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The Automatic Millionaire Mindset (Why “Boring” Money Wins) with David Bach

Jan 19, 2026

Guest

David Bach

In this engaging discussion, David Bach, a bestselling financial author and entrepreneur, shares insights from his influential work, The Automatic Millionaire. He emphasizes the power of 'boring money' habits for building wealth through consistent action. David advocates for planning mini-retirements to recharge, empowering women to take control of their finances, and investing early—even small amounts—due to the magic of compounding. His personal stories and practical advice illuminate the journey to financial health and intentional living.

54:12

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ADVICE

Take Mini Retirements Now

Don't wait for retirement to live: plan mini-retirements and take shorter sabbaticals within 18–36 months.
Identify calendar white space and design the logistics so your business can run without you temporarily.

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ANECDOTE

Grandmother's Fork In The Road

David Bach's grandmother urged him to take risks at life's forks and let his 'little boy' play.
That moment prompted him to plan leaving Morgan Stanley and pursue teaching and writing full-time within three years.

insights

INSIGHT

Why Women Must Own Their Finances

Women on average live longer but have less retirement savings due to career breaks and lower Social Security.
Therefore women must be directly involved in their finances to protect long-term security.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Life and pace after moving to Florence

01:33 • 2min

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How social life in Italy fuels entrepreneurship

03:37 • 2min

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Take mini-retirements now, not later

06:06 • 2min

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20 years of The Automatic Millionaire

08:14 • 1min

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A grandmother's lesson: let risk in

09:35 • 6min

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Fear, resilience, and entrepreneurial toughness

15:47 • 44sec

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Why David focuses on educating women

16:31 • 6min

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Mindset shifts when women manage money

22:07 • 3min

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Meningitis wake-up: plan and run fire drills

24:50 • 10min

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You don't need huge income to invest

34:36 • 3min

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Ten practical money moves to act on

Balanced boring portfolio and index funds

43:03 • 17sec

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Mortgage strategies and emergency cash

43:20 • 2min

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Invest in yourself and your network

45:10 • 5min

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Start small: $5–$10 daily investments compound

49:40 • 3min

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Teaching kids to invest early with Roth IRAs

52:25 • 3min

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Where to get the book and free chapters

• Mentioned in 113 episodes

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

A Leadership Fable

Patrick Lencioni

This book explores the fundamental causes of team failure and organizational politics through a narrative about a fictional company, DecisionTech, Inc. It outlines five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. The book provides practical advice and real-world examples to help teams overcome these dysfunctions and become high-performing teams.

#26256

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Smart Couples Finish Rich

David Bach

#2507

• Mentioned in 16 episodes

The automatic millionaire

A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich

David Bach

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach shares the secret to becoming financially secure by automating savings and debt payments. The book tells the story of an average American couple who, despite a modest income, manage to own two homes debt-free, send their children to college, and retire with over $1 million in savings. Bach's approach stresses the importance of automating financial plans, eliminating high-interest debt, and living frugally while still enjoying life. Key concepts include the 'Latte Factor,' which highlights how small daily expenses can add up, and the necessity of aligning spending with personal values.

#6478

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

Smart women finish rich

9 Steps to Achieving Financial Security and Funding Your Dreams

David Bach

Smart Women Finish Rich is a financial guide specifically tailored for women, offering a nine-step program to achieve financial security and fund their dreams. The book addresses women's emotional relationships with money, helps readers align their financial actions with their values and goals, and provides updated advice on investments, managing money, and new financial opportunities. It has been a bestseller for over two decades and has helped millions of women gain confidence, clarity, and control over their financial well-being.

Good things happen to boring money. In this episode, I sit down with David Bach, a 10X New York Times bestselling author and serial entrepreneur who’s built 7-9 figure businesses, to talk about why wealth is built through consistent habits. We dive into the 20-year anniversary of The Automatic Millionaire, the belief systems he had to break around money, and why making more doesn’t automatically make you richer. David shares about mini retirements, designing your life intentionally, why waiting for “someday” is costing you more than you think, and the practical money moves every entrepreneur and woman needs to know. Tune in to learn why boring money habits create extraordinary wealth.

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HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 David’s favorite things about living in Florence.

03:00 How social life in Italy changes creativity and business.

05:15 Why you shouldn’t wait to “retire” to live your life.

07:30 Celebrating 20 years of The Automatic Millionaire.

11:45 The lesson David’s grandmother taught him about risk.

14:30 Why fear never fully goes away for entrepreneurs.

16:00 Why women must be in charge of their finances.

21:15 Why women live longer but retire with less money.

23:30 Surviving meningitis and the wake-up call it created.

29:45 What would you do if you had 3 years left?

33:30 The money belief David had to break.

36:15 The boring portfolio strategy.

41:00 Why you should stop chasing crypto and trends.

42:15 How to pay off your mortgage faster.

43:45 Why cash is not the same as a credit line.

45:45 You don’t need to be rich to start investing.

47:00 Why you should teach kids to invest early.

52:30 Who do you want to meet in the future?

RESOURCES

Get The Automatic Millionaire 20th Anniversary Edition HERE!

Grab Smart Women Finish Rich HERE!

Listen to the first chapters for FREE on The David Bach Show podcast HERE!

Learn more about David Bach HERE!

Apply for the Elite Entrepreneur Mastermind HERE!

Get on the waitlist for Mentor Collective Mastermind HERE!

Try glōci for 40% for first time customers using code HAPPY at checkout HERE!

FOLLOW

Follow me: @loriharder

Follow glōci: @getgloci

Follow David: @davidlbach

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