ChooseFI

In this episode: income-producing assets, REITs, the 4% rule, optimal spending, saving too much, and why you will never feel rich. It is believed that in order to reach FI, cutting expenses and limited spending seems like the ideal way to your end goal, but are you missing out on ways to spend-to-earn because it feels right? Well, this week we are rejoined by friend of the show and guest host Brian Feroldi to interview Nick Magguilli, author of the excellent book Just Keep Buying: Proven Ways to Save Money And Build Your Wealth. Together we discuss using data to grow your wealth and fighting the stigmatization of spending your money. On the journey to FI it is easy to focus more on saving so much that we're afraid to spend, however, by not spending we could be missing out on assets, both monetary and non-monetary, that could bring us greater fulfillment in the present and future! By rethinking your approach to spending, rather than looking at it as something that is negative, you may find that your money can go farther for you when its spent rather than saved! Nick Maggiulli Website: ofdollarsanddata.com Book: Just Keep Buying: Proven Ways to Save Money And Build Your Wealth Twitter: @dollarsanddata Instagram: @nickmaggiulli Brian Feroldi Website: The Motley Fool Book: Why Does The Stock Market Go Up? Twitter: @BrianFeroldi Timestamps 1:29 - Introduction 2:31 - Just Keep Buying 9:27 - Income Producing Assets 10:55 - Macro-Level Mind Changers 14:08 - REITs 16:57 - You Can Save Too Much? 21:40 - How Nick Thinks Through The 4% Rule 26:20 - Spending Optimally 30:59 - Catching Up Financially Through Exercise 34:01 - Examining 401k Maxxing 38:47 - Saving Raises 41:50 - Why You Will Never Feel Rich 46:16 - Investment Properties & Nick 47:55 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode 3 words got me 3 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS "Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life" by Bill Perkins "The Tail End" By Tim Urban Peter Attia Subscribe to The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Commission-Free Investing with M1 Finance

In this episode: balancing deprivation and happiness, making adjustments, everything is negotiable, the evolution of alignment, adjusted awareness, and intentionality in community. Five years ago, Scott and Taylor Rieckens publicly began their path to FI by creating the fantastic documentary "Playing With FIRE." The documentary depicts their life as they start out and navigate the early stages of their FI journey, which is often the period of time when we act our most frugal, cut as many expenses as possible, and in turn save as much as we possibly can! While this kind of lifestyle is a great jumping off point early in the FI journey, oftentimes people find this lifestyle to be limiting and ultimately detrimental to their own happiness. Now that Scott and Taylor are significantly further down the path compared to the last time we heard from them, we decided to have them return to the show to discuss the adjustments they have made in their lifestyle in order to live in a manner that fully aligns with their idea of a happy life! Remember, FI isn't suppose to limit your ability to be happy, rather it exists to enhance your life and help you find fulfillment as progress down the road less traveled. Scott and Taylor Rieckens: Website: playingwithfire.com Documentary: Playing With FIRE Book: Playing With FIRE Timestamps: 1:59 - Introduction 2:38 - What Makes You The Most Happy? 8:41 - The Evolution of Alignment and Adjusted Awareness 18:30 - The Craziest 36 Months 23:13 - Revisiting What's Important After Evolution 35:05 - Balancing Deprivation and Happiness 37:58 - Making Adjustments 43:03 - Decisions Are Based On The Information You Have 49:57 - Wonderful Evolutions and Learning Together 51:23 - Everything is Negotiable 57:02 - Everybody is the Star of Their Own Movie / Intentionality in Community 66:34 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Playing With FIRE | Documentary | Scott Rieckens | ChooseFI Ep 37 "The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work" by Shawn Achor The Tim Ferris Show The Great Man Within "Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts" by Annie Duke More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile

In this episode: the beauty of community, misleading expectations, doing what's best for your situation, and stress reduction. The Journey to FI is hardly linear and is full of ebbs and flows. While it may seem easier to share your wins/successes within this community, we know it can be even harder to share the moments of this journey that feel like setbacks. On this week's installment of the Households of FI series, we are joined again by Vivian to fill us in on how her FI journey is going, and the importance of finding support within this community. Everyone's FI journey is unique to them, but it doesn't mean that you are alone! The beauty of FI is that it offers you a community to share your successes, as well as share your struggles. By being vocal and unafraid to admit that you are having a hard time, you are not only sure to garner support from others facing similar battles, but can find a renewed sense of motivation to make you feel more accountable and present on this journey! Timestamps: 1:57 - Introduction 4:14 - The Beauty of Community 7:56 - Expectations Are Misleading 13:37 - It's Not Black and White, Do What's Best For You 18:30 - Ask For What You Deserve 22:10 - Reducing Stress and Addressing Your Situation 28:51 - Life Is Not A Straight Path 31:02 - Retirement Withdrawals and The Market 38:33 - You Are Not Alone 40:14 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Introducing Our Households of FI!! Part 1 | Ep 221 If People Can Do It I Can Do It Too | Vivian Connects With Leslie Tayne | Households Of Fi | Ep 255 Navigating a Multigenerational Household | The Financial Tortoise | EP 302 Brian Feroldi JL Collins "Just Keep Buying: Proven Ways to Save Money And Build Your Wealth" By Nick Maggiulli Mega Backdoor Roths: How They Work More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile

In this episode: finding unknown opportunity, creating your lifestyle as you go, overcoming the down period, real estate renting, and what reaching FI looks like. Once you've set your FI number and put plans into action, it's tempting to want to do everything in your power to reach that goal as soon as possible, potentially by working longer hours or cutting out expenses in your life in order to save more. But by doing this are you cultivating the lifestyle you want to live after your goal is met? On this week's episode we are re-joined by Court from Modern FImily to update us on her FI journey, the changes she has made over the last few years, and her rewarding takeaways from being flexible on her journey. The beauty of FI is that it is a personal journey, and it's one YOU create to reflect YOUR lifestyle! It is important to remember that by rushing to meet your goal, you may be adding more stress than needed, and missing out on the lessons, hacks, and new opportunities (or use experiences) that come with starting this journey! Court From Modern FImily Website: modernfimily.com Instagram: @modernfimily Timestamps 1:51 - Introduction 2:28 - Update From Courtney 8:22 - Testing to Find Unknown Opportunity 14:19 - Creating Your Lifestyle on the Journey 20:10 - Overcoming the Down Period 25:27 - What Do You Want Your Life to Look Like? 28:30 - Finding Free Activities 37:03 - Annual Passes and Finding Groups 41:25 - Real Estate Renting and Simplicity 48:37 - Flexibility and Taking Advantage of Whats Available 52:04 - What Reaching FI Looks Like 64:23 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode Modern FImily With Court | ChooseFI Ep 166 Your Flex Rate: The Crucial Factor Behind A Successful Early Retirement Find Your Local ChooseFI Group! Early Retirement Now Living Frugal Frugalwoods | Save 75% Of Your Take Home Pay | ChooseFI Ep 12 Subscribe to the FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile

In this episode: house hacking, benefits and compensation packages, earning extra income and side hustles, and not setting perfection as your goal. We know achieving FI doesn't happen overnight, and rarely does it happen perfectly according to plan. Life happens, changes happen, and uncertainty usually finds a way to throw you off your planned path. This shouldn't be something to fear! Today in the Households of FI series we are joined again by Zach to fill us in on how his FI journey has progressed over the last couple years, as well as to discuss the importance of re-adjustment! While failure is never an easy thing to accept, the fear of failing may deprive you of some excellent learning opportunities. By remaining intentional with your FI plan rather than striving for perfection, you will allow yourself to overcome uncomfortable lulls and expand your journey to places you might not have thought were possible! Timestamps: 1:51 - Introductions 4:45 - Zach and Marilyn Update 7:16 - House Hacking and Limiting Expenses 13:30 - Life is Lumpy, Perfection Isn't The Goal 21:39 - Examining The Whole Compensation Package 31:40 - Earning Extra Income 40:15 - Zach's 6 Year Path To FI 46:21 - If You Weren't Afraid, What Would You Do? 53:15 - Being Open to Exploring 56:53 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Households of FI-Zach and Marilyn Talk Real Estate Investing With Paula Pant | ChooseFI Ep 247 Discovering the Power of FU Money | ChooseFI Ep 321 Side Hustle Nation "$1,000 100 Ways: How Real People Make Real Money on the Side (and how you can too)" by Nick Loper The Unfair (FI) Advantage Of Teachers | 457b | ChooseFI Ep. 13 Early Retirement Now "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich" by Tim Ferriss Subscribe To The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile

In this episode: finding purpose, misaligned values, being the product of your environment, the stock market as a source for wealth building, and modern two-player mode. We encourage our listeners that there is no wrong age to start your FI journey, but for those of you starting your FI journey as a young adult, the firehouse of foreign information can feel overwhelming. Sometimes it may even seem as if you're too far behind to even start! The good news is, you're not! Today we are joined by Katie Gatti from Money With Katie to talk about how she navigated FI in her early 20s, and how she used a lack of knowledge as a motivator to get to a place of financial independence. Everybody starts this journey at a different place in their life and no two people are the same. By being patient and finding value in learning something new, you are certain to find yourself more motivated on your FI journey! Katie Gatti Website: moneywithkatie.com Podcast: The Money With Katie Show Twitter: @moneywithkatie Instagram: @moneywithkatie Timestamps 1:36 - Introductions 2:09 - Katie's FI Journey 8:32 - Finding Meaning and Purpose 11:53 - Misaligned Value and Personal Finance 18:58 - Katie's College Decision and Education 25:03 - Forming Yourself as the Product of Your Environment 31:40 - It's Never Too Late For FI 39:03 - The Stock Market as a Means of Wealth Building 49:09 - Modern Two-Player Mode and Setting Financial Expectations 55:41 - Katie Takes The Hot Seat 67:07 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode Young Money The Mad Fientist Meet the Frugalwoods | Achieving FI Through Simple Living | ChooseFI Ep 65 Paul Merriman Introduces The Ultimate Buy And Hold Portfolio | ChooseFI Ep 130 Paul Merriman | ChooseFI Ep 290 M1 Pies: Level Up Your Dividend Strategy and Optimize Your Portfolio Like a Pro (2022) "Quit Like a Millionaire: No Gimmicks, Luck, or Trust Fund Required" by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung The Huberman Lab Podcast The BiggerPockets Money Podcast Subscibe to The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile

In this episode: career changes, up-skilling, re-prioritizing, accruing debt for value, childcare, and emergency funds. The journey to FI is never linear. Sometimes we can find ourselves thinking the only way to meet our goals is to follow a strict plan, which can make adjusting said plan feel like a daunting set back. Well, our returning Households of FI guests Troy and Lindsay believe that flexibility during ones journey to FI can provide you with tremendous value! Making changes in your life, whether it's accruing temporary debt or changing careers, can actually lead to big time payoffs! While it may feel more secure to have a set trajectory with your financial goals, we know life gets in the way! So instead of sticking with a plan that isn't making you happy, try to stay flexible and evaluate all your options! Timestamps: 1:34 - Introductions 4:55 - Troy and Lindsay Update 12:10 - Avoiding Over Optimization 18:49 - Up-Skilling & Career Changes 27:56 - Upgrading Income and Re-evaluating Priorities 36:15 - Accruing Debt for True Value 40:20 - Emergency Funds 42:58 - Going On Autopilot 46:00 - Expenses and Childcare 50:34 - Evaluating Your Work and Worth 53:14 Raising FI Children 58:54 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Introducing Our Households of FI!! Part 1 | ChooseFI Ep 221 Households of FI-Troy & Lindsay and Brad Calculate Their FI Number | ChooseFI Ep 241 Mr Money Mustache The Mad Fientist The Great Man Within Level Up In Tech Udemy A Cloud Guru TalentStacker's Salesforce Career Development Program The BiggerPockets Money Podcast 1500 Days to Freedom Should I Refinance My Mortgage? | Ep 167R New Retirement Negotiate Your Salary With Tori Dunlap | Ep 147 How to Negotiate Your Salary Without Burning Bridges | Financial Mechanic | Ep 211 "Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence" By Carol Pittner and Doug Nordman Subscribe to The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile

In this episode: cybersecurity, password managers, two-factor authentication, safely navigating the internet, and more hot-seat questions! Have you ever considered how secure your finances are in the modern world? Within the cyber-dominated world we are all living in, it can be tough to stay on top of updates, passwords, and other necessary resources that help us keep our digital footprints safe. Well in order to provide you all with some high-level tips and tricks to stay ahead of the curve, we decided to have long time listener and cybersecurity expert Tom on the show this week to discuss how you can secure your online life. Keeping yourself secure and your assets safe is one of the best ways to ensure a progressive future as you move forward in the digital era while on your FI journey! You can find the link to Tom's Facebook thread here! Timestamps: 1:44 - Introduction 2:52 - Passwords and Password Managers 13:22 - Two-Factor Authentication 22:03 - Email Links 28:38 - Cyber Financial Risks 34:57 - Surfing The Web Safely 39:14 - Antivirus Software 43:57 - Public Wifi, Back-ups, and High-Level Tips 55:18 - Look Out For Elderly Loved Ones 58:38 - Tom Takes On The Hot Seat 75:01 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Join ChooseFI's Facebook Group! Yubico Lastpass 1Password KeePass Why You Need A Legacy Binder JL Collins Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life By Bill Perkins RunnersFI Suggested Books Libby Subscribe to The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile

In this episode: evolution, knowing the rules, making purposeful decisions, automation, and the return of the hot seat! In the advent of making money, oftentimes we can find ourselves torn between a state of over-saving through budgeting and cutting expenses, and over spending just because we have the means to. But is that what we really are looking for in our respective FI journeys? With thoughtful planning and proper action maybe we can happy medium between the two that doesn't feel over invasive. Today we are joined by Bo Loy to discuss the concepts of finding adventures that don't break the bank, purposeful decision making, and the perks of automating your money. Also we heard your feedback! Back by popular demand this week, Bo Loy will be answering questions in our freshly renewed segment, The Hot Seat! Timestamps 1:26 - Introduction 2:23 - Evolution and Perspective 9:12 - It All Adds Up 14:22 - Reviewing, Insurance, and HSA 24:11 - Knowing the Rules 32:00 - Tax Loss Harvesting 37:45 - Making Purposeful Decisions 44:02 - Finding Free Adventures 49:01 - Automation 66:17 - The Hot Seat Returns 79:10 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode Early Retirement Extreme Mr Money Mustache HSA – The Ultimate Retirement Account in 2022 Go Curry Cracker | Capital Gains, Losses and The Roth Conversion Ladder | ChooseFI Ep 18 A Second Generation FI Case Study | Cody Berman FlytoFI | ChooseFI Ep 83 All The Hacks The High Cost Of Living Path To FI | ChooseFI Ep 41 JL Collins Brian Feroldi Check Out ChooseFI On Facebook Find Your Local Group! Subscribe to The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and Resources: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence Track your personal finances with Personal Capital Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile