The Voluntary Life

Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! I found Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards , both interesting and frustrating to read. Some ideas in the book are great, and I also have some significant criticisms. Part 1 of the review, in this episode, discusses the topic of rewards and punishment in parenting and schooling. Part 2 will tackle incentives in business in the next episo...

This episode is an interview with someone who's been involved in financing many famous Silicon Valley startups. Warren Hogarth was a partner at Sequoia Capital and now runs his own finance business, Empower. In this interview he gives an insider take on the pros and cons of venture capital for entrepreneurs. Become a Patron of The Voluntary Life to get bonus episodes every week and many other rewa...

Jim Rohn was an influential figure in the fields of personal development and financial independence. This episode is a discussion of his ideas including his book,  My Philosophy For Successful Living.   Support The Voluntary Life on Patreon for bonus episodes and other rewards!    

Part 2 of a discussion about useful ideas in the book " In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People " by Dr. George K. Simon. Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!  

How do you defend yourself against manipulative people? Part 1 of a discussion about some useful ideas in the book " In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People " by Dr. George K. Simon. Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Sebastian Haffner's memoirs of his time in Berlin between 1914 and 1933 give a fascinating account of everyday life during the rise of a totalitarian regime. This episode explores the most interesting aspects of his book. I talk about what this extreme situation shows us about the effect that politics has on civil society. Become a Patron of The Voluntary Life for bonus episodes!  

An episode about the best way to inoculate yourself against irrational ideas. Show Notes: Become a Patron of The Voluntary Life for bonus episodes! Argumentum ad Absurdum The Candlemakers' Petition by Frederic Bastiat TVL Episode 225 Comparative Advantage Is Mind-blowing  

A discussion with Hannah Braime about our travel experiences and life as expats in Barcelona. We talk about travel with kids, Barcelona as a destination for expats, current events in Catalonia, and more! Become a Patron to get bonus episodes of The Voluntary Life

Why invest in gold? What is the best way to do so? Is gold obsolete as an investment now that cryptocurrencies exist? This episode answers many listener questions about investing in gold from my perspective as a private investor following the Permanent Portfolio strategy.  I am not a financial advisor. As always with investing, you will need to do your own research. Thanks so much to all the patro...

Should you leave your adult children an inheritance? Should you base your own financial plans around the expectation of receiving an inheritance one day? These questions are relevant to parenting, financial independence, and many other key topics covered on TVL. Show Notes: Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley

An episode about how to use mind maps as a productivity tool to plan any project and support your creative thinking. Show Notes: The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan iThoughts Exporting Omnifocus Tasks To Mind Maps Script Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!  

If you are investing towards financial freedom, you face a decision: which asset classes should you put your money in? This episode is about one of the main asset classes: fixed-income securities, or bonds. Bonds can behave in strange ways as an investment, especially in times when interest rates are very low (as they are at present). I'm not a financial advisor and this episode is just my opinion...

How could you apply the 80/20 Principle to parenting? In this episode, Jake answers this question using evidence from a fascinating empirical study into how childhood experiences can impact your health and wellbeing for the rest of your life. Show Notes: Support The Voluntary Life on Patreon ACE Study Wiki Page Explanation of ACE Study CDC page on ACE Study

Many people who are interested in personal freedom and self-improvement find value in an approach to negotiation called Nonviolent Communication (NVC). In this episode, I provide an assessment of NVC, outlining aspects that I find useful, problems with the approach, and some misconceptions of the framework. Show Notes: Become a patron of TVL Nonviolent Communication By Marshall Rosenberg Psycholog...

In this episode I explain what I've learned from my favourite TV show and why I recommend that you watch it if you are an entrepreneur or are interested in business. The Profit is an MSNBC show about entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis investing in small businesses. Show Notes: The Profit Marcus Lemonis What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episode...

James Davis is a great example of an "unjobber". His unconventional work life has included making money as a professional poker player, transforming a children's summer camp, and starting an online fantasy sports business. In this interview, James talks about how he successfully pursued the unjobbing lifestyle and how you can do so too. Show Notes: James' businesses discussed in the show:  Camp St...

In this episode, Jake talks about growing up with a view of marriage as an outdated tradition with negative connotations, and how his view changed as he came to understand the positive reasons to get married. Whatever your current view of marriage, this discussion will give you food for thought. Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!  

The Estonian E-Residency program is worth considering for anyone running a business online as a digital nomad. In this episode I explain the background to e-residency, how the application process works, and what the benefits are. Show Notes: E-Residency Application Page Xolo.io (formerly Leapin. EU) (Use my referral code: "Jake" for a discount) Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewa...

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The tiny house movement is relevant for anyone interested in minimalism, frugal living, and a travel-oriented lifestyle. In this interview, Link Wilcox talks about her project to build a tiny house. Show Notes: Link's Website TVL Patreon Website

Jake's speech at the Freecoast Festival 2017, presenting five ways to live the voluntary life: Rational Thinking Personal Freedom Peaceful Parenting Financial Independence Internationalisation Show Notes: Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The Freecoast Festival  

What does forgiveness mean? What is it for? Should you forgive others in order to be free? Or is the idea of forgiveness a trap? Check out the episode to find out more! Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This episode answers questions from TVL listeners on the topic of investing in stocks. It provides an introduction to low-cost, passive investing with index funds. When choosing investment funds, a key issue for passive investors is the expense ratio. This episode explains the huge difference between average expense ratios and those of low-...

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This episode is about suggestions for implementing a weekly review for productivity. It is a conversation from the patron-only livestream that I do with supporting listeners every month. You will find it helpful if you are interested in implementing or upgrading your own weekly review habit. Show Notes: The GTD Virtual Study Group Podcast B...

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This week's episode is a discussion with Hannah Braime about a very interesting book called Against Therapy by Jeffrey Masson. We recorded this for the Psychology Book Club Podcast. I'm including it on The Voluntary Life because it is highly relevant to everyone interested in self-knowledge and psychological freedom. Show Notes: Psychology...

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This episode presents some very interesting data on the average age of entrepreneurs when they start their first business. You might find the results surprising... The research cited is the Kauffman Foundation study in the US and the Sandler Training study in the UK.