BiggerPockets Money Podcast

Early retirement is one of those common personal finance topics that always comes up on the show. It’s arguably the most talked-about subject in our Facebook group and is a common theme among guests on the show. But what does a time-tested, well-respected financial journalist and coach think about retiring early? What does the “perfect” early retirement plan look like if you’re starting from scrat...

“Buy now, pay later” companies have been around for decades, but not in the form they take today. You may have noticed that when you check out from an online store, a little prompt asks you if you want to purchase your goods for just “four easy payments of…” It seems like a good deal, doesn’t it? You can buy the same goods, for less, today, with no interest payments! Before you add those shoes to...

What's stopping you from becoming debt-free? Everyone’s answers will vary, but one truth remains the same—excessive debt can prevent you from living the life you deserve. Today’s guest, Joe Bussey, took control of his life once he decided to pay off his $220,000 worth of debt and build a “financial runway” he could rely on. Joe's debt accumulated as he did what everyone in his life told him to. He...

Retirement investing is a crucial part of planning for financial freedom. While early retirement is a status that almost everyone would love to achieve, the second-best thing is standard retirement, where you can use your smart investments to make the later years of your life that much easier. But, oftentimes those who are born with a strong work ethic don’t know when the right time to ease off re...

I Bonds, and treasury bonds in general, have always been thought of as the “retiree's investment choice.” For those that have a short time horizon on investments, bonds have made perfect sense. With a guaranteed return, there isn’t a lot to risk for someone close to retirement age who simply wants to watch their investments stabilize—not grow or decline. And in today’s high-inflation environment,...

Many FIRE chasers want to know how to stop overspending. But maybe the solution to overspending is simply knowing about it in the first place. For many Americans, credit card debt, exuberant living, and buying more than what they need are ongoing problems. And even for money masters like Carl and Mindy Jensen, it’s no different. As two leaders in the personal finance space, they understand why peo...

Want to work less and make more? With a forty-hour workweek, it seems hard to imagine a reality where you can do less but still get the same results. How can you fit an entire week’s worth of work into only one day’s working hours? Jason Wojo and Peter Kolat, hosts of The Lifeonaire Show, argue that it’s easier than you think to cut out much of your workday, enjoy your life more, and reach financi...

If you want to invest in real estate, you’ll need a few things: a property, an income source, and some cash. If you’ve got all three, you should be able to finance your way to owning a rental property, but this becomes a little more challenging when you’re someone with fluctuating income. Entrepreneurs, especially those without a consistent client base or consistent schedules, have a seriously har...

Before you quit your job, you will need to prepare yourself not just financially, but mentally. If you’re thinking of leaving your W2, and you're not at retirement age just yet, odds are you have a side hustle or even an entire small business. As the side hustle begins to grow, you may be torn between spending time at your job and putting in the hours to scale your business. This is doubly true if...

It’s a strange time for student debt. On one hand, many college graduates are electing not to pay their student loans while they sit in forbearance. On the other, some debtors are choosing to take advantage of the zero-percent interest period as a way for them to pay down their loans faster. While neither of those choices is inherently wrong, they may also not be right. Today’s guest, Colton, find...

You may have seen mortgage tips posted throughout the forums or in the BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group, but rarely do you get preapproval tips straight from a lender themselves. As the housing market stays hot and interest rates continue to rise, it may seem harder and harder to get approved for the amount, or the interest rate, that you want. Now, instead of guessing what you can do to increas...

Almost every age group wants to know how to retire in ten years. Whether you’re in your teens, your mid-thirties, or your mid-fifties, retirement can seem like an eternity away. Those who retire early and find financial freedom tend to do so through a combination of smart investing, early saving, and a tenacity for budgeting (without giving up everything they love). But what if you don’t have time...

Asking for a prenup (prenuptial agreement) can be an exceedingly scary ask. To your partner, a prenup may seem like a way of telling them that you’re planning for a future divorce. But, in reality, it could be the thing that secretly saves your marriage. The everyday American knows very little about the prenuptial agreement and has gotten most of their information from movies, reality TV shows, an...

You’ve heard of middle-class money traps before. Like spending your whole paycheck on rent, not paying yourself first, and the sneaky seduction of obsessive eating out. Today, we’re talking about a far less known type of middle-class trap, the type that keeps your wealth growing but limits the amount of “freedom” you feel in the process. Oftentimes, savers can find themselves in a position with a ...

Budget meals, cheap eats, and deliciously discounted recipes are all in this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast. As many of you financial freedom chasers know, one of the biggest monthly expenses on your budget tends to be food costs. Whether that be going out or grocery shopping to feed yourself, your spouse, your kids, and anyone else in your family— eating well isn’t cheap…or so most pe...

Stock market crashes aren’t common, but when they happen, they often catch you by surprise. Thankfully, we’re not in the middle of a stock market crash, but this current correction or “dip” we’re riding has got some early retirement and FIRE chasers feeling a little anxious. Carl and Mindy Jensen, real estate and index fund investors, have seen a twenty-five percent drop in their portfolio just ov...

The idea of college comes with a lot of questions—but there is one question that isn't usually asked: is college worth the cost? Most would say yes, but the honest answer is sometimes. Today’s guest, Robert Farrington, the College Investor, answers college questions in a detailed manner to help you make profitable decisions on your higher education choices. Robert goes over how to look at college...

Everyone has experienced negative cash flow. If you have a troublesome rental property, you may experience negative cash flow. If you have a low income but an appetite for expensive eateries, you may also experience negative cash flow. But, more common than most, if you’re in the early stages of building your small business, negative cash flow may be a harsh but hard to mitigate reality.  Chris is...

Early retirement was a goal for today’s guest, Antoinette Munroe, the moment she started making money. Her money journey started in second grade when she sold her Halloween candy for extra cash. By high school, she graduated to selling a wide variety of different things and even started her own distribution network with her cousins at their respective schools.  By the time she got to college, her...

Index funds and rental properties are at opposite ends of the investing spectrum. On one side, you have highly diversified, almost entirely passive index funds. On the other, you have cash-flowing, yet far more hands-on, rental properties. Both of these beloved types of investments belong in (almost) every investor's portfolio, but how much should you have of one or the other? Today’s guest Cecili...

A master’s degree shows quite simply that you’re a master (at least to some extent) in a certain subject. For decades, getting a master’s degree has been seen as a financially savvy move to open you up to higher pay, better job opportunities, and golden networking connections. But times have changed, and as more students see college as an inferior option to working, it begs the question: is a grad...

Financial independence is not a new concept to Carl and Mindy Jensen. For as long as they’ve been together, Carl and Mindy have been open and upfront about their financial situations. When they learned about the FIRE movement, they knew they had an all-time goal to hit. Fortunately for them, they hit it earlier than they needed, but has their current spending forced them to recalculate what it tak...

eBay flipping isn’t something new. You’ve probably bought something on eBay that was sold by a reseller. Maybe a type of makeup you liked got discontinued. Maybe your favorite pair of jeans from a nationwide chain suddenly disappeared. For eBay resellers like today's guest, Tom Brickman (The Frugal Gay), it’s all about finding the products that people love but can’t get a hold of anymore. Tom is a...

Renting vs. buying a home, debt payoff, and the best investments of 2022 are just a few of the topics discussed in this week’s Finance FAQs. That’s right, we’re here with a new segment where Scott and Mindy take your questions directly from the BiggerPockets Money Facebook group and give answers so you can make smarter investing, saving, and life-changing decisions. In this episode, we get into qu...

Real estate and early retirement go hand in hand. Most people think that it’ll take years (or decades) to build up enough cash flow to simply break even on your monthly expenses (lean FI). Those people probably aren’t thinking as big as today’s guest, Hugh Carnahan, who retired in only three years thanks to speed, diligence, and a courageous amount of risk-taking. You’d probably assume that to ret...