The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

TBP 281 :: How to Gain Financial Freedom So You Can Climb More - Meghan Walker

14 snips

Jan 29, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Meghan Walker, a personal finance writer and financial coach, shares her journey from journalism to the FIRE movement. She delves into strategies for achieving financial independence, including mindful spending and travel hacking. Meghan emphasizes the importance of open conversations about finances, offers savvy tips on credit card rewards, and discusses tools for effective budgeting. Listeners will discover how to balance enjoying life while building a secure financial future, making financial empowerment feel attainable.

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INSIGHT

Financial Literacy

People are often uneducated about investing, retirement, and spending.
Learning about finances is empowering and helps create a more desirable life.

ANECDOTE

Nealey's FI Journey

Nealey's financial restructuring inspired this episode.
She and her husband were inspired by friends who achieved financial independence early.

ANECDOTE

Megan's Early Finances

Megan prioritized time over money, working in sprints and taking mini-retirements.
Living in a van highlighted the unsustainability of her financial approach.

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Meghan Walker is a very good friend of mine who is also somewhat of an expert in the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) world. I asked her to be on the show to educate you about how you can make changes to your spending and investing/saving habits in order to have financial freedom in a lot less time than you think it’s going to take.

In a recent episode, I talked about how my husband and I started working towards an earlier retirement this past year and how amazing it’s been to see the results of our hard work. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and that is what I want for everyone who wants to take back their time and freedom from their employers. That is what the FIRE movement is all about.

In the past few years, Meghan has learned a LOT about investing, travel hacking, and saving money and is on her way to “coast FI” (we’ll explain in the interview) in the near future. Prior to learning about the FIRE movement, Meghan was enjoying “mini-retirements” throughout her 20’s and 30’s in which she’d work hard for several months to save up for extended cross-globe adventures until the bank account ran dry. It wasn’t until Meghan was in her mid-30s that she learned about the true meaning of financial independence and finally started her journey to FI.

As a side gig (which you’ll hear more about in the interview), Meghan and our friend Jeff started a website www.awaytofi.com where she’s written articles and offers consults to people like you who want to learn more. Meghan lives with her husband Callan and dogs Wiley and Pepper in Boulder, Colorado.

What We Talked About

What is FIRE / FI?
Why did Meghan get into it?
What she did to make progress toward her goal of coast FI
The different kinds of FI
How this all could change your life and give you more time to climb and pursue other passions
What you should know about investing
Things you can do to decrease spending
Travel hacking so your flights and hotels are paid for by credit card points

Resources Discussed

Work with Meghan on Your Financial Plan: www.awaytofi.com

Books:

Websites:

Meghan’s website www.awaytofi.com
mrmoneymoustache.com
choosefi.com (also a podcast)

Podcasts:

Calculators and Money Management:

Monarch (get a 30-day trial with my affiliate link)
CreditKarma
MrMoneyMustache Spreadsheet I use to plan out our lives (taken from this article of his)
Compound Interest Calculator I use

If I missed a resources we discussed, just email me at neely@trainingbeta.com and I’ll find it for you!