Countdown To Fi

Warning: this show might piss you off and there's a bit more swears than usual. Today we take on what FI Twitter is warring about these days: privilege or lack their of. Takeaways: You should be able to hear a viewpoint that is different from your own (Mrs. CTF thinks y'all are mature enough to be able to do this) How much does the discussion of privilege help the situation? Does it harm it? Living in the US is privilege as itself Mr. CTF and Mrs. CTF's lives growing up Hard work is key to overcome lack of privilege The reality of working a crappy job It all comes down to choices Mr. CTF says if we pissed you off, come at him on Twitter ;)

Click bait show title! In today's show we discuss why retiring early may be a bad idea.  Also: Giving the kids a "paycheck" and paying them interest on their savings Second-guessing living in a smaller, modest home? Rant on expensive kids birthday parties Why would we leave work and kill our pensions? What the hell would we do all day in early retirement? Social aspect of work While early retired everyone else will be at work M-F Why San Francisco is scarier than Mexico With all that said, what else is better to spend money on than achieving financial freedom?

This week's show provides an interview with Angela from the blog Tread Lightly, Retire Early. Flexibility that FI provides, especially with maternity/paternity leave Green building and our communities National Parks and camping Frugal weddings Small houses The struggles of eating out and finding what you value Some fears of early retirement Twitter: @TreadLightly_RE Blog: treadlightlyretireearly.com   The book that Mr. CTF mentions: Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey (affiliate) Book mentioned by Angela: Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough (affiliate)

We're excited to speak with My Sons Father today! We interviewed him, and he interviewed us.  It's a podcast inception! Topics discussed: The FI community Effects of a parent's death on financial and worldview How the Countdowns met Finance education on the web Debt payoff and using students loans to live beyond your means College  Podcasting  Parenting Mad props to the pioneering FI bloggers and podcasters   Check out My Sons Father blog: mysonsfather.com or on Twitter @my_sons_father http://countdowntofi.com/episode-14-interview-with-my-sons-father/

Mr. CTF and Mr. Groovy sit down for a chat.  Things discussed: Mr. Groovy discusses moving from NY to NC to Groovy Ranch and the thought process behind the move Fears and realities of uprooting Transition from wages to retirement Public vs Private Sector Jobs New reality of healthcare  ALMOST a rant on watching sports Mrs. Groovy also pops in for a bit! Mr. and Mrs. Groovy's story is one that we find fascinating! You can find more about them at: Twitter: @freedomisgroovy Blog: freedomisgroovy.com

We're back with just the two of us this week.  A lot has happened in the past few weeks so: Monthly recap Promotion - what to do with the raise? Stocks on sale - is a correction coming? Tax pivot Goals for days The next travel hack adventure http://countdowntofi.com/episode-12-stocks-on-sale/ Those hotel maps we talk about are here: http://travelisfree.com/complete-maps/

On today's show we interview Kevin, the Financial Panther.  Topics discussed include: Kevin's journey and amazing law school student loan payoff Career flexibility Side hustles Biking to work Travel hacking Barista FIRE To learn more about Kevin, check him out at: blog: financialpanther.com twitter: @financialpanthe

If you haven't heard from Gwen and J from the FIRE Drill podcast then you are in for a real treat! In this episode we have the ladies on the show and have a wide-ranging discussion on many topics: How millennials are viewed  Career and college advice Gwen's plans to leave wage work Real estate investing Lessons learned from podcasting And much more! Gwen on Twitter https://twitter.com/FieryMillennial J on Twitter https://twitter.com/MillennialBoss Check out the FIRE Drill Podcast https://firedrillpodcast.com/ Gwen's blog https://www.fierymillennials.com/ J's blog https://millennialboss.com/ Show Notes: http://countdowntofi.com/episode-10-interview-with-gwen-j-fire-drill/

You're in for a real treat in this episode! The CTF's debate (argue) about what we should prioritize: paying off our student loans or investing into our taxable brokerage account. You are probably going to agree with Mrs. Countdown. Other gems in this show include: -Recap of our Orlando travel hack and getting denied for credit cards -Mr. Countdown's biking adventure continues -Our strategy in light of the recent stock market dip  http://countdowntofi.com/episode-9-debt-payoff-vs-investing/

Mr. and Mrs. Countdown discuss how the month of January went financially and our process for updating our net worth and financial independence spreadsheets.   Other things discussed: How we did on the budget for the month Fighting perfectionism Our zero emissions week Rant on big ass trucks Mr. CTF gets braggy about how green he is

Today we discuss the pros and cons of travel hacking and our plan of how we got 5 people on a 9 day trip to Florida for $500 all said and done. If you're interested in any of the cards we talked about on the show today, check out the show notes on our blog here.

Today we interview the Millionaire Educator @Ed_Mills_! Topics discussed: Life in Mexico The difference between the poor in America and Mexico Sasquatch 457s and the Republican Tax Plan What to teach your child about FI Advice for high school students ME's plan if the market drops 25% FI's recent popularity You can find out more about the Millionaire Educator's story on his blog millionaireeducator.com.   The UTMA accounts that we discuss in our show are Vanguard and Charles Schwab.

Today we cover two of the most important things to master: physical health and fiscal health.  Topics include: The ridiculousness of snowblowers Cultural problems surrounding weight loss and finances Similar behaviors required for the success of both Why initials after a name doesn't mean you should listen to someone Sustainability and habits The problem with perfectionism and social media Enjoy and leave a review or comment!

Mr. and Mrs. Countdown discuss the raw water craze, a million dollar blanket and why we won't be buying Bitcoin.  Also our 2018 financial goals and introduction of the wealth building behaviors series. Wealth Building Behaviors discussed: Stop watching TV and less screen time Use your local library Credit monitoring  Career planning Follow us on Twitter @countdowntofi Please subscribe and leave us a review!  

In today's show Mr. Countdown flies solo and has a rant about Multi-level marketing.  Also: Our plan for achieving financial independence and why we are pursuing FI How FI makes you flexible, even before you reach your number The magic of the wall chart FI spreadsheet The savings plan: dropping expenses & saving a crap ton Plus, the retirement withdrawal plan Healthcare and other long term expenses

The only things certain in life are death and taxes.  Today's show may make you rethink the latter.  Rant on Americans' perception of the GOP tax plan The real price of a purchase Difference between salary, AGI, and taxable income   Our tax planning process How to choose between ROTH and TRAD Please see the correction about the saver's credit on our blog at Episode 2 Show Notes.

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Countdown!  We're two average people that on are our way to financial independence. We'll give a short recap of our journey from broke to debt payoff to wealth building with an eye on financial independence.  Join us!