A few weeks ago, Mindy was asked by a listener of BiggerPockets Money, “when are you going to do a Finance Friday follow-up?” Well, listener, your wish has come true! Today we talk to three past guests of the BiggerPockets Money Show, Sarah from episodes 6 and 178, Brian from episode 180, and Erik from episode 170.

In Sarah’s most recent episode, she spoke about having large safety reserves and sinking funds for her new property. Since being on the show, she’s taken time to evaluate how safe she really needs to feel. She’s taken a risk and has started to invest in her first short-term rental, as well as being on the house hunt for her next house-hack property!

Brian had the question we all want to have, “what do I do with all this money?” Since coming on the show, he’s expanded his rental property portfolio, purchasing an off-market five-unit in upstate New York, and a short-term rental in North Carolina. He’s currently looking into syndications to see if that would be another great avenue for his wealth accumulation. 

Lastly, Erik has returned to the show with more rental units and more cash flow! He’s been able to pay off his HELOC with a very lucrative refinance, allowing him to buy a new condo that is paying him $400/month after all expenses! He was even able to increase his salary thanks to his employer’s free education program! Make sure you stick around for his bonus tip towards the end of the episode! 

In This Episode We Cover

Why being too conservative with your savings can become a financial detriment 

Making offers on properties that work for your numbers, even if it means rejection

Why short-term rentals are very cash flow heavy investment 

Telling everyone you know that you’re investing in real estate (to get more deals!)

Using a cash-out refinance to pay off old loans like equity lines and HELOCs

Taking advantage of employee benefits like free college tuition 

And So Much More!

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Amber Porter has one of the most optimized retirement plans we’ve ever seen. Seriously, she could give Mindy and Scott a run for their money! Amber grew up in a neighborhood that was anything but rich. Surprisingly, the wealthier people in her neighborhood were more interested in purchasing nice cars instead of investing, which they told her was essentially gambling. Amber quickly saw past this idea and realized that smart, consistent investing could lead her to many millions of dollars.

She worked throughout high school and was able to graduate in only three years. Then, she applied for every scholarship possible and did the same in college, graduating in three years and completely debt-free. Suddenly, the idea of law school came into her head. She studied, passed the entrance exam, and got into a top school. The same school even gave her a twenty-five thousand dollar scholarship every year she attended.

After graduating, she started investing heavily, working as much as she could to fund retirement accounts. She started working for the Army on the side, which allowed her to get an even better retirement plan, an army retirement check, and the ability to buy homes with a zero percent down VA loan. If all goes to plan, Amber will be retiring with close to ten million dollars at age fifty! 

In This Episode We Cover

How to graduate from college debt-free by taking advantage of scholarships 

Graduating early so you can save a year's worth of tuition 

Working a government job with the benefit of a pension upon retirement 

Military benefits for homeownership, retirement investing, and more

Getting rid of the “investing is gambling” fear many people have

Reaching Fat FIRE upon retirement so you can live exactly how you dreamed

And So Much More!

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Marching along Bourbon Street last week was a parade with some of the best real estate investors in the world, celebrating another successful BPCon, ready to take on the world. Throughout the past week, attendees of the conference heard from world-class business leaders, investors, and authors, learning about everything from running a business to short-term rental markets, to self-storage, and more.

On this live episode, your BiggerPockets Money host, Scott Trench, is joined by Brandon Turner and David Greene, hosts of the BiggerPockets Podcast, Ashley Kehr and Tony Robinson, hosts of the Real Estate Rookie Podcast, and Liz Faircloth and Andresa Guidelli, hosts of The Real Estate InvestHER Podcast, plus special guest Esther, who has a widely impressive portfolio herself.

You’ll hear the hosts talk about topics like how to connect with fellow investors, future trends influencing the real estate market, what’s working today (and what isn’t), plus a live version of the Famous Four and Fire Round. 

If you weren’t able to make it to this year's BPCon, plug into this episode and get on the waiting list for next year!

In This Episode We Cover

What’s ‘firing up’ the hosts of the BiggerPockets Podcast Network?

What investors can do in today’s market to ensure wealth tomorrow

Future trends that allow investors to profitably pivot 

How BPCon helps connect investors, reshape ideas, and build wealth

How do you vet partners before you go in on a deal with them?

The top characteristics that contribute to your success as an investor 

Why you should definitely be at BPCon 2022 

And So Much More!

Links from the Show:

NPR (National Public Radio)

Kevin Leahy's BiggerPockets Profile

Mark Ferguson's InvestFourMore

Wendy Papasan's LinkedIn Profile

Noah Evans's LinkedIn Profile

Rickey Rodriguez's BiggerPockets Profile

Your First Real Estate Investment Podcast: How to Recover from the Great Recession and Leverage Creative Financing to Fund Your First Deal

Joe Asamoah's BiggerPockets Author Profile

AJ Osborne's Personal Website

Steve Rozenberg's BiggerPockets Profile

InvestHer's Partnership Question Guide

Meetup

Hal Elrod's Personal Website

Dave Ramsey's Personal Website

Cashflow The Board Game

Matt Faircloth's BiggerPockets Author Profile

BiggerPockets Calculators

The Real Estate InvestHER Community

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If you and your sweetheart want to get married, rent a truck in a Colorado ski town, and have your dog watched while you’re doing so, Stephanie Warner is the person you should get in touch with. Even though she has a great W2 job, she still hustles hard with her side income work, making enough to pay for her lifestyle while her nine-to-five pays for her future financial freedom.

Stephanie had enough money growing up, but she wasn’t given a ton of financial literacy lessons from her parents. Thankfully, her Grandma who loved driving used cars and buying rental properties taught her the importance of being a homeowner and helping those who are in need. Once she left her hometown for college, graduated, and got a job, she moved all over the country doing all different sorts of work. This gave her a diversified education and allowed her to take on challenges that were interesting to her.

Now, she shares with BiggerPockets Money listeners how she flipped her financial position, thanks to some very lucrative side hustles!

A special thanks to our guest host, Joe Saul-Sehy from Stacking Benjamins, who got so tired of Scott’s puns, he decided to host one of the shows himself.  

In This Episode We Cover

The importance of owning your own home and rental properties 

Graduating with little-to-no college debt, allowing you to save and invest more

Taking on jobs that interest you, instead of ones that solely pay the bill

The art of side hustles and making thousands after your nine-to-five

Living “paycheck to paycheck” by paying yourself first for investing and saving

And So Much More!

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Over at BiggerPockets, we all have much love and respect for our trusted video editor, Joel Esparza. He brings phenomenal work quality, timing, and communication to every project he’s on, but many of us don’t know his inspiring and truly impressive backstory.

Joel is originally from Venezuela, which has experienced rampant inflation over the past decade putting its citizens in economic turmoil. Joel went to school in Argentina and was able to leave without debt thanks to an inheritance left to him. When he migrated back to Venezuela, he was hired as a video editor for an agency making, get this, $20/month. Yes, that’s correct, we’re talking about $240 per YEAR. 

This was not an uncommon salary for Venezuelans, but through sheer luck, Joel was introduced to some side business that began paying him two to three times the amount he would make in one month, in only two hours. Joel quickly jumped ship as an employee and began building his clientele as a self-employed editor. Now, as the head video editor at BiggerPockets, Joel wants to outsource his business, hire on staff, and move towards more of a leadership role.

In This Episode We Cover

The massive financial struggles of living in Venezuela during exceedingly high inflation

Living as a political refugee in a brand new country on a whole different continent 

Using freelance work as a way to substantially increase your income 

Starting partnerships with others in your field who may become competitors 

Being cognizant of your professional strengths and using them to get more clients

Understanding the unit economics behind growing a business and a team

And So Much More!

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It didn’t take Addison Freeman long to realize what worked in school, wouldn’t work in real life. Those who got good grades and followed the standard playbook weren’t rewarded as plentifully on the investing front as they were in the classroom. When Addison realized it would take her over thirty years to hit millionaire status on the conventional track, she knew she needed a change.

Addison started to look for, as she likes to call them, “super assets” or assets that grow while putting cash in your hand. She started with a house hack duplex where she was able to pay her mortgage by renting out one side. Then, she started to get into self-storage investing, which is now her husband’s main job. Along the way they tried (and failed) at starting businesses, but never took their foot off the gas on their journey to financial independence.

At the age of 26, Addison and her husband are financially independent, sitting on a net worth of over $700,000 with an almost guaranteed chance at being part of the millionaire class very, very soon.

In This Episode We Cover

Why conventional investing won’t cut it when you’re trying to be a millionaire

Buying as many “super assets” as you can while you’re young 

Starting a small business and the reason that it may (or may not) fail

Why self-storage is an excellent industry for real estate investors to get into 

How commercial real estate is valued and the immense equity you can add to it

Living below your means and investing hard for years 

And So Much More!

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Strong frugality is hard to come by. Not many people would write off their solar system as a business expense and use bitcoin mining to provide heat to their house, instead of using a space heater. These are just two things that Yourri, an engineer and diversification whiz, has done to make his balance sheet as optimized as possible.

Yourri has spent the better part of the last decade at school and was able to graduate with a phenomenal job doing something he loves. He makes $120,000 a year but has a big retirement goal of $7,000,000! While this may seem like a massive number to most, Yourri should be able to hit it with some regular investing due to his age and aggressiveness to invest. But, he’ll need to opt-out of an over-diversified investing strategy if he wants to reach this goal as fast as possible.

Passion projects are also a big part of Yourri’s life, as he’d like to rebuild a vintage motorcycle, get his pilot license, and adopt as many dogs in need as he can. He has a calculated outlook on his financial growth, and there’s no doubt he’ll hit his goals!

In This Episode We Cover

Pursuing high-cost hobbies and understanding that FI isn’t all about saving every penny

Whether or not diversification could be slowing down your net worth growth 

The “golden butterfly” investing ratio that helps mitigate risk when investing

Writing off solar systems as a business deduction when in a buy-back program 

Mining bitcoin for not only extra income but free heat!

Whether a 401(k) or a Roth 401(k) is the best option for your retirement

And So Much More!

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High-income earners have a better shot at retiring early than those making a median income.  That being said, with more money comes more investing risk. After the great recession, Bob Haines was sitting on a $300,000 loss from leveraging too many properties to flip. This put the possibility of retiring early multiple years behind. But, even with a money mistake as large as Bob’s, he’s been able to retire at age forty-four, a good twenty-one years before the standard retirement age.

You could say that Bob’s early retirement sprung from his ability to take risks, leave jobs, and go where the money was. Bob went from making $40,000 a year at his first job to $500,000 less than a decade later. While a $500,000 salary was not the norm for Bob, these frequent career and company jumps allowed him to build up a massive cash position ($250k) and invest for retirement faster.

Funnily enough, the first time Bob heard about the FI movement, he quickly calculated his FI number and realized he had already hit it. While he took a couple more years to finally pull the trigger and get over his “one more year” dilemma, Bob and his wife were able to retire in 2018 and 2019, allowing them to travel, spend time with family, and enjoy life at the beach.

In This Episode We Cover

Why small salary increases can massively change a financial position 

Calculating your market salary and finding a job that matches it

The world of “pre-sales engineering” allows for huge compensation 

The mistakes you can make when sitting on a large amount of cash 

Over-leveraging yourself in real estate and biting off more than you can chew

How to shake off “one more year syndrome” to enjoy early retirement 

Fighting lifestyle creep even as your salary expands exponentially 

And So Much More!

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A rock-solid financial position consists of a few things: budgeting, expense tracking, living below your means, and making extra income. Once those are accomplished, you’re on track to start investing heavily and financial independence is in sight. This is exactly the position Lynsey (mother to Mindy’s pool boy) is in.

Lynsey and her husband bring in a moderate salary from his job and her businesses of jewelry making, relationship counseling, and their garage and basement house hack. For a long time, Lynsey assumed she would never be able to retire, but as her income has grown she’s realized that she not only can retire but retire early. 

Lynsey has a few key ways she could increase her business revenue: outsourcing, marketing, and scaling. Her husband also has a strong suspicion he’s underpaid, meaning a boost in income could be one ask away for him. The couple also wants to invest in more short-term rentals or buy another house hack property. But, of all the options they’re presented with, which one will push the needle?

In This Episode We Cover

Creating a “hype folder” so you can painlessly ask for a raise 

Shopping the sales and feeding a family of five for $700 per month

Creative house hacking by renting out basements, garages, and other dwelling areas

Using a self-directed 401(k) to invest in real estate and grow retirement savings 

What to do with a large amount of cash while you’re waiting to invest?

Outsourcing repetitive tasks in your business so you can scale

And So Much More!

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Life can be challenging at times. When you think you’re in a stable spot, the universe tends to throw you one (or many) curveballs. In the realm of financial education, the smart early decisions we make can help alleviate the stress of these curveballs. This has happened almost to the tee for today’s guest, Karen Ferrero.

Karen grew up in a small town to a middle-class family. She was a first-generation college graduate and worked throughout high school and college. She later took a job and began consulting in the tech world, which offered her a respectable salary. She got married and had two kids with her husband, but shortly after, her husband was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. Not only that, her son was diagnosed with autism. 

Now, Karen had to sell her house, find a new accessible one, take her son to therapy every day, and continue working her full-time job. This put her in a sizable debt hole, but through strategic debt payoff and intelligent investing, Karen has come out on top. She still has a very high-paying job, a loving family and some very, very profitable investment accounts for her children that she started decades ago.

In This Episode We Cover

How to plan for when life changes your course by force 

The importance of having good insurance when you’re young 

Why you should always take advantage of the 401(k) match when presented to you 

Investing as early as you can to capitalize on massive gains 

Why you should put education accounts in a trust

The extra costs that come with taking care of special needs family members

And So Much More!

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Kari and her wife made some big moves over the past few years. They packed up their stuff and left the San Francisco Bay Area for a relocation in the midwest. Unlike the Bay Area, the Midwest has many affordable housing options with plenty of chances to house hack. So, that’s exactly what the couple did! They bought a duplex in rough condition, put in close to $80,000 of renovations, and now get $900 a month from the side they’re renting out.

Although this renovation allowed them to live for free, it put a $66,000 hole in their pockets, which they recently just paid off. Without much retirement savings or investments in general (save the house hack), Kari is wondering what she can do to maximize the extra $100,000 in after-tax income she and her wife bring in every year.

Should she go the index funds route, buy another rental, or help her wife pursue her dreams by investing in a restaurant? Scott and Mindy give Kari a lot of ideas in this episode, many of which could help you as well!

In This Episode We Cover

Using “strategic debt” to grow your investments and income 

Planning your future finances when trying to start a family 

Investing in your 401(k), Roth IRA, Self-Directed 401(k), and other investment accounts

Using the “Live in Flip” model to avoid paying capital gain taxes 

Why you shouldn’t diversify when you are in a low to moderate net worth category

And So Much More!

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Not everyone has the vagabond spirit of those who choose to optionally live out of their cars, trucks, or vans. While this isn’t up Scott and Mindy’s alley, it’s been perfectly fine for today’s guests Tien and Brandon. After deciding to end their lease before a road trip, Tien and Brandon found living in their specialty-built van wasn’t just habitable, but preferable for their lifestyle. This was especially true after paying pricey southern California rent.

All this happened after making some impressive financial moves; paying off $50k of loans in eight months, flipping their first house, and buying a small portfolio of duplexes. Tien and Brandon have made a spree of financially intelligent moves, pushing themselves into a high net worth category, all while living in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

As of March 2021, Tien and Brandon dismantled their truly remote lifestyle to settle into their first short-term rental house hack. They’ve been pulling in $8,000 a month (yes, a month) from their San Diego Airbnb property, which is not only covering their entire mortgage but paying them some profits to boot!

In This Episode We Cover

Paying off a large amount of student debt in a short period of time 

Finding side hustles that can support your saving and investing goals

Making a plan to retire early and investing in income streams that will make it a reality

Flipping a house without construction or real estate experience 

Investing out of state where you already have family/friends/relationships 

The hardest part of living in a van full-time (and its MAJOR benefits)

House hacking with a short-term rental 

And So Much More!

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Retiring early can be a daunting task. Not only do you have to do more, with less time, but you have to stay diligent on your budgeting, expense tracking, and investing if you want to hit your goal by a certain age. Today we talk to Lisa, who wants to retire next year, in her mid-50s. While most people think early retirement means retiring in your 20s and 30s, this isn’t necessarily true. Retiring 10 years early, like Lisa, is a massive accomplishment, but requires the same skills needed for retiring decades earlier.

Lisa has three pieces of property: a cash-flowing rental in pricey Boise, her primary residence in Washington, and a plot of land in North Idaho. She’s tinkered around with ideas of using her primary residence as a short-term rental, but unbeknownst to her is the fact that having a short-term rental could bankroll her retirement. She also has a sizable amount in retirement accounts, but none of those assets produce cash flow.

Will Lisa be able to retire using the 4% rule with her retirement accounts? Or, should she use this last year of employment to double down on cash-flowing assets like rental properties? 

In This Episode We Cover

Using the 4% rule to calculate how much you need to be invested to retire 

Leasing out your home as a short-term rental while you travel 

Choosing cash-flowing assets over assets that merely appreciate 

Calculating out your TRUE living expenses (with the Mindy Method!)

Profiting off of land purchases and when the right time to sell is

When the appropriate time to raise rents on a tenant is

And So Much More!

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Most college students know next to nothing about money. Even worse, many of them sign on to expensive student loans with almost no plan on how they’re going to pay it back. While this is the average, some people, like Nathan Kennedy, host of The New Money Podcast, did things differently.

Although he overspent a bit going out in college, Nathan graduated with a degree and $40,000 in cash, a MASSIVE amount for any college student. Through applying for grants, working at on-campus jobs, and collecting tip money as a bartender, Nathan was able to graduate in a solid position, allowing him to invest heavily in the stock market during the 2020 crash.

Now, Nathan teaches others how they can strengthen their financial position through hard work, planning, and constant content consumption. If you have children who are in high school, college, or are newly graduated, send them this episode so they can have a leg up on future finances! 

In This Episode We Cover

The importance of tracking your expenses and budgeting properly 

Vision boards, daily logs, and other ways to plan for your success 

Pursuing grants and scholarships WHILE school is in session

Becoming a constant content consumer 

Money mistakes that many college students make (and how to avoid them)

Making time for health, fitness, and no-phone relaxation 

And So Much More!

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“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” This is the topic of today’s episode, where we interview Jenny for a Finance Friday review. Jenny is finishing up her fourth degree and has been working throughout grad school to help her family. Her husband brings in a sizable income, but he wants to retire in 2030 and spend more time with their (future) kids. 

Jenny has great control over her fixed expenses, but as for her variable expenses...not so much. Her family is consistently teetering between $1,000 a month and $2,400 a month in variable expenses, many of which can be resolved with some simple shopping tweaks (like leaving your credit card at home when you go to the grocery store). Luckily, they’ve invested a fair amount of their take-home pay, have a stellar 401(k) match, and are about to have dual incomes once Jenny is out of school. 

If you’re having trouble keeping a hold on your variable expenses, such as random Amazon shopping, tune in for this episode for advice on exactly what to do.

In This Episode We Cover

How to plan for retirement with two full-time incomes 

Paying off your home vs. investing in assets like index funds and real estate

Taking advantage of 401(k) matches and maxing out retirement accounts

Leveraging a future job to pay off student loans 

How to curtail your variable expenses and reduce “random spending”

Why someone with “mortgage anxiety” should be wary of real estate investing

And So Much More!

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What do you think of when you think about retirement? Are you on a tropical island drinking fruity cocktails out of a coconut? If you dream about that sort of retirement, Steve Adcock may have some revealing words for you. Retirement isn’t just about doing nothing all day, it’s about exploring your passions, and sometimes working more than you did before, to accomplish things that truly matter to you.

Steve decided to leave his high-stress IT job after 11 years of work. It was eating away at him every day, and it got to the point where just going into work became a grueling weight on his shoulders. He knew from a few years before potential retirement that he had a choice: lavishly live his life now or live frugally and have financial freedom forever. He chose the latter and doesn't regret it for one second.

Now, Steve and his rocket scientist wife spend their time taking care of their completely self-reliant housing compound in Arizona. He has a lot more to accomplish, but for now, he’s enjoying his off-grid lifestyle, complete with solar panels, his own water well, and a brand new septic tank.

In This Episode We Cover

Why it’s important to have a financial plan (even if you won’t retire early) 

Working (lightly) in retirement so you can enjoy more freedom 

Tracking your spending meticulously so you know where every cent goes

Taking care of your health and wealth when given free time 

Spending in post-retirement, and how it differs from regular spending 

Why early retirement WON’T make you happy

And So Much More!

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Sometimes having a lot of cash can be dangerous. Would you rather be sitting on months (or even years) worth of emergency reserves or have your money be challenging inflation by sitting in investments like index funds or real estate? This is the question that many people have, and also one that today’s guest, Phil, is having as well.

Phil and his wife live in a relatively low cost area and bring in a very solid income. They’ve been maxing out HSAs, 401(k)s, and other accounts all while having a significant amount of cash on the sidelines, just waiting for the right investment. While Phil wants to go into an unconventional type of real estate investing, both Scott and Mindy believe he should focus on the long-term goals he has set for himself and find asset classes that fit within his strategy. 

In This Episode We Cover

How much is too much of an emergency fund?

Selling tradelines and the risks/rewards that come with it 

Why investing in traditional-layout houses presents you with multiple exit strategies 

Solo 401(k)s, IRAs, HSAs, and other retirement accounts 

Creating a reasonable timeline to act on an investment, instead of losing money to inflation

Understanding what a good rent-to-price ratio is for your area

And So Much More!

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A lot of people in the financial independence community successfully get out of debt, but not many of them get out of debt and then start a monthly six-figure side business. One person who has done that is Deacon Hayes. Deacon was raised by a single mother on welfare who taught Deacon that debt was a way of life. When Deacon married his wife, they both collectively realized that the only way for them to live the life they wanted to, was to get out of debt.

Deacon did whatever he could to pay off his debt. He delivered pizzas and resold furniture, all while working full time. Once he was out of debt, he decided his passion was in teaching others how to get rid of their debt, so he became a financial planner and started his website, Well Kept Wallet. His story was so well received that he was brought on to record with Fox and tell their audience about his debt-free journey.

Deacon left the financial planning world after realizing he didn’t want to just help the rich, but the average person who still struggled with debt. To subsidize his business, he started a website building business, but later automated this and kept the lion's share of the profit while doing very little work. He started an SEO (search engine optimization) business and did the exact same thing. Then as Well Kept Wallet was bringing in massive revenue numbers, he did the same, hiring another worker to fill his role so he could focus on what he loves. 

In This Episode We Cover

Getting rid of debt as fast as you can so you can start saving and investing

Foreclosures, land leases, and other real estate predicaments 

Making sure you keep a large emergency fund (especially if you’re an entrepreneur) 

How to hit “hockey stick” level growth and what to do when you want to step away

Firing yourself from your business and learning to outsource

How to establish self-worth after you “retire” 

And So Much More!

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Making too much money is a good problem to have, and it’s one that many people in the Bay Area experience. Today we talk to Laurin, a mother of two, making $281,000 a year when combining her salary with her husband’s. They’re doing everything right: paying off the mortgage, contributing to their 401(k)s, and saving up for an emergency reserve. 

With all these investments and income, Laurin is wondering whether or not her investing strategy is optimized. Her mortgage spans 15 years, so she’s dedicating a large amount every month to pay off her house before she retires. While some people prefer the financial security of not having a mortgage, others (like Scott), prefer having a mortgage for longer while investing in other assets. 

With the goal of enjoying her life more, Scott and Mindy bring up a handful of options that can help Laurin achieve a massive net worth by the time she is ready to retire. She could work less and contract more, she could refinance and invest for cash flow, she could look into real estate investing, all while she’s setting up a massive nest egg for herself upon retirement!

In This Episode We Cover

Always taking the 401(k) match your company offers (when available)

Using “event-based” planning when you’re closer to retirement age

Pre-tax retirement accounts vs. post-tax retirement accounts  

Saving for children’s college with a 529 plan 

The two main real estate investing traps to avoid when investing out of state

And So Much More!

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Dee Olateru doesn’t have the traditional FI story, but it didn’t take her long to catch onto the concepts that now allow her to live a life exactly how she sees fit. Dee immigrated to the United States from Nigeria when she was sixteen. Without the ability to get student loans, Dee had to work throughout school, apply for every scholarship available, and borrow money from friends and family to pay for her undergrad degree.

While she made it out of college without student debt, she still had some credit card debt that needed taking care of. She amassed $10,000+ in credit card debt to help her pay for necessities like groceries throughout her years in college. But now she had a business degree, so clearly, she went on to get a full-time job in her field, right? Actually, she didn’t. Dee graduated during the great recession and had to take a $10/hour job at a local factory. 

Dee says that many people don’t believe her about the factory job because of the high-level position she’s in now, but it taught her many valuable lessons. As Dee made more and more money, she started looking into finance blogs to see where she should be saving and investing. For the better part of a decade, Dee has been maxing out her Roth IRA, 401(k), and investing in individual accounts, all while she travels around the world!

In This Episode We Cover

Having a “debt payoff plan” so you know exactly how and when you can get rid of debt

Joining online communities as a “close circle” for financial debates and idea-sharing 

Maxing out your Roth, 401(k), and other retirement accounts as early as possible

Never falling into FOMO and only investing in assets you understand 

Seeing your financial journey as a way to “start with what you have”, not what you wish you had

And So Much More!

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Investments galore! This week, we talk to Jeana and Scott, a couple with a hefty amount of investments under their belt. We know what you’re thinking, “what type of stocks and real estate are they investing in?” This is where you might be surprised. Jeana and Scott are investing in three gyms, a gas and oil investment, a documentary, a 24-unit apartment building, a 52-unit apartment building, a senior care business, and...a $20,000 dog! Seriously! This is one of the most diversified couples we have ever had on the show!

While it’s great to have investments spread out over multiple different asset classes, Scott and Mindy want to help the couple come up with a more systematized and formulaic approach to wealth building. Since they both have well-paying jobs, once they set up a “set it and forget it” type investment strategy, they won’t be too far away from reaching FI.

If you’ve ever had an interest in running a memory care facility, dog breeding, or investment clubs, this will be a great episode to listen in on!

In This Episode We Cover

Diversifying your investments into multiple different asset classes

Knowing which investments are likely to make a return and planning for those that won't

Setting up a system for wealth creation so you can develop an early retirement plan

Investing in multifamily real estate like apartment buildings and senior living homes

Using government benefits to maximize wealth as quickly as possible

Investing in an Airbnb property and which markets make the most sense for it

And So Much More!

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Darius Smith always knew how to make money, but wasn’t very good at saving it. Growing up, he had jobs ranging from delivering phone books, to running paper routes, to even putting up eviction notices on homes. He opened his first bank account when he was around nine years old! So how did Darius end up with almost $170,000 in debt? An even better question may be, how did Darius pay off all that debt in only a few years?

Darius spent time at multiple different colleges, racking up $40,000 in student debt, then buying a Mustang, paying for a wedding, putting some charges on credit cards, and finally combining his wife’s debt with his. They started to use the “debt snowball” method, but after having to take out business loans, the debt grew even more.

This is when Darius decided that he and his wife needed a plan to conquer their finances. They moved into a friend’s extra room for cheaper rent, stopped going out as much, began working more than one job, and siphoned all the money they could into savings and debt payoff. As of July 2021, they are debt-free!

In This Episode We Cover

How to prepare to take on student debt (when needed)

Avoiding lifestyle creep and finding ways to lower your expenses 

The “reverse house hack” and renting a room for far cheaper living expenses 

Mortgage forbearance and student loan forbearance in 2021

“Isolating yourself” from friends or influences that will cause you to spend more

Having a money date with your partner and going over finances regularly

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Scott's Instagram

Mindy's Twitter

Get Tickets to BPCon 2021

Net Worth Calculator

Debt Pay Off Plan

6 Month Spending Tracker

Sinking Funds Tracker

Lifetime Earnings Calculator

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 121 with Seth Jones

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 73 with Ramit Sethi

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 127 with Ramit Sethi

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow221

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Entrepreneurs work long, stressful hours, and as a result, they get paid the big bucks. This is the position that Stephanie, a freelance Salesforce consultant is in. She makes a respectable income, bringing in $14,000 after tax! But, that income comes at a cost.

While Stephanie is currently contracting out work to a few part-time employees, she spends at least 50 hours per week on the business. She’d like to get to a point where she can step back and work 20 (or so) hours per week and have a systematized and growing business. She’s financially in a great place, with more than three years of expenses saved in cash, so she can take more risks with her business.

If you’re growing your own business, rental portfolio, or side-income stream, you may be in Stephanie's position in the future. Stick around to hear exactly what Scott (an active CEO) would do if he was in her shoes.

In This Episode We Cover

Time freedom or financial freedom, which is more important?

Taking your hands off the reins and letting your business grow 

Subcontracting out work so you can focus on leading a business 

Firing clients who aren’t the best fit for your business 

Creating systems and procedures so your business can become scalable and saleable 

And So Much More!

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You may have heard the term “real estate syndication” thrown out quite a lot over the past few years. It seems like almost every real estate investor is either starting a real estate syndication or investing in one. So what’s all the hype about? Is this an investment opportunity that you’re missing out on, and if so, is it truly passive as many people claim?

We’ve brought the master flipper, rehab estimator, and syndicator himself, J Scott, back to the BiggerPockets Money Podcast so he can share some information (and advice) on real estate syndications. J walks through a handful of points worth examining before investing in syndications. We talk about what a real estate syndication is, where to find syndications, how to validate the syndicators themselves, what a limited partner is, what a general partner is, and more.

The most valuable part of this entire episode is about researching the syndication deal itself. Where is it located, what is the structure, who’s running it? These are all questions you should ask, along with some other key questions like:

What is the team’s track record, reputation, experience?

What is the location, risks, population size, employment, wage growth?

On the deal, what do the returns look like, what are the big risks?

Do they have an investor presentation?

What’s the minimum investment?

Are there capital calls? How do they deal with capital calls? Have they required capital calls in the past?

What are their accreditation requirements?

Can you get better terms in exchange for a larger investment?

How frequent are the distributions? Quarterly, monthly, yearly?

When will distributions start? 

Will they be doing a cost segregation study?

What fees are they receiving?

When will they give updates? Monthly, quarterly?

Can you invest using a 1031 or an IRA?

In This Episode We Cover

What is a real estate syndication and who qualifies to invest in one?

What an accredited investor is and the qualifications behind it?

Where can you find syndicators?

Whether or not investors have liability if a deal goes bad

Cap rates, NOI, and valuations on large deals

How to research a syndication deal

Syndications vs. funds vs. REITs

What happens if a syndication runs out of money?

And So Much More!

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Combining finances can be complicated, but what’s even more complicated is combining one salary with two inconsistent business accounts. How do you manage the household’s budget when you don’t know what will be coming in every month? This is the question Roshan and her husband have for us today.

Roshan works as a teacher making a very steady income and has access to retirement plans like her pension and a 457(b). Her husband, on the other hand, runs a seasonal flower business that brings in $30,000 in only five weeks, and an ecommerce store with a bit more consistent income. Together, they want to develop a formula that will help them plan for early retirement, while also being able to take some risks and reinvest in their businesses.

Scott and Mindy not only walk through the regular finance aspects like spending, retirement planning, and saving, but also more relationship-based financial aspects like having money dates, keeping a shared budget, and having a retirement plan that works with your family’s lifestyle. 

In This Episode We Cover

What to do if you have inconsistent business income 

Budgeting to cut down on items like eating out and random shopping

Creating “distributions” from your business and giving yourself a salary 

Investing in retirement accounts like your Roth IRA, 457(b), 403(b), and more

Creating a “financial formula” that will lead to you to (early) retirement 

Having money dates and staying on top of finances as a couple

And So Much More!

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Rahkim Sabree “aspired to be poor” when he was growing up. He saw his parents collecting section 8 housing vouchers, getting food stamps, and thought that this was the way life was. He didn’t grow up around many homeowners. All of his friends lived in apartment rentals and were in the same financial situation as him. There were no “financial literacy talks” at Rahkim's dinner table.

It wasn’t until Rahkim left college and got a banking job that he decided to look at where his money was going and what it was doing for him. He started reading books like Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Millionaire Next Door, which shifted his mindset and gave him the foundation to chase financial freedom. He bought a duplex, house hacked it, and started throwing all the money he could into investments.

As his own financial knowledge began to grow, he was able to share what he learned with others. He’s written two books, spoken at TEDx talks, and been invited to numerous conferences to speak. This didn’t bode well with his employer, who would consistently ask him whether his outside-of-work activities were clashing with his nine-to-five responsibilities. After hearing this over and over again, he decided to “fire his boss” and focus on building his own income, all without an emergency reserve stashed away! 

In This Episode We Cover

Why it’s so difficult to break out of poverty without financial education

Deciding to house hack so your mortgage can be offset 

Why you should always keep a safety reserve in case of emergencies 

Maxing out your 401(k), HSA, and ESPP contributions 

Thinking of low-interest credit as another type of safety reserve

Knowing when the appropriate time to leave your W2 is 

And So Much More!

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Amanda is making a teacher’s salary and spending her weekends working a part-time job at a grocery store. She contributes to her retirement accounts, but she could be sitting on a passive income gold mine that she doesn’t realize. 

Attached to Amanda’s home are a casita and a mother-in-law suite. The casita is rented out to long-term tenants and the mother-in-law suite has been used as a short-term rental for some time. But what if instead of keeping her casita as a long-term rental, she converted it into an Airbnb? Well, Amanda could potentially see a rent increase of almost 3x what she currently is renting at!

With this house hacking model that Amanda is using, she’s able to get owner-occupied financing with lower interest rates and better terms. So what if she could start doing this with other houses and slowly grow a short-term rental empire? As Scott and Mindy discuss, it’s possible! 

In This Episode We Cover

The importance of side-income streams when you work a lower-paying job

Turning extra bedrooms into short-term rental income

House hacking and the benefits of owner-occupied financing 

Calculating your hourly rate for different tasks and focusing on those with the highest ROI

Chasing financial freedom and the importance of using time how you see fit

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Scott's Instagram

Mindy's Twitter

Get Tickets to BPCon 2021

Short-Term and Vacation Rental Discussion

Avery Carl’s Short-Term Rental Interview

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After years and years of working in licensing, Diania Merriam opened up her credit report and saw that she was (collectively) $30,000 in debt. This forced her to ask the question, “what am I working for?” It made sense at the moment: you get your paycheck, you can go out to a fancy dinner, you get another paycheck, you can buy yourself something nice. But Diania wasn’t happy, or at least as happy as she thought she’d be.

She realized that she didn’t want to be stuck in a job she had to go to every day. She wanted autonomy, freedom, and financial independence that would allow her to rule over her schedule and pursue her passions and interests. So, she went to work and started saving whatever she could. She stopped eating out, started cooking all her meals, moved to a more inexpensive city, bought a house and house hacked, heavily invested in retirement, and did everything right.

Now, she’s self-employed, hosting the Optimal Finance Daily podcast and the EconoMe Conference in Cincinnati. She was able to create her dream roles because she came from a position of financial strength, she also had a plan in mind and knew what her “worst-case scenario” looked like.

In This Episode We Cover

Getting out of consumer and student debt as quickly as possible

Minimizing expenses and maximizing income to increase savings rates

Building a strong financial runway so you can start your own business

Buying a house and house hacking by renting per room

Understanding your “worst-case scenario” before you take the leap into entrepreneurialism

Finding your passions and cementing what you want to do when you reach FI

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Scott's Instagram

Mindy's Twitter

Get Tickets to BPCon 2021

The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement

Get Tickets to the EconoMe Conference and USE CODE BIGGERPOCKETS for a Discount

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 01 with Mr. Money Mustache

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 120 with Michael Kitces

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 153 with Bill Bengen

Grab the House Hacking Strategy

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow215

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s hard to imagine what someone is going through once they’re given a cancer diagnosis. The last thing many people want to think about during such a troubling time is finances. This was true for Zachary, who’s combined net worth with his partner more than doubled while he was supporting her throughout her chemotherapy and cancer surgeries.

Even though it was a medically troubling year, Zachary and his partner were able to almost double their income, while keeping expenses fairly low. This allowed them to set a 50% savings rate and keep enough to pay for treatments, retirement investing, and even save for IVF (in vitro fertilization). Since IVF is such an expensive treatment, Zachary wants to know how he can best position himself to pay for it while his partner reduces her time at work to take care of their future children.

In This Episode We Cover

Becoming cancer free after a stage three diagnosis (wooooo!)

Doubling your income by making intelligent career changes

Short-term rentals vs. long-term rentals and the risks of both

Planning for medical expenses like IVF

Contributing to HSAs, Roth IRAs, and 401(k)s

Managing a 10-bedroom “sorority house” 

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Scott's Instagram

Mindy's Twitter

Get Tickets to BPCon 2021

You Need a Budget

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Growing up in Mexico, Saul Tijerina didn’t fully understand the concept of financing. It wasn’t that he couldn’t conceptualize financing, it was more that he wasn’t around it enough to think of it as an option. In Mexico, everything was sold for cash, whether it was a home, a car, or a new TV. Owning something meant that you really “owned it”, not just “I’m paying this off.”

It’s no surprise that when Saul came to the United States to work, he was in for a financial shock. New car? Finance it. New house? Finance it. Want to eat out every day? Charge it to your credit card and finance it! This was the cycle that Saul was in for close to two decades, before discovering the FI movement.

Once he started digging around online forums, blogs, and YouTube channels, he found a community that not only hit financial independence but hit it at an impressively young age. Now, about two years into his FI journey, Saul has made monumental progress with saving and investing. He’s on track to retire as a millionaire in 2026 and will live off of his taxable accounts until he is old enough to take out funds from his tax-advantaged investments.

In This Episode We Cover

Why lifestyle creep can be incredibly dangerous for young adults 

Paying attention to the interest credit cards charge and never falling into high-interest debt

Why financing a brand new car can be a huge blow to future wealth accumulation

Staying away from the “two-income trap” and keeping expenses low

Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, Conversion Ladders, and other retirement accounts

Saul’s 72 Hour Rule for spending (especially online shopping)

How to get your partner on board for FI when they may not know about financial possibilities 

And So Much More!

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Starting a strong financial position in your youth is probably the most important thing you can do to hit financial independence. Sometimes that strong position includes maxing out retirement accounts, like Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, or even HSAs (health savings account), but sometimes, it doesn’t. Scott and Mindy talk to Kirsten about the potential option of pausing her retirement contributions to buy a duplex so she can house hack.

While this may seem counterintuitive, pausing retirement contributions isn't always a bad thing. This is especially true if you’re trying to do something that will radically change your income or expenses, allowing you to invest more into retirement later on. 

This episode runs through house hacking, retirement contributions, FHA rules for owner-occupied loans, how to graduate with no debt, and when the best time to have a “money date” is. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your early 20s or mid-40s, these principles are key to having a financially successful life.

In This Episode We Cover

How to aggressively invest so you can retire young 

The importance of side-income and why you should have multiple streams of income

Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, and HSAs (health savings accounts) 

Graduating from college debt-free

Whether or not life insurance is necessary for young people

Having “money talks” and “money dates” with your partner 

House hacking and using real estate to catapult your wealth

And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s nice to hear a fan of the BiggerPockets Money Show talk about how they are on the path to financial freedom. It’s even nicer when we hear that the fan, Melissa Yi, went from a negative net worth to now $100k+ due to some simple tips from Scott and Mindy.

Melissa had stints in her childhood where she was facing homelessness, not knowing where her next meal was coming from. She worked hard after high school and ended up at a job that offered to pay for her college education. A year away from graduating, she made the decision to quit, without savings, another job lined up, or a way to pay for school. She took out student loans, auto loans, and sunk into credit card debt.

At one point, Melissa looked around and realized she had a lot of stuff. Stuff that wasn’t doing anything for her, except for filling up her garage. She sold what she could, started bringing in side income streams, and stopped eating out. These small changes allowed her to slowly pay off her debt and get to a positive net worth. Now, she’s at the $100k+ point and slowly coasting her way to financial independence! 

In This Episode We Cover

The importance of financial education when growing up 

Taking advantage of company-sponsored tuition reimbursement 

Why you should never cash out your 401(k) or other retirement accounts 

Credit card debt and why it’s so bad for uninformed consumers 

Using a live in flip to make a killer profit while paying $0 in taxes

Setting up retirement accounts and maxing them out whenever possible

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Scott's Instagram

Mindy's Twitter

Melissa’s Facebook Post

Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Half with Erin Chase from $5 Dinners

 Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow210

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Teachers do a lot more than we give them credit for (as shown throughout the past year and a half), but sadly, they don’t get paid terribly high salaries. Today’s guest, Stephanie, is a music teacher for young children and is debating whether or not she should make a career change to up her income to higher levels. Stephanie has a good amount in savings and investments but wants to take on a duplex to house hack and save money on monthly housing costs.

Scott and Mindy walk through the pros and cons of house hacking and answer questions about live in flips. The best part about Stephanie’s story is that she has the option to move anywhere in the United States. She has nothing holding her to New Jersey and may be keen to move out due to the high taxes she has to pay.

With the combination of a career change and the potential to do a live in flip/house hack on the horizon, Stephanie has a lot of great (and broad) options to help her reach financial independence!

In This Episode We Cover

Changing careers to maximize financial independence goals

Starting a side hustle so you can earn extra income

Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, and Solo IRAs

House hacking as a means to not only cut housing expenses but build wealth

Who should (and shouldn’t) do a live in flip

Should you pay off low-interest debt or invest?

And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Growing up, Bola Sokunbi had some serious financial influence from her parents. Her father would tell her “Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish” while her mom showed her the importance of being an independent woman who could financially stand on her own. They both influenced her to become the financial author, mentor, and teacher she is today with Clever Girl Finance.

Bola split her youth between Europe and Africa, and when given the chance to go to college back in Europe, her mom cashed out her retirement savings to give her daughter the gift of education. Bola worked through college and graduated with zero debt! She then went on to live in New York City, making $54,000 a year at her first job, which to her, was like getting a million dollars!

As she saved up to buy her first home and later started investing in more growing assets, she saw her friends who made 3x her salary, spend all their money on designer handbags, expensive dinners, and luxury apartments. She knew she didn’t want to be surrounded by financially irresponsible people, so she distanced herself from those friends, and began her journey to FI.

Now, Bola has a business pulling in six figures every month! She teaches women how they can start investing, have financial confidence, and live life on their terms. 

In This Episode We Cover

The importance of education, even in today’s world 

The great sacrifices Bola’s parents made for her to be successful

Starting side income streams so you can invest and save more

Selling the investments you don’t feel comfortable with, and why everyone doesn’t need to be a landlord

Saving a massive financial runway before quitting your full-time job

Starting Clever Girl Finance and her new book The Side Hustle Guide 

And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: it’s never too early to start your journey to financial independence. Today we talk to Mackenzie, a 23-year-old college graduate, working a government job and paying for only minor expenses. She has a serious emergency fund she’s managed to save up and has questions on house hacking, setting up retirement accounts, and the fastest way to get to FI.

When you start your financial journey at such a young age, you have many different opportunities. Even just maxing out your Roth every year may be enough to make you a tax-free millionaire, but what about more aggressive strategies like owning rental properties or even shooting for a far higher-paying job? These are all questions that Mackenzie wants answers to, so we have Scott and Mindy here to help!

In This Episode We Cover

Living at home when you’re young to save money on rent and food

Graduating debt-free so you can come out of college ready to build wealth

TSP accounts, Roth accounts, and the 457 plan

House hacking as a way to fund future investments

Looking for other jobs or side income that can help you increase your investing rate

And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Part of the reason we started the BiggerPockets Money Show was to share financial stories from all different backgrounds, giving you, the listener, confidence to reach your financial goals regardless of the stage you’re at in life. There’s no better story or person to personify this than Dr. Lakisha Simmons. 

Lakisha grew up in Indianapolis, born to teenage parents who didn’t have much. She spent the majority of her youth living at different family members’ houses, shopping bargains, and being content with having enough to get by. She started working at 14 years old and has fond memories of taking her paychecks to the bank so she could deposit them in her own checking account. 

When Lakisha hit some road bumps in her personal life, she put her children first and sold her home, started renting, and dove heavily into FI. She managed to hit a 60% savings rate as a single mother, thanks to her helpful side-income streams. Now, after almost 3 decades of working, she’s ready to retire, spending time with her children and teaching other women how they can do the same. 

In This Episode We Cover

How growing up in poverty can lead to living frugally in the future

Whether or not student loans are worth it for the paycheck

Looking at ALL your bills and only paying for things that bring you value

Renting vs. owning a home, and how it affects your bottom line

Taking advantage of 457(b) plans for government employees 

And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For most people, there tends to be a specific point in your life when you think, “I want to travel” or “I want to spend time pursuing my passions”. For today’s guest Ainsley, this happened about two years ago.

She has spent the last decade or so being a stay-at-home mom, but is looking to up her household income by getting a job that will provide an extra $36,000 a year to the family budget. Her main question: what should this extra income be used for?

Mindy and Scott come up with a step-by-step approach to hit financial freedom, even if you don’t have a large amount of cash or investments. Lucky for Ainsley, her home in the Pacific Northwest appreciated close to $150,000 in just the past year alone! Plus, she also has retirement accounts that she and her husband actively contribute to.

While they’re doing many things right, they could improve on some simple things like boosting their emergency fund, starting an HSA, contributing to a Roth IRA, and getting their income up as much as possible. This is a great episode for those who don’t want to get into real estate, and instead would rather have passive investments growing on the side!

In This Episode We Cover

Mindy and Scott’s 7-step plan to hit financial freedom 

The importance of keeping a healthy emergency fund (and where to store it)

The pros and cons of taking out a HELOC on your primary residence 

Always getting the 401(k) match whenever presented with one

ESPPs (employee stock purchase plans) and how to take advantage of them 

Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s, and other tax-deferred accounts

Investing in a regular brokerage account once you have maxed out retirement 

And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are lots of twists and turns throughout every investor's journey, but maybe not as many as Zeona McIntyre’s. Growing up with the words of Suze Orman in her ear, Zeona knew that there were a few things she had to do, like max out her Roth IRA every year. It wasn’t until Zeona was talking to a friend who told her about Airbnb arbitrage that she realized a future in real estate investing may be the most successful.

Before there were many short-term rental laws, people would Airbnb out of their own rented apartment, often without the landlord’s permission. Before you go off on Zeona in the comments, know that she does not do this anymore, and a few of her landlords were surprisingly okay with the plan. Since then, she has purchased 11 doors that she rents out, both to short and long-term tenants. 

You’ll hear how Zeona used private funding, an unfortunately-fortune life insurance payment, and many other creative methods to get her to financial independence in just 2 years!

In This Episode We Cover

• Airbnb arbitraging and why it was so popular in the early days of short-term rentals
• Paying off student debt but feeling like you’re not “moving the needle”
• Why it’s so important to consume financial information at the beginning of your career
• Dealing with the death of a loved one, and finding ways to honor their memory
• COVID’s impact on Airbnb and the short-term market in general
• And So Much More!

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We all know someone who hustles. Maybe it’s your sibling or your friend, or maybe you’re the hustler in your group. Those who hustle to make more money seem to always find new ways to bring in more cash, and that’s exactly what today’s guest, Alicia, is doing. Alicia jokes that she has 2-4 jobs, because in the day she’s working 65 hours a week at a media company, but is also a “saloon girl” and professional singer on the side. How many moms do you know that can ride a mechanical bull? Well, Alicia can!

Alicia recently purchased a rental property in Detroit that is giving her a 20% return! This is far higher than most real estate investors anticipate, and for her, it’s a blessing on her path to hitting passive FI. She was able to buy this rental in cash with a 401(k) loan, but with some taxes looming on the horizon, Alicia is asking whether or not paying off the debt or buying another property is the best move to hit her financial freedom goals.

In This Episode We Cover

• 401(k) loans and when (or when not) they’re appropriate to use for investment purposes
• Getting 20% ROI with section 8 tenants in Detroit
• Why side income streams are important for any new or established investor
• How live in flips still provide great returns even in a hot market
• Knowing which debts to pay off slowly and which debts to get rid of fast
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• Growing Your 401k vs. Liquidating It to Invest in Real Estate
• Is a Live In Flip Right for You? Here’s How to Tell
• Feline Good Social Club

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow204

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What’s your excuse for not hitting financial freedom? Maybe you work at a low paying job, maybe you only have one income for your household, or maybe you’re caring for a few kids, limiting the income you can save and invest. Prepare to have your excuses obliterated, because today we’re talking to Rob and Sam, who raised their 14 children on one income alone. And we aren’t talking about a $500k per year income, we’re talking about a median income!

Rob and Sam always wanted a big family, and luckily, they were raised in frugal households, allowing them to save every penny, shop the deals, and have a budget. While Sam was at home raising the children, Rob was out working and slowly paying off their house early, without Sam’s knowledge. One day, Rob told Sam that the house was paid off, which came as a huge surprise to her!

He had also been maxing out their Roth IRAs, his 401(k), and their HSAs. Rob was doing all this while comfortably raising 14 children. How is that even possible? Well, you can learn all about their tips, tricks, and budgeting tactics by buying their new book: A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More: Advice from a Debt-Free Family of 16! 

In This Episode We Cover

• Setting up budgeting, expense tracking, and being deliberate with your spending
• Maxing out your 401(k) match, your Roth IRA, and your HSA
• Being frugal so you have more money to spend on the important things
• Fixing up a foreclosed house to save money when shopping for a home
• Getting out of debt so you can tackle bigger (good) debts
• Becoming intentional with your spending, saving, and investing
• Raising a family of 16 with a single income
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• Mad Fientist

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow203

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most 21-year-olds aren’t thinking about Roth IRAs, early retirement, house hacking, or graduating college debt-free. But today’s guest, Anthony, is! Anthony is currently a student in community college, preparing to transfer to a four-year college next year. He has a paid-off car, no credit card debt, and makes around $2,000 a month, with $800 or so as extra income each month.

Anthony is wondering where the best place to put his extra income is. Should he invest in his Roth or should he save up money for college costs? Alternatively, he could house hack which could cash flow him through college and allow him to leave with a degree and a profitable rental property. 

Scott and Mindy walk through the multiple different options Anthony has and push him to see what he can achieve within the next few years to put him on a path towards financial independence! 

In This Episode We Cover

• Planning for retirement at a very early age
• Maxing out your Roth IRA and 401(k) match every year you can
• Paying off credit card debt and car loans 
• Finding side income streams like driving for Uber 
• House hacking during college and leaving with a cash-flowing rental 
• Keeping your spending habits low (especially as you’re starting out)
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you think about debt? Most of us would shudder to think of having high-interest consumer debt in our lives, and for good reason. Consumer debt can lead to a detrimental financial future and tons of wasted money on interest. But what about good debt? Debt to buy rental properties or help an aspiring business. How do you feel about that debt?

Today we’re joined by FI chaser, and friend of Mindy, Jake Simon. Jake was raised in a frugal household. He learned to spend less than he made, shop the bargains, work hard, and NOT go into debt. Jake had been investing money every month in his 401(k), and after that, began putting the extra money he had into a bank account. After listening to The Mad Fientist (he’s been on our show before too), Jake knew that there was a much better place his money could be stored.

With the relocation of his job every few years, Jake became more and more interested in real estate, prompting him to start doing live-in-flips! After maxing out retirement accounts, selling his flips for heavy profits, and still having a large savings rate every month, he decided to conquer his fear of debt, and use debt to buy rental properties!

In This Episode We Cover

• The difference between good debt and bad debt 
• Storing your money in a long-term investment, as opposed to keeping it in cash
• Why live-in-flips are not only practical but profitable too
• Understanding your profit margins and buying deals that are worth it for you
• Buying your children a “rental property college fund”
• Who should (and shouldn’t) be doing their own rehab work
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 35 with Craig Curelop
• Mad Fientist
• ChooseFI

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow201

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We love when guests come back on the show, especially when that guest is Kyle Mast. You may have heard him back on episodes 41 & 84, but now he’s here to celebrate our 200th episode with us! Scott and Mindy have come up with their own questions to ask Kyle ranging from retirement accounts, to asset allocation, to the future of cryptocurrency, and more.

If you’re worried about retirement, Kyle has you covered. We go over some great topics like whether you should choose a traditional 401(k) or a Roth 401(k). From there, we talk about whether a pre-tax account or a post-tax account makes the most sense, based on your income, tax bracket, job security, and more. We’ll also touch on HSA (health savings accounts) which are a fan favorite as well as a tried-and-true winner for almost anyone who qualifies for one.

Post-retirement is another topic that rarely gets discussed on the show (since we’re all so focused on getting wealthy, not deploying that wealth). If you’re worried about hitting required minimum distributions soon, you may have the ability to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run with some tips from Kyle. We’ll also talk about diversifying your accounts now so you can be nicely positioned upon retirement.

Lastly, we talk about inflation, rising house prices, tech stocks, and (Mindy’s favorite, of course) cryptocurrency. All of these are incredibly relevant right now and it’s great to hear from someone as neutral as Kyle on the pros and cons of each.

In This Episode We Cover

• Traditional 401(k)s vs. Roth 401(k)s and the tax implications of both
• Looking at your retirement accounts from a long or short term position
• Taking the 401(k) match whenever a company allows you to
• Required minimum distributions and the 4% rule
• Solo 401(k)s and and retirement accounts for entrepreneurs 
• Cryptocurrency, stocks, real estate, and precious metal allocation
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 41
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 84
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 118
• Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 120 with Michael Kitces
• Nerd's Eye View

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow200

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The average American takes a long time to pay off debt, especially student loan debt. These amounts can vary, some people have a few thousand in student loan debt, others have tens of thousands, but what about $521,741 in student debt? Would you be able to pay off over half a million dollars in student loans, all while trying to buy a house and regularly invest? This is exactly what Ty from Debt Ascent did, and he did it quite successfully.

Ty is an engineer and his wife is a dentist, so they both are in high-income careers with advanced degrees. Ty makes the argument that their degrees are a good investment, as they’ve been able to make $400,000+ as a couple, years after finishing school. This is a very high income, and with smart money management (as you’ll hear in the show), the high debt can be easily argued as being worth it.

You’ll also hear from Ty on the importance of tracking your spending (something both Mindy and Scott have been fans of for a long, long time). Tracking the spending for Ty and his wife made it simple and easy for them to live off of one income alone, while dedicating the other income completely towards paying off debt and setting up other income streams.

As of now, they are debt-free, with another $500,000+ in assets! Talk about financial efficiency! 

In This Episode We Cover

• When student debt is (and isn’t) worth it for a future career
• Why it’s harder for lower-income households to pay off debt
• The importance of tracking your spending (via YNAB or manual tracking)
• Paying for your future self, your current self, and your past self
• Staying away from the “two-income trap” 
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• Mr. Money Mustache
• YNAB
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 106 with Megan Gorman
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 20 with JL Collins
• Debt Ascent Net Worth

 Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow199

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many of you know that Mindy loves live-in-flips, and although she can definitely swing a hammer, she doesn’t have the skills of a finish carpenter, but today’s guests, Serafina & Darrin, do! Serafina and Darrin were both working at non-profits, but over the last year have transitioned to running their own business named Carlucci Woodworking. Serafina takes care of the bookkeeping while Darrin takes care of the carpentry. They’re a dynamic duo!

All this is happening while they are trying to build their dream home out in the country. If you’ve ever custom-built a house you’ll know how time-intensive and (often) expensive it can be. Serafina & Darrin want to know whether or not Darrin’s high hourly rate would be better served doing jobs, as opposed to working on their own home.

With dreams of sailing around the world with their children, hitting a not too far away FI number, and living in their countryside getaway, they’ll need to focus on optimizing their business, getting connections, and keeping up with their investing! 

In This Episode We Cover

• The pros and cons of leaving your job for self-employment
• How to optimize your business so you’re working billable hours whenever possible
• Roth IRAs, traditional IRAs, and pensions 
• Setting up your emergency reserve so you always feel financially secure
• Using your business in creative ways (to make more money!)
• Knowing the ARV of a new construction (even if it’s custom)
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• Mad Fientist
• Etsy
• Yelp
• HomeAdvisor
• HSA – The Ultimate Retirement Account
• Roth Conversion Ladders

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow198

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are a lot of excuses we hear from people as to why they can’t reach financial independence. They needed that new car, they needed that nicer apartment, they needed the expensive vacations. Often, this is what we hear from people making a high income, unlike today’s guest, non-profit worker Nate Forbes.

Nate knew that he liked working jobs that tended to pay less, and with the support of his wife, he stayed at them. When his wife was ready to be a stay-at-home mom, Nate took a job with more pay but was by no means a high-income position. Even with Nate being the only breadwinner for the family, he and his wife were able to max out their retirement accounts, buy rental properties, and start doing BRRRRs.

Since Nate was raised with strong frugality and not much of a consumer mindset, he’s used to living below his means, but his story of wealth accumulation is truly inspiring. From selling vintage clothing to living in a collective household, to hunting down an early 90s Honda Civic to get 50mpg on long commutes, Nate has done almost everything he can to live a life he loves all while reaching “coast” FI!

In This Episode We Cover

• The importance of early financial education for young children
• Living below your means and striving to invest every year you can
• Keeping the job you love and finding ways to make more money on the side
• Maxing out your Roth and other retirement accounts
• BRRRR investing and doing live-in flips
• Realizing that life isn’t about math, and leverage may not be necessary for success
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• Fuel Economy
• Dave Ramsey
• Mr. Money Mustache
• Mad Fientist

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow197

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Getting out of debt can be very empowering, which is exactly how Azar and Jeffrey felt when they paid off $83,000 of debt in under 3 years! They thought it may be the best time to start investing in real estate, but with a surprise baby on the way, they need to be sure they’re prioritizing stability over growth. Since they’re in such a great position, they should be able to do both!

Azar works as a school nurse bringing in a respectable salary, while Jeffrey gets disability payments. Both have pensions and retirement accounts, but they want something more than just those retirement options. For them, real estate seems like the next step. They’ve taken out a HELOC (home equity line of credit) in order to buy their next property, but need advice on whether or not it’s a smart move to stockpile cash for the new baby or go ahead with the real estate purchase.

In This Episode We Cover

• Getting yourself out of high consumer debt 
• Refinancing so you can take advantage of far lower interest rates
• How much should you have in an emergency fund for a family of five?
• The potential benefits of paying off your primary residence before buying rentals
• Why HELOCs should be used for short term debt only
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow196

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Student loans can often drag people into debt, especially when chasing more than one degree. But here’s an unusual story: Brenda Olmost, PhD student, nurse practitioner, and member of the FIRE community is graduating with NO debt. Amazing right? Brenda has worked her tail off over the past decade getting scholarships, living below her means, and working whenever she can so she graduates her program with no debt.

Not only has Brenda done a fantastic job making extra income, she’s been investing on the side! She has a growing 401(k), a maxed out Roth IRA, and 2 rental properties. At 31, she’s in a phenomenal position to reach financial independence. Lucky for her, she loves her career, so even if she does hit her FI number, she’ll still be bringing in the dough to pursue more and more investment opportunities.

If you want to hear more from Brenda, you can check out her podcast, Minority Millennial Money where she talks about budgeting, investing, saving, career, and relationships!

In This Episode We Cover

• Staying off the hedonic treadmill and living below your means
• Pursuing high demand, high-income careers
• Getting scholarships and working on the side to pay for school
• Why you SHOULDN’T buy that new car you want
• Hitting “Coast FI” in your early 30s
• Using your extra income to invest, buy rental properties, and save
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 169
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 81
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 24

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow195

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s a common concern among many Americans on whether or not they can retire on a timeline they feel comfortable with. In this episode, we talk to Deb, who’s having some of those same concerns. She has over $100,000 in assets (not including the house) and wants to be sure that she can provide a great life for her children all while saving more and more for retirement.

Deb has read so many money and financial independence forums about mid twenty year olds with six-figure incomes and five-figure savings per month. Many people read about these stories and feel like they can’t compare, but if you’re in Deb’s situation, you’re already doing well with retirement savings! It can be dangerous to compare your journey to others who’s backstory you don’t know. That’s why we encourage everyone to save, invest, and spend at a rate that works for their goals!

In This Episode We Cover

• Finding side-income sources and business that will help you with retirement savings
• Keeping an expense tracker and budget so you know exactly what you’re spending
• Having a sizeable emergency fund so you’re never in a bad position
• Giving every dollar a purpose in your budget
• Setting up your children with Roth IRAs so they can start investing sooner
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Part of the mission of the BiggerPockets Money Show is to share journeys from all walks of life. Our guests show that no matter where you’re at, you can reach financial freedom and enjoy your life on your terms. Today’s guest, T Christopher Colton, is a shining example of pulling yourself out of the depths and into the light.

Chris never liked school, and was spanked all throughout elementary and middle school for failing to pay attention in class. He was told he needed to go to college, but didn’t have the passion for higher learning that other classmates did. He ran away from home multiple times, ended up being homeless, and addicted to drugs. He had stints as a car salesman, before going into carpentry.

With the help of his wife, Chris was able to get off the streets and live a stable life with his full time income. But, he wanted more. He became an electrician apprentice and started doing side work to help pay off the $100,000+ debt he had accumulated. Thankfully, he found out about financial independence through Dave Ramsey, putting him on a path to reject consumer debt, go hard on retirement accounts, and bring in more income.

In This Episode We Cover

• The financial danger of buying a new car, and the costs that come with it
• Selling everything to get out of debt fast
• Moving states and reducing costs of living dramatically
• 401(k)s, IRAs, and Roth IRAs for retirement
• Starting a side business and having your W2 pay for your everyday expenses
• Getting your children on a path to success with early financial independence
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• WECA Apprenticeship
• CarMax
• The Ramsey Show

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow193

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In many of our lives, we make a decent salary, we try to save and invest, but we still feel bogged down by debt. How is it possible to feel “broke” while making a great salary? That is the question that Tiara, today’s guest, is asking. Tiara works as a park ranger in Texas, but wants to take a break in the next few years to go on a big travelling holiday.

This is a great idea! She’s worked very hard, managed to get some assets under her name, and needs a break. But before she can go out and explore the world, she needs to take care of some high-interest credit card debt eating away at her bank account and her financial sanity. 

Tiara is also sitting on a rental property that has appreciated since she bought it. This rental property used to be her primary residence, so she still has some emotional ties to it, but with her current needs growing greater than her need to hang on to a negative cash-flowing rental, it may be time to sell the house. 

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Many of us have had the benefit of growing up in households where our parents taught us about money, saving, and investing. Angela Rozmyn was raised in one of these households, and when she wanted something like a bunk bed, her parents got her to work so she could split the cost of it. Clearly this has helped her even to this day as she pursues financial independence and runs the Facebook Group “Women’s Personal Finance (Women On Fire)”.

Before she was on her financially independent journey, she had to get rid of her student debt. She did so by working two jobs before getting into a full-time position and paying off small amounts of the loan as quickly as possible. She paid off $24,000 in student loans in less than 4 years, a huge accomplishment! One of the biggest factors that pushed her to pay off her loan so early was when she calculated how much she was paying in interest on a daily basis. This lit a fire under her to become debt-free.

Now, Angela writes on her own blog Tread Lightly, Retire Early where she shares her money journey, mistakes, and tricks to hitting financial freedom. Angela prides herself on having such a strong community and blog position in a niche that tends to be led mostly by men.

In This Episode We Cover

• Instilling a money mentality in children at a young age
• Paying off your student loans as fast as you can
• Having separate accounts when married/in a long-term relationship 
• Maxing out your IRAs and doing as much as you can for your future self
• House-hacking and finding a roommate that benefits your life
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• The Millionaire Educator
• One Frugal Girl
• Student Loan Calculator
• Retire by 40
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 161 with Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 187 with Tiffany Aliche
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 124 with Millionaire Educator
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 13 with Tanja

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow191

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Side businesses can be a fantastic way to boost your savings and investing rates, especially if you’re making a low salary! Rachael works in the insurance industry and is keen on getting a promotion soon, due to her recently acquired license. She loves her work and wants to stay with her company as long as she can, but she also wants to increase her income so she can save more for her retirement, her college funds, and pay off some student debt.

Rachael has always been an artist and uses this talent to grow her small businesses. She hosts “painting parties” where she leads a group of people through painting a beautiful picture. She also has some designs that she sells over printing websites so people can buy them as mugs, mousepads, tee-shirts, and more.

She does have a few things to cut out of her life, such as a very expensive mobile phone bill for her and her sons, as well as a love for eating out. Mindy and Scott’s advice is to start tracking expenses as soon as possible and get rid of her delivery app membership right away!

In This Episode We Cover

• Why side-income streams are so important when building wealth
• Combining or keeping finances separate when in a marriage
• Why you shouldn’t liquidate your retirement savings before a divorce
• Cutting down eating out and making it easier to eat at home
• Saving on mobile service by going with a prepaid service
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Getting a finance degree doesn’t make you a great investor or saver, that’s what Teri Slater, personal finance coach found to be true after completing her degree. From a relatively early stage, Teri had already racked up student loan debt, a car loan, and credit card debt. She pulled herself out of debt and felt accomplished, but after she got married and bought her first house, she found herself back in debt. About $200k in debt!

Teri and her (then) husband had high incomes, a nice home, children, and a couple of dogs. From the outside, it looked like they were doing phenomenally, but inside the home, Teri and her husband were barely scraping by with enough money to pay the mortgage every month. They had credit card debt, a car loan, a truck loan, business loans, and a HELOC (home equity line of credit) against the house. They were completely surrounded by debt. 

They decided to attend Financial Peace University sessions and take the baby steps to get out of debt. Teri still felt embarrassed at the end of the meetings and was hesitant to disclose how they were doing financially. It took her and her husband years to get out of hundreds of thousands in debt, but as of 2018, Teri is debt free! Now she puts a generous amount towards her after-tax and pre-tax retirement accounts, and helps teach others how they too can be on a path to financial freedom.

Teri knows first hand how hard it can be to talk through financial situations with your partner. She goes through some tactics to get your partner on the same page as you and create clear goals, all without revenge spending! 

In This Episode We Cover

• Staying out of debt when you go to college 
• Diagnosing the behavioral issues around debt 
• Getting out of debt and staying out of debt 
• Keeping up the momentum when you’re paying off large amounts of debt 
• How to stop “revenge spending” when you feel it coming on
• And So Much More!

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow189

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Being strapped with student debt isn’t easy. It creates a whole new obstacle to hitting financial freedom, but it can be mitigated. So does it make sense to invest on the side and pay the regular monthly payments on student debt, or go all-in and pay off huge chunks of student debt at once? Today’s guest, Robyn, has this exact question (which many of you may have as well). 

Robyn lives in the Bay Area, one of the most notoriously expensive housing markets on the planet. That being said, she is paying very low rent, under $700 a month, split with her partner. Robyn has student loans and a small car loan, but wants to go back to school to get her master’s degree so she can hit her career goals. There would be a pay raise after she got her master’s and she loves her job, so she’s keen on staying in her sector for awhile.

Scott and Mindy go through a few examples where it may be best for Robyn to go more heavy on investing, instead of paying off the student loan aggressively. This is especially true now that the government has given the option of 0% interest payments on student loans for many students (including Robyn) until at least the last quarter of 2021. So what makes more sense, get rid of debt or go in on investing?

In This Episode We Cover

• Keeping a large savings rate every month for unexpected expenses 
• Finishing school faster so you walk away with less debt
• Knowing your student loan and other debt interest rates 
• Weighing investing against paying off student loans quicker 
• Having a side-income so you can maximize saving whenever possible
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tiffany Aliche is back for her third appearance on the BiggerPockets Money Show! We’ve talked to her about how to teach your children about money and climbing out from financial rock bottom, now we talk to her about making millions!

If you haven’t heard from Tiffany before, we’ll catch you up on her backstory. Tiffany was doing well with money up until her mid-twenties, then she hit a few snags, and even got scammed out of $35,000 from who she calls “Jack the Thief”. She was living with her parents in her thirties and had a lower net worth at thirty than she did a sixteen. This is what she refers to as hitting her financial rock bottom.

Thankfully, she had some friends who helped pull her out of her financial shame. She then went on to work hard, started putting away money in savings and investments, and now she’s running businesses making 7-figures, every month! That is no small accomplishment, but Tiffany doesn’t want to go small, she wants to go BIG! Big retirement accounts, big businesses, and big dreams!

Tiffany’s current goal is to hit $10,000,000 in retirement savings by fifty, but thinks she may be able to do so before she turns forty-five. This is all accomplished through creating big visions, setting the pace for the rest of her financial life, prioritizing tasks in her life, and farming out her profitable skill sets. Tiffany’s friends say that everything she touches turns to gold, but Tiffany says “I only touch gold!” 

You can get Tiffany’s new book Get Good with Money today!  

In This Episode We Cover

• Going from financial disaster to ‘Budgetnista’ in a few years
• Embracing your humble beginnings and thinking of them as preparation for bigger things
• Farming your profitable skill sets where obvious and latent skills are found
• Prioritizing your daily tasks and your life as a whole
• Investing your wealth AND retirement
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow187

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we talk to Sammie, a physician assistant out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sammie makes a great income, around $140,000 a year, but is strapped with a very big $160,000 student loan debt. The good news? She’s eligible for public service loan forgiveness within only a few years, all she needs to do is continue paying her loan payments while keeping her job, and the debt will be wiped away!

This is fantastic for Sammie, because she wants to start investing more into assets so she can hit financial independence within the next decade.This should be more than possible seeing as she used to be spending a lot on her rent in San Francisco, but decided to move back home with her parents two years ago to not only help them, but save money.

Sammie has some options to work more hours at her job, invest more aggressively, or buy some rental properties. She has a good amount in cash savings and would be comfortable looking into rentals starting next year. She also has a $200,000+ investment portfolio, so not only does she have a positive net worth, when her student loans get forgiven, she’ll be sitting on a lot of money she’ll be able to play with!

In This Episode We Cover

• Public service loan forgiveness for student loans
• Moving back home in order to save money on rent 
• Creating more streams of income to hit FI faster and so you can retire more comfortably
• Choosing to stay at your job even if you’ve hit your FI number 
• Investing in your 401(k), Roth IRA, and Traditional IRA
• Keeping monthly expenses as low as possible on your road to retirement
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 22 with Travis Hornsby
• Status Post Adulting Podcast
• Real Estate Agent Directory
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 118
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 84 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Membership Benefits & Cost
• BiggerPockets Bookstore

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow186

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Barbara Friedburg wasn’t always the savvy investor and saver that many people know her as, but her background helped get her there. Born to parents of the great depression, Barbara had the traits of frugality and modesty instilled into her from a young age. Money was an open subject of discussion in Barbara’s household, unlike most households today. Her parents taught her to value money, not waste it, and be smart when you spend.

Barbara’s innate financial intelligence was clearly shown when she met her husband. Within two weeks of them getting together, Barbara had already taken over her future husband’s finances and got his money into a retirement account. This led to them having a very financially healthy relationship, never spending more than they needed to, and putting a substantial amount of their income into savings and 401(k) accounts.

Barbara then went on to become a financial planner, investor, consultant, and author. In a time where the market is so overvalued, she advises young people to be smart with their income and understand that wealth is built in the long-term, not through quick gambles. Save your money, invest it consistently, and get off the hedonic treadmill. “Don’t covet your neighbor’s BMW” is what she told us!

Barbara also gives us an inside look into her current investments, and why she heavily favors passive index funds over single stock picks. She goes into short, medium, and long-term money, and the uses for each. For young people who haven’t gotten a grip on finances yet, this is a great episode to hear from someone who has done it successfully for decades!

In This Episode We Cover

•  Making sure that money is a topic often discussed in your family
•  Knowing the value of money and fighting back the urge to spend frivolously
• Saving a large amount of your income whenever possible
• Why Barbara doesn’t believe the FIRE Movement is attainable by most
• Why You HAVE to be diversified in order to succeed
• What to do with your short, medium, and long-term money
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Scott's Instagram
• Mindy's Twitter
• Hacking Hedonic Adaptation to Get Way More For Your Money
• Free Investing Resources

 Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow185

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Saving up for financial independence can take some time, but if you’re earning a high salary, keeping your exSaving up for financial independence can take some time, but if you’re earning a high salary, keeping your expenses low, and heavily investing, FI can come quicker than you think. Today, we talk to Kristine, an estimator in the mechanical engineering and plumbing industry. Kristine and her fiancé make a sizable amount of money. Even better, they spend very little for their income bracket and invest in long-term index funds.

Kristine and her husband are thrifty, they pay only $600 a month to rent a room in a house and are just now about to purchase their first home. They’re putting 20% as a down payment and are ready for a large shift in disposable income. They’re also planning on having kids in the future, and want to be sure they can retire on their terms so they can spend time with their children.

Originally Kristine wanted about $3.1 million dollars in assets to hit a $100,000+ per year withdrawal allowance (using the 4% rule), but Scott and Mindy argue that this could be more aggressive than needed. Kristine may be over-budgeting for future children and other expenses, without realizing that her sizable amount of assets could compound quicker than she thinks. Will Kristine be able to retire far earlier than she plans? Listen to find out!

In This Episode We Cover

• How having a high income can put you on the fast rack to FI
• Keeping your housing expenses low especially when you’re making a lot of money
• Putting money into bonds as opposed to high-yield savings accounts 
• Being on the same page (financially) as your partner and having regular money dates
• Having future expenses budgeted so you can have an accurate retirement goal
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• How I Used Real Estate to Pay for My Newborn Daughter’s College Education

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow184

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Those who are part of the FI or FIRE movement know how important it is to set yourself up on the right path in your youth. For parents, how do you get your kids excited about pursuing financial freedom? How do you talk to your kids about taxes, retirement accounts, saving, investing, and real estate without them falling asleep?

This was Rob Phelan’s question when he started working to build the Choose FI Foundation. The foundation’s goal is simple: help kids achieve financial literacy before they leave high school, let them break free from debt, build towards retirement, and live happier, more secure lives. Contrary to many parent’s beliefs, when children are presented with education regarding them becoming rich, they actually perk up.

Rob stresses that a child’s relationship with money is more important than things like amortization schedules and interest rates. Different age groups learn about money in different ways. For example, elementary school children may learn through broad concepts and simple planning, middle school children are ready to learn about retirement and taxes, and high school children can ask the big questions like “what will make me a successful adult?” as well as developing saving and spending habits.

Rob created different programs and projects such as his “meal planning” project where he asks kids to plan a week's worth of meals and compare their incomes against their expenses. He talks to high school students about house-hacking and creating cash flow so they aren’t stuck in a job they hate. He also runs The Simple Startup, where he teaches children how to start their own business for free!

If you’re a parent or teacher, you can access the Choose Fi Foundation’s full curriculum for free, and get your kids onto a great start!

In This Episode We Cover

• Why Rob chose to focus on financial literacy for children 
• The importance of solidifying crucial financial concepts in children
• How to help your children develop good saving and spending habits 
• Which topics work best for specific ages 
• Using the “Bank of Dad” idea to teach kids about saving
• Motivating high school students to reach financial freedom early in life
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• ChooseFI Podcast
• Free resource for parents, 102 Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs

Check the full show notes here: http://biggerpockets.com/moneyshow183

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mindy and Scott don’t often get stumped on the Money Show, but it happens once in a great while. What do you do when you have a multi-million dollar net worth, appreciating properties, a maxed out 401(k), and a solid safety reserve? That’s exactly the question that today’s guest, Mike, has. 

Mike has worked in the music industry for years, moving all around the US to do his job. As technology has evolved, Mike is predicting an end to his specific role over the next decade, and is wondering what he should do next. He doesn’t have a lot of interest in starting a business or buying more real estate, but wants to squeeze out more money or savings if he can.

He has rental properties that have highly appreciated, but are having cash flow problems due to COVID-19. One, located in San Francisco, has netted close to $700k in equity since its purchase 12 years ago. That’s massive! Mindy and Scott go through Mike’s options, such as selling and putting the leftover profit into cash-flowing assets, or 1031 exchanging into a more diverse real estate investment.

Mike is one of the best examples of smart investing we’ve seen on the show, but there’s always more room for improvement with finances!

In This Episode We Cover

• What to do after a real estate investment has grown significantly in equity 
• HOA fees and being prepared for a large cost when owning a condo
• Looking forward in your career to see when your industry may go through changes
• 1031 exchanges and using them to get more cash flow
• Keeping your expenses low even if you make a substantial amount of money
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You may hear of 20 year olds with $1,000,000 in real estate, or a novice flipper doing 50 flips a year, or even a wholesaler who made six figures on one deal. What about the everyday investor who slowly grinds and acquires a steady stream of passive income all while building hundreds of thousands in equity overtime? Those are the real people in real estate, and that is a success story worth sharing.

Julie, software engineer and former BiggerPockets employee bought her first house after realizing that a mortgage would be cheaper than her rent. After getting together with her (then) boyfriend, they decided to buy a bigger house. As her first house sat on the market, she waited for an offer, and then made the decision to rent it out. 

A few months after buying her second home, she broke up with her boyfriend. Problem? They were both on the title and mortgage. Julie had enough money in her cash reserve to buy him out of the property. Now the property was all Julie’s and she rented out a room to help her pay off the mortgage.

Now Julie has 7 properties, spread out across Iowa, Tennessee, and Kentucky. All with very interesting stories, and all pay her passive income, every month. Julie is proof that with some financial restraint, you can slowly build a real estate empire, without even trying to do so in the first place!

In This Episode We Cover

• When you should own and when you should rent a house
• The dangers of buying a house with someone who may not be in your future
• Why you should borrow less than you’re approved for
• The importance of keeping a substantial cash reserve available for investments 
• Never rent to someone who has no credit, no references, and no job
• Diving into real estate, even if you don’t know all the tips and tricks yet
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do you do once you’ve hit millionaire status? You have rental properties, brokerage accounts, and a good amount of cash on hand, so what’s next? This is the question that today’s guest, Brian Blask, has. Brian has done everything right so far: he doesn’t spend frivolously, he invests heavily, he isn’t overleveraged in his rental properties, and he has a high income.

Often when you reach such a high point of financial intelligence, you want to make bigger investments for bigger returns. Brian is debating whether or not he should buy more rentals in the cash flowing market of upstate New York, or buy a short-term rental in his new home state of North Carolina. Both markets are different, while one favors cash flow, the other favors appreciation. Brian is also debating whether or not he should take a truly passive role and invest in real estate syndication deals.

Many people don’t know that to become an accredited investor you (often) need to have a net worth of $1,000,000. This is why Brian is debating whether or not he should put money into syndications. Although they can be more hands off, it’s incredibly important to do your homework and look at the track record of a syndication before diving in. 

With the liquid assets that Brian has on hand, he has a number of great options to follow up with. Keep the cash flow in New York even with little appreciation, try his shot at an AirBnb in North Carolina that could both cash flow and appreciate, or have more time with his new baby on the way and put money into a syndication. What should he do? Listen to find out!

In This Episode We Cover

• How real estate helped Brian keep his income higher than his expenses 
• How much of a safety reserve should you have for your rental portfolio?
• When (and when not) to put more money into you tax-advantaged retirement accounts
• Setting up separate reserves for your rentals and your personal life
• How to evaluate whether or not a syndication will bring back promised returns 
• Cash flowing markets vs appreciation markets 
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Being in the military opens you up to an array of benefits for a financially abundant life. You have access to VA loans, a tax-free housing allowance, and a pension (if you stick around long enough). That’s why it’s of the utmost importance to start saving and investing while you’re young and in the military. But, that wasn’t exactly what David Pere (From Military to Millionaire) did when he was first enlisted. 

David grew up with frugal parents, who never splurged on much. So when he joined the Marine Corps in 2008, he was ready to catch up on the spending he never was able to do. As he describes it, he spent his first salary on “a truck, tattoos, and drinking”. Not the best way to set yourself up for financial freedom! It wasn’t until a few years later when a friend gave him a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad that David discovered he could be doing A LOT more with his money. 

He bought a duplex with an FHA loan for $81,000 and house hacked it so his tenants were paying a majority of the mortgage. When he was shipped off for duty, he ended up leasing out the other side of the duplex and cash flowing an extra $300 per month. He then went on to buy a 10-unit with just 5% down and also got in on a small syndication in South Carolina. 

Everything was looking good, until David decided to partner up on a 40 unit, mixed-use building with a sizable amount of leverage. Some things happened and the deal turned sour, now David is in a legal battle to get his money out of the deal. Even with this massive deal not going through, David pushes the importance of scaling, but not too fast. Scaling to an amount where you aren’t overleveraged but at the same time pushing yourself to accomplish more is the sweet spot!

In This Episode We Cover

• The financial benefits that service members have 
• Why you should max out your non-taxable retirement accounts whenever possible
• Using FHA loans to buy multifamily properties with very little down payment 
• The “mentality shift” that comes with buying a large property
• How to evaluate whether or not a deal is worth the effort 
• Choosing cash flow over unit numbers to hit financial independence 
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 156 with Rich Carey
• FinCon

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow179

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last time we talked to Sarah, AKA Budget Girl, she was on Episode 6 of the Money Show. If you haven’t listened to that episode, here’s a quick recap. Sarah was $33,000 in debt from student loans, but she was able to pay it off while making less than $30,000 year! For most people, this would have taken decades to pay off, but Sarah was able to crush her debt in only a few years!

Now it’s time to check in on Sarah, and see what she’s been doing since clearing herself from debt. Currently, Sarah has a net worth of over $100,000, she took some advice from the BiggerPockets community and bought a duplex to house hack! She purchased the duplex within the “path of progress” around Texas A&M University. She’s seen some solid appreciation over the past 10 months and cash flows a small amount off the property. She’s not only living for free, she’s getting paid to live in her own property!

Sarah has also hoarded a serious sum of cash and investments sitting on the side. She has retirement accounts, brokerage accounts, and a large surplus of cash that is slowly building so she can buy her next property. Sarah is able to do this by keeping her expenses very low, while making money from her full-time job and her side hustle as Budget Girl. She proved that even with a low income, you can get out of debt and hit financial milestones!

In This Episode We Cover

• Getting out of debt fast, even with low income
• Creating multiple streams of income so you can save and invest heavily
• Buying properties within the “path of progress”
• House hacking to live for free (or getting paid to live)
• TSPs, Roth IRAs, and other retirement accounts
• Keeping your spending conservative so you can go all in on investments
• And So Much More!

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow178

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s hard being a first time home buyer, especially if you don’t have any experience with real estate, property values, or market appreciation. You may be wondering how you’ll be able to buy a home that will help increase your net worth, or at least, not shrink it. Scott and Mindy are on today to tell you how to make the best first time home buying decision possible. 

We’ll go through the most common myths that first time home buyers tend to get caught up in. Myths such as:

• Buy as much home as you can
• Buy your “forever home” as your first time purchase 
• Your home is an investment 
• And more..

If you’re interested in gaining some appreciation with your first home purchase, Scott and Mindy also walk through the most common exit strategies and how you can prepare to use them. You’ll also hear some great advice on how to find a good deal in your area. And no, a good deal doesn’t just mean a deal that is lower than market average!

Want to know more about how to successfully buy your first home? Scott and Mindy’s new book First Time Home Buyer can be ordered now!

In This Episode We Cover

• What most home buyers get wrong when buying their first house
• The most common myths that first time home buyers believe 
• How to find a good deal, regardless of the area you live in
• Knowing EXACTLY what kind of house you want to buy
• Buying a house that works for you and your partner (if living together)
• Preparing calmly to act aggressively so you can get a perfect home under contract
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most listeners of the show will know that a cash cushion is always great to have and should be mandatory for almost everyone. Having a cash reserve of 6-12 months can help you cover unexpected expenses or life events like a sudden medical bill or losing your job. That being said, sometimes you can have a cash cushion that’s too big for your lifestyle. 

Today we talk to Steve, who has been paying off his mortgage quickly with the help of his wife. They both have respectable salaries, retirement accounts, and a large cash cushion. Steve wants to know whether or not he should move some of his cash out of his reserve and into retirement accounts or real estate. 

Since Steve has such a large cash cushion to rely on, he could take out a fraction of it to use as a down payment on a rental property and still have tens of thousands left over! Scott and Mindy walk Steve through the different options he has, such as paying off his primary mortgage then buying real estate, pausing his mortgage prepayments and going all in on real estate, and other strategies. 

Steve is in such a secure position that it makes it hard to criticize his current standing. That being said, he could be using leverage to springboard his investment property portfolio and be on the path to financial freedom sooner! 

In This Episode We Cover

• How much of a cash cushion you should have available 
• Eliminating big loans like mortgages and student debt 
• Buying rental properties before you pay off your primary home
• Leveraging debt in order to grow your wealth quicker 
• Getting a real estate agent to start browsing the market for rentals
• And So Much More!

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow176

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last time we talked to Purple from A Purple Life, she told us about her plan to retire at the end of 2020. If you haven’t listened to that interview, you can listen to it here to get the full scoop on Purple’s journey from a $5,000 net worth to hundreds of thousands within only a few years. 

Like many financially savvy early retirees, Purple put a lot of time into planning, saving, and investing her capital in order to retire in her early 30s. Well, she did it! As of October 2020, Purple is financially independent and retired! So, how’s it going so far with financial independence in Purple’s world?

Purple talks about her hobbies, interests, and most importantly, how the final month of her employment went with her former employer. She also gives some great insight on taking advantage of her employer’s health insurance for the last month of work, making sure that she was able to keep her quarterly bonus, and how she ended up breaking the news to her boss. 

It’s all worked well for Purple, but she did have some big plans to cancel. Purple had lined up 4 months worth of travel that all had to be canceled when COVID-19 hit and shutdowns began. She would have been snorkeling in Australia and scootering in Thailand right now! Thankfully, Purple has been able to adapt and take advantage of this off time to assess her financial situation and what she wants out of early retirement. 

In This Episode We Cover

• The importance of planning for early retirement even if you love your job
• Having a lean FI number and low monthly expense so you can live comfortably in retirement 
• How long a cash cushion should last you when you decide to retire 
• Taxable vs. Non-taxable retirement accounts (and which to leverage)
• Ending your employment in a respectful and polite way 
• Being flexible with your retirement plans 
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Real estate investors are known to have their hands in 20 different pots, this is doubly true for Marine and real estate investor Fabio. Fabio is a Captain in the Marine Corps and has been in service for the past 21 years. He has at least five years left before he wants to retire, but is poised to hit his “freedom number” (or what others call their financial independence number) soon.

Fabio has rental properties throughout the country: a duplex in San Diego, a house in Arizona, a BRRRR currently in the rehab stage in St. Louis, and his residence in Illinois. The problem? Some of these properties aren’t cash flowing as much as Fabio would like. He also has a high interest hard money loan on the BRRRR property he is rehabbing, plus a loan taken out against his retirement account.

This presents a handful of different options: should he sell some of the houses that aren’t cash flowing in order to pay back some of the high interest loans or wait to refinance? Which debt should be taken care of first? How can he leverage his current assets to help him build a bigger real estate portfolio. 

If you’re a long-term real estate investor, you’ve probably been in a dilemma like this before. Stick around for all the lucrative options Fabio can use!

In This Episode We Cover

• Keeping monthly expenses low (especially if you’re about to retire)
• Taking advantage of the equity you have in different properties 
• Coming up with a “Freedom Number” then shooting for that goal
• What to do with houses that aren’t cash-flowing 
• Taking out loans from a 401(k) or TSP account 
• Which loans to pay off first (depending on time and interest rate)
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to episode 173.5! Yesterday you heard from Brent, a former registered nurse who paid off over $100,000 in debt and started a mobile pizza truck! Brent’s original interview was recorded back in January or 2020 and was scheduled to be released right around the time that the pandemic hit and shutdowns began. Since it was released yesterday we thought it’d be a great idea to have him back to talk about all his progress since then!

Since we last spoke to Brent, he’s added a whole other food truck to his business and has hired on more staff. Now he’s cooking up (and selling out) pizzas wherever he goes. He even has a new social media handle, he’s TheFoodTruckCEO! 

Brent talks through the challenges he’s faced this year, the wins he wasn’t expecting, and advice he’s given to young entrepreneurs just starting their business. As you heard in the last episode, Brent paid for his first pizza truck with savings he had, allowing him to finance the business debt-free. A year later, Brent still agrees this was a good idea, as has less stress and far more creative freedom being able to make decisions without having to worry about paying off a large amount of debt. 

What are the profit margins of pizza and food trucks? Brent shares his margins, his pricing, and success stories, showing that regardless of how profitable your product is, you’re always going to have to put in the work to get it to where customers are willing to buy. Brent manages a very tight ship and is still learning the best ways to hire, manage, and make delicious pizza (without burning it)! 

In This Episode We Cover

• How Farm Fired Pizzas has grown since we last talked to brent
• Why starting your business can be much harder, but much more fulfilling than a regular job
• Why staffing is such a big hurdle when scaling and expanding a business
• Using debt vs. using cash to start your business venture 
• Becoming competent in a trade before you start a business focusing on it
• Being flexible with your business venture and embracing failures
• Raising prices in a way that works for your bottom line and your customers
• And So Much More!

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow173-5

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does the average person do in their 20s? For most people, it means going into student debt, getting a car loan, getting a mortgage, and treating yourself. These are the “average financial decisions” that put many Americans into debt and stuck at jobs they only dream of leaving. That’s how Brent aka TheFoodTruckCEO felt when he and his wife realized they had over $100,000 in consumer debt.

Brent and his wife didn’t make any crazy decisions, he merely did what society said is the right thing to do. He and his wife had student loans to cover nursing school, both had car loans, and racked up around $13,000 in credit card debt alone. This doesn’t even include a tractor Brent decided to buy for a future business purpose!

Both Brent and his wife were bringing in solid money every month from their nursing jobs, but as soon as the money came in, it somehow flooded right back out. This annoyed Brent, he felt like he wasn’t in control of his money and his life. He went to work on debt, adding up everything they had spent over the past few months and realized he and his wife were eating out far more than needed, wasting groceries they were paying good money for, and jeopardizing their future with random purchases.

They cut up the credit cards, started snowballing their debt, reduced their eating out, and stopped shopping at the big box stores. They attacked their debt! Within 5 years, they paid off $109,000 in debt, and started to save up for investments every month.

As time went on and Brent got promoted to a more corporate role, he realized that he put himself in a terrific financial position to leave and start his own business. He had accumulated $100,000 in cash, started investing in his business, and now runs a mobile pizza truck, serving delicious woodfired pizza and doing what he loves.

In This Episode We Cover

• Why “average financial decisions” can often trap young people in debt
• Going over finances with your partner before (and after) getting married
• How to expense track to see exactly where your money is going
• Using the “debt snowball” method to get out of debt quickly
• Creating the “financial runway” you need to invest in your business and future
• How to have a job exit plan so you can leave on your terms
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeff, like many listeners, feels as if there is enough money coming in every month, but somehow it’s slipping out, not allowing him and his wife to hit financial independence. A big reason this could be happening is simple: not enough income and expense tracking. This is why Mindy and Scott are always so adamant about having a budget (and sticking to it).

Jeff owns his home, and it has appreciated a favorable amount since he bought it; he also owns a duplex in his home state of California, and a rental property in Memphis. But that’s not all, Jeff owns another type of property...one he isn’t too proud of. A timeshare! Jeff wants to get rid of his timeshare so he can put more money into growing wealth.

He also has HELOCs taken out against homes which are burning holes in his pockets on top of the bills he and his partner already have to pay. While Jeff is happy with his line of work, his wife wants to be able to leave her job. With so many factors at play, it can seem difficult to reach financial independence and grow wealth, while also being happy at work, but with some financial intuition, it’s possible!

In This Episode We Cover

• Why you shouldn’t go to a timeshare meeting (ever!)
• How having a high income doesn’t mean you’re moving closer to FI
• Weighing the pros and cons of in-state and out-of-state investing 
• How much to keep in cash reserves for your personal accounts and business accounts
• The importance of zeroing in on your goals so you can shoot for success
• How to stop income from leaking out (amazon shopping, eating out, etc.)
• How to have a successful money date with your partner
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Mint

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow172

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most people would consider $80,000 a year a respectable salary, but what if you were making that much during college? That’s what today’s guest, Brandon Richard Austin, made in his sophomore year. As a journalism major, he started doing freelance writing work, and a client of his ended up offering him a remote position on the team. 

So there Brandon was, making $80,000 a year, working 12 hour days, all while juggling school at the same time. Thankfully, Brandon wasn’t a big spender. He didn’t go out and buy a new car, a new watch, or even move out of his parents’ house.

Brandon was able to start investing in index funds and early cryptocurrencies, netting him some pretty stable returns (at least from the index funds). After completing college and still having a very low cost of living, Brandon asked himself if the job was worth all the stress. He decided it wasn’t and voluntarily chose to take a pay cut to work somewhere else where he was happier and had more control of his work.

Brandon still lives at home and advocates doing the same for people his age. Not having a housing cost (or having very low housing costs) is one of the best ways to put yourself on the path to financial freedom. This low cost of living situation has allowed Brandon to be on the path to financial independence while still valuing his happiness.

In This Episode We Cover

• Why many people who grew up frugal feel guilt when spending money 
• The importance of tracking your little purchases so they don’t add up
• Whether or not taking a pay cut is worth less stress/more freedom
• Why index funds are such a great asset to hold for the long term
• Setting your financial freedom goal and seeing it as a marathon, not a race
• Minimizing your housing costs as much as possible (especially when you’re young)
• Developing an investment philosophy that speaks to you
• And So Much More!

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow171

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Erik and his wife have three big debts to tackle: their mortgage on their primary residence, their mortgage on their rental property, and a HELOC (home equity line of credit) taken out as the down payment for their rental property. So, which debt should they tackle first?

As two school teachers in New Jersey, Erik and his Wife made smart moves earlier this year by closing on a rental property, in order to have another stream of income coming in. They already have well paying jobs, pension plans, IRA accounts, and other ways of setting themselves up for the future, but how can they streamline their debt payoffs and maximize their cash?

First, Mindy and Scott walk through budgeting, and put an emphasis on why you should separate out your business expenses and personal expenses, and make sure they don’t intertwine. Then they go on to tailor a plan of action for Erik and his wife, giving some great examples of leveraging low-interest debt in order to pay off higher interest debt and fill emergency funds. 

Whether it’s personal or business debt you’d like to tackle, this is a great episode going through the pros and cons of paying off debt quicker!

In This Episode We Cover

• Why rental property owners should always have a strong safety reserve of cash
• When prepaying loans may be a good or bad idea
• How to not over-categorize your budgets and expense tracking 
• Pros and cons of using a HELOC to finance a down payment 
• 30 year mortgages vs. 15 year mortgages (rental and primary residences!) 
• Why you should separate your business expense tracking from personal expense tracking 
• Why a 457(b) plan is great for those who have it available 
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s not always comfortable talking about money, especially with close friends, family members, partners, or even bosses. How did salary, savings, and investing become such a taboo subject to talk about? With us today is Erin Lowry aka Broke Millennial, you may recognize her voice from episode 24 and 81 of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast. 

Erin paints a picture that many of us can relate to: you’re at a birthday dinner and you order a small side and a water while the rest of your party orders $60 sushi rolls and $70 steaks. At the end of the night, what always happens? The bill gets split evenly. Now you’re stuck with a $60 total (and tip) when you only ate $10 worth of food. So what do you do, throw a temper tantrum and leave? Of course not!

It can be hard to match spending habits of friends and family if they make more than you (or are just more casual with their spending). Having frank conversation with these important people in your lives can not only help foster a healthy relationship, it can also put you in a position where you don’t feel resentment in the future. Don’t know how to have these conversations? No worries! Erin has a template for you!

You’re not just talking about money with your friends and family, you’re also talking about it with your coworkers and bosses. How often should you ask for a raise, when is a raise earned, how do you ensure that you’re rewarded for your hard work? These can all be very tricky questions to answer. Through some research, metric tracking, and proper planning, Erin shows exactly when to go to your boss to ask for a raise, how much is reasonable, and how to assess your value within the company.

In This Episode We Cover

• Why talking about money with those close to you doesn’t need to feel uncomfortable 
• Why “money talks” are often viewed as taboo in today’s society 
• How to talk about money with your friends, family, and partner
• Setting boundaries early for healthier relationships
• Starting a “friend fund” and offering less costly alternatives 
• When the best time to ask for a raise is
• Comparing your salary or compensation vs. industry averages 
• Showcasing your value to your employer or client
• And So Much More!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A big piece of advice given by many wealthy people and real estate professionals is to simply “get started when you’re young”. This is exactly what our guest has done today. Clayton, a renewable energy worker, travels around the midwest for work, living out of an RV with his partner.

His company grants him a company car, a company phone, a food stipend, a handsome 401(k) match, and a comfortable salary. Clayton has taken advantage of these big perks by maxing out his Roth, buying a rental property, and using his primary home as a house hack. He’s checking all the boxes at just 26 years old, with a TON of potential to do more.

Clayton is close to having the big 3 things in life paid off: housing, transportation, and food. With extra income coming in every month, what can Clayton do to put himself in an even stronger position than before?

First, he’ll need to start budget and expense tracking. This is something many guests find challenging at first, but can really help alleviate any fears of where money is going. Next, he can start adding a bigger chunk of money to his rental property reserves, that way the mortgage is always being paid (even if someone misses rent). Last, he can start looking for another house hack and another rental property. Tune in to hear Scott’s ingenious way of looking for properties even if you’re on big sites like Zillow, Trulia, or even the MLS!

In This Episode We Cover

• Why everyone should house hack when possible to do so
• Frontloading your Roth and making sure you max it out every year
• Bill tracking vs. expense tracking (and how one works better than the other)
• How to use automatic budgeting apps to fine tune your spending
• How to define your specific criteria when looking for rentals 
• Why landlords need a 6 month reserve for their rental properties
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow168

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most people are told the same thing growing up, “go to college and take out a loan, get a car and take out a loan, live in a nice apartment even if it’s expensive”. This is exactly what Josh and Ali, AKA “The FI Couple”, did in their 20s. They racked up over $100,000 in student loans, had two car payments, and lived in an apartment outside of their means.

Josh grew up without much money, causing him to not have much of a financial foundation when he reached adulthood. Ali grew up middle class, but didn’t have any financially savvy role models to look up to. As they started dating and later got married, they realized that they had to take care of debt soon, or they’d be swallowed whole by it.

Josh stumbled upon a book that changed his financial view forever. A book one of our hosts is VERY familiar with. It was Set for Life, by our very own Scott Trench! After Josh read through it, he knew he had to share the information with Ali, but it took him time to find out her specific “financial language” and the best way for him to get her excited about financial independence.

After they were both on board for FI, house hacking was their next stop. As you’ll hear in the interview, they acquired four units in a short amount of time, paid off a big chunk of their student loans, and now have passive income rolling in, every month. Talk about a rags to riches story!

In This Episode We Cover

• How debt can anchor you to a life that you don’t want
• Why getting fired or losing a job opportunity could be a great catalyst for change
• The importance of keeping your expenses as low as possible
• Finding a house hack that works for you (and your partner) so you both love where you live
• Using FHA loans to secure house hack properties with a very minimal down payment
• Making debt a “common enemy” when you and your spouse are working to reach FI
• And SO Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
• ChooseFI Podcast
• BiggerPockets Bookstore
• BiggerPockets Investments Calculator
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 34 with Andy Hill
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 157 with Scott & Mindy
• Mr. Money Mustache
• Mad Fientist

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow167

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Having too much money in investment accounts seems like a good problem to have, but it’s a problem nonetheless. Today we talk to firefighter Nathan and teacher Kristen about their income, expenditures, and investments.

Nathan and Kristen own their home and multiple rental properties as well. Collectively they bring in a respectable income, but are being stretched thin due to time restraints. From 24 hour shifts as a firefighter, making cornhole game pieces as a side hustle, and taking overtime, Nathan is working a lot, while Kristen has her hands busy as a remote teacher and taking care of their kids at home.

Between the two of them, they’re contributing a generous amount to their investment accounts, but still want a solid emergency fund (or as Scott likes to say a “financial runway”) to help them sleep better at night.

Aside from that, they are donating heavily to charity and fostering one child while in the process of adopting another. Although this philanthropic couple has all the right things going for them, they still need some downtime to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

In This Episode We Cover

• How much money to keep in your emergency fund 
• How to assess whether or not you’re over-contributing to retirement accounts
• Paying off rental properties for added peace of mind
• Developing side hustles to bring in even more income
• Why everyone needs a “financial runway” so their investments can take off
• Paying down a 457 plan loan
• Putting yourself in a favorable “liquidity position”
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• HSA – The Ultimate Retirement Account - Mad Fientist
• Challenge Everything! | Budgets Are Sexy
• Real Estate Investment Calculators - BiggerPockets
• Mindy's email
• Scott's email

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow166

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While living abroad, it can be very difficult to invest in assets in your home country, especially if you’re an American. Daniel J. Mills found this out early in his professional career. As a English teacher living in Japan, he had to jump through a sizable amount of hoops to find a way to invest in American stocks, index funds, and later real estate all while overseas. 

Growing up in southern California, Daniel knew that there was money to be made through entrepreneurialism. He saw his father grow a business that was profiting millions each year, only to see it later become liquidated. Daniel didn’t really think too much about money or growing his personal wealth until years later.

After college, Daniel moved to Japan and became an English teacher making a salary of around $30,000 (USD) a year. He met his wife, settled down, and bought an apartment in an appreciating part of the city (contrary to many other parts of Japan). Daniel was saving around $1,000 a month, and realized he didn’t want to be making $30,000 a year forever. So, he started investing in index funds and stocks, which grew his net worth and allowed him to invest in other asset classes, like real estate.

Daniel even shares a tax loophole that allowed him to write off 100% of his 6-figure income while he was in Japan (solely from real estate depreciation)! 

Flash forward to today, Daniel has rental properties in Idaho, Alabama, and Tennessee with partners from Japan and the United States. Daniel agrees with many other real estate professionals in the fact that you need a tried and true team in cities where you’re investing. Living in Japan, he doesn't have much to worry about in the US, thanks to his fantastic property managers, handymen, partners, lenders, and real estate agents.

In This Episode We Cover

• The challenges and benefits of investing in American assets while abroad
• Getting rid of debt fast so you’re able to scale your investments 
• How money is easier to make as you become more educated and experienced 
• The ins-and-outs of Japanese real estate compared to American real estate 
• Converting bonus rooms to bedrooms for higher rent 
• Forming partnerships with real estate professionals who can help you
• And So Much More!

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow165

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kyle and Sarah are in a great position. Kyle owns a mechanic and repair shop while Sarah works a regular 9-5. Combined, they’re both bringing in a solid amount of cash flow each month, but it may be getting offset by their expenses. With monthly expenses going into the 5-figures, it’s been hard for Kyle and Sarah to get the cashflow to start their real estate investing.

A few months back Kyle and Sarah began tracking their expenses, and like many people, they were shocked at what they found. Some takeout food here, some shopping there, and other random expenses were really adding up, so they started to reduce their costs.

Kyle and Sarah both have made significant contributions in their retirement and investing accounts, but they could be investing a lot more and getting a lot of write offs!

Scott and Mindy walk through the main expense categories that Kyle and Sarah have, breaking down what can be improved, reduced, and left alone. Like many people, Kyle and Sarah have found that with some fine-tuning to their budget, they'll be able to increase their investments, by a lot!

In This Episode We Cover

• Why everyone needs to track their expenses and start to budget
• How to start tracking without shame
• Why you should get quoted for insurance bundling every few years
• The importance of contributing to your HSA (health savings account)
• Why employers may want to start 401(k) programs for their employees
• Whether or not a life insurance policy may be worth the money
• What should and shouldn’t be a variable cost in your budget
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• HSA – The Ultimate Retirement Account – Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 27 with Lee Huffman
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 18 with Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 161 with Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 03 with Erin Chase
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 75 with Saving Sherpa
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 139 with Joe Saul Sehy
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 10 with Liz Thames
• XY Planning Network
• BiggerPockets Real Estate Agent Directory
• Frugalwoods

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow164

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have tax questions for your upcoming 2020 taxes? Stick around then! We have a mind-blowing episode with enrolled agent Steven Hamilton from Hamilton Tax and Accounting. Mindy and Scott throw a lot of high-level, hard-hitting questions at Steven, so seriously, bring a pen and paper to this episode because you’re going to get some amazing tax strategies for 2020!

How do you lower your income on your taxes if you have a W2? How do you add to your roth if you’re over the contribution income limit, and what’s the best way to get your kids to max out their retirement accounts (even if they’re only teenagers). Steven answers all these questions, plus a lot more!

Whether you’re self employed or a W2 employee, you have options on contributing to retirement, AND options on leveraging those retirement accounts to fund investments. As always, it’s best to talk to your CPA, enrolled agent, or tax preparer on the best strategy that works for you. As Steven puts it, you need to have a plan for where your wealth is going and how you’re going to distribute it.

Since 2020 was such a crazy year, many real estate investors are planning to double down on investments, up their contributions, or leave their W2 jobs. This all needs to be done with a plan and a strategy so you can maximize your investments and distributions. Steven helps spell out the best ways to do these (and more) through a number of different (and interesting) strategies.

In This Episode We Cover

• The differences between joint and separate filings as a married couple
• How AGI (adjusted gross income) effects your taxes and retirement contributions
• How to max out your 401(k) to $57,000
• UBIT (unrelated business income tax) and UDFI (unrelated debt financed income)
• How CPAs, Enrolled Agents, and Attorneys differ when preparing your taxes
• How to perform an IRA rollover into a different account
• How to put even more money into your Roth
• Setting up retirement accounts for your children
• Limiting your stock gains so you pay less tax
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• How to Access Retirement Funds Early – Mad Fientist

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow163

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As you go further along in your career, you should (hopefully) make more and more money, but does that justify spending more money? Most times, it doesn’t. We’re joined by Tracy, experienced engineer and retirement super saver to go through her budget, expenses, and investment portfolio.

Tracy has had a bit of a struggle with spending and expense tracking. A purchase here, some grocery shopping there, and by the time she added up her payments, she was consistently overspending by close to a thousand dollars, every month! Scott and Mindy have some great strategies to limit this type of random spending, and put your budget in the driver’s seat!

Tracy is also interested in acquiring a rental property in mid/late 2021, but she doesn’t have the cash savings she needs to do it. That doesn’t mean Tracy lacks money. Quite the contrary, Tracy has a very respectable amount of money stored between her different retirement accounts. She was lucky enough to take advantage of her company’s 15% 401(k) match (seriously, 15%)! 

Now the question is: does she limit her contributions so she can save up for a rental property or does she continue to max out her retirement accounts so she has a big cushion when she decides to stop working?

This is a very common question we get from listeners and members of the BiggerPockets community. You may be in the exact same position, all we can suggest is to tune in to hear what Mindy and Scott have to say!

In This Episode We Cover

• Why employee match programs are so valuable for retirement investing
• Whether or not you should keep an expensive car loan (or sell and get a cheaper option)
• How to fight lifestyle creep and focus on your spending and investing 
• The importance of manual expense tracking and budgeting
• How bigger shopping runs can minimize your food budget every month
• What type of savings you should have before buying a rental property
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• Dave Ramsey’s Envelope System Explained
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 04 with Rosemarie Groner
• Waffles on Wednesday Mobile Expense Tracking App

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow162

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

He’s back! Today we’re joined by a friend of the BiggerPockets podcast network, Brandon “The Mad Fientist”. Brandon walks us through advanced retirement account strategies you may have heard of, such as the Backdoor Roth, Roth Conversion Ladder, and the coveted Mega Backdoor Roth. While these strategies may sound intense at first, they’re quite simple in practice, as Brandon shows us!

Many FI (financial independence) followers constantly ask the question “What’s the best retirement account to contribute to that will help me optimize my early retirement?”. While this can be answered a handful of ways, it often overlooks something very important: regular retirement. While chasing FI, it’s still possible to grow your traditional retirement accounts so you’re even wealthier later on in life!

Brandon doesn’t just give various examples of each strategy, he’s tested them and has even ran experiments on his site, such as the Guinea Pig Experiment, which pits various early retirement strategies against each other.

We also tackle common questions like: what should I contribute to if I have a low/high income, should I opt for a lower deductible on my healthcare plan to optimize my HSA (health savings account), how HSAs and FSAs differ, and what the contribution limits are for retirement accounts.

Even if you’re not chasing FI, you’ll still be able to take advantage of Brandon’s advice. After all, he’s the Mad Fientist!

In This Episode We Cover

• What a Backdoor Roth and Mega Backdoor Roth are
• Why retirement accounts are crucial when trying to retire early
• How low income earners can take advantage of 401(k)s and IRAs
• Why an HSA is a great option for high-deductible coverage
• The best times to contribute to your retirement accounts
• The art of “frontloading” and using it to capitalize on market gains
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 18 with Mad Fientist
• How to Access Retirement Funds Early - Mad Fientist
• XY Planning Network
• Front-Loading - Mad Fientist
• HSA - The Ultimate Retirement Account - Mad Fientist
• Expirements - Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 120 with Michael Kitces
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 119

 Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow161

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many listeners of the BiggerPockets Podcast network are resourceful when saving and earning money, but maybe not quite as resourceful as Cort Johnson. Not only does he have a full-time engineering job, which he uses to support his family, he also has 5 other streams of income on the side!

From contract welding projects, to dropshipping, renting out his trailer, and even raising rabbits (seriously!), Cort has done almost everything under the sun to build up his assets. The main problem: some income streams are taking up too much time, while providing too little in return.

This is a constant problem that entrepreneurs and FIRE members face, too many options! Mindy and Scott go through Cort Johnson's income, budget, expenses, and general finances to see where he should allocate his time for maximum return.

This episode goes deep on the importance of scalable income and following your passions to develop side income streams that you enjoy. Cort dreams big about starting his own business, investing in multifamily property, and living financially free. As you’ll hear in this episode, he’s not far off!

In This Episode We Cover

• How to focus on side income streams that are worth the time
• Budgeting and expense tracking so you spend less
• Calculating the value of your time (so you don’t waste it)
• Why you should “do what you know” if you’re going to start your own business
• Turning a large single family property into a multi family for house hacking 
• Why dropshipping is such a great side hustle for busy people
• And SO Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow160

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when you get married and find out your partner has debt? A lot of debt...That’s a question many young couples have, shortly after finding out their significant other’s full financial picture. While it may seem scary at first, working together to solve financial problems and gravitating towards financial freedom can bring you closer together.

That’s exactly what happened to Talaat and Tai McNeely from His and Her Money. Both were raised in frugal houses, but like many frugally-raised people, they split in financial directions. Tai was busy putting herself through college, debt free! On the other hand, Talaat went into the military and started spending his pay on consumer goods. The cars, the clothes, and everything in between.

Tai later learned that Talaat had around $30,000 in consumer debt! So what did she do, walk away from him? Of course not! She worked with Talaat and put together a plan where they both could work hard to get out of debt.

Shortly after, Talaat was debt free, so what did they do next? They bought their house, and came up with a plan to completely pay it off in 5 years (Yes, 5). Now Talaat and Tai run His and Her Money, helping other couples work together to reach their financial goals.

Talaat and Tai have 7 key tips to staying happy and secure in a marriage where the finances are shared, and how to stray away from the “2-Income Trap”.

In This Episode We Cover

• Why you should go over finances before getting married 
• The importance of inspiring your partner to have the right finance mentality 
• The importance of introspection when dealing with a partner’s money situations
• How to stray away from the “2-Income Trap”
• Whether or not you should combine finances in a marriage
• The pros/cons of paying off your home quickly
• The 7 key tips to creating a financially harmonious relationship
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 73 with Ramit
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 127 with Ramit

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow159

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy New Year! With the first 2021 episode of Finance Fridays, we take a look at Wayne Loux’s investments, income streams, and overall finances. 

Wayne is like many of our listeners: working a W2 job, but also supporting himself and his family by having 1099 income from being a real estate agent. On top of that, Wayne has over 10 rental units, spread throughout different multifamily properties. He also has solid retirement savings and cash on hand.

With all this income, Wayne wanted answers on whether or not he should lessen his time at his W2 job, take more cash out from equity in the multifamily properties he owns, and other common real estate investment questions.

Scott and Mindy go through different strategies that can help Wayne grow his portfolio. From 1031 exchanges, to setting up self-directed IRAs, and cash-out refinancing to build an out of state portfolio. 

These are questions we hear from many investors on the BiggerPockets forums, so stay tuned because Scott and Mindy just might answer a question you’ve had!

In This Episode We Cover

• How to value your time as a high-earning professional
• Putting family over work, even if it means stepping away from an income stream
• Which investments should you put money into when all your bills are being paid?
• SEP IRAs and Self-Directed IRAs
• Using 1031 exchanges to lower your tax burden when investing 
• Finding jobs that can scale your income (and leaving those that don’t)
• Whether you’re over or under leveraging your current portfolio 
• How to speak to your partner about big financial steps
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Calculator

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow158

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Calling all couples! You and your partner may be on the same page financially, or off in two different directions, regardless of where you’re at, it’s a great time to start having money dates!

In this episode, Mindy and Scott are going solo, talking through why money dates are such a crucial part of any healthy relationship. This isn’t just talk, both Mindy and Scott are adamant about money dates, they do them often with their partners as well!

If you’re an individual listening to this episode, you may feel a bit intimidated by the concept of a money date. Do you just sit down and talk about index funds and taxes for an hour? No! A money date can be a perfect time to be alone as a couple, talk about the future, make some positive changes, and hold each other accountable for being the best version of yourselves. 

If you have a partner who may be a bit averse to the concept of a money date, have no fear, Mindy and Scott have perfected their plan for setting up a successful money date, and how to make it enjoyable when you’re in it.

With the new year coming up very soon, this is the perfect time to plan a money date with your special someone, you won’t regret it!

In This Episode We Cover

• What is a “money date”
• What to do before you suggest a money date to your partner
• How to make the money date successful and what topics to bring up
• Following up on your money date and setting up systems for success
• The importance of keeping your ideas simple in a money date
• How to present the idea to a partner who may not be too keen on finances 
• Why money dates help create healthier, happier relationships 
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Wheel of Life Worksheet
• Money Date Template
• Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow157

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most real estate investors get into real estate to get rich quick. If you’re looking to make a million dollars within your first year of real estate, this is the wrong podcast! But, if you’re looking to build a sustainable portfolio of cash flowing rentals while reaching financial independence in a very lucrative position, this is the episode for you!

Richard Carey, AKA the “Conservative Money Cool Kid'' started out in the military, not knowing that real estate was the place where he would create his wealth. He started with a duplex and slowly began building his real estate empire, even while overseas. He even took a 10 year break from real estate, and was still able to grow his position to an impressive level!

Real estate wasn’t the only way that Richard was investing. He was maxing out his IRAs and employee retirement accounts, investing in index funds and watching them grow more and more as he upped his contributions. Richard is a fantastic example of why you want to start investing as early as possible.

While most real estate investors champion loans and leveraging as much as possible, Richard thinks differently. He finds a position of strength by not overleveraging, owning rentals outright, and having a solid safety net to depend on. Richard now sits in a great position, early in life, with a lot ahead of him!

In This Episode We Cover

• The importance of maxing out your retirement accounts when you’re young
• How to not only pay off your rental properties, but primary home sooner
• Why there is an advantage to not having too much leverage on your investments
• How to test out a property manager when long-distance investing
• Why you should set goals to be in a financial position of strength 
• Why you don’t need to be in a rush to invest right now
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Podcast 268 with Rich Carey

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow156

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Robert from Stop Ironing Shirts has had quite a lucrative career path. Starting out as a bank teller in college, he learnt that he really enjoyed math that had dollar signs attached to the numbers. From there, he launched his career forward, first as a commercial banker, and later becoming a well-paid top executive.

While he had a great job and a partner who was also bringing in a solid paycheck every month, he slowly started to get tired of the corporate bureaucracy, politics, location dependency, and long hours.

Robert has made some mistakes on his path to early retirement. He lost money on a few real` estate deals and he even bought a brand new car (gasp!). None of this stopped him from still living below his means, siphoning off a large portion of his income for investments, and capitalizing on special programs such as the 409a plan.

Robert now lives life on his schedule. Whether that be spending copious amounts of time shopping at Costco or surfing at the beach, Robert has a life where he decides what he wants to do, everyday. Thankfully, it didn’t take him 30+ years of working to get there!

In This Episode We Cover

• The importance of choosing a highly lucrative skill set
• How to fight lifestyle creep, even when you’re making serious money
• The real cost of a daily commute 
• How he recovered from real estate losses in 2009 (and after)
• The psychological difficulties many face when retiring early 
• What a 409a plan is (and how high-earners can take advantage of it)
• How much cash should be in reserves for financial independence 
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 153 with Bill Bengen
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 120 with Michael Kitces
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 136 with Doug Nordman
• Mr. Money Mustache
• The Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow155

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ever had a card declined when trying to buy the basics? That was the start of Allison Baggerly’s journey into budgeting and saving.

As a big spender in college, Allison didn’t see a real reason to save instead of spend. She would take herself on frequent trips to the mall to treat herself when she aced a test, or make herself feel better if she flunked one.

It wasn’t until her first son was born that her and her husband realized they wouldn’t have enough in the budget to pay for childcare costs, and thus, the Inspired Budget was born!

After a few years of limited spending and frequent budget analyzing, Allison and her Husband paid off over $110,000+ in debt and are now on their way to financial abundance.

Allison talks about the importance of giving yourself spending, investing, and saving allowances and how you don’t need to sacrifice everything to become financially safe!

In This Episode We Cover

• The importance of setting budgets early on in life (and keeping up with them)
• Changing the “how much do I have to spend” mindset into a “how much do I have to save” way of thinking
• Why you need to own your relationship with money
• How to have financial talks with your partner (even when it’s awkward)
• Why you need spending allowances so you can enjoy your money
• Why investing isn’t a linear path, but a rollercoaster (and why the dips don’t define you!)
• Refusing the mental trap of “I can’t be rich” while being at a low-income job
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow154

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

He really is the man who needs no introduction (but here’s one anyways). Bill Bengen, the inventor of the 4% rule (and personal finance hero of Mindy & Scott) stops by the Money Podcast to talk about how he calculated his famed 4%, how he managed his client’s portfolios, and how the 4% has aged throughout the past three decades.

In his Original Article from the Journal Of Financial Planning, October 1994, Bengen outlined a groundbreaking calculation: a 4% withdrawal rate from your retirement accounts is all you need to comfortably retire (if enough is saved up). Bengen was hit with praise and criticism, but is still applauded to this day for having such a simple yet crucial metric for knowing how & when you can retire.

Using over 200+ retirement account portfolios spanning decades of time as research, Bengen still says with confidence, the 4% rule is a winner! He has the proof and we couldn’t agree more.

Whether you’re a few years or a few decades away from retirement, this episode features life-changing advice from one of the leaders in financial research. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

In This Episode We Cover

• What the 4% rule is
• How Bengen came up with the 4% rule and why it stands the test of time
• How inflation becomes the “thief in the night” for many investors
• The best (and worst) times to invest
• How to stay the course during financial downturn
• Which asset classes boost great returns and withdrawal rates
• Steering clear of “1 more year syndrome”
• The importance of rebalancing your portfolio
• How to not accumulate too much wealth for retirement
• Why everyone needs to learn how to be a saver, so they can enjoy life!
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forum

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To say that Kathy from Baby Boomer Super Saver had a difficult journey ahead of her is an understatement. She was $70,000 in credit card debt, with a big mortgage, and a spouse that had a medical emergency. So how did she make her way to the millionaire retirement level?

Through financial management communities like the FIRE movement, she was able to correct her spending faults, earn more, and invest most of her income into retirement accounts.

Kathy put in the work to change her mindset about money as a whole, and reach for abundance instead of just survival. Now, Kathy teaches others how they can reach their retirement goals (even if they’re behind where they want to be) on her Baby Boomer Super Saver blog.

Whether you’re just starting your career, or are a few years away from retirement, Kathy has some incredible tips on money management, maxing out retirement contributions, and being intentional with your money and your journey.

In This Episode We Cover

• How to reach your retirement goals even if you start later in life
• Snowballing your debt so you can save more
• Changing your financial mindset to get where you need to be
• The 2 key ways to get your retirement savings up
• How catchup contribution accounts like the 457b plan can accelerate your investing
• Being intentional with your money while lining up your saving/investing with your values
• The importance of educating yourself and not relying entirely on others for financial advice
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Dave Ramsey
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 18 with Mad Fientist

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow152

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You may know Tony J Robinson as the co-host of the Real Estate Rookie podcast, but you probably don’t know his backstory.

As a single dad working his way through college and student debt, Tony knew that he needed to have a plan in place to pursue his goals and find financial freedom. He also knew he didn’t want to repeat the same real estate mistakes as his parents.

He went from an engineering student, to owning a small tutoring business, to marketing, and finally landed a sweet gig at Tesla!

After paying off debt, creating a healthy reserve fund, and divvying his money into over 20 different checking accounts (yes, 20+), he was able to reap the rewards of smart financial management and chase down freedom through real estate.

If you’re trying to consolidate debt, find ways to make more money at a job, or leverage creative funding to finance your next deal, Tony has a solution to your problem.

In This Episode We Cover

• How job jumping can accelerate your raises and income growth
• Why EVERY investor (and person in general) needs a healthy cash reserve
• The importance of talking to your children about finance
• Why being good at math doesn’t mean you’re great at financial management 
• How paying off debt can drive investment funding
• How to fight lifestyle/income creep so you can live below your means
• The strategy to leverage your stock portfolio for real estate funding
• Creating the “why” behind financial decisions
• And so much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Dave Ramsey's Envelope System Explained
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 149 with Nick Groover
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 112 with Natalie Kolodij
• Rookie Podcast 10 with Tony Robinson
• Rookie Podcast 37 with Tony Robinson

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow151

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cristina Livadary immigrated to the US when she was 6, and less than a year later, her father left, leaving her stranded with her mother and sister. She didn't speak the language, had no money, and lived in hotels until her mother was able to find steady work as a chef.

She grew up without much in the way of financial education, but did secure a water polo scholarship to Bucknell. Until a rotator cuff injury lost her the funding at the beginning of her third year. She left college with $100,000 in student loans and a burning desire to find a high paying job to live out her Carrie Bradshaw dreams of living in NYC.

She spent two years in New York, working hard and spending harder. She moved to LA to run a division covering California and Hawaii, and decided she needed to make a big change.

Cristina stopped spending lavishly on things that didn't matter, started focusing on what made her happy, and now helps others manage their finances to get money out of the way and live their best lives.

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55 with Kristy and Bryce
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55.5 with Kristy and Bryce

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow150

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick Groover is 25, with a young daughter and a fiance, looking to make changes to his finances so he can start married life off on the right foot.

He has some debts he'd like to knock out so he can start investing in real estate, and potentially start a business. He just got a promotion and a raise, and on paper is doing pretty good.

But Nick needs to start budgeting, because a dollar here and five dollars there is eating up his overage, so there is very little to save.

In today's episode, Scott and Mindy sit down with Nick to go over his current financial situation and use their life experiences to suggest easy wins to help pay down his debt, start saving for future real estate purchases, and start investing for retirement.

Nick's in a good place right now, but following Scott & Mindy's suggestions should help him get money out of the way so he can go on to lead his best life!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Dave Ramsey
• Mobile Expense Tracking App - Waffles On Wednesday

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow149

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Hogan joins Scott and Mindy today to chat about becoming an everyday millionaire.

Chris and his team interviewed more than 10,000 millionaires to hear how they did it. Hard work, determination, spending less than you make, investing wisely, and eliminating debt.

Chris shares how to discuss your finances with your spouse - and how to bring them on board when you have differing views about money. He talks about the emotional journey that debt paydown can take you on - and how to handle that so you come out on top!

Chris also reveals his feelings about FIRE - and how there is too much focus on the RE and not enough on the FI. He wants you to become Financially Independent but also wants you to enjoy your journey.

Chris firmly believes that anyone can become debt free and start to build wealth to become an Everyday Millionaire.

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 50 with Patrice Washington
• The Retire Inspired Quotient

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow148

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cathleen Hutchins grew up in Hawaii. She come over to the mainland for college, but Hawaii kept calling her name, so she moved back home.

Hawaii is an expensive place to live, and Cathleen knew she'd need a plan in order to reach financial independence if she was going to live there for the rest of her life.

So she saved. She invested. She made smart decisions about her money and is continuously looking for ways to generate passive income to help fund her retirement.

She has also sacrificed some comforts and norms to get to where she is today. She and her husband lived apart for a while, both living where there was a job for each of them, not always in the same state!

But her sacrificing and saving has allowed her to move home to Hawaii, buy a house, and continue to pursue financial independence in a high cost of living area.

Cathleen is well on her way to Financial Independence and her story is just another example of how following the proven path, you can get money out of the way so you can lead your best life.

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 35 with Craig Curelop
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 95 with Craig Curelop
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 120 with Michael Kitces
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 144 with Kirk Chisholm
• Mr. Money Mustache

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow147

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ambus Hunter grew up with a fair understanding of how money works. He received a partial scholarship to play drums in college, and graduated with a small amount of student loan debt.

His first job was with the Department of Defense, making a decent salary for someone who had just graduated from college. He started saving his money, like a good FI-devotee does, but his story takes a sharp left turn.

Ambus discovered gambling.

At first, he was winning. (That's how it goes with gambling, right?) But then his "luck" changed. Because that's also how it goes with gambling, right?

Ambus chased his losses, and ended up wiping out his entire savings account. That was when he knew he had to stop cold turkey.

He then threw everything he had into building his savings back up, taking on extra jobs, living with roommates, and cutting out everything unnecessary in his life.

In one short year, working nights and weekends, spending as little as possible, and throwing every dollar into his savings, he made it all back.

Now Ambus helps guide others on their own path to financial literacy through volunteering and through his own coaching programs.

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 10 with Liz Thames
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 143 with Shannon Gauthier
• How Gambling Away My Savings Strengthened My Relationship With Money

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow146

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chelsea Brennan was a hedge fund manager for several years - until her second pregnancy when she ended up in the hospital with sever complications brought on by the stress and emotional toll her job took on her.

She and her husband looked over their savings and investments, and decided that she'd leave her job in order to focus on her health and her kids.

Her baby was born healthy, but their income went from six figures to zero figures, and she needed a way to bring some money in.

She looked back on her love of teaching, and decided to start a website devoted to teaching women - and moms specifically - how to handle their money.

Chelsea is truly passionate about teaching the power of financial independence and being in control of your life. Are you struggling with your finances? This episode is a cannot miss!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 133 with Doc G
• Free Money Mamas Guide to Investing

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow145

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kirk Chisholm is a fee-only investment advisor with a secret passion - finding new and different ways to invest money.

Kirk shares his Big List of 75 Alternative Investments with us today - and more importantly, how to vet the investment vehicle to see if it's right for you.

Not everything is a great fit for every person, and you certainly don't have to choose everything on the list. Play to your strengths when choosing investments and don't discount passion for an idea. If you HATE the thought of learning more about that investment vehicle, you won't put forth the correct amount of effort necessary to master it.

Kirk also dives into how to sell these types of alternative investments - including at significant discounts if it's an illiquid asset that you need to liquidate fast. Secondary markets exist for all asset classes, and there are ways to pick up a good deal on the secondary market as well.

If you're looking to diversify your portfolio, today's show is a can't-miss episode!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Against the Rules with Michael Lewis Podcast
• The Big list of 75 Alternative Investments

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow144

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shannon Gauthier discovered the debt she and her husband had gotten themselves into when a debt collector caller her at work and she started asking questions.

Shocked to discover $30,000 in unpaid debts, she quickly found herself a single mom as her husband left.

She tried to pay them off as best she could, but found herself somedays deciding whether to buy a gallon of milk or a gallon of gas to get to work.

Fast forward a year, and she met a new man who brought significant debt with him to the relationship - to the tune of $60,000!

Each of their divorces added more debt to their pile and at the height their debt totaled $160,000. Their income trailed this debt at $65,000 and they knew they'd have to do everything in their power to knock out this debt.

They moved in with his parents to pay lower rent and have someone to watch the kids while they worked. They couponed and did free things with the kids to be able to throw every single dollar they could at their debt.

This approach paid off, because by the end of the year, they will be completely debt free and be able to start saving and investing and working toward financial freedom.

If you're in debt and see no way out, this episode will show you there IS a way to paying down your debt, that it isn't always easy, pretty or fun, but it CAN be done.

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Dave Ramsey
• Pinterest
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 130
• Mindy's email

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow143

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scott & Mindy sit down today to answer questions sent in by listeners. They address topics all over the board - from student loan repayment and early retirement account withdrawal under the CARES act, to the best high-yield savings accounts, and planning for the gap between early retirement and traditional retirement age when you can access your retirement accounts penalty free.

Scott & Mindy also discuss different investing platforms as well as retirement planning, taxes, and even how inflation might affect your retirement future.

They take a couple of calls from listeners to chat about the best current use of retirement funds. 

This episode will help clear up some of the questions you may be having on your road to early financial independence.

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Robinhood Facing Multiple SEC Investigations Into Its Business Practices
• How to Access Retirement Funds Early
• What Is a Self-Directed Brokerage Account?
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 119
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 116 with JL Collins

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow142

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Blake Nielson is a college professor whose wife stays home to raise their four children. Despite having only one income - and six mouths to feed - they have paid off their home and are on the path to early financial freedom. Blake currently loves his job and has no plans to stop working - but still wants the freedom that financial independence gives.

So how did he do it? He started off debt free from college, a HUGE leg up in life in general. Blake details just how he accomplished this feat, from college selection to funds available, scholarships and even working during the school year and especially during the summers between.

Blake even shares a Solid Gold tip for finding out about scholarships that aren’t well publicized!

Blake also strategically chose where he lived during his college years. He specifically chose a rental that was priced significantly lower than the “college” rentals in town - but still close enough to walk to school.

There is no secret to Blake’s success. He put in the work at an early age and is on track to hit lean FI by age 40 and Fat FI by 45. Spend less than you earn, invest wisely. Blake shows you can live the FI life with four kids and one income.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Blake's money story
• Simple principles of frugality
• 4 keys that any person can go to college debt free
• Talking about school selection
• How he budget his money
• House hacking
• Talking about scholarships
• His experience after getting a PhD
• Blake's job
• The problem that most people have with negotiation
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 80 with Rich & Regular
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 32 with Mr. & Mrs. PoP
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 64 with Zach Gautier

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow141

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Belinda Rosenblum is a CPA, a certified coach and her clients include Harvard Business School, Harvard University and the SEC. She’s worked for Arthur Andersen and L3 Enterprises. She’s got money all figured out, right?

Well, she does now…

On today’s episode, Belinda shares her biggest money mistake - ignoring a giant pile of mail as she cared for her recovering father.

Once she cleared that up, she focused on her own finances, growing her net worth to more than $1 million by the time she was 33. She quickly realized that her trajectory was NOT taking her where she wanted to go. So she pivoted.

She took a new job with a huge bump in pay and rode out their boom and subsequent layoffs, taking a package to leave and using that opportunity to travel to India, a life-changing experience.

When she came back, she realized she didn’t need all the things, didn’t need the stress that came with the big corporate job, and struck out on her own, filling a need she saw in her own friends - financial education.

Belinda parlayed her financial knowledge into a multi 6-figures company, pivoting again last year to helping businesses strategically and consistently generate income.

This episode is for anyone who has made a money mistake, anyone who has gotten past one, or anyone looking to start their own business to truly live the life they want.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Belinda's journey with money
• How she worked out with her money management
• Emotional side of money
• What she did after she was laid off
• Her experience during her financial advising jobs
• Biggest challenges for entrepreneurs
• Talking about her business
• How she grow her business
• Unconscious spending
• How her clients think about taking the leap away from a job into entrepreneurship
• How to start a business
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• 5 Simple Ways to Create Consistent Revenue
• Money-Making Tracking Sheets

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Life Insurance is the most exciting topic on the planet!

Just kidding. But just because it isn’t a super exciting topic doesn’t mean you don’t need to know about it.

Today, Joe Saul-Sehy, host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast, joins Scott and Mindy to talk about Life Insurance. Joe comes from a background as a financial planner and was licensed to sell every type of insurance product available.

Joe is here today because he understands how life insurance works - how it's priced, how you can use it, the pros and cons of the product - but he has no skin in the game whether you buy life insurance or not.

He's the perfect person to explain this product from a factual standpoint and let you make the decision of what type - if any - is best for you, based on facts, not commissions.

Joe walks us through the basics and shares how life insurance actually covers you - from term, to whole, to universal life. There's no bad product, only different ways of paying out.

If you're struggling with how to figure out what life insurance policy is right for you, this episode can't be missed.

In This Episode We Cover:

• How life insurance works
• How to incorporate life insurance into financial planning
• What bucket of insurance should people be thinking about
• How does life insurance gets price
• Whole life insurance versus term life insurance
• Universal life insurance
• What decreasing term policy and level term policy are
• Things that affect insurability
• Tax triangle
• Is life insurance payout taxed
• What age should you get life insurance
• What makes good life insurance policy
• Common reasons for being denied in life insurance
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 40
• XY Planning Network

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Farnoosh Torabi grew up talking about money. Her parents are from the Middle East, and in her culture, they “never miss a moment to talk about money.”

As the go-to girl for finance advice among her friends, imagine her surprise when she sat down and looked at her financial situation to discover tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt! Farnoosh realized that paying for everything with a card, then paying the minimum balances didn’t lead to debt free life.

Not wanting to continue a life of debt - mainly so she wouldn’t have to tell her mom - she hustled during school. Taking class notes and selling them on her school’s notes system, babysitting, bird sitting, anything that would generate income so she could throw money at her debt and pay it off.

Graduation took her to New York City and a stroke of luck found her a shared apartment with a married couple for $500 a month. Definitely less than she could find on her own. She started off making very little, and strategically increased her income to offset the fact that she “isn’t a good saver.”

Farnoosh has parlayed her own financial knowledge into a career teaching others how to manage their own finances. From books, to podcasts, to television, Farnoosh is everywhere, educating this oh-so-important skill so that others can work toward their own financial freedom.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Farnoosh's journey with money
• Where she learned about money
• Talking about her money behaviour
• How she got rid of her debt
• Her approach on accumulating her assets
• How real estate helped her
• Her advice on people who are in a relationship
• The leading cause of a divorce
• The right time for people who are just starting to date to talk about money
• What her asset allocation looks like
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• FinCon
• NextAdvisor with TIME | Smart Money Moves
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 119
• BiggerPockets Forums

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Felicity’s story to financial independence is going to be similar to listeners of The BiggerPockets Money Podcast. She got a good paying job, spent less than she earned, intelligently invested in Index Funds and is now financially independent at the age of 30.

Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.

Except, it’s NOT that easy, actually. She lives in America, and for much of that time, she lived in a very high cost of living city, Boston.

Felicity rented a 250 sq ft apartment with her husband, Fergus, while he was in graduate school - because he didn’t want to live above his means, and he was making less money than she was at the time.

In fact, Fergus is leery of the 4% rule, and would be much more comfortable if they were only pulling 2%-2.5% of their retirement funds every year.

Their story illustrates the point Mindy makes so frequently in this podcast, “personal finance is personal.” Their story also illustrates the path one must take to get to financial independence.

Spend less than you earn. Intelligently invest. Stay the course through the tough times. This too shall pass.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Felicity's journey with money
• Talking about her unconscious spending and fixed expenses
• What she did with her money prior to discovering financial independence
• The moment she started his financial independence journey
• How she got obsessed with personal finance
• Conversation about money with her husband
• Her approach on her money
• Talking about happiness
• Where she planted her money
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• The Power of Financial Freedom - Fetching Financial Freedom
• 5 Ways Losing 50 Pounds and Saving $1M Was Exactly the Same
• Donating a Year’s Salary to Our Donor-Advised Fund
• Mint
• Mr. Money Mustache
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 120 with Michael Kitces
• Millennial Revolution
• Mindy's email
• Scott's email

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Doug Nordman wanted to teach his daughter about money. But he knew that to get it right, he’d have to start when she was very very small. So he did. First, he taught her how to count, then he taught her how to add, then he showed her what she could do with money by using cash in transactions.

As Carol got older, she was able to handle the cash herself, learning how to make change, count change, etc. Carol started “earning” her own money, through allowance and jobs - which could only be done after her (non-paid) chores were complete.

Doug’s common-sense approach to teaching his daughter about money is actually quite brilliant. She starts learning about money - and making money mistakes - when the stakes are low. Your 8-year-old making a $20 mistake is far better than your 20 year old making a $10,000 mistake because he or she never learned how to manage money.

Carol joins her dad to talk about how these teachings affected her life - and how she is planning on teaching her own daughter about money and finances. 

Carol and Doug have combined their recollections of this time together and written a book called Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence, and it is the blueprint for exactly how to raise children who are ‘good with money’ and how to prepare them to be adults who are great with money.

If you’re struggling with how to teach your children about money, this is a must-listen episode.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Doug's journey with money
• How he learned to be smart about money
• How he budgeted money on raising a child
• What does high savings rate means to him
• Carol's outlook about finance
• Carol's financial story
• Overview of Carol's financial position
• Lean FI
• Talking about Carol's husband and his view about money
• Doug's advice on how to approach your kids when you are just starting out on this journey
• Where they planted their money
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• CNBC
• ChooseFI

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Seth Williams invests in real estate in a way you may have never heard of before. He buys and sells land. And no, he’s not a developer. He literally buys a piece of blank dirt, and then sells it—frequently within days of buying it—for fairly high margins. And he does this without taking out loans for the purchase.

How?

He’s paying hundreds of dollars for this land, as opposed to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a piece of land with a house on top of it. He turns around and sells it quickly, frequently realizing a 300% profit—or more!

Even better? Deals are EVERYWHERE! Land is literally everywhere, and deals can be found very easily. (We discuss several ways to find absentee vacant landowners, many of whom just want to be rid of the property!)

Seth shares what to look out for in a deal so you minimize your chances of getting burned and what makes a deal great. He shares different ways to find these deals and even gives guidance for doing your homework so you know exactly what you’re buying.

If you’d like to get started in real estate but may not have the funds or simply don’t have the time or desire to run a flip, land may be your way in.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Seth's money journey
• His first land deal
• The reason why people buy land
• How to get into your first deal buying land
• What you should know about title insurance
• Dealing with mistakes
• All about title searches
• Tax implications of buying land
• The best and worst type of land for those just starting out
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• Dave Ramsey's Envelope System
• The title search article/video
• Land Flipping Lifecycle
• How to Juggle Your Real Estate Business with a Full-Time Job
• Six Months After Quitting My Job, Here Are My Honest Thoughts

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Browning had dreams of creating movies for Pixar - until he started art classes in college and realized that wasn’t his calling.

He was also taking a personal finance class and thoroughly enjoyed it, so he changed his major to finance and never looked back.

Chris should have perfect finances, right? Well…

Chris found himself in debt after graduating in 2009 and working as a bank teller, trying to impress his girlfriend (now wife). He took control of his finances, telling his girlfriend that they needed to reign in their spending so he could pay off debt. But once his debt was gone, he started saving in earnest for an engagement ring, spent everything he had on that, and found himself in debt again when they started planning their wedding.

Life happened, debt continued to stack up until they realized they were $27,000 in debt, with salaries just over that amount - all while living in Southern California.

Living paycheck-to-paycheck makes it hard to throw extra money at your debt. Chris and his wife reviewed their spending and were shocked by what they were spending on. Once they knew where their money was going, they were able to drastically reduce their spending and throw more money at their debt.

It turns out, tracking your spending and sticking to a budget are both excellent pieces of advice that can help anyone turn their financial situation around and start down the path toward financial independence.

In This Episode We Cover:

• His journey with money
• How much debt he has on his wedding
• What he did on paying off his debt
• Changes he make while paying off his debt
• How he approached his wife on making changes about their budget
• Talking about his emergency fund
• Dave Ramsey's baby steps
• How he plan his retirement
• Steps towards saving for early retirement
• When did he discover Financial Independence
• His vision for retirement
• How to use credit card responsibly
• His tips on travel hacking
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• Mint: Budget Tracker & Planner
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 75 with Justin from Saving Sherpa
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 39 with Jamila Souffrant
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 15 with Brad and Jonathan from ChooseFI
• Dave Ramsey's Envelope System

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Doc G wanted to be a doctor since he was eight years old. He went to medical school, started his career and quickly realized he actually didn’t like all the parts about being a doc - and didn’t know how to leave the profession. Something he’d wanted for 20 years suddenly wasn’t so awesome anymore.

Cue The White Coat Investor. He’d written a book and asked Doc G to read it and review it for his medical blog - and suddenly Doc G saw a way out!

This way out didn’t have the expected results, however. Instead of jubilation, Doc G was thrown into a spiral of anxiety and depression. Something he’d wanted his whole life, this thing he’d identified with so strongly for so long, and the thought of walking away from such an enormous part of his life was terrifying because now he had a way to do it and it was suddenly real.

Having always saved at least 50% of his income, Doc G went to his accountant - who was unfamiliar with early retirement and sort of threw out a number he needed to save to retire. His financial advisor was a bit more helpful, asking questions like, "how much do you spend in a year?" Not knowing, Doc G threw out a number, which turned out to be really close to what his accountant said he needed. But he was still unsure.

So he did what anyone in the FIRE community would do - he started reading. Everything and anything he could get his hands on. He realized he had enough money to stop doing those things he didn’t like, so he started practicing what he calls "The Art of Subtraction." He removed the things that did not make his heart sing, so that he could focus on those things he DID enjoy.

And his plan worked. He now can spend his working hours doing the things he loves to do, and does not have to do the things he doesn’t. He has focused more time on non-doctor side projects like writing and podcasting - where his enjoyment runs sky high even though the paychecks do not.

As his side projects bring more joy, walking away from the physician thing gets easier and easier.

Making plans for retirement is great, but today Doc G shares how to plan your transition into retirement which can be even more important!

 In This Episode We Cover:

• Doc G's specialty as a doctor
• His journey into the medical field
• How his life changed from being a doctor to investor
• How his money journey began
• The art of subtraction
• Stepping away from being a physician and leaving a large paycheck behind
• Questioning what truly makes you happy
• Doc G's portfolio
• His rental property business
• And SO much more!
• 
  

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 99 with Scott, Whitney Hansen, and Doc G
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 6 with Sarah Wilson
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 11 with Joel
• What is Hedonic Adaptation and How Can it Turn You Into a Sucka?
• Hacking Hedonic Adaptation to Get Way More For Your Money

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marquez Griffin graduated from high school but did not feel that college was his path. His uncle worked in a sheet metal shop, and was able to get him a job there.

He quickly learned that taking a bit of action with regards to his sheet metal training would catapult him higher in his earnings, so he enrolled in trade school and alternated between work and school to learn the trade faster.

His earnings rose as he completed coursework, but Marquez found himself unexcited about his path and started looking for more. Moving in with a friend and his dad turned out to be a real-life Rich Dad event, with his friend’s father introducing him to the concept of saving and investing.

Marquez started listening to audio books and podcasts while working in the shop, looking for information about a better life. This self education led him to Scott’s book Set for Life, and then to BiggerPockets where he discovered that House Hacking, real estate investing and that he could marry real estate with a career and go from salaried trade work to commission based agent work where the sky was the limit with regards to earnings.

He further discovered the job of Signing Agent and has now incorporated that into his work schedule as well. (For more information about Signing Agents, check out our episode 74 at www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow74.)

Marquez knew college was not his path, so he followed the path he was meant for and is reaching for Financial Independence on his terms.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Marquez's journey with money
• His experience working in a sheet metal shop
• Practical approach on making more money while in school
• Things that influence him to financial freedom
• His approach on building emergency funds and investments
• Talking about house hacking and his everyday expenses
• How he became a Notary Signing Agent
• Marquez's portfolio
• On index fund investing
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 44 with Tinian Crawford
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 74 with Mark Wills

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kevin Matthews II started paying attention to finance way back in 6th grade - because his parents said they wouldn’t buy him any more video games, he’d have to buy them himself.

Kevin’s parents telling him no propelled him into a lifelong planner - saving up for purchases rather than buying and figuring out how to pay it off later. And he parlayed his planning skills into a career as a financial advisor, eventually being named one of Investopedia’s Top 100 Advisors in 2017.

Kevin is passionate about teaching people - specifically millennials - how to manage their money. In fact, he’s SO passionate about teaching people how to alter their financial lives, he almost missed the birth of his first child in order to make a video about how $2,000 can turn your kids into millionaires! (Spoiler: He made it back to the room in time.)

Kevin wants you to know how to invest, how to manage your money so that you can further yourself down the path to Financial Independence. Kevin has an excellent video called Three ways to get started investing that discusses three ways we’ve never heard of!

Kevin credits consistency in investing with his client’s financial successes. He also believes that patience is the number one thing investors need - a point that’s been hit home so clearly in the past few months - and that a lack of patience is the biggest mistake investors are making today.

Kevin also shares tips for teaching your children about investing to get them used to seeing ups and downs, so they don’t lose their patience when they start investing with real dollars.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Kevin's financial journey
• How he's saving his lunch money
• Becoming a financial planner
• Individual stocks vs. index funds
• When he discovered and committed to financial freedom
• Mistakes that he sees new investors make
• What his end-goal looks like
• How $2,000 can make your kids millionaires
• 3 ways to get started investing
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 129 with Tiffany Aliche
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 110 with A Purple Life
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 97 with Financial Mechanic
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 119
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 41 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 84 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 118 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 24 with Erin Lowry
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 81 with Erin Lowry
• How $2,000 can turn your kids into millionaires
• Three ways to get started investing

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Susan and Norm got married a little later in life. They started off basically flat, with debts equalling assets. Neither wanted to have the debt, and focused on paying it off and building an emergency fund.

Then they discovered that they could retire early if they put their minds to it. So they jumped in with both feet, paid off the mortgage, bought an investment condo, paid it off, and aggressively saved to buy the second condo.

From the time they met until the time they were ready to retire, starting with basically a $0 net worth, was 12 years. Starting at age 43.

The one constant in their journey is their partnership, their commitment to each other and the end goal, and their desire to “be in this together.” Susan and Norm have a very clear respect and love for each other, never keeping score, never trying to hide a mistake from the other, always recognizing that they’re building their life together.

When starting on the journey to Financial Independence, it can be difficult to say the course - especially when your journey starts later than most. Susan and Norm and an excellent example of what CAN happen when you make a goal and aggressively pursue success.

This episode is for anyone who is struggling in their journey to FI, have hit a setback they feel is insurmountable, or anyone who is just getting started on their journey a little later in life.

In This Episode We Cover:

• When did they start saving for retirement
• How they approach the conversation about money
• The decisions they make on housing, transportation, and food
• How they paid off their debt
• What their emergency fund looks like
• What their company do
• What they learned about the 401k benefits from a self-employment perspective
• Talking about their multiple income streams
• The book that made their mindset shift
• Peer-to-peer lending
• What they will do when they are fully retired
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 24 with Erin Lowry
• Cash Cow Couple
• Personal Capital
• Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University
• Starting Late, But Retiring Early: A Case Study
• Mindy's email

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we welcome back the Budgetnista, Tiffany Aliche. When we spoke to her way back in episode 8, we heard her story of an investment gone wrong and how 2008 really threw a monkey wrench into her life plans. But instead of allowing that to deter her, Tiffany committed to teaching people how to budget.

Since we last spoke, she has expanded her original, uber-successful Live Richer Challenge (www.livericherchallenge.com) into a savings edition, a credit edition, a net worth edition, and a homebuying edition—all free and all designed to teach you the things you never learned about money and finance.

Tiffany is SO PASSIONATE about personal finance that she worked tirelessly for more than two years to get a bill passed in New Jersey, mandating financial literacy education for middle schoolers. (Want to duplicate her success in your state? Here’s a video that details how she did it: How to Get a Law Passed with Assemblywoman Angela V. McKnight.

But she’s not done! Tiffany has combined her love of budgeting with her love of teaching children in her new book Happy Birthday Mali More, and on today’s episode, she shares her top tips for teaching your children the fundamentals of managing money properly.

If you have children, this episode can help you figure out the age-appropriate lessons you should be teaching them to help them grow into financially responsible adults.

In This Episode We Cover:

• The Budgetnista Law
• The reason why parents have a hard time teaching their kids about money
• The concepts that parents should teach at various ages
• How early should parents start teaching their kids about money?
• Communicating the concept of financial freedom
• How Tiffany got her husband on board with financial freedom
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• Live Richer Challenge
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 08 with Tiffany Aliche

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Whitney Hanson is one of six children. Growing up she watched her father start a business, watched it fail, and watched him turn destructive, eventually leaving her mother to raise six kids on her own - all while making $7.25 an hour.

Whitney has seen the ugly side of money - and what can happen when you have none - and decided she wanted no part of it. Money equals options, and she wanted as many options as she could get! 

She began to research how to build wealth, because she did not want to perpetuate the cycle of poverty. She knew she wanted to go to college, but also knew she’d have to find a way to pay for it. Rather than taking out tons of student loans, Whitney went through a 3-month cosmetology program starting the day after she graduated high school, and used the money she made as a nail technician to pay for college. 

Because she values financial stability over everything else, she bought a house when she turned 19 - and house hacked by renting two rooms to friends to help with the mortgage. 

Upon graduating college, she realized she had taken out $30,000 in student loans that now had to be paid back. Rather than allow it to rule her life, she cut out everything and worked a second job in order to knock out her debt - in 10 months!

Whitney knew she had figured out how to lead a healthy financial life - and was eager to help others solve their own financial struggles. She started a coaching program to help financially empower people, and help them navigate the beginning stages of their financial journey.

Whitney’s story is 100% repeatable for anyone listening. She came from nothing, and made it on her own.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Whitney's journey with money
• Difference between a want and a need
• Her personal financial situation during highschool
• What her job is while she's studying college
• The reason why she bought a house at 19 years old
• Whitney's tips for students
• Talking about scholarships
• On her adulting moment
• Her ways on how she paid off her debt
• Her journey in creating a business during her MBA program
• Talking about her cashflow
• Biggest challenges that people are facing who she talk with about finances
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 64 with Zach Gautier
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 80 with Rich and Regular
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 112 with Natalie Kolodij
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 111 with A Purple Mom
• Personal Capital
• XY Planning Network
• The Money Nerds Podcast 13 with Mindy Jensen
• The Money Nerds Podcast 37 with Mindy Jensen

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You To Be Rich is back again to chat with Scott & Mindy about money, unexpected events, and taking advantage of opportunities by being prepared. 

Ramit does not hold back with his advice that the Coronavirus should be a financial wakeup call to you. A crisis like this WILL happen again (maybe not viral) and NOW is the time to prepare yourself.

He’s increased his recommended Emergency Fund to one year of expenses. If you’re struggling right now, you should be making minimum payments because “money in your pocket now is worth more than money in your pocket later.” Start crafting your emergency plan even if you don’t think you’re going to need to use it. Panic is bad, but overreaction is good. Don’t worry about looking stupid. One of the reasons you save is to be prepared for the worst. So prepare. 

If you’re financially stable and strong, Ramit also has some tips for taking advantage of this crazy time we’re living in. Have you ever wanted to start your own business? While it can seem counterintuitive to start a business in these uncertain times, it’s actually a fantastic time to start. Your target audience is WAITING for you to fill the need they are having RIGHT NOW. 

Even better? Ramit and Mindy discuss Mindy’s pain points regarding homeschooling - and Ramit comes up with 3 6-figure business ideas on the spot!

Scott & Mindy also discuss Dollar Cost Averaging, finding a new job now, and paying down debt.

Looking for more options in the coming months? This episode can’t be missed.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Financial Education is so important - but so many people are graduating high school without the basic skills to make informed decisions.

Today, Scott & Mindy sit down to share some of the big money moves you should make - as well as some of the big money mistakes you should avoid.

These are the tips you didn't learn in high school. From choosing a major wisely (or even deciding if college is truly the right choice for you) to paying for college, to truly understanding just how much it will cost you to pay back your student loans, the decisions you're making now, entering college, are going to affect your financial future for years to come.

They also discuss relationships, and how those can also have a huge impact on your finances.

Other big decisions you need to consider include how and when to get a first credit card - and how to use it properly to improve and increase your credit score.

Scott & Mindy also dive into just exactly what a credit score is - and how its far-reaching influence can affect your job and housing.

Scott also shares his unique views on wants and needs - and how to minimize the costs of the needs so you can afford a few wants.

This episode is a great intro to financial education for young adults who are eager to make excellent financial decisions and put themselves on the path to freedom.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Decision-making process after highschool
• The difference between subsidized and unsubsidized student loans
• The importance of calculating total student loans
• Everything you need to know about credit scores
• The difference between good and bad debt
• How relationships impact money and the importance of prenup
• Wants vs. needs
• Roth IRAs, traditional IRAs, and 401(k)s
• How to set up automatic investments
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• Mindy's Post on BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 44 with Tinian Crawford
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 22 with Travis Hornsby
• Which to Borrow: Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Student Loans
• Student Loan Calculator
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 64 with Zach Gautier
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 35 with Craig Curelop
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 81 with Erin Lowry
• Fidelity Investments
• Vanguard

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today’s episode, we speak with Fritz Gilbert from The Retirement Manifesto and go through his checklist to ensure a smooth transition into your new life.

Fritz speaks from experience and wrote the checklist during his own transition, starting five years out.

Oh yes, FIVE YEARS. If you want a smooth transition, you’ll need to plan ahead.

Scott and Mindy go through the checklist with Fritz, starting at five years before your retirement date. (They even touch on what to do BEFORE five years out.) Fritz’s list is extremely thorough and includes things you’ve most likely NOT even thought about.

From paying down debt to checking in with a financial planner to transferring all that personal stuff you currently have on your work computer or in your work email, we cover the obvious. But more importantly, we also touch on the “Oh man, I totally forgot to do that” stuff, which can be the difference between a seamless transition and one filled with “I wish I had done things differently.”

Fritz is such an expert in retirement planning that he wrote a new book about it: Keys to a Successful Retirement: Staying Happy, Active and Productive in Your Retired Years.

In this book, Fritz shares 24 keys to a great retirement—once you’ve made sure the transition goes well.

If you are on the path to retirement, this episode is NOT to be missed!

In This Episode We Cover:

• What his pre-retirement checklist is all about
• What his financial position looks like five years prior to retirement
• His advice to people who are pursuing financial independence before starting
• The "one more year" syndrome
• 5-year, 3-year, 2-year, 1-year, and 6-month checklists before retiring
• Quitting your job
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 41 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 84 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 118 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55 with Millennial Revolution
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55.5 with Millennial Revolution
• LastPass
• The Ultimate Pre-Retirement Checklist
• Early Retirement Calculator
• 20 Steps To Take In The Before Retirement
• The First 6 Steps To Financial Wealth
• So You Want To Be A Millionaire
• Freedom For Fido

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gerry Born is a teacher who is married to a teacher. He started his financial independence journey when he was 33—with a wife, $45,000 in college debt, and a job in Saudi Arabia teaching English as a second language (ESL).

He knocked out his debt in two years, then threw everything he could into savings. The ESL job provided everything but internet and phone, so he really didn’t need to spend much money if he didn’t want to.

After 9/11, they moved back to the United States and got jobs teaching—and you know what kind of salaries teachers make!

Unhappy with that particular school, they moved on to a different one and discovered the magic of the 457 plan. A 457 plan is an additional retirement savings vehicle available to teachers and some public employees. It has the same contribution limits as a 401(k) but can be immediately accessed penalty-free as soon as you separate service from your employer.

Gerry uses this to fund his life while reducing his taxable income to as close to zero as possible.

If you’re starting late—or if you’re a teacher or public employee—this episode provides tips for funding retirement that will blow your mind!

In This Episode We Cover:

• How he retired early on a teacher's salary
• The tax advantages he swears by
• The reason why he maxed out his 457 plan first
• What a 403(b) plan is
• His job in Saudi Arabia
• How he got into the concept of financial freedom
• How he paid off his debt
• How he saved his money
• How he maximized his income
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 39
• How We Saved 250k by Taking Crappy Jobs - The Millionaire Educator
• Mr. Money Mustache

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joining us today is Avery Heilbron, a listener on his way to financial independence through real estate investing. But Avery isn’t going all out and buying up every property as fast as he can. He’s making calculated purchases that allow him to live for free - and also cashflow while he’s there even though he lives in a high cost of living area. Once he moves out, that cashflow increases even more!

Avery is also thinking ahead, and mitigating his risk of non-payment of rent by using the Section 8 rental assistance program to help guarantee rent payments. 

Oh, and Avery is 25. 

He went to college on a soccer scholarship, worked through school, studied hard and graduated with ZERO student loans and a great job.

Do you have high school or college students in your life? This episode can help give them direction and encouragement that a little careful thought can have a HUGE impact on your future financial situation.

In This Episode We Cover:

• How he purchased a property that was originally listed for $800k in January of 2020 for less than $700k 
• Avery's journey with money
• How he discover financial freedom
• Talking about FHA loan and why it is so unattractive to sellers
• His plans to achieve financial independence
• Talking about his rental properties
• His philosophy on reserves
• What Section 8 program is
• On house hacking
• His side hustle
• And SO much more!

Links:

• BiggerPockets Forums
• Should I charge my Girlfriend rent?
• Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• The Official BiggerPocket Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Podcast 356

Check the full show notes: http://biggerpockets.com/moneyshow123

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scott and Mindy have focused on Coronavirus for the last few episodes - talking to experts about how the virus has affected the stock market, the 4% rule, and even early retirees.

They’ve interviewed Financial Planners to get tips for using the current market conditions to their advantage, as well as chatted with a mortgage broker to determine the best time to refinance. 

In this episode, Scott and Mindy talk about lifestyle creep - and how they have both been affected over the last couple of years. They revisit the basics of Financial Independence, spending less than you earn, increasing your income, investing wisely, creating multiple sources of income, and living your best life once money has been taken care of.

Using their lockdown spending as a guide, Scott and Mindy go through the steps they’ve taken and the changes they’ve made to their expenses - including what they will add back once the world reopens and what expenses they don’t miss.

This episode will help you get back to your Financial Independence basics, too.

In This Episode We Cover:

• The basics of Financial Independence
• Spending less than you earn
• How Scott and Mindy save their money
• How their spending changed
• Increasing your income
• Investing in low cost, quality investment vehicles
• Creating multiple, passive streams of income
• Living the life you truly love
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 116 with JL Collins
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 41 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 84 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 118 with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 119
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 120 with Michael Kitces
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 121 with Seth Jones
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 03 with Erin Chase
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 97 with Financial Mechanic
• BiggerPockets Business Podcast 51 with Nigel Guisinger
• Mint
• Something about Food Podcast
• Waffles on Wednesday: Make Your Own Free Mobile Expense Tracking App in 30 Minutes
• Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Page

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Mortgage Broker Seth Jones talks about the current mortgage market. We discuss mortgage forbearance - how it affects your credit and why it's NOT a good idea to go into forbearance if you can still make your mortgage payments. 

We also talk about mortgages - how to apply for a new loan or refinance, what lenders are looking for and how to get the best rate on your new loan. We'll also dive into comparison shopping and how to choose the right lender.

Lending is tightening up, while rates are dropping. We chat with Seth about what that looks like for a qualified borrower - and how to decide if now is the right time to get a new loan.

We also discuss different types of funding, primary loans, second home loans and investment properties. We also clarify what mortgage fraud is - and how that can affect you. While it may seem like no big deal, it's actually a very big deal.

Seth even shares a mortgage checklist below.

If you need more information about the mortgage process, this episode is a must listen!

In This Episode We Cover:

• The right time to take mortgage forbearance
• His thoughts on refinancing
• How a first time home buyer should approach their first mortgage
• Cash outlay
• Barriers to closing besides income disruptions
• Five categories of fees
• The difference between financing a primary home, secondary home, and an investment
• What mortgage fraud is
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• Consumer Finance Protection Board
• Credit Karma
• Mortgage News Daily
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 20: The Simple Path to Wealth—Index Funds Explained with JL Collins
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 116: Long-Term Investing: Coronavirus Changes Nothing with JL Collins
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 98: Change Your Money Mindset, Change Your Life with Vicki Robin
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Page

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael Kitces joins us today to talk about Early Retirement - and how the recent stock market movement affects the FIRE Community and the 4% rule.

We spend a lot of time on the 4% rule - including this graph which illustrates what Michael discusses - basically, there is an ultra-high probability that you will come to the end of 30 years with MORE money than you started out with, and an extremely LOW chance you’ll spend it all. In fact, only one time does the retirement fund hit zero - and even that isn’t until year 31!

Since the FIRE Movement is based on the 4% rule, we wanted to hear from Michael, the Research Nerd Supreme, what he feels about it. “...historical safe withdrawal rates aren’t based on historical averages. They’re based on historical worst case scenarios.”

Yes, we’re seeing some pretty big movement in the market, and yes, it can make you think. This episode provides some pretty powerful reassurance that “every little thing, is gonna be all right.”

If you are worrying about your financial future, if you have money or want more, this powerful episode is a can’t miss, absolutely-must-listen edition of BiggerPockets Money.

In This Episode We Cover:

• The origin of 4% rule
• Three different time periods that trigger the 4% number
• Safe withdrawal rates
• Different 4% rule scenario
• Bucket strategy
• Key assumptions that start crapping up on modeling or evaluating the short term cash bucket
• The right time to start looking at bonds
• Constant mid-course adjustments
• What a retirement red zone is
• Bond tent strategy
• Safe withdrawal rate research
• Guardrail strategy
• Smart money moves during this market
• Dollar cost averaging
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• FinCon
• Determining Withdrawal Rates Using Historical Data
• Software Solutions To Calculate Safe Withdrawal Rates
• Online Data - Robert Shiller
• The Ratcheting Safe Withdrawal Rate – A More Dominant Version Of The 4% Rule?
• Yield Shield - Millennial Revolution
• How Has The 4% Rule Held Up Since The Tech Bubble And The 2008 Financial Crisis?
• Mr. Money Mustache
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Page

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week’s episode, Scott & Mindy bring back four previous guests (and introduce a brand new–and future–guest) to talk about retirement, the stock market, and how this current environment is affecting their spending, saving and investing.

Andy Hill last joined us for Episode 34 - and boy has his life changed! He left formal employment in January (and shares some surprising info about his income & investing prospects.

Amy & Tim discuss their House Sitting & Travel Hacking plans, and how they are on hold during this unprecedented travel lockdown.

Kristy & Bryce share how their Cash Cushion and Yield Shield strategy is working out (spoiler: just fine!) and how they are taking advantage of lower rates on AirBnB rentals to offset their now-postponed geographic arbitrage plans.

The Mad Fientist is continuing to stay the course - but with a surprise revelation that he was a bit freaked out for a moment, too!

And we introduce Doug Nordman from The Military Guide to our listeners, to hear his voice of reason and experience and offer encouragement during these crazy times.

These five experienced retirees are here to reinforce the fact that Financial Independence IS worth pursuing, it DOES work, and the math IS accurate!

Is it time to give up on Financial Independence? Nope, not even close! 

In This Episode We Cover:

• How Andy's life changed after his last interview in this podcast
• Andy's feeling about his decision on quitting his job and build his own business
• Andy's financial position before he leave his job
• One thing he wished he would have done differently before he left his job
• Amy and Tim's after retirement plan
• How they do their withdrawal on their stock portfolio to sustain their lifestyle
• What their plan right now
• Amy and Tim's advice for people who want to follow their footsteps
• How prepared Brandon was
• Brandon's opinion on the 4% rule 
• What does he recommend having cash buffer
• Brandon's definition of a cash buffer
• Brandon's advice for people who are in the journey to Financial Independence
• Bryce and Kristy's cash cushion
• Their travelling routine
• Their advice
• Continuing to invest their money on stock market
• The reason why Doug is not concerned about the recession
• How prepared Doug was 
• Doug's advice
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show:

• How to Access Retirement Funds Early - Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 34
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 57
• Determining Withdrawal Rates Using Historical Data
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55.5
• Airbnb
• Fear And Despair In The Time Of Bear Markets - Military Guide
• Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This Bonus Episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast is to help keep you informed of the Stimulus act that Congress is putting into place to help Americans with the Coronavirus and unprecedented shutdown of most of the economy.

Joining Mindy today is Natalie Kolodij, who last appeared on Episode 112. Today’s episode was recorded on March 28, and we are fully expecting additional clarification and guidance from the federal government on these provisions. 

Congress just passed a 2.2 TRILLION dollar bill to provide relief for Americans in the face of the Coronavirus. While the bill does provide for monetary help, there’s a lot of other benefits that may not be getting the same press. 

OF COURSE we talk about the checks: How much, Who is eligible, When does it arrive? We also go a bit further and answer if it’s taxed, do you have to pay it back, is it a loan? 

If you have a 401(k), IRA or even a Roth IRA, there are additional provisions for you to consider like extended loan limits and penalty-free distributions.

There are benefits for already retired people such as no RMDs this year if you haven’t already taken them.

We discuss the student loan interest rate freeze and how to take advantage of their no payment option. 

We even touch on the additional provisions to employers such as IRC Section 139 changes that allow employers to help their employees out during this time of crisis, payroll deferment, sick leave, employee retention benefits and extended unemployment benefits. 

If we have our financial ducks in a row, now could be a great time to make some tax-advantaged moves.

In This Episode We Cover:

• How to qualify stimulus check
• How much money people get on stimulus check
• Key thing to keep in mind with stimulus check
• Can people refuse the check
• Stimulus check for dependents
• Are green card holders and H1B VISA holders who work and pay taxes eligible for these benefits
• IRA versus 401k distribution
• Things to consider before converting funds from a traditional plan to a Roth plan
• Are there any provisions for already retired people
• How can an employer use the IRC Section 139, Disaster Relief Payments
• How does provision work on student loans
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• Employee Retention Credits
• Payroll tax payment deferral
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 118
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 112

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kyle Mast is a Certified Financial Planner, back for his third episode to answer YOUR questions about our current market conditions.

We ask him the questions YOU had on your mind, including rebalancing your portfolio, staying the course, and trying to time the market.

We take a deep dive into the retirement planning system, including weighing the benefits of Roth plans vs a traditional plans, and even discuss whether converting pre-tax retirement funds into post-tax funds during this down market is the right choice for you.

While this episode focuses more on the state of the stock market, we do discuss real estate investing, and considerations for whether you should jump in or hold back.

As always, consulting your own tax advisor and financial planner is advised, but Kyle brings up some very interesting ideas to take advantage of this down market. 

In This Episode We Cover:

• What people should do on their asset allocation with the situation right now
• The best way to protect your net worth in this economy
• Talking about Roth contributions
• Contribution limits on a Roth 401k
• A good plan to start investing in stocks for a short-mid term leaving the Real Estate aside for a while
• Kyle's thoughts on 4% rule
• Kyle's thoughts on withdrawing Roth IRA contribution for down payment on a rental property
• What is a good use for Stimulus Check
• How can someone find a good estate planner or estate planning attorney
• The importance of estate planning
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 41
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 84
• BiggerPockets Podcast 374
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 116
• Mad Fientist
• Dow Jones - DJIA - 100 Year Historical Chart | MacroTrends
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 49
• Mindy's email
• Scott's email

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, Scott and Mindy discuss the biggest news story of the century: Coronavirus or COVID-19.

This episode covers a wide range of topics both money and real estate -- with a guest spot from Brandon Turner, who answers the number one question on every real estate investor’s mind: What do I do if my tenant(s) can’t pay rent?

You'll also learn what resources are available for people whose incomes have taken a hit, and get answers to questions such as: should I continue with the purchase of a property I have under contract, and should I continue to pay down debt or take advantage of this current market?

These are scary times, and it can be easy to cut and run or throw out your carefully-laid plans in favor of an instinctive reaction. So now is a good time to detach, assess your options, and chart a course forward.

If you have Coronavirus fears, you’re not alone. Scott, Mindy, and the entire BiggerPockets Money Community are here to help you weather this storm.

In This Episode We Cover:

• How to invest from a position of strength
• How to tackle debt during this time
• How to do a "financial reset"
• What the 4 Percent Rule is in Financial Independence
• Brandon's tip when tenants don't pay rent
• What practical things can landlord do in these times
• How to take advantage of the current situation
• List of resources for those who are out of work
• BiggerPockets reminders that you should consider
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 116
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Investments Calculator
• BiggerPockets Podcast 374
• BiggerPockets Podcast 364
• BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 70
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 55.5
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 114
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 85
• Mr. Money Mustache
• How The 4% Rule Holds Up A Quarter-Century Later - Forbes
• Real Estate Rookie
• COVID-19 Financial Resources: Relief To Those Impacted - iHeartBudgets
• 197 Emergency Financial Assistance Resources (National & by Major City) - Frugal Confessions
• 50 immediate hire work from home jobs near me (2020) - Mrs Daaku Studio
• BiggerPockets Forums
• The BiggerPockets Book Store

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The stock market is up, then down, then down, then up. What is an investor to do?

Today we bring JLCollins from JLCollinsNH.com back to the show to calm our fears and help us understand what is happening with the stock market.

The market is falling. Or maybe today it’s rising. It’s SO VOLATILE, it can be scary to stay invested - especially if you’ve never been through a market downturn.

JL expertly explains what’s going on - and his recommendations for the best course of action - based on 40 years of investing in the stock market (and making a boatload of mistakes along the way.)

Long story short, stay the course. 105 years of historical stock market data says this too shall pass.

While JL is an expert on the stock market, he doesn’t invest in real estate, so Scott and Mindy share their views about the real estate market and what this current stock market volatility might mean for real estate investors. They also share ways to hedge your bets in rental property investing through fully funded reserves.

If you’re freaking out about the stock market, this episode can help calm your fears and keep you on the right course to give you the most chance for financial success.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Why are people freaking about the crash
• How one should handle this market drop if you risk losing your job
• When to prepare emergency funds and how much to put into it
• Why you should hold your portfolio forever
• What an Index Fund is
• Why it is important to "ignore" the market
• How index outperform stock picking
• How one can never time the market
• How those who say they predicted the market only did it because of luck
• The only time the market is not going to recover...
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 20: The Simple Path to Wealth—Index Funds Explained with JL Collins
• Mr. Money Mustache
• Taking advantage of Mr. Bear
• A Guided Meditation for When the Stock Market Is Dropping
• Stocks — Part XXXII: Why you should not be in the stock market
• Time Machine and the future returns for stocks
• Pinterest
• Dow Jones - DJIA - 100 Year Historical Chart | MacroTrends
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 95: The House Hacking Strategy with Craig Curelop
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Page
• Mindy's email
• Scott's email

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Felipe Mejia’s relationship with money started at an early age - when his parents divorced and his world turned upside down. His mother introduced him to the power of real estate by fixing up the basement and renting it out to generate income.

His mother further influenced his money story by creating her own cleaning company and introducing Felipe to a client who hired Felipe to clean up his job sites. Felipe put his own spin on that by hiring the work out for a slightly lower rate than he was getting.

Real estate became Felipe’s main source of income, generating enough that he does not have to work a traditional job any longer.

Felipe Mejia, along with Ashley Kehr from Episode 114 are the hosts of BiggerPockets newest Podcast, Real Estate Rookie.

Together, they share stories of real estate successes - as well as encouragement to get started investing in real estate.

The Real Estate Rookie show is for anyone interested in investing in real estate - and needs a little encouragement.

The Real Estate Rookie Podcast airs on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Felipe's money story
• How important money is for Felipe
• What he did to his first rental property
• The importance of putting money into an investment
• How he earned money during his quest to join the police department
• On getting attracted to the power of earning passive income through real estate
• On house hacking
• Challenges he encountered in terms of his rental properties
• His advice on getting one’s spouse onboard
• How he approaches cash reserves
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
• Airbnb
• Real Estate Rookie Podcast

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ashley Kehr married a dairy farmer. With a dairy farm comes farm equipment. And with farm equipment comes farm equipment loans—to the tune of around $169,000.

Three years ago, she read Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, and it CHANGED. HER. LIFE.

Ashley knew she needed to get rid of their debt, but her husband wasn’t totally on board with the plan. So she tackled her student loan debt first—and proved to her husband that this was the right financial plan for their family.

She quit the job she didn’t like and transitioned into property management, which introduced her to her current love of real estate.

Real estate started providing a very generous income stream to help supplement her family’s income. When she didn’t have her own money to invest, she partnered with someone who did. When she didn’t have experience to do the project at hand, she partnered with someone who did.

Ashley’s story is a delight to listen to. She walks us step by step through the process she took to find these partners, find these properties, and generate this income stream for her family.

If you’re thinking about getting into real estate as a source of passive income, this is a must-listen episode!

In This Episode We Cover:

• Ashley's money journey
• How Ashley and her husband accumulate both rental properties and debt
• The moment she purchased her first rental
• How her rental income helps her to be more conscious about money
• Ashley and her partner's agreement on their investments
• 2 rules to analyze markets for rentals
• What a portfolio loan is and how to use it
• Ashley's method of recycling her cash to buy more properties
• What her lifestyle looks like after reading Dave Ramsey's book
• Debt snowball method
• How Ashley managed her various properties with various partners
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
• BiggerPockets Business Podcast
• BiggerPockets Calculators
• BiggerPockets Podcast 348: Full-Time Job, Full-Time Mom, and Full-Time Wealth From Rentals with Ashley Kehr
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 20: The Simple Path to Wealth—Index Funds Explained with JL Collins
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we sit down with Bianca DiValerio, a flight attendant who makes an hourly wage, has no college degree, experienced THREE short sales during the economic downturn, and yet is STILL financially independent—all before turning 40.

How did she do it?

She saved her money. She didn’t spend it on things that didn’t matter to her.

There is literally NO secret sauce to her story. In fact, she thought she had her future planned out! She had purchased three rental properties to provide a stream of passive income—only to lose them to short sale when unexpected special assessments of $5,000 each became too much for her to afford.

And yet, she saved her money. She didn’t spend it on things that didn’t matter to her.

And she dug herself out of the financial hole that the short sale pushed her into. She pulled herself back up and started her nest egg over, saving enough to pay cash for a unit in the same building, so she’d never lose her home again.

She’s turned that into a rental, lives in a caboose five months out of the year (yes, a TRAIN CABOOSE), and while she has enough money to never HAVE to work again, she enjoys her job, can literally choose when she works, and is living her best life.

Bianca is proof that you can recover from an unplanned financial catastrophe, thrive, and STILL reach financial independence—all before you turn 40. You just have to follow the proven path to financial freedom.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Bianca's journey with money
• How she avoid on having debt
• The problem with not having a college degree
• What happened after she got her job as a flight attendant
• How she got into real estate
• Her thoughts on investment
• The importance of having cash reserves
• Her credit score after her three short sales
• The moment she came across the FIRE movement
• Her experience living in a train caboose
• Reasons to not quit your job
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Natalie Kolodij is a tax strategist. (You’ve probably seen her in the forums!) With April 15 looming around the corner, we’re going to chat about ways to choose the RIGHT tax professional who can best serve YOUR specific needs.

Natalie also shares a few red flags about potential tax preparers, as well as specific things your tax pro should be asking for—and what it means if they do not.

She’ll also share some common missed deductions that can cost you BIG and how to prepare and organize your documents so your tax pro can process your returns quickly, efficiently, and with the least amount of time billed to you.

Looking for that seemingly-elusive real estate professional status? Natalie explains in detail how to qualify for this lucrative benefit. She even shares how long you can depreciate a kangaroo!

If you’re a taxpayer, this show can help you save time and money. If you’re a real estate investor/taxpayer, you can’t afford NOT to listen to Natalie’s advice!

In This Episode We Cover:

• The right time for somebody to start looking for a tax professional
• How to find a tax professional
• How important state-specific knowledge is
• What a true expert can bring to the table regarding your return
• What a real estate professional is
• Benefits of consulting a tax professional prior to buying a property
• How to prepare for a meeting with your tax professional
• 3 most common errors—check these before submitting your return
• How to approach a tax return for a house hack or duplex
• What to do if you recognize issues with past returns
• What depreciation recapture is
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• MileIQ: Mileage Tracking App
• BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On episode 110, we interviewed A Purple Life. As she was sharing her story of financial independence, she casually mentioned that her mother didn’t start investing until later in life, and STILL managed to retire at age 55!

So this week, we’re talking to her mother - who has her own amazing story of early retirement which she was able to accomplish even though she didn’t START investing until she was 40!

Momma Purple shares her pragmatic approach to money in general - buying what you need, trying to make repairs instead of buying something new, sticking to a budget and banking bonuses instead of spending them.

Momma Purple is also a big advocate for having multiple, passive income streams like rental properties and a pension.

Hear her story of weathering TWO market crashes during her investing journey, taking immediate action when she discovered her money was in the wrong investment, and how fabulous her life is now, after retirement.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Momma Purple's journey with money
• Her life looks like when Purple was born
• How she managed her money and able to save up so much as a single mom
• Things that changes her practice with money after the conversation she had with her colleague
• Her 10-year plan to early retirement
• Talking about her investing journey
• What she do the moment she was retired
• Her advice for older listeners
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• Personal Capital
• Mindy's email
• Scott's email
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Purple graduated from college and got a job in New York City making $35,000 a year. And spending $35,000 a year. Her net worth was a whopping $5,000. Her partner shared the concept of financial independence with her, but she wasn’t interested.

Two years later, her net worth had grown considerably, but she was still not tracking her spending or paying attention to much of her finances.

So, she took a good look at her money situation and discovered that there were places she could make cuts—yet not really feel them.

She moved across the country, she changed jobs, she asked for raises. And she saved and invested her money.

And her net worth grew to the point that she is retiring before the end of the year and traveling the world—all because she looked at her financial situation and said, “I can do better than that!”

Listen in to hear just how she increased her income and decreased her spending to craft the life she wanted!

In This Episode We Cover:

• Purple's journey with money
• Her mom's gift
• Deciding to seek financial independence
• Convincing your partner to pursue FIRE
• Purple's net worth
• Tips for people who are looking for a new job and better income
• The importance of research
• Purple's plan in the future
• What her retirement looks like
• Possible downsides of remote work
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• Reddit
• Mr. Money Mustache
• Glassdoor
• Indeed
• PayScale
• cFIREsim
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we sit down and talk with Airman Mildollar, from Military Dollar.

(Spoiler Alert: Despite the name, Airman Mildollar is a woman!)

Airman Mildollar shares her story of college debt, car loans and rapid payoff to start building her wealth to become financially free, despite not being married, having kids or working in tech. In fact, she’s an officer in the Air Force.

She shares her systematic goal setting and goal reaching strategy that allowed her to pay off her debt ahead of schedule - including stretching her military benefits to cover more than just food or housing.

She started reading finance blogs and books and starting putting money away. Moving in with a friend reduced her rent payment, and she began investing in a Roth IRA, opened up a TSP (Military version of a 401k) and also invested in individual stocks in after-tax accounts, saving about 20% of her pay.

Every time she received a raise, she committed to put at least 50% of that raise into her investments.

In 2011, she bought a rental house as she was deploying, put tenants in place and then went overseas for one year, returned home and bought another property for herself to live in. Originally intending to live there for a year then rent it out, she ended up staying for two years then selling to realize HUGE tax-free gains.

2013 is when her Financial Independence journey really hit its stride as she read Your Money or Your Life, and she took a much closer look at her budget, finding another thousand dollars to put into her investing.

MilDollar shows that you CAN become financially independent on your own, without working in an ultra-high-paying job, when you diligently pursue your goal.

In This Episode We Cover:

• What an airman is
• Airman Mildollar's money journey
• Where she got her scholarships
• How she creates financial freedom
• Things she did on managing her finances
• The reason why she didn't do househacking
• On her housing and food allowance
• How she discover FIRE community
• What Thrift Savings Plan is
• How she finance her properties
• On her rental properties
• Her plans in the future
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• Early-Retirement.org
• Early Retirement Forum
• Saving-Sherpa
• Get Rich Slowly
• Mr. Money Mustache
• Airbnb
• BiggerPockets Podcast 364: Snowballing 6-Figure Short-Term Rental Profits Into Passive Investments with Avery Carl
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 98: Change Your Money Mindset, Change Your Life with Vicki Robin
• FinCon
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kristi Tanner Smith considers herself privileged—she was an only child in a big house with lots of toys. But Kristi’s mom was diagnosed with a fatal disease and given six months to live when Kristi was five. While her mom did beat that estimate, she ultimately lost her battle when Kristi was 12.

During her mom's final years, she tried to teach Kristi about money: "Save up and pay cash for purchases. Be responsible with your finances."

Her father was the opposite. So Kristi was able to see both sides of the coin and recognize that being responsible was the better way to go.

Kristi lost her father to a freak accident in 10th grade, and she used the insurance settlement to pay for college, where she studied Criminal Justice. Kristi’s husband worked at Nike; they paid for his entire college tuition once he went full-time with the company.

(Pro tip: If you need your college tuition paid for, look for a company that offers tuition reimbursement!)

After college, she took a job in the Probation Office. She didn’t like it. To make matters worse, on her honeymoon, she discovered they were looking to replace her!

She knew she didn’t want to be dependent on someone else for money, so she turned to real estate. She discovered BiggerPockets, ChooseFI, and the concept of financial independence—this became her new focus.

She started with the home she inherited from her mother, then bought a home from the MLS, followed by a primary residence, then another MLS purchase, and a cabin in the mountains.

Her cash flow on these few properties covers her monthly living expenses, freeing her to pursue her passions. Because when you take care of the money part, you can pursue your dreams and live the life you TRULY want!

In This Episode We Cover:

• Kristi's journey with money
• How her mother taught her about money
• Her experience with money during high school and college
• Her financial position during her first job
• Kristi's tip to get free tuition in college
• How she discovered financial independence
• Her first experience in real estate investing
• What she did on her dad's life insurance policy
• How she got her first property
• Advice on working with a real estate agent
• Tips on actively managed funds and commission-based financial planners
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• ChooseFI
• MLS
• Financial 180
• Airbnb
• Scott's Email
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 85: From Financial Disaster to Financially Free with Jacob Wade from I Heart Budgets
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 41: How to Find the Best Possible Certified Financial Planner (CFP) for Your Needs with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow108

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Financial Panther (Kevin) went to law school, graduated from law school, and took a job as an attorney. Attorneys make a lot of money, right?

So, with all this income potential, why is he doing side hustles that pay him significantly less? Happiness.

Being an attorney didn’t make Kevin happy. In fact, it made him decidedly unhappy. He changed jobs several times but in the end decided being a lawyer simply wasn’t for him. So, he left the field to pursue fun things that he liked doing.

Kevin loves to be outside. He lives near a university in a large city. He loves dogs. Put that all into a shaker, and out comes Kevin 2.0.

Kevin 2.0 takes dogs for walks during lunchtime. He gets out of his downtown office (he makes himself go to a co-working space so he accomplishes things every day) and delivers meals to office workers who can’t get away.

Kevin walks dogs around the downtown area for their owners who can’t get away at lunchtime to take them out. Kevin charges scooters overnight, and on his way home, he delivers even more meals.

Best of all? Kevin gets to spend time outside almost every single day. He does what he CHOOSES to do, regardless of what it pays.

Financial freedom isn’t about quitting your job. It's about living your best life, which Kevin 2.0 is now doing.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Kevin's journey with money
• How he started learning about money
• His position when he got his first paycheck
• The differences between his salary at the big law firm versus at the non-profit job
• How Kevin and his wife handle student loan debt
• How he generate his income in spite of being unemployed
• Kevin's side hustles
• The reason why he does side hustles instead of doing law-related jobs
• What his day and night looks like while doing his side hustles
• Tips on reselling things
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• Rover.com
• Airbnb
• Postmates
• DoorDash Food Delivery
• Uber Eats
• Grubhub
• Wag!
• Become a Bird Charger
• Bird Charger and Lime Juicer - Financial Panther
• Craigslist
• Facebook Marketplace
• eBay
• Mad Fientist
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 20: The Simple Path to Wealth—Index Funds Explained with JL Collins
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow107

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Megan Gorman started learning about money very early – at age 5 she begged her parents for a Little House on the Prairie Dress. Her parents said we’re not buying it for you, but you can save up for it yourself. 18 months later, she was the proud owner of a new dress – and a bonus bonnet from her parents who were so proud of her for saving up and being so determined.

Fast forward to high school, and she got a job at a vacation resort during the summer high season. Her father made it clear she was to save some of her earnings to contribute to her college tuition, and she was able to save $5,000 a summer. Her experiences with money were empowering up through college, but she ended up with credit card debt and eventually had to negotiate with the banks on a payoff.

She took a year off between college and law school, choosing a state law school to keep her costs low. Megan graduated from law school, got a job, and had to navigate adulting – getting an apartment, buying a work wardrobe, starting her adult life on very little funds, again trying to not incur more debt after having so recently paid off her credit cards. 

Megan’s student loan story is different from others we’ve heard on the Money podcast – while she aggressively paid down her private loans, Megan actively chooses NOT to pay off her public loans because they have such a low interest rate. She feels she can make a better return in the S&P 500, so she leverages her debt and is comfortable with her decision. However, Megan readily admits this strategy is NOT for everyone, and you definitely need to be comfortable with the decision to continue to carry debt. Once her private debt was paid off, she started investing in a Roth IRA and 401k to grow her assets.

And because she’s from Generation X, Megan bought a house when she got a HUGE promotion. She watched the value of her home soar, then sold to move to California. She bought in 2007 in CA, and watched that price drop, then rise again. Location location location.

Megan now advises high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals manage their money, because no matter how much money you make, everyone struggles with expenses.

And today, Megan shares excellent advice with us for strategically thinking about our money for the present as well as planning for the future.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Megan's journey with money
• The best way to raise kids
• How her money story evolved during her high school and college days
• Her debt planning
• Interest rate she recommends for those paying off debts
• The best approach to taxes
• The first big thing she did when she started making money
• Her real estate beliefs
• Helping older parents
• Planning her own financial future
• What a position capable of taking risks looks like
• Her take on high net worth individuals
• Cash flow management
• Her opinion on the 4% rule
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
• BiggerPockets Intentional Journal
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow106

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jen Hemphill was born in Colombia and lived there for the first eight years of her life. The economy was really bad, and her earliest memories were of a scary time when her educated father did whatever he had to do to make money.

Her redheaded dad stood out in Colombia, and it wasn’t a safe place for him to be. So, they moved to the U.S. Jen remembers being embarrassed for not having money, knowing her friends had it.

She attended the same college where her mother was a professor. Discounted tuition coupled with scholarships and a bit of parental help allowed her to graduate with no debt. She bought a car, paid it off quickly, and felt very proud of herself for doing so.

Then, she met and married her husband. They took 15 years to pay off his $40,000 in student loan debt. She thought they were doing great, but a deeper look at their finances about 10 years in revealed a huge mess.

Thinking back to her childhood, she realized she needed to make big changes in order to get ahead. Her family went on a budget, cutting out all unnecessary spending to focus on paying off the debt. Jen uses a series of labeled bank accounts to ensure they stick to their budget and now saves for purchases rather than raiding the emergency fund to pay for things.

Jen took what she learned and became an Accredited Financial Counselor, knowing that there are so many others who need to be pointed in the correct direction. She calls herself a Money Confidence Coach, because when you have confidence in your money management skills, you can tackle any problem.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Jen's money story
• How she made money to buy things she likes
• Her position entering and leaving college
• The reason why she got a discount on college
• Having a mindset of being an extremely frugal person
• How long it took to pay off her family's debt
• The reason why she took a hard look at finances within her marriage
• Her financial awakening
• Her upbringing
• Her Thrift Savings Plan and emergency fund
• The importance of accepting and understanding individual money stories
• Having 15 separate bank accounts
• What her future plans are
• Money issues that she sees repeatedly in her clients
• Examples of variable expenses
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Forums
• Waffles on Wednesday: Make Your Own Free Mobile Expense Tracking App in 30 Minutes
• BiggerPockets Money Facebook Page
• BiggerPockets Money Survey

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow105

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren and Steven met in high school and attended the same college. After undergrad, Steven was accepted into the Ph.D. program at UC Irvine. During the first year, he decided he didn’t really want a Ph.D. in Physics, but he really enjoyed working with students.

They moved back to Florida so Steven could get his master’s in Education, while Lauren worked her first “real” job.

But after two years, they were burned out from working full-time. After learning about financial independence and achieving an incredible savings rate—to the tune of $100K in two years—they decided to take a break.

Their “break” was a six-month trip to Hawaii, paid for up front by their big savings account—but repaid by a series of side hustles in Hawaii. While most people spend lavishly to go on a tropical vacation for one week, they ended up $1,000 positive while spending six months there.

Re-energized, they returned to Florida for a full-time job for Lauren and a continuing tutoring job for Steven—making more money than before they left for Hawaii. Increased income meant increased savings rate for these two, having lowered their expenses by purchasing a three-bedroom condo, periodically renting out an unneeded bedroom.

But after about three years, they felt burned out again. This time their “break” was a trip around the country to visit every national park—all 61 of them—in seven months. Again, they wanted to pay for the trip with income generated during the trip.

They cut expenses by buying a compact cargo van and sleeping in it for the majority of the trip. They continued working about 10 hours a week during the trip, rented their condo for seven months, and hit the road.

Each time they return from their mini-retirements, they are refreshed, re-energized, and ready to jump back into work with both feet. Their end goal isn’t early, permanent retirement, but several small mini-retirements to enjoy their journey.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Lauren and Steven's journey with money
• How they managed their money during their college years
• How they saved $100K in two years
• Their monthly income and expenses
• Preparations to go to Hawaii
• How they managed their cash flow while staying in Hawaii
• What they did when they returned to the mainland
• Their strategy for asset allocation
• Working part-time while on the road
• How they get internet access while traveling
• Their freelance business
• The ideas behind financial independence
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Forums
• Mr. Money Mustache
• The True Cost of Commuting - Mr. Money Mustache (blog)
• HealthCare.gov
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 84: Traditional Retirement: Social Security, Market Conditions, & Managing Expectations with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 41: How to Find the Best Possible Certified Financial Planner (CFP) for Your Needs with Kyle Mast
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 11: Financial Freedom in Less Than Five Years with Joel from FI 180
• XY Planning Network

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow104

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

J Money wasn’t necessarily BAD with money, but his first home purchase - made because everyone else was doing it - prompted him to seek out advice about money.

He stumbled upon the blogging world and was enthralled with the transparency. Here were real people talking about real issues they were facing - similar to what he was going through himself.

He started his own blog called BudgetsAreSexy, and soon was approached by someone who wanted to buy an ad on the site. A new source of income generation!

His blog success brought attention from national news sites, and traffic grew exponentially once they started sharing his articles. But as traffic grew, so did his time commitment. 

As he became more entrenched in the blogging space, he discovered that people buy and sell blogs - so he started flipping web sites. Another source of income generation.

When it came time to choose between his full time job and his side hustle, he discovered the decision was made for him when he was called into his manager’s office and let go. (The company later went out of business.)

Thrust into entrepreneurship, J buckled down with his spending, and discovered that Budgets really ARE sexy, and they can be the key to your financial success.

Topics:

• J's journey with money
• How he came across blogging world
• What his biggest financial regret is
• Building income on buying blogs
• Where he got his blog name "Budgets Are Sexy"
• How he handle his personal financial position
• The moment he created his budget
• The 'no spend month' challenge
• Talking about his net worth
• How important time for him is
• What his wife doing for work
• His plan for the future
• His advice on starting a blog
• The biggest help to fix his finances
• The reason why he was called as Miley Cyrus of finances
• And SO much more!

Links:

• 70+ Ways to Make Money on The Side - Budgets are Sexy
• Do You Know Your Insurability? - Budgets are Sexy
• Reddit
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 100: From Financial Disaster to Real Estate Master with Brandon Turner
• BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Blogger.com
• Listen Money Matters
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 45: The Truth About Entrepreneurship with Matt Giovanisci

Profiles:

• Budgets are Sexy
• Rockstar Finance
• J. MONEY

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jean grew up in a family where money wasn’t a big issue. Her parents saved for big purchases like vacations, but frugality was part of her everyday life. She graduated from college without any debt, and soon found a job - that she immediately regretted accepting. She moved quickly to change course, and ended up in a job that paid less than half of that first one - but was so much better for her. 

A freelancing side job to supplement her income evolved into a full-time Journalism career with Smart Money magazine, which led to a 25+ year stint with the Today Show as their financial editor.

But Jean wanted more. She created HerMoney, a place for women to learn about how to properly handle their finances. Jean knew that your money story is the root of your relationship with money. She created a place and space for you to recognize your money story - and figure out how to apply deep-seated lessons learned consciously and subsconsiously - to lead your best financial life!

In this Episode We Cover:

• Jean's journey with money
• Her financial position before and after college
• How her financial habits changed
• The importance of prioritising decision making
• Her job on Smart Money Magazine
• What she learned in reporting women with money
• On HerMoney Happy Hour
• The outcomes of the conversations at Happy Hour that might surprise men
• The reason why couples are reluctant to talk about money
• How to start the conversation with a partner who doesn't want to talk about money
• The first thing a woman needs to do to start changing her financial situation
• The importance of prenup

Links:

• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 04: Eliminating Over $30,000 in Debt Through Extreme Organization with Former State Trooper Rosemarie Groner
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 24: Getting Financially “Naked” with Your Significant Other — With Erin Lowry
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 81: The Basics of Investing with Erin Lowry from Broke Millennial
• BiggerPockets Money Podcast 39: From “Bad with Money” to Intentional Saving and Spending with Jamila Souffrant
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Modern Love - The New York Times
• Scott's Email