Ideally, retirement is the event that allows for working men and women to shift their working lifestyle to a lifestyle of relaxation and enjoyment. The truth of the matter is that so many Americans, nearly one-third of those aged 55-64, have little to no savings and are unable to support themselves during their time of unemployment. Even with the median retirement account valued at more than $100,000, this is still not enough to maintain the living expenses of a person living the average lifespa...
Aug 22, 2018•58 min•Season 1Ep. 59
Being on the journey to Financial Independence doesn’t always mean that you have to sacrifice the finer things in life. The Luxe Strategist, a personal finance blogger, is a 30-something New Yorker that saves half of her income and still enjoys the comfort of luxury items and deluxe travel. Growing up as the child of low-income refugees, The Luxe Strategist knew struggle and hardship all too well. As an adult, she made the decision to paint her own picture of what it means to be financially savv...
Aug 15, 2018•51 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Finding the perfect resource for sound financial advice can be a challenge for people from all walks of life. 4-time Olympian, 3-time Olympic medalist, Lauryn Williams understands this challenge completely. As the first American woman to medal in both the summer and winter games, she possessed the skills that led her to be a top class world class athlete but she didn't always know how to manage her money and made some mistakes along the way. She sought the financial advice of loved ones and fina...
Aug 08, 2018•47 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Talking about money can sometimes seem taboo, but not to Amon and Christina Browning. On their YouTube Channel, Our Rich Journey, they cover everything from earning to investing with the sole purpose of demystifying the concept of money to get everyone talking about it. They joined the FI community to expand their knowledge of money and how it can work for them. On Our Rich Journey, they share their money successes and mistakes with their viewers to inspire others to become creative on their jou...
Aug 01, 2018•43 min•Season 1Ep. 56
I am super excited because today we are celebrating the one year anniversary of the Journey To Launch Podcast! For the past year, I have been able to share my thoughts, advice and feature amazing financial experts all to help you eliminate debt, save more money and increase your net worth. Your support truly means the world. What better way to celebrate Journey To Launch’s 1-year anniversary than by discussing episode favorites with a few Journeyers? In this episode, I take a few call-ins from s...
Jul 25, 2018•24 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Generally, the goal for most working Americans is to work with a company for several years and eventually retire to enjoy life and explore opportunities that you may not have while working full-time. Today's guest, Carl Seidman explains the concept of ‘mini-retirements’. A mini-retirement is a lengthy break, months to years, from the normal course of everyday work life intended for personal development and creating new experiences. Carl’s ideas, much like the FIRE movement, challenge the traditi...
Jul 18, 2018•58 min•Season 1Ep. 54
For most people in the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) community, retiring early is less about never working again and more about having the options and freedom to live the life of your dreams without being dependent on a paycheck. The FIRE movement paints a different picture of retirement and it is one of the reasons that I made reaching FIRE one of my biggest life goals. In this solo episode, I’m explaining the What, Why & How of the FIRE movement. What it actually is, Why everyone ...
Jul 11, 2018•45 min•Season 1Ep. 53
One of the best things about the journey to Financial Independence is that while planning for early retirement, it is not always a requirement to forsake your other life goals. Tanja Hester, the blogger behind the Plutus Award-winning early retirement blog, Our Next Life, set out on the journey with her husband Mark to retire at the end of 2017. Our Next Life, places a huge focus on putting life goals first and then building money goals around them–not the other way around. In fact, Tanja Hester...
Jul 04, 2018•57 min•Season 1Ep. 52
The road to Financial Independence is one that is full of different variables and it can sometimes bring uncertainty. Let’s be honest–finding the right balance between budgeting, saving, and investing can be a little overwhelming. With so much information floating around, I am super excited to be able to answer several of your questions about retirement, investments, and all things personal finance. In this Q&A Episode, I give insight into: How do employer contributions for 401K work? How do you...
Jun 27, 2018•46 min•Season 1Ep. 51
It was such a pleasure to be able to sit down and discuss financial planning with my new money friend, Shannah Compton Game. Shannah is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with an MBA and an award-winning financial strategist on a mission to revolutionize how millennials think, act, and feel about their finances. Her interest in business and budgeting sparked when she started her first business in college, a national student film festival, at only 19. After selling her business 5 years l...
Jun 20, 2018•42 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Bringing in as much income as possible in order to reach your financial goals is key but that doesn't mean you can't get ahead if you don't make a lot of money. Kara Perez, the creator of Bravely Go, is living proof that is living proof that as long as you're willing to put the work in, achieving your financial goals with a low income is completely possible. After taking on more than $25,000 in student loan debt, Kara, extremely unhappy with her situation, started to research ways to quickly pay...
Jun 13, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 49
There is an art to making money and developing your side hustle muscle and Grant Sabatier from Millennial Money is definitely an expert. As a 24-year-old unemployed college grad living at home with his parents with less than $3 to his name, Grant became determined to find success and reach major financial goals. He set out on a self-taught journey to learn Google AdWords as a result of a simple Google Search. While working at a Digital Ad Agency, Grant acquired the knowledge and connections nece...
Jun 06, 2018•49 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Sylvia accrued six-figures of debt from law school and her life was greatly impacted by Hurricane Katrina while living in Louisiana. With discipline, determination, and the help of financial books such as Your Money or Your Life, Sylvia made the decision to take control of her personal finances. She took on a side-gig as a pizza delivery driver to bring in an extra $2,000 a month and adopted a frugal lifestyle to aggressively tackle her debt. Today, Sylvia has paid down a majority of her student...
May 30, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Science and the experimental process have several parallels to the management of our personal finances. Dr. Maria James, also known as the Money Scientist™, spent more than 10 years in Finance while pursuing her degree in Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Now she is applying some of the skills that she had learned in the science world to teaching business owners about finance. During her time in college, she maximized her resources and developed side hustles that brought in an extra $10,000. Sinc...
May 23, 2018•44 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Success, whether in achieving your financial goals or advancing in your career, comes with tons of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. Bobbi Rebell, an award-winning TV anchor, personal finance columnist, Certified Financial Planner, Best-selling Author, and now the host of The Financial Grown-Up podcast, is no stranger to all of the above and more. As a communications major in college, Bobbi made her big break as a financial news TV anchor by making tough decisions and dedicating lots of time...
May 16, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 45
For every philosophy, belief, and attitude about money management, there is an underlying money story. Everything from the way that our parents dealt with money to our past financial struggles can have a huge effect on how comfortable we are when it comes to our finances. Jen Hemphill, a Money Confidence Coach, AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor) and host of the Her Money Matters Podcast, inspires women from all different walks of life to move beyond their money story and become confident in m...
May 09, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 44
There a few things more inspirational than hearing about another family’s real-life experience. Kiersten and Julien Saunders, the couple behind the finance blog, Rich and Regular, provide real-life inspiration to other couples and families on the journey to Financial Independence. As marketing professionals, the Saunders used their income to aggressively eliminate their debt. Over the course of 5 years, they have been able to pay off more than $200,000 of consumer debt. More recently, they have ...
May 02, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Is it possible to "have it all" and still be happy, better yet sane? Join me in today's solo episode where I am discussing how I balancing my pregnancy, motherhood, growing my business and everything in between. Specifically, I discuss: Being pregnant and attempting to juggle it all The importance of my support system and why you too should build up your relationship currency Becoming a mom of 3 kids and how we plan to save on kid-related expenses Ways in which you can take more control of your ...
Apr 25, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 42
There are many factors to consider on the journey to becoming wealthy but shifting your mindset is by far one of the most important. Several studies show that psychological factors have a tremendous effect on our behaviors, habits, and our ability to adapt to new circumstances. Jim Fortin, the Subconscious Selling & High-Performance Expert, knows and understands what it means to shift your internal dominant thoughts to manifest the wealthy lifestyle that you desire. As a former foreign exchange ...
Apr 18, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 41
The Health Savings Account, introduced in the early 2000's, has proved to be the ultimate retirement and investment account–particularly for those on the road to early retirement. Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF®) and Health Saving Account (HSA) expert, Jackie Cummings Koski, joins us on the show to discuss everything from how to obtain an HSA account to how to invest the money that you contribute. As one of 6 children raised by a single father, Jackie knows firsthand what it means ...
Apr 11, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Vicki Robins, the co-author of the very popular book, “Your Money or Your Life” has been one of the most influential visionaries of the Financial Independence movement. In the late 1960’s, with the advice of the late Joe Dominguez, Vicki reached Financial Independence and together they began to teach their revolutionary methods all over the nation. Their workshops featured the famous 9 steps to reach Financial Independence and eventually, Vicki and Joe were approached to turn their teachings int...
Apr 04, 2018•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Shane Mason, CPA/PFS, CPF, is a New York-based accountant, financial planner, and all-around tax wizard that joins the show this week to discuss the one topic that has many Americans baffled: taxes. He specializes in accounting, tax preparation and financial planning services for small and medium business owners, creatives, tech professionals, expatriates and foreign nationals living in the US. Shane and I crossed paths during my search for the assistance of a new tax professional and we are del...
Mar 28, 2018•50 min•Season 1Ep. 38
When it comes to building wealth, credit can be a key component in helping you to achieve your financial goals. Credit expert, Shante Harris, joins us on the show to talk about everything from credit scores, credit reporting, and even credit card utilization. A Maryland native, Shante shares an incredible story of triumph in which she survived cancer, becoming a mother of a child with autism, divorce and even homelessness. Throughout her times of adversity, Shante gained the experience of bounci...
Mar 21, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Student loan debt is one of the biggest concerns of college graduates in America. Robert Farrington, the Student Loan Debt Expert, is helping readers from all over the nation to better understand the process of student loan repayment with his blog, The College Investor. Robert was always passionate about investing and making money but when he identified a need amongst his peers to share more about student loans, he changed the course of his finance blog to educate borrowers. Robert was able to p...
Mar 14, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 36
When it comes to saving, frugality is so more than just a habit, it’s a lifestyle choice. Liz Thames, affectionately known as Mrs. Frugalwoods, allowed a frugal lifestyle to help fuel her family toward Financial Independence and a simpler lifestyle in the woods of Vermont. Retired at 32, Liz and her husband made it a priority to make tough decisions on spending in order to save 70-80% of their income. She shares much of her wisdom on her blog, Frugalwoods, and we are delighted to have her be a p...
Mar 07, 2018•44 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Investing in stock can seem very intimidating but Tela Holcomb, the renowned stock investor has used swing trading as a vessel to help her create financial independence. More than 9 years ago, as a servicemember and single mom, a conversation about trading and early retirement inspired Tela to teach herself the skills necessary to replace her 9-5. In this episode, we talk about: The difference between trading and long-term investing How practice trading accounts prepare for real life stock tradi...
Feb 28, 2018•35 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Passing down generational wealth is extremely important. The best way to make sure that wealth is passed down for generations to come is through proper estate planning. Art Steele, Estate Planner and the podcaster behind The Legalese for Entrepreneurs Podcast, has an incredible story about how she came to choose her career and the epiphany that caused her to realize the significance generational wealth within in the black community. In this episode, we talk about: Understanding the racial wealth...
Feb 21, 2018•58 min•Season 1Ep. 33
When two people are working towards a goal, amazing things can happen. This occurred for Andy Hill and his wife when they decided to come together and set a plan to reach their financial dreams. In this episode, we talk about how Andy and his wife: Paid off $48,032 of debt in 1 year Became completely debt free by paying off their mortgage in less than 4 years Began living on one income and got on the same financial page Don't believe in giving their kids allowances & the important values they ar...
Feb 14, 2018•42 min•Season 1Ep. 32
It’s my birthday! So, this episode is going to be more personal, a solo episode where I want to talk about more of what's led me to where I am today and the lessons I've learned throughout my 35 years of life that continue to contribute to my success. In this episode, I talk a bit about my previous failed business attempts from starting an online magazine to investing almost $22,000 in a vending machine business that ultimately did not succeed. I'm also sharing key life lessons that have helped ...
Feb 07, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 31
If you’re someone looking for ways to increase your income so that you can reach your financial goals, starting your own business has probably has crossed your mind once or twice. Not only will a business become an asset but it can become an integral step in helping you reach Financial Independence. Timika Downes talks about her journey to starting a lice clinic as a side hustle in addition to working her full-time job as a nurse. Now, her lice clinic makes 6 figures a year and has afforded her ...
Jan 31, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 30
