Financially Independent Teachers

Send us Fan Mail Jason is a tenured professor who has had a major financial turnaround (1.2 million)! In our interview, Jason gives advice to HS and college students as well as some of the money lessons he has learned when it comes to navigating a successful marriage.  

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dave and Brandon have a casual conversation about investing and some of the investment vehicles available to educators.  Keep in mind, neither are certified financial planners, we are just here to have some fun and give opinions on what we do.  If you are interested in meeting with a CFP who is licensed and has the heart of a teacher, check out two of our former F...

Send us Fan Mail Paige is a soon to be 2nd year guidance counselor at Jacksonville HS in NC.  Paige graduated from Dave's 6 month "GET FIT" financial coaching program and paid off just over 24k during the last 10 months and is contributing $150 per month to her ROTH IRA.  Paige has made many sacrifices to get where she is and hopes to be debt free in the next 18 months.  

Send us Fan Mail The word BUDGET is a very controversial word.  In this episode, Dave and Brandon share their personal budgets and talk about how they factor into financial independence. 

Send us Fan Mail Dave and Brandon's "Mini Summer Episodes" continue as they discuss their perceptions of wealth and the realities based on research. 

Send us Fan Mail Emily is a former engineering student who found a passion for education and teaching after college by teaching in international, public and private schools.  Emily discusses the financial awakening she had in her early 30's and talks to the show about how she manages being a teacher in a high cost of living area like NYC.   Emily has made it a personal goal to help other educ...

Send us Fan Mail The first of our "mini" summer episodes...Dave and Brandon discuss summer income or "side hustle" opportunities for educators.   We discuss what to look for before determining if the juice is worth the squeeze to make extra income.   Work for someone else? Try to become an entrepreneur? Adjust budget to save money and not have to work? Short term vs. long term ...

Send us Fan Mail Gerry (Spanish Teacher) and his teacher wife started with humble beginnings.   In their early thirties, they had $45,000 of student loan debt and both of their cars were kaput.  Over an 18 year period, they went from having a net worth of ZERO to just over 2 million in 2021.   Along the way they've have had many adventures, travel, an incredible son, and lots of fun. How does...

Send us Fan Mail Victor is a fist generation US citizen and PE teacher in the Raleigh, NC area.  He started his financial journey in 2020 and has a path to financial freedom paved for the future.  Listen as he discusses how he and his wife have had to get on the same page and do a complete mindset change.  Victor is wired as a natural spender and his wife is the natural saver.  

Send us Fan Mail Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Elon Musk,  Block Chain technology....You cannot escape these topics on social media, the news and pop culture.  In Episode 15, we have the pleasure to interview 28 year old Western NC Science Teacher, Aaron Littlefield.  Aaron has been studying Crypto for 4-5 years and stands by the statement "I'll be shocked if Bitcoin is not worth 100k per coin next...

Send us Fan Mail Crystal Parker Duffy is a soon to be retired (37) California HS choir director.  She recently wrote the book "Retirement For Teachers".  In this episode, we discuss basic retirement strategies for educators, investment plans and her journey to financial independence.  If you would like to enter a drawing to win a free copy of her book, visit the Financially Independent T...

Send us Fan Mail Maurice Atwood grew up without many of the things we have grown accustomed to in the United States.  Running water, electricity and having three meals a day were not always a guarantee throughout his childhood.   Fast forward, Coach Atwood is arguably the greatest HS wrestling coach in NC history with 19 state championships.  Coach is a self described a "survivor" and hi...

Send us Fan Mail Justin Garritt is a Baltimore City math teacher who was so underwhelmed with sales folks coming into our schools selling teachers bad insurance products, he decided to go back to school to become a financial professional.  Even though Justin is now a financial advisor and owns his own firm, he still doubles as a middle school teacher and coach.  In Episode 12, Justin shares his fi...

Send us Fan Mail Chad is a Durham NC history teacher who moved from NYC to the Research Triangle almost 20 years ago.  Chad and his wife are both HS teachers in NC and have two children in NC public schools.  This is the follow up to the can't miss episode as Chad details his journey from growing up in a one-bedroom apartment on government assistance to projecting his net worth to be multi-mi...

Send us Fan Mail In our first ever two-part interview,  we get a chance to chat with Chad about financial independence from the view of an educator.  Chad is a Durham NC history teacher who moved from NYC to the Research Triangle almost 20 years ago.  Chad and his wife are both HS teachers in NC and have two children in NC public schools.  This is a can't miss episode as Chad details his jour...

Send us Fan Mail In episode nine, Rob Phelan joins us to share his wealth of knowledge on financial independence.  Not only does Rob share details of his personal journey to FI, he also discusses how educators can spread the word to their students and set them up for a better financial future.  Rob is  a math/personal finance teacher in Maryland, he is also a coach, author and business owner. Than...

Send us Fan Mail In episode eight, Dave and Brandon interview Rob, a 5th year high school math teacher.  How does a single NC educator "make it" on one teacher salary?  Give this episode a listen as Rob shares the story of purchasing his first home (15-year mortgage) and discusses the impact of putting money into a ROTH IRA each year. Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail In episode seven, Dave and Brandon interview Ed and Erin, a married NC high school math teacher duo.  Believe it or not, they actually became millionaires before their 50th birthdays! According to Chris Hogan's book "Everyday Millionaires", teacher is the third most represented career for net worth millionaires in the United States.   How can a young teacher become...

Send us Fan Mail In episode six, Dave and Brandon interview David (AKA The Budget Teacher), a former Missouri high school math teacher.  David shares some personal financial stories and reveals how he and his wife (a HS Spanish teacher) lived off of one teaching salary while investing the other half of their family income.   Fast forward, The Budget Teacher has transitioned into financial coaching...

Send us Fan Mail In episode five, Dave and Brandon interview Mike, a veteran NC middle school math teacher.  How did Mike and his wife (also a NC teacher)  accomplish paying off THREE properties before 40 years old?  Listen as Mike shares the story of paying off two rental properties and their primary home while giving listeners tips on what to look for when investing into real estate. 

Send us Fan Mail In episode four, Dave and Brandon interview Angie, a veteran NC educator.  How does Angie accomplish maxing out her IRA and 457 accounts on a single teacher income?  Angie shares her story of paying off over $50,000 of debt to being a self taught educator investor. Thanks for joining us as Angie shares her inspirational message of "It is NEVER too late to get started".  

Send us Fan Mail In episode three, Dave and Brandon interview Chad, a HS math teacher who has made upwards of 3k-4k in one week at his side hustle.  Chad did not go to college until his mid thirties and started teaching less than 6 years ago.  Take a listen as we discuss some of the extra jobs or side hustles we have picked up to help "make it" as teachers. 

Send us Fan Mail In episode two, Dave and Brandon interview John, a retired NC math teacher.  How did John and his wife (nurse) build wealth raising three children in a middle class home? What advice did he give his children who are now building their own wealth?  Take a listen as John shares his story and drops some wisdom for fellow teachers, brand new and veterans.  We are excited to get inside...

Send us Fan Mail Cohosts, Dave and Brandon introduce themselves in the first episode of the Financially Independent Teachers Podcast.  After a brief intro, they interview 11-year NC public educator, Brandon Akins, whose wife is also an NC educator.  Brandon shares his background in education and describes how two NC teachers are working toward financial independence as an educator family.