ChooseFI | Financial Independence Podcast

Spending thousands on dental work isn't just painful—it's often unnecessary. Myles discovered he could get the same procedures done in Mexico for a fraction of U.S. costs without sacrificing quality. Brad and Jonathan sit down with Myles, an Australian entrepreneur who found financial independence through unconventional paths, to explore how medical tourism fits into the broader FI strategy. His p...

A single DIY YouTube tutorial can save you hundreds—or even thousands—on home repairs you'd normally pay a contractor for. This mashup episode covers listener questions and insights on everything from community meetups to travel rewards, DIY projects, legacy planning with FidSafe, and the Skinny Waist Fat Wallet 2018 Challenge for health and financial growth. Key Topics: Community Importance [00:0...

Most people think financial independence is a solo marathon. But what if the real secret is who runs beside you? At Camp FI, Jonathan and Brad saw firsthand how community transforms the journey to FI. They share stories from the event, from board game nights that forge lasting friendships to roundtable discussions that shift perspectives. One attendee's observation particularly resonated: when cha...

CFPs who practice financial independence aren't an oxymoron — they're your secret weapon. Kyle Mast and Danny Kenney are certified financial planners embedded in the FI community, and they're here to answer the questions you voted most urgent: when DIY fails, how to pay for advice without getting fleeced, and why even hardcore index fund enthusiasts miss blind spots a planner can catch in one conv...

Most financial independence events are just networking—but what if attending one fundamentally changed how you think about community? At the first-ever Camp FI in Gainesville, Florida, attendees gathered not just to exchange ideas but to confront a deeper truth: the path to financial independence is rarely a solo journey. This roundtable discussion brings together three distinctive voices navigati...

A pension might seem like the ultimate financial safety net — until you realize it's chaining you to a job you've outgrown. This tension is what guest Grumpus Maximus calls the "golden albatross," and it's a trap uniquely familiar to military personnel and other pension-track workers weighing years of service against personal fulfillment. Grumpus, a military veteran, shares his journey of understa...

You can't set and forget your net worth — unless you're tracking it quarterly, you'll never spot where your money is actually leaking. The first Friday Roundup of 2018 covers listener questions on net worth tracking, using HSAs for travel reward minimum spends, maximizing the Southwest Companion Pass, and leveraging community support to grow side businesses. Brad and Jonathan share updates on thei...

Most people assume you need deep pockets to launch a business that actually helps people. Talis Drew proves otherwise. In this coaching session, ballroom dance instructor Talis Drew shares how she's bringing dance therapy to people with Parkinson's disease — without taking on crushing debt or waiting for grants to materialize. Coach Alan Donegan walks her through identifying who actually pays for...

What if the best gift you could give costs nothing upfront but compounds for decades? Brad and Jonathan close out the year by unpacking a simple 529 hack for holiday gifting—then open the floodgates to listener voicemails that reveal just how far this community has come. From paying off massive debt to getting married, having kids, and completely rewriting their money stories, these aren't abstrac...

Most people think organizing their finances is about making money — but what if the real gift is what you leave behind when you can't explain it yourself? Fritz from the Retirement Manifesto joins Jonathan to tackle listener questions spanning everything from preparing loved ones for financial emergencies to slashing college costs and avoiding career-limiting mistakes. This Friday Roundup covers t...

Most pharmacy managers don't quit stable six-figure jobs without a backup plan—Jonathan just did, and he's walking you through exactly why the numbers made sense. Jonathan announces his transition to pursuing ChooseFI full-time, stepping away from his pharmacy manager position. Supported by co-host Brad, they explore the decision-making process involved in leaving a traditional job for entrepreneu...

Can starting a side hustle really replace a stable income? Bobby from Millennial Money Man walked away from his day job when his blog earned just $2. This roundup episode unpacks that leap—and the community-building principles that made it work. Brad and Jonathan reflect on Bobby's interview, focusing on how he built trust within a niche audience before monetizing. They cover the core mechanics of...

A teacher's side blog just earned $16,000 in a single month — but it started as something Bobby never planned to monetize at all. Bobby went from drowning in $40,000 of student loan debt to running Millennial Money Man full-time, yet his biggest regret has nothing to do with debt and everything to do with cash sitting idle for two years. Bobby shares how he paid off student loans in 18 months on a...

Todd Tressiter makes a startling argument: the very simplicity you've been taught to chase in investing might be costing you opportunities. Financial independence isn't just about passively investing in index funds—real estate, business ownership, and strategic complexity might better fit your situation. Tressiter challenges the one-size-fits-all approach, urging listeners to recognize that their...

Todd Trusseter drops a truth bomb that might make traditional FIRE enthusiasts uncomfortable: you can reach financial independence and keep your luxuries. In this wide-ranging conversation, financial mentor Todd Trusseter unpacks the current state of the FI community, challenging the assumption that lower expenses automatically equal greater happiness and introducing the concept of "fat fire" — a...

Most people think learning new skills after a certain age is impossible—but what if your brain were more adaptable than you'd been led to believe? Jonathan and Brad explore how limiting beliefs around education and career changes keep people stuck, using listener Lisa's story as a catalyst for examining the mental barriers that prevent financial progress. The hosts discuss the role of community su...

Most people who grow up in a trailer park don't end up with a master's degree and a high six-figure net worth — but Lisa isn't most people. A mother scientist and founder of Mad Money Monster, she spent years trapped in a cycle of poor financial decisions and a difficult relationship before discovering the FI community and completely turning her financial life around. Lisa shares her story of defy...

You've spent decades hearing that achieving financial freedom requires sacrifice and isolation—yet the most powerful wealth-building tool might be sitting in your local coffee shop right now. Brad and Jonathan unpack the launch of ChooseFI local groups and why surrounding yourself with like-minded people can accelerate your path to financial independence. This mashup episode covers listener storie...

Most people obsess over investment returns while ignoring the one move that could instantly double their savings rate—relocating to a lower-cost city. Mr. Groovy turned his financial life around by leaving Long Island for North Carolina, cutting expenses by $2,000 per month and buying a condo outright with the proceeds from his previous home. Initially clueless about personal finance, he and his w...

Small decisions—skipping one subscription, optimizing one flight—can quietly stack into 50–75% savings rates while everyone else stays broke. Brad and Jonathan tackle listener questions on how to scale these "marginal gains," why the global FI movement needs local voices (especially in the UK, Australia, and Canada), and how Jonathan used travel rewards to fund his family's South Africa trip almos...

British FI blogger Barney—known online as The Escape Artist—ran the numbers and realized he could walk away from corporate life decades early. But he faced a problem Americans rarely think about: virtually no one in the UK was talking about financial independence. No forums. No playbook. Just a handful of blogs with tiny audiences in a culture that treats steady employment and homeownership as non...

You're checking your phone 50 times a day, drowning in email subscriptions you never read, and losing hours to small irritations you've accepted as "just how life is." But what if those low-level stressors are quietly draining your progress toward financial independence? After returning from FinCon, Brad and Jonathan unpack lessons from the rapidly growing FI community on building meaningful in-pe...

Jeff was making $300,000 a year, working his dream job as a physician, and felt utterly miserable. His story isn't unique in medicine — but his solution is. Jeff, a physician who writes at The Happy Philosopher, turned to financial independence blogs after realizing his "perfect" career was draining him dry. But discovering early retirement concepts wasn't enough. He had to learn to be happy now,...

Brad's nine-year-old daughter walked into her parents' room ready to invest her savings—not because she was told to, but because a twenty-minute conversation about compound interest flipped a switch in her mind. That moment kicked off an episode that tears down the myth of homeownership as a guaranteed wealth-builder and shows how geo-arbitrage can fund years of global travel on a middle-class inc...

Homeownership in Canada's priciest cities will bankrupt you — unless you're willing to walk away from the entire model. Christy and Bryce from Millennial Revolution did exactly that, building a seven-figure portfolio by rejecting the traditional real estate trap and choosing long-term travel instead. Their story challenges the assumption that a mortgage is a non-negotiable step toward adulthood, r...