Back to FI Basics: How to Start Your Journey to Early Retirement | ChooseFI Crossover | 194
Catching Up to FI
How to pick funds in a 401(k)
They advise using expense ratios to find S&P 500 or total market analogs inside workplace plans.
Strap in, because Jackie joins Brad Barrett for a crossover episode on the ChooseFI podcast, home of the world's largest FI community! Together, they rewind all the way back to 2017, when Jackie first stumbled onto ChooseFI… and everything changed. She recounts her journey to reaching early retirement by December 2019, and using that freedom to go back to school, get her CFP, and write 'F.I.R.E. for Dummies'. Then the two of them dive deep into the fundamentals and break down what financial independence really means. They explain why even ten dollars a month can spark a lifelong investing habit, and how Jackie's first investment club taught her the power of community and compounding. They decode 401(k)s, demystify fund selection, and spotlight the quiet villain of investing: expense ratios.
The episode widens from there: debt payoff strategies, designing a modest but deeply rich life on $40–45K a year in Ohio, negotiating everything from internet bills to insurance premiums, and the emotional transformation from paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle to feeling 'directionally correct.' They conclude with the realization that FI isn't just about money, it's about options. Whether you're a late starter, brand new or ten years into the journey; returning to the basics is how you stay grounded, stay motivated, and stay on course.
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