The Financial Independence Show

In today's episode, you'll hear from Gina who you can learn more about at Horkey Handbook. Gina grew up poor but graduated college at 19 and began a string of successful careers. After burning out in corporate America, she decided to try her hand at entrepreneurship. Now she is running several successful online businesses aimed at helping others become entrepreneurs themselves. Listen, learn,  and let us know what you think. Episode Summary She grew up poor and money was always a challenge As kids, she'd have to buy her own clothes even in middle school Gina started babysitting at age 11 But Gina was always driven to make something of her self She actually started going to college while she was an 11th / 12th grader This allowed her to graduate college just before she turned 20 The program is a special thing that Minnesota does and is free Then she ended up getting married at 21 and settled down in her hometown After college, she worked for a company helping people reach fitness goals Then she'd transition careers into being a financial advisor Gina was working 60 hour weeks but was learning a ton It's obvious that Gina is an extremely hard worker This means that she thrives in a commission-based jobs Her biggest advice for these type jobs is to sell something you're passionate about She gives some interesting insights into the life of a financial advisor Gina would stay in this career field for 10 years Just before leaving the corporate world they started preparing for a change Her husband quits his job in 2013 to be a stay at home day She knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur and started investigating Gina would start freelancing in several different areas Then she did some virtual assistant working By 2015 she was full-time entrepreneur Her corporate job had been paying about $60k before she left She talks about a lot of the success and benefits One of which is they take a 2-month vacation to the beach in Texas every year They actually unenroll their children from school every year and home school them There were some struggles though She felt guilty being close to her kids but having to work all-day Gina now has a separate location on her property to work in It really helps her separate life and work Gina does struggle with taking on too much work This year she actually stressed herself out so much she grew a dependency on alcohol Luckily she is now been sober for over six months Then Gina goes over some tips for managing stress Her and her husband are both frugal and don't want a lot of flashy things She does, however, believe in investing in herself Gina actually pays $3k per month for a business coach and it's totally paying off Her and her husband also utilize a personal trainer Then Gina goes over a laundry list of businesses she's involved in These include virtual assistant, freelancing, and Pinterest courses Some of these are branching off into niches Such as podcast virtual assistants Key Takeaways Control your income: Gina talks about how a sales-oriented career puts earning power into your own hands Commit Cautiously: Gina put so much into her businesses, but at times pushed herself way too far Branch successes: When Gina finds something is working she doubles down and finds another angle to also go after Call to Action Invest in something that will improve your life. Whether business, fitness, or anything that makes you happy. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes

In today's episode, you'll hear from Lisa who writes over at Mad Money Monster. She started off life poor, had a bad first relationship, then discovered Financial Independence. Lisa was in her 30s and went in full force cutting out all her expenses. It turned out to be too harsh and she shifted her mindset to FI/OR. This is Financial Independence / Optional Retirement and she breaks that down for us. Listen, learn, and let us know what you think. Episode Summary She grew up poor so she was always fascinated with money Once she had her kid she really knew finances were important Then she meets her current husband and they start to close on their big dream home Lisa talks about how the home was way out of their price range Luckily the inspector found black mold in the house This meant the deal fell through and they avoided huge debt Lisa was in her mid-30s in 2015 when all this happened Growing up Poor Then Lisa talks about her upbringing in a 400 sq ft trailer She does note that it was in a great school district Most of her classmates lived in big nice houses Neither of her parents graduated high school Justin and Lisa talk about how to fit in when you don't have money One of the big things was spending a little to get name brand clothes Since they lived in such a small house their family was doing ok They weren't living on super thin margins but they weren't saving anything FI Journey Lisa already had her undergrad, masters, and career started before finding financial independence She had been saving for retirement since day one but no extreme focus Lisa steps back in her story to cover a relationship that fell apart earlier in life She ended up leaving their house with nothing Lisa actually owned a home that she rented to her parents but didn't want to stay there So she ended up renting another apartment Then we step back to what life looked like when she really discovered Financial Independence The day she discovers it, she goes into work and maxes out her 401k contribution Then they started cutting everything No weekly pizza or coffee dates, nothing was off-limits FI/OR - Financial Independence Optional Retirement Lisa goes over the 5 big points of this idea of FI/OR Pressure is off - you don't have to be extreme and retire super early for no reason Makes work more fun - FIRE made work seem daunting, focusing less on it made work fun Scale back / Stop Side Hustles - these are just second jobs and it can grind you down Gives You Options - now you can focus a little more on the things you love vs rapid spending Lisa's original goal was to stop working in 2021 and just do nothing Then she started thinking about kid's college/wedding, vacations, mom's care Now Lisa is rethinking her timeline and moved it to 2025-2030 She and her husband currently have blogs and rental properties She also admits she could never just retire and do nothing Key Takeaways No money? Spend it anyway: Lisa talks about how important having nice clothes was for her self esteem growing up poor It's ok to slow down: Obviously Lisa has pivoted and changed her plans and she sounds so much happier with optional retirement. Pick a Partner: We discuss how being cheap is destructive to relationships and the environment Call to Action Slow down a little, spend some time and money on something you love and avoid deprivation. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Check out our Sponsors

In today's episode, you'll hear from MK Williams who authors Financial Independence Fiction. She started out chasing a career for money but found herself unsatisfied. MK studied the art of writing and self-publishing. Now she is authoring books and helping other authors as well. Listen and learn all about side hustles and let us know what you think. Episode Summary MK saw her mom put herself through law school and struggle From there she always wanted to hoard money vs spending it She decided to major in economics This decision was largely to earn a higher income She had a passion for writing but didn't feel like she had the skills MK graduated in the middle of the recession so no job was lucrative Her first job would come through a fluke all at USAA She had moved down to Florida to live with her parents Her starting salary was $38k but she didn't love her job While in Tampa she would meet her now-husband Jason Jason actually owned his house and was renting rooms out to people It's very obvious that Jason and MK are completely on the same frugal page We then discuss how they keep finances straight as a couple They actually just use whatever credit card they need for rewards Writing as a business MK had this dream that she would just write a book and a publisher would show up That didn't happen She said it took her three to four years of learning to be ready In the end, she settled on self-publishing MK wasn't driven to write for money at first She then discusses how she grew her brand organically Mk wasn't open to the idea of just paying for tons of ads to grow Then we talk about MK's inspiration for her fictional novels She shares a story of her husband who started selling her families stuff at 12 FI Journey MK got out of debt in 2012 Then they discovered Mr. Money Mustache in 2013 The topic didn't stick at first but then they read Early Retirement Extreme and it stuck this time They had always been good with money but there was no real purpose behind it. Then we swap gears into how she's helping Fiology and ChooseFI with their books MK is now a full-time author and independent publisher by helping others learn how to self-publish She's also taking all these lessons and sharing them via her YouTube Channel MK also shares how authors can still provide physical books without huge upfront costs Key Takeaways Partner in crime: It's so important to get on the same page with your partner, if your not today, just keep working Keep Learning: MK shows how she's continuously learning such as re-reading Harry Potter to understand how a series builds Cheap is harmful: We discuss how being cheap is destructive to relationships and the environment Call to Action Practice your listening skills, We learn from listening not from speaking. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Learn more about MK Via her website 1MKWilliams.com Read her FI-fiction book Learn about self-publishing via her YouTube Channel Learn More About Your Hosts Fly to FI (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

In today's episode, you'll hear from Jen who co-hosts the Frugal Friends podcast and writes at Modern Frugality. Jen really didn't want to become frugal in her 20's because she was afraid of losing out. Over time she realized the amount of work it was taking to reach her goals was too much. She decided to stop only focusing on more work and begin focusing on frugality. Listen and learn all about side hustles and let us know what you think. Episode Summary The first thing her husband wanted to do after getting married was paying off student debt Jen was not originally on board with this She didn't want to live under a rock under her 20's Her husband explained the opportunities that they'd have if they got out of debt They were $78k in debt total The two of them also didn't have a ton of income Jen came around to getting out of debt but still didn't want to lower her income She tried to add on three side hustles on top of her job There was so much stress that she ended up with shingles In totality between all their work and side hustles, they were bringing in up to $88k Originally the goal was to be debt-free in 5 years In the end, it turned out to only take 23 months Jen's Tools for Turning Around Her Finance One of the most powerful tools she used was a method called habit stacking This is where you take one habit you're good at and sticking another on top Hers was brushing teeth with budgeting tied in on it Jen also really recommends manually tracking vs automated systems at first Another tool Jen used was a no-spend challenge This is where you don't spend money on any non-critical item for a set period of time Many times people shoot for a month Saving money is good for you and the environment she also calls out Buying cheap things that get tossed lead to waste Cheap vs Frugal Impacting someone else negatively is cheap Impacting yourself negatively is cheap If it's illegal it's cheap If something takes you so much time to save money that you're not there for someone else it's cheap Key Takeaways Less is more:  Jen actually became happier in life after stripping off unnecessary spending instead of it being a burden Saving is self cafe: She talked about how so many of the things we spend money on take us away from things we really care about Cheap is harmful: We discuss how being cheap is destructive to relationships and the environment Call to Action Assign a value on a scale of your choosing to the expenses in a certain category. Start reducing the ones you value least. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Learn more about Jen Via her podcast One of her books -> Saving with Spunk, The No Spend Challenge, Meal Plan on a Budget    Learn More About Your Hosts Fly to FI (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

In today's episode, you'll hear from Mrs. Miller who writes over at Millers On Fire. Mrs. Miller grew up in the Bronx surrounded by low incomes and not much excess. She gets out and her salaries begin to really climb. Once she passed the six-figure mark, she started feeling the guild of success. At age 32, she comes to terms with what she'd achieved and found a new motivation in a journey to financial independence. She also shares her experience with the Blogging for Profit Course. Listen and learn all about side hustles and let us know what you think. Episode Summary She originally wanted to go into criminal law. The original plan was to get a political science degree That should set her up to become a lawyer Once she decided being a lawyer wasn't in the cards she swapped majors She'd end up graduating with a business degree Being born and raised in New York she lived there with her father while she hunted for a job She'd eventually find work with the U.S. government in California Mrs. Miller's Background Her salary would quickly climb from $35k to $70K and eventually up past $100k The problem was her lifestyle inflated alongside her paycheck She slowly increased her savings rate from 3% to 10% Lacking financial literacy, she didn't consider what investing could do for not only her future but start a shift in generational wealth Mrs. Miller Discovers FI At age 32 she came across an article that explained this idea of financial independence She took a look at her life and spending and realized she had a lot of financial potential She admitted to struggle to even store all her clothes and shoes Throughout her working career, she'd only been saving 10% of her income After the discovery of financial independence, she would ramp that up to 50% Mrs. Miller Spreading FIRE (+ Blogging for Profit) Once she experienced such a shift in mindset, she wanted to spread it In 2016 she bought the domain name for millersonfire.com Unfortunately, it didn't go anywhere Running a website proved to be overwhelming Then in 2019, she took a course on Blogging for Profit From there she found the tools and motivation to get back to her passion project Mrs. Miller has seen a big turnaround and shares that for her readers She also does a great job of being extremely transparent with her numbers The Millers sit at a net worth of about $500k Their goal is $1.1M and hope to hit that by age 44 Key Takeaways Success can hurt:   Mrs. Miller was crushing her professional life but felt undeserving and guilty when she knew many people even in her own family, who were struggling. Don't listen to standards: Saving 10% can feel like the finish line, push yourself to save as much as you can, not hit a minimum number. It's ok to get help: Mrs. Miller tried blogging back in 2016 and hit a wall before getting help from the Blogging For Profit Course. Call to Action Reevaluate a project you started that fizzled out due to overcomplication Side Hustle Courses [Limited Time] Blogging for Profit Course (receive bonus ebook on signup) Etsy Printables Course (receive bonus ebook on signup) Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Learn more about the Millers Via their blog at Millers On Fire Read her Blogging for Profit Course Review Learn More About Your Hosts Fly to FI (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

In today's episode, you'll hear from the side hustle king Nick Loper from Side Hustle Nation. Nick got an eye-opening opportunity in college and knew he had to be his own boss. He would eventually work three years in the corporate world. During that time he was building his side hustle. It was quickly covering his expenses and he never looked back. Listen and learn all about side hustles and let us know what you think. Episode Summary He started paying attention to money when he started realizing how expensive things were Things such as renting a tux for prom His parents didn't let on that they had the money that they didn't It wasn't that they were rich but they did well His first memorable job was through a program called College Works They pitch entrepreneurship, sales, and customer service You don't know what the job is until the pitch is over It turned out to be house painting They gave him an area of responsibility and taught him several skills He was in charge of hiring, firing and solving customer issues They warned Nick that he may never be able to work for someone after this experience Nick mentioned how important this experience was to applying his education He would go on to work for three years in corporate America Nick's 1st Side Hustle Nick built his first side hustle at 22 It was a comparison shopping tools for footwear Every day he'd come home and work on the side hustle from 7-10pm At his normal job Nick was making ~$50k per year Before long the shoe site began earning enough to cover his expenses At this point, Nick was ready to take the side hustle full time What really flipped the switch for Nick was a quote from a conference It was "Work on your business, not in your business" Nick took this to focus on growing the business and less of the day to day grunt work That lead to the next side hustle which was a yelp type site for finding a virtual assistant Choosing Your Side Hustle Nick recommends finding two areas you're in the top 50% in Then find a way that those two things intersect He also suggests trying out things to experiment You'll often find your true golden idea once you get started on a project If you begin to dread the work, it may be time to stop working on that side hustle Tiers of Side hustles Nick says side hustle fall into three categories: Service, Product, Audience For Services, Nick really recommends branding fragmented services He gives the example of building a maid service that has great customer service and ease of booking For Product he recommends a "buy low, sell high" model like print on demand shirts Then for an audience, you can sell clicks to ads or affiliate links Also once the audience gets large enough you can sell something like an ebook or course Key Takeaways Expertise not required: Nick's first side hustle was comparing shoes and Nick knew very little about shoes Be better, not necessarily different: It's more important to provide a great experience than something that's never been done Think in scale: When building a side hustle focus your energy on how it will scale. Remember work on the business not for the business Call to Action Go check out Nick's giant list of Side Hustles and find a few today Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android   Learn more about Nick Via his blog at Side Hustle Nation Learn More About Your Hosts Fly to FI (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

In today's episode, you'll hear the powerful story from Deanna who writes at Recovering Women Wealth. Deanna would bounce around the world while sprinkling in college which she graduated from at age 28. By that time she had already been married and divorced but found her passion in teaching. Unfortunately, she then became addicted to drugs and alcohol and found her self six figures in debt. Thankfully at age 36 she got sober and now at 46 is debt free and on solid financial ground. Listen to one of the more powerful episodes we've ever had and let us know what you think. Episode Summary Her parents were good with money and she was rebellious She knew money was necessary to be able to get out on her own Deanna did some learn some money lessons but they didn't sink in until much later She admits that they wanted for nothing and were middle class Deanna's parents also saved up for her college Her dad was a successful salesman and her mom stayed at home She would end up bouncing around while sporadically going to college Deanna would end up in Europe, Colorado, and Ohio At 25 she was married and 27 she was divorced Deanna would also have to file for bankruptcy because so much debt was in her name At 28 she would finish her undergraduate degree and find her passion in teaching While it took her 10 years to get her undergrad, she got her graduate in just one year To pay for her lifestyle during all this she would rely on being a waitress She started out on a promising career in education as a mathematics teacher Then someone from her past came back to her life and got her hooked back on drugs She stopped teaching and got offered a job at a country club she used to work at Unfortunately, it was a job surrounded by alcohol Deanna would continue to spiral and found herself six figures in debt The Turning Point She recalls seeing three paths including insanity, death, and a glimmer of hope At 36 she realized she was done and quit cold turkey She was able to do this without entering a treatment facility Instead, she just utilized anonymous groups Her money journey started to turn around too A church friend introduced her to the Dave Ramsey techniques Now four years she was making a lot of progress but still had struggles She would end up losing her house due to foreclosure Now with little debt remaining, she was extremely motivated At age 43 she made the decision to move in with her parents to accelerate things She became debt-free in December 2017 Today she works in the insurance industry and loves her job She started that career-making $40k and is now up to $70k Deanna is actually looking to take a year and volunteer at an orphanage in Uganda We can't wait to see where life takes her and her powerful story Key Takeaways Financial freedom > Retiring Early: Deanna is 46 and not near the end of her FI journey but she feels so free without the burden of debt Use these powers for good: I love how this community takes there freedom and uses it help others the way Deanna does It doesn't have to be a sprint: Deanna has made huge strides but many would not feel comfortable taking a year off but that's what she wants to do so she can volunteer at an orphanage in Africa... and that's pretty awesome! Call to Action If you know someone facing addiction, send them Deanna's story. Even if you don't, we all have bad habits. Face one unhealthy habit this month and eliminate it! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes

In today's episode, you'll hear about the Financial Freedom Summit! To help us cover the summit we bring on Grant Sabatier from Millennial Money and PT Money who created FinCon. This summit is for everyone. It's not a blogger conference, it's for everyone who is trying to improve their relationship with money. The Summit is May 1st - 3rd, 2020 in St. Louis. Listen as we uncover why we are so excited about a conference that you surely won't want to miss. Episode Summary We start off by getting PT Money's background who started as a CPA He would then go on to create FinCon (if you've never been...just GO) Then we move to Grant Sabatier He went from $2.26 over $1M by the time he was 30 He writes over at Millennial Money Grant also authored the book Financial Freedom Then PT gives us an overview of how FinCon got started in 2011 Grant then talks about this need for The Financial Freedom Summit He first noticed this need while on the road across America talking about financial freedom He and Cody then set out to create a game plan and road map It's just an honest attempt at being stewards of the community The big change conversations will happen everywhere It may be in the hall, between sessions, or in the lobby in the middle of the night The big goal is to track $1B in net-worth increase in 10 years No one will be here trying to make a commission off of you Just people answering your questions There's also a rockstar list of speakers You can also make the conference your own with separate tracks Tracks like debt payoff, parenting, real estate, or entrepreneurs In the end, we just hope to see you all in St. Louis May 1st - 3rd Key Takeaways Everyone is welcome with money: This isn't just for a small sect of people, if you want to grow your relationship with money, you're welcome Finance is more than early retirement: Debt payoff, financial freedom, meaning to money, there are so many There are tracks for everyone: Budgeters, entrepreneurs, real estate, small business, or gig economy... there are a lot of tracks Call to Action Go and grab and get your tickets so you can join us for this awesome weekend. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android   Learn more about the Financial Freedom Summit Buy tickets and learn more about the conference at TheFiShow.com/summit Learn More About Your Hosts Fly to FI (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

In today's episode, you'll hear how Nate created a site to help people navigate student debt called LendEDU. You'll hear how this website was born during college and now makes over $1M per year. Joining Nate is one of his employees named Mike. We cover their specific site, the industry, and tips for students today. Listen and read below to hear this awesome business transformation. Episode Summary Colin's upbringing led him to be frugal In high school, Nate had some jobs He didn't really care about finance until college His freshman year he took on a good bit of debt in 2012 Mike still has student loans He didn't take it seriously until graduation Nate also worked during college He started paying off his debts immediately He graduated with $60 debt $45k came after 2 years then he changed it up He started mixing in community college Nate and Mike met in college Nate starts LendEDU and brings on Mike By the time they graduated in 2016, it became a full-time job They both highlight how little finance information is available to high school and college students They also realize others cover their material But they try to present it in ways more consumable by younger people Mixing in video and shortening length We dive into some tips for incoming freshman Question really why you're going to college Do you already know your profession? Is trade school a better option? Then exhaust every grant and scholarship Students should also look at what their total debt bill with be, not just year one Nate saved $10k by mixing in community College while at a 4yr university Then we jump into the business side of the website They started off making $200 per month from advertisements in 2014 By the end of 2015, they were making $10k per month By the end of 2016, they reached $50k per month The team has scaled to 15 people Today LendEDU makes over $1M per year working with 120 advertisers Their reviews are all unpaid and therefore objective Separation between the income and the rankings of products is important to them Then we talk about unique new ways to avoid student debt One is payback programs where you commit a percentage of your future salary The other is where you don't need a co-signer for your loans Under this model, it is based more on your degree choice and time left 'til graduation Key Takeaways Don't wait for success: It was awesome to see how Nate didn't put this business off until he graduated Hire who you trust: The team has grown to 15 and 10 of those were college classmates. Trust is often more important than qualification White Space Can Be a Style: Plenty of companies were covering these topics but none in a way that resonated with 20-year-olds Call to Action Take a look at your student loans and see if there is a refinancing option or anything to make those payments fly by. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android   Connect with the LendEDU Crew Via their website LendEDU.com Check out our Sponsors Skillshare is an online learning platform with 30,000+ classes in design, business, and more.  Join the 5+ million students currently on Skillshare and make yourself a MVSH (more valuable side hustler)! Use our custom URL Skillshare.com/FiShow for 2 free months of premium membership access.  There are no commitments, it's free to start, all the classes are free, and all the material is taught by experts. Check out Skillshare today to see how you can level up your skillset.

In today's episode, you'll hear how to get to financial independence via Blackjack (wait, what?). Yep, that's right. Cody and Justin are joined by Colin Jones from Blackjack Apprenticeship. Colin got an education in mathematics and started out as a teacher. A buddy introduced him to card counting and changed his financial path forever. He turned a couple thousand dollars he and his wife had saved and tried his hand at the card tables. That small amount of seed money would lead to millions in earnings, a team of prolific card counters, a documentary and his website where he looks to train the next great card counters. Listen and read below to hear this incredible story. Episode Summary Colin's upbringing led him to be frugal He really just wanted to be in a band and wasn't interested in college His parents urged him to go He decided he'd rather go to school than go out on his own Colin ended up studying mathematics which was a great foundation to card counting When he was 22 a friend gave him a book about card counting to win at blackjack Colin then talks about his practice schedule went After his friend started ramping up his earnings to $80 an hour, Colin decided to give it a real try He took $2k of the $6k he and his wife had saved to seed his efforts For the first few months, he wasn't really making much His friend got picked up by a national card counting team Then, later on, that same friend transferred all that knowledge to him and that really upped his game After a bit, they realized they could make $200+ per hour if they had $100k in money to play with For his career-high, he earned $434 dollars per hour It took them 6 months of 30 hour weeks to get to six figure earnings After a couple years they had formed a team that was making $500k per year Colin opens up about how his profession was viewed by his family which were missionaries Then Colin talks about the legality of card counting at a casino Spoiler alert: it's perfectly legal Colin also gives us a brief overview of how card counting works One interesting thing is Colin has never put money into the stock market He prefers to invest in real estate and grow his online business His online business is Blackjack Apprenticeship The site has online forums, software, and training videos to help you learn card counting yourself On top of that, he does three or four live events where he helps polish fellow card counters' skills Colin signs off by challenging everyone to question why they want to be financially independent Key Takeaways Money can be made everywhere: This is just another example of the limitless ways you can earn money in today's world. Easy money is hard: Colin can repeatedly walk into a casino and earn money but it took countless hours of hard work and practice. Tombstones: We absolutely loved his statement about the goal isn't to have financially independent on your tombstone. Life is bigger than that. Call to Action Write out five things you envision you'll do in retirement and then elaborate on why you actually want to do those things Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android   Connect with Colin: Via his website Blackjack Apprenticeship Also, check out his book 21st Century Cardcounter Documentary Snippet   Learn More About Your Hosts: Fly to FI (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)