If you're sitting on decades of tax-deferred retirement savings, the government just gave you three more years before you have to start taking it out — but only if you were born after 1959. Tax expert Sean Mullaney breaks down Secure Act 2.0, the late-2022 law that quietly reshuffled the retirement planning playbook. The biggest win: individuals born in 1960 or later can now delay required minimum distributions (RMDs) until age 75, creating a wider window for strategic Roth conversions and tax-d...
Jan 22, 2023•44 min•Ep. 421
Most people think financial independence is about numbers, but what if your brain's wiring matters just as much as your spreadsheet? Adam Cueo spent 12 years teaching mindfulness to over 2,500 Google employees while pursuing FI himself. In this conversation, he reveals how simple awareness practices can reshape both your financial decisions and your relationship with money—and why expecting your mind to wander during meditation might be the key to making it work. Key Topics Understanding Mindful...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 420
Chronic illness became Dominick Quartuccio's most powerful teacher—stripping away everything he thought defined success and forcing him to rebuild from the ground up. When a relentless health battle derailed his carefully constructed life, Quartuccio discovered that real strength isn't in pushing through alone—it's in the community you build before the crisis hits. In this conversation, he shares how intentionality, bold moves, and cultivating relationships ahead of need transformed not just his...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 419
Most investors think they know their risk tolerance—until a real bear market hits. In this episode, Brian Feroldi breaks down the hard lessons from 2022's market turbulence. The year exposed how deeply the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions ripple through every asset class, from stocks to crypto. It reminded investors that inflation isn't just a history lesson—it's back, and it changes everything from withdrawal strategies to asset valuations. The conversation explores why easy profits sh...
Jan 01, 2023•58 min•Ep. 418
After years of dedication and accomplishments, Diana Merriam watched her supportive, female-led organization transform into something unrecognizable following an acquisition—a shift that culminated in discrimination, undervaluation, and ultimately, her resignation. But this isn't a story about defeat. Diana, founder of the Economy Conference and host of the Optimal Finance Daily Podcast, discovered that financial independence gave her something her employer couldn't take away: the power to walk ...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 416
Most people assume they need better time management systems to get more done. But what if the real challenge is accepting that you'll never get everything done—and learning to choose wisely what matters most? The new ChooseFI Book Club segment kicks off with a discussion on '4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals' by Oliver Berkman. Participants Brad Barrett, Josue, and Ginger explore the book's key themes, emphasizing living in the moment and managing expectations about productivity. They ref...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 415
Most real estate investors obsess over cutting costs — but Alan Corey grew his portfolio to over 300 units by flipping that approach entirely. Alan, an Atlanta-based real estate investor who fat-fired at 42, joins Brad to break down his business-first mindset for building wealth through rental properties. Alan emphasizes viewing real estate as a business driven by spreadsheet decisions, not emotional preferences. He explains key concepts like "doors" (rental units), the difference between cash f...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 414
Financial independence won't fix a drinking problem—Rich Jones discovered that the hard way. After quitting alcohol in July 2020, Rich, a certified wellness coach and Google diversity specialist, uncovered a deeper truth: achieving FI meant nothing without emotional well-being. His journey from corporate burnout to holistic wellness coach reveals why therapy, mental health, and purpose matter more than any spreadsheet ever will. Key Topics Discussed Introduction to Rich Jones [00:00:00] Rich's b...
Dec 05, 2022•51 min•Ep. 413
Most investors have no idea what's actually inside their index funds — a blind spot that could cost them during the next market downturn. Alan and Katie Donegan from the Rebel Finance School spent lockdown analyzing the composition of popular index funds, and what they discovered challenges some widely-held assumptions about diversification and fees. Brad Barrett talks with the Donegans about their deep dive into how index funds actually work. The conversation examines home country bias, automat...
Dec 02, 2022•59 min•Ep. 412
High investment fees could be costing you millions—and most investors don't realize it until decades of returns have quietly evaporated. Brad Barrett sits down with JL Collins, author of The Simple Path to Wealth, to break down why low-cost index funds outperform active trading, how market crashes can accelerate wealth building, and what actually separates investing from gambling. JL Collins shares his core philosophy on building wealth through investing in low-cost index funds and maintaining a...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 411
Most people think financial independence requires a six-figure income. Kelly Cronin proved that wrong — not by earning more, but by getting smarter about living on less. A veterinary technician who stumbled onto ChooseFI in 2017, Kelly turned episode 9 on travel rewards into a blueprint for a life most people only dream about: short-term rental properties in Puerto Rico and Alaska, credit card points funding family adventures, and an 11-year-old daughter who now runs marketing for the family bus...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 410
Most people worry that leaving their W-2 job means diving into a tax nightmare — but what if the opposite were true? Self-employment opens doors to retirement accounts and tax strategies that traditional employees can't access, yet fear of the unknown keeps countless would-be entrepreneurs stuck in corporate life. Sean Mullaney — tax expert and author of Solo 401k: The Solopreneur's Retirement Account — joins Brad to break down the mechanics of self-employment taxation, retirement planning, and ...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 409
One woman's skeptical glance at a "too good to be true" Facebook post turned into 33 states traveled, $200,000 in student loans eliminated, and a complete family financial transformation—all in seven years. Audrey's story begins with a friend's casual mention of free Disney vacations through credit card rewards, sparking her curiosity about whether this could actually work. After verifying the strategy and diving into the ChooseFI community, she and her husband didn't just optimize their travel—...
Nov 14, 2022•56 min•Ep. 408
Josue felt like he was drifting through life—then he stumbled on ChooseFI and everything changed. The Southern California resident wrote in with one of those emails that makes a podcast host sit up straighter: "I was drifting through life on the standard path, but now I am choosing FI." What followed was a cascade of financial decisions most people spend years contemplating, condensed into months of focused action. Before finding the community, Josue was stuck in the same inertia that traps mill...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 406
Most people spend five years chasing financial independence only to discover they've been chasing the wrong thing entirely. When Scott and Taylor Rieckens documented their FI journey in the documentary "Playing with Fire," they set out on what they thought would be a 10-year sprint toward early retirement. Five years in—that notorious middle stretch where momentum fades and doubt creeps in—they're sharing what actually changed: not their net worth trajectory, but their understanding of what the ...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 403
Court achieved financial independence and promptly did something most FI purists would call reckless: she moved into a bigger house, kept her townhouse as a rental, and cut her hours in half — all while pregnant. Two years later, she's living proof that the most rigid interpretation of the 4% rule might be missing the point entirely. After hitting her FI number, Court leveraged Canada's generous parental leave (61 weeks) to test-run life beyond traditional work. She and her husband transitioned ...
Oct 16, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 401
Financial independence felt impossible at 23 with no savings, no plan, and a dead-end job — until Katie Gaddy stumbled onto ChooseFI and realized wealth-building is just math, not magic. Katie, host of Money with Katie (acquired by Morning Brew this year), started her FI journey in 2018 on a modest income. She reflects on her early realization that despite working full-time, she had no financial plan, and how that uncertainty shaped her path to building an audience, creating content, and rethink...
Oct 09, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 399
Your financial accounts are only as secure as your weakest password — and most people reuse the same three. Tom, a cybersecurity expert and former federal law enforcement officer, shares practical strategies for protecting your online financial life. This episode covers essential security fundamentals: switching from passwords to passphrases, implementing password managers, enabling two-factor authentication, and recognizing common threats like phishing and public Wi-Fi vulnerabilities. Key Topi...
Oct 02, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 397
Negotiate your salary like everything depends on it — because your lifetime earnings actually do. In this conversation, orthopedic surgeon Bo Loy shares how he's built wealth not by depriving himself, but by questioning every financial decision and prioritizing experiences over possessions. Brad Barrett and Bo explore the "valuist" philosophy, the mechanics of automating your financial life, and why treating salary negotiations as collaborative rather than adversarial can unlock significant earn...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 396
When $575,000 in student loans became a choice rather than a prison sentence, dentist Samantha realized she'd cracked a code most borrowers never see. Samantha, known as The Debtist, has slashed her debt significantly while simultaneously traveling, leaving toxic work environments, and building a coaching business—all without the traditional "suffer now, live later" approach. After navigating various repayment plans, Samantha switched from Income-Based Repayment to the Repay plan, benefiting fro...
Sep 19, 2022•48 min•Ep. 395
After two battles with acute myeloid leukemia—and facing a grim 5% survival rate—Boyd Dunleavy discovered that the financial foundation he'd quietly built for decades would determine whether his family weathered the crisis or crumbled under it. Boyd, a long-time ChooseFI listener and community member, is now a two-time blood cancer survivor and 10-time marathon finisher who shares how resilience, strategic financial planning, and community support shaped his path through life-threatening illness...
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 394
Lynn Mettler's family has taken over 30 trips using points and miles—most costing less than $100 out of pocket. In this refresher, she walks through the 2022 landscape for travel hacking, from signup bonuses that dwarf everyday spending rewards to the Southwest Companion Pass that cuts flight costs in half. Key Topics: Smart Credit Card Habits & Signup Bonuses [00:04:45] Signup bonuses often deliver more value than months of regular spending; strategic card applications amplify rewards quick...
Sep 04, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 393
Nearly six years of podcasting doesn't just end — it evolves into something new. As Jonathan Mendonsa prepares to step back from hosting ChooseFI, he and Brad Barrett use this episode to reflect on the journey that helped shape the modern financial independence movement. Rather than a retrospective, this becomes a blueprint for anyone still finding their path to FI. The conversation cuts to the core of what makes financial independence work: clarity of purpose. Jonathan and Brad discuss why your...
Aug 28, 2022•51 min•Ep. 392
Over 3 million borrowers may qualify for immediate student loan forgiveness—but most don't know it, and the clock is ticking on a rare eligibility window. Travis Hornsby, a student loan planner, returns to explain two temporary federal waivers that could erase balances for public service workers and long-term borrowers who take action before the October 31 deadline. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) waivers loosen strict rules that previously disqualifi...
Aug 22, 2022•33 min•Ep. 391
A hospice doctor treating terminal patients doesn't expect to learn the most important financial lesson of his life from someone on their deathbed. Jordan Grumet did—and it changed how he thinks about money, time, and living intentionally. In this conversation, Jordan shares stories from his new book Taking Stock , including the profound case of Sam, a patient whose final months forced Jordan to confront uncomfortable questions about his own life. The discussion moves beyond typical FI advice in...
Aug 14, 2022•52 min•Ep. 390
Most 18-year-olds discover financial independence content and do nothing with it. Zach graduated college with zero debt and a Salesforce job before most of his peers finished their sophomore year. Four years ago, Zach stumbled on the ChooseFI podcast and actually implemented what he learned—from maximizing dual enrollment credits to aggressively saving in a Roth IRA while his friends burned through student loans. His total out-of-pocket cost for a college degree? $4,000. Chapters Introduction to...
Aug 01, 2022•56 min•Ep. 388
Interest rates have jumped from 3% to 6% in the span of months — and suddenly, every real estate investor is wondering if the game has changed. Coach Carson, a seasoned investor with over 100 rental properties, says the fundamentals haven't shifted — but your strategy might need to. Rising interest rates, stubbornly high home prices, and shrinking inventory create a challenging environment for both new and experienced investors. Carson emphasizes that continuous engagement matters more than perf...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 387
You can complete a legitimate bachelor's degree for under $2,000 — no catch, no diploma mill. Jerry Born walked his son Bruce through a system that uses CLEP exams and ACE-approved online courses to knock out credit requirements in months, not years. The catch? You have to do the research yourself and understand which universities will accept the credits. Jerry returns to break down the mechanics of CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) and ACE (American Council on Education) courses, explain...
Jul 18, 2022•55 min•Ep. 386
Most people work tirelessly for money, but what if you're trading the one thing you can never get back? Jonathan Mendonsa and Brad Barrett break down why time—not wealth—is your most valuable asset, and how strategic financial decisions can help you reclaim it. [00:00:00] Introduction and Theme of the Episode Time as a luxury and its role in financial independence. [00:01:00] Discussion of Financial Independence Financial independence isn't just about wealth; it's about living a meaningful life....
Jul 11, 2022•56 min•Ep. 385
Most people treat math as something they left behind in high school — but the ability to estimate 10% or understand compounding is the difference between making wealth-building decisions and leaving thousands of dollars on the table. Poker strategies, amusement park tips, and understanding financial principles can significantly improve decision-making and overall financial literacy. An emphasis on basic numeracy and practical math skills is essential for anyone looking to navigate life effective...
Jul 03, 2022•44 min•Ep. 384
