Podcast appearances and mentions of jonathan mendonsa

Podcasting is a medium that has allowed me to 10x my network, have meaningful conversations with people I wouldn't otherwise have access to, elevate the stories rarely shared in the industry, and establish my voice and share my story.  It wasn't until working with a few podcast coaching clients that I realized that while there is more happening behind the scenes, it doesn't mean everything has to be official there for me to share this episode.   Show Notes: If you do have a podcast or are interested in starting one the link to schedule a podcast coaching call  or podcasting resources to help you take advance your podcast are available at my podcasting and business building resource page (link) Prior to discovering the financial independence/ early retirement movement, Jonathan Mendonsa followed the “normal path,” which ultimately led him to graduate pharmacy school at the age of 28 with $168,000 in student loans. He has since clawed his way out of debt and is aggressively pursuing financial independence.  He is passionate about the pursuit of financial independence and its power to change lives. He was the co-founder of Choose FI podcast, and the Founder of Talent Stacker, a dad of two young kids, techie, podcast guru, and inspiration behind Ordinary Sherpa taking action and bringing this podcast to life.   Resources Mention in this episode Choose FI podcast Podcast Coaching Call How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big (Affiliate Link)

After years in public accounting as a CPA, Brad reached financial independence at the age of 35 through diligent savings and investing. Brad Is passionate about everything from saving money, to living a more healthy lifestyle, to ‘boring' things like tracking your finances and cutting down on your tax bill. But his favorite topic is leveraging credit card rewards to save more money, and take trips you never would have dreamed possible for pennies on the dollar.Co-Founders and Co-Hosts Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa, ChooseFI has become home to the largest Financial Independence community in the world. Every podcast episode, video, and blog article is packed with relatable, real-life content crowdsourced from the FI community. Each week they share the best life hacks, strategies, stories, tools, and resources to help you take control of your money and get 1% better each day on your journey to FI. Worth noting, I have found that I really enjoy podcasting and having conversation without all the ads and interruptions many podcasters use.  If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show.  If you want to go deeper with the content and/or get more engaged you can find additional ways to support the show through the links below.   Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/127Subscribe to the email List:  https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Resources Referenced in this episode 4 Hour Work Week Flippa.com site to purchase ecommerce sites Beyond Normal: a field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids (my book) buy me a coffee  and reach out regarding your questions on how I might help you on your journey To Connect with or Follow Brad Barrett Podcast: Choose FI PodcastEmail List: ChooseFI.com/subscribe Website: Choose FI  

Damien Fahy of moneytothemasses.com talks to Andy Leeks about money. On this week's episode Damien reveals the best tips from the most popular money books in the UK. Damien explains how you can invest to take advantage of the rise in Artificial Intelligence. Finally, Andy discusses the improved offering from Chase Bank and how it stacks up.   Check out this week's podcast article on the MTTM website to see the full list of resources from this week's show.   Chase introduces 1% intrest on current account balances Chase introduces cashback cap: How to avoid it PensionBee podcast live The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf The Psychology of Money by Morgan House Blueprint to Financial Independence by Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett, and Jonathan Mendonsa

Our guest on the podcast today is Brad Barrett. Brad is the co-founder of ChooseFI, which is a website focused on achieving financial independence. With Jonathan Mendonsa, Brad is co-host of a popular podcast also called ChooseFI. Brad received his bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Richmond and became a CPA. He practiced public accounting for years and eventually achieved financial independence by age 35. Brad is passionate about all aspects of personal finance, but especially the topic of scoring good deals on travel, which is a topic we discussed in depth on the podcast.BackgroundBioChooseFIResources and InspirationSmart Couples Finish Rich, by David Bach“The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement,” Mr. Money Mustache blog, mrmoneymustache.com, Jan. 13, 2012.Jlcollinsnh.comThe Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life, by JL CollinsFinancial Independence and Real EstateKarsten Jeske: Early Retirement Now“Karsten Jeske: Cracking the Code on Retirement Spending Rates,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Oct. 14, 2020.Paula Pant: Afford Anything“Paula Pant: A Different Path to Financial Independence,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Jan. 18, 2022.Coach CarsonBiggerPocketsNick Maggiulli: Of Dollars and Data“Nick Maggiulli: ‘The Biggest Lie in Personal Finance,'” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, April 12, 2022.“What to Do With $2.5 Million & Real Estate Update | Scott Trench | Ep 426,” ChooseFI podcast, choosefi.com, Feb. 26, 2023.Travel HacksChooseFi.com/travel“The Ultimate Guide to Credit Card Travel Rewards | Part 1,” by Jonathan Mendonsa, choosefi.com, April 3, 2022.The Points GuyView From the WingMillion Mile SecretsTravel Miles 101

#059 - What's your magic number?  If you watch TV at all, you've likely seen a financial planning commercial that asks you what you need to retire.  Many people target a certain amount of money by age 65 and start saving and investing.  And other people set that plan on fire!If you're familiar at all with the FIRE movement - Financial Independence, Retire Early - you might have heard of Brad Barrett and his podcast co-host Jonathan Mendonsa, founders of ChooseFI.com.  They are on a mission to change your magic number from a dollar amount to an age... and one that's potentially much younger than 65!Brad joins us for a deep dive into what it means to choose financial independence instead of what's been taught to us by our parents and what's being touted by big financial planning firms.  He makes the case of a series of small changes in your lifestyle that yield long-term wealth and - most importantly - fulfillment.And of course, Brad answers 5 Big Questions... here on Made to Thrive!Check out MadeToThrive.coach/056 for notes on today's episode!Get your free thriving assessment in the 7 Core Areas at AmIThriving.com.

Ready to establish your brand as a creative business owner? Tune in to find out how!    Episode Introduction:  In today's episode of Law Chat with Girija, our guest Allie Siarto shares her experience of becoming a professional photographer and the “opportunities” she turned down to give herself the freedom to choose her lifestyle over money. She also talks about establishing your brand as a creative business owner.   Episode Summary:  Allie Siarto walks us through her journey of creating a brand that stands out. She talks about the processes that make her an industry expert, the tools she leverages, how her business has evolved over the years and how creative business owners can make a name for themselves and be visible even in a saturated industry.    Main Takeaways: Being financially secure gives you the freedom to choose lifestyle over money. Do not rely on social media solely to market your business. Pinterest is a wonderful platform to leverage as a creative business owner. Tips for a successful brand photoshoot: Establish your brand colors. Find your brand archetype. Decide your props, location, makeup, and outfits based on your color scheme. It's very important to set expectations through your client contracts.   Fun Facts About Allie Siarto: One of her favorite shows is Ted Lasso on Apple TV.   Resources Mentioned: Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence by Brad Barrett, Chris Mamula, and Jonathan Mendonsa. Stories That Stick by Kindra Hall. Find your Brand Archetype.   Find Allie Siarto: Website: http://alliesiarto.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliesiarto/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alliesiartophotography Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/alliesiarto/_created/ Podcast: https://photofieldnotes.com/ Get the visual experience, watch the videocast for the episode here: https://youtu.be/jmIobqGqYSs   Connect With Girija: Website: https://www.gbplaw.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gbplaw/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GBPLaw/   Help us mentor other entrepreneurs through the power of storytelling by rating us and leaving a positive review on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/law-chat-with-girija/id1528580730   Get the FREE Five Day Legal Audit: https://yourcontractbuddy.com/5-day-free-legal-audit-challenge/   Join Law Chat for Entrepreneurs Free Facebook Community: ​​https://www.facebook.com/groups/lawchat   Get Ready To Use Contract Templates At: https://yourcontractbuddy.com/

While many celebrities and creators have found their way into the NFT space, only few have also been active in the field of business and finance as Brad Barrett. Currently part of a podcast with Jonathan Mendonsa, Brad regularly shares life-changing secrets to financial independence through his ChooseFI Podcast.  In this week's episode, Brad joins author and NFT enthusiast Andy Storch (@andy_storch) in taking a leap towards knowing taxes and security better and connecting these with the emerging NFT space. Hit subscribe and jump into my full conversation with Brad about taxes and security. Connect with Andy Storch here:  https://andystorch.com/ (https://andystorch.com/ ) https://www.linkedin.com/in/andystorch/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andystorch/) https://tdtt.us/ (https://tdtt.us/) You can find out more about Andy and this podcast by going to: https://my.captivate.fm/andystorch.com/nft (andystorch.com/nft) Connect with Brad here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradchoosefi/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradchoosefi/)

#059 - What's your magic number?  If you watch TV at all, you've likely seen a financial planning commercial that asks you what you need to retire.  Many people target a certain amount of money by age 65 and start saving and investing.  And other people set that plan on fire!If you're familiar at all with the FIRE movement - Financial Independence, Retire Early - you might have heard of Brad Barrett and his podcast co-host Jonathan Mendonsa, founders of ChooseFI.com.  They are on a mission to change your magic number from a dollar amount to an age... and one that's potentially much younger than 65!Brad joins us for a deep dive into what it means to choose financial independence instead of what's been taught to us by our parents and what's being touted by big financial planning firms.  He makes the case of a series of small changes in your lifestyle that yield long-term wealth and - most importantly - fulfillment. And of course, Brad answers 5 Big Questions... here on Made to Thrive!Show notes for today's episode can be found at https://www.madetothrive.coach/059.Get your free thriving assessment in the 7 Core Areas at AmIThriving.com.

Support this project: Buy Me a CoffeeSubscribe to the website: SUBSCRIBE ME!Get in Touch with Chris Mamula:Find Chris's writing at CanIRetireYet.comChris's book (co-authored with Jonathan Mendonsa and Brad Barrett): ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial IndependenceMy ChooseFI book review: ChooseFI Book Review: A Blueprint IndeedRelocationWhere Should You Retire? (CanIRetireYet)Relocation: A Guide to Moving and Housing Affordability (Clipping Chains)FinanceBasics of taking control of investments (CanIRetireYet)Financial Advisor: Who Needs One? (Clipping Chains)Kids and RetirementThree Reasons a Child Can Help You Retire Sooner (A 1 Big Reason Why You Shouldn't) (CanIRetireYet)Life, Change, TransitionsDoes FIRE Make Life Harder? (CanIRetireYet)Six Important Reasons Not to Retire Early (Clipping Chains)

#323 Brad and Jonathan from ChooseFI join us for a deep philosophical and practical discussion around what we learned from 2020. We explore... What the pandemic taught us about work, finance, and life The importance of being mentally and logistically nimble and flexible The distinction between directionality vs methodology What we've learned about how to get a job, what type of education to get, and what to do with the rest of our lives For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode323

FIRE．致富實踐 作者： 克利斯．瑪慕拉, 布萊德．巴瑞特, 喬納森．曼德沙 原文作者： Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett, Jonathan Mendonsa 譯者： 李靜怡 出版社：大牌出版

Have you heard of the #ChoosFI Movement? The Retire Early and Choose Financial Independence movement is taking over the personal finance world and for good reason. It's an amazing community of people looking to earn more, spend less, and build wealth so they can reach financial independence. Today I am bringing their co-founder Jonathan Mendonsa on the show to talk all about it. Most interviews I do last between 25 and 30 minutes, but Jonathan was so good during this interview that we just kept going....and you won't be disappointed. ** Mentioned in this episode ChooseFI Website Links mentioned: Jonathan talks about earning $60k or more per year with this certification program: https://www.talentstacker.com/salesforce ** Are you currently living on a plan for your life and money...AKA a budget? The #1 habit of the most highly successful people is they are proactive. They don't wait for life and money to happen to them, they happen to their life and money. If you haven't started yet, now is the best time to start living on a simple budget. It's time to be proactive. Grab Free Budget Templates Here ** Thanks so much for listening to the show and if you feel the content of this podcast was helpful, please subscribe and leave a review! ** Today's show was brought to you by OneAZ Credit Union — my very own credit union I have been proud a member of since 2011.  If you live in Arizona and are looking for a large credit union with a local, customer-focused feel for your personal or business banking needs, look no further than OneAZ Credit Union.   All the show notes, links and anything Kim and I mentioned can be found at https://www.moneypeach.com/session145

Jonathan Mendonsa from ChooseFI is starting a new show to explore how far Interest Led Learning and Skills can take you. Is College Still Necessary or even Optimal in 2020 and beyond? Talking with Course Creators, Entrepreneurs, Tradespeople, and Non-Traditional Students, The Talent Stacker Community puts the emphasis back on Skills, Jobs, Interest Led Learning with ROI in mind Welcome!!

Si quieres entender más sobre finanzas y cómo manejar tu dinero, pero no sabes por dónde partir, este episodio de cierre de temporada sobre Libertad Financiera, es para ti. En éste, discutimos los 11 libros que leímos sobre estos temas y los clasificamos en distintas categorías para los diferentes tipos de lectores e inversionistas.   Nota del editor: efectivamente dijimos 10 cuando eran 11.   ¿Quieres ayudarnos?, ¿Quieres donar? Ingresa a https://www.patreon.com/elementalpodcast   |Nuestra página|: http://www.elementalpodcast.cl/ |Twitter|: https://twitter.com/elementalpodcas (@elementalpodcas) |Facebook|: https://www.facebook.com/ElementalPodcast/ |Instagram|: https://www.instagram.com/elementalpodcast/ |Youtube|: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzbMsT2QA6TTaYrzLr6t1AQ   |Subscríbete en Spotify|: https://buff.ly/2x0X8KA |Subscríbete en iTunes|: https://buff.ly/2BKkvgf |Subscríbete en Stitcher|: https://buff.ly/2GYSu5H |Subscríbete en Podbean|: https://buff.ly/2H0Uw5p |Subscríbete en GooglePodcast|: https://buff.ly/2GIzUj2     Links y notas del Show:    00:00 | Libertad Financiera |   02:36 | La semana laboral de 4 horas de Tim Ferriss |   https://youtu.be/N4QTgw6RTaM   04:56 | Padre rico padre pobre de Robert T. Kiyosaki | https://youtu.be/usnOrJGz9UM   08:02 | El camino sencillo a la riqueza de JL Collins | https://youtu.be/LktHYYgJ_Yk   10:40 | Necesitas un presupuesto (You Need a Budget - YNAB) de Jesse Mecham | https://youtu.be/wAnZhiHzcnI   12:50 | Piensa y hazte rico de Napoleón Hill | https://youtu.be/ywHL1Idvm50   15:12 | Y tú, ¿dónde pones tu dinero? de Álvaro Vargas Llosa | https://youtu.be/7yHTqTqsvgU   17:17 | El Einstein del dinero: la vida de Benjamin Graham de Joe Carlen | https://youtu.be/wVJNyQbfXjI   18:36 | Te enseñaré a ser Rico de Ramit Sethi | https://youtu.be/-gdWeISTffA   20:09 | Sentido Común en Fondos Mutuos de Jack Bogle | https://youtu.be/IcsmS-F-Opc   21:48 | Elige la Libertad Financiera de Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett y Jonathan Mendonsa | https://youtu.be/BBOUvP42Jfc   23:56 | El Inversionista Inteligente de Benjamin Graham | https://youtu.be/cLDzB0ocF84   26:36 | 3 libros claves para lectores con poco tiempo|   30:20 | Cierre y conclusiones |   Pedro García-Huidobro (@pedroghg) y Santiago Allamand (@stgoallamand) discuten sobre distintos libros todas las semanas.    Agradecimientos especiales a: |Redes y Comunicaciones|: Rosario del Valle |Música Intro|: Osvaldo Guzmán |Sonidos Adicionales|: Osvaldo Guzmán  |Musica Cierre|: ”Rollin at 5" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

En este episodio, revisamos cuáles son los pasos en la vida de una persona para llegar a la libertad financiera. A la luz del libro que analizamos en el capítulo 90, CHOOSE FI de Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett y Jonathan Mendonsa, profundizamos en cuáles deberían ser las decisiones para llegar al punto en que las inversiones te den suficiente dinero para vivir y para tomar la decisión que uno quiera.   ¿Quieres ayudarnos?, ¿Quieres donar? Ingresa a https://www.patreon.com/elementalpodcast   |Nuestra página|: http://www.elementalpodcast.cl/ |Reddit|: https://www.reddit.com/r/ElementalPodcast/ |Twitter|: https://twitter.com/elementalpodcas (@elementalpodcas) |Facebook|: https://www.facebook.com/ElementalPodcast/ |Instagram|: https://www.instagram.com/elementalpodcast/ |Youtube|: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzbMsT2QA6TTaYrzLr6t1AQ   |Subscríbete en Spotify|: https://buff.ly/2x0X8KA |Subscríbete en iTunes|: https://buff.ly/2BKkvgf |Subscríbete en Stitcher|: https://buff.ly/2GYSu5H |Subscríbete en Podbean|: https://buff.ly/2H0Uw5p |Subscríbete en GooglePodcast|: https://buff.ly/2GIzUj2     Links y notas del Show:    00:00 | Las etapas de la libertad financiera | Elige la Libertad Financiera de Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett y Jonathan Mendonsa: https://youtu.be/BBOUvP42Jfc   02:39 | De cero a uno |     06:08 | Etapas 1 y 2 |   12:41 | Etapas 3 a 5 | La regla del 4%: https://youtu.be/7iZ-QWsMzgA   17:04 | Etapas 6 y 7 |   Pedro García-Huidobro (@pedroghg) y Santiago Allamand (@stgoallamand) discuten sobre distintos libros todas las semanas.    Agradecimientos especiales a: |Redes y Comunicaciones|: Rosario del Valle |Música Intro|: Osvaldo Guzmán |Sonidos Adicionales|: Osvaldo Guzmán  |Musica Cierre|: ”Rollin at 5" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  

Jonathan Mendonsa is the co-founder of the ChooseFI podcast. Jonathan started his career as a pharmacist with $168,000 in student loans. He aggressively paid off the loans in 4.5 years and using the tenets of Financial Independence to cut his life expenses significantly, and left his corporate job to focus on full-time entrepreneurship 9 months after starting the podcast. In this episode, we talk about becoming debt free, how to drastically cut your living expenses, saving for retirement, investing, and why Financial Literacy can be the key to freedom. Enroll in our referral program and earn money by sharing this show Join our community on Facebook Transcript and show notes can be found here Try Podia and save 15% for life as a Creative Elements listener Try Hostinger and use code JAYCLOUSE for a special discount Brought to you by The Podglomerate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Casting The Pod I'm chatting with Jonathan Mendonsa from the Choose FI podcast. Jonathan and his co-host Brad have built a GIANT podcast with millions of downloads and rock solid monetization and growth strategies. If you are looking for some podcast growth then this is your episode! Listen in on episode 091 of Casting The Pod as Jonathan brings the heat with some podcasting tips on the topics of: Their strategy around their podcast launch that helped them get immediate traction and grow quickly. How they found their podcasting voice and their strategy around effectively communicating with their audience. How to create an super active and engaged fan base. Strategies for adding massive value to your audience. Quick actionable tips for newer podcasters. Here is how you can connect with Jonathan: Website: https://www.choosefi.com/ Podcast: https://www.choosefi.com/all-podcast-episodes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choosefiradio/   Are you feeling stuck when it comes to your Podcast growth? Check out my Podcasting Mentorship coaching options on www.CastingThePod.com  

What stops most people from starting up? Why isn’t everyone launching their own company and making money doing something they love? In this episode we look at the three biggest barriers to people getting going, unpacking, and demystifying entrepreneurship.

What stops most people from starting up? Why isn't everyone launching their own company and making money doing something they love? In this episode we look at the three biggest barriers to people getting going, unpacking, and demystifying entrepreneurship.

Have you ever felt like getting healthy would be so much easier if it wasn't so EXPENSIVE??? I think we've all been there and today I'm bringing in a frugality phenom to help us all improve our health without breaking the bank. Jonathan Mendonsa is the co-host of the ChooseFI podcast where they teach the masses how to achieve financial independence.  One of the key points they teach on the ChooseFI podcast is frugality and with this episode Jonathan is going to teach us how being frugal with our health, nutrition, and fitness choices can lead to improved health, lowered stress levels, and hitting financial independence.  Listen in as Jonathan and I discuss: His definition of financial independence and what we need to do to get there. His grocery shopping and meal prep strategy to eat healthy on a budget.  The long term positive impact by cutting your monthly spending by just $100.00 His best health and fitness frugality tips. Here is how you can connect with Jonathan: Website: https://www.choosefi.com/ Podcast: https://www.choosefi.com/podcast-episodes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choosefiradio/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChooseFI   Ready to nerd out about frugality and financial independence?Grab your ticket to my Million Pound Mission LIVE Event where I will be doing a 90 minute financial independence workshop as part of the event: www.MillionPoundMission.com

On today’s episode, we talk money with Jonathan Mendonsa. Jonathan is a previous pharmacist turned financial guru. He shares his story of how he racked up $168,000 of debt going through pharmacy school in order to get that high paying job out of college, and how he soon discovered he was stuck on the proverbial hamster wheel. By “keeping up with the Joneses” and paying back student loan debt, he soon tired of what he calls the rat race and decided to learn a different money strategy. Jonathan made it his mission to study finance and as a result, paid off all of his debt in just a few short years and since has helped thousands of people realize the power of pursuing financial independence. As co-host and co-founder of ChooseFI, he has used his love/hate relationship with frugality as fuel to build a community around the FI (Financial Independence) lifestyle. This is THE episode to listen to if you’re looking for simple tactics to start saving and paying off debt. Jonathan shares his strategy for creating financial independence at a young age. -- I mean, why wait for retirement? We discuss simple advice on how to break free from the debt trap, how to find your FI number, the biggest fundamental financial mistakes and the difference between being rich and being wealthy. If you wish to get some quick, easy and simple money advice along with some easy to implement tips for wealth building. This is a must-listen.   For show notes and more info visit: http://wealthywellthy.life/162 

Our guest on the podcast today is Chris Mamula. Chris blogs on the website, "Can I Retire Yet?" and he has also cowritten a book called Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence, which was published in 2019. Chris is loosely part of the FIRE, or Financial Independence Retire Early, movement, but he brings a fresh perspective to the concept. He retired from a career as a physical therapist at age 41. After poor experiences with the financial industry early in his professional life, he educated himself on investing and tax planning. Now he draws on his experience to write about wealth building, do-it-yourself investing, financial planning, early retirement, and lifestyle design.BackgroundCan I Retire Yet?Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence, by Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett, and Jonathan Mendonsa. FIRE MovementFIRE Movement"Your Questions about FIRE, Answered," by Steven Kurutz, The New York Times, Sept. 11, 2018. Lifestyle and Personal Considerations "Nearly 2 Years into Early Retirement, Here’s All That I’ve Gotten Wrong," by Chris Mamula, marketwatch.com, Aug. 19, 2019.  “A Strong Marriage in Retirement,” by Darrow Kirkpatrick, Can I Retire Yet?, March 19, 2017. "Does Fire Make Life Harder?," by Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?, Dec. 10, 2018. “A Week in the Life of a Fire Household,” by Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?, Sept. 17, 2018. Healthcare Coverage for Early Retirees“Navigating ACA Tax Credits to Purchase Affordable Health Insurance,” by Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?, Nov. 12, 2018.  “How to Qualify for Affordable Care Act (‘Obamacare’) Premium Subsidies,” by Mike Piper, Oblivious Investor.  “Are Health Care Sharing Ministries a Viable Alternative to Health Insurance for Early Retirement?” by Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?, Nov. 19, 2018.  Health care sharing ministry, Wikipedia. “Do You Plan to Retire by 50? Great, But Can You Cover Your Health Care?” by Janna Herron, USA Today, June 4, 2019. Investing and Withdrawal Rates Bogleheads website  Jim Collins blog"The Safe Withdrawal Rate Series: A Guide for First-Time Readers," Early Retirement Now.  Stock Series, jlcollinsnh.com  The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life, by J.L. Collins.“Retirement Saving and the Empty Nest Transition,” by Michael Kitces, kitces.com, May 25, 2016. "The Stages of Financial Independence," by Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?, Sept. 23, 2019,“The Problem with FIREing at 4% and the Need for Flexible Spending Rules,” by Michael Kitces, Kitces.com, July 23, 2019. “The 25X Rule to Early Retirement,” by Rob Berger, Forbes.com, Feb. 23, 2017.  Human capital definition, Investopedia “Going Back to Work,” by Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?, July 22, 2019. Mr. Money Mustache

In this episode, I got to sit down and chat with someone that I've personally been following for over 2 years. In fact, he was one of the people that got me going down this journey to financial independence. We go into his journey from being a pharmacist to quitting his job to pursue building out the ChooseFI ecosystem.Be sure to pick up their new book at https://www.choosefi.com/book/-- Four ways you can support this podcast:Take a screenshot of this podcast and send it to a friend who may like itI am doing a drawing for a FREE hard copy of The Side Hustle Journal for every 5 iTunes reviews. So if you want a chance to win, leave a rating and review on iTunes or Apple podcasts and send me an email at hello@gritandhustle.co. Detailed instructions on how to do this are at www.gritandhustle.co/reviewTake your side hustle to the next level by implementing a sales funnel to turn your passive website visitors into paying customer with ClickFunnels, the #1 sales funnel software in the world. You can get a free trial by going to www.gritandhustle.co/profitIf you are interested in podcasting, which is the fastest growing content medium in the world, head over to www.gritandhustle.co/podcastingmadeeasy to enroll in my course now.If you have an awesome side hustle that you would like to share with the world, I'd love to have you on my podcast.You can schedule a podcast interview by going to calendly.com/gritandhustleco/guest

Our guest today, Jonathan Mendonsa, started the learn-loan-live-life-lookback path and initially had a successful career as a pharmacist. But pretty soon he realized the massive debt burden he was under, and devised a way to free himself of that debilitating debt.

In anticipation of the re-release of my book, Disrupt Yourself with Harvard Business Press on November 12, 2019, we are continuing our look at the seven-point framework of personal disruption. Today, we will be examining accelerant number three - embrace constraints. This accelerant can be tricky for people at first. It’s tricky because we think we need limitless resources to be successful. We think we can’t launch that company until we have an investor with deep pockets or think we can’t start that project until we have 4-hour blocks of time available to really focus. We somehow believe that in order to create the life we want to create we need to have nothing but blue skies and rainbows ahead. But in reality, embracing constraints - whether they be lack of time or money or expertise - can actually help us gain momentum more quickly as they force us to bootstrap and focus on what is essential.  Our guest today is an expert in embracing constraints - Jonathan Mendonsa. Jonathan is the co-host of the popular Choose FI podcast and co-author of the new book Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence.

With a blend of personal finance, entrepreneurship and personal development as a life optimization strategy that focuses on intentionality, freedom, community and ultimately happiness, today we chat with guest Jonathan Mendonsa, co-host of the Choose FI podcast.   http://joinlifestylebuilders.com

Personal finance is easy, right? You read a blog or listen to a podcast and just follow everything they did. Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.Except that’s not how the world works. What brought success to one person may bring misery - and ultimately failure - to someone else. Personal Finance is P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L!Of course that said, there are some general principles that apply to everyone: Spend less than you earnInvest wiselyIncrease your incomeTrack your spendingBe money consciousChris Mamula, Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa are the authors of ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence, a new book for ChooseFI Publishing. They join us today to share the basics of Financial Independence, and to remind us that Financial Freedom is available for everyone.Topics:What their book is all aboutThe framework they applied to the concept of financial independenceDeconstructing rules and create new mindsetThings they questioned that started to fall apartHow to frame the conversation to attract and get more people interested on financial independenceThe concept of spending less money Principles on how to cut your expensesLearn the rules of money and mathHow to earn more incomeHow they approach on investingThe final step towards financial independenceAnd SO much more!Links:Mr. Money MustacheMad FientistYNABMintFrugalwoodsBiggerPockets Money Podcast 10: Designing a Frugal But Luxurious FI Life by Age 32 with Liz ThamesBiggerPockets Money Podcast 86: Choosing the Right Investment Type for Your Goals with David SteinBudgets Are SexyTwitter - Dad JokesScott's InstagramChooseFIChooseFI PodcastEat The Financial ElephantCan I Retire Yet?

  In episode 56 we're joined by the authors of ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence. The book launches October 1st and Brad, Jonathan, and Chris give us an sneak peak to the book.  You can learn more about ChooseFI at ChooseFi.com/start and you can read Chris' blog at CanIRetireYet.Com

Today's guests are giants in the FI/RE community. Their podcast and blog is massive and deservedly so as they communicate a clear passion for their subject and inspire others to follow them on their journey. Today I'm speaking with Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa from ChooseFI

What is the equation for financial independence? Today we have the co-hosts of the very popular ChooseFI Podcast, Jonathan Mendonsa and Brad Barrett. Both of these friends come to the personal finance space with their own unique experiences.  Brad and his partner saved a million dollars in just 11 years. Jonathan was able to pay down a $168,000 in student loans. In 2017, Jonathan and Brad saw the need to bring even more community to the FIRE Movement, Financial Independence Retire Early Movement. After meeting up a few times together, they decided to create that community with their podcast called ChooseFI.  Today, ChooseFI is helping to spread the FIRE Movement. Their crowdsourced podcast is over 2,600 reviews and their Facebook group has over 48,000 members. Their message is spreading and their podcast is a big force in this movement. We talk about their histories with money, how they educate their audiences around financial independence and is there an equation for financial independence? There actually is one. I was curious to find out. 

Brad Barrett went from being a full-time CPA to retiring with complete financial independence by the age of 35 through diligent savings and investing. Now, as co-host and co-founder of ChooseFI, he’s empowering others to reach for a life of purpose, intention and ultimately happiness through the journey to Financial Independence. Brad led the outwardly “successful” life into his 20s: Succeeded in school, elite university acceptance, job at a top international accounting firm, CPA designation.   But he had no plan other than the standard American narrative. His first year at work he saw what “success” looked like for the firm’s partners -- working 80-hour weeks and not taking vacations – so Brad looked for a different path. He and his future wife also had an epiphany: eventually, they would want to have kids, but with high-pressure jobs in a high cost of living area, they wouldn’t have the time or freedom they desired to spend with those future kids. This led him to the concept of financial independence. While they knew saving money would revolutionize their finances, the unexpected part of the financial independence journey was how it reset everything in life: his mindset, health, relationships and entire outlook on what brings happiness and contentment.   In 2017, he teamed up with Jonathan Mendonsa to launch the ChooseFI podcast, sharing his own ups and downs, stories and expertise so others could begin to lead their own lives of abundance.   In just over two years, Brad and Jonathan have produced 200+ podcasts, have been downloaded over 9 million times with 2,000+ 5-star reviews that call this message “life-changing,” have 200+ local ChooseFI chapters throughout the world and in the words of Jean Chatzky, The Today Show's Financial Editor, "it (the FI movement) has grown to be a movement in large part because of a podcast called ChooseFI.” Brad relishes spending his days with his wife and two daughters as well as focusing on his health, fitness and growing the relationships in his life.   Connect with Brad: Website: https://www.choosefi.com/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChooseFI/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChooseFi Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choosefi/id1187770032?mt=2 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD48MgOLoqfPml3C31PhXqA   PEAK PERFORMANCE NATION A community dedicated to raising your game to the next level by learning how to Execute at the highest level and eliminating the obstacles that keep you from being the leader you were born to be. Join group here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/PeakPerformanceNation/   SPONSORS & FREE OFFERS Audible - Free Audio Book & 30 Day Trial  Blue Apron -  $30 Off Your First Order   Acuity Scheduling - Stop Wasting Time Setting Up Meetings Peak Accountability - http://www.thorconklin.com/accountability/ Thank you once again for listening Please follow us on: Facebook: Thor Conklin    Twitter: @ThorConklin Website: http://www.thorconklin.com   ThorConklin.com Thor Conklin Media Peak Performers Podcast Peak Performance Nation    #1 Podcast on how to get things done.  Learn from Peak Performers in all areas of life and Business.  Do you know what to do but can't figure out why you are not executing what you already know?   If so, this Podcast will give you the tools, strategies, and psychology to not only break through the choke point but to truly become a Peak Performer.   Thor will be sharing his tools and strategies as well as interviewing inspiring Peak Performers that are Entrepreneur's, Professional Athletes, Business leaders, Military, Technology guru's, Health and Fitness masters, Relationships Experts as well as Music & Entertainment superstars.   Mission and Purpose - To engage, educate, entertain and inspire listeners to excel in any area of life by mastering the science of execution and Peak Performance.  You will learn the necessary roadmap, strategies, tools, and psychology to win this game.

If you feel that you are going out of your mind, with spiralling debts, credit card interest and stress then this is the show for you. Today's guest is Jonathan Mendonsa a man who reluctantly walked into the world of frugal living, but now will never I assume go back. Yes he was a spender, and i guess at his core is still someone that likes to splash out on the finer things in life. But he knew he had to change as at the age of 28 he graduated college as a pharmacist with $168,000 in student loans. Now 4 years later he has clawed his way out and is pursuing Financial Independence. As he says “I feel I am qualified to talk about the normal path because I have lived it for the last 30 years. My hobby and passion over the last 5 years has become learning new skills and looking for ways to develop passive income streams. I also love to talk about what I have learned. I ran out of people in my immediate social circle to share all this awesome information with so enter ChooseFI… He has developed passive income streams, based around community building, affiliate marketing, information analytics, videography, career hacking, tax planning and entrepreneurship that he can discuss and share with the ChooseFI community. The podcast he and his co-host Brad Barrett created to highlight the tactics and stories of people who have chosen this alternate path has become one of the fastest-growing podcasts online. With almost 1 million monthly downloads and a hyper-engaged community with over 200+ local ChooseFI chapters throughout the world and in the words of Jean Chatzky, The Today Show's Financial Editor, “it (the FI movement) has grown to be a movement in large part because of a podcast called ChooseFI.” So with so many things on the go at once, does he want to run away to the nearest shopping mall for some major retail therapy? And how did he get the FI community up and running, and engaged? Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Jonathan Mendonsa. Show Highlights During the show we discussed such weighty subjects with Jonathan Mendonsa How Jonathan first went out and got the idea that being financial freedom was not just possible it was highly doable – so he did it. Why minimalism is a great starting point, but why not focus more for the value than going after the scarcity. Is failing a bad thing or should we simply look at failing forward as quickly as possible. And lastly………… Jonathan shares how his podcast has grown to massive proportions and the things he did to make it happen. How To Connect With The ChooseFI Team Website Facebook Linkedin Twitter Audio Transcription Of ChooseFI Founder Jonathan Mendonsa Intro [0:00] When we're young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling join up dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here's your host live from the back of his garden in the UK David Ralph David Ralph [0:21] Yes. Hello there. Well, good morning to welcome to another edition of the I like to say sexy podcast, which is a join up dots Yes. When two men get together, and we bring you also conversations, stimulating thoughts. And yeah, it's a podcast episode. That's what it's about. We do it from this and you listen from there. Well, today is one of those shows that if you feel that you're sort of going out of your mind we've spiralling debts credit card interest in stress by NBC to show for you because our guest is a man who reluctantly walked into the world of frugal living, but now will never I should go back. Yes, he was a spender. And I guess at his core, he is still someone that likes to splash out on the finer things in life. But he knew he had to change as at the age of 28. He graduated college as a pharmacist with listen to this 168,000 in student loans, how many meals at Hooters Can you have to wrap up? I don't know. Now, four years later, he's clawed his way out and he's pursuing financial independence. As he says I thought I'm qualified to talk about the normal path because I believed it for the last 30 years. My hobby and passion over the last five years has become learning new skills and looking for ways to develop passive income streams. I also love to talk about what I've learned, I ran out of people in my immediate social circle to share all this awesome information with so enter choose f5. Now he's developed passive income streams based around community building affiliate marketing information and analytics, video graphic video graphic. I should have saved videography, career hacking, tax planning and entrepreneurship, but he can discuss and share with his choose FBI community and the podcast he and his co host Brad Bauer created to highlight the tactics and stories of people who have chosen this alternative path has become one of the fastest growing podcast online. Yes, the swine. We've almost 1 million monthly downloads and a hyper engaged community with over 200 Plus Local choose Fei chapters throughout the world. And in the words of Jean Chatzky, but today's show is financial editor. It's the movement has grown to be a movement in large because of a podcast called choose, as I said, With so many things on the Go at once, does he want to run away to the nearest shopping mall for some major retail therapy and splurge splurge splurge? And how did he get the FBI community up and running and so engaged? Well, let's find out as we bring on to the show, to start join up dots with the one and only Jonathan Mendonsa. Morning, Jonathan, how are you sir? ChooseFI [3:02] David, I am doing great. And I don't think I've ever said this to another man before. But I really want to see the back of your garden, David Ralph [3:08] you come to the back of the garden. And we're sitting here and we will record live. Because actually, as we speak at the moment, I do recall that in the back of my garden, I've got a studio bear. And I thought to myself, I go home for lunch today. And I've been locked out, I can't get back into the house. So until my kids get back from school, I'm here I'm trapped. But I can't think of somebody nicer to be trapped with because Jonathan, you are a man who's been on a journey. And it's a journey that so many people are struggling with and you've come out the other side. Do you feel smug about it? ChooseFI [3:41] No, it's more than I just feel like almost this calling, or I have to tell as many people as possible. This idea that I think all of us have kind of been given this normal narrative that we're expected to follow to follow society's rules. And at a certain age that may or may not be considered our golden years, we have permission that is do what we want basically kind of our desires, whatever you wanted to do as a child has to go on a bookshelf. And then you have to go through the slog to get the house you get the car, get the second car, you have to get you have a second kid, you get the promotion, you get the next promotion, you work the corporate ladder, you somewhere along the way pay off the student loans, student loans, they may be so big that they may outlive you, there's literally means dedicated to the perpetuity of student loans, maybe at 65, there's some government security in place for you. And then you are allowed to do maybe go work on your golf game, something along those lines. I was on a cruise ship relatively recently, and I went on there with my family. And I should say that we're just kind of in our 30s. But I realized on the cruise ship that the vast majority of people that are on these cruises were like 60 years and older. And when they are asking people if they want to get off the ship, many of them just simply couldn't at that point. So finally they had the freedom to go see the world do whatever it is that they wanted to do. And they quite literally just had to stay on the ship at this point. That just doesn't seem right. Like why do we just get permission to our golden years? What does it look like to get our best years and I think just kind of thinking about that as a framework for you know, my personal story. And what we're talking about on the show is a really powerful way to look at it. David Ralph [5:10] Isn't that good vote to keep all the old people on the ship. So that can get me on the street easier. And you know, that's what Yeah, isn't it? ChooseFI [5:20] Yeah, that's the conspiracy from the top down. That's really what it's all about. You got it? I think David Ralph [5:24] so. So with yourself in you are based in Richmond, Virginia, which is a lovely place in the world. And here. Yes, I have been here many, many times. And yes, it's, it's one of those places I always hit in the summer, dirty, sweaty. I don't know how you guys charged? Yeah, I jumped out and I put the air con all the time. But for somebody like myself, what what interests me is I am I'm fine. I'm fine. financially independent. I, ChooseFI [5:52] I can cool to be able to say that, like when you say that I'm financially independent. I work because I want to not because I have to you're doing this podcast out of love out of a passion out of a calling, not out of any sort of scarcity. I need to figure out how to keep the lights on like, think about that, how powerful that is? David Ralph [6:09] Well, is is but what I also have to say is no matter how financially free I become a debt always appears, I've never got to the point where I'm totally debt free, no mortgage, yes. And then I take out a car loan, and then I pay off the car loan, and then some there's always something going on. Are you totally free from that? Are you totally free from you know, having the debt hanging around? Even if it's only a small debt every now and again? ChooseFI [6:37] Yeah, that's a great question. I think it just kind of depends on how you define it. So basically, the way that I consider financial independence is you have reached a number At which point, if you were to never bring in another dollar again, you could maintain your current lifestyle, right. So in my community, people do that. Either way, many people keep the money in an account and have the money grow the basically like if you decide to make the choice to pay off your mortgage, you're essentially locking in a three or 4% rate of return depending on what the interest rates are in your particular area of the country, I'm the United States going rate is just around 4%. UK may be different. As opposed to that other people say, Well, you know what the market, I believe that over time, the market will outperform that. So I am going to take the money that I would be paying towards my house, and I'm going to grow it and an investment account. And you know, I have the choice of any point I wanted to pay off my house, I could, but you know that that's my particular choice. But certainly other than the home mortgage, yes. 100%, debt free, no car debt, no. Student loans, and I'm not financing a couch or a blinds, there's nothing running, you know, parallel to that, Mike, my budget looks relatively simple. And then I personally would rather just hold on to the mortgage, but that's just more out of a cash interest rate arbitrage rather than something else. I think, you know, really the larger point set, the framework for your audience is really just talking about that, that kind of framework, because it ties so perfectly to the overarching theme of your show, which is joining the dots. And what I look at when I when I think of this is bandwidth, you know, how do you create bandwidth in your life, you so many of us when we're paycheck to paycheck, we are one financial crisis, even a tiny financial crisis, we're right next to the cliff, right? The financial cliff, we if our if the tire goes flat, it's a it's an existential crisis. If we lose our job, because of layoffs, or downsizing or whatever else, it's an existential crisis. If if there's something that we can do along the way to create that amount of space, it means that finally you might have the time in your life to actually start looking at what lights you up, to start thinking about how to make that next connection and really open yourself up to the possibilities of future that you can get excited about, you know, not 65 beyond but now let's start moving yourself slowly in that direction. And I think that's kind of like the my entire story, because I was sure that business of businesses, small business owners, I was sure that, you know, all businesses fail, the vast majority failed, quote, unquote. And I think along the way, one thing that I failed to realize is that while many businesses fail, those are that's the first failure. And most business owners, most entrepreneurs iterate on that first idea, and come up with something that works. But you can't do that, or it's very difficult and dangerous to do that. If one you have to take out a ton of debt to do it. And to you don't have any financial space, any financial margin in your life. So in my case, I googled in 1999, I googled, you know, top 10 professions, because I don't want to do this crazy entrepreneur thing that people are doing top 10 professions that you know, will guarantee that you quote unquote, make it and somewhere on that list was pharmacy right? and and you know, there's some other obvious ones on there, maybe now it's computer software engineer, or doctors or lawyers, you know, you can get up, it's probably a very stereotypical list of 10. Even still, but quite literally, for someone that wanted to guarantee an outcome. That's like, all right, well, I'm going to do one of these. Now you're saying, Well, that sounds kind of dumb, but I guarantee you that there's tons of I'm not the only one tons of people do this, because we want to take the safe path, right? Love this guaranteed outcome. David Ralph [10:07] Did you get fed up with talking about this, Jonathan, because I can hear the passion coming from you. But I bet I bet there's people around you that goes okay, john, okay. I know it. I know it, just just give you know, we've even got a critic in the Back Bay bad enough. ChooseFI [10:23] Ya know, I never get tired of it. And they may get tired of it a little bit here. Fortunately, we're only here on Mondays and Fridays. So you get three days of break in between? Yeah, so I mean, like, that's kind of the path I followed. And so to become a pharmacist, you know, it's four years of undergrad, and then it's four years of pharmacy school, so eight years of education. And so I graduate with $168,000 in student loan debt, and then four years pay that off, because I just, you know, you can kind of sense that he's kind of anti debt for the most part. So I was like, I gotta pay all this off. It's 12 years. And by the end of that little cycle, I kind of burnout, right? I mean, just, my quality of life in this job has just gone down. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I mean, in retrospect, you'd look back and say, there was a lack of passion that led you there initially. So that was probably one mistake early on. But the larger point was, this guaranteed path didn't allow me to feed that creative instinct, that creative juice, right, that that I think all of us at some level probably would enjoy would lean into would make for a happier work environment. And what's interesting about that, though, even though, you know, my quality of life was was kind of going down the hill, as I was staying in this gig. I had no debt now, right? That's the one thing that I did right, is that I crushed my student loan debt burden, if I had $168,000 in student loan debt, and immediately when I graduated, I had grabbed that high lifestyle, you know, that we've kind of just described earlier with maybe the multiple car payments and the large house and the extravagant entertainment budget and private school for kids and all that are jazz, like, I probably would have just felt trapped, right, I have to always make sure that I can continue to fund that lifestyle need to do whatever it takes to happen. That's what you see people, when they first get that first job, they get their first taste of safe money, they immediately inflate their lifestyle to be able to sustain that, even though what they're really just sustained is payments. And what so i what i did personally, is, when I graduated from school, I just kept my lifestyle very, very lean, we bought a very modest home, we bought a very modest car, we paid off all of the you know, we paid off the car note. So there was virtually in the United States, our cost of living was probably somewhere between 30 to $40,000 a year depending on depending on the you know, depending on the year, and that allow me to effectively achieve a 70 plus percent savings rate, and just crush that student loan debt. And that math is really helpful, you know, in terms of met charting your own particular path to financial independence, in that it's pretty obvious if your paycheck to paycheck, you can never retire. If you can say 25 percent of your income, then that means that you work three years, you can take a year off, if you can say 50% of your income, then that's pretty obvious, too, right? You could work a year and take a year off, you can do that forever. But it's little more nuanced than that, that if you can save 50% of your income for even a relatively short period of time, like 10 to 15 years. And you invest that into pretty common sense investments. I'm not talking about cannabis and Bitcoin here, just regular index fund investing, low cost index fund investing, you can get to the point where working is optional, basically within that interim, interim period of time, and it's not get rich quick, which usually leaves you a little bit broken better and your money in someone else's pocket. But it's get rich, quick ish, which can work every time because it's based on simple math. David Ralph [13:44] Now, I love this. And there's a lot of movements out there at the moment. And there's one of the things that I got in about was minimalism. And I thought this is brilliant. If you reduce the amount that you've got, then you don't have to service Batman by going out to work. So for a while I was into that. And then it started to get a bit sort of icky, where I was seeing people who were, you know, you go into the house and it was like a cave with one garden chair, and one spoon and one another on come on, you need a little bit more to it. Now, what we're saying here, we're just saying sort of, it doesn't have to be too far into the sort of the been landing in a cave scenario. It's just ChooseFI [14:31] did you just establish David Ralph [14:32] he was my number one minimum. So I can just imagine him sitting there on a garden chair with a spoon waiting for the Americans to find him. So it is is that a problem? When people look at this? And they go, Yeah, I'd love to be financially free. But it's all a bit crap. I like to go out for a meal. I like to do this, I like to do that. Is it just about sort of reducing what they like to do by half to make a small difference? ChooseFI [14:58] Wow, it I genuinely love this question like this is the heart of it, isn't it? I think that when you go through life, just purchasing everything, you have no cost, it's almost impossible to know what you value, because you're just going to get it right. And if you can't afford it, you'll just finance it'll all work out, I can afford the payments. And the reality is you simply can't afford it. You know, you simply can't afford the risk that comes with financing everything in your life. But to your larger point, like finding that balance there, I'm kind of the same way no one. I mean, no one will look at me and say, well, that guy's a minimalist. So you just and I think that's kind of like it's both cool. And it opens up the door. For us. minimalism is incredibly powerful as a concept, my slight pivot on it that me and my co host Brad have kind of leaned on is this idea of focusing on value. And so minimalism, the heart of minimalism is intentionality, right? Do you, you know, cut ruthlessly on the things that you don't value and spend lavishly on the things that you do? I think some people certainly would say it's the white wall, it's Apple, it's the you know, it's the certain it's just a very minimal setup. And but I think you can probably the common sense individual can take the heart of minimalism and apply it to their own life and tie it to this and find their own balance point for them. So for example, what would that actually look like? You the average individual that's burned through 10, or 20 years of just consumption, has no idea literally no idea what their life costs? What would it take to unwind that? Well, the most obvious place would be just to track your spending over a 1234 month period of time, I don't know why I have three four in there, I just felt like maybe instead of three will say four months. And once you do that, then you finally have a sense of where your outflow is where your outflow is going. And you can make this as high tech there. Certainly software solutions for this or a low tech get a very minimalistic pen and paper, I don't care. I'm not going to judge you for it. But once you've done that, now we know what we're spending on. And so once you go through that, now you can start what I would say, Yeah, I actually would say, cut to the point of deprivation, I mean, just barely to the point of deprivation, right? And then once you've reached that point, you're like, Man, this is not so much fun anymore. Start adding back the items that you really miss. I mean, now, you know, I actually value this, do you really value the subscription magazines that want a free trial you got three years ago, the only reason you haven't cut it out? Is because you didn't want to make a phone call? Do you really value the 300 channels that you have on TV? And you go to that and there's nothing on? And you say that out loud? Does Do you really value that? David Ralph [17:29] value that but it's their wives that do value Unknown Speaker [17:32] that? David Ralph [17:34] Because you know, I could cut back on everything, I'd be quite happy. But my wife, she likes it. How do you overcome that when one person is going, we're going to come back and the kids are going Please don't. I want the Disney Channel because I've had that anytime. a five year old crying for a whole weekend because I was getting rid of the cable. ChooseFI [17:52] That's hilarious. I can't help you with all the kids that's on you, brother. Let's talk about your spouse for a second. This is a really important conversation. So one of you listens to my podcast or this podcast, and you're just like, I'm going to go crazy, we're going to get rid of everything. We're cutting it all out and go home and you tell your spouse about this crazy plan that you concocted say we're doing this. And she looks at you like you developed a third head, right? This is about tactics, right. And it's about aligning your life, your as in plural, you know, you and your spouse are on this journey together. And if you're going in opposite directions, two ships are going to crash, right, you need to get alignment there. In order to do that it's going to require more than you drop in the master plan. It's going to be a conversation, I think one of my best example that the most crystallized example I have of this, there's a documentary that's going to be it's actually available now there's actually a screening in London, but it's going to be all around the world. And you'll increasingly hear about it called playing with fire, talking a little bit more about this movement in financial independence. And in this documentary, Scott comes home to his wife Taylor with this master plan. And she kind of gives them that two heads, you know, look that we're just described. But ultimately, what he does in this exact situation is he says Taylor, what I'd like for you to do is make a list of like the 10 things that you value your most your ideal day, like what makes your day and he just had her take some time, not on the fly, think about it, come back to them with her 10 things. And she read through those. And then once they had that once he had that he just made observations that you know, as you just pointed out, Hulu or TV TV wasn't on there. And to just other items, like a lot of the items that were on there didn't include didn't include like what you would expect it include the Louis the time the expensive handbags, expensive car, like you just wasn't there and involved, a husband is being present, right? It's putting the phone down time with their baby quality time, just like the list went on and on it. And if you think about it, you're like, Oh, yeah, of course, that would be amazing. But think so many of us have bought into this idea of convenience, and the pleasure that comes with convenience. And we trade that for happiness all the time. So the object of this is not to be miserable. I'm miserable and rich, you winning. Instead, focus on what actually makes you happy, right? And you won't do that. If you always do what's convenient. There's a great quote by jersey record, I love this quote, but I have so much trouble saying his name. But basically the quote says, easy choices, hard life, hard choices, easy life, you're going to have to slow down in your life and actually consider what is it that makes me happy. Now what brings me the most pleasure all of us like checking our Facebook, all of us like checking to see if we got any likes or any retweets or anything else. But what actually makes me happy. And if you look at that over a duration over span of several weeks or several months, the cadence of your life, it's probably not going to involve Netflix vendors, right, especially when they screw up the finale. Yeah, David Ralph [20:49] my wife is saying, I know she's going to seven, seven series of Games of Thrones, we've been about four days. And she can't get the last one she can't get and she's she's going mental. But let's play some words now. And then we're going to come back because I'm going to tell you gentlemen, what I did to my wife, this is this is sexy time. Here we go Jim Carrey Jim Carrey [21:09] my father could have been a great comedian, but he didn't believe that that was possible for him. And so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. And when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. And our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don't want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. David Ralph [21:35] Right. So this is how I did it with my wife to get on board. And she's not totally on board, because you know, give her three grand, she's going to spend three grand, but um, basically, she was doing all these little jobs and she would work in a pub, and she do a bit base and she do a bit of a, and I wanted her to reduce her hours that she was working elsewhere. And it wasn't gonna be dramatic. But I said, if we drop this package that we're paying, that you say that you want on the TV, sailor Amazon, but you don't really because you got Netflix, and Amazon is not that important. That means that you can drop down three hours a week, but you don't have to work. We're saved. And I'll give that to you. You know, I'm happier. But you're having it and you're not working van, it's just going off to this big corporation. So that's how I planned it. And I went through everything saying, right, I'm going to drop this down a couple of stages, we were paying this, let's go down to the budget version. And then you can have the money she bought into that she bought into that quite quickly. And once you get into that sort of mindset, you can't go back because you realize, as you say that the finances are slightly out of control some somehow and more often than not, it's just effort to regain that control. ChooseFI [22:52] Yeah, and what you did is you tied money to her life, energy, your life energy. I mean, that's Vicki Robin, and your money or your life was a book that was released in the 1990s essentially made that same case, are we making a living are we making a dime, when you look at your clothing rack, you know, and it's full with all the latest name brand stuff, the latest tech toys or whatever else, realize that ultimately what that represents is your life energy, right. And while obviously like all of us are going to have stuff and enjoy stuff, to varying degrees, make sure it's something that you don't look back at with regret. And to your lot to that quote which man Wow, I've heard it now multiple times to Jim Carrey as I was listening to episodes of your podcast. And what's so amazing to me is how true it is, and how you can even iterate it slightly to give yourself a couple different outcomes. So like in the case of his father that decided to take the safe path in this account, and then was just laid off, right. So the one path should be never take a safe, safe route. But some of us feel like we're already pot committed. In my mind, if we're already there, we've already chosen that that path. Let's make sure that we have an escape route for ourselves, right? Let's like don't don't, here's my biggest fear advice. Don't leave your only stream of income without plan. There you go that that feels like that's probably bankable. Now behind that though, how do we give ourselves th

Jonathan Mendonsa is the co-founder of the ChooseFI podcast. ChooseFI started in early 2017 out of Jonathan's living room with co-founder Brad Barrett; since then ChooseFI has been downloaded millions of times in over 190 countries and spawned hundreds of ChooseFI local groups with ‘in real life’ meetups in 20+ countries across the globe. ChooseFI blends personal finance, entrepreneurship and personal development as a life optimization strategy that focuses on intentionality, freedom, community and ultimately happiness. Jonathan has a PharmD Degree from VCU and started his career as a pharmacist with $168,000 in student loans. He aggressively paid off the loans in 4.5 years and using the tenets of Financial Independence to cut his life expenses significantly, coupled with his business startup, he left his corporate job to focus on full-time entrepreneurship 9 months after starting the podcast. https://www.choosefi.com https://thomsinger.com/podcast/jonathan-mendonsa

We've talked about FIRE, or Financial Independence Retire Early, on this show before, but how do you line up your finances to be able to make that major change to your lifestyle? Jonathan Mendonsa from Choose FI stopped by the show to explain how we can create space to execute a fully funded lifestyle change. We cover a lot today, like eliminating debt, increasing your savings, and creating additional income so you're not dependant on your job. Plus, just how much are your years of education and career loyalty really worth? You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/jonathanmendonsa  I love our sponsor Borrowell's mission to help Canadians make great decisions about credit! They've taken a product that used to be $23 a month and made it absolutely free. To get your free credit score, free credit report, and continual monitoring, head over to https://maplemoney.com/borrowell 

The twenty-fourth NewRetirement podcast. This time, Steve Chen is joined by guest Jonathan Mendonsa— former pharmacist turned podcasting rockstar and founder of ChooseFI.com — and discusses the past, present, and future of the FIRE Movement. Recording, editing done by Davorin Robison. © 2019 NewRetirement Inc.

Everything you wanted to know about the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) Movement, with Jonathan Mendonsa and Brad Barrett of ChooseFi. In Mailbag, how college students can start investing and building credit.

We were SO excited to have the opportunity to speak with Andy Hill this year at Fin Con! Who is Andy? Andy is the host of the Marriage, Kids and Money Podcast which focuses on helping young families build wealth. The podcast was nominated as "Best New Personal Finance Podcast" by Plutus in 2017. Outside of writing for his own weekly blog of the same name, his personal finance focused articles have been featured in STAND Magazine, Business Insider, NerdWallet and Rockstar Finance. Trusted as a personal finance influencer by brands such as Quicken Loans, Tomorrow and Credit Sesame, Andy’s message of family financial empowerment has resonated with listeners, readers and viewers across the US. When he's not "talking money", Andy enjoys wrestling with his two kids and singing 80’s karaoke with his wife. MORTGAGE FREEDOM What would you do if you were mortgage free?  Well, it was cause for celebration for Andy and his wife!  They made a list of several fun things to celebrate this HUGE accomplishment.  On our website, we have linked one of their videos of the “mortgage free” Pinata. Go check it out.  WHEN MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT MONEY CREATE CONFLICTS IN THE MARRIAGE What happens when you and your spouse are not on the same page about finances?  We have all heard the statistics about money troubles and divorce. One of the more courageous things Andy and his wife have done was to be transparent about their decision to go to couples counseling to address the difficulties they were having AFTER becoming mortgage free.  It is a wonderful candid episode. You can listen to it here. MONEY LESSONS FOR KIDS One of the really great lessons Andy and his wife have been emphasizing is “contribution to the household.”  Andy has found the best way to get his daughter more involved is to do chores with her. This sometimes means putting on the Greatest Showman soundtrack and doing dishes side-by-side.  Not only is his daughter getting valuable time with her dad, but she is learning that work is rewarded by income. FINAL CLOSEOUT QUESTIONS: Money Lessons from Childhood - It is important to create goals but don’t forget they require action.   Money Lessons for Our Children - DREAM BIG. Do it early and consistently. You can find Andy at marriagekidsandmoney.com GET ANDY’S  FREE BOOK: The Young Family Wealth Playbook  In it Andy interviews over 100 self-made millionaires, successful entrepreneurs and personal finance experts.  Learn how they did it!   Mentioned on this Episode: Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey   FIRE podcasts: Rockstar Finance - with Scott Allen Turner Choose FI - with Jonathan Mendonsa and Brad Barrett

#160: When Jonathan Mendonsa was 18, he researched which college degrees lead to the highest income. Pharmacy was near the top of the list of high-paying degrees, so Jonathan decided to become a pharmacist. He wasn't motivated by passion or calling. His decision was purely tactical. He wanted to make money. He spent four years in college, followed by another four years of graduate school. By age 28, he held a Doctorate in Pharmacy and an astounding $168,000 in debt. This debt burden might have been bearable if Jonathan loved his chosen profession. For people who love their fields, tuition is the price of being able to enjoy a lifetime of work they love. Unfortunately, that wasn't Jonathan's story. He never held a passion for pharmacy; he viewed it purely as a means to an end. Perhaps it wasn't surprising, then, that shortly after becoming a pharmacist, he realized that this wasn't what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to change careers. He wanted to pursue more meaningful, fun, interesting work. He spent the next four years repaying his student debt. And finally, at age 32, he brought his net worth up to zero. _____ Brad Barrett wasn't thinking about income when he chose his profession. He had received acceptance letters to some Ivy League schools, but he wanted to graduate from college debt-free, so he enrolled at the University of Richmond, which gave him a partial scholarship. While studying there, Brad encountered an accounting professor who challenged him and his classmates in the best possible ways.  Brad felt inspired to major in accounting. His decision didn't come from a rigorous analysis of lifetime income potential. He wasn't scrutinizing labor statistics spreadsheets. He was simply following a route that he found fascinating. After he received his undergraduate degree, Brad decided not to enroll in any further education. Instead, he started working for one of the Big Five accounting firms, with a starting salary in the low $40,000's. He and his future wife both lived at home with their parents for the first few years of their professional life, which allowed each of them to save dramatic amounts. Brad saved more than 90 percent of his after-tax income.  Perhaps it's not surprising that the couple, who now have two children, are financially independent. ____ Both Jonathan and Brad are college-educated professionals in their thirties. They both live in Richmond, Virginia. They're both married with children (Jonathan has a son; Brad has two daughters). Yet their stories could not be more different. What can we learn about careers, work, income, spending, and financial independence from their life experiences? Find out in today's podcast interview with Jonathan and Brad, the co-hosts of the ChooseFI podcast.

With the help of Jonathan Mendonsa and Brad Barrett, the guys behind the popular ChooseFI website and podcast, we’re going to learn more about the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement and how you can gain financial independence to create the life you want. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Motley Fool. Go to www.linkedin.com/fool and get a $50 off your first job post.

Take away: There are tremendous opportunities to life life on your terms, take a small step today.   Action step: what is 1 thing you can take action this week to improve your life.   Money Learnings: Jonathan grew up without a lot of money. He grew up with a safe home but there was not a lot of extra’s. He wanted to do better.   Bio: My name is Jonathan and I live and work out of Richmond Virginia. My wife and I enjoy travel rewards,  coffee, board games, Chipotle, and spending time with our two dogs; Zoey and Kiki. We have a love-hate relationship with frugal living and like to find ways to maximize quality of life while minimizing expenses. I feel I am qualified to talk about the normal path because I have lived it for the last 30 years.  At the age of 28 I graduated college as a pharmacist with  $168,000 in student loans, Now 4 years later I have clawed my way out and I am pursuing Financial Independence. My hobby and passion over the last 5 years has become learning new skills and looking for ways to develop passive income streams. I also love to talk about what I have learned. I ran out of people in my immediate social circle to share all this awesome information with. Enter ChooseFI… I am so excited to get to collect and talk about all the financial life hacks as my side hustle. I know this information has the power to change lives. Turn off the TV and start working for freedom.   Highlights from this episode: Link   https://www.choosefi.com Finding your why Ep. 38 Actionable tips Ep. 21 Travel Reward Ep. 9   Richer Soul Life Beyond Money. You got rich, now what? Let's talk about your journey to more a purposeful, intentional, amazing life. Where are you going to go and how are you going to get there? Let's figure that out together. At the core is the financial well being to be able to do what you want, when you want, how you want. It's about personal freedom! Thanks for listening! If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes: http://bit.do/richersoul https://www.facebook.com/richersoul http://richersoul.com/ rocky@richersoul.com Music: https://www.bensound.com Any financial advice is for educational purposes only and you should consult with an expert for your specific needs.

Note: Click here to download Jonathan’s top tips for starting and growing a podcast, blog, and online community from this episode. 10 months! Just 10 months after starting his side hustle, Jonathan Mendonsa was ready to quit his 6-figure job and take the business full-time. What's the hustle? A podcast called Jonathan co-hosts with this partner Brad Barrett ChooseFI. “You need to either be first or be different. We couldn’t be first, so we wanted to pivot and be a little different,” Jonathan said. When the project started, he was working full-time as a pharmacist, living a frugal lifestyle, and was an avid consumer of financial independence content. From the offset, he knew that, “If we can create a show that’s information, accurate, good, entertaining, and also inspirational, that’ll be addictive.” In this episode Jonathan shares some of the unique tactics and tips he and Brad used to grow their audience, community, and business so fast. Tune in to hear how ChooseFI earned 2 million downloads in its first year, and how they monetize the show to support two families.

Jonathan Mendonsa is on a mission to get people to understand the power of money, how to retire faster, and even travel free. There is a growing community of "FI" people (Financial Independence) that know the tips and life hacks for people to earn more, pay less in taxes, and get to LIVING life, and not living paycheck to paycheck. This is a MUST LISTEN! I promise you that this podcast will immediately bring you value and get you motivated. Also, I would HIGHLY recommend that you subscribe to their podcast. Here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/choosefi-join-the-financial-independence-community/id1187770032?mt=2 Also, for all the other advice, including the travel rewards mentioned in the show, please visit: https://www.choosefi.com/

This is the last half of the epic interview with Brad and Jonathan from Choose FI. Continuing where we left off from last week, we finish up the Pillars of FI conversation, including beginner level topics you can be doing such as frugality and index fund investing but also touch on more advanced topics like tax optimization and travel hacking. If you have not yet listened to part one, you can find that here.  This episode - along with last week’s part one - is a must-listen for anyone on the path to FI, or just getting started. Links from the Show BiggerPockets Forums Richmond Savers Mr. Money Mustache Articles Listen to the episode on BiggerPockets  

On today’s epic show, we speak with Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa from Choose FI. Brad and Jonathan share their pillars of financial independence — the 10 things you need to do in order to achieve FI. We cover beginner-level topics such as...

Popularized by extreme frugality rock stars like Mr. Money Mustache, the Mad Fientist and Jacob from Early Retirement Extreme, the Financial Independence or FIRE community has grown in popularity over the past 5-10 years. This is a subset of the personal finance world that encourages earning a solid income early in your life, saving a … Continue reading "10 Pillars of Financial Independence with Jonathan Mendonsa" The post 10 Pillars of Financial Independence with Jonathan Mendonsa appeared first on Marriage, Kids and Money.