Financial Autonomy

I met Alex Hont at a Financial Planning conference last year. Alex hosts the Masters of Finance podcast - so with both financial planning and podcasting in common, we had quite a bit to talk about! I invited Alex onto the podcast to share how he went from being an employee to being a partner at his financial planning firm - how he planned for that move, how it unfolded, and what the change has meant for him. Alex shares his journey, how he got into the practice in the first place, how he's been able to increase his share and become a partner in the business, and a little bit about his thoughts as to where it might lead to longer term. It's a bit of a different story in terms of how to arrive at self-employment. We haven't covered this sort of approach before but it's something that I hope you guys will get a lot out of. Disclaimer

Regular listeners will know my book Financial Autonomy - the money book that gives you choice, came out last month. In this week's episode, I explain why I wrote it and how it fits into my mission of helping more people gain choice. During the various interviews I've done promoting the book one of the most frequent questions I get is how did I find the time to write it? So in this episode I also pull back the curtain a little to share how I got it done. Perhaps it might help you see a way to achieve one of your dreams. I hope you enjoy this episode and get some valuable ideas. Disclaimer

Really excited for this episode. I chat with Thomas Taw, the Head of Investment Strategies Asia Pacific for BlackRock. For those who are unfamiliar, BlackRock is the largest fund manager in the world. It's a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into how a business with the global resources they have at their disposal is seeing things - investment markets opportunities, economies, and the impact of COVID just to get us started. Soak this one up. Also, stay up to date with all things investments and financial autonomy via our weekly email - Gaining CHOICE. Disclaimer

One of the most popular pathways to achieving financial autonomy is through investing in stocks. Stock market investing has a ton of advantages including ease of diversification, low transaction cost, ease of liquidity, and being highly regulated to guard against investor fraud. A popular stock portfolio strategy is known as the core/satellite approach. In today's episode, Ill be taking you through how this approach might help you build a robust and successful share portfolio. Disclaimer

Tim Duggan is the co-founder of Junkee Media, one of Australia's fastest growing media companies dedicated to improving the conversations about things that matter. In today's interview, we talk about building communities around digital products and understanding the shift towards conscious consumerism. We also discuss his new book, Cult Status, which encourages thinking about business in a new way, finding your business purpose and what it means to be an "untrepreneur". Tim gives his personal advice on how you can best gain choice in life. Learn other pathways towards financial independence and gaining choice through my new book - Financial Autonomy: The money book that gives you choice. Disclaimer

Self-employment is one of the 3 pathways to achieving Financial Autonomy. What are the key 12 elements you need to cover off to succeed as a self-employed person? We covered the first 6 elements last week and this week we'll cover the other 6. Disclaimer

Self-employment is one of the 3 pathways to achieving Financial Autonomy. What are the key 12 elements you need to cover off to succeed as a self-employed person? That's what I'll be covering in this and next week's episode. Grab the free toolkit: www.financialautonomy.com.au/159

Today Melissa Martin is a successful Melbourne photographer, but that's quite a way from where she started her career journey. In this chat we explore: The challenges many women in particular face when they start a family and find that their previous career no longer works in their life. How Melissa went about finding a new path. Some of the clever things Melissa did to achieve success Plus plenty more! Melissa's web site: https://www.melissamartinphotography.com/ Entrepreneur You program mentioned in the interview: https://find0101.lpages.co/entrepreneur-you/

The Financial Autonomy book is now available. Discover the full Financial Autonomy framework and build your own strategy to gain choice via the free downloadable companion workbook. Free delivery within Australia if purchased direct. Visit www.financialautonomy.com.au/book_order This weeks episode: What is insider trading, why is it a crime, and why does Hollywood seem to love it so much? That's what we'll be exploring in this episode.

Looking for an easy, low-cost way to getting started with investing? Ted Richards from Six Park might have your solution. Learn more about Six Park - https://guidancefs.sixpark.com.au/ Grab the Financial Autonomy book - https://find0101.lpages.co/financial_autonomy_book/ Disclaimer

Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) sounds dry, I know, and in truth, and it is. But it's likely you're going to hear a whole lot more about it, and the idea of jobs guarantees, in the coming months and perhaps years. Why? Because MMT proposes an interesting solution to unemployment. And battling unemployment will be the number 1 agenda item around the country and the world over the next few years.

What's Aged Care have to do with financial autonomy and gaining choice? At some point, your parents are likely going to need age care and it might come down to you to solve it for them. An awareness of how the system works and some of the basics, is something I'm sure you will find valuable. Financial adviser and age care expert Susan Cooper explains some of the jargon and we discuss the key considerations when you're helping a loved one with a move into aged care. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Disclaimer

When it comes to finances, singles can easily feel that the world is against them. Politicians constantly talk of the need to help "working families". Yet what about those who through choice or the fall of the cards don't fit that mould? In our last episode we talked about Resiliency, having a budget approach that works for you, holding an emergency fund to protect you against events like losing your job and having appropriate insurance. We also covered Savings and Wealth Creation, setting goals, creating milestones, investing and developing your career. Today, we talk about Housing, Estate Planning and Traps. Learn more about these aspects and why you should consider them when it comes to financial planning for singles. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

When it comes to finances, singles can easily feel that the world is against them. Politicians constantly talk of the need to help "working families". Yet what about those who through choice or the fall of the cards don't fit that mould? Housing affordability is tougher for singles. Bills like insurance and council rates don't get any lower with only one person in the house. And there's no-one to back you up through a period of financial adversity like redundancy or illness. Singledom however does offer some benefits – removing the need to compromise being at the top of the pyramid. Learn about the 5 aspects you should consider when it comes to financial planning for singles. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

You might have come across Stuart Wemyss via his regular contributions in the Australian newspaper, or his excellent podcast Investopoly. Stuart is a fellow financial planner, and in this week's episode, we discuss his latest book Rules of the Lending Game. Whether you're an investor, a homeowner with an existing mortgage, or an aspiring first home buyer, there are tips in here that I'm sure you'll get a tonne of value out of. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

French born Western Australian Isabelle Lenglois shares her inspiring journey to Financial Autonomy in this week's episode. She prospered in an industry not especially welcoming of women - oil and gas drilling - through plenty of hard work and determination. She has then succeeded in transforming that income into wealth which provides her and her young family the independence she desired. Very happy to be featuring Isabelle's story as our 150 episode milestone. I hope you get plenty out of it. Check out the books mentioned here: The Barefoot Investor Rich Dad Poor Dad SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Volatility and share investing go together like honey and crumpets. As a share investor, how can you use volatility to your advantage? And how can you ensure volatility doesn't derail your strategy to build wealth and gain choice in life? I've invested through the GFC, the Asian Currency Crisis, September 11, the Japanese tsunami, Brexit, numerous North Korean nuclear threats, and plenty more share market upsets. Here's my top 7 tips for investing in shares through volatile times. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Lachlan is a member of the Financial Autonomy community and responded to my call out for case study examples. I'm especially excited to chat with Lachlan because he's pursued all 3 of the FA pathways - shares, property, and self-employment. You can get a hold of him through his email at [email protected] If self-employment is of interest to you, check out our new program Entrepreneur You - Transition to Self-employment without going broke SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

So why consider moving to self-employment? Our mission here at Financial Autonomy is helping you gain choice. Of the options available to gain choice, becoming self-employed offers the potential for you to achieve success quickly, without huge financial investment, and provides the greatest potential financial upside. But transitioning from being an employee to becoming self-employed is a mine field. Let's look at some of the challenges and what you can do to overcome them and achieve the success you deserve. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

In today's episode, I speak with Financial Autonomy community member Stewart Perry. Stewart shares his plans to gain choice and flexibility and how the multi-phase strategy really resonated for him as he works towards early retirement. He explains his investment journey, what he's doing and how he's going about it. A fantastic element of Stewart's story was his experience growing up when his parents (who were well ahead of the curve) achieving Financial Autonomy in their 40s. He shares how that happened and what it meant for them as a family in terms of family time, holidays, and travel. It was very generous of Stewart to share his story. I hope you get some great inspiration from his story. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Most office workers have quickly had to adjust to working from home in recent weeks. The pace at which businesses were able to make this happen has been quite extraordinary. Before COVID 19, if you'd told most companies they needed to transition to work from home arrangements, it would have been a 12-month plus planning process. Yet when needed, we all got it done in days. Whilst most of us will return to the same old routine when things get back normal, the potential for permanent change certainly exists. So how might we grasp this opportunity in our quest to gain choice? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

A bit of a different episode for you today. This is a flip the switch kind of one because in this episode, I'm actually the person being interviewed. I'm being interviewed by Kate Campbell who hosts the How to Money podcast. You'll recall back in Episode 134, I interviewed her. So we did these couple of interviews on the same day. In this one, Kate interviewed me for her podcast on how to make money investing in shares. It was a good discussion so I thought we'd share that with the Financial Autonomy community as well because I know plenty of you guys are interested in investing in shares. We do have an online course called Invest in Shares with Confidence for people that are interested in investing in shares and making money in shares. So if that's something that is of interest to you, you can check that out at financialautonomy.com.au/shares. Note, this interview was recorded in early 2020, before the COVID19 crisis. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

The 1 Page Marketing Plan book has been a publishing sensation, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and being one of the most successful self-published books ever. This week I speak with its author Allan Dib who shares some massive wisdom bombs on how to succeed in any sort of business, big or small. If you have even the slightest entrepreneurial fibre in your body, this is one you will want to dive into. From Allan: • Free resource for your audience: Download The 1-Page Marketing Plan Canvas for Free Buy the Book • If you want to acquire new leads and grow your business consistently, you need marketing. And if you're a small-to-medium-sized business with a limited budget, you need to be implementing direct response marketing. It's key to your business success. • Allan's LinkedIn • Successwise Facebook • Successwise Instagram SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

You've probably heard the phrase "never waste a good crisis". The origins of this quote aren't clear, though some point to Winston Churchill. Regardless, its point is that in times of crisis, habits and practices are forced to change. When things are going well, it's easy to just let things float along. Some changes need a shock to bring them about. In this current period of turmoil and worry, a change that might be valuable in your financial life is improving resiliency – the ability to withstand adverse times. If you've been unfortunate enough to be put out of work, these might need to wait until we return to normal later in the year. But hopefully you can at least be planning now for how you will bounce back stronger than ever. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Today's episode is a bit of a freewheeling one. I've got some dot points down and I'm just going to go off the top of my head here. I wanted to cover off on different questions that I've been getting from our clients and from you guys in the Financial Autonomy community because no doubt if it's a question for a couple of people then it's probably a question for quite a few people. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

I speak with Geoff Grist, real estate agent and author of the book Flip for Cash on the investment potential of buying and improving residential apartments and units in Australia. Buy the book: Flip for Cash by Geoff Grist SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Today's episode is a bit different. I don't have a script and I don't have a guest. I recently ran a community survey to everyone that gets the Gaining Choice email. In this podcast I want to share with you what we learned and some of the ways this information will be used to shape what we produce for you in the future. Thanks for being awesome. Paul SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Hear how Anna built her side hustle whilst studying at uni, and how she now generates hundreds of dollars profit every month with only a few hours work. Anna is a member of the Financial Autonomy community. Anna has been running a side hustle for several years and I was curious to learn how she had found it, what she'd learned, and her plans for the future - I thought what better way for me to get answers to all those questions than to interview her for the podcast so all you guys can learn about Anna's experience too. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Part 2 of How to Start a Side Hustle in Australia - the first part was episode 135 so give that a listen before diving into this one. I've interviewed numerous Side Hustlers over the past 3 years, including Side Hustle guru Nick Loper from the Side Hustle Show, and have conducted my own fair share of entrepreneurial experiments. The time has come therefore to provide the definitive guide to starting a Side Hustle in Australia. A Side Hustle could be the way you earn some extra dollars to pay for an overseas trip. Perhaps it accelerates the repayment of your mortgage. Your ambitions might be grander, with the Side Hustle being your entrée into becoming your own boss and pursuing self-employment or a major career change. Side Hustles can certainly provide choice, and of course that's what we're all about here at Financial Autonomy. So how can you get started with your Side Hustle here in Australia? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Like me, Lacey Filipich is passionate about financial independence and gaining choice in life. She's recently written a book, Money School, so I've invited her on to tell us all about it. Lacey shares her thoughts on how social trends, like conscious consumerism and sustainable lifestyle, have helped Financial Independence gain momentum, especially among younger people. We discuss how the trend towards the gig economy has made younger people interested in finding options to take away the stress of job uncertainty. She talks about changing how people perceive early retirement and introduces the idea of becoming time-rich. We also discuss the common fear of "I've left it too late". I'm sure you'll get a tonne out of our chat. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

I've interviewed numerous Side Hustlers over the past 3 years, including Side Hustle guru Nick Loper from the Side Hustle Show, and have conducted my own fair share of entrepreneurial experiments. The time has come therefore to provide the definitive guide to starting a Side Hustle in Australia. A Side Hustle could be the way you earn some extra dollars to pay for an overseas trip. Perhaps it accelerates the repayment of your mortgage. Your ambitions might be grander, with the Side Hustle being your entrée into becoming your own boss and pursuing self-employment or a major career change. Side Hustles can certainly provide choice, and of course that's what we're all about here at Financial Autonomy. So how can you get started with your Side Hustle here in Australia? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

This week I chat with Kate Campbell, host of the popular podcast How to Money on how she's gone about setting her goals and developing a savings strategy to see them achieved. As you'll hear, she heads off to Europe soon for a 4 month trip, so clearly she's got some ideas that work. I'm sure there's some ideas in here that you can put to use. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

This is part two of the back to the future episodes that we did. Episode 131 is part one of it, if you haven't had a listen to that one yet maybe give that one a listen. A lot of the information contained in these two episodes form the framework or the basis for the Invest in Shares with Confidence online course that we put together. For people that have an interest in building a share portfolio and getting started in terms of investing, we have got that course now which has been really popular. We've been getting some great feedback on it. Check out our online course – Invest in Shares with Confidence. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

This week I chat with retirement coach Jon Glass. Jon talks about the emotional event that occurs when we retire. He explains his analogy of crossing a bridge from salary earning and quite fixed in our weekly activities to having freedom and flexibility. Jon helps people create a new phase of life. Jon has found that most people like to get up in the morning and have some plans for the day. He talks about the different things he and his clients have gotten themselves involved in. I hope you find it valuable. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

We've got a bit of a back to the future episode for you this week, "How to get started Investing in Shares". The original version of this episode came out in late 2018. You can check out the full blog post here. This episode is a two-parter. There's a second part which is called "How to Build an Investment Portfolio" and that will be added in a couple of weeks' time. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

2019 was a bumper year for investors, so can we expect more of the same in 2020? Or is a pullback inevitable? I receive reports almost daily from fund managers and financial institutions. In the last few weeks they've tended to focus on the current state of the global economy and what that means for investment markets. So in this episode I'll be distilling their various insights, and providing my take on a few of them too. I hope you enjoy. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

This week we talk all things Shares with Bryce & Ren from the Equity Mates podcast. We talk investment strategies, the current state of share markets, leverage, our first investments, books we've found helpful, and plenty more. I hope you love it! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Living sustainably is an increasing focus for many of us. This week's guest, Permaculture expert Kat Lavers, shares how growing your own food can not only help in reducing your environmental footprint, but save you money too. In this episode, Kat shares: How she took on a modest inner suburban home in Melbourne and transformed it into an urban farm. What is permaculture. The amazing volume and variety of produce she has been able to produce, and the personal budget impact of that. How much work is involved. The health benefits, both physical and mental. The flexible life Kat has been able to achieve as a result of being so self-reliant for her food needs. Oh, and a YouTube video showing her property has been viewed over 600,000 times! Take a look here: Incredibly Abundant Permaculture Garden in the City | The Plummery I hope you love it. And if you're not already receiving our weekly Gaining Choice email, subscribe for free here. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

In this episode I review the wins and challenges faced during 2019 and look ahead to our plans for Financial Autonomy in 2020. A bit of a pull back the curtain episode that I hope you enjoy. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

This week we talk making the move from employee to self-employment with Amy Irvine a fellow financial planner based in New York. We've each made the transition to self-employment, though Amy more recently than me. We share our experiences. The positives gained, as well as the challenges. Moving to self-employment is definitely a pathway to gaining choice in life, so if it's an option you are considering, I know you'll get a tonne out of this episode. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

If you're to achieve financial independence and gain the choice in life that is our goal here at Financial Autonomy, then it's very helpful if some or perhaps all of your living costs can be met without you needing to put a finger to a keyboard, smile at a customer, or drill a hole to install something or other. Passive Income sources are the key to arriving at this outcome. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

We're talking property this week. I recorded this interview a few months back with John Pidgeon, co-host of the popular podcast, My Millennial Money. John shares his property journey with us and provides some great ideas on creating wealth through property. We discuss: John's first investment property in rural Victoria His thoughts and approach to building wealth through property How John has built a property portfolio to give he and his wife choice in life. Where he thinks the opportunities are now I think there's a tonne of wisdom and knowledge you can get out of this episode, so I really hope you enjoy it. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

If you're to achieve financial independence and gain the choice in life that is our goal here at Financial Autonomy, then it's very helpful if some or perhaps all of your living costs can be met without you needing to put a finger to a keyboard, smile at a customer, or drill a hole to install something or other. Passive Income sources are the key to arriving at this outcome. It's important to recognise that in one way or another, passive income generation requires considerable work up front. So for instance, our third option – buying shares, produces wonderful passive income via dividends, but of course you've had to work and save in the first place in order to have the cash to buy those shares. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

This week's guest went from high school science teacher to being self-employed providing digital marketing services. In the space of 12 months she has grown her business income to over $100,000, and now has 2 staff helping her out. In this episode Brittany shares what sparked her change of career, her use of side hustles through her journey to self-employment, how she built the skills she needed for success, and what she'd do differently if she was starting over. If a career change or move to self-employment is on your radar at some point in the future, this is an episode that you won't want to miss. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

This week's guest rose to become the medical director - head of department as an anaesthesiologist at a large trauma hospital, within 10 years of graduation. He was working really hard, and getting the success that hard work brings. But then: "I remember one night in the middle of a horrible, horrible case. It was a level one trauma. I'm covered in blood. And all of a sudden I realised that I don't know if I could do this anymore. I was exhausted. It had been a 20 plus hour day. I'd been working straight, I was in charge of all the operations for the day. And I thought, man, I don't know if I could do this. And I've painted myself in a corner." In this week's episode, career coach and anonymous podcaster Doc of all Tradez shares how he reinvented his working life and how he helps others do the same. If you're looking for a better balance between work and family life, between earning money and pursuing what gives you joy, and between pursuing the standard script of career success vs playing the long game for your health and happiness, then this episode is for you. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Between 1870 and 1970 our lifesplans more than doubled globally. For the thousands of years of human history prior to this massive leap forward in longevity, most humans did well to make it into their 40's. We lived long enough to reproduce, protect our children until they could fend for themselves, and then we were gone. Yet today in Australia we have a life expectancy of 82.5 years. In wealthy countries like Australia life is lengthening by more than five hours a day, every day. In this week's episode we're going to look at how the traditional picture of what retirement looks like could evolve to better suit the realities of modern day life in Australia. For all things Financial Independence and gaining choice in life, be sure to visit www.financialautonomy.com.au . There's our library of past posts, and over 40 free downloads to help you succeed. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Early retirement via property investment is a key theme of this week's episode. Brad Dantonio, host of the Man Overseas podcast and I, met in Washington earlier in the year and sat down to record this collaboration episode. Brad shares how he's been able to use property investment to retire early. He now lives in a different city around the world every 30 days. We also discuss shares, happiness, NFL, and plenty more. I hope you enjoy it! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

I'm hugely excited to share with you my interview with Nick Loper from the Side Hustle Show podcast. In our chat Nick shares: How a house painting gig over the summer holidays helped set him on a path to entrepreneurship. His first side hustle. How he transitioned from full-time employee to full-time self-employment and some the challenges he faced along the way, not least of which was a huge Google roadblock on day 1 of self-employment that took 3 months to solve. Common ingredients for a successful side hustle. Nick also shares with us some of the highlights from the hundreds of side hustlers and entrepreneurs that he's interviewed over the years. Check out Nick and The Side Hustle show here: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/side-hustle-show/ And be sure to sign-up for our regular Gaining Choice email to set you on the path to Financial Independence.

February 12, 1999. That was the date something never before seen, happened. The Central Bank of Japan, battling persistent recession, cut official interest rates to zero. At the time other central bankers around the world criticised the move. Savers must be rewarded for savings. Borrowers must have to pay something to borrow. Without these basic financial assumptions, does the money world still make sense? Many predicted inflation would result. You will recall back in episode 111 I explored the enormous damage out of control inflation can cause. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

You've probably stumbled across the FIRE acronym before – it stands for Financial Independence Retire Early. It came out of the US and has spawned countless books, podcasts, conferences, and even a movie. Reddit has huge discussion threads devoted to the idea, with the primary thrust seeming to be how young you can achieve early retirement. Now I'm well on board with the first part of FIRE – Financial Independence. But it's the second part – Retire Early, that I have a problem with (as indeed do many in the FIRE community themselves). Financial Independence grants you choice. Choice in how you spend your time, how much of your time you devote to income generating activities, and what sort of income generating activities you do. Having gained that choice, why on earth would you want to retire? In this episode, I explain some alternatives that I've seen bring people happiness. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY