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084 | Jillian, from Montana Money Adventures, talks about simplifying her life while raising five children, valuing grit and resilience, taking risk, and the value of financial independence. What you'll hear in today's episode: What does Jillian mean by "big family minimalism", and why did she consider it a survival tool? How did Jillian decide to adopt several children? What role do grit resilience play in her story, and how does that play out in her life? How does Jillian manage the chaos that she invited into her live? What is a "Quit List"? What is the process for deciding what things to quit? How does Jillian pursue minimalism with children? What does life minimalism look like to Jillian? How much involvement do Jillian's children have in the decision-making process? What does the ideal day look like to Jillian's family? How does good conversation become a part of Jillian's life? What did Jillian's combined income look like during their journey toward financial independence? What was Jillian's "flash point"? How did her childhood experiences impact the way she approached life and finances as a young adult? What are the highlights of Jillian's journey toward financial independence? How did Jillian and her husband get to the point of purchasing a house with cash? What did friends and family think of Jillian's $50k home purchase? How does Jillian teach people to lean into discomfort and own their choices? What does Jillian think about a culture that values comfort and safety? How many things can go wrong before someone will walk away from a pursuit? When did Jillian start to plan her life? Best way to connect with Jillian: email list. How is Jillian learning to be more generous? Links: Montana Money Adventures Big Family Minimalism Sportive Cyclist Essentialism, by James Latham The One Thing, by Gary Keller

083R | A checklist to optimize your hobbies, a highlight on the San Diego local group, and messages from the ChooseFI community: All of this while we recap Monday's episode with Cody Berman. For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/083R

083 | 22-year-old recent college graduate and second generation FI, Cody Berman, talks about embracing frugality, saving and investing in his youth, optimizing a path through college, and getting his Disc Golf business off the ground. ——————- 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!"

082R | Discussion of Brad and Jonathan's purchasing habits, messages from the ChooseFI community, benefits and drawbacks of roboadviors, and a summary of capital gains harvesting. Jonathan gives a review of some travel hacks on a recent trip to Chattanooga, TN. Capital One Venture Card allows users to redeem miles for nearly any travel cost. PSA: bring a copy of your child's birth certificate if you're traveling. Review of Monday's episode with Dani and Laura, Jonathan and Brad's wife. Jonathan is excited about the way Brad and Laura cut down on choices, purchases and decisions for themselves and their children. Brad aims to keep his life simple, particularly in regard to purchases. Enjoying the journey is crucial; obsessing over small purchases probably takes away from someone's enjoyment of life. During your pursuit of FI, it's important to remember your "why". Laura shops for the future, by purchasing clothes, presents, etc., way before they're necessary, often finding items for a fraction of the normal cost. Batch processing: blocking your time off to maximize efficiency. Facebook Message from Jimmy: met a friend on airplane, introduced him to ChooseFI, and that friend reduced expenses and put himself on the path to FI in less than a month. There are options for almost every financial position, to get yourself moving in the direction of FI. Jeff, on Facebook, reports that he's paid off $105k of student loans. ChooseFI San Diego has a real estate meeting recently – informing people about real estate options and discussing rent vs buy, among other topics of conversation. ChooseFI local groups will be as good as the participants want them to be. Voicemail from Ryan: question about using roboadvisors? Fees matter: managing accounts directly saves money. Benefits of a roboadvisor – automated services can help with some calculations that it's difficult to do yourself, and it sometimes make investing more accessible Jonathan prefers and recommends M1 Finance. Voicemail from Bonnie: selling used items through the online Varagesale platform helps her bring in a little extra income as a stay-at-home mom. Voicemail from Anthony with questions about increasing your capital gains basis. Capital gains are typically taxes, but if you're in a low tax bracket, long-term capital gains are not taxed. Previous episode about capital gains harvesting in episode 18 and 18R. Links: The Paradox of Choice Betterment Wealthfront The Simple Path to Wealth Design Your Future Freelance to Freedom _______________________________________ For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/082R

082 | Brad and Jonathan's wives, Laura and Dani (respectively), talk about their introduction to FI, combining finances, budgeting with children, and maintaining balance. How did Dani and Laura approach saving before meeting Jonathan? How did Laura's parents change careers to improve their financial status? How was growing up in Zimbabwe different from a typical American upbringing? What did saving money mean to Dani when she started working? How did Dani respond to Jonathan's initial proposal to combine finances? When and how did Brad and Laura merge finances? What does a typical day in Dani and Laura's lives look like? How does "busy" look different from when Dani and Laura were working full-time jobs? Are kids expensive? How do Laura and Dani budget with the extra and unexpected costs of children? What is a "Buy Nothing" group? How does Laura advance purchase things for her children? Do Brad and Laura give their children many choices? How do Brad and Laura create space in their lives to not be consumed by FI? By saving money on unnecessary expenses, Brad and Laura can be generous and unconcerned with some of the smaller expenses that come up in life. How does the 72-hour-rule, introduced by the Frugalwoods, make a difference for Dani and Jonathan? How did Laura and Dani respond when Brad and Jonathan decided to leave their jobs and start ChooseFI? Does the pursuit of FI ever get too intense? How do Dani and Laura plan their meals and prepare ahead of time? Links: Stay at Home Chef Smitten Kitchen Kitchn Why (and how) I Became a Work-At-Home Mom – The Frugalwoods A letter to my 22-year-old self – Joel from FI 180

081R | Strategies for decluttering and living with less (reflecting on Cait Flander's interview with us on Monday), life hacks from the community, and a winner for the free ticket to CampFI in Joshua Tree! The ChooseFI community is growing and gaining national attention. How This Couple Saved $1 Million in 11 Years and Became Financially Independent Before 40 Nine Money Podcasts You Should Be Listening To Local Groups are really effective in some parts of the ChooseFI community. Jonathan joined some members of the Richmond local group to purchase a mosquito fogger to share between them. What else could be a shared purchase? Cait Flanders, from Monday's episode, talked about taking control of your life, and decluttering her whole life. How do you take control of your life? Could you live with less? Why doesn't Brad use a budget, and how does he still manage his finances well? Why does Brad hope his daughter reads Harry Potter? Voicemail from Kristyn, from fortheloveoftidy.com and the Spark Joy podcast, talks about her FI progress, and tips for decluttering: Map out your ideal living environment; think about how your clutter fits into that. Ask yourself tough questions about the clutter in your life. What is tough about decluttering for Jonathan? How does Kristyn keep track of her "bit-sized wins"? Why did Jonathan finally get rid of his grad-school notes? Voicemail with a suggestion based on advice from The White Coat Investor, to employ children as models for his website, to add legitimate money to his kids' retirement accounts. Facebook post from Heather about how her son found a job without a car. Message from Louima, who was inspired by Cait's Monday episode, and is contemplating a reduction of her FI number. Email from Mark with some FI hacks: Food: Choose smaller dishes Put chips, pretzels, etc., in a dish, don't eat directly from the bag Don't eat alone: Why Eating Alone May Be Bad for You Don't eat while watching TV: The Danger of Eating in Front of the TV Finances: Use credit cards for travel rewards Shopping portals – some opportunities to earn 4-10x more points Earny: a price drop protection app Feex.com: finds hidden fees in your investment accounts Update: Brad is working to establish a scholarship for a Treehouse student to learn coding, in partnership with Every Child's Hope. Winner of the ticket to CampFI in Joshua Tree: Danielle! Links: The Simple Path to Wealth Design Your Future Freelance to Freedom

081 | Cait Flanders, author of "The Year of Less", talks about building $30k of consumer debt, challenging herself to go two years without shopping, and learning how to be comfortable in her own skin without the distractions of consumerism. For more information, visit the show notes at http://ChooseFI.com/081

080R | Conversation about teaching your children to save and invest, healthcare options, and an argument in favor of home gardening and composting. Brad contemplates applying for "Survivor". Review of Monday's episode with Khai from AlabaMalaysia. How does Jonathan use the idea of "anchoring" in his own life: setting big goals so that even if he misses, good things still happen? Brad and Jonathan talk about how they would set little, achievable goals, to reach a larger, long-term goal. Jonathan talks about answering the question "What do you do?", with comments from the Facebook group. How does Brad have bank account and investment accounts set up for his children? Is there a better way to have those accounts set up? Blain, from the Facebook group, wonders whether his son should start investing with a Vanguard account, or an M1 account? Contributions made to a Roth can be withdrawn penalty free. What are the best ways to support your children and help them save money, as 2nd generation FI? Voicemail from Jacqueline asking about financial education apps for youth. "7 Fun Money Apps for Kids" from U.S. News PiggyBot FamZoo How important is it to teach your children about not only budgeting to save money, but to be generous? What is Brad considering in regards to his family's health insurance: HSA, health share, or considering health insurance for a small business? What are some complications with a health share? Email from Karen, about the value of gardening and composting. Gardening Tips from Karen Is composting addicting? Jonathan tries to convince Brad that gardening and compositing is simple enough to start now. Leave a ChooseFI review to enter the drawing for a ticket to CampFI in Joshua Tree, or to receive a book. Links: The Simple Path to Wealth Design Your Future Freelance to Freedom

080 | Khai Shing, a former contestant on The Amazing Race, and blogger at ALABA+MA+LAYSIA, talks about balancing her pursuit of FI while finding ways to travel, worldwide, at discount prices. Did Khai start with global travel, or with The Amazing Race? Took about 3 months from applying to The Amazing Race with her twin brother, to being selected for the show - traveling all over China. Khai grew up in Malaysia, and plans to return there for retirement, once she achieves FI. How did Khai and her brother set themselves up to be selected from their video application? What was the highlight of The Amazing Race for Khai? Is it easier to achieve FI living in Malaysia versus living in the US? When Khai calculates her FI number, does she base her living expenses off US expenses, or the expected cost of living in Malaysia? Why does Khai use 35x as her multiplier for calculating a FI number? How long is Khai's FI path? How does world travel fit into Khai's lifestyle and financial plan during the next 8 years of her path? How and when did Khai and her husband embrace the FI mentality? How does budgeting and saving work for Khai's family? How do Khai and her husband manage travel with family and work? How does Khai travel the world for $1,600? A layover is less than 24 hours, but a stop over a has much more relaxed time frame. United Airlines had an "excursionist" perk - a free stopover in a city within the same region: Excursionist Perks. Where will Khai go next? What perks still exist with Alaska Air? What does Khai like to see and do when she travels to a new country? Why does Khai like to document her trips on her blog? What are Khai's favorite experiences from her travels? Khai met her husband during an exchange program to the US. What advice does Khai have with regard to keeping life balanced? Gratitude: "when we focus on appreciating and being content with what we have in life, it helps us to focus on what's truly important." "The fact that we can even dream about FI, and a good chance to make it a reality is a great privilege that we should be thankful for." Links: MadFIentist The Lifetime Table For more, go to http://ChooseFI.com/080

079R | Highlights of Monday's episode with Tim & Amy Rutherford, discussion about healthcare, additional podcast recommendations, and voicemails from the ChooseFI community. For more information, visit the show notes at http://ChooseFI.com/079R