Optimal Finance Daily - Financial Independence and Money Advice

Jessica Thiefels with Money Mini Blog shares 3 seriously simple tactics to pay off loans early. Episode 601: 3 Seriously Simple Tactics We Used to Pay Off Our Loans Early by Jessica Thiefels with Money Mini Blog (Pay Down Debt). Kalen Bruce is the founder of MoneyMiniBlog. His story is simple… he and his wife were $24,000 in debt and became a student of finances to get out. They are now debt-free...

Sam of Financial Samurai shares why it's impossible to stay retired once you retire early. This is Part 2 of 2. Episode 600: [Part 2] It's Impossible to Stay Retired Once You Retire Early by Sam of Financial Samurai (Financially Independent). Sam Dogen's net worth took a beating in 2009 as the world was falling apart. He thought it would be a good idea to start a personal finance site to help hims...

Sam of Financial Samurai shares why it's impossible to stay retired once you retire early. This is Part 1 of 2. Episode 599: [Part 1] It's Impossible to Stay Retired Once You Retire Early by Sam Dogen of FinancialSamurai.com (FIRE Community). Sam Dogen's net worth took a beating in 2009 as the world was falling apart. He thought it would be a good idea to start a personal finance site to help hims...

Marc Chernoff of Marc and Angel shares why you're in debt. Episode 598: This is Why You Are in Debt by Marc Chernoff of MarcAndAngel.com Hack (Saving Money & Financial Freedom). Marc and Angel Chernoff are professional coaches, full-time students of life, admirers of the human spirit, and have been recognized by Forbes as having “one of the most popular personal development blogs.” Through their b...

Darrow Kirkpatrick of Can I Retire Yet shares the difference between luxury and essential. Episode 597: Luxury or Essential by Darrow Kirkpatrick of CanIRetireYet.com (Financially Independent & Retire Early Community). Darrow Kirkpatrick is the founder of CanIRetireYet.com. He began serious investing in his mid-30s and retired at age 50. He's not a dot com millionaire and didn't become financially...

Mr. Money Mustache shares asks whether or not peak happiness actually comes at $75,000/year like some say. Episode 596: Does Peak Happiness Really Come at $75,000/Year by Mr. Money Mustache (Spending Wisely & Being Happy). Mr. Money Mustache is a thirty-something retiree who now writes about how we can all live a frugal, yet awesome, life of leisure. He and his wife studied engineering and compute...

Paula Pant of Afford Anything shares why she wasted an hour of her life to save $3.60. Episode 595: Why I Wasted an Hour of My Life to Save $3.60 by Paula Pant of Afford Anything (Wasting Time Like Extreme Couponing). Paula Pant is the founder of the award-winning website AffordAnything.com and a writer and speaker specializing in money, business, and real estate investing. She is a real estate in...

Mike Ballew of FreedomPathBlog.com shares the 10 worst excuses for not saving for retirement and his rebuttal. Episode 594: 10 Worst Excuses for Not Saving for Retirement by Mike Ballew of Freedom Path Blog (Save Money & Retire Early). Mike Ballew is a 56-year-old engineer turned blogger who reached a point in life where he sees things more clearly than ever before. He faced financial challenges a...

2 shorter posts from Ryan Mei of DollarsAndSenseLA, talking about financial drive and how much to put in your 401(k). Episode 593: What is Your Drive? Mine is This Piece of Paper & How Much Do I Put in the 401K by Ryan Mei of Dollars and Sense LA. Ryan Mei created Dollars and Sense LA to help you improve your financial life by taking you on his personal journey to financial freedom, while dealing...

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Cents shares the best ways to become rich faster. Episode 592: Top Ways to Become Rich Faster by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense Of Cents (Pay Off Debt & Invest Money). Michelle Schroeder-Gardner created Making Sense of Cents in order to help improve her own finances. With diligence, she was able to pay off $38,000 in student debt in 7 month...

2 shorter posts from Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist on purchases and your biggest expense. Episode 591: 1 Important Question to Ask Before Any Purchase & Your Biggest Expense is Your Greatest Opportunity - Joshua Becker. Joshua Becker and his family decided to live with fewer possessions after a conversation with his neighbor in 2008. As a result, they found a better way to live, centered on...

Chris Reining shares why the American Dream is actually a financial nightmare. Episode 590: The American Dream is a Financial Nightmare by Chris Reining of ChrisReining.com (Buying a Home vs. Investing & Debt). Chris Reining is a thirty-something guy who provides resources to help manage your money and career to become financially free. His own path to financial freedom has had ups and downs, whic...

2 shorter posts from JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly: in praise of the debt snowball, and the research on experiences leading to greater happiness than material purchases. Episode 589: In Praise of the Debt Snowball And Do Experiences Lead to Greater Happiness Than Material Purchases by JD Roth. J.D. Roth has been reading and writing about personal finance for a decade. Today he’s financially independe...

Philip Taylor of PT Money & FinCon shares 5 ways to improve your credit score. Episode 588: 5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score by Philip Taylor of PTMoney.com (Improving Your Personal Financial Situation). PTMoney.com is about helping you make extra money, save more money, and spend your money wisely--all in an effort to help you fix your finances so you can build the life you want. It was starte...

Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job shares the secret to a healthy relationship with money. Episode 587: The Secret to a Healthy Relationship with Money by Steve Chou of MyWifeQuitHerJob (Financial Emotions & Investing). Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job carries both a bachelors and a masters degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, but spent a good portion of his graduate educat...

Robert Farrington of The College Investor shares the worst 401(k) mistakes millions of Americans commit. Episode 586: The Worst 401(k) Mistakes Millions of Americans Commit by Robert Farrington of The College Investor (Investing). Robert Farrington is a personal finance expert that focuses on helping millennials get out of student loan debt and start investing for their future. He also helps paren...

Jeniffer with Cait Flanders shares what she won't teach her daughter about hard work. Episode 585: What I Won't Teach My Daughter About Hard Work by Jennifer with Cait Flanders (Slow Living & Being Intentional). Cait Flanders started her site to document her debt repayment journey. After paying it off, she adopted a minimalist lifestyle, tossed 75% of her stuff, and is currently doing a two-year s...

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich shares how to save cash in 7 systems. This is Part 2 of 2. Episode 584: [Part 2] How to Save Cash in 7 Systems by Ramit Sethi of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com (Setting Money Goals & Earn More). Ramit wants to use money to say YES. He knew there was a better way to live a rich life—if we could use psychology to focus on what actually works. Not just for person...

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich shares how to save cash in 7 systems. Episode 583: [Part 1] How to Save Cash in 7 Systems by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich (Envelope System for Saving Money). Ramit wants to use money to say YES. He knew there was a better way to live a rich life—if we could use psychology to focus on what actually works. Not just for personal finance, but al...

J. Money of Budgets Are Sexy shares the two instances in his life where saving actually starting making sense (cents?). Episode 582: Game Boys and 401(k)s by J Money of Budgets Are Sexy (Saving Money & Frugal Lifestyle Spending). J. Money is a 6’1, hyperactive, rock a ‘hawk who loves drinking beer, blaring hip-hop, talking about money, and now playing with his two adorable baby boys. He tracked hi...

Kristin Wong of The Wild Wong shares how why financial independence isn't really about money. Episode 581: Financial Independence: It's Not About the Money by Kristin Wong of TheWildWong.com (Security & Finance Happiness). Kristin Wong is a freelance writer and journalist who writes for Lifehacker, Mentalfloss, and New York Magazine. She frequently covers travel, personal finance, and human behavi...

Jacob Lund Fisker of Early Retirement Extreme on ecological capitalism and consumer capitalism. Episode 580: Ecological Capitalism & Consumer Capitalism by Jacob Lund Fisker of Early Retirement Extreme (Financial Independence). Jacob Lund Fisker was a nuclear astrophysicist who retired at 33 with what he believes to be enough savings to last the rest of his life — even if he never works again. His...

Mr. Money Mustache shares his experience with REITs. Episode 579: Become a Lazy Landlord with REITs by Mr. Money Mustache (Real Estate Investing for Beginners & Invest in Stock Market). Mr. Money Mustache is a thirty-something retiree who now writes about how we can all live a frugal, yet awesome, life of leisure. He and his wife studied engineering and computer science in Canada, then worked in s...

Tony with Money Mini Blog shares 4 common mistakes that investors make. Episode 578: 4 Common Mistakes That Investors Make by Tony with MoneyMiniBlog.com (Investing & Making Money in a Bull or Bear Market). Kalen Bruce is the founder of MoneyMiniBlog. His story is simple… he and his wife were $24,000 in debt and became a student of finances to get out. They are now debt-free and building wealth. K...

Sam of Financial Samurai shares how to embrace your debt to boost your organic motivation. Episode 577: Embrace Your Debt to Boost Your Organic Motivation by Sam Dogen of Financial Samurai (Mortgage Financing & Finance Inspiration). Sam Dogen's net worth took a beating in 2009 as the world was falling apart. He thought it would be a good idea to start a personal finance site to help himself and ot...