

ChooseFI
ChooseFI
How would your life change if you reached Financial Independence and got to the point where working is optional? What actions can you take today to make that not just possible but probable. Jonathan & Brad explore the tactics that the FI community uses to reclaim decades of their lives. They discuss reducing expenses, crushing debt, tax optimization, building passive income streams through online businesses and real estate and how to travel the world for free. Every episode is packed with actionable tips and no topic is too big or small as long as it speeds up the process of reaching financial independence.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 20, 2018 • 1h 1min
089 | Retail Path to FI with College Investor
089 | Robert, from The College Investor, talks about his lucrative job as a Target store manager, building his blog into a highly profitable side hustle, his relationship with frugality, and the keys to success in a retail interview. For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/089

Aug 17, 2018 • 56min
088R | What Have You Built?
088R | Cities that are the best for pursuing financial independence, how to hack your career, ideas for building a side hustle and how to assess the return on your college investment. For more information, including resources, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/088R ——————- Thank you for being a part of the ChooseFI community! 🙂 If you want to support us, here are some easy ways: 1) Leave an iTunes review: http://www.choosefi.com/itunes 2) Use our page to sign up for travel credit cards Note: We may receive a commission if you are approved for cards on this page 3) Most importantly, find your friends, coworkers, and family members who may be open to this message and tell them about the podcast! (Episode 21 is a great starting place) As Jonathan would say, "The FIRE is spreading my friends!"

Aug 13, 2018 • 1h 11min
088 | Career Hacking the Tech Industry | Millennial Boss
088 | Millennial Boss and FIRE Drill podcaster, J talks about becoming a creator, career hacking, and salary negotiation, alongside of pursuing FI, side hustles, and a growing podcast. ——————- Thank you for being a part of the ChooseFI community! 🙂 If you want to support us, here are some easy ways: 1) Leave an iTunes review: http://www.choosefi.com/itunes 2) Use our page to sign up for travel credit cards Note: We may receive a commission if you are approved for cards on this page 3) Most importantly, find your friends, coworkers, and family members who may be open to this message and tell them about the podcast! (Episode 21 is a great starting place) As Jonathan would say, "The FIRE is spreading my friends!" For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/088

Aug 10, 2018 • 49min
087R | Autonomy Mastery Purpose
087R | How to teach children lessons that set them up for success, discussion about using duel-enrollment and university co-ops to optimize college, and a strategy for cash flow balance transferring. For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/087R

8 snips
Aug 6, 2018 • 56min
087 | Education Through Innovation | Don Wettrick
087 | Don Wettrick, CEO and co-founder of StartEdUp Innovation program, and a current high school teach, talks about the cultivating innovation and creativity in the classroom, harnessing a learner's internal motivation, and giving students opportunities to solve problems they're passionate about. Why and how did Don create an Innovation course at his school, and ultimately the StartEdUp Innovation program? What was challenging about getting his students involved during the early stages, when it was just extra time during his class? When do students lose their curiosity or learning? How much does a reward really motivate students? What would the process look like to develop and nurture internally motivated learners through elementary school? What's the difference between creativity and imagination? How can a parent help their child be more innovative outside of school? What does Don recommend as a good consumption v. production ratio? How does changing consumption habits – how much, and what – impact the way Don's students and own children think? How does building community within a cohort of "creators" impact a student's relationship? Does participation in Don's high school class impact his students other grades? How do mastery, autonomy and purpose mix together best? What does it look like to be in Don's Innovation Class? 6-7 weeks of class Basics of innovation How to think creatively Building a professional social media presence Remainder of class is "open source learning" Volunteer with struggling non-profits, to see problems close up Statewide student "Pitch" competition Helping struggling local businesses What sort of projects have his students build? What story do you tell yourself, about yourself? Is there a difference between improvement and new opportunity? How would Don hope to integrate innovation development into schools in his 10-year dream? Contact: @DonWettrick on Twitter What did Don's father mean when he told him to "Pay himself first"? Why does Don think it's important to fail? Links: "Daniel Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation" Freakonomics You Will Lose Your Job to a Robot—and Sooner Than You Think

Aug 3, 2018 • 1h 5min
086R | Pretirement | Roger Whitney
086R | A live-recorded conversation with Roger Whitney, the Retirement Answer Man, from Podcast Movement, questions for a potential accountant, and takeaways from Monday's live case study with Allison Goddard. Brad is departing for a month-long family vacation to the U.K. What is "global entry" and how/why did Brad get it before his trip? Jonathan had a chance to meet up with Allison., from Episode 86. If money was no longer an option, what would change for Brad and Jonathan? Brad and Jonathan are super impressed with Allison's grit and tenacity, to change the trajectory of her life. Sometimes encouragement from someone else is the motivation we need. You don't have to know where your life is going to go, you just have to get started. How can someone overcome "imposter syndrome"? Voicemail from Angela at Tread Lightly/Retire Early – if Allison's house is a place that makes her happy and brings her joy, maybe there are other ways that she can adjust her spending to be more efficient. An article in the "Journal of Accountancy" addressing specific strategies for those pursuing financial independence: FIRE-d up for early retirement. At what point is Turbo Tax not sufficient for your taxes? What questions would Brad ask of a potential CPA? Brad and Jonathan participated in Podcast Movement in Philadelphia, and participate in a ChooseFI meetup. Brad is attending a ChooseFI meet up in London as well. A live recording from Podcast Movement, with Roger, the Retirement Answer Man: The tension between wanting to have a good life and wanting to enjoy today never really goes away. Most baby-boomers don't really want to never work again, but rather they want freedom in their time. What are people running toward in retirement? Instead of comparing retirement to a light switch, think of it more like a dimmer switch. How does Roger talk to someone about making adjustments to move toward the life that you want? Roger's suggestion for have conversations: go for a walk, or a road trip, or something that creates space and time to have conversation. Pretirement: what can you do now to start setting yourself up for what you want? Strong relationships with your colleagues and superiors can give you the ability to adjust your job to meet your needs. Five things to do with money: Give it away, spend it, pay down debt, save it, or invest it. Links: U.S. Customs Global Entry Building My Castle Tread Lightly, Retire Early Rock Retirement

Jul 30, 2018 • 1h 15min
086 | A Live Case Study with Physician on FIRE and Allison Goddard
086 | Allison Goddard, a dermatologist from Chattanooga, Tenn., chats with ChooseFI and Physician on FIRE to review her journey through medical school and receive advice to clarify the next steps in her path toward financial independence. ——————- Thank you for being a part of the ChooseFI community! 🙂 If you want to support us, here are some easy ways: 1) Leave an iTunes review: http://www.choosefi.com/itunes 2) Use our page to sign up for travel credit cards Note: We may receive a commission if you are approved for cards on this page 3) Most importantly, find your friends, coworkers, and family members who may be open to this message and tell them about the podcast! (Episode 21 is a great starting place) As Jonathan would say, "The FIRE is spreading my friends!" ——————- For more information about FI, go to https://choosefi.com/086

8 snips
Jul 27, 2018 • 1h 23min
085R | Sidehustle Coaching Series Part 3 | Learn to Pitch and Lean into the Uncomfortable Pause
085R | Catch up with Alan and Tallis as they zero in on the key elements of a successful pitch, and the importance of uncomfortable silence, as well as a home improvement update from Jonathan and review of Monday's episode with author M.K. Williams. What you'll hear in this episode: Jonathan reports a wallpaper challenge/ DIY fail in his kitchen. Recommendation: use drywall mud to fix blemishes in drywall after removing wall paper. What home-improvement projects are worth hiring out? MK, from Monday's episode, noticed that through persistence she has not only produced more content, and that with each release, her previous work sells even better. Check out Episode 59 about persistence. How to build your personal brand and get start building your sidehustle and/or passion? Sidehustle Coaching episodes so far: Episode 30: Introduction to Alan Donegan Episode 56: Part 1 – meet Tallis and hear about her new business idea Episode 77: Part 2 – check in about Tallis' progress and initial feedback Update since the previous episode: Chris, from the fundraising department at the Northwestern Hospital, is interested in hearing Tallis' pitch. If you can't sell your business, you don't get any customers, and therefore you don't get any money. "Sales" is the process finding someone with a problem you can solve and explaining that you can fix that problem. Why did Alan struggle to sell his own business at the start? What is the problem that Tallis' business is solving? How has Tallis clarified her business' goal? The triad: include three points when you make your pitch. How do people accidentally overwhelm listeners during their pitch? What's the best way to start a pitch? Never end your pitch with Q&A. How can you set up a strong close if you have to include Q&A? At the close, it's important to actually ask the potential customer to buy the product. "If you don't ask, you don't get." What does Tallis want to ask at the close of her pitch to Northwestern? How did Alan help a group of students pitch for an advertisement with a really strong open? How to deliver a strong pitch on the phone? Your moments of impact as a speaker are actually when the audience is thinking. How does Alan get someone's attention at the start of his pitch conversation? Creative intro Confirm he's talking to the right person Tallis' product isn't right for everyone. It's important to ask questions to determine whether her product meets the need of a potential client. How and when does Alan suggest delivering the price? What part does the uncomfortable pause play in selling a product? Why doesn't lowering prices always equate to increased sales? Tallis sets a measurable goal for number of pitches and sales. Want a copy of MK's book? Leave a review! Links: DIY to FI My $3,500 Tiny House Explained Caboose Rental ——————- Thank you for being a part of the ChooseFI community! 🙂 If you want to support us, here are some easy ways: 1) Leave an iTunes review: http://www.choosefi.com/itunes 2) Use our page to sign up for travel credit cards Note: We may receive a commission if you are approved for cards on this page 3) Most importantly, find your friends, coworkers, and family members who may be open to this message and tell them about the podcast! (Episode 21 is a great starting place) As Jonathan would say, "The FIRE is spreading my friends!"

Jul 23, 2018 • 1h 7min
085 | From Passion to Profit | M.K. Williams
085 | Science-fiction author M.K. Williams talks about her journey toward financial independence, the decisions she's made along the way, and self-publishing her first three novels. For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/085 ——————- Thank you for being a part of the ChooseFI community! 🙂 If you want to support us, here are some easy ways: 1) Leave an iTunes review: http://www.choosefi.com/itunes 2) Use our page to sign up for travel credit cards Note: We may receive a commission if you are approved for cards on this page 3) Most importantly, find your friends, coworkers, and family members who may be open to this message and tell them about the podcast! (Episode 21 is a great starting place) As Jonathan would say, "The FIRE is spreading my friends!"

21 snips
Jul 20, 2018 • 1h 5min
084R | Mindset of FI
084R | The essential steps to a FI mindset, travel rewards updates from Brad, voicemails from the community, and highlights from Monday's episode with Jillian with Montana Money Matters. —————— Thank you for being a part of the ChooseFI community! 🙂 If you want to support us, here are some easy ways: 1) Leave an iTunes review: http://www.choosefi.com/itunes 2) Use our page to sign up for travel credit cards Note: We may receive a commission if you are approved for cards on this page 3) Most importantly, find your friends, coworkers, and family members who may be open to this message and tell them about the podcast! (Episode 21 is a great starting place) As Jonathan would say, "The FIRE is spreading my friends!" —————— For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/084R


