Who needs a financial advisor when you have TikTok right? Be careful where you get your financial advice from. The internet is full of confident people, spouting absolute garbage. Some are trying to take your money. Some are trying to get clicks. And some are... just dumb honestly. No worries though, we're here to make sure you always have a top-notch financial education. Today, we'll have a little fun picking apart some of these bad takes. Some topics include: Are you destined to run out of money with the 4% rule? Are credit cards just a scam? Is there a foolproof way to get fancy things like Rolex watches for free? Do you have way too much cash in your accounts? How owning a house actually does cost money It's wild how confident some of these people seem to be with their views. Financial misinformation is super dangerous and could lead you into some very bad spots. While we had fun with this one and some are almost comically bad takes, be careful out there. Remember, if it's too good to be true, it probably is (except the Mega backdoor Roth of course) Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a financially independent future. Links from the Episode Hilarious TikTok advice 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Last week we talked about starting a business in 60 minutes or less. No website, no logo, no business plan, just a solution to a problem and a way to collect payment. And today's guest, Brian Luebben, did just that. In fact, Brian was able to bring in over $100,000 in just 48 hours. You'll hear all about it in the episode. Brian is the author of the new book From Passive to Passionate and host of The Action Academy Podcast. We brought you Brian's backstory in episode 203. Today, we'll dive into the evolution of Brian and reflect on his book and the strides he's taken in business. This includes converting a flurry of free offerings into a roster of paying customers. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don't forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Action Academy (tell them we sent you) Brian's Book Brian's Podcast Brian's Instagram Brian's first appearance on The FI Show YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/k3JytByDFKc 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Whether it's a path to financial independence or an outlet post-retirement, starting your own business could be a great goal. But that's got to be really hard right? Today, we're bringing you a step-by-step walkthrough to starting that business with almost no effort. What do you actually need to start a business? Probably a lot less than you think. The biggest takeaways you should have are: You don't have to invent the next big thing, just provide a product/service that's slightly better than the competition You don't need a business plan, just a landing spot for people to see and sign up for your product/service. You can always add additional layers to the business after you launch Deciding what you want to do, or what you want to call it might be difficult, but if you have an idea you are passionate about, don't let the fear of starting a "real" business hold you back. Now go out there, create that new income stream, and let us hear about it in the Facebook Group. Thank you all for listening and may this episode inspire you to start your very own business. 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Retiring early sounds like an incredible goal. But to get there, you'll need either amazing luck, your own business, or to hit it big on a risky investment. Don't you? Today's guest, Bob Haines, is here to showcase why that's not true at all. Bob's story is one that's likely much more relatable for you than many of our other guests. He started saving young, he leveraged his skills to continuously push for raises, he invested, and he retired early. It really can be that simple. Bob's grandmother instilled in him a very aggressive target for saving. Save 90% of every dollar from a raise. That would ensure that his lifestyle would see small increases while hopefully, his income could see giant leaps. Bob also always pushed for his worth. He didn't just take the pay he was offered and settle. All too often, employees get fed up with their pay, make up their minds it's time to go, and magically their employer can offer them a raise. Surprise! They always could have paid you more, but why would they if you didn't ask for it? The other lesson you can take away is to bring your research. Bob actually took salary surveys and approached his boss for a >50% raise. His boss agreed he was worth it, but couldn't pay him. The main reason was relativity. Yes, Bob was worth it, but if more senior members weren't making that, how could Bob get paid that? And in some companies, it's just the percentage increase in general that has limits, not the pay itself. So if you start out low, you're always fighting an uphill battle. This is why job-hopping can be such a powerful tool. You take away the HR restriction that a pay increase can only be 10% because you're coming in as a fresh hire. Bob would hop roles and companies every few years to maximize earnings (one year over $500K). In the end, Bob was actually already financially independent before it was a goal of his or even a term he knew. Today, Bob and his family are traveling the world and have actually seen their net worth grow. Bob's story showcases that you can indeed reach financial independence the old-fashioned way. Just a skill, an employer, and a simple investment portfolio. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don't forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Bob's Twitter Bob's Instagram YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/KAcHDhAQKyg 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Another year down! The guys break down what they accomplished in 2023 and where they stand going into 2024. They're entering 2024 with a combined net worth of $4.2M while also being in the best shape of their lives. Cody is now married and Justin is now retired. Those are some major life updates and it's amazing how much changes each and every year. Justin had his first calendar year of giving up alcohol and Cody keeps adding to his list of successful businesses. The guys break down the episode into three major categories: Wealth Health Travel It's a financial podcast so of course there are financial hacks covered with resources provided. But the journey is so much more than just finances. Health and wellness are also huge topics in this episode. Then the episode is rounded out by covering the laundry list of awesome travel and experiences from 2023. The road to financial independence doesn't have to be one of boring sacrifice. This gets reinforced through Justin and Cody's lifestyle every year. In 2024 we're confident we'll end up happier, wealthier, armed with new experiences, and well over 2 million downloads on the podcast! Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a happy, healthy, and financially independent future. Links from the Episode Cody's Financial Hacks Qualified Small Business Stock Multiple Employer, 401-k Contributions Real Estate Professional Status Justin's Retirement Journey Documentation 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

This episode is an interview with Cody from October 2022 on the Action Academy Podcast where he explains how he reached FI at 25 and built a 7-figure business. If you enjoyed it, please share this episode with a friend! Links From the Episode Action Academy Podcast 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Hopefully, you're not tired of making money with little to no effort. Today, Joseph Woodbury, Founder of Neighbor, is here to give us another way to do just that. The concept started out simple enough during college. Someone needed storage but didn't want to pay top-dollar or drive to a crummy storage facility. So what if instead, you just paid your neighbor a fraction of the amount and dropped it off down the street? That's exactly what Neighbor is. Joseph gives us the full breakdown of how they went from a Google sheet and knocking on doors, to the only storage company operating in all 50 states. You'll also hear some great stories of both huge and small-scale ways people are making passive income via Neighbor. From a spot under someone's bed in NY to large fields in rural America. Some have even gone so far as to build structures simply to put them on Neighbor. We love this concept however because no work is really needed. If you have space available that you aren't using anyway, set up your rules and rent it to a neighbor. There's rarely such a win-win. You get passive income, and they get a safer and more friendly experience at a fraction of the cost. We can't wait to hear how much you're able to make renting out that empty garage, parking spot, or yes, maybe even a spot under your bed. As always, if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Links From the Episode Neighbor Joseph Woodbury YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/2McKZN2M3eM 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

It's likely you've come up with a brilliant-sounding business idea but didn't go after it. Or maybe you wanted to be your own boss but were overwhelmed by getting started. The biggest reason most people don't start or don't succeed at starting a business is money. Maybe they run out of money before the business is profitable. Maybe they just never even start because of the fear of losing the investment needed to start. But what if you didn't need any money to get started? That's exactly what Alan Donegan is teaching people across the world how to do. He created the Rebel Business School to spread his methodology and help would-be business owners get started even when they have no starting capital. Alan was raised by a successful entrepreneur who ended up bankrupt due to being overleveraged. It almost scared Alan away from being a business owner himself. Instead, he developed mindsets and methodologies to avoid ever getting into that leveraged position. He shares successful stories from businesses you'd never expect to be able to get started without money. These include an escape room and even a restaurant. We hope this episode helps get you past that last bit of fear holding you back and start that business of your dreams. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don't forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Alan's Website Rebel Business School Website Rebel Business School Instagram Rebel Business School YouTube YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/zn0i2QwKeq0 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Today has been a long time coming... When we started this podcast Justin's, net worth was less than $300k. His goal was to retire in 2034. Fast forward 5 years and he's blown past those metrics and goals. Justin had planned on retiring in June of 2024, once his restricted stock matured. Due to an acquisition of his company, which led to a layoff, that timeline was accelerated. It's all good news though! He still gets his pay and his stock and gets to retire that much sooner. Justin had already been Financially Independent, but now he gets to tack on the RE to the FIRE acronym. So yep... It looks like at age 33 and just over $1.5M, Justin is RETIRED!!! What will retirement look like? Well, if you know Justin, you know he's extremely transparent. So he'll be documenting exactly what he does every day for his 150 days of severance to give everyone a peek behind the curtain. In this episode, we cover: Negotiating severance (or not) The do's and don'ts of layoffs RSUs and vested company stock The WARN act What to do with your 401K Justin's future and so much more If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend! Links from the Episode Justin's Log of daily activities in retirement Justin's Blog -> The daily log may move here eventually 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Everyone loves seeing their hard-earned money dwindle away to the tax man right? Obviously not! The most powerful techniques generally come to business owners and real estate investors. Ryan Blakke, from Learn Like a CPA, is an expert in these techniques. He's seen hundreds of returns that individuals did themselves...and only 1 who actually did it correctly. That means if you're putting all your trust in turbo-tax, you're probably leaving money on the table. Cost segregation, the Augusta rule, and resetting your cost basis when giving to charities are just some of the tips Ryan brings to this episode. As we near the end of 2023, you'll want to make sure you take action on some of these tips before it's too late. It's always a great episode when we hear about strategies we never knew existed. It no doubt brought value to our lives, and we hope you can say the same for yourself. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don't forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Work with Ryan Learn Like a CPA Instagram Learn Like a CPA Podcast Learn Like a CPA Twitter Learn Like a CPA YouTube YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/qqGKkMxHngU 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! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)