Highlights

• The power of FU Money and why it may be less money than you think
• Jim’s biggest investing mistake and what he learned from it
• Why index investing is superior to active investing
• Are REITs and international funds necessary
• Why your house may not be a good investment
• Thoughts on stock picking and actively-managed funds
• What makes Vanguard unique and why it’s best for investors
• The three keys to becoming wealthy
• Lessons learned from Black Monday
• How to prepare for the next market crash

Health is similar to finances in that there are many overly-complex things people say you need to do, but there are just a few simple things that actually matter.

What is the "spend less than you earn, invest in a diversified/low-fee portfolio, and leave it to grow/compound" of the health world?

That's what today's episode is about!

Parker Hewes wrote a book called Lifelong Youth: The Simple Path to a Long and Youthful Life, and today he shares the eight health behaviors that will do the most for your longterm health and wellbeing!

On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I welcome back Chad Carson from CoachCarson.com!

Chad just released a new book, The Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor, and I wanted to get him back on the show to talk about it.

I’m not a real-estate investor myself though. So rather than interview him myself, my real-estate-investor friend, Jillian Johnsrud, did the interview for me!

You may know Jillian from Montana Money Adventures, or her new podcast – Retire Often.

She did a fantastic job, so I hope you enjoy their conversation as much as I did!

On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I welcome back Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to Be Rich!

I needed someone to come on the show to provide some tough love and Ramit was the only person for the job.

As Ramit mentioned during our last interview, FIRE people are great at knowing what NOT to spend on but we’re not good at knowing what to spend on.

Spending is going to be a big focus on the Mad Fientist this year and I can’t think of a better way to kick off this discussion than by getting yelled at by Ramit so hope you enjoy it!

Highlights

• Why we doubled our annual spending (and was it worth it)
• What Ramit did to make me get all clammy and uncomfortable
• Why pay less when you can pay more
• How to imagine your own rich life
• Why you should start wasting some money at a certain point

Over the last few years, I interviewed members of my family to find out two things:

<ol>
<li>How I became the Mad Fientist (i.e. where did I get my extreme ideas about money)</li>
<li>What advice they'd give to parents hoping to raise money-smart children</li>
</ol>

This is a short but sweet holiday episode to end the year and I hope you enjoy it!

Cody Berman and Justin Taylor, hosts of the FI Show, have both achieved financial independence but they've taken drastically different paths to get there.

Listen to this Podcast Takeover episode to hear the similarities and differences between an employee's path to FI (Justin's) and an entrepreneur's journey to FIRE (Cody's)!

Highlights

• Live-in flip vs. house hacking
• Sweet spot for buying used cars
• Why focusing on fixed expenses is important
• How to 5x your corporate income
• The unlimited upside of entrepreneurship
• How to get started investing if you're scared/nervous
• Nest-egging vs. cash-flowing your way to financial independence
• The benefits of a Solo-401(k) for entrepreneurs
• Why the corporate world is great for certain types of people
• Benefits and downsides of entrepreneurship
• Why it's important to not keep up with the FI Joneses either

Show Links

• The FI Show - https://thefishow.com
• The FI Show's Mega Backdoor Roth Episode - https://thefishow.com/mega-backdoor-roth-solo-401k-explained/
• The Mad Fientist's Mega Backdoor Roth Article - https://www.madfientist.com/after-tax-contributions/

Life has completely changed.

And because of this major change, I'm even more grateful for the freedom, flexibility, and time that financial independence and early retirement provide.

In this short episode, I fill you in on what's been happening and I discuss the reasons for my newfound appreciation of FI.

Welcome to another podcast-takeover episode of the Financial Independence podcast!

This time, Mathias from the Financial Independence Europe podcast takes over the show to talk to Luke Freeman (from Giving What We Can) and Rebecca Herbst (from Yield and Spread) about Effective Altruism!

Highlights

• What is Effective Altruism
• How to give efficiently and effectively
• Benefits of joining the effective altruism community
• How giving is evolving
• Differences between the US and Europe with regards to philanthropy
• How to give to charity while pursuing FI

Show Links

• Financial Independence Europe - https://financial-independence.eu/
• Yield and Spread - http://yieldandspread.com
• Give What We Can - https://www.givingwhatwecan.org
• Give Well - https://www.givewell.org
• Original Show Link - https://financial-independence.eu/uncategorized/episode-147-how-to-give-effectively-luke-freeman-and-rebecca-herbst/

Exactly 10 years ago, I released the first episode of the Financial Independence Podcast!

To celebrate this big birthday, I’ve collected all the best advice from my interviews with my very first podcast guest – Mr. Money Mustache!

Highlights

• Mr. Money Mustache’s investing strategy
• Thoughts on real-estate investing vs. stock-market investing
• How to invest in a raging bull market
• The benefits of hitting FI before having kids
• Why you’ll likely make money after retiring early
• Mr. Money Mustache’s biggest splurge
• How to decide whether to pay off your mortgage early
• The best part of financial independence
• How to find meaning after early retirement
• Most challenging part of post-FI life
• The impact of financial independence on personal relationships

On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I speak to Patrick Aime from Aime to Invest!

Patrick’s journey to FI is an incredible one. He…

• Moved from his home in Rwanda to attend high school in Europe and college in America
• Stayed in America after college and started working in the feast-or-famine world of sales
• Started his own company and grew it to $5 million in revenue in four years
• Used his success in business to invest in rental properties and live a lavish lifestyle
• Lost everything during the 2008 global financial crisis and had to declare bankruptcy
• Found FIRE and drastically reduced his expenses and started saving for the long term
• Rebuilt a smaller business and started investing in short-term rental properties in Mexico
• Utilized geographic arbitrage to lower his expenses even further
• Hit FI 8 years after declaring bankruptcy and became a millionaire 2 years after FI

Patrick shares everything he learned during his rollercoaster financial journey so hope you enjoy the interview!

I'm excited to share with you the first Podcast Takeover episode of the Financial Independence Podcast!

Carl and Doug from the Mile High FI podcast take over the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about their early retirement successes and failures.

Enjoy!

Highlights

• Test drive early retirement by going part-time or taking a sabbatical
• Why finding a community is even more important for early retirees
• How to give yourself permission to slow down and be inefficient/unoptimized
• Why you can (and should!) reinvent yourself after you leave your job
• How to stop worrying about running out of money
• Why meaningful work is still the key to happiness after FI

Show Links

• Mile High FI - https://milehighfi.com
• My interview on the Mile High FI podcast - https://milehighfi.com/podcast/048-mad-fientist/

I have some big news…

I am now a British citizen!

In honor of finally getting my UK passport, and therefore completing this long journey to citizenship, I am releasing my UK FIRE episode.

Barney, from The Escape Artist, joined me in my Edinburgh apartment (before the pandemic) to discuss all things related to financial independence and early retirement in the UK.

Hope you enjoy it!

Highlights

• The cultural differences between US/UK that affect pursuing FI
• How to escape from the prison we create for ourselves
• Translating US investing terminology to the UK (e.g. 401k→pension, IRA→ISA, etc.)
• Is it easier to reach FI in the US or UK
• Class structure in UK and how pursuing FI forces you to traverse all classes
• Why FIRE isn’t bigger in the UK
• Difference between the different types of ISAs
• Is tax hacking possible in the UK
• Real-estate investing in the United Kingdom and the fantastic Rent-a-Room scheme
• How to use geographic arbitrage to reach FI sooner

Last year, I published an interview with one of my favorite financial writers, Morgan Housel.

You may remember that the interview was recorded as part of a Bogleheads meeting and the interview was actually conducted by my buddy, Gouri.

Well, Gouri recently invited me to join the Bogleheads to talk about life after FIRE and today’s podcast episode is a recording of that discussion!

Big thanks to Gouri and the Bogleheads for making this happen and hope you enjoy it!

Highlights

• How your views on spending change after you retire
• Why you should treat FI as a spectrum rather than a finish line
• How to plan for all aspects of post-FI life
• The unexpected benefits and challenges of early retirement

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’ve released an annual update every year since I quit my job.

It’s now been five years since I stopped working so this is my fifth (and final) annual update.

Why is it my final one?

I explain in today’s short episode.

Highlights

• How the pandemic highlighted the power of having savings
• Why FI is the ultimate shock absorber and cheat code
• The reasons this annual update will be my last
• What to do when money is no longer a source of motivation
• Why “Lean FIRE” may be a bad idea
• Warren Buffet’s plan for leaving money to his kids (and why it may change your FI target)

On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I finally got to interview the person who introduced me to the concept of financial independence and early retirement in the first place…

Jacob Lund Fisker from Early Retirement Extreme!

To my mind, Jacob is the founder of the modern-day “FIRE movement” so hope you enjoy the interview!

Highlights

• What Jacob has been up to since stepping away from ERE
• His experience being a financial quant and how it impacted his personal investing
• The problem with set-it-and-forget-it index investing
• The importance of staying flexible with your investing strategy
• Predictions for the next decade and the post-COVID world
• A systems approach to lifestyle design and why it’s beneficial
• Jacob’s thoughts on early retirement how they’ve changed since publishing Early Retirement Extreme
• His current projects and his plans for the future

Last year, I conducted an experiment in Ultralearning that I hoped would help me achieve a lifelong dream of mine of writing and releasing an album.

I’m happy to say it was far more successful than I ever imagined it would be!

As I mentioned in the initial Ultralearning podcast episode, the hope for the 3-month experiment was that it would accelerate my progress towards my goal and make the process more enjoyable.

Well, it did all that and more…

I ended up finishing a song during that 3-month experiment and I can’t believe it but I just released that single today!

Not only did I write a song during the experiment, I continued writing music since then and I now have enough material for an album!

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this experiment would help me make so much progress but it has!
In today’s podcast episode, I go through everything I learned and explain why the Ultralearning Experiment helped me push past the self-doubt and self-destructive habits that have plagued me in the past.

I also describe the new routines the experiment helped me develop and why those new habits have allowed me accomplish more than I ever have before!

Highlights

• How to get your brain ready (and why it’s essential for making progress)
• The best way to make developing new habits easier
• What you should focus on and why
• How to be original and creative
• Why you should make your project “real” (even if it makes you feel silly)
• When it’s worth spending more money instead of less
• Why you should expect to encounter the “gap” and how to get over it

One of my favorite financial writers, Morgan Housel, is on the Financial Independence Podcast today!

I’m not the one conducting the interview this time though (all is explained in the episode).

Morgan’s insight into how to handle uncertainty, market crashes, and this weird stock boom that we now find ourselves in is invaluable so hope you enjoy it!

Big thanks to Gouri, Morgan, and the Bogleheads for making this happen!

It’s been four years since I left my full-time job and what a crazy year it’s been!

To celebrate this anniversary and to recap the things I’ve learned during this last year of post-FI life (and the COVID market crash), I recorded a short podcast episode.

Bear markets are a normal part of investing but is this time different?

As the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads around the world, governments are struggling to limit the economic impact of the disease.

In today’s unplanned episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, JL Collins (author of The Simple Path to Wealth) joins me to talk about this stock-market crash, how it differs from previous crashes, and what you should do about it.

Note: Apologies for the audio quality of this episode. Since this wasn’t planned in advance, I didn’t have my normal microphone so I had to use the microphone on my iPhone headphones :/

On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I’m excited to introduce Scott Young!

I first heard about Scott when he decided to complete MIT's entire computer science curriculum in a year.

Scott has taken on a lot of these types of impressive learning projects and he just wrote a great book about it – Ultralearning.

As you know, I’m attempting to tackle a very intimidating project myself so what better way to kick off that effort than with my own 3-month ultralearning project!

In today’s interview, we dive into the details of ultralearning and we design a new ultralearning project from scratch.

Ultralearning projects seem perfect for anyone who is FI or hopes to achieve financial independence one day so hope you get as much out of this discussion as I did!

Highlights

• Why ultralearning can help you get to FI quicker (while making the journey more enjoyable)
• How Scott was able to complete MIT’s computer science curriculum in one year
• Why the first part of learning something new is the hardest and how to use ultralearning to get past that phase sooner
• How to learn new languages as quickly and efficiently as possible
• Details about my own ultralearning project and how Scott suggests I design it
• The imporantance of breaking big goals into concrete stages
• Why limiting scope is so important when diving into something new
• What is meta-feedback and why it’s important
• The power of direct practice and how to use drills to fix specific issues
• What to do when you hit a block or a plateau in your learning

I can’t believe it but it’s already been three years since I left my full-time job!

To commemorate this special anniversary and to recap the things I’ve learned during this last year of post-FI life (which happened to be the best one yet), I recorded a short podcast episode.

Personal-finance icon Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to be Rich joins me for an episode of the Financial Independence Podcast!

Ramit first published his New York Times best-selling book, I Will Teach You to be Rich, back in 2009 during the depths of the financial crisis.

He just released the second version today so we discuss what’s changed in the last decade and also talk about FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) – a concept that’s taken the financial world by storm in recent years.

This is the first time Ramit has talked about FIRE so it was great getting his opinions on it, especially since he’s often thought of as being on the opposite end of the financial spectrum (my first podcast guest, Mr. Money Mustache, has even jokingly referred to him as his “arch-rival in personal finance”).

Ramit didn’t hold back (does he ever?) so hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Highlights

• What Ramit likes about FIRE (and what he doesn’t)
• When you should pay more instead of less
• How to cure yourself from extreme frugality
• Why you need to maximize for value instead of cost
• How to break out of the spreadsheet and start living life

On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I’m very excited to introduce author Cal Newport!

I’ve been a huge fan of Cal’s writing for many years so it was a treat to get to talk to him.

We explore many important issues related to early retirement that aren’t often talked about so if you’re thinking about retiring early (or if you already have and are struggling to build the life that you envisioned before leaving work), today’s episode is a must-listen!

Highlights:

• Why pursuing your passion is overrated
• How to love your job
• What is “Focused FIRE” and why it’s likely the best option
• How to get good at something valuable
• Why you should replace relaxation with difficult, meaningful activity
• The importance (and increasing rarity) of deep work
• Why skillful management of attention is the key to a good life
• How to perform a digital declutter
• The importance of high-quality leisure activities
• Why technology could be ruining your personal life and how to stop it

Joining me on today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast are FIRECracker (Kristy) and Wanderer (Bryce) from Millennial Revolution!

Kristy and Bryce exploded onto the scene after a video clip of them attacking the religion of homeownership went viral (it is now the most-viewed and most-shared video on CBC.ca, Canada’s largest news website).

During our interview, we dive into the viral video, explore why they believe buying a home is usually a terrible idea, and find out what they’ve been up to after retiring in their early 30s!

Highlights:

• Buying a house vs. retiring early
• Delusional homeowner math and how to avoid it
• Why you should rent everything
• The benefits of using a financial advisor
• How reaching financial independence is different in Canada
• Why you should follow your dreams on the side

I just returned from a fantastic week at the annual Chautauqua event in Ecuador.

This was my second Chautauqua and just like last year, it exceeded all expectations. 

At this year's event, an attendee named Alan gave an impromptu presentation about why and how you should start a business and since it fit perfectly with the week's other discussions about financial independence and happiness, I knew I had to get him on the podcast.

Since leaving my job in August, I’ve realized how important it is to have something meaningful to work on to fill the void after leaving your career so I think creating your own business is something everyone should consider.

A side business can not only help ease the transition to early retirement, it can reduce the pressure on your portfolio after you quit and it can even help you reach FI sooner so listen to today’s episode to find out the right way to get started!

Highlights:

• Takeaways and surprises from the Chautauqua in Ecuador
• Why you should do work you love
• How NOT to start a business
• Why entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be risky
• How to start a business for free
• The importance of selling your value before you create it
• Why you need to just get started

Want to know how two teachers were able to go from $0 net worth to retired in just 5 years?

On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, Ali and Joe (a.k.a. Arebelspy) from Adventuring Along join me to talk about how investing in real estate supercharged their progress to early retirement.

We not only dive into how they achieved financial independence in spectacular fashion but we also explore their equally impressive retirement so far. In the past year alone they have hiked the entire El Camino de Santiago, had a baby in Istanbul, Turkey, and published a romance novel!

Highlights:

• Dollar-cost averaging into real estate
• How to purchase real estate in a place you’ve never visited
• Best books for real estate investors
• Grasping the concept of ‘enough’
• Importance of challenging yourself after retirement (both mentally and physically)
• Cost of having a baby in Turkey
• How much money you can save by staying out of the United States

My podcast was hijacked!

During this year’s financial blogger conference (a.k.a. FinCon) in San Diego, Mr. and Mrs. 1500 from 1500days.com took control of the Financial Independence Podcast and put me on the hot seat (a very hot seat, indeed)!

You’ll remember that last year at this same conference, I recorded an in-person interview with the 1500s. Well, this year Mr. 1500 figured it’d be fun to turn the tables on me so he and Mrs. 1500 interviewed me for my own show.

Sadly we only had 30 minutes to record, and the people on stage before us ran late, so this is a short but action-packed episode.

Big thanks to Mr. and Mrs. 1500 for doing it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Highlights:

• What I was like as a child and what got me interested in money
• Details about my first job
• Why I started the Mad Fientist
• My path to financial independence and what it was like leaving my job
• The story behind my free Ivy League master’s degree
• What it was like to be on the front page of Yahoo.com
• Details of our 3-month trip around the world
• Why my wife is gross :)

Today on the Financial Independence Podcast, Doug Nordman (a.k.a. Nords) from The Military Guide joins me to talk about how he achieved financial independence at the age of 41 by serving in the military!

Doug retired way back in 2002 so we dive into how he dealt with the market crashes that occurred at various stages on his path to financial independence, what 14 years of retirement has been like, and how he’s found meaning outside of work.

I know many of you enjoyed Doug’s wisdom and insights on the previous episode so check out today’s episode for his full story!

Highlights:

• Thoughts on over 14 years of early retirement
• Details of his investing strategy and how it’s changed over the years
• Mistakes he made and lessons learned
• How to deal with market crashes when you’re still working, about to retire, and already retired
• What it’s like to live and work on a submarine
• Difference between pursuing FI as a military service member vs. a civilian
• What angel investing can teach you about investing and why it may be the best way to give away your money

Today on the Financial Independence Podcast, I’m excited to share a live Q&A session with Mr. Money Mustache, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and Doug Nordman from The Military Guide!

This panel discussion took place back in May at Camp Mustache — an annual retreat in the Pacific Northwest organized by Mr. Money Mustache readers.

In this episode, you’ll not only hear about…

• Mr. Money Mustache’s biggest splurges
• The investing mistakes I still can’t seem to avoid
• Paula’s favorite thing about financial independence
• Doug’s suggestion for discovering the meaning of life

…, but you’ll also get varied and diverse perspectives on some of the most important questions facing those on the path to financial independence and early retirement!

Highlights:

• Top recommendations for people who are close to achieving financial independence
• How to stay motivated when pursuing FI
• What is the meaning of life
• How to foster a good online culture and community
• Tips and tricks to stop you from trying to time the market
• The biggest challenges of reaching FI and how to overcome them
• What we splurge on and why
• Mr. Money Mustache’s thoughts on being featured in the New Yorker
• How to handle changes in your relationships after reaching FI

Joshua Dorkin, founder and CEO of BiggerPockets.com, joins me on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk real estate and entrepreneurship!

Highlights:

• The story of how BiggerPockets got started
• The advantages of “scratching your own itch”
• Why you should study other verticals and other successful businesses
• The incredible power of “fake it ’til you make it”
• The right way to build an online empire
• How long it actually takes to become successful
• Achieving financial independence through real-estate investing

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/bigger-pockets-interview/

Justin from RootofGood.com joins me on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about how he and his wife saved over a million dollars in under a decade!

Highlights:

• The tax benefits and true costs of children
• How to have a positive net worth after graduating from college
• What is interest rate arbitrage
• How to amass a million dollars in ten years without six-figure salaries
• Why you should quit your job before you’re actually ready to retire
• How to easily get $4,500 in free travel

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/root-of-good-interview/

JL Collins joins me on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about stocks, bonds, real estate, and his brand new book - The Simple Path to Wealth!

Highlights:

• Origin of The Simple Path to Wealth
• What’s changed about his investment philosophy over the last four years
• Three simple steps to financial independence
• Difference between good debt and bad debt
• Why buying a house is an indulgence
• The only two funds you need and why you don’t need to invest in an international fund
• When should you invest in bonds and why the decision has nothing to do with your age
• The bad investing habits Jim and I still can’t shake
• The important lesson Jim learned from working with the top stock analysts in the industry

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/jl-collins-interview/

Mike and Lauren join me on the Financial Independence Podcast to discuss medical tourism, full-time RV living, and the importance of questioning everything!

Highlights:

• The ins and outs of medical tourism
• Reasons to give birth in another country
• Benefits of having multiple passports
• How to obtain dual citizenship
• Total cost of having a child in Costa Rica
• The actual income numbers of their popular YouTube channel
• How to prepare for living permanently in an RV

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/mike-and-lauren-interview/

Nick Loper from Side Hustle Nation discusses the importance of side hustles and how they can make your path to FI shorter and more enjoyable!

Highlights:

• Why you need to diversify your income
• How Nick got his start selling shoes online
• The importance of investing in yourself and your business
• Why a low barrier to entry means you should just give it a shot
• Focus on the three Cs – Creation, Connection, and Contribution
• Why fientists can take more risks and be more speculative
• How to start a side hustle
• Why you should tap into existing marketplaces

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/side-hustle-nation-interview/

The guys from Travel Miles 101 stop by the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about investing, early retirement, and the benefits of travel hacking!

Highlights:

• Using FI savings to become an entrepreneur
• Dealing with extreme lifestyle inflation
• Why P2P lending is like investing in extra-junky junk bonds
• How travel hacking increases your options and decreases the stress of travel
• Why travel hacking is the perfect hobby for fientists

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/travel-miles-101-interview/

J. Money from Budgets are Sexy joins me on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about the benefits of challenging everything in your life!

Highlights:

• The importance of tracking your net worth
• How not to buy a house
• The importance of side hustles
• Why J. Money is the Miley Cyrus of personal finance
• How to live like Benjamin Franklin and why you should try it
• The ways personal finance has changed over the years
• Why you should challenge everything in your life

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/budgets-are-sexy-interview/

The Frugalwoods joined me to talk about how frugality can help you reach your financial goals sooner and also increase your happiness in the process!

Highlights:

• How to maintain a high savings rate while living in an expensive city
• Tips for avoiding frugality-induced isolation
• The importance of large goals
• Keys to making frugality fun
• When to give up a good thing
• How to get a free graduate degree
• The multiple fringe benefits of frugality
• How to have children without delaying your early retirement

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/frugalwoods-interview/

Todd Tresidder joined me on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about active investing and lessons learned during 15+ years of early retirement!

Highlights:

• Building wealth with paper assets, real estate, and entrepreneurship
• Protecting your money during turbulent times
• Pursuing good goals vs. bad goals
• Finding happiness both before and after achieving financial independence

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/financial-mentor-interview/

The 1500s from 1500days.com joined me for my first in-person podcast interview to talk about real estate, the economy, and entering early retirement!

Highlights:

• Most tax-efficient strategy for building wealth with real estate
• Pay off mortgage early or invest?
• What is a 1031 exchange?
• Transition to early retirement with part-time work
• Alternatives to early retirement
• Will the economic future be as rosy as the past?
• Is the 4% rule safe?
• How to prepare your portfolio for less economic growth

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/1500-days-interview/

Hear how two teachers used tax-avoidance and geographical-arbitrage strategies to save nearly a million dollars in only 16 years!

Highlights:

• Using international and domestic geographic arbitrage to increase income
• How to save $250,000 in 3 years on teachers’ salaries
• Setting up SEPP 72(t) distributions to access retirement account funds before standard retirement age
• Going from $0 net worth to nearly $1 million in just 16 years
• Living off 457(b) funds while fully funding other tax-deductible accounts

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/millionaire-educator-interview/

Justin Cooke from EmpireFlippers.com joined me for an episode of the Financial Independence Podcast to discuss website investing!

Highlights:

• Hear how Justin went from building an outsourcing company in the Philippines to building, buying, and selling niche websites
• The difference between online and offline businesses and investments
• Six different buyer profiles
• When to sell your website
• The future of online business investing
• Justin’s recommendation for someone just starting out
• Longterm prospects of website investing
• Why better looking doesn’t always mean better

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/empire-flippers-interview/

J.D. Roth, creator of GetRichSlowly.org, joined me for the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about finding personal and financial freedom!

In less than ten years, J.D. went from having $35,000 of consumer debt to becoming a self-made millionaire. 

Since selling his incredibly popular blog, getrichslowly.org, he now spends most of his time writing about life and money at his personal site, jdroth.com.

On today’s show, J.D. shares what he’s learned over the past decade of writing about money and personal finance and describes how you too can find personal and financial freedom.

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/jd-roth-interview/

Billy Murphy from ForeverJobless.com joined me for an episode of the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about investing in online businesses!

What if I told you you could create $2,000 of monthly recurring income from a single $25,000 investment? Thanks to the low multiples some online companies are selling for, you could potentially fund your early retirement with a very small initial investment.

Billy takes us through how he went from being a professional poker player to creating a very successful poker training site. He then describes how he started buying e-commerce stores (his first investment was a site making $900 profit per month that he bought for $4,000) and shares what he learned buying, improving, and selling sites.

Hear why Expected Value (EV) is as important in everyday decision-making as it is in poker and find out what Billy would do to create a consistent $2,000 per month income stream if he was starting from scratch today.

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/forever-jobless-interview/

Jeremy and Winnie retired a few years ago, in their thirties, and have been traveling around Central America ever since.

They were kind enough to join me from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to talk about their journey to financial independence and early retirement.

Discover how they were able to achieve financial independence and hear why moving to a cheaper locale can be a great way to smooth the transition into early retirement!

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/go-curry-cracker-interview/

In part two of the podcast, the Mad Fientist explores some very powerful tax-avoidance strategies for early retirees.

It’s possible to achieve financial independence earlier in life, without having to decrease your spending, increase your income, or assume any additional risk, simply by using tax-advantaged retirement accounts in an intelligent way. 

Today’s episode explores the various retirement accounts available and explains the most optimal uses of those accounts for people on the path to financial independence and early retirement.

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/radical-personal-finance-part-two/

Listen to part one of my Radical Personal Finance podcast interview where I discuss frugality, travel hacking, and financial independence!

A couple of months ago, a guy named Joshua emailed me to ask if I’d be a guest on his new show – the Radical Personal Finance podcast. I agreed and we ended up having a very interesting two-hour conversation.

Since then, however, Joshua has been forced to take down his podcast (for undisclosed reasons) and since he’s not sure when he’ll be able to put it back up again, he has agreed to let me publish our interview here (thanks!).

I couldn’t bear to hear myself talk for a full two hours though so I decided to edit the interview down into two smaller parts and today, I am publishing part one.

It was great being on the other side of the interview for once so hopefully you enjoy hearing a bit about my personal journey to financial independence.

Highlights:

• Different Paths to FI
• Frugality and Sacrifice
• How to Have an Expensive Hobby
• Travel Hacking
• Slow Travel

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/radical-personal-finance-part-one/

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli from RetireEarlyLifestyle.com joined me to talk about 20+ years of travel and early retirement!

In 1991, Billy and Akaisha quit their jobs, moved to an island in the Caribbean, and have been traveling the world ever since.

Their initial retirement savings of $500,000 has survived the dot-com bust, the 2008 financial crisis, and over two decades of early retirement.

Discover how they did it, find out their recommendations for the best places in the world to retire, and hear what it’s like to be perpetual travelers!

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/retire-early-lifestyle-interview/

Mike from LackingAmbition.com joined me for an episode of the Financial Independence Podcast to discuss how he achieved FI in just over 3 years!

After working for just over three years, Mike was able to amass enough savings to purchase (with cash) three single-family houses. By living in one of the houses and renting out the other two, he now has enough rental income to completely cover his living expenses.

During the interview, Mike discusses how he was able to buy three properties, each for under $25,000, in a region that is typically considered to be an expensive market (New England).

In addition to real estate investing, I also talk to him about his time living in a tent in the New Mexico desert, discuss how he too was able to obtain a free Ivy League degree while working full time, and find out what life is like three months after achieving financial independence.

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/lacking-ambition-interview/

Paula from AffordAnything.com joined me to discuss how she’s using real estate investing to achieve early financial independence!

Highlights:

• Frugality vs. wealth building
• Mental energy is limited so use it wisely
• Think like a creator, not like a consumer
• Scarcity mindset vs. abundance mindset
• How to start investing in real estate
• Real estate niches and strategies
• Becoming a real estate agent

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/afford-anything-interview/

Shilpan from Street Smart Finance describes how he was able to build a million dollar real estate portfolio after coming to America with only $20!

Highlights:

• The Value of Hard Work
• Commercial vs. Residential Real Estate
• Tax Benefits of Real Estate
• Stock Losses vs. Real Estate Losses
• LLC vs. S Corp

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/street-smart-finance-interview/

In this episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I interview Jim Collins from JLCollinsNH.com to discuss the importance of F-You Money!

Highlights:

• The Importance of F-You Money
• Surviving Black Monday
• Don’t "Swing for the Fences"
• Active vs. Passive Investing
• Why Vanguard?
• Three Simple Steps to Financial Independence

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/jlcollinsnh-interview/

Mr. Money Mustache shares his early retirement secrets in an interview for the new Financial Independence Podcast!

Mr. Money Mustache retired in his early thirties and has recently emerged as one of the most inspiring personal finance authors in cyberspace. His entertaining and informative articles, which can be found at mrmoneymustache.com, give you the “punch in the face” you need to get you on the right track to financial independence.

It was great having him in the Mad Fientist lab to talk about his path to financial independence so I hope you enjoy the discussion with him as much as I did!

To read the full article, visit http://www.madfientist.com/mr-money-mustache-interview/