Aussie Firebug

Today I have Bill Perkins on the podcast who is the author of the very popular book titled “Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life.” The book challenges a few core FIRE beliefs and has definitely had an impact on the way I’m modelling for my retirement.Some of the topics we cover are:Who is Bill Perkins and what is he all about? (06:20)Why Bill wrote “Die with Zero” (07:42)The value of experiences fluctuating throughout life (12:05)Memory dividends (28:30)What about the kids? (36:26)What if I run out of money before I die? (43:02)What the FIRE movement gets wrong (55:45)Criticisms of the book (58:37)LinksBook - Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your LifeWebsite - Die with Zerowww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today’s episode is a summary of my blog post titled “ASIC Crush Independent Content Creators & the End of Ask Firebug Fridays”. The new ASIC guidelines have major implications for content creators in the FIRE and personal finance communities. This is why I wanted to share my thoughts and opinions on these new guidelines and what they mean for AFB moving forward.www.aussiefirebug.com/asic-crush-creators

I have a really fun podcast for you guys today. It’s been 5 years since she was on, but I’ve finally managed to get Mrs Firebug back on the podcast. Sometimes it’s nice just to stop, turn around and look back at how far you’ve come. I thought it would be cool to get a life update from her perspective and just a general chit chat about her experience dropping down to working only 4 days a week.Some of the topics we cover include:Knowing what we know now, what would we have done differently if we could go back in time? (04:08)How has moving to 4 day working weeks impacted Mrs Firebug's life? (12:26)Lifestyle creep - how has our lifestyle changed? (26:33)How have I changed over the years if at all when it comes to money? (31:06)How we have managed our finances as a couple (37:12)Will Mrs Firebug ever go back to full-time work? (41:17)Mrs Firebug’s tips for anyone with a partner pursuing financial independence (45:33)Linkspodcast - Episode 7. Mrs Firebugwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today’s episode is a summary of my “We Bought Bitcoin” article which is all about why we have decided to buy Bitcoin and how Bitcoin plays a part in our financial independence strategy.Some of the topics I cover are:Post-crash and General Feelings (04:51)Down the Rabbit Hole (06:46)Risk Verse Reward (10:03)End Goal (12:22)But Why? (14:00)Conclusion (17:12)Linkspodcast - Vijay Boyapati - The Bullish Case for Bitcoin podcast - Decoding Cryptowww.aussiefirebug.com/we-bought-bitcoin

My guest today is John Pidgeon. John is probably known best as the co-host of the very popular podcast, ‘My Millennial Property’ and has been investing in real estate for over 20 years. I had so much fun with this episode because John and I bounce around all different topics and we even get some footy chit chat in there as well.Some of the topics we cover are:How John got involved with property investing (12:27)Bringing up children in a money-conscious household (15:00)Private vs public schools (22:37)John's first property investment (27:28)His current real estate strategy and what his portfolio looks like (32:34)Are first home buyers currently locked out of the market? (50:57)Tips for first home buyers (55:55) Linkspodcast - My Millennial Propertywebsite - Solvere Wealthwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m chatting with Terry & Ryan from the Passive Income Project podcast. I’ve been listening to their show for a few years now and what I really like is their emphasis on the psychology of investing and money. They’ve recently gone deep into the world of crypto in their latest podcast series called “Decoding Crypto”.Some of the topics we cover are:Is the financial planning industry coming to a crossroads? (00:11:08)Is there a consensus among financial planners about what needs to happen to give everyone a fair crack? (00:16:40)Where did the focus on the psychology of money come from? (00:20:00)What do you find is holding people back from becoming comfortable with money? (00:24:13)When did you discover the concept of FIRE and how did that impact you? (00:32:11)What do you invest in these days and what is your investing philosophy? (00:38:36)"Decoding Crypto" - when did that journey begin for you guys? (00:41:29)What would you say to someone who wants to dabble in the world of crypto? (01:18:44)Linkswebsite Cashflow Copodcast Passive Income Projectpodcast Paul Benson - Are Financial Planners worth the money?podcast Decoding Cryptowww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

My special guest today is one of the very first personal finance bloggers that I can remember. It’s J. MONEY from the 2012 Blogger of the Year awards “Budget Are Sexy”. J. managed to become a millionaire in roughly 10 years and has blogged throughout the journey posting his net worth each month which definitely inspired me to start something similar in Australia back in 2015.Some of the topics we cover are:J.’s experience of buying a house in 2007 and what the fall out of the GFC was like as an American (14:19)What made you start your blog back in 2008? (22:37)Where did the idea of posting your net worth come from? (34:08)How did you get to $1,000,000 USD net worth in 10 years? What was your investment strategy? (39:24)What did you invest in to reach your FI goal and what is your investing philosophy today? (55:11)When did you first discover the concept of FIRE? (1:00:33)What is the best part about being FI and how does being FI allow you to live your ideal lifestyle? (1:05:59)If you could give one piece of advice to someone who’s looking to be better with their finances, what would that be? (1:08:11)LinksJ. MONEY websiteTwitter @BudgetsAreSexyBudgets Are Sexy websiteJL Collins Stock Serieswww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast/

My guest today is Scott Phillips - a Sydney based investor with over 20 years experience. Scott holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma of Accounting but is most famous for his role as Chief Investment Officer of The Motley Fool Australia. This is a monster episode where we dive deep into many different areas of investing.Some of the topics we cover are:Where does it all begin with Scott Phillips and finance? (00:05:10)How and when did Scott start investing? (00:14:31)What does Scott invest in these days and what is his investing style/philosophy? (00:16:30)Is there a significant difference between getting income from dividends or selling down shares? (00:26:48)How do you identify a good company and what methods do you use? (00:31:43)Structuring investments for children. (00:35:57)Was financial independence ever a goal for Scott? (00:38:51)What does Scott make of this low-interest-rate world we are currently living in? (00:51:02)Does Scott think Australia is in a housing bubble? (00:54:20)What are Scott’s thoughts on Cryptocurrency and NFT’s? (01:06:34)LinksThe Motley Fool AustraliaScott’s investment holdingswww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast/

I’m kicking off the new year with a little refresher and a summary of a new article called “10 Lessons I've Learned from 10 Years Pursuing Financial Independence”. Check it out!1. The ultimate goal is to be happy. Never lose sight of this (03:50)2. Find your why of FI (07:18)3. Master behaviours, not spreadsheets (08:43)4. Getting wealthy is simple. Don’t overthink it (14:38)5. What’s measured is managed (19:07)6. Income potential is often overlooked (23:43)7. Compound interest takes years to notice (30:26)8. Most people are really after semi-retirement (35:58)9. Find your ‘enough’ (41:59)10. We’re all dealt a different hand in the game of life (47:02)www.aussiefirebug.com/10-lessons-ive-learned-from-10-years-pursuing-financial-independence

Have you ever wondered how far your donations to charities really go? I know it feels good to donate and we should all consider giving away part of our wealth considering we Aussies are some of the wealthiest people on the planet, but I’m not sure many of us really go over with a fine-tooth and comb how the money is spent and how many people are affected with every dollar.Today I’m speaking with Luke Freeman, a former tech and marketing professional who had a desire to positively affect the lives of the less fortunate in the world. Luke is the Chairperson and a Board Member of Effective Altruism Australia and Executive Director of Giving What We Can, which are both charitable organisations designed to help the less fortunate.The attributes of effective altruism share a lot of similarities with the FIRE movement. It’s all about using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis. Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:Who is Luke Freeman and how did he become interested in giving back to others? (03:05)What is Effective Altruism Australia (EAA) and how did it start? (07:33)Is EAA a not-for-profit organisation and how does it actually work? (10:04)What are the tax advantages of donating through EAA? (14:58)What metrics does EAA use when assessing how effective time and money are used in charitable organisations? (16:39)Is corruption in charitable organisations a real issue or is it overblown by the critics? (22:56)What are some of the biggest problems in the world that EAA is targeting? (27:25)LinksWebsite - Effective Altruism AustraliaWebsite - Giving What We CanLinkedIn post - Eating Less Than $2 / Daywww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast