082R | The Paradox of Choice

082R | Discussion of Brad and Jonathan's purchasing habits, messages from the ChooseFI community, benefits and drawbacks of roboadviors, and a summary of capital gains harvesting.

• Jonathan gives a review of some travel hacks on a recent trip to Chattanooga, TN.
• Capital One Venture Card allows users to redeem miles for nearly any travel cost.
• PSA: bring a copy of your child's birth certificate if you're traveling.
• Review of Monday's episode with Dani and Laura, Jonathan and Brad's wife.
• Jonathan is excited about the way Brad and Laura cut down on choices, purchases and decisions for themselves and their children.
• Brad aims to keep his life simple, particularly in regard to purchases.
• Enjoying the journey is crucial; obsessing over small purchases probably takes away from someone's enjoyment of life.
• During your pursuit of FI, it's important to remember your "why".
• Laura shops for the future, by purchasing clothes, presents, etc., way before they're necessary, often finding items for a fraction of the normal cost.
• Batch processing: blocking your time off to maximize efficiency.
• Facebook Message from Jimmy: met a friend on airplane, introduced him to ChooseFI, and that friend reduced expenses and put himself on the path to FI in less than a month.
• There are options for almost every financial position, to get yourself moving in the direction of FI.
• Jeff, on Facebook, reports that he's paid off $105k of student loans.
• ChooseFI San Diego has a real estate meeting recently – informing people about real estate options and discussing rent vs buy, among other topics of conversation.
• ChooseFI local groups will be as good as the participants want them to be.
• Voicemail from Ryan: question about using roboadvisors?
• Fees matter: managing accounts directly saves money.
• Benefits of a roboadvisor – automated services can help with some calculations that it's difficult to do yourself, and it sometimes make investing more accessible
• Jonathan prefers and recommends M1 Finance.
• Voicemail from Bonnie: selling used items through the online Varagesale platform helps her bring in a little extra income as a stay-at-home mom.
• Voicemail from Anthony with questions about increasing your capital gains basis.
• Capital gains are typically taxes, but if you're in a low tax bracket, long-term capital gains are not taxed.
• Previous episode about capital gains harvesting in episode 18 and 18R.

Links:

The Paradox of Choice

Betterment

Wealthfront

The Simple Path to Wealth

Design Your Future

Freelance to Freedom

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/082R