friends on FIRE

In this week’s episode, we introduce a new 2021 financial checklist that we created. It can be hard to remember all of the things you need to do throughout the year, but have no fear we are here to help! This is the financial checklist that will help you keep your financial life organized in 2021 and ensure you don’t forget key items and to-dos. You can buy our 2021 financial checklist in our etsy...

In this week’s episode, we discuss our 2020 goals, how we did, and our takeaways on the year. We first give a recap of goal setting, why it’s essential, and how to do it right. Goals are one of the most important things you can have when you want to make a meaningful change in your life. Sometimes things are outside your control like much of 2020 has seemed, but having strong goals can keep us mot...

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Tom from What the FI Guy. Tom is a teacher, a father, a recently turned real-estate investor, an avid reader, and many more things. Tom reached a point of frustration in his 40s, and has made a complete 180 in his financial life. In three years, he went from living paycheck to paycheck and living beyond his means to owning a rental property, paying off all d...

In this week’s episode, we discuss values-based spending and values-based investing. And we bring on our friend Erica to make the discussion more interesting! We start off with a discussion on values-based spending, what it is, why it matters, and how to implement it. We then dig into values-based investing. We remind people how investing actually works, and then talk through various values-based...

We talk with John Onwuchekwa on everything from coffee to his top book recommendations. John is a pastor at Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, GA, and he recently co-founded Portrait Coffee. He is also a father, a husband, a podcaster, a voice for hope, a leader in his community, and so much more. We so enjoyed our discussion with John! We dig into attitudes about money, the history of coffee, how geo...

In this week’s episode, we share some of our favorite money lessons from Tim Ferris’s book Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. There were so many amazing learnings and nuggets of wisdom in these 647 pages, but in this episode, we focused on the financial lessons and insights. The learnings include reminders that stuff won’t make yo...

In this week’s episode, we talk about the two sides of entitlement and how they relate to your finances, career, confidence, and more. It’s a philosophical discussion, it’s a confusing discussion, or perhaps it’s a little bit of both. We share our perspectives on the good and bad sides of entitlement, the importance of hard work, and tips on sharpening the good side of entitlement and dulling the...

In this week’s episode, we talk through 8 ways to conquer Black Friday without going broke! Mike loves Black Friday, which might sound strange, but he loves it for reasons other than just spending money. We dig into Mike’s fondness of the day and the strategies he has developed to conquer the biggest shopping day of the year.

In this week’s episode, we talk about all the things people spend money on during the holidays, from photos to cards to décor to gifts. We start by reminding people to think about what they enjoy about the holidays; for us, it’s spending time with friends and family, and that work slows down a bit. We talk through the main categories of holiday spending and offer tips on saving money this holiday...

In this week’s episode, we explain five simple steps to start investing. “How do I start investing?” is a common question for people who want to take more control of their financial lives. We break down the steps and considerations and provide some simple advice to get you going.

In this week’s episode, we dig into the difference between wants and needs and then share 8 useful tips for buying less stuff. People think they need a lot of things, but they just want a lot of things in reality. We breakdown how you identify the difference, how to manage and minimize your wants, and how to use these learnings to save money.

We discuss Mike’s new venture: an Atlanta-focused real estate company started with another friend on FIRE. Mike shares the news about his first joint venture purchase and breaks down why real estate and rental properties specifically help you grow wealth.

In this week’s episode, we run through each of our 2020 goals and discuss progress as we’re now 75% of the way through 2020. There are three months left in the year, and we talk through how we want to finish 2020 strong. Plus, we add a new element to our goals check-ins as we each share what we’re grateful for. Showing gratitude can add value to any experience, even a goal check-in.

In this week’s episode we’re joined by Cait Flanders, who just released a new book Adventures in Opting-Out: A Field Guide to Leading an Intentional Life. Cait’s first book was a big hit, titled The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store. Mike and I both read it and loved it, so we were excited to get an...

In this episode we discuss 5 ways shopping at Aldi will change your life. To do this we bring on an expert and we chat with Chelsea, the founder of the Aldi for President Instagram account with over 13,000 followers! We learn a little about Chelsea’s passion for the grocery chain and we share our favorite things about it. This episode is a total Alid lovefest. If you don’t already shop there, this...

In this week’s episode we get ready for benefits enrollments, which happens at most companies each fall, by discussing how medical insurance works and how to select the right plan. We talk about how insurance works as a business, why plans are structured the way they are, and most importantly, what it all means for you. But first, we read a really amazing email from a listener.

We talk with Joel O’Leary about habits, happiness, and hard work. Joel is a man of many talents; some know him as 5am Joel, some know him as a writer for the popular finance blog Budgets are Sexy, and some know him as an Australian O’Leary, Mike’s possibly long lost cousin. We so enjoyed our discussion with Joel! We dig into how 5am Joel started and the many benefits he’s experienced since he star...

We discuss the difference in budgeting vs. tracking expenses. Some people do both. Some people do neither. Some focus on just one and it works for them. We dig into how to approach each, the pros and cons of each, and some tips for deciding which might be a better approach for you personally.

We discuss Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCAs or DCFSAs). If you work for a medium to large-size company you likely have access to many of these products. Each of these products has many benefits, and many complexities, and it’s important that you understand them each so you can decide how to use them to maximize t...

We get a voicemail from a listener with a demanding corporate job who dreams of pursuing her passion to start a winery. We share our thoughts on what passions mean for your life, how you can find them and how you can pursue them. We also discuss the financial considerations for when and how to “make the leap.”

We discuss how to practice self-care for free or on a budget. Self-care is so incredibly important, especially these days, but many people think it needs to cost a lot of money. The truth is that some of the best and most effective self-care costs nothing at all. And if you are spending a bunch of money to get your “self-care,” it might be worth revisiting if it’s truly helping you. Check out thes...

We get a great question from a listener who wants to know if the extra few hundred dollars he has in his budget after paying off his car is better put towards the stock market or his mortgage. We discuss the pros and cons of paying down your mortgage faster and Mike challenges Maggie on her belief that paying it off is a purely emotional decision and benefit.

We get a lengthy call from listener Matt about “credit card churning” and Mike can’t resist discussing this passion of his. We discuss what credit cards are out there, how to find them and the impacts to your credit when you sign up and cancel them. And most importantly, we talk about how to leverage this to travel for free! That’s the name of the game. We also learn that Maggie loves musicals and...

We chat about cars, covid, and lots of other chit-chat. We read some recent reviews and address a few listener tips and questions. This includes sharing our thoughts on side hustles and what happens to your 401k when you leave a job. Maggie purchased a used car last weekend, and on her way to get the car found out her husband tested positive for covid. Mike then avoided Maggie at all costs, as he...

We talk with Angela Buttimer on the psychology of money. Angela is a successful entrepreneur who works as a consultant, corporate trainer, executive coach, professional speaker, speaker coach, psychotherapist, and author. In all those areas, she is a leadership development, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence expert and is highly equipped to discuss the psychology of money. In our discussion w...