The Financial Independence Show

Cody breaks down his various income streams on the Growth House Podcast and how he used them to reach FI at age 25. If you enjoyed this, please share this episode with a friend! Links From the Episode Jesse Ray on The FI Show Growth House Podcast Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

From an early age, Ramon knew that he wasn’t cut out for corporate America. So, in his early 20s, with only $1,000 to his name, he took a chance and got his real estate license. After many hard lessons yet eventual success, he decided to open his own brokerage just two years later. The astonishing thing is that Ramon opened a brokerage when he was only 24 years old. He now runs one of the top brokerages in the entire country! In this podcast, he shares the entire journey including the ups and downs of the business, revenue and income numbers, and what continues to motivate him. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Ramon’s Instagram Ramon’s YouTube Ramon’s Real Estate Brokerage Ramon’s Real Estate Media Company YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/Fiur7fzktRc Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

How much money you make is certainly an important factor for early retirement. However, it’s not the most important factor. The amount you keep is truly what matters. This is largely driven by how much you spend and how much you give to the government. Giving to the government is a reference to your tax bill and that’s where Tom Wheelwright comes in. Tom runs WealthAbility where he helps business owners permanently lower their tax bill. Many people are giving away thousands of dollars that are rightfully theirs if they fully utilize the tax code. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode WealthAbility Book: Win-Win Wealth Strategy Book: Tax-Free Wealth YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/EEdwspnvQDo Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Cody & Justin both “retired” pretty early and are known to be frugal, but what do they surprisingly splurge on? That’s exactly what you’ll hear in today’s episode. We cover travel, services, luxury items, health, etc. Some things, like Justin’s cell phone upgrades or Cody’s gourmet meats, might surprise you. Overall, it’s abundantly clear after hearing this episode that you can maintain a healthy budget, retire early, and live an amazing life while doing so. Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a financially independent future. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

What’s better than just making money? Making money while you sleep. Ryan Hogue joins us today to give us a major deep dive into several passive income streams. The two big ones are fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and print-on-demand (POD). Print-on-demand is especially compelling because it requires no risk and is extremely passive. Just come up with an idea…or even just a word. Customers get that on a shirt, bag, mug etc. Or maybe you can find a unicorn product to sell via Amazon FBA. Ryan has built up $50K/mo in passive income with these side hustles! You won’t want to miss this one as Ryan brings all the real-world details so you can give these streams a try. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Ryan’s Courses Ryan’s YouTube Channel Ryan’s Website Passive Income Podcast Cody’s Digital Product Workshop YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/cbjTJk-UNRs Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

W-2 jobs don’t often get a ton of love in the financial independence space. However, we’d argue it’s the most likely path for the largest percentage of people. Especially when you learn how to really squeeze all the value out of that career. Brian Feroldi joins us to discuss just how to do that. Specifically how to leverage Stock-Based Compensation (SBC). It’s possible that the stock your company gives you makes you more money than your entire salary. But it can be a nuanced subject with terms like Options, RSUs, vesting period, etc Make no mistake, the golden handcuffs get their name honestly. This compensation is a tactic to hold onto the best and give you a big reason to stick around just one more year (then one more…) It also aligns you and the business to the same overall goal via incentives. That goal is to maximize profits because if the company wins, you also win. You may have been curious about Stock-based Compensation or maybe you’re already in this world but need more clarity. Either way, this episode will answer all those burning questions and show you how to maximize every last drop of your W-2 job. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Long Term Mindset Brian’s YouTube Brian’s X (aka Twitter) Brian’s Instagram Brian’s Website YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/KNd7r1uJD7I Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

The podcast has been around for more than 5 years. That means it’s actually old enough to follow our entire journey to financial independence. Jesse Ray was listening to our episodes back in 2020 sitting in his cubicle. Less than 2 years later, he retired from the corporate world and we’re pumped to bring you his story today. Jesse has cultivated a co-living brand (Growth House) and real estate portfolio. He takes homes, adds bedrooms, and rents out the rooms individually. We’ve seen this before, but Jesse took it a step further. He’s specifically marketed his homes for entrepreneurs who want to better each other and share common interests. This means there’s a true community and respect for his homes you typically don’t see. After purchasing just two of these homes, he had enough cash flow to cover all his expenses! He acquired both homes in under 2 years, making it one of the fastest paths to financial independence we’ve ever seen. Tune in for the full breakdown and as always, thanks for listening! Links from The Episode Jesse on Instagram Growth House Site Growth House Podcast YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/gB4kVDRN-zw Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Who doesn’t want to vacation more? Too bad it’s so expensive… But what if it was cheaper than living your normal day-to-day life? Introducing Geohacking. Geohacking is when you rent out your primary residence while you travel to a cheaper cost-of-living part of the world. Justin and his fiancé Leslie just recently spent a week in Puerto Vallarta. The cost of their oceanside condo, roundtrip flights, and multiple excursions was less than what they earned from renting out their house in Austin, TX for 4 days. They actually got paid to go on vacation. In this episode, we unpack this idea of Geohacking and teach you exactly how to get started. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

In today’s episode, Cody and Justin are joined by the insurance guru from Simply Insurance, Sa El. Sa El got started after a tragedy in the family and is now trying to make sure that never has to happen to anyone else. In this episode, we cover every type of personal insurance: Health Dental Life Renters Car and more We also jump into the problems with our health insurance system in the United States and things on the horizon to give us more transparency. For you money nerds like us, we also discuss parent’s life insurance and how becoming the Owner/Payer/Beneficiary of the policy might be a good financial move. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Links From the Episode Simply Insurance Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

A financially independent life sounds pretty amazing, but do you want to spend it alone? Most people want time to spend with their loved ones, and none more than their life partner. Maybe you already have yours, or maybe you’ve never even considered how this would change your path. Either way, today’s episode is for you. This episode was inspired by Justin’s recent engagement! The guys discuss several areas around the topic of financial independence with a life partner including: Tax benefits mentality shift priorities changing lessons learned and more Most of the discussion is high level but we do get in the details a bit more on one subject, and that’s the real estate pro designation. All in all, we think life is better with a partner and their addition is nothing but positive in terms of a path to financial independence. Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a financially independent future. Links from the Show Real Estate Pro Designation Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Our favorite part of the financial independence community is just that, the community. And no one embodies the principle of community better than Matt and Joel. They are also the dynamic duo behind HowToMoney and the How to Money Podcast. We’re such huge fans of these guys that we decided to dig into the archives and replay their episode for our listeners who may have missed this one. This fantastic conversation unwraps their backstory and tons of tangible tips on saving money without sacrifice. From groceries to real estate, to building a community for their young families, this episode is great for all audiences. Go give it a listen and let us know what you think! Links from The Episode Their Website: HowToMoney.com Their Podcast: How To Money Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Scott Trench and the folks at BiggerPockets have made real estate investing much more approachable for a massive amount of people. They’ve truly built a holistic empire of real estate education. And while we’ve had Scott on the show before, it was a few years ago, and a lot can change in a few years. In today’s episode, we focus on the state of real estate and the economy as a whole. What does Scott think is going to happen over the next 1, 5, or 10 years? Has his real estate investing philosophy changed since the last time we talked? Tune in for the full breakdown and as always, thanks for listening! Links from The Episode Scott’s Bigger Pockets Profile Bigger Pockets Money Yardi Multifamily Report Investor Friendly Agents Investor Friendly Lenders YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/1YV1SQ5WslQ Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

When it comes to networking, Mason Miranda is world-class. Within his first year of investing in real estate, he was able to purchase 62 units… with none of his own money. Tune in to hear the tactics and strategies he used to pull this off. And as always, if you enjoyed it, please share this episode with a friend! Links From the Episode Mason’s Instagram Mason’s Facebook YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/OPtqnFOkoWs?si=B22NwVX2Vjaw_Z0h Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a potentially life-altering event to step back and reevaluate your life. For our guest Joel, it was a potentially fatal car crash that his wife was involved in. Luckily she was okay! But it was certainly a wake-up call. After much reflection, they figured out what they truly valued and cut down their monthly expenses by a whopping 70%… Yes, 70%! These changes allowed them to reach financial independence just 4 years later. Our favorite quote was “My worst-case scenario, is everyone else’s everyday scenario”. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

What is that one thing you know would make you happy? The problem with that answer, is that often what we know turns out not to be true. We often think we need more (time, things, square footage, vacations, etc). In reality, what we need to be happy is already within reach, the real problem is our mindset or confusion of priorities. Cody and Justin reflect on travels to places where people have so much less material wealth but so much more happiness. They also cover the mental traps around chasing more they’ve fallen victim to. The warning to the audience is to ensure you don’t delay happiness while on your journey to financial independence. Delaying gratification of a purchase may be necessary but you have enough today to be happy…so don’t delay your happiness. We’re all so incredibly adaptable in both a positive and negative way. Be confident and know that you can make it through life regardless of how abundant your possessions are, but also be careful not to adapt to luxuries so that they no longer become special or meaningful. Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a financially independent future. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

When your goal is financial freedom, your tax strategies may look a bit different than the average Joe or Jane. In this episode with Keith from the Wealthy Accountant (originally aired in 2019), we dive into some of the best tax strategies for the FIRE community and how you can benefit. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Wealthy Accountant Website Wealthy Accountant Twitter Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Can you really pursue financial independence at a young age and still live an exciting life? Frivolous hobbies have to take a back seat right? Sean and Alex are living proof that you can indeed build a life full in both riches of money and experience. Justin got introduced to Sean and Alex when they reached out for some financial coaching. It was quickly obvious that this couple had accomplished a ton already and had a massive amount of potential going forward. They had already mastered the hardest part to teach. The mentality. Alex lived in a sailboat at one point, and Sean did some serious house hacking when he rented out rooms in an 8-bedroom house. It’s another great example of how there is no blueprint, you just have to be creative and seek value that aligns with your values. They overcame some huge student loan debts, have amassed a $750k net worth, and will be financially independent in months! Keep in mind they did all this while traveling the world, owning a plane, flying to every state in the country, skiing, running marathons… Really too much to capture. They have packed in more adventure than about any couple I know and are right on track for an early retirement. We hope you enjoyed us showcasing a story of people still on the journey and will be inspired by their amazing yet repeatable path. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Sean’s Instagram Alex’s Instagram Sean’s website YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/_JcX1_zcM3g Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

We’re money experts and would never fall for a financial trap right? Not exactly… Over the course of our lives, we’ve made some pretty bad money moves. It is scary to think about how much more money we could have had at age 65 if we hadn’t blown that money. But we’re all human, and we all make mistakes. And that’s really what we want you to take away today. Understand that making mistakes is part of the journey, the important part is that you learn from them. What were some of these mistakes? Expensive cars that wiped out savings Major percentages of net worth wasted on a single volatile stock Whole life insurance policy Thinking you’ve outsmarted the market More If we really examine these, most come down to emotions. Getting sucked into the excitement of getting rich. In reality, the math to financial independence is fairly simple, the hard part is staying the course. Make a plan, and stick to it, regardless of the hype cycle and you’ll be rich one day. Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a financially independent future. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

This episode is a re-air of the Fit Rich Life Podcast episode which explores Justin Taylor’s journey of utilizing creativity and determination to accumulate freedom-giving wealth. Get a step-by-step breakdown of just how he reached financial independence at age 30. In this episode, you will learn about: Using Adversity as Fuel to Pursue Higher Education How Justin Reversed Engineered His Way to Happiness Justin’s Use of Creative Thinking to Reach Millionaire Status CampFI: A Camp for Financial Independence and Wealth Creation The Mega Backdoor Roth Strategy Justin’s Journey to Financial Freedom Fitness Transformation & Much More! Key Quotes: “Do what’s best for you, not what’s expected of you.” – Justin Taylor “If you weigh your food, you don’t have to weigh your body.” – Justin Taylor “I’m not living a restricted life whatsoever. I’m just very efficient with my money, and I only spend it on the things that move the needle for me.” – Justin Taylor “Anything you do in life with the right mindset, you can make it fun and cool.” – Justin David Carl Links from the Episode CampFI The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement Backdoor Roth How-to The Financial Independence Show – Episode 188 Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

What does it cost to travel the world full-time? $250,000? $100,000? $50,000? Jess Wang has been traveling ever since she quit her job in 2019 and has now visited a total of 64 countries (with a mission of reaching 100 within the next two years). In this episode, she breaks down: How she set herself up financially to retire at age 43 The real costs of full-time travel (category by category) How she managed to visit 40+ countries since retirement Tips & strategies for FI-friendly traveling How she finds accommodation, flights, and food Her favorite and least favorite destinations What you think you need vs. what you actually need And many more travel-related topics. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Remote Year Skyscanner YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/io9OGu8LgFQ Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Becoming a very successful lawyer and pulling in almost 7-figures sounds like the ultimate dream for many. But for Rachel Rodgers, that was just the beginning. The real beginnings for Rachel started in New York without a lot of money or money talks. Rachel was exposed to how the other half lived though, and that inspired her to chase after a lucrative career. That is what sent her toward practicing law. After building out a very successful practice, she realized it wasn’t law that she enjoyed. She enjoyed the art of building businesses. Rachel also realized that she could help a lot of under-represented people do the same. Today, you can find Rachel running HelloSeven where she’s doing just that. HelloSeven’s mission statement is pretty powerful: Our mission is to help you make more money. Period. We teach you how to increase your income, build wealth, and earn 7 figures per year without sacrificing your family, health, or sanity in the process. Rachel has truly built an impressive business and community of business owners. Make sure to check the links below to see the great works that Rachel has authored and will author in the future. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode HelloSeven Rachel’s Book – We Should All Be Millionaires Rachel’s New Audio Book – Six Figure Side Hustle YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/S3VKMaaz3HQ Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Who needs a financial advisor when you have TikTok right? Be careful where you get your financial advice from. The internet is full of confident people, spouting absolute garbage. Some are trying to take your money. Some are trying to get clicks. And some are… just dumb honestly. No worries though, we’re here to make sure you always have a top-notch financial education. Today, we’ll have a little fun picking apart some of these bad takes. Some topics include: Are you destined to run out of money with the 4% rule? Are credit cards just a scam? Is there a foolproof way to get fancy things like Rolex watches for free? Do you have way too much cash in your accounts? How owning a house actually does cost money It’s wild how confident some of these people seem to be with their views. Financial misinformation is super dangerous and could lead you into some very bad spots. While we had fun with this one and some are almost comically bad takes, be careful out there. Remember, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is (except the Mega backdoor Roth of course) Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a financially independent future. Links from the Episode Hilarious TikTok advice Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Last week we talked about starting a business in 60 minutes or less. No website, no logo, no business plan, just a solution to a problem and a way to collect payment. And today’s guest, Brian Luebben, did just that. In fact, Brian was able to bring in over $100,000 in just 48 hours. You’ll hear all about it in the episode. Brian is the author of the new book From Passive to Passionate and host of The Action Academy Podcast. We brought you Brian’s backstory in episode 203. Today, we’ll dive into the evolution of Brian and reflect on his book and the strides he’s taken in business. This includes converting a flurry of free offerings into a roster of paying customers. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Action Academy (tell them we sent you) Brian’s Book Brian’s Podcast Brian’s Instagram Brian’s first appearance on The FI Show YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/k3JytByDFKc Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Whether it’s a path to financial independence or an outlet post-retirement, starting your own business could be a great goal. But that’s got to be really hard right? Today, we’re bringing you a step-by-step walkthrough to starting that business with almost no effort. What do you actually need to start a business? Probably a lot less than you think. The biggest takeaways you should have are: You don’t have to invent the next big thing, just provide a product/service that’s slightly better than the competition You don’t need a business plan, just a landing spot for people to see and sign up for your product/service. You can always add additional layers to the business after you launch Deciding what you want to do, or what you want to call it might be difficult, but if you have an idea you are passionate about, don’t let the fear of starting a “real” business hold you back. Now go out there, create that new income stream, and let us hear about it in the Facebook Group. Thank you all for listening and may this episode inspire you to start your very own business. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Retiring early sounds like an incredible goal. But to get there, you’ll need either amazing luck, your own business, or to hit it big on a risky investment. Don’t you? Today’s guest, Bob Haines, is here to showcase why that’s not true at all. Bob’s story is one that’s likely much more relatable for you than many of our other guests. He started saving young, he leveraged his skills to continuously push for raises, he invested, and he retired early. It really can be that simple. Bob’s grandmother instilled in him a very aggressive target for saving. Save 90% of every dollar from a raise. That would ensure that his lifestyle would see small increases while hopefully, his income could see giant leaps. Bob also always pushed for his worth. He didn’t just take the pay he was offered and settle. All too often, employees get fed up with their pay, make up their minds it’s time to go, and magically their employer can offer them a raise. Surprise! They always could have paid you more, but why would they if you didn’t ask for it? The other lesson you can take away is to bring your research. Bob actually took salary surveys and approached his boss for a >50% raise. His boss agreed he was worth it, but couldn’t pay him. The main reason was relativity. Yes, Bob was worth it, but if more senior members weren’t making that, how could Bob get paid that? And in some companies, it’s just the percentage increase in general that has limits, not the pay itself. So if you start out low, you’re always fighting an uphill battle. This is why job-hopping can be such a powerful tool. You take away the HR restriction that a pay increase can only be 10% because you’re coming in as a fresh hire. Bob would hop roles and companies every few years to maximize earnings (one year over $500K). In the end, Bob was actually already financially independent before it was a goal of his or even a term he knew. Today, Bob and his family are traveling the world and have actually seen their net worth grow. Bob’s story showcases that you can indeed reach financial independence the old-fashioned way. Just a skill, an employer, and a simple investment portfolio. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Bob’s Twitter Bob’s Instagram YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/KAcHDhAQKyg Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Another year down! The guys break down what they accomplished in 2023 and where they stand going into 2024. They’re entering 2024 with a combined net worth of $4.2M while also being in the best shape of their lives. Cody is now married and Justin is now retired. Those are some major life updates and it’s amazing how much changes each and every year. Justin had his first calendar year of giving up alcohol and Cody keeps adding to his list of successful businesses. The guys break down the episode into three major categories: Wealth Health Travel It’s a financial podcast so of course there are financial hacks covered with resources provided. But the journey is so much more than just finances. Health and wellness are also huge topics in this episode. Then the episode is rounded out by covering the laundry list of awesome travel and experiences from 2023. The road to financial independence doesn’t have to be one of boring sacrifice. This gets reinforced through Justin and Cody’s lifestyle every year. In 2024 we’re confident we’ll end up happier, wealthier, armed with new experiences, and well over 2 million downloads on the podcast! Thank you all for listening and may this episode help you on your path to a happy, healthy, and financially independent future. Links from the Episode Cody’s Financial Hacks Qualified Small Business Stock Multiple Employer, 401-k Contributions Real Estate Professional Status Justin’s Retirement Journey Documentation Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

This episode is an interview with Cody from October 2022 on the Action Academy Podcast where he explains how he reached FI at 25 and built a 7-figure business. If you enjoyed it, please share this episode with a friend! Links From the Episode Action Academy Podcast Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Hopefully, you’re not tired of making money with little to no effort. Today, Joseph Woodbury, Founder of Neighbor, is here to give us another way to do just that. The concept started out simple enough during college. Someone needed storage but didn’t want to pay top-dollar or drive to a crummy storage facility. So what if instead, you just paid your neighbor a fraction of the amount and dropped it off down the street? That’s exactly what Neighbor is. Joseph gives us the full breakdown of how they went from a Google sheet and knocking on doors, to the only storage company operating in all 50 states. You’ll also hear some great stories of both huge and small-scale ways people are making passive income via Neighbor. From a spot under someone’s bed in NY to large fields in rural America. Some have even gone so far as to build structures simply to put them on Neighbor. We love this concept however because no work is really needed. If you have space available that you aren’t using anyway, set up your rules and rent it to a neighbor. There’s rarely such a win-win. You get passive income, and they get a safer and more friendly experience at a fraction of the cost. We can’t wait to hear how much you’re able to make renting out that empty garage, parking spot, or yes, maybe even a spot under your bed. As always, if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Links From the Episode Neighbor Joseph Woodbury YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/2McKZN2M3eM Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

It’s likely you’ve come up with a brilliant-sounding business idea but didn’t go after it. Or maybe you wanted to be your own boss but were overwhelmed by getting started. The biggest reason most people don’t start or don’t succeed at starting a business is money. Maybe they run out of money before the business is profitable. Maybe they just never even start because of the fear of losing the investment needed to start. But what if you didn’t need any money to get started? That’s exactly what Alan Donegan is teaching people across the world how to do. He created the Rebel Business School to spread his methodology and help would-be business owners get started even when they have no starting capital. Alan was raised by a successful entrepreneur who ended up bankrupt due to being overleveraged. It almost scared Alan away from being a business owner himself. Instead, he developed mindsets and methodologies to avoid ever getting into that leveraged position. He shares successful stories from businesses you’d never expect to be able to get started without money. These include an escape room and even a restaurant. We hope this episode helps get you past that last bit of fear holding you back and start that business of your dreams. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Alan’s Website Rebel Business School Website Rebel Business School Instagram Rebel Business School YouTube YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/zn0i2QwKeq0 Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Today has been a long time coming… When we started this podcast Justin’s, net worth was less than $300k. His goal was to retire in 2034. Fast forward 5 years and he’s blown past those metrics and goals. Justin had planned on retiring in June of 2024, once his restricted stock matured. Due to an acquisition of his company, which led to a layoff, that timeline was accelerated. It’s all good news though! He still gets his pay and his stock and gets to retire that much sooner. Justin had already been Financially Independent, but now he gets to tack on the RE to the FIRE acronym. So yep… It looks like at age 33 and just over $1.5M, Justin is RETIRED!!! What will retirement look like? Well, if you know Justin, you know he’s extremely transparent. So he’ll be documenting exactly what he does every day for his 150 days of severance to give everyone a peek behind the curtain. In this episode, we cover: Negotiating severance (or not) The do’s and don’ts of layoffs RSUs and vested company stock The WARN act What to do with your 401K Justin’s future and so much more If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend! Links from the Episode Justin’s Log of daily activities in retirement Justin’s Blog -> The daily log may move here eventually Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Everyone loves seeing their hard-earned money dwindle away to the tax man right? Obviously not! The most powerful techniques generally come to business owners and real estate investors. Ryan Blakke, from Learn Like a CPA, is an expert in these techniques. He’s seen hundreds of returns that individuals did themselves…and only 1 who actually did it correctly. That means if you’re putting all your trust in turbo-tax, you’re probably leaving money on the table. Cost segregation, the Augusta rule, and resetting your cost basis when giving to charities are just some of the tips Ryan brings to this episode. As we near the end of 2023, you’ll want to make sure you take action on some of these tips before it’s too late. It’s always a great episode when we hear about strategies we never knew existed. It no doubt brought value to our lives, and we hope you can say the same for yourself. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Work with Ryan Learn Like a CPA Instagram Learn Like a CPA Podcast Learn Like a CPA Twitter Learn Like a CPA YouTube YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/qqGKkMxHngU Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

It’s Thanksgiving and we’ve got so much to be thankful for. We kick off the episode with some shocking stats that show just how privileged we all are to be seeking financial independence in the first place. Stats across the world such as Average income Average net worth Average daily spending How many people own a car Most of our audience makes more in a week than some of the world makes in a year. We’re incredibly thankful for the opportunities we’ve been given to chase after. We were fortunate enough to be born into a country where we have a stable stock market, we have financing for homes, and we have countless income-generating opportunities. We also try to help the audience score some deals this holiday season…it wouldn’t be a FI Show episode without some actionable tips. Check the Flipp app to see who’s offering deals like a free turkey. Set up an Ibotta account for a free Thanksgiving meal. Set alerts on Slickdeals so that you don’t miss out on any Black Friday opportunities. There’s even a tip in the episode to avoid overeating during the big feast. We round out the episode by listing out a few things we’re thankful for that felt relevant to the show. One thing Justin mentioned was being thankful for being financially prepared for any situation. This is highlighted because he may be getting laid off next week… So definitely come back for those updates. The FI Show is so thankful for everyone who has taken time out of their day to give us a listen. We hope we’ve helped in some little way along your journey. If so, we hope you can share this episode with a friend! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Many people feel like a lack of capital and insider information for good deals is keeping them from starting their real estate journey. But what if you could just use someone else’s money? And what if you could find deals directly on the MLS? Jaren, aka Finance Cowboy, is doing just that. He’s not trying to implement any complex strategies. Jaren is finding deals on the MLS that need to be rehabbed, forcing appreciation, refinancing to get his money out, and moving on to the next property. This is commonly referred to as the BRRRR strategy. Buy Rehab Rent Refinance Repeat Another cool thing about Jaren’s story is that he actually still has his W-2. Even though he’s a multi-millionaire and could live off rental income, he’s got a great gig and doesn’t plan on leaving. All too often W-2 employment gets looked down on in the personal finance community. The reality is that W-2 does come with its benefits (health insurance, 401k, steady pay, etc). Jaren has taken a career in sales and combined it with an impressive real estate portfolio to design a life that’s perfect for him. We always love to bring you a realistic story that’s repeatable, and Jaren embodies that perfectly. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Finance Cowboy Instagram Finance Cowboy Twitter Jaren’s YouTube Jaren’s Podcast YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/4348MylLS9s Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Today, we’re re-airing a fan favorite from 2019. Colin Jones was a substitute math teacher and a friend had given him a book on card counting. Once the friend was making $80/hr, Colin decided he should give it a try. To get started, he took $2k of the $6k that he and his wife had saved up. Eventually, after hundreds of hours and study and play, Colin was making $430/hr. And his team was regularly making $500k+ in a year. Now, he’s more focused on teaching others the skill of card counting. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Listen and read below to hear this incredible story. Links from the Episode Colin’s Website: Blackjack Apprenticeship Colin’s Book: The 21st Century Card Counter A snippet from the mentioned documentary Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Real estate prices are out of control… right? In today’s episode, you’ll hear how Justin bought a house for just $5,000. No, that’s not a typo, $5K! The craziest thing is that the place is in decent condition: Single level Concrete foundation Simplest roof possible No interior water damage This house is a big project, but Justin estimates he can finish everything for under $25,000. After running the numbers, this property should blow the 1% rule out of the water. Justin is expecting to rent from anywhere between $700-$850 depending on how nice he ends up making it and how it’s rented. We’ll definitely be sharing updates about this one-of-a-kind property in future podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Today, we’re re-airing a popular episode from 2019 on frugal vs. cheap with Jen Smith, co-host of the Frugal Friends Podcast. In the beginning, Jen and her husband find themselves in $78k of total debt. They didn’t have a ton of income, so Jen tried to add on three side hustles on top of her job. This stressed her out so much that she ended up with shingles. In totality, between all their work and side hustles, they were bringing in up to $88k. Their original goal was to be debt-free in 5 years… But in the end, it turned out to only take 23 months! In this episode, we also cover: How to be frugal “the right way” Frugality without deprivation Frugal vs. Cheap Enjoying the FI journey and so much more. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links from the Episode Jen’s Podcast Jen’s Blog Jen’snstagram Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Today, we’re re-airing one of our most popular episodes from early 2019. Paula Pant is always conducting great interviews herself but today she’s the one answering questions. She walks us through her amazing story of only three traditional years of employment, traveling the world, and the steps she took to secure her financial independence. There is something for everyone in this episode. You’ve got philosophy, entrepreneurship, freelancing, and even some great real estate tips. This discussion also gets into focusing also on increasing income and not just being consumed by minimizing expenses. Paula calls this “The gap” or the delta between your earnings and expenses. Paula graduated college in 2005 and started at a newspaper making $25k per year. She worked there 3 years topping out at $31k per year. On the side, she was freelancing and earned an additional $25k on the side in a travel fund She then quit her job and left her lease in 2008. Paula backpacked around Egypt, Cambodia, and other countries on a budget of $1k per month and then returned to go full-time freelancing. She began taking her excess income and investing in real estate. In this episode, we also discuss how more of the focus in the financial independence space should be on the income side of the equation vs the spending part of the equation. This led us to the discussion of “The Gap” or the difference between earning and spending not necessarily just one side of the equation. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links from the Episode Paula’s Instagram Paula’s Twitter Paula’s Website Paula’s Free Ebook Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Can you imagine owning a full-fledged brick-and-mortar business at age 15? That’s exactly the position Sam Wegert found himself in. Sam was homeschooled with his seven siblings which allowed them to all focus on what they were best at. At 15 years old, with a loan of $15,000 from his parents, he purchased his first martial arts school and graduated high school that same year. Over the next 15 years, he expanded to 6 brick and mortar locations and through COVID built an online program. His company, UpLevel Martial Arts has grown to over 1,500 students and has trained more than 20,000 students in martial art. Those schools generate over $200,000/month in sales. As he built his martial arts empire, he also partnered with his wife to jump into real estate, specifically a strategy called co-living. Together they now manage over 200 doors generating over 100,000/month in gross rental income. Co-living is when you focus on renting by the room and increasing the number of rooms in a given home while providing common area amenities. There are marketplaces that help you find investment opportunities or rooms to rent yourself. Sam became financially independent at age 23 and has built a 7-figure business that’s almost completely passive. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Sam’s Co-Living Challenge Sam’s Instagram Sam’s TikTok Sam’s Website PadSplit (Co-living Marketplace) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/I2WDtiAD2iA Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

In today’s episode, Cody and Justin bring you back to one of our favorite episodes ever! This is the story of Jimmy Ridenhour who, unlike most of our guests, has no blog, book, or podcast. This was actually Jimmy’s first interview ever. That doesn’t mean his story isn’t remarkable. Jimmy’s story starts out with a very tragic start that involves murder and family turmoil but he amazingly finds his way to success and has an unmatched amount of positive vibes when you meet him in person. After that tragic start, Jimmy landed on his feet (literally) as a mailman at age 18. While most people his age were racking up college debt, he was bringing in upwards of $80k a year while he put in 70+ hour weeks. This allowed him to purchase his first home for $125k and have it paid off at age 23. At age 27, Jimmy had five properties which generated enough cash flow for him to live on. His expenses were only $1,300 per month so he had an extreme amount of flexibility for his future. Jimmy’s #1 tip is to just get started because you’ll learn so much from the first house. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

The goal for real estate is to generate as much cash flow as possible and/or own as many doors as possible right? What if you realized the real goal is just to generate enough income to satisfy your desired lifestyle? That may seem obvious, but too often investors fixate on a high score instead of focusing on happiness. Coach Carson has previously joined us on the very first episode of The Financial Independence Show. In that episode, we cover Chad’s background in detail but today we focus on the topic of his new book. That topic is the concept of the Small and Mighty real estate investor. The root of this concept is focusing on achieving the least number of doors needed to cover your lifestyle. Chad explains how chasing the least needed is much healthier than chasing the most possible. More properties equate to more headaches, and why have stress if you’ve already won? If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Book: Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor Chad’s Website Chad’s Instagram Chad’s Twitter Chad’s Free Tools YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/U85lcE_ibS0 Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Sometimes personal finance can just sound like a bunch of jargon. Today’s episode gives you all the foundational definitions you need to navigate your FI journey. We have episodes that dive deeper into some of these topics (linked below). But today is all about explaining the lingo you might hear on the show week to week. Some of the investing terms we discuss include: ETFs vs. Index Funds Expense Ratios The 4% Rule / Rule of 25 Rule of 72 Tax-advantaged accounts IRAs / 401Ks We hope this empowers you to confidently speak to your investing journey and help others along the way. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Links from the Episode The deep-dive episode on Roth vs. Traditional The deep-dive episode on the 4% rule The deep-dive episode on the Mega Backdoor Roth and Solo 401K Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Can you really retire at 27? That’s what Jon Farber is here to talk us through today. He was able to achieve financial freedom at 27 and leave his tech sales job via real estate. He started with house hacking, and then eventually scaled up to include a portfolio of long-term rentals and short-term rentals. He’s also dabbled in online courses and runs a real estate software business helping people find deals. Since reaching financial freedom, Jon now splits his time between the U.S. and Columbia. He has a team of virtual assistants who currently help with the day-to-day and growing of the business. He’s basically been able to put his 7-figure business empire on autopilot. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Jon’s Instagram Jon’s Twitter Jon’s Website YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/HRkppxCstdw Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

If you want to make it big in real estate you need some sort of advantage, right? A big social media following, experience, connections… something. Our guest today, Soli Cayetano from Lattes and Leases, will show you how that couldn’t be further from the truth. In 2020, Soli was a senior in college trying to navigate a pandemic. She had no family in real estate, no rich uncle, and no investment experience. Plus, she lived in the Bay Area — one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country. She became obsessed with educating herself about real estate investing and surrounded herself with accomplished investors. Fresh out of college at 22, she built up the courage to purchase an out-of-state investment property in Cincinnati, Ohio — and the rest was history. After working her 9-5, she would continue to work 5-9 to build her real estate portfolio. She went from having no social media or connections in real estate to using social media to raise $5M+ in private capital and buying 25+ units in less than 2 years. This allowed her to replace her income, quit her job, and become a full-time real estate investor. Today, she can be found traveling the world and teaching others how to reach financial independence via real estate. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Out of State Investor Academy (Free Summit) Follow Soli on Instagram Lattes and Leases Website YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/q3M22CunX_Y Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Retiring early is certainly not a race, but the guests we have today are one of the fastest we’ve ever seen to do it. James and Emily retired in less than 2 years from the day they began making moves towards early retirement. They both had frugal habits with James coming from an especially low-income background. They met at a local community college and were both able to graduate college debt-free through a mix of financial aid and a little help from parents. Emily would take a job starting at $60k and James was at $35k per year in Huntsville, Alabama. Even though they were in an affordable area with $95k of income, they weren’t saving a dime. In 2016, James was at work and someone said they came across a website that changed their life. The website was Mr. Money Mustache. James immediately dove into this site as well then came home adjusting water heaters and spitting out all the things they were going to cut from their lives…probably too aggressively he’ll admit. They estimate they cut their expenses down to $35k the next year after discovering the topic. After cutting their expenses down as low as they could they looked to accelerate their path even more through real estate investing. They bought their first property in the Summer of 2017 and quickly scaled to 11 properties. Most of these units were purchased for under $50k, and all of them bring in over 1% of the cost back via rent. Example: A $50k house that brings in $500 is bringing in 1% every month All of the homes were bought using traditional mortgages and when they retired, they had enough money cash flowing every month to cover over 2x their expenses. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode James’ and Emily’s Website Follow them on Instagram Their Short-Term Rental Course All Their Free Resources Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

You can learn the mechanics and math needed to reach financial independence in a couple of weeks. The math is intimidating to so many people but it’s not the math that keeps most people from reaching their goals. It’s their mindset. That’s where Adam Coelho’s expertise comes in. Adam Coelho is the host of The Mindful FIRE Podcast, a show about crafting a life you love and making work optional using mindfulness, envisioning, and financial independence. Adam believes crafting a life you love starts with answering the question “What do I truly want?”. He helps people answer that question so they can start living the life they dream of right now. He’s also a father, husband, entrepreneur, speaker and facilitator. For the last 13 years Adam has worked in sales at Google, where in addition to his core role, he’s taught mindfulness, envisioning, and emotional intelligence to over 2,500 Googlers around the world. We truly believe that these mentality skills are even more important than any level of comprehension to something like a tax code. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Free Envisioning Guide Mindful FIRE Website Adam’s LinkedIn Adam’s Instagram YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/z3cO_nH9yP8 Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

The internet is a dangerous place. It’s full of amazing resources yet also some really bad advice. This is especially true in the realm of personal finance. TikTok has some of the most terrible and untrue statements about personal finance but Twitter (X) is always reliable right? Wrong. In this episode, we take you through some really terrible takes on personal finance and share our opinions. We hope you have as much fun listening to this as we did recording. The main tweets we cover include: “You can’t personal finance your way out of poverty” “If you struggle to save anything, allow yourself the opportunity to go broke” “401Ks are a scam” “The best form of leverage is to be debt free” “Most people who are successful are actually quite dumb. Most were lucky.” Making an argument that young people shouldn’t save -> “Getting a taste of the good life (going out to nice dinners, nice vacations) will make you want to work harder for those things” Defining a credit score -> “It’s an I love debt score” “If you’re working on paying off debt, the only time you should see the inside of a restaurant is if you’re working there.” “How people don’t retire early: dividends, real estate, side hustles, Biz Insider BS” If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

We like to think we put out some of the best financial independence content for you as a podcast listener. But it’s hard to argue that Brad Barrett has influenced more podcast listeners than just about anyone else in the financial independence space. Brad is the host of the wildly successful podcast, ChooseFI. ChooseFI has been downloaded over 65 million times with 4,700+ 5-star reviews. In today’s episode, we touch on some of the following with Brad: How he discovered financial independence His main takeaways after hundreds of interviews How the FI space has changed over the last several years Why the small details don’t matter Designing your dream life on your FI journey and much more If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode ChooseFI The FI Weekly Newsletter YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/PVmZN9nkVaE Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

We’re hopping in the time machine and re-airing one of our most popular episodes. In this episode, we share our opinion on some of the biggest money topics. While this episode originally aired in 2019, our views have remained largely the same. These tips have helped us grow our combined net worth to over $3.5M! So don’t sleep on the fundamentals. Some of the major topics include: Credit Card Balances We discuss why you should ALWAYS be using a credit card The need for setting up autopay to pay off the full balance Neither of us recommends carrying any balance Rent vs Buy Keep in mind closing costs, HOAs, insurance, etc It’s much more complicated than just comparing a mortgage to your rent If you can go beyond and do things like house hacking, then buying is certainly a great option New vs Used Justin recommends buying a car that’s 5 years old on a deal Then keep that car for two to three years and try to sell it before you hit 100k Good vs Bad Debt Obviously, there is some debt that’s terrible such as credit cards with 15% interest Then there is a middle ground where it’s debt that doesn’t earn revenue but allows you to invest more Going to College Going to a community college first isn’t a no-brainer It’s so important to be intentional Many trades and technical skills don’t require a college degree Filling Up Savings Accounts Inflation can be destructive Many people have avoided investing during uncertain times Buy and hold Life Insurance What kind should you get? Does whole life insurance ever make sense? What do the experts say (our episode with Sa El) Financial Advisors There’s value to using a tax specialist but most don’t need a financial advisor It may be a good idea to pay a one-time fee for an advisor to help set up a plan you’re comfortable with These advisors often charge at least 1% which can really add up You can see how much these fees are costing you by using Empower’s Fee Analyzer tool. We truly believe these fundamentals can radically change your life regardless how far you are into your journey. If you got value out of this episode, please share it with a friend! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Buying a home and then flipping it or renting it isn’t the only way to be a real estate investor. What if you could just find incredible deals on homes and then line up a buyer looking for a good deal to flip or buy? That’s exactly what Mike DeHaan from the Collecting Keys podcast is doing, and it’s the core of what wholesale real estate is. Mike started in real estate by hustling to complete a few flips and using the proceeds to buy his first rental properties. Eventually, he started to feel a bit burnt out though. Instead of flipping the properties himself, Mike decided to sell the right to buy the properties to other investors (aka wholesaling) and the rest is history. As of today, Mike owns over $12 million worth of real estate and has completed 300+ transactions. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Collecting Keys Podcast Collecting Keys YouTube channel Mike’s Instagram YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/6XU7ez8udEI Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

We typically focus a lot on the micro (saving, earning, and investing), but today, we’re talking all about the macro. Emmanuel Daniel is a Singapore-based entrepreneur, writer and global thought leader in finance. He was listed as a top 10 global influencer in the “Fintech Power 50” list for 2021 and 2022. In simple terms… he knows his stuff. Some of the topics we discuss include: Interest rates – how they’re set, where they’re headed The banking industry as a whole The digitization of everything Crypto and blockchain technology The world economy The Great Transition Biggest risks to our economy and various other topics. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode Emmanuel’s Website The Great Transition <- Emmanuel’s Book Emmanuel’s LinkedIn Emmanuel’s Twitter YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/tRgHlPx8PQE Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)