FI Minded - Financial Independence Without the Extremes

With New Year’s quickly approaching, I’m guessing you will be thinking about how you want to spend more of your free time in 2022. Friends, family, and your health are all great choices but I want to dangle one more idea out there: a side project. A side project is something that you do aside from your primary job but unlike hobbies, they have a sense of effort and thoughtfulness in their approach...

For many of us, student loans are a huge financial burden throughout our 20s and well into our 30s. Student loans can be hard to keep up with because payments can be the same amount as mortgages. But unlike mortgages, I’m guessing you didn’t spend too much time understanding this debt before agreeing to it. I know that was the case for me. I went through all of college without understanding the di...

In this extraordinary era of pandemic isolation, it makes sense that people are feeling more alone than ever. Although stay-at-home orders and social distancing exacerbated loneliness, this trend started way before COVID. This rise of loneliness has caught the interest of many health professionals and is now being labeled as the new smoking. Cited as being as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,...

With the demand for help, and lack of candidates, many employers have turned to outbound recruiting. Many of my friends tell me they have been contacted by recruiters, former employers, and even a random encounter. Some don’t budge. Others have jumped at a new chance. Either decision could be right. Let’s discuss vetting a job opportunity. Today I’ll share my process for qualifying, evaluating, an...

Nothing kills the mood like discussing money issues but as much as we don’t want it to be a reality, money is a significant aspect of relationships. If a couple isn’t on the same page financially, you can almost guarantee a bumpy road ahead. There are countless studies that demonstrate money related issues being a major source of divorce and most of these issues aren’t tactical differences, they’r...

Today’s guest is the spunky J. Kelly Hoey, author of Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships In A Hyper-Connected World. Along with being an author, Kelly is a sought out speaker for her networking insights.   She also has some pretty cool accolades including: -Forbes’ 1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship -Business Insider’s 1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Wom...

My little brother, Kyle, joins me on the podcast to discuss his favorite takeaway from Episode 44: one-on-one meetings. We discussed why one-on-one meetings could serve you at work. We outline our one-on-one meeting structure. Finally, Kyle shares how he asked for more one-on-one time and made it easy for his manager to say yes.   Key Takeaways: [3:59] Universal reasons one-on-one conversations ar...

Ben Brearley has been leading people for over 15 years. He saw the struggle managers had with the balancing act of leadership. Ben started writing articles to serve those who aspired to be an attentive and considerate manager. At the time, Ben didn’t realize this would change the trajectory of his career. These posts turned into the Thoughtful Leader blog where Ben has been sharing leadership cont...

After college, Cara Hays found herself battling with two identities. Her future self that prioritized her values and her past self that continued to distract with bad habits. One day Cara decided it was time to look forward without looking back and she made a commitment with herself to accelerate that decision. For the next 6 months, Cara decided to say no to drinking and dating. Two areas where s...

Many of us go through quite the physical transformation in our 20’s. Our metabolism slows down and we can no longer eat junk food for every meal. When we get older, we have to be more intentional about our fitness routines. I invited Kawan Karadaghi onto the podcast to help with this. Kawan’s story will hopefully serve as inspiration for your own journey. Kawan was in his 20s, out of shape, and sm...

Nate Dukes is an author, speaker, property investor, leader at his church, and serves on the board of a non-profit for underprivileged youth. Already an impressive resume for someone in their 30s.  But what is even more impressive is the journey Nate took to get here. After getting busted for stealing a car, Nate spent 6 months in a Tennessee jail. He was written off as a lost cause and told that...

In our last episode, we covered so much material about taxes including terminology, the US tax system, and retirement accounts. One topic that came up but we didn’t get to discuss extensively was Health Savings Accounts or HSA. I was going to let this go as I always have an endless list of topics I wish I could have covered with my guests but both Sean and I agreed HSAs were too important of a top...

A month ago, I went to Instagram and asked what money topics you’d like to learn more about. To my utter surprise, taxes had the most votes. I figured side hustles, investing, even budgeting would attract more attention but maybe I failed to realize the desire you had to learn and feel more confident about this perplexing topic. I went looking for a guest that had a deep understanding in this fiel...

At one point or another, you’ll probably have to deal with apartment hunting. For some, online searching and taking tours is exciting. For myself, it’s exhausting. You find the perfect place: the floor plan works, it has the amenities you were hoping for, and it’s in the area you want to live. That’s when you check the most important factor: how much does it cost? If you have my luck, it’s just ou...

Today's guest is Tim Traill. Tim has spent three decades working his way up to a Corporate Executive in the financial services industry. Last year, Tim decided he needed a career break. As you’ll hear, the beginning of his break was a challenging period. Tim was missing a sense of purpose and community he found through work. That was until he stumbled into TikTok. It started as a joke with his kid...

Imagine if you had two years to travel the globe in order to better understand happiness. Where would you go? I’m assuming the Nordic countries who I hear always rank high on the World Happiness Report. Potentially Australia and New Zealand? They seem to be happy down there. What about places that aren’t known for happiness but more so the opposite? I feel like it would be important to understand...

Most of us have this exciting yet frustrating thing we call a career path. One day we know what our calling is and how we are going to get there only for us to break down in panic the next day. Careers are fascinating because we have to balance what we enjoy, what we are good at, what the world needs, and how we’re going to pay the bills. As you go through your 20s, you’ll have to make many career...

If you have a skill of finding free food, you’re consistently dealing with an unreliable laptop or phone, or you furnished your apartment with cheap furniture from family and Craigslist, I’m assuming you might be a broke 20-something. “I Need a Dollar” by Aloe Blacc probably hits a little different. My guest today knows a thing or two about this stage of life. Erin Lowry is the author of the 3-par...

One of the best experiences of my 20s has been living on my own. Sure, I have to buy my own groceries and dirty dishes aren’t going to magically disappear, but moving out of my parent’s house gave me the challenge to start figuring things out on my own. One thing I do really miss about mom and dad’s is all of the space in their house. My tiny apartment doesn’t compete with my parent’s spacious, mi...

At one point or another, you've felt undervalued at work. Maybe you believe you should be paid more, be given more responsibility, or get a promotion. But believing it doesn’t get us very far. How do we actually get what we want? Today’s guest believes it starts by becoming a self-advocate. She’s going to explain how to get the confidence to do that without coming off as bragging or boasting. Step...

How would you feel about retiring 5, 10, even 20 years earlier than you planned? This probably raises some skeptical eyebrows but hundreds of people are doing just that through a movement called FIRE: financial independence, retire early. Inside groups pursuing FIRE, it’s common to hear of a couple who retired in their mid-40s. With time, discipline, and understanding of basic financial concepts,...

I’m assuming the job you have now isn’t the position you want forever. Most of us hope as we learn new skills and take on more responsibilities, we will get the opportunity to move up within our company. But why do some people seem to get the opportunity for promotions while others find themselves in the same role for years and years? My guest today believes it all starts with doing the little thi...

Today’s guest is former NFL offensive lineman, Marques Ogden. Marques played in the NFL for nearly 6 years. He was drafted in the 2003 by the Jaguars and went on to play with the Ravens, Bills, and Titans. While his NFL career ended in 2007, this was only the start of Marques’ rollercoaster life story. After leaving the NFL, he started Kayden Premier Enterprises which grew to the largest minority...

Why don’t we feel better equipped to handle our finances when we get into the real world? My guest today is working to solve that issue. On the show with me is Tracey Bissett, President and Chief Financial Fitness Trainer at Bissett Financial Fitness. Tracey has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and after moving on from her successful career in banking, she’s now focus...

Today’s guests are Brett Cooper and Evans Kerrigan, Co-Founders of Integris Performance Advisors which is focused on improving team performance. They also co-authored a book called Solving the People Problem: Essential Skills You Need to Lead and Succeed in Today’s Workplace. In their book and in this episode, Brett and Evans use their understanding of emotional intelligence and the DISC personali...