Financial Independence Podcast
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80 episodes
Out of all the episodes of the Financial Independence Podcast, this is the one I wish I heard when I was on my journey to financial independence. Bill Perkins, author of Die with Zero, joins Chris Hutchins on the All the Hacks podcast to discuss what money is really for – maximizing net fulfillment. This interview is incredible, so I reached out to Chris to ask if I could share it with you all, and thankfully he agreed! Highlights __ __
* To celebrate the release of JL Collins' new book, Pathfinders, I collected all the best advice from his Financial Independence Podcast interviews! * * Jim has been on the show three times: * * __ __ * * That last interview may be my proudest moment as the Mad Fientist (I explain why during the show). * * Hope you enjoy this jam-packed episode! Highlights __ __
Health is similar to finances in that there are many overly-complex things people say you need to do, but there are just a few simple things that actually matter. What is the "spend less than you earn, invest in a diversified/low-fee portfolio, and leave it to grow/compound" of the health world? That's what today's post is about! Parker Hewes wrote a book called , and today he shares the eight health behaviors that will do the most for your longterm health and wellbeing!
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I welcome back Chad Carson from CoachCarson.com! Chad just released a new book, , and I wanted to get him back on the show to talk about it. I’m not a real-estate investor myself though. So rather than interview him myself, my real-estate-investor friend, Jillian Johnsrud, did the interview for me! You may know Jillian from Montana Money Adventures, or her new podcast – Retire Often. She did a fantastic job, so I hope you enjoy their conversation as much as I did!
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I welcome back Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to Be Rich! I needed someone to come on the show to provide some tough love and Ramit was the only person for the job. As Ramit mentioned during our last interview, FIRE people are great at knowing what NOT to spend on but we’re not good at knowing what to spend on. Spending is going to be a big focus on the Mad Fientist this year and I can’t think of a better way to kick off this discussion than by getting yelled at by Ramit so hope you enjoy it! Highlights __ __
Over the last few years, I interviewed members of my family to find out two things: __ __ This is a short but sweet holiday episode to end the year and I hope you enjoy it!
Cody Berman and Justin Taylor, hosts of the FI Show, have both achieved financial independence but they've taken drastically different paths to get there. Listen to this Podcast Takeover episode to hear the similarities and differences between an employee's path to FI (Justin's) and an entrepreneur's journey to FIRE (Cody's)! Highlights __ __ Show Links __ __
Life has completely changed. And because of this major change, I'm even more grateful for the freedom, flexibility, and time that financial independence and early retirement provides. In this short episode, I fill you in on what's been happening and I discuss the reasons for my newfound appreciation for FI.
Welcome to another podcast-takeover episode of the Financial Independence podcast! This time, Mathias from the Financial Independence Europe podcast takes over the show to talk to Luke Freeman (from Giving What We Can) and Rebecca Herbst (from Yield and Spread) about Effective Altruism! Highlights __ __ Show Links __ __
Exactly 10 years ago, I released the first episode of the Financial Independence Podcast! To celebrate this big birthday, I’ve collected all the best advice from my interviews with my very first podcast guest – Mr. Money Mustache! Highlights __ __
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I speak to Patrick Aime from Aime to Invest! Patrick’s journey to FI is an incredible one. He… __ __ Patrick shares everything he learned during his rollercoaster financial journey so hope you enjoy the interview!
I'm excited to share with you the first Podcast Takeover episode of the Financial Independence Podcast! Carl and Doug from the Mile High FI podcast take over the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about their early retirement successes and failures. Enjoy! Highlights __ __ Show Links __ __
I have some big news… I am now a British citizen! In honor of finally getting my UK passport, and therefore completing this long journey to citizenship, I am releasing my UK FIRE episode. Barney, from The Escape Artist, joined me in my Edinburgh apartment (before the pandemic) to discuss all things related to financial independence and early retirement in the UK. Hope you enjoy it! Highlights __ __
Last year, I published an interview with one of my favorite financial writers, Morgan Housel. You may remember that the interview was recorded as part of a Bogleheads meeting and the interview was actually conducted by my buddy, Gouri. Well, Gouri recently invited me to join the Bogleheads to talk about life after FIRE and today’s podcast episode is a recording of that discussion! Big thanks to Gouri and the Bogleheads for making this happen and hope you enjoy it! Highlights __ __
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’ve released an annual update every year since I quit my job. It’s now been five years since I stopped working so this is my fifth (and final) annual update. Why is it my final one? I explain in today’s short episode. Highlights __ __
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I finally got to interview the person who introduced me to the concept of financial independence and early retirement in the first place… Jacob Lund Fisker from Early Retirement Extreme! To my mind, Jacob is the founder of the modern-day “FIRE movement” so hope you enjoy the interview! Highlights __ __
Last year, I conducted an experiment in Ultralearning that I hoped would help me achieve a lifelong dream of mine of writing and releasing an album. I’m happy to say it was far more successful than I ever imagined it would be! As I mentioned in the initial Ultralearning podcast episode, the hope for the 3-month experiment was that it would accelerate my progress towards my goal and make the process more enjoyable. Well, it did all that and more… I ended up finishing a song during that 3-month experiment and I can’t believe it but I just released that single today! Not only did I write a song during the experiment, I continued writing music since then and I now have enough material for an album! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this experiment would help me make so much progress but it has! In today’s podcast episode, I go through everything I learned and explain why the Ultralearning Experiment helped me push past the self-doubt and self-destructive habits that have plagued me in the past. I also describe the new routines the experiment helped me develop and why those new habits have allowed me accomplish more than I ever have before! Highlights __ __
One of my favorite financial writers, Morgan Housel, is on the Financial Independence Podcast today! I’m not the one conducting the interview this time though (all is explained in the episode). Morgan’s insight into how to handle uncertainty, market crashes, and this weird stock boom that we now find ourselves in is invaluable so hope you enjoy it!
It’s been four years since I left my full-time job and what a crazy year it’s been! To celebrate this anniversary and to recap the things I’ve learned during this last year of post-FI life (and the COVID market crash), I recorded a short podcast episode.
Bear markets are a normal part of investing but is this time different? As the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads around the world, governments are struggling to limit the economic impact of the disease. In today’s unplanned episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, JL Collins (author of The Simple Path to Wealth) joins me to talk about this stock-market crash, how it differs from previous crashes, and what you should do about it.
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I’m excited to introduce Scott Young! I first heard about Scott when he decided to complete MIT's entire computer science curriculum in a year. Scott has taken on a lot of these types of impressive learning projects and he just wrote a great book about it – Ultralearning. As you know, I’m attempting to tackle a very intimidating project myself so what better way to kick off that effort than with my own 3-month ultralearning project! In today’s interview, we dive into the details of ultralearning and we design a new ultralearning project from scratch. Ultralearning projects seem perfect for anyone who is FI or hopes to achieve financial independence one day so hope you get as much out of this discussion as I did! Highlights __ __
I can’t believe it but it’s already been three years since I left my full-time job! To commemorate this special anniversary and to recap the things I’ve learned during this last year of post-FI life (which happened to be the best one yet), I recorded a short podcast episode.
Personal-finance icon Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to be Rich joins me for an episode of the Financial Independence Podcast! Ramit first published his New York Times best-selling book, I Will Teach You to be Rich, back in 2009 during the depths of the financial crisis. He just released the second version today so we discuss what’s changed in the last decade and also talk about FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) – a concept that’s taken the financial world by storm in recent years. This is the first time Ramit has talked about FIRE so it was great getting his opinions on it, especially since he’s often thought of as being on the opposite end of the financial spectrum (my first podcast guest, Mr. Money Mustache, has even jokingly referred to him as his “arch-rival in personal finance”). Ramit didn’t hold back (does he ever?) so hope you enjoy this one as much as I did! Highlights __ __
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I’m very excited to introduce author Cal Newport! I’ve been a huge fan of Cal’s writing for many years so it was a treat to get to talk to him. We explore many important issues related to early retirement that aren’t often talked about so if you’re thinking about retiring early (or if you already have and are struggling to build the life that you envisioned before leaving work), today’s episode is a must-listen! Highlights: __ __
On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, my buddy Grant from Millennial Money joins me to talk about how he went from having $2.26 in the bank to $1.25 million in just 5 years, 3 months, and 6 days! We dive into the strategies and tactics he used but we also go deeper and discuss some of the unexpected challenges of FIRE. We also explore Grant’s new book, Financial Freedom, which is out today and features parts of my own story! Highlights: __ __
It’s easy to think that early retirement will be the answer to all your problems. After all, how could you not be happy when you don’t have to work anymore? I’ve written about why early retirement is not a magic bullet but what if it actually makes your life worse? On today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I interview a reader named Tony who found this to be the case. He’s since decided to go back to the same career he retired from and is enjoying work (and life) more than ever. During the interview, we dive into the overlooked benefits of work and the downsides of early retirement. We also explore serious issues that aren’t talked about enough, like depression and mental health. Huge thank you to Tony for sharing his deeply personal story with us. Highlights: __ __
I made two big mistakes when I was pursuing financial independence… The first was I put off happiness until I hit FI. The second was I also put off my health. In today’s episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I chat to my personal trainer, Doug from Monumental Strength. Doug has spent the past two years taking me from a puny computer programmer to a strong, healthy weightlifter! It’s been a fantastic journey, with numerous unexpected benefits, so don’t wait until FI like I did. Start focusing on your health now and drastically improve your journey to FI (and your life beyond)! Highlights: __ __
A challenging aspect of early retirement is the loss of identity you may experience when leaving a career you’ve spent a big chunk of your life building. However, one of the most exciting parts of early retirement is that you have the time, money, and freedom to create a completely new identity! How do you do it though? Today, I had the privilege to speak to the writer who has been most helpful to me as I’ve started building my own new identity – James Clear. In this episode, we discuss habits, deliberate practice, and how to best create a meaningful and purpose-driven life! Highlights: __ __
If you’ve been reading about financial independence for a while, you’ve likely seen that the topic is getting more popular lately. Although FIRE (Financial Independence / Retire Early) is far bigger than it was when I created this site in 2012, it’s still nowhere near mainstream. That may change though… A full-length documentary called is currently in the works and the film has the potential to reach millions of people that blogs or podcasts never would. This is a huge deal. I was asked to take part in the film and was lucky to get to know the talented people behind the documentary. On today’s episode of theFinancial Independence Podcast, I’m excited to welcome the director and executive producer, Travis Shakespeare! Listen to hear how the documentary came about, discover what Travis has learned about FI after spending the last year creating this film, and find out when you’ll be able to see it!
Chad Carson from CoachCarson.com joins me again on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about the various strategies you can use to retire early with real estate! Highlights: __ __
