Catching Up to FI

Bogleheads favorite Jon Luskin, CFP® drops in for a masterclass on keeping money moves "so dull they sparkle." He specializes in providing hourly advice to do-it-yourself investors and is a long-time advocate of simple, low-cost investing. In this episode he shares with us: Why every late-starter's to-do list should begin with an emergency fund and Social Security game plan before touching their asset mix How low fees—not "sexy" alts—make numbers grow His soup-to-nuts review (including insurance gaps, estate docs and Investor Policy Statement) How simplicity wins This is the first part of a 2 part episode. Click here to listen to part 2. === VOTE FOR US: PLUTUS AWARDS === We need your vote for the 2025 Plutus Awards! You can now vote for your hosts behind "Catching Up to FI" - Bill Yount & Jackie Cummings Koski. ✅ WHAT IS THE PLUTUS AWARDS? The Plutus Awards recognize excellence in independent financial content. That's the best podcasts, books, video channels, blogs, and more. ✅ VOTE If you've gotten value from our content and think we are worthy of recognition, please support by casting your votes here > >> https://plutus.awardsplatform.com/. There's a short registration needed to vote and you'll be in and out in just a few minutes. ✅ DEADLINE The deadline to vote is August 30th, 2025. Winners will be announced in October. ✅ CATEGORIES Below are the categories we have been nominated for and we'd love your vote in each of them. Catching Up to FI Best New Personal Finance Content Creator - Audio Content Creator of the Year: Audio People's Choice: Audio Best Financial Advisor Content/Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP Plutus Storyteller Award Best Traditional Retirement Content Best Personal Finance Content for Underserved Communities Best Personal Finance Content for Women Other categories Best New Personal Finance Content Creator - Written (F.I.R.E. for Dummies) Best New Personal Finance Book (F.I.R.E. for Dummies) Plutus Resilience Award (Jackie Cummings Koski) Best Financial Independence or Retire Early Content (F.I.R.E. for Dummies) 📩 Sign up for our newsletter NEW! 🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 🔗Connect with us ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) Charity: Jonathan Clements Getting Going on Savings Initiative 📘 The Best of Jonathan Clements: Timeless Advice for a Financial Life Well Lived 🌐Jon's Website Jon's Sample Financial Reviews Jon' Thesis paper: Measuring the Value Added by Alternative Assets within the Investment Pools of Non-profit Organization Bogleheads Live- Episode 39: Disability Insurance Kitces Article: Why Tax-Loss Harvesting During Down Markets Isn't Always A Good Idea Bogleheads on Investing Podcast Bogleheads Investment Policy Statement The John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy 2025 Bogleheads Conference (Oct 17-19, San Antonio) ⏰ 'Catching Up to FI' Episodes referenced Retirement Remix: Crafting Financial Futures with Purpose | Christine Benz | 117 Tactical Tips and Tripwires: The DIY Financial Planner's Guide | Cody Garrett | 112 How to Think About Money | Jonathan Clements | 040 How a Second Grader Beats Wall Street | Allan Roth | 033 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you! ⚠️Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Listeners dive into a wealth of financial wisdom, including a costly mistake with whole-life insurance and better alternatives. They discuss the intricacies of the gift tax exclusion and assess if holding too much cash is a concern as retirement approaches. New investors get guidance on starting a Roth IRA, while strategies for low-income savers are explored. The conversation also enlightens on the middle-class trap and the importance of making informed financial decisions to pave the way toward financial independence.

Alan and Katie Donegan, co-creators of Rebel Finance School, empower late-starters to take charge of their finances with practical strategies for achieving financial independence. They explore the importance of compounding, emphasizing how early investing can significantly grow wealth. Listeners hear personal anecdotes about saving journeys and the value of financial literacy. The Donegans also discuss practical steps like the 4% rule and share insights from their innovative courses designed to inspire continuous learning and community support in financial education.

Jillian Johnsrud—mini-retirement evangelist, mother of five, and author of 'Retire Often'—returns to show us why pressing pause can be the ultimate career accelerator. In this episode she explains the three hallmarks of a bona-fide mini retirement and the three ways to snag one: 1️⃣ Negotiate a sabbatical 2️⃣ Slot it between jobs 3️⃣ Pounce when life throws an unexpected layoff or family crisis 📩 Sign up for our newsletter NEW! 🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 🔗Connect with us ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question ===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS=== 🎓 Student Loan Planner: Get a custom student loan plan from our CFP®, CFA and CSLP® professionals. They charge a one-time fee for their thorough review. Our listeners receive $100 off a 1:1 consult using the link below. Flat fee is normally $595, but after your $100 off 'Catching Up to FI' discount, it's $495. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link: studentloanplanner.com/catchingup 📈 Boldin (formerly NewRetirement): Retirement planning software that's like having a financial advisor at your fingertips. You can get started with the free version or choose the premium option (PlannerPlus) and get a 14-day free trial. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link to get started: Go.boldin.com/catchingup Personal Finance Club: Use code CUTOFI to get $30 OFF any course or PFC investing course only Nectarine: Advice-Only and Flat-Fee Hourly Fiduciary Financial Advisors (Catching Up to FI will be compensated by Nectarine if you use our affiliate link, which creates an incentive and conflict of interest. We are not current clients or employees of Nectarine.) For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) Charity: The Hope Effect 🌐 Retire Often 📘 Retire Often Book 🎙️Retire Often Podcast Free Opt-In Worksheets: Planning Negotiating Workbook Group Coaching ⏰ 'Catching Up to FI' Episodes referenced Retire Often | Jillian Johnsrud | 043 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you! ⚠️Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

On this mid-week episode, we're switching it up again. This time Bill joins the 'Finance for Physicians' podcast with host Daniel Wrenne, CFP®. In this vulnerable interview, Bill owns up to every late-starter mistake—credit-card splurges, 'free' advisors, and lifestyle creep after a twin-sized home upgrade. Then he slings real-world antidotes: pause-plan-pivot, backward budgeting, downsizing the McMansion, and letting Social Security's 'inflation-proof annuity' finish the job. Bill's best advice is that physicians should treat money like they treat medicine—learn the language, follow the protocol, and stop ignoring the labs. Now a Financially Independent Physician, we're giving Bill a new name: the (FI)sician! 📩 Sign up for our newsletter NEW! 🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 🔗Connect with us ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question ===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS=== 🎓 Student Loan Planner: Get a custom student loan plan from our CFP®, CFA and CSLP® professionals. They charge a one-time fee for their thorough review. Our listeners receive $100 off a 1:1 consult using the link below. Flat fee is normally $595, but after your $100 off 'Catching Up to FI' discount, it's $495. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link: studentloanplanner.com/catchingup 📈 Boldin (formerly NewRetirement): Retirement planning software that's like having a financial advisor at your fingertips. You can get started with the free version or choose the premium option (PlannerPlus) and get a 14-day free trial. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link to get started: Go.boldin.com/catchingup Personal Finance Club: Use code CUTOFI to get $30 OFF any course or PFC investing course only Nectarine: Advice-Only and Flat-Fee Hourly Fiduciary Financial Advisors (Catching Up to FI will be compensated by Nectarine if you use our affiliate link, which creates an incentive and conflict of interest. We are not current clients or employees of Nectarine.) For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) 🌐Finance for Physicians The White Coat Investor Physician On FIRE Open Social Security If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you! ⚠️Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

In this episode we are joined by Cary Carbonaro, an award-winning author, and Certified Financial Planner™ with over 25 years of experience. Her specialty is empowering women to discover their unique path to financial independence. One thing we love the most about Cary is how radically transparent she is with her clients. Just call her the "Queen of Transparency" because she shares her tax return, investment portfolio and other parts of her financial life with them. In our conversation with her we discuss: The Great Wealth Transfer that she talks about in her latest book, 'Women and Wealth.' The unique needs of women and the psychology driving their financial decisions. The played out "widows and divorcees" stereotypes of women. Her analogy of comparing different shoes to asset classes. What women really want from financial professionals (hint: it's not just beating the market). 📩 Sign up for our newsletter NEW! 🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 🔗Connect with us ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question ===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS=== 🎓 Student Loan Planner: Get a custom student loan plan from our CFP®, CFA and CSLP® professionals. They charge a one-time fee for their thorough review. Our listeners receive $100 off a 1:1 consult using the link below. Flat fee is normally $595, but after your $100 off 'Catching Up to FI' discount, it's $495. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link: studentloanplanner.com/catchingup 📈 Boldin (formerly NewRetirement): Retirement planning software that's like having a financial advisor at your fingertips. You can get started with the free version or choose the premium option (PlannerPlus) and get a 14-day free trial. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link to get started: Go.boldin.com/catchingup Personal Finance Club: Use code CUTOFI to get $30 OFF any course or PFC investing course only Nectarine: Advice-Only and Flat-Fee Hourly Fiduciary Financial Advisors (Catching Up to FI will be compensated by Nectarine if you use our affiliate link, which creates an incentive and conflict of interest. We are not current clients or employees of Nectarine.) For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) Charity: Girl Scouts 🌐Cary Carbonaro 📗Women and Wealth: A Playbook to Empower Clients and Unlock Their Fortune 📕The Money Queen's Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear 📄Stepping Up Your Function and Style with Asset Classes ⏰ 'Catching Up to FI' Episodes referenced ATM Receipts, Origami, and Unravelling Your Relationship With Money | Shannah Game | 123 The Power of Cash Flow Planning | Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez | 016 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you! ⚠️Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

This mid-week episode is the recording of a session done with the smart women of the WE (Women Empowered) Wealth Collective, titled: What Every Woman Should Know About Minimizing Taxes in Retirement. 'Catching Up to FI' co-host and author of 'F.I.R.E for Dummies', Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP®, AFC®, continues through an easy to follow checklist of tax considerations in retirement. She demo-drives 72(t) and RMD calculators, live-shops the ACA site to score premium tax credits, and shows how Medicare surcharges work. Topics for the series include: Age-band tax checklist (pre-55, 55-65, 65-75, 75+) Separating "macro" worry (markets, policy) from micro action (what you control) Early withdrawal strategies (Rule of 55/50, 72(t) / Equal Payments, HSAs, Affordable Care Act/Tax Credits, Brokerage Accounts, ect) Tax Minimizing tips during normal retirement (Social Security, Medicare Surcharge, Increased Standard Deduction, Balancing account types) Later in life considerations (RMDs, Qualified Charitable Distribution, Inheritances, ect) This is the second part of a two-part series and part 1 aired last Wednesday. This session references visuals from a presentation that is better viewed on youtube or you can follow along using this slide deck. Disclaimer for this session: The intent of this session is open discussion about money topics that makes us all a little smarter. The content is for general education and information purposes only, and is not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions. 🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 🔗Connect with us 📩 Sign up for our newsletter ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question ===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS=== 🎓 Student Loan Planner: Get a custom student loan plan from our CFP®, CFA and CSLP® professionals. They charge a one-time fee for their thorough review. Our listeners receive $100 off a 1:1 consult using the link below. Flat fee is normally $595, but after your $100 off 'Catching Up to FI' discount, it's $495. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link: studentloanplanner.com/catchingup 📈 Boldin (formerly NewRetirement): Retirement planning software that's like having a financial advisor at your fingertips. You can get started with the free version or choose the premium option (PlannerPlus) and get a 14-day free trial. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link to get started: Go.boldin.com/catchingup Personal Finance Club: Use code CUTOFI to get $30 OFF any course or PFC investing course only Nectarine: Advice-Only and Flat-Fee Hourly Fiduciary Financial Advisors (Catching Up to FI will be compensated by Nectarine if you use our affiliate link, which creates an incentive and conflict of interest. We are not current clients or employees of Nectarine.) For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) WE Wealth Collective (Facebook Group) WE Wealth Collective is a group dedicated to empowering women to take control of their finances, cultivate abundance in every aspect of life, and live boldly on their own terms. 🌐JackieCummingsKoski.com 📕F.I.R.E. For Dummies 📘Money Letters 2 My Daughter Jackie's EconoMe Talk Sarah Catherine "SC" Gutierrez Sarah Catherine "SC" Gutierrez talk at EconoMe Official IRS Tax Code & Publications 📗But First, Save 10 Official IRS Tax Code & Publications Healthcare.gov – ACA Enrollment & Subsidy Calculator 72tCalc.com Dinkytown.net ⏰ 'Catching Up to FI' Episodes Mind Blowing ways to Maximize Your Health Savings Account (HSA) | Jeff York | 98 Maximizing HSAs Part 2: Devising Drawdowns, Badass Scenarios, Listener Questions | Jeff York | 99 https://youtu.be/36S67X4s4pc?si=UzbaPS2qJcO3ri2W 72(t) Expert Tells All: No More Secrets About Early Withdrawals (Part 1) | Bill Stecker | 131 Cashing in on 72(t): The Goldmine of Early Retirement Rules (Part2) | Bill Stecker | 133 Social Security Made Simple | Mike Piper | 054 Life & Taxes | Sean Mullaney | 013 Attorney Spilling all the Legal Tea on Estate Planning | Jenny Rozelle | 121 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you! ⚠️Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

JL Collins, the Godfather of Financial Independence and author of 'The Simple Path to Wealth,' shares his inspiring journey in teaching his daughter about investing. He reveals the personal challenges he faced and how his daughter's initial disinterest transformed into a deep understanding of financial independence. The conversation also dives into his strategies for navigating market fluctuations and the emotional aspects of investing. Celebrate the milestones of his literary success and explore how generational wealth wisdom can foster independence.

Tax talk without the snooze-fest! This mid-week episode is the recording of a session done with the smart women of the WE (Women Empowered) Wealth Collective, titled: What Every Woman Should Know About Minimizing Taxes in Retirement. 'Catching Up to FI' co-host and author of 'F.I.R.E for Dummies' Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP®, AFC®, turns this insightful discussion into a masterclass on trimming Uncle Sam's tab at every phase of retirement. Jackie rewinds to her own FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) journey: the divorce-day "401(k) gap" that lit her savings rocket, supersizing her HSA past $200,000, and hitting FI at 49 with a 40% savings rate. Expect plain-English breakdowns, plenty of 'there are no dumb questions' crowd chat, and Jackie's trademark mix of CFP level and girlfriend realness. Topics for the series include: Age-band tax checklist (pre-55, 55-65, 65-75, 75+) Separating "macro" worry (markets, policy) from micro action (what you control) Early withdrawal strategies (Rule of 55/50, 72(t) / Equal Payments, HSAs, Affordable Care Act/Tax Credits, Brokerage Accounts, ect) Tax Minimizing tips during normal retirement (Social Security, Medicare Surcharge, Increased Standard Deduction, Balancing account types) Later in life considerations (RMDs, Qualified Charitable Distribution, Inheritances, ect) This is part one of a two-part series and the second part will be aired next Wednesday (6/18/25). This session references visuals from a presentation that is better viewed on youtube or you can follow along using this slide deck. Disclaimer for this session: The intent of this session is open discussion about money topics that makes us all a little smarter. The content is for general education and information purposes only, and is not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions. 🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 🔗Connect with us 📩 Sign up for our newsletter ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question ===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS=== 🎓 Student Loan Planner: Get a custom student loan plan from our CFP®, CFA and CSLP® professionals. They charge a one-time fee for their thorough review. Our listeners receive $100 off a 1:1 consult using the link below. Flat fee is normally $595, but after your $100 off 'Catching Up to FI' discount, it's $495. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link: studentloanplanner.com/catchingup 📈 Boldin (formerly NewRetirement): Retirement planning software that's like having a financial advisor at your fingertips. You can get started with the free version or choose the premium option (PlannerPlus) and get a 14-day free trial. 👉🏼 Be sure to use this link to get started: Go.boldin.com/catchingup Personal Finance Club: Use code CUTOFI to get $30 OFF any course or PFC investing course only Nectarine: Advice-Only and Flat-Fee Hourly Fiduciary Financial Advisors (Catching Up to FI will be compensated by Nectarine if you use our affiliate link, which creates an incentive and conflict of interest. We are not current clients or employees of Nectarine.) For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) WE Wealth Collective (Facebook Group) WE Wealth Collective is a group dedicated to empowering women to take control of their finances, cultivate abundance in every aspect of life, and live boldly on their own terms. 🌐JackieCummingsKoski.com 📕F.I.R.E. For Dummies 📘Money Letters 2 My Daughter Jackie's EconoMe Talk Sarah Catherine "SC" Gutierrez Sarah Catherine "SC" Gutierrez talk at EconoMe Official IRS Tax Code & Publications 📗But First, Save 10 Official IRS Tax Code & Publications Healthcare.gov – ACA Enrollment & Subsidy Calculator 72tCalc.com Dinkytown.net ⏰ 'Catching Up to FI' Episodes Mind Blowing ways to Maximize Your Health Savings Account (HSA) | Jeff York | 98 Maximizing HSAs Part 2: Devising Drawdowns, Badass Scenarios, Listener Questions | Jeff York | 99 72(t) Expert Tells All: No More Secrets About Early Withdrawals (Part 1) | Bill Stecker | 131 Cashing in on 72(t): The Goldmine of Early Retirement Rules (Part2) | Bill Stecker | 133 Social Security Made Simple | Mike Piper | 054 Life & Taxes | Sean Mullaney | 013 Attorney Spilling all the Legal Tea on Estate Planning | Jenny Rozelle | 121 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you! ⚠️Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Sam Stovall, CFRA's Chief Investment Strategist and market historian, joins to dissect today's volatile economy. They explore what historical market trends reveal about current fluctuations and the psychological aspects influencing investor behavior. Stovall discusses the impact of tariffs and the Federal Reserve, offers insights on the 'rebalance' rule, and emphasizes the importance of emotional resilience in investment strategies. His expert advice helps demystify the yoyo-like movements of today's stock market.