researched She noted how diverse the age and background was of the movement It also came out that most people actually love their jobs The last thing she called out was how intentional and conscious of their decisions You can email her at firestudy@umich.edu if you're interested in being interviewed Mike He never could have imagined being at a conference like this A friend of his recommended that he came He notes how ready he is to take action the minute he gets home Mike really recommends that people give this community a chance Tactically he got an overview on how to get his realtor's license He didn't image the generosity that he found with the community Roople Rupel is a practicing physician She loves the challenge of why you're living life the way you are Rupel calls out the trouble she sees with physician burnout She also noted how easy it was to have deep, personal conversations with this community While at the conference she moved investments away from higher fee options to low-cost index funds She hopes that doctors will dig a little deeper and find why they love doing what they do Refocusing on that and restructuring their life she hopes will alleviate the burnout Since hearing about the movement, she ditched her overpriced apartment and bought a home Creator of CampFI - Stephen Stephen tried to make more of an emphasis on making real connections with the attendees He hopes that people who are looking to get involved with FI/RE community will just jump in Stephen first attended a camp like this in 2016 and knew he had to spread this idea to more people This year they look to have at least nine of these camps all across the country Stephen had no background in event planning and didn't know what to expect Luckily everyone showed up who bought tickets the first year Also worth noting that CampFI is where Cody & Justin met and The FI Show was born   Key Takeaways FI isn't so different: Many of the stories we heard from FI "newbies" during the week mentioned that this community isn't just a bunch of "weirdos" and "money nerds". It's just people making slightly more conscious decisions. So many paths: There was so much diversity: age, gender, profession, and general paths to FI. It showed just how many ways there are. People are good: The American news cycles are often rough and draining. It's nice reminding yourself just how good people really are. Call to Action Start leaning on or creating a community around you that supports your growth as a person and your goals to reaching FI. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Check out our Sponsors One of the best ways to protect your family is with term life insurance.

In today's episode, you'll hear from just your Hosts! That's right, no guests today, but plenty of voices will be heard. This episode is covering some of the activity that's been going on in our Community Facebook Page In today's episode, the guys share with you the powerful accomplishments The FI Show group is achieving. Also if you join the Community Facebook Page, we're starting a new thread for 2020 goals. Comment with your goals and we'll feature you on an episode coming out later as well as check-in and keep you accountable! As always they'll also be transparent with their own wins. Hopefully, you enjoy this special episode! Listen, learn, and let us know what you think. Episode Summary Wins from various community members Set up a Roth IRA for 18 yr old daughter Visited FI friends in 10 states Wrote a book with their daughter Got to at least one comma in each account Wrote a book 5 figures from a side hustle FIREd at 44 then hit UK Chautaqua, CampFI, and FinCon Reached FI at age 30 Maxed out his and wife's 401k Couple that both FIRE'd before 30 Vacationed and paid off a truck Paid off a mortgage Fired a financial advisor and started to DIY Transitioned to full time selling on Ebay and many more.... One huge transformation Discovered FI on Christmas of last year with only $1,500 in a checking account (plus some mutual funds for retirement) Since then, negotiated a $12k raise Got her company to pay for  PMP Volunteered at a startup to learn new skills to switch to a better-paying industry Moved to another job for ANOTHER $30k raise Automated savings to accumulate a $20k emergency fund Maxed out Roth and HSA for the first time, plus getting a 401k match! Took  time to think about WHY even pursue FI Now in the process of downsizing life and purchasing an RV to travel the country, see the public lands, and spend more time outdoors!  The Hosts Share Too Justin saved 76% and  is 80% of his way to FI He spent $23k while living in Boston With $10k of that going to rent...ouch Full break down of expenses for those curious Bills: $1,133 Travel: $315 Misc: $255 Eating out/drinks: $108 Gas: $61 Groceries: $53 Justin started a new job and upped his earnings Some notable trips to Hawaii, Mexico, Colorado, countless other trips and time with family   Cody spent $28k while also living in Boston Quit his job in January of 2019 Toured the country for 3 months living in a camper for Grant Sabatier's Financial Freedom book tour. Got the Financial Freedom Summit setup for 2020 And took a 3.5 week trip to Peru and Chile in December   Key Takeaway Reflection is Powerful: Both of us and the FI Show community felt so much more motivated to tackle 2020 and just felt so much better about ourselves after we realized how much we all crushed 2019 Call to Action Join the FI Show Community Page! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Check out our Sponsors One of the best ways to protect your family is with term life insurance. Even though we don't like to think about it, it's important to have financial protection in case the unexpected happens. Bestow is an awesome and reputable life insurance partner of ours that makes this process simple and easy. They use data to remove the doctor visits and paperwork involved with the traditional life insurance process. And you can apply from anywhere in just minutes. You don’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops to determine yo...

Financial independence comes in many different paths. I recently spoke at CampFi Southwest in Joshua Tree and met some incredible people who already hit their financial independence goals. There stories are fun, inspiring, and in some cases heartbreaking. Enjoy! Support... READ MORE The post 4 People Share About Life After FI | Live From CampFI SW appeared first on .

Start your morning on the right foot by grabbing a cup of coffee, and hanging out with me as we go through some of my weekly favorites of what I'm currently Reading, Listening, Watching, Eating, and Loving. Enjoy! The post Mondays With Me – Camp Fi Southwest + Where The Crawdads Sing appeared first on .

DocG and Paul attended CampFi Midwest and recorded in front of a live audience and asked 4 attendees why they attended CampFi so you can get a taste of what it's like to attend.  You can learn more about CampFi at campfi.org. This podcast was born as a result of the friendship first established at CampFi. Tickets do go quickly so if you're convinced you want to attend grab you tickets quickly before they're all scooped up.

#211: Hey there! I’m writing this from Croatia, where I’m beginning five weeks of travel that I’m calling my September Sabbatical. From now through September 23rd, I’ll be exploring the globe and enjoying a one-month break. Today, I’m kicking things off with a community-based episode. Here’s the backstory behind today’s show: There’s an event called CampFI, which is a 3-4 day gathering for people who are interested in financial independence. CampFI holds around half a dozen events per year in various locations; I spoke at one in Colorado Springs this past July. While I was there, two other podcasters and I decided to interview the participants to find out their “why of FI.” What motivates them to build financial independence? These interviews and stories from the community are today’s episode. Enjoy! For more information, visit the show notes at http://affordanything.com/episode211

Episode 43 was recorded in front of a live audience at CampFi Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs, CO. Paula Pant from the Afford Anything Podcast, Mindy Jensen from BiggerPockets Money Podcast and Paul Thompson from What's UP Next all co-host the episode and give CampFi attendees a chance to answer the question "What is Your Why of Fi?" Get your ticket to the next Camp at CampFi.org

This Bonus Episode of The Money Podcast was recorded live at CampFI, a financial independence retreat for people on all parts of the journey to Financial Independence. Scott Trench was celebrating his mom’s birthday, so Mindy Jensen is joined by Paul Thompson and Paula Pant, asking attendees of CampFI why they are on the path to Financial Independence, and hearing a bit about their stories. Answers range from spending more time with kids, to lifestyle, health, and simply being able to retire at all. If you feel like you’re the only one on the path to financial freedom, this episode shows that you’re not alone, this journey IS possible, and you CAN do it!

On today's episode, Cody and Justin are joined by Captain DIY as he breaks down his journey to becoming a professional electrician and how that intersects with his journey to financial independence. Cody and Justin have had a chance to hang out with the good Captain a couple of times including down at a Camp FI event. Go give it a listen and let us know what you think! Episode Summary Started money journey 8 years ago when his first child was born Their goal was to save $20k before their son was born He found himself spending a lot of his excess money on musical equipment His biggest change though was bringing his lunch to work and also his toughest He grew up learning how to build things with his dad but didn't see it as a passion and he went to school for graphic design He ended up spending 6 years taking community classes But his leap to being an electrician came from working at a sign shop and realized he might  be worth more to them if he was a licensed electrician to wire up the lighting He recommends starting with small projects to get into the DIY spirit such as changing out handles or painting He talks about the triple benefit of DIY which is saving money, getting a workout, and a lot of self-satisfaction Then he jumps into the potential of vocational high schools and apprenticeships vs traditional college and the debt that typically comes with it He also breaks downs the rates of pay for trades work that you do on your own vs working for another company which is about 4 times He recommends shopping around and talking with multiple tradesmen before hiring one to protect yourself from getting taking advantage of Key Takeaways Understand Value: He saw an opportunity to bring more value to his employer at the sign shop by diversifying his skill. It's always important to know what your boss is looking for and how to make yourself more valuable. Benefits in bunches: It seems like most skills and routines that we do for some benefit also bring 2nd and 3rd order impacts. As he said, DIY skills help in much broader strokes than just finances. Pride in your product: It was clear that the reason he has no trouble finding work is that the product he delivers is top notch. Whatever work or service you do, be honest, upfront, and deliver what you promise. Just think of how much even one bad review poisons your outlook on a product or service you're considering. If you want to build your brand, it has to be a brand people trust. Call to Action Make or fix something with your hands. There's just something therapeutic and rewarding to creating something or returning value to something that was previously useless. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Links from the Episode Electroboom Exploding Guitar Video   Contact Captain DIY: His Blog: DIY2FI.com Twitter: @DIYCaptain Instagram: @DIYCaptain   Learn More About Your Hosts: Fly to FI (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Today's episode is an extra special Valentine's day episode; Cody and Justin throw out all common sense by letting their significant others come on and give you an unfiltered behind the scenes look at what it's like to date someone so determined to retire young. While the girls take plenty of jabs at the guys, we think you'll also get some great insight on how to make money conversations with your significant other much more productive and approachable. Running behind on a Valentine's day gift? Just fire up this episode and grab a glass of wine for the perfect date night! Oh, and don't forget to say happy birthday to Cody! Episode Summary Laura’s parents weren’t into personal finance but she did understand being frugal and buying only what you need Leslie’s mom was big on spending money on experiences and things that were important but at the same time spending smart When Leslie first met Justin she noted how he asked even on the first date was asking questions about what her spending habits are Justin also used a coupon in combo with $2 beer night on their 2nd date Laura talked about her first dates with Cody involved using these free vouchers from Cody’s dad Laura sometimes felt like she was being difficult because she knew she was recommending a restaurant or activity that Cody wouldn’t normally do Then they start tackling positives on meeting someone so frugal Leslie talks about how much more travel it has opened up a ton of travel and how it’s not so much about the total of money but more about maximizing the money so maybe you go on two trips instead of one Laura talks about how dating Cody has changed her habits in relation to finances A common theme is being more intentional with money but at the same time teaching the guys to not stress so much over the small stuff Leslie talks about the importance of us splitting things and how you don’t have to feel like one person is pulling the weight Justin and Leslie say they probably speak about money in some form almost daily Laura mentions that sometimes it can seem overwhelming to talk about finances so much but she appreciates it and it’s better to be aware Then the guy’s swap the conversation to how the ladies have changed their lives Cody mentions things like charity and international volunteering Justin talks about opening up a little on the groceries and when something seems important to Leslie to just do it since they’re already so optimized Justin and Leslie discuss how their financial discussions first started which was spurred about because of Leslie changing jobs For Laura, Cody tried initially with straight numbers which didn’t really work but then once he introduced her to travel hacking it had her hooked The approach of bland numbers was also an unsuccessful attempt by Justin but he too realized the outcome was key. They started focusing on how they wanted life to be and things were a lot clearer Laura talks how Cody talked her into going to Camp FI by spinning it into a vacation Then they talk about how important it is for the guys to also support their passions Laura dreams of working in public works in places like Cambodia Then they discuss how the ladies feel and trust the numbers that the guys are steering to and how they’d feel about not working for upwards of 60 years Leslie & Laura feel confident and also recognize how flexible they and their careers are They then discuss what people who aren’t as focused on financial independence or as experienced would like to hear from things like the podcast Laura & Leslie talk about tips to get your spouse on board with a journey to financial independence such as recognizing things that are important to the other person and not crossing that line when drawing down expenses Key Takeaways Appreciate their sacrifice: It's often easy to look at yourself and feel proud of how you might be shaping up the finances for you a...

Ask yourself 'What kind of life do I want to live?' and then 'How much money do I need?'. Grant reached financial independence at the age of 30. But he was working 80-90 hour work weeks and was focusing more on the spreadsheets than actually enjoy the journey of FI. He's now published his first book and is touring the US to meet other people in the FI community, spreading what he's learnt over the years. His message is that FI is about living life on your own terms, and that you don't always need a million to be there. You'll love his story. We also chat about... FIRE events 2019 The good and the bad of these FIRE events How Grant researched his book Why he decided to write a book Grant's book tour His book giveaway Enjoy this chat with Grant, and please subscribe to us in iTunes if you enjoyed it! Show notes and links from today's episode Fyre Festival Documentary Chautauqua FI Above the Clouds Retreat Jim Collins Vicki Robins Afford Anything Our Next Life Millennial Revolution Alan Donegan Mr 1500 Montana Money Adventures ChooseFI Local Camp Mustache Camp FI Fincon Millennial Money Grant's book: Financial Freedom Book: Your Money or Your Life Mad Fientist Root of Good JD Roth Financial Samurai Fly to FI Financial Freedom website Key takeaways from our chat with Grant 1 - The good and the bad of FI events At the beginning of the episode Gwen and J discuss the different FI events coming up in the year 2019 and their personal experiences in previous ones. All events include meeting very interesting and nice people. Chautauqua includes travelling abroad and getting to know 25 people for one entire week. The ChooseFI local groups are great to meet people in your own area. Camp Mustache is more superficial but you get to meet a lot of new people. Camp FI is an event with 40-50 people and is a great place to meet FI people in your region/state. Gwen and J recommend starting off with events in your local area before spending money on overseas events. 2 - Why it's worth writing a book Grant has both a blog and a book. He tells us he wrote the book because he needed accountability, and wanted to fully reflect on what happen. He's also been to a lot of money events that are complete scams, so he wanted to create something that had credible true information. His book is a physical product that covers money from end to end, and the amazing part is that he is able to get the books translated and send them to schools, to libraries and all over the world. For him it was simply an easier way to spread the message of FI. 3 - Beware of the addiction One highlight of Grant's FI journey is that he was working 80-90 hour work weeks in order to reach his goal. In 5 years he went from having an empty bank account to having over a million. This cost him a lot of work, which in the end he admits he might not have needed. He didn't need a million dollars, he argues that a 6 month emergency fund would have been enough. He says that FI can be a money addiction in itself - you're constantly focusing on the spreadsheet and hitting those numbers, but then never get to enjoy the money you're bringing in. This is why Grant says that FI for him is about living life on your own terms. Questions? Like or dislike? Leave us a comment! Want to support the podcast? Here are three things you can do. 1. Start tracking your net worth with Personal Capital using our link. It's free. 2. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and get one extra LIVE episode from us per week. 3. Join our Facebook group and connect with other members of the FI community.

109R | Big ERN from Early Retirement Now joins the show to talk about the current market climate: How is it impacting investors, who could benefit, and what markers he uses to evaluate its actual condition? We also share a voicemail from Abby, who provides a few more helpful hints for teaching abroad. Highlights from the show: Brad maxed out his HSA for 2019, and talks about how he’s prioritizing fitness. Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life. Preview of who will be at the coming CampFI that Brad plans to attend. Review of Monday’s episode about teaching abroad, and the wide variety of opportunities available. A voicemail from Abby H., who is currently teaching in China and has experience in several other countries as well. Abby tried teaching in Kuwait, but found that despite a high salary the cost of living was also extremely high. Suggestions from Abby: Don’t just look for jobs in the Middle East, or other “high salary” locations. Try negotiating your salary/benefits offer. Look for options that don’t require purchasing a car. How did Rob and Scott, from Monday’s episode, replace fear with flexibility in each of their lives? Big ERN joins the show to talk about the current market situation: What is “sequence of returns” risk, and why does it matter? Under the assumption that the great recession or the dot-com bust will not repeat, Big ERN thinks it’s too early to worry about the current market climate. The 4% rule isn’t as untouchable as people think. With a small market downturn, it’s possible that some people will need to draw as much as 5%. If someone’s portfolio decreased this year, should they work a few more years to rebuild it, or count on the market recovering? If someone is still many years away from retirement, they shouldn’t worry too much about the market, and might actually be benefit from low stock prices. If you have a 50% or higher savings rate, you are going succeed financially, regardless of this drop in the market. The U.S. economy is still strong, so the value of the market isn’t necessarily going down – the price is just down. If someone has a sum of money ready to invest, should they invest it all at once, or employ “dollar-cost averaging”? Who should be concerned about the market and what should they be looking for? Look at the fundamentals of the U.S. economy to evaluate the conditions of the market. Big ERN just retired. His family is just settling in to a new house in Washington. Links: ChooseFI Local Groups are helping to build on-the-ground community TeachAway Early Retirement Now

108R | Brad and Jonathan talk through the various methods of calculating a yearly savings rate and the numbers necessary to do so, and review Monday’s episode about setting up special needs accounts.   Jonathan is back from 20 days with family in Zimbabwe, and Brad recaps his Christmas vacation. Brad and his family added 12 board games to their collection. William, from Monday’s episode, set out a road map for people who want or need to safe guard finances for special needs children or other dependents. Key: fund your trust as a part of executing your will to minimize tax liability. Start with a 529 Able, but as you reach $100k, begin to look at the next steps. Comment from Rebecca, that the 529 Able accounts in Nevada have higher fees than she preferred, so she’s funding a traditional 529 Plan and will eventually rotate it into a 529 Able. Every state currently has its own set of 529 Able options. Voicemail from Penny, who has a special needs trust and was on disability for 16 years, but has been back to work for the past 12 years and is now working to help her parents with their healthcare and financial needs. Financial independence is the ability to do the things that bring you joy, whether they bring in money or not. In 2019, ChooseFI is bringing in experts to answer specific, technical questions. William is helping to build the website, and a more user-friendly local group site. Brad is going to Camp FI in Florida soon. How to calculate your savings rate: Three different ways to calculate: Gross total compensation divided by how much you saved or invested. Take-home pay divided by how much you saved or invested. After-tax compensation divided by how much you saved or invested. Brad uses an excel sheet with three tabs: Profit & Loss (P&L), Net Worth, Accounts. In the Accounts tab, Brad records savings in each account at the beginning and end of the year, and totals up monthly expenses (cost of electric in Jan., Feb., Mar., etc.). Does Brad track every one of his credit card expenses? Net worth = add up all your assets and all your liabilities. For more information, including links mentioned in today's show, visit the show notes at http://ChooseFI.com/108R

We have an extra special gift for you today that requires no wrapping paper. This Holiday special Justin and Cody go at it alone with no guest to discuss their perspectives on materialistic Christmas, a brief recap of 2018 and their goals for 2019. We think you'll really enjoy getting to hear a little more from your hosts this week and see a little more behind the curtain on their personal lives. At the end of the episode, we asked that you start writing out your goals and sharing them with us so we can keep you accountable. You can drop those goals in a voicemail at TheFIshow.com/voicemail or look out for a thread on the facebook page at TheFIshow.com/community. Episode Summary Materialistic Christmas Discussion Justin and Cody discuss how their families viewed Christmas and gift giving growing up They also discuss how the Financial Independence community has changed their own views on it Justin makes a case for a materialistic Christmas being a positive thing in households where some family members never buy themselves anything that's not absolutely necessary and thus giving them the one chance per year to have something simply for enjoyment. They both discuss their most memorable Christmas gift which actually both turned out to be the thin playstation 2. It's also very clear though that they both value experiences over these items today Review of 2018 2018 was a packed year for both of the guys Cody started the year off with 5 months in Australia...wow this whole FI lifestyle sure is restrictive Justin kicked the year off with a trip to Iceland and kept the traveling going with 2 trips to Mexico with some scuba diving, three trips to Denver, the Grand Canyon, countless concerts, trip to the Hamptons, Vermont ski trips, and attended a UFC title fight This year is also the year Cody got deep into the FI movement and began Flytofi.com and this podcast Justin spent 5 months in a hotel due to a house fire but came out of it with 2.4 million Hilton points as a concession Cody got a chance to practice his speaking chops down at CampFI south Speaking of CampFI south, that's where Justin and Cody actually first met back in September. Justin then joined Cody as the new co-host of this podcast when T.J. had to step away. So far they've seen 20k downloads but feel like they're just now gaining traction and getting their systems set up to be more efficient with their time Just has also continued his work on his own blog Saving-Sherpa.com where he gives extreme transparency into his expenses and investing The hopes behind this are to try and show people you can still live a really exciting and rewarding life while on this journey He is also proud to still maintain his $60/month grocery bill for the 4th straight year Justin's savings rate is over 75% while paying rent and living in Boston which works out to be about $24k in annual expenses His net worth grew $68k this year even with the rough markets Cody is able to save 85% of his income while living at home. This gap between his income and expenses gives him amazing flexibility!   Goals for 2019 Cody is starting the year off with a bang by stepping away from his job and going on a nationwide book tour with Grant from Millennial Money Justin looks to continue his savings rate success and build more upon his blog They are both very passionate about growing the podcast and increasing their reach You can tell they go big on goals when they set the mission for 1 million downloads before the end of 2019 They think they can do so with a mix of fantastic headliners like Paula Pant and stories that had previously never been told like Jimmy the mailman from Arkansas who is already FI at 28 through real estate The guys also want everyone to share their 2019 goals with them and keep everyone accountable Key Takeaways Materialism can have a place.

In today's special, Friends Talk Finance episode, Bonnie and Carrie chat about their recent trip to the Fincon Conference held in Orlando, Florida. Learn all about why they decided to go, who they met there, and what their biggest takeaways were. Don't miss out as they recommend so many great physician and non-physician financial bloggers and podcasters that you can follow and learn from as well. This episode is packed with resources so check out the notes below for links to everything they discussed. In this episode, you will learn: What is Fincon and who should attend? Bonnie and Carrie hung out with a large group of incredible physicians at the conference and made lots of new friends. How they found inspiration from other people at different stages of FI at the conference. Bonnie's biggest takeaway from the conference is starting to use Asana for project management of her business and personal life. Carrie's biggest takeaway would be the need for more guidance, education and advice on personal finance for everyone. Who they were inspired by at the conference outside of the physician world. Why they feel there is room for everyone in the physician personal finance space.  Links we discussed in the show: Check out Bonnie's blog for informative financial advice at Miss Bonnie MD. Learn all about Hygge and how you can use it to create comfort in your life. Join our Facebook group, The Hippocratic Hustlers- open to all women not just physicians Also, join a new Facebook group Carrie is running, The Physicians Only Locums Group. Ask to join the Women Physicians Personal Finance Group by adding Doctora WPPF as a friend on Facebook and then you can be added to the group. Learn all about the Fincon Conference and how you can attend in 2019 in Washington, D.C. Learn more about a camp all about FI and personal finance at Campfi.org. Take Bonnie's advice and start organizing your life using Asana.  Some great resources to check out: ChooseFI.com Physician on Fire and Ep 39 Breaking Down Finances and FIRE with Physician on FIRE. The White Coat Investor and Ep 51 Jim Dahle, MD- The White Coat Investor. Passive Income MD The Female Money Doctor Renee Darko of Keeping up with the Darkos. The Doc Outside the Box and Ep 44 Nii Darko, MD- THE Doc Outside the Box. Brenda Krygowski at BCKrygowski.com Dawn Baker of Practice Balance.com and Ep 38 Practicing Balance with Dawn Baker, MD. CrispyDoc 39point6.com WealthyDoc.org Paula Pant at Affordanything.com Ryan Inman at Financialresidency.com Jillian Johnsrud at Montanamoneyadventures.com Jamila Souffrant at Journeytolaunch.com The Financial Grown Up Podcast at Bobbirebell.com Waffles on Wednesday Special thank you to this week's show sponsors: PearsonRavitz for all of your physician disability and life insurance needs and Johanna Fox Turner at Fox & Company Wealth Management. Thank you for listening to the Hippocratic Hustle! I know that time is your most valuable resource so I really appreciate you spending some of it with me. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it! If you'd like to help me improve and grow the podcast, send your suggestions to: Carrie@HippocraticHustle.com Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you won't miss an episode!

Can you really afford anything? Paula Pant quit her 9-to-5 job in 2008, long before she'd heard of financial independence. She just couldn't stand the cubicle life anymore. Her starting salary was $21,000 per year in 2005, and her highest salary was $31,000 per year in 2008. Despite her lower income, she managed to save $25,000 during her short career. She lived on these savings after she quit her 9-to-5 job, and spent two years backpacking across the world. When she returned to the U.S. in 2010, she started a self-employed career as a freelance writer. She and her partner scraped together enough money to buy a triplex as their first home. They lived in one unit, with roommates, and rented out the other two units. The rental income they received allowed them to live "for free," with no out-of-pocket housing costs. This was their first taste of passive income. Today they own 7 rental units. Last year, their rental properties grossed $125,000 and netted $43,000 in passive income, after expenses. They are financially independent through the income from their rentals. Paula's weekly podcast, Afford Anything, has been downloaded more than 3 million times. Her website, AffordAnything.com, gets 250,000 views a month and her email newsletter has more than 50,000 subscribers. She speaks at FIRE meet-ups such as the Ecuador Chautauqua, Camp Mustache and Camp FI, as well as gatherings such as FinCon and the World Domination Summit. On today's episode, we discuss a ton with Paula, including: • what “financial independence” really means • how to move beyond fear • mistakes to avoid when analyzing deals • the 1% rule • how to afford anything • why our brains work against us and to overcome these thoughts • And much more! Resources/Books mentioned in the show: • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey Learn more about Paula Pant and her highly popular blog and podcast at www.affordanything.com/viplist InvestHER Community Join us on our mission to support and empower as many women as we can to live a financially free and balanced life. We invite you to join the InvestHER Community Facebook group along with other new and experienced women real estate investors! Follow us on: Facebook: @therealestateinvesther Instagram: @therealestateinvesther   Please leave a comment below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you really afford anything? Paula Pant quit her 9-to-5 job in 2008, long before she'd heard of financial independence. She just couldn't stand the cubicle life anymore. Her starting salary was $21,000 per year in 2005, and her highest salary was $31,000 per year in 2008. Despite her lower income, she managed to save $25,000 during her short career. She lived on these savings after she quit her 9-to-5 job, and spent two years backpacking across the world. When she returned to the U.S. in 2010, she started a self-employed career as a freelance writer. She and her partner scraped together enough money to buy a triplex as their first home. They lived in one unit, with roommates, and rented out the other two units. The rental income they received allowed them to live "for free," with no out-of-pocket housing costs. This was their first taste of passive income. Today they own 7 rental units. Last year, their rental properties grossed $125,000 and netted $43,000 in passive income, after expenses. They are financially independent through the income from their rentals. Paula's weekly podcast, Afford Anything, has been downloaded more than 3 million times. Her website, AffordAnything.com, gets 250,000 views a month and her email newsletter has more than 50,000 subscribers. She speaks at FIRE meet-ups such as the Ecuador Chautauqua, Camp Mustache and Camp FI, as well as gatherings such as FinCon and the World Domination Summit. On today's episode, we discuss a ton with Paula, including: • what “financial independence” really means • how to move beyond fear • mistakes to avoid when analyzing deals • the 1% rule • how to afford anything • why our brains work against us and to overcome these thoughts • And much more! Resources/Books mentioned in the show: • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey Learn more about Paula Pant and her highly popular blog and podcast at www.affordanything.com/viplist InvestHER Community Join us on our mission to support and empower as many women as we can to live a financially free and balanced life. We invite you to join the InvestHER Community Facebook group along with other new and experienced women real estate investors! Follow us on: Facebook: @therealestateinvesther Instagram: @therealestateinvesther   Please leave a comment below!

The first portion of this podcast is feedback from last week's episode: The Low-Hanging Fruits of FI. Anonymous talks about Project FI and tells us about calling to get cell phone data reports. Cody's mom asks us to clarify how WiFi works. Luke from Forming the Life talks about the power of automation. Jeremy corrects Cody about AskTrim and mentions Truebill. Mike weighs in about Sling TV for watching football. Emily tells us about saving money on groceries with Checkout 51. Camp FI South The second portion of this episode was recorded LIVE from Camp FI South! Whitney Hansen of Money Nerds, Paul Thompson of Ready Investor One, TJ and I all asked the attendees to share their #1 takeaway from Camp FI. Enjoy! Doc G – “Knowing that you have a group of people to support you at a hard time in life, who come to the world with the same worldview is really magical” “Content creators tend to shout at the world, but there a lot of people out there who are whispering and if you listen closely you can learn a lot.” Contact him at Diversefi.com! James Lowery – “You don't need as much… it seems like it takes a long time to see any progress, but then once you notice the progress it's already taken off at that point” Contact him at RethinkTheRatRace.com! Ruth Bresnahan – “Personal growth is the most important thing. If you're not experiencing personal growth, then your quality of life will go down no matter where you are in the journey” Justin Taylor – “Stop being so focused on this large nest egg number…giving me that confidence to step away and make it all work out” Contact him at Saving-Sherpa.com! Captain DIY – “Remove the idea of the nest egg number and take away the money aspect. Learn to enjoy the journey… The FI journey itself is such a growth experience” Contact him at DIY2FI.com! Doug Nordman – “I did not expect the level of interest in raising a money-smart kid… I've learned as a blogger that when you get the same questions over and over again you probably should write about it” Contact him at The-Military-Guide.com! Stephen Baughier – “I appreciate you guys coming this weekend, and all of the other people who are listening who have come to a Camp FI previously this year, I appreciate you for being a part of this and hopefully we'll have a successful 2019 and make more connections.” Contact him at CampFI.org! Join the Community We'd love to hear your comments and questions about this week's episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in the FIRE Below Zero community! Join our Facebook Group Sign up for our newsletter Leave us a voicemail Links from the Episode Camp FI ______ Project FI Unreal Mobile Ask Trim Truebill Sling TV Project FI Ready Investor One Money Nerds Forming The Life Diversefi Rethink The Rat Race Saving Sherpa Diy2fi The Military Guide Fly to FI (Cody's Blog) Half Life Theory (TJ's blog)

Leif is an anesthesiologist on FIRE (financially independent / retired early) who's found a passion for personal finance and blogging.   Listen to Ep39 as Leif describes how he first discovered the FIRE concept and at age 39 realized he had attained financial independence. Now at 42, discovering his new writing skills, Leif is transitioning from his medical career to spend time traveling with his family and sharing his passion for FIRE with other medical professionals through his blog Physician on FIRE. https://www.physicianonfire.com/ @physicianonfire twitter https://andrewtobias.com/books/ https://www.bogleheads.org/ https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ https://www.theminimalists.com/ https://www.breakthetwitch.com/ 04:10s An anesthesiologist on FIRE (financially independent / retired early) 05:54s Discovering the FIRE concept through Mr. Money Mustach article 06:50s Realizing you are financially independent at 42 years old 08:32s Overcoming skepticism about “retiring early” 11:57s Do it yourself investing, self-educating on personal finance with Andrew Tobias 16:05s Thinking harder about walking away from your main career, identity issue 20:08s Taking the leap of faith in walking away without having ability to return to career 25:02s Starting the Physician on FIRE without any blogging experience 29:10s Discovering how to break the twitch at CampFI 31:50s Keeping an open mind and maintaining flexible future plans 34:45s Appreciating you may have different skills that were previously untried or undeveloped “There’s a bit of a leap of faith walking away …what would happen after 3 months or 6 months, I guess I don’t know yet” “Just roll with the punches I guess, or be the one throwing them” Enjoy this episode? Share it with friends! Click Subscribe in iTunes!

#149: Welcome to the September 2018 First Friday bonus episode! We recorded this episode at Camp FI, which stands for Camp Financial Independence. It's a gathering of people who are pursuing financial independence; we spend a few days eating, drinking, and having late-night poolside conversations about money. There are several Camp FI's throughout the year; I recorded this bonus episode at the Camp FI at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California in early August.    I invited several of the people at Camp FI to come to the microphone and share one thing: “Tell me a story about something you did that scared you."   Justin shared a story about getting invited by a corporate sponsor to take part in a mountainous 75-mile cycling ride, despite the fact that he wasn't trained or ready. Tim told the story of the first time he met his future father-in-law, and, to phrase it mildly, the meeting didn't go well. GingerFI shared a story about something she ate while traveling that ... well, I won't give away the ending, but let's just say that it's something she'll never forget.    Anna described moving from New Zealand to the U.S. to attend school, while Johanna talked about getting laid off from work and deciding to use her newfound joblessness as an opportunity to road trip from Maryland to Los Angeles. Jennifer described the resilience she discovered after surviving a disability, layoff and divorce. Wakefield talked about investing in real estate before he felt ready, and Vickie shared a childhood story of overcoming the intimidation she felt when she wanted to meet someone.    Listen to hear the stories they shared, and the life lessons they learned along the way.   Enjoy!   For more information, visit the show notes at http://podcast.affordanything.com/episode149

081R | Strategies for decluttering and living with less (reflecting on Cait Flander's interview with us on Monday), life hacks from the community, and a winner for the free ticket to CampFI in Joshua Tree! The ChooseFI community is growing and gaining national attention. How This Couple Saved $1 Million in 11 Years and Became Financially Independent Before 40 Nine Money Podcasts You Should Be Listening To Local Groups are really effective in some parts of the ChooseFI community. Jonathan joined some members of the Richmond local group to purchase a mosquito fogger to share between them. What else could be a shared purchase? Cait Flanders, from Monday’s episode, talked about taking control of your life, and decluttering her whole life. How do you take control of your life? Could you live with less? Why doesn’t Brad use a budget, and how does he still manage his finances well? Why does Brad hope his daughter reads Harry Potter? Voicemail from Kristyn, from fortheloveoftidy.com and the Spark Joy podcast, talks about her FI progress, and tips for decluttering: Map out your ideal living environment; think about how your clutter fits into that. Ask yourself tough questions about the clutter in your life. What is tough about decluttering for Jonathan? How does Kristyn keep track of her “bit-sized wins”? Why did Jonathan finally get rid of his grad-school notes? Voicemail with a suggestion based on advice from The White Coat Investor, to employ children as models for his website, to add legitimate money to his kids’ retirement accounts. Facebook post from Heather about how her son found a job without a car. Message from Louima, who was inspired by Cait’s Monday episode, and is contemplating a reduction of her FI number. Email from Mark with some FI hacks: Food: Choose smaller dishes Put chips, pretzels, etc., in a dish, don’t eat directly from the bag Don’t eat alone: Why Eating Alone May Be Bad for You Don’t eat while watching TV: The Danger of Eating in Front of the TV Finances: Use credit cards for travel rewards Shopping portals – some opportunities to earn 4-10x more points Earny: a price drop protection app Feex.com: finds hidden fees in your investment accounts Update: Brad is working to establish a scholarship for a Treehouse student to learn coding, in partnership with Every Child’s Hope. Winner of the ticket to CampFI in Joshua Tree: Danielle!   Links: The Simple Path to Wealth Design Your Future Freelance to Freedom

080R | Conversation about teaching your children to save and invest, healthcare options, and an argument in favor of home gardening and composting. Brad contemplates applying for “Survivor”. Review of Monday’s episode with Khai from AlabaMalaysia. How does Jonathan use the idea of “anchoring” in his own life: setting big goals so that even if he misses, good things still happen? Brad and Jonathan talk about how they would set little, achievable goals, to reach a larger, long-term goal. Jonathan talks about answering the question “What do you do?”, with comments from the Facebook group. How does Brad have bank account and investment accounts set up for his children? Is there a better way to have those accounts set up? Blain, from the Facebook group, wonders whether his son should start investing with a Vanguard account, or an M1 account? Contributions made to a Roth can be withdrawn penalty free. What are the best ways to support your children and help them save money, as 2nd generation FI? Voicemail from Jacqueline asking about financial education apps for youth. “7 Fun Money Apps for Kids” from U.S. News PiggyBot FamZoo How important is it to teach your children about not only budgeting to save money, but to be generous? What is Brad considering in regards to his family’s health insurance: HSA, health share, or considering health insurance for a small business? What are some complications with a health share? Email from Karen, about the value of gardening and composting. Gardening Tips from Karen Is composting addicting? Jonathan tries to convince Brad that gardening and compositing is simple enough to start now. Leave a ChooseFI review to enter the drawing for a ticket to CampFI in Joshua Tree, or to receive a book.   Links: The Simple Path to Wealth Design Your Future Freelance to Freedom

058R | A review of the CampFI episode as well as a discussion on pensions and some thoughts on the value of CFPs. This episode covers: The community of CampFI 
Frugal wins and fails 
Voicemail about pensions 
How Grumpus communicates with his audience
 The value of CFPs
   ——————-   Thank you for being a part of the ChooseFI community! 

057R | A roundtable discussion at CampFI including talks on the military, the flexibility of the FI plan and reaching FI before your partner.   On today’s episode we cover: Everyone’s at a different FI stage in the community Doug Nordman talks about the military and FI How Doug manages his time Natalie talks about the importance of keeping the FI plan flexible JD Roth’s 2018 challenge and his view on the FI community The huge wealth of knowledge and feeling of being in a tribe at Camp FI The factor of a successful individual: resilience Cody explains how to we could teach FI to teens John’s dilemma on reaching FI before his wife JD Roth explains how he manages being the only one in FI as a couple The power of making your own job by threatening to quit How Camp FI and the community help deal with irrational fears How the tribe inspires people to spread the message   Links from the show: CampFI Doug Nordman’s blog: The Military Guide Physician on FIRE Get Rich Slowly Arsenal Discs 1500 Days to Freedom For more information, visit the show notes at https://choosefi.com/057R

051R | In this podcast we do a recap of episode 51 with Mrs Money Monster discussing the importance of getting past limiting beliefs as well as how to use the community to your benefit and take action in pursuing FI. In Today’s Podcast we cover: Recap of Monday’s episode with Mrs Money Monster. The importance of getting past those limiting beliefs Why we should learn to embrace the growth mindset, to always be willing to learn The value of having mentors Why FI is acknowledging that I am more than the sum of my stuff Having more control over your finances means making retirement optional Choose FI local groups are growing, making the Camp FI and FI Festival possible Voicemail from Lori about educational IRAs answered by Ed Mills from the Millionaire Educator Voicemail from Michelle about her journey to FI. All about taking action and keep working towards your goals. Matthew’s post from the Facebook Choose FI group: how one person changed his life by introducing him to FI Voicemail from Haidi about her preparing for retirement. By choosing to be half retired she will always continue learning. How to work out the wonderful problem of having so much choice when it comes to financial freedom. Voicemail from Lance after attending Alan’s Popup Business School and who wants to give back to the community. Teaser of Monday’s episode: Challenging our beliefs iTunes review and Book Giveaway Links from the show: The Choose FI T-shirts Our Facebook Group All our Choose FI groups About the FI Festival Ed Mills from The Millionaire Educator Radical Personal Finance Episode 106: A Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Education Account House Hacking with Coach Carson Bright Future Scholarship Episode 30 with Alan: Starting a business without going into debt Contribute to our show by sending us an email

045R | In this podcast we discuss our takeaways from Episode 45 with JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly, including the big news that he just purchased GRS back, as well as our frugal wins of the week and the elegance of simplicity. In Today’s Podcast we cover: A review of Episode 45 with JD Roth from Get Rich Slowly and Money Boss Jonathan’s frugal win of the week on purchasing a new stove/oven What is the utility of Jonathan’s new oven over a standard oven? Jonathan’s insourcing to install the oven himself Brad’s frugal win of the week: Laura stained the deck on the back of the house JD’s big news of buying back Get Rich Slowly How JD’s story helped change the world for so many people and how much impact he has had on potentially millions of people JD’s impact on Brad’s life with travel rewards What a unique point in time to be able to start a blog for so little money and the positive impacts you can experience The power of the blog is in the story of the blogger and that individual’s personality JD’s concept of the internal locus of control and how you can direct your life Don’t complain about the forces that are impacting your life – take control JD’s concept of having to do the work and that there are no shortcuts How strategy and cost-benefit analysis factors into your actions and goals What’s not worth putting the work in for? This is as important strategy-wise as picking what you do want to spend your time on Investment strategies of VTSAX versus other options, and Brad’s thoughts on the cost-benefit analysis of spending time trying to beat the market Part of the strategy is determining where to put your time and effort in life and investing It’s all about taking action in investing and life and how it separates successful vs. unsuccessful people The elegance of simplicity in getting people to take action A future roundtable with people of different opinions on investing Voicemail from Melissa on how she “channeled her inner Laura” in saving time and money on cooking Laura’s tips on how to cook more efficiently Jonathan’s experiment with his first vegetarian meal Itunes reviews and book giveaway Links from the show: Get Rich Slowly Money Boss DIYtoFI.blog Early Retirement Now FI180 Sign up for CampFI tickets Budget Bytes recipe: Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils Books Mentioned in the Show: The One Thing Tools of Titans

042R | In today's Friday Roundup we discuss Episode 42 with JW from The Green Swan, plus various discussions about community and feedback from the audience. In Today’s Podcast we cover: A discussion of Episode 42 with JW from The Green Swan Scott Rieckens and his crew from the documentary Playing With FIRE were in Richmond this week filming our podcast, lives and a Richmond FI get together The importance of community in the Financial Independence world and the volunteers we’ve received to be ‘community leaders’ for Choose FI meetups How we’re going to setup Slack for the Choose FI community and we need someone to help organize it The future Choose FI Vault that will be a digital locker for useful files for the community The decision JW made to buy a business with his brothers and how unconventional that is How you need to consider all possibilities when going into business with anyone Brad and Jonathan didn’t have the discussion of all future possibilities and didn’t put together an operating agreement, but are now going to do so thanks to JW’s advice Feedback from Lucas on the Green Swan episode about not relating to a high dollar value acquisition A question from Lucas on how this differs from buying an individual stock and if they had an unfair advantage by being CPAs and MBAs We all have a unique path to FI You need to see how different investment and business opportunities fit into your life and with your own risk profile Calculation based on getting a return of 8% versus 16% over a 15-year period How hustle can be as or more important than any skills or certifications you have How putting skills from various areas together will help you succeed dramatically in life Different ways to improve a business from Jonathan if you’re a lifelong learner Announcement of the next Camp FI in Williamsburg, Virginia in April 2018 “Collect skills not stuff” motto from Jonathan and how he wants to explore a “Maker space” for a community of learners The sharing possibilities of having pooled resources with neighbors or communities The new Mr. Money Mustache World Headquarters for people with the FI and entrepreneurial mindset Buy Nothing Project and how it relates to “the alley will provide” Travel Rewards update on changes to card opening options Itunes reviews of the week Links from the show: The Green Swan Playing With FIRE Slack ChooseFI Vault Camp FI mid-Atlantic in Williamsburg, VA from April 13-April 16 2018 Mr. Money Mustache Buy Nothing Project