Mr 4% is now Mr 5% | Bill Bengen | 111
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Release Date: 12/15/2024
How K-12 Teachers Can Beat the Broken 403(b) System | Dan Otter & Scott Dauenhauer | 226
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if the most dangerous thing in a teacher’s retirement plan isn’t market volatility, it’s the nice guy with free sandwiches and a terrible annuity contract? Jackie and Bill are joined by Dan Otter and Scott Dauenhauer of 403bwise, the duo who have spent decades exposing how badly K-12 educators get treated in the 403(b) world. What starts as a conversation about confusing vendor lists and a messy system, quickly turns into something bigger. This episode covers Why the K-12 403(b) system is fundamentally broken for many educators How Dan and Scott came together through the early...
info_outline
Risk & Reward: Stress Testing the Long Term Buy and Hold Strategy | Ben Carlson | 225
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if the biggest risk in your portfolio isn't a crash, a recession, or even inflation, but the very human urge to believe that whatever just worked will work forever? Bill and Jackie sit down with Ben Carlson of A Wealth of Common Sense and Animal Spirits for a market-history masterclass that somehow manages to be equal parts calming, nerdy, and deeply practical. This one is for anyone who's ever stared at their portfolio, read one scary headline too many, and wondered whether simplicity still works. Ben's answer is basically yes—but only if you understand the risks, respect your own...
info_outline
You Hit The Number, Now What? | Childfree Life By Design Crossover | 224
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if “legacy” looks completely different when there are no kids in the picture and that difference actually unlocks a freer, more intentional version of FI? In this thoughtful crossover between Childfree Life by Design and Catching Up to FI, Dr. Jay and Bill sit down for the kind of conversation most money media skips: what happens after you hit the number and realize the bigger question is no longer “Can I retire?” but “What am I retiring to?” It’s philosophical, personal, a little messy in the best way, and exactly the kind of episode that reminds listeners that FI is not...
info_outline
FIlanthropy: Radical Impact Giving Without Risking Your Retirement | Rebecca Herbst | 223
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Bill jumps into a last-minute solo conversation with Rebecca Herbst of Yield and Spread for a surprisingly energizing deep dive into generosity, guilt, and what happens after the finish line of financial independence. Rebecca shares how hitting FI at 32 did not lead to endless victory-lap bliss so much as an identity jolt: if money is a tool, then what is it actually for? This episode covers: Why Rebecca felt guilt, not just freedom, after reaching FI at 32 How giving can be framed as money, time, or skills—not just writing checks Why generosity is a habit and a muscle, especially for...
info_outline
Unbanked, Buried In Payday Loans & A 500 Credit Score: This Late-starter Overcame It All! | Afra Smith | 222
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if the person inspiring the room didn’t come from a polished finance background at all, but from payday loans, being unbanked, a credit score in the 500s, and the kind of rock bottom most FI stories rarely admit out loud? In this on-location episode from Madison, WI, Jackie sits down with Afra Smith, founder of The Melanin Project and creator of the Wealth Empowerment Conference, for a conversation that is as honest as it gets. She’s a late-starter and shares how depression, financial chaos, and a painful career setback forced her to finally confront what wasn’t working. She shares...
info_outline
Intergenerational Wealth: Strategies to Help Your Family NOW (Not Later) | Allen Mueller | 221
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if the smartest legacy move isn't leaving your kids a pile of money someday, but using your wealth right now to help them buy time, build habits, and change their future while you're still here to watch it happen? We sit down with Allen Mueller of 7 Saturdays Financial for a practical, deeply useful conversation about gifting to family with intention. The thread running through all of it is simple: money is not just for accumulating. It's for strengthening the people and values you care about most. This episode covers: Why gifting during your lifetime can be more impactful than leaving a...
info_outline
Not So Big Life Design: The Architecture of Wealth | Sarah Susanka | 220
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if the smartest move on your road to FI isn't buying a bigger house, but shrinking the footprint, clearing the clutter, and finally designing a life that actually fits? In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Susanka, the architect behind the bestselling "Not So Big House" movement. We talk about what happens when you stop building for appearances and start building for how you really live. Sarah shares how growing up in England, then landing in car-centric suburban Los Angeles made her question why Americans kept buying "hamburger bun but no hamburger" houses full of unused rooms. ...
info_outline
Shocking Truths About Women's Financial History You Need to Know | Our Sheconomy Gameshow | 219
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if the fastest way to understand women's financial power isn't another lecture, but a trivia game that quietly reveals how recent, fragile, and still unfinished so much of women's economic progress really is? In this special "Sheconomy" quiz-show episode, Jackie and Bill join Janine Firpo and financial planner Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez for a lively game show. They move from Equal Pay Day and credit-card rights to why women often outperform men as investors, why female-led companies and firms still get shut out, and what could happen if women intentionally shifted even a slice of their...
info_outline
We Found Them! Past Guests At The Women of FI Weekend | Kim H. and Lisa B. | 218
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What happens when women in the financial independence community finally get a room of their own and use it not just to talk numbers, but to unpack the invisible stuff they’ve been carrying for years? In this on-location episode, Jackie takes us inside the Women of FI annual weekend in Maryland. This was a rare women-centered FI retreat that blends case studies, life design, laughter, and vulnerability. She catches up with two familiar voices from past episodes, Kim Hunter-Borst and Lisa B. to hear what retirement, sabbaticals, and post-FI life actually look like in motion, not just on paper....
info_outline
Why "One More Year" Isn’t Always a Mistake | Bill, Jackie, Patrick | 217
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
What if "one more year" isn't a failure of courage. What if it’s a messy, human, sometimes wise transition between the life you built and the life you're finally ready to choose? In this spontaneous, unusually raw episode, Bill, Jackie, and Patrick crack open the emotional side of financial independence. They go beyond the surface of the hesitation, identity shift, grief, relief, and weird freedom that can show up when the math says you're done but your nervous system is still catching up. Bill shares what it feels like to downshift after unexpectedly reaching FI, why he's enjoying work more...
info_outlineIn this episode we welcome the legendary Bill Bengen! He is the creator of the infamous 4% rule that is referenced in any quality conversation about retirement and withdrawal rates. There's been spirited debates and lengthy discussions about Bengen's research but there is no one better than the man himself to weigh in on what he thinks about it 30 years later. We talk about the evolution of Bengen's research, his thoughts on market timing vs. managing risk, and he gives us a preview of his upcoming book geared toward consumers.
Thank you to our sponsor:
Resources mentioned on the show: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Bill Bengen on Kitces podcast/blog
📗 Conserving Client Portfolios During Retirement
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!
Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.