BiggerPockets Money Podcast

Are you on track to achieve financial independence? In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench outline the essential financial milestones for your 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Learn the net worth benchmarks and financial habits that will set you up for a successful journey to financial freedom in EVERY […]

Should you retire the second you hit financial independence, or is there value in working just a little longer? Steven faced this exact decision at 40 and chose to work four more years. The result? He added $1 million to his net worth and entered retirement at 44 with $3.5 million and a bulletproof plan. […]

Want to reach financial independence faster? The quickest path isn’t extreme frugality—it’s earning more. And that starts with salary negotiation. Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast joins Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench to break down exactly how to negotiate your salary, whether you’re asking for a raise, negotiating a job offer, or realizing you’re […]

You’ve hit financial independence—now what? How do you actually start spending the money you’ve spent years accumulating? Bill Yount reached FI at 60 after a 10-year journey, and he’s figured out the answer. Bill shares his complete decumulation strategy—the detailed plan he built with a flat-fee financial advisor to transition from wealth building to wealth […]

You’re in your 50s, $50,000 in debt, and retirement at 65 feels impossible. We made this episode for you. Today, Mindy and Scott spell out the exact step-by-step plan to go from $50K in debt to a million-dollar retirement—even if you’re starting over in your fifties. Meet Nancy: a recently divorced stay-at-home mom reentering the […]

What if you didn’t have to save 70% of your income to retire early? What if you could hit a number in your 30s, ease off the gas, and still reach financial independence—without sacrificing your present life? That’s Coast FIRE, and today’s guest Andy Hill is the perfect example of how it works in real […]

What if you’re doing FIRE in the wrong order? Most people chasing financial independence are following steps that actually slow them down—and it could be costing you years of freedom. In this episode, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench break down the exact step by step order for achieving FIRE as fast as possible. Whether you’re […]

AI is revolutionizing how we build wealth and achieve financial independence. In this episode, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench break down exactly how to use AI tools to accelerate your path to FI—from automating budgets and analyzing investments to generating income streams and optimizing your financial strategy. Discover which AI tools actually work for personal […]

In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast with Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench, Scott builds four different investment portfolios using real money, each account starting with $10,000 and employing different strategies. Scott invests in an index fund, a 60/40 stock-bond portfolio, a risk parity portfolio, and a unique actively managed thesis. Follow along as […]

Should you turn your primary home into a rental property or sell it when you move? It’s one of the biggest financial decisions homeowners face, and in this episode, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench are helping Alyssa and John figure out the answer. This couple is relocating and facing a dilemma: they have a home […]

Episode #704 ~~~ Download the Goal Setting Document: www.biggerpocketsmoney.com/resources  ~~~ Subscribe to the 31 Day Challenge: www.biggerpocketsmoney.com/31days  ~~~ Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter: www.biggerpocketsmoney.com ~~~ Want to be a guest on the show? Apply here: https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/contact/ ~~~ Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www....

Ready to take control of your finances in 2026? Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench are breaking down one of the most powerful tools for financial success: the personal financial statement. Think of it as your complete financial snapshot—tracking your net worth, cash flow, assets, and liabilities all in one place. The best part? They’re giving […]

Sam and Carolyn reached financial independence in their thirties through frugality, real estate investing, and building side hustles that generated $10,000 per month. Then they made a bold move—quitting their jobs and briefly relocating to Canada. This Episode Covers: How Sam and Carolyn house-hacked their way to a multi-property real estate portfolio The unconventional side […]

Join Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench for a powerful conversation with Regina Moore, who achieved millionaire status before 35 through frugality and her career as a pharmacist. But when her young son was diagnosed with cancer, everything changed. In this deeply personal episode, Regina opens up about how a healthcare crisis tested her Lean FIRE […]

Building a $2.5 million portfolio is hard. Spending it without running out? That’s even harder. Welcome to the 700th episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast! To mark this milestone, hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench are tackling one of the most critical—and most overlooked—aspects of financial independence: decumulation. Most people obsess over building wealth but […]

Are you using the wrong retirement withdrawal strategy? Sequential drawdown—draining one account before touching the next—is the most common approach to early retirement, but it could be costing you tens of thousands in unnecessary taxes. In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench sit down with Enrolled Agent Mark […]

What would you do differently if you could start your FIRE journey over today? Back in 2013, Scott was fresh out of college house hacking his way to financial independence, while Mindy and her husband were deep into their FIRE journey documenting it all on their blog. Fast forward to 2025—both are financially independent, but […]

What happens after you achieve financial independence? Former Facebook employee turned comedian Paul Ollinger discovered the answer wasn’t what he expected—and it completely changed how he thinks about money, work, and happiness. This Episode Covers: Why financial autonomy beats wealth accumulation—and what that actually means for your daily life The psychological challenges of early retirem...

Will 2026 healthcare costs destroy your FIRE plan? Enhanced ACA tax credits expire in 2026—meaning health insurance premiums could DOUBLE or TRIPLE overnight. This healthcare subsidy cliff threatens millions who depend on affordable marketplace coverage. In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench interview Matt McGough from KFF to break […]

Think you need a six-figure salary to retire early? Think again. Middle school teacher Andrew Luman is achieving financial independence and retiring at 50—all on a teacher’s salary. In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench unpack Andrew’s complete FIRE strategy, proving that early retirement isn’t reserved for high […]

Time’s running out on 2025, and there are critical financial moves you need to make before December 31st. In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, Mindy and Scott walk you through the essential year-end tasks that could save you thousands of dollars and keep your FIRE goals on track. These aren’t just suggestions—they’re time-sensitive […]

Pay off your mortgage or invest? If you’re pursuing FIRE, you’ve wrestled with this question. A paid-off house means thousands extra in your pocket each month and a lower FIRE number. But investing that same money could build significantly more wealth and get you to FIRE with a bigger nest egg. So which strategy wins? […]

Most people think index funds are the only path to financial independence—and they’ll get you there in 15-20 years. But what if you could get there faster? In this episode, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench team up with John Bowens from Equity Trust to reveal advanced portfolio strategies that can accelerate your FIRE timeline. This […]

Paul has a $1.6 million net worth at 40 years old—impressive by any standard—but he’s stuck wondering: Can I retire in the next 5-6 years? In this episode of BiggerPockets Money, Paul shares his journey from debt payoff to building substantial rental income during COVID-19. Now he’s sitting on significant equity, strong cash flow, and […]

You’re doing everything right—buying a house, maxing out your 401(k), investing in real estate—but what if these “smart” money moves are actually trapping you in your job? It’s the paradox plaguing the FIRE community: you could be a millionaire on paper but can’t afford to retire because all your wealth is locked up. Welcome to […]