The Voluntary Life

The ideas covered in this episode play an important part in my outlook on how to have independence of thought. A discussion with a supporting listener. Show Notes: Support TVL on Patreon and get bonus episodes and other rewards Support TVL on BitBacker with cryptocurrency TVL Episode 276: Society Is Your Relationships TVL Episode 85: Freedom From Intellectual Heroes

This episode summarises what's been happening with Patreon recently and explains the effect it has had on this podcast. I share some thoughts about what it all means and the future of peer-to-peer media on the internet. Show Notes: Support TVL on Patreon for bonus episodes and other rewards! Support TVL on Bitbacker.io with Cryptocurrency Barcelona TVL Meetup

This episode is a chapter from the audiobook of Job Free by Jake Desyllas. This chapter explains extreme saving- a strategy for achieving financial indpendence based on frugal living. Even if this lifestyle choice is not for you, it's a fascinating approach that offers lots of food for thought for anyone interested in financial freedom. Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas Support TVL on Patreon for bonus episodes and other rewards!

One of my listeners asked me if I was a spiritual person… How would you respond to this question? My answer is in this episode. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL for bonus episodes and many other rewards!

This episode discusses a secular approach to understanding the Bible. It includes a recommendation for the best book that I've found on this topic, which is Isaac Asimov's Guide To The Bible. Show Notes: Support TVL on Patreon for bonus episodes and rewards! Asimov's Guide To The Bible

One of the challenges for private investors is how to address the risk of financial crises or a meltdown in the financial system. How seriously should you take this risk? What should you do about it? How should it inform your investments? Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! Fail-Safe Investing by Harry Browne What Has Government Done to Our Money by Murray Rothbard Crisis Investing by Doug Casey

One of the alluring goals of the productivity system Getting Things Done (GTD) is to identify your purpose in life and align everything you do with that purpose. That idea sounds good, but what does it really mean to have a purpose in life? That's the topic of this episode. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Your job as an entrepreneur is to be Chief Enthusiasm Inspirer for a purpose that others can rally to. This episode is a chapter from the audiobook of Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas.

Is the family subversive to politics and religion? That's the argument in a book called The Subversive Family by Ferdinand Mount, reviewed in this episode. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! The Subversive Family by Ferdinand Mount

Here are ten reasons why I am passionate about the topic of financial independence. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! Job Free: Four Ways to Quite the Rat Race and Achieve Financial Freedom on Your Terms by Jake Desyllas The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises

This episode is a review of Eric Hoffer's book The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements. Hoffer argued that all political and religious activists share the same motivations: Those who dedicate their lives to a cause are running from themselves. There are some interesting ideas in the book about the dark consequences that follow when you evade the responsibility for improving yourself and choose to act out your frustration on the world instead. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer

What do you need in order to start a business? This episode is a chapter from the audiobook Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! Becoming An Entrepreneur Audiobook on Audible Becoming an Entrepreneur on Amazon TVL 184 Becoming An Entrepreneur: Introduction

I've talked a lot about my strategy for investing in previous episodes, but in this interview you will hear from an investor who takes a different approach. Rob Marstrand is the founder of the investment newsletter and blog Ofwealth. He uses an approach called value investing, in contrast to the passive investing approach that I use. In this episode, Rob explains value investing from his perspective. He also provides an outsider's take on the permanent portfolio strategy that I follow. Show Notes: Support TVL on Patreon! OfWealth

In this Touring Families podcast interview, Jake Desyllas talks about pursuing the travel lifestyle with kids, finding principles in parenting, and the challenges of choosing your own lifestyle. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL for bonus episodes and many other rewards! Touring Families Podcast

This episode presents some interesting research demonstrating that following the news and current events can make you more stupid. Understanding the psychology behind this effect helps improve your rational thinking. It also explains why predicting doom is so popular and always sounds clever. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley Good News is Gradual, Bad New Sudden by Matt Ridley

This episode provides my perspective, as a former free-range kid, on the concept of free-range childhood. It is a review of the book Free-Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children by Lenore Skenazy. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! Free-Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children by Lenore Skenazy Episode 341: Peaceful Parenting, Unschooling, and Self-Directed Education

Chapter One from the audiobook of Becoming an Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! Becoming An Entrepreneur Audiobook on Audible Becoming an Entrepreneur on Amazon TVL 184 Becoming An Entrepreneur: Introduction

Ten reasons why I am passionate about productivity systems and getting things done. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! Previous TVL episodes on productivity Bonus episodes and resources on productivity Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

If you enjoy a travel lifestyle, is it better to go fully nomadic or have a base to come back to between trips? Here's an update about our experience of both nomadic travel and having a base, and how our approach has changed since starting a family. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and reward 241 Selling Our Home To Travel The World 252 Adapting To Big Changes 255 The Path to Permanent Travel And Minimalism

Investing brings emotional and psychological challenges. These challenges can lead to poor investment decisions, but they can also make you unhappy even if you do end up making a good return. This episode is about strategies for dealing with the emotional challenges of investing. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! Job Free by Jake Desyllas Portfoliocharts.com Fail-Safe Investing by Harry Browne TVL 167 The Permanent Portfolio

One of the most radical ideas I've come across is this: People are not free ultimately because they voluntarily consent to their servitude. Etienne de La Boetie wrote "A Discourse on Voluntary Servitude" during the Renaissance period. His book had a huge influence on many philosophers and inspired the civil disobedience movement. But, is it relevant to your personal life as well? Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! "Discourse on Voluntary Servitude" by Etienne de La Boetie

I've had some interesting listener feedback from the recent episodes about questioning education. In this episode I respond to some of the points raised by listeners. Show Notes: 339 Questioning Education 340 Review of The Case Against Education

The Paradox of Choice, by psychologist Barry Schwarz, is a book that has influenced many people interested in minimalism. Schwarz argues that the extensive freedom of choice in affluent societies has become detrimental to psychological and emotional well-being. This episode provides a critical review of Barry Schwarz's arguments. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz The Paradox of Choice TED Talk 227 Review of The Better Angels of Our Nature by Stephen Pinker

A interview with James and Taylor Davis from the One Free Family podcast. James and Taylor explain their approach to peaceful parenting and unschooling. We had a great discussion about questioning the concept of self-directed learning, and many other interesting topics. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! One Free Family Podcast 338: Leadership and Parenting 17 Unschooling Part 1: Instead of Education

Most of what you learn in school and college is practically useless, yet education is (often) a very good investment. How can this be? This episode is a review of Bryan Caplan's book, The Case Against Education. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The Case Against Education by Bryan Caplan 339 Questioning Education 261 Thinking Rationally Part 7: The Irrationality Of Politics

This episode is the first in a series questioning key life choices around the topic of education. How valuable is education? How much education does it make a sense to get? Does education lead to greater freedom and fulfillment in life? I introduce different views on education that I will be exploring: the traditional view, the rebel view, and the realist view. I talk about why I think it is valuable to question education, even though getting a good education worked very well for me. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The Case Against Education by Bryan Caplan 40 Alternatives to College by James Altucher

What kind of leadership role do you have as a parent? What are the most important responsibilities of parents? This episode explores different answers to these questions. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! One Free Family Podcast - A new take on peaceful parenting Unruffled Podcast by Janet Lansbury 336: A Review of Jordan Peterson's Parenting Principles 312: The Unjobbing Way

This episode is about managing and tracking investments, as part of your journey towards financial independence. I explain the calculations that I find useful to track my portfolio. I'm not a financial advisor and I've had to teach myself about money, so I'm explaining what I've learned as food for thought for other independent investors working towards FI. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! Episode 181 Financial Independence Part 1: What You Need To Know About Your Money Episode 219 How To Do A Monthly Financial Review Episode 223 A Guide To Passive Investment Portfolios: Interview With Tyler From Portfolio Charts PortfolieCharts.com Becoming an Entrepreneur: How to Find Freedom and Fulfillment as a Business Owner by Jake Desyllas Job Free: Four Ways to Quit the Rat Race and Achieve Financial Freedom on Your Terms by Jake Desyllas

This episode is a review of Jordan Peterson's suggested principles for parenting, which he put forward in a chapter of his book "12 Rules For Life". In the episode, I explain why I disagree with Peterson's ideas and recommendations regarding parenting. Listen to the episode to find out more. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote for Chaos by Jordan Peterson TVL 328: Punished By Rewards Part 1 Parent Effectiveness Training By Thomas Gordon Unruffled Podcast

Harry Browne's book, "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree world" had a huge influence on me. This episode examines the subject of one chapter in that book: freedom from pretence. I explore Harry's suggestions about finding freedom from pretence, and then provide my own thoughts on the topic. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne Self-Deception - Episode 202 of The Voluntary Life Getting Real: 10 Truths Skills You Need to Live an Authentic Life by Susan Campbell - Episode of the Psychology Book Club Podcast

How free are you? This episode is about a thought-provoking story by the philosopher Robert Nozick called "The Tale of the Slave". It is taken from his book "Anarchy, State, and Utopia." Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! Anarchy, State, and Utopia: Second Edition by Robert Nozick

This episode is about some interesting opportunities that I am currently exploring for living in Portugal and Spain as an expat. I outline some of the potential benefits of Portugal's Non-Habitual Resident Scheme and Spain's Non-Lucrative Visa scheme. These residency options are particularly relevant for digital nomads. Depending on where you are from, one of these two countries could be a good option for you. I'm still learning about this and I may not know all the relevant issues yet, so if you are interested in pursuing these options you will still need to look into the details and get professional advice. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! TVL Episode 58 on Emigrating in Europe

This episode is about the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and whether or not there is anything useful in his work for those interested in finding individual freedom. I've read some great Nietzsche quotes about finding freedom in life. At the same time, he has a reputation for being very authoritarian and anti-individualistic, and he is known to have been a major philosophical influence on Nazism. So what did he really think about individual freedom? Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! Show Notes: Nietzsche and The Nazis by Stephen Hicks

"Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill is a well-known and influential book about wealth and personal development. The topics covered by this book are very relevant to The Voluntary Life, so I wanted to read this book to see why it is so famous. I share my thoughts about the book in this review. Show Notes: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill TVL Patreon Page

Stephanie Murphy and I discuss a thought-provoking video by Daniel Mackler about the question: Are You Ready to Have Children? Show Notes: "Are You Ready to Have Children? - Challenging Questionnaire For Prospective Parents" by Daniel Mackler TVL Patreon Page

Support The Voluntary Life on Patreon for bonus episodes and rewards! This is the second part of a review of Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards. This episode addresses the idea of incentive schemes in business and evaluates Kohn's claims in his book. Show Notes: Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn TVL Patreon Page TVL 328 Punished By Rewards Part 1 Drive by Dan Pink

Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! I found Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards, both interesting and frustrating to read. Some ideas in the book are great, and I also have some significant criticisms. Part 1 of the review, in this episode, discusses the topic of rewards and punishment in parenting and schooling. Part 2 will tackle incentives in business in the next episode. Show Notes: Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn TVL Patreon Page TVL 244 Thinking Rationally Part 2: Imaginary Creatures and Machines Instead of Education by John Holt TVL review of Instead of Education by John Holt Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why invest in gold? What is the best way to do so? Is gold obsolete as an investment now that cryptocurrencies exist? This episode answers many listener questions about investing in gold from my perspective as a private investor following the Permanent Portfolio strategy. I am not a financial advisor. As always with investing, you will need to do your own research. Thanks so much to all the patrons who provided great questions for this topic. Show Notes: Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! Fail-Safe Investing by Harry Browne The Permanent Portfolio by Craig Rowland TVL Episode 69: Inflation: The Hidden Tax BullionVault (Affiliate link)

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

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

If you are investing towards financial freedom, you face a decision: which asset classes should you put your money in? This episode is about one of the main asset classes: fixed-income securities, or bonds. Bonds can behave in strange ways as an investment, especially in times when interest rates are very low (as they are at present). I'm not a financial advisor and this episode is just my opinions, so you will need to do your own research, but this episode will give you food for thought. Show Notes: Support The Voluntary Life on Patreon and get Bonus episodes!

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

Many people who are interested in personal freedom and self-improvement find value in an approach to negotiation called Nonviolent Communication (NVC). In this episode, I provide an assessment of NVC, outlining aspects that I find useful, problems with the approach, and some misconceptions of the framework. Show Notes: Become a patron of TVL Nonviolent Communication By Marshall Rosenberg Psychology Book Club Episode on NVC NVC wikipedia page Getting To Yes by Fischer and Ury Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordon TVL Review of Better Angels of Our Nature Economics and Ethics of Private Property by Hans Hermann Hoppe