friends on FIRE

In this week’s episode, we interview Jessica from The Fioneers and talk about designing a life you don’t want to retire from. Jess spends a lot of time talking, thinking, and writing about how people can use the financial freedom they build along the way to Financial Independence (FI) to design a life they don't want to retire from. We also talk with Jess about changes she’s seen in the FIRE movem...

In this episode, we talk about the arrival fallacy and what you can learn from better understanding it. The arrival fallacy is the false assumption that once you reach a big goal, you will have enduring happiness from accomplishing that goal. We explain why it’s a mistaken belief and how to fight it and find happiness in the journey instead of the destination.

In this episode, we discuss the lesser-known but universally understood concept of Hygge. Pronounced Hugg-ah or Hoog-ah, it’s the Danish concept of coziness, and it’s everywhere around the holidays. While everyone can appreciate some coziness in the winter, marketers will try to convince you to buy things to achieve it. But we think you can find hygge without spending a lot of money!

In this episode, we talk about all things prenup related, and we bring on a family law attorney to give you an official legal perspective on prenuptial agreements. We explain what a prenup is, why we think they are good, and how to create one properly. We believe everyone should thoughtfully consider creating a prenup when they are getting married; it’s an investment in your marriage and a kind th...

In this episode, we read and discuss a recent Washington Post article: 7 ways a recession could be good for you financially. We then share our thoughts on the recession, housing prices, savings rates, ibonds, unemployment, student loan forgiveness, and more.

In this episode, we talk about the cost of kids' sports. We dig into the benefits of kids playing sports, why the costs can be so high, and ideas for prioritizing and rationalizing these costs.

In this episode, we talk about two types of big expensive parties, weddings and bat or bar mitzvahs. They average $30k+ and come with various traditions and expectations. We start by sharing what inspired this episode and what we’ve personally spent on these events. Finally, we provide some considerations for hosting awesome events without breaking the bank or going into debt.

In this week’s episode, we talk about travel hacking and focus on how you can best use and maximize all the points you’ve earned through travel hacking. Travel hacking is a fun and lucrative activity if you know learn how to do it right. We discuss our personal strategies and experiences for redeeming points and miles and share advice on how to search and make decisions for using your own points t...

In this week’s episode, we get chatty with Liz from LizGetsLoaded, the money kind of loaded. Liz describes herself as someone who likes to drink wine, spend money, and max out her tax-advantaged accounts. She started with a very pretty financial spreadsheet and then created an Instagram account to connect with other personal finance nerds, and now she has over 13K followers, a podcast, and a blog....

In this week’s episode, we share tactical advice on how to ask for a raise. It can be very stressful to ask for more money, and many people who deserve more never get the nerve to ask for it. We encourage everyone to thoughtfully consider if they should be getting a raise and then dig into how to approach the process of asking for one.

In this week’s episode, we share our advice on how to get promoted at work. Preparing and positioning yourself for a promotion can be a difficult situation to navigate, but we share tactical and specific advice for how you can be successful in working towards a promotion. These are both tricky situations to navigate, but we share tactical and specific advice for how you can be successful at both o...

In this episode, we talk about financial anxiety and how to cope with it. Financial anxiety is normal, and we all experience them in different ways and at different times. Our listeners shared their financial anxieties with us, and we talk through them one by one and share tips and ideas for how to cope. We believe education, preparation, and community can help you mitigate and cope with your fina...

In this episode, we talk about investment scams, how to spot them, and how to avoid them. Scams are everywhere, and while it might seem overwhelming to sort through all the offers online, a few key principles can keep you safe in a world full of people trying to steal your money. We discuss what to look out for, when to trust your instincts, when to get a second opinion, and how to keep your finan...

In this week’s episode, we interview Sarah Wilson, aka Budget Girl. Sarah is a YouTuber, debt-destroyer, side-hustler, financial wellness advocate, and real estate investor. She creates amazing free resources and content on how to live a frugal, fun, and fearless life. She is also incredibly transparent on her finances and documented her success and challenges paying off $33,000 of debt in three y...

In this episode we rewind three years of episodes and start with the basics. Where do you begin if you want to improve your finances or pursue financial independence? We discuss the mindset, skills, and actions needed to start your journey.

In this episode, we talk about why we never have enough time or money and how to leverage Parkinson’s law to fix that. We start by explaining Parkinson’s law, the adage that work will expand to fill the allotted time. We dig into what we can learn from Parkinson’s law to improve how we manage our time. Then we switch over to applying Parkinson’s law to our money, and how we can take those learning...

In this episode, we share the total amounts we spent on our extended European summer vacations. We also dig into what worked well and what we’d do differently in the future. We then cover several listener questions that cover minimalist packing, hotels vs. airbnbs, how we budget for travel, anxiety while spending on vacation, drone recommendations, if it’s hard to eat vegan while traveling, the le...

In this week’s episode, we discuss with Jason Brown how to go to college debt-free. Jason is an expert in taking the debt-free path to college; he’s earned two debt-free degrees and has even written a book on it! Jason shares his mindset on college and debt with us, and his inspiring message reminds us that there are ways to get a college education without going into debt. In addition, we discuss...

In this week’s episode, we share ideas and tips for saving money on toiletries and personal care items such as make-up, toilet paper, and medicine. We discuss how much people are spending in this category and share our best ideas and tips for saving money. We encourage everyone to take a minimalist approach, focusing on quality over quantity, buy generic and store brands, and consider making some...

In this week’s episode, we discuss how to control your lifestyle to find financial freedom. We introduce the concept of lifestyle creep, or lifestyle inflation, and talk about how dangerous and destructive it can be to your financial and overall wellbeing. There is a definite balance between the positive impacts of inflating your lifestyle and over-spending in a way that doesn’t increase your happ...

In this week's special episode, we record live while vacationing together in Austria! We’re both on summer adventures in Europe with our families, and we found a way to meet up together in the Austrian Alps for a week. We share what we’ve been up to on our travels, and bring in our kids and spouses for some quick check-ins.

In this week's episode, we talk about how amazing public libraries are. We’re already paying for the services of public libraries via our tax dollars, and they offer a surprising volume of services and amenities that many of us aren’t familiar with. We share a long list of all of the surprising and not so surpassing amenities and services you can get from your public library, along with some gener...

In this week’s episode, we interview Diandra from That Science Couple. Diandra and her husband Bradley are a plant-based 30-something couple living in Wisconsin. Brad has a masters in Environmental Biology, and Diandra is a PDH student in nutritional sciences and has a passion for evidence-based nutrition. We talk with Diandra about evidence-based science, nutrition advice for long-term health, li...

In this week’s episode, Mike does a 6-week check-in on early retirement with Maggie and Greg. Maggie and Greg. are enjoying early retirement; they are being even more active, sleeping better, and feeling the benefits of more margin in their lives. They share their observations and insights in these early weeks, from the impact of less structure, feelings of being untethered, where their time is go...

In this episode, we answer a bunch of recent listener questions. We answer questions on partying off your mortgage versus saving more into a 529 for college, if now is the right time to put money into the market, how much money to keep in a cash emergency fund, and how to balance income while planning for early retirement. We then discuss how to breakup with your financial advisor.