Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! We have two guests today, Steven and Lauren Keys, who did something pretty incredible: retired before they turned 30. They came on the podcast to talk about how they reached financial independence at a young age, how they saved their nest egg without large salaries, and their plan for the rest of their retirement.  In this episode we’ll talk about: • Cutting expenses to save money and pay off debt • Living frugally without sacrificing your lifestyle  • Using your passions to bring in extra income  • How to make a full-time income with part-time work  • Dispelling the myth that retirement means not working at all  • Living with an abundance mentality rather than a scarcity mentality  • Employee benefits without an employer • Insurance considerations when in an early retirement  • How money experiences growing up can affect your perspective on money as an adult • Gamifying your finances to motivate you towards your goals • Overconsumption and how to avoid it • Using money to buy freedom rather than stuff • The Financial Roadmap Steven & Lauren's Financial Roadmap: https://www.tripofalifestyle.com/roadmap/ Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.  About Lauren ad Steven Keys: We’re Lauren and Steven, a middle-class couple who managed to bank enough money to retire from our full-time jobs at age 29. By making a few lifestyle tweaks soon after graduation, we grew a buffer of cash and investments that gave us a ton of flexibility and enabled us to do some really fun stuff too, like taking six months off to explore Hawaii and another seven months to travel to every National Park in the US. Now we’re hoping to help other people (like you!) do something similar. TripofaLifestyle.com Facebook: Trip Of A Lifestyle Twitter: TOALifestyle Instagram: Trip Of A Lifestyle Linked In: Trip Of A Lifestyle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Gary's question: Are all financial advisors and planners fiduciaries? This is a great question and the simple answer is no. Listen to hear Eric explain what a fiduciary is, why it's important to know if your advisor is a fiduciary, and how you can tell. Have a question? Post it in the comments, tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning, or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours! Find a full transcript of this episode at dontretiregraduate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! Today’s guest is the most educated individual we know in this industry. Dr. Mary Bell Carlson is a financial behavioral expert who has worked with the government, military, and financial educational organizations, is an adjunct professor of financial planning, and is the founder of Chief Financial Moms. She’s here to talk about gender differences in personal finance, money histories, and how we can get just one point better every day. In this episode we’ll talk about: •The asset shift from baby boomer men to women that will be taking place over the next decade •How women and men look at financial advice and manage money differently  •The need for women in financial planning •Personal financial literacy education and how to know if your school is teaching it •Understanding your money history and starting conversations about it as a couple •How you can get even half a point better each day Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode. Resources mentioned in this episode:  https://checkyourschool.org/ https://www.jumpstart.org/ https://freeguide.chieffinancialmom.com/   About Mary Bell Carlson Dr. Mary Bell Carlson is a financial behavior expert and has worked in both the military and government communities for the last decade. From the bowels of the Pentagon to international audiences, Dr. Carlson has presented numerous financial seminars and worked on a variety of financial planning and education projects. After getting married and having her two daughters, she started Chief Financial Mom.com, a personal finance education platform to help busy moms. Currently, she also works as adjunct faculty for the financial planning programs at both the University of Georgia and Texas Tech University. ChiefFinancialMom.com Facebook @ChiefFinancialMom  Twitter @ChiefFinanceMom  Instagram @ChiefFinancialMom  YouTube Channel @Chief Financial Mom  Linkedin @Mary Bell Carlson, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC®  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Alex's question: As a financial advisor, what is the most common mistake you see people making with their personal finances? This was a hard question to answer because there are a LOT of mistakes people make. The common factor for all of them? Emotions. Have a question? Post it in the comments, tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning, or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours! A full transcript of this episode can be found at dontretiregraduate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! Today’s guest came ready for a debate and didn’t disappoint. Andrew Hallam, best-selling author and educator, is here to talk about his latest book, Balance, and investment techniques and ideologies that don’t necessarily match ours. If you’re interested in learning about index funds, passive asset management, and the true meaning of success in retirement (whether you’re retiring early or not), you won’t want to miss this episode.  In this episode we’ll talk about: The cost and opportunity cost associated with Ivy league education. Recognizing a financial advisor that is great and one that just wants to sell you something The role psychology plays in financial services Debating controversial topics in personal finance: passive versus active portfolio management, index funds versus value index The traditional definition of retirement, why it is unhealthy, and how to do it better FIRE community and the FIRE movement, and the life satisfaction research that suggests it may not be the best goal The four legs of the success table: money, relationships, health, and purpose https://andrewhallam.com/balance/ Visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts for a full transcript of this episode. About Andrew Hallam: Andrew Hallam is the international best-selling author of Balance: How to Invest and Spend for Happiness, Health and Wealth; Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School and Millionaire Expat: How To Build Wealth Living Overseas. Profiled on such media as CNBC, and The Wall Street Journal, he's also the first person to have a #1 selling finance book on Amazon USA, Amazon Canada and Amazon UAE. He has written columns for The Globe and Mail, Canadian Business, MoneySense, Swissquote and AssetBuilder. Since 2016 he has spoken at businesses and international schools in over 30 different countries. Links: https://andrewhallam.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/445218675653782 https://www.facebook.com/millionaireteacher https://twitter.com/aphallam https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-hallam-44b81627/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers George's question: I keep hearing about inflation. Is there anything I can be doing to protect my finances? We're seeing inflation in a way we haven't for generations, and there are things you can do to be better prepared. Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours! Visit brotmanmedia.com for a full transcript of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! We have a very special episode in honor of International Women’s Week. Kara Perez, the founder of Bravely Go, joins us to talk about financial feminism and how we can start breaking down the gender roles and inequalities we see in our culture.  In this episode we’ll talk about: The meaning of financial feminism. The difference in financial power between men and women/non-binary individuals.  How the wage gap can affect financial security in retirement. The importance of having assets in your own name and checking your beneficiary designations.  The need for large-scale financial literacy education and where it can come from. Gender roles in our culture and their effect on financial equity.  Paying down debt and saving money on a low salary.  How Kara founded Bravely Go, the feminist financial education company.  Looking at personal finance from a broader lens. Visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts for a full transcript of this episode. About Kara Perez: Kara Perez is the founder of Bravely Go, a feminist financial education company. Bravely Go focuses on bringing actionable, intersectional and accessible financial education to people via pop up events and online community. Kara has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, NPR, Glamour, ABC Nightline News, and US News and World Report as a financial expert. Additionally, Kara co hosts the award winning podcast The Fairer Cents, which has been named the top money podcast for women by Forbes and The Balance. Links:https://www.instagram.com/webravelygo/ https://twitter.com/bravelygo https://www.facebook.com/webravelygo https://www.tiktok.com/@webravelygo?lang=en https://www.bravelygo.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Yazan's question: What are the pros and cons of using a robo-advisor for investing? A robo-advisor has its place, and Eric explores this question from two perspectives: simple investment management and comprehensive financial planning. Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours! Visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts for a full transcript of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Richards, a financial guru and bestselling author, retired at just 27 thanks to her savvy passive income strategies. She reveals how she built a real estate portfolio yielding $20,000 monthly. Listen as she shares self-publishing tips, explains the true value of time in wealth building, and emphasizes the importance of financial literacy to dodge scams. Rachel also discusses practical steps to design your dream life in retirement and the power of actively managing your financial goals.

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Jonathan's question: What are some realistic lifestyle changes that save money? There are two ways to look at this question, and this episode covers both. How do you create the habit itself, and what are those changes?  Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning and it may be answered in a future episode of Office Hours! For a full transcript of this episode, visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices