Retirement Remix: Crafting Financial Futures with Purpose | Christine Benz | 117
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Release Date: 01/19/2025
The College Discount Game You Need To Know Before Choosing A School | Ron Lieber | 191
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
The cost of college is skyrocketing! To make sure you're not paying those sticker prices, we brought in New York Times 'Your Money' columnist, Ron Lieber. He is also author of 'The Price You Pay for College' and joins the show for a brutally honest walkthrough of what is actually going on behind the scenes. In this episode he breaks down: List price vs. cost of attendance Why most families don’t pay rack rate How to read a school’s 'Common Data Set' Merit vs. need-based aid How net price calculators and pre-reads can keep you from falling in love with a school you can’t afford ...
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Can AI Plan Your Retirement? Testing ChatGPT's Financial Advice | Earn & Invest Crossover | 190
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Bill joins Jordan 'Doc G' Grumet for a community episode on the Earn & Invest podcast. They stress-test what happens when someone asks ChatGPT: 'What should I do if I'm retiring in five years?' Bill talks about turning 60, being told he's officially reached financial independence, and shifting from accumulation to a more defensive, retirement-ready nest egg. DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS: The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money –...
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Stop Paying for College and Use These High-Return Scholarship Hacks Instead | Chris Corinthian | 189
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Chris Corinthian is the 'Fin Lit Guy' and knows his way around scholarships and other high-return ways to earn money for college. He joins the show to give us a masterclass on paying for college without wrecking your retirement. Chris opens with his own financial setbacks, including a layoff and a devastating fire, which helped him realize the importance of financial literacy. In this episode, you will learn: Chris' Debt-free degree triangle How teens as young as 13 can earn free college credits His scholarship system that treats applications like a part-time job Specifics of where and how to...
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How Clutter Steals Your Time (And How to Get It Back) | Rose Lounsbury | 188
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Rose Lounsbury likes things simple. Her specialty is helping people embrace the art of decluttering and she joins us on the show today for a New Year's reset that goes way beyond junk drawers. Rose tells us how decluttering is really about creating space— for FI, for generosity, and for the surprising next chapter. After this episode you'll be ready for a clean start for 2026 as she walks us through: Her own minimalist journey that led her to getting rid of 70% of her stuff, while raising triplets! The generational scripts behind our clutter and how to fix it Why we should own our...
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Monarch Money Masterclass: How to Organize Your Financial Life | Rachel Lawrence | 187
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Happy New Year! As we roll into 2026, organizing money becomes top of mind and one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. So today on the show we have an expert with the leading money management app- Monarch Money, Rachel Lawrence. She is a Certified Financial Planner and fintech leader who works at the intersection of personal finance, behavior, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). She also runs her own fee-only financial planning firm called Reverie Wealth. In this episode Rachel gives us a masterclass on how to organize your financial life with Monarch's modern way to manage...
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Retired Before 50: A Look at Her Real Finances, Numbers & Strategy | Andy Panko Crossover | 186
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Catching Up to FI co-host, Jackie Cummings Koski crosses over to Andy Panko's 'Retirement Planning Education' podcast for a funny, deeply practical masterclass on what FIRE really is (and what it isn't). Jackie is single-mom late-starter, FIRE for Dummies author, and "I retired but I'm still busy" money nerd. She rewinds her journey of retiring before 50 and walks Andy (and listeners) through: How she hit a ~$1M FI number with ~$40K annual spending Managing healthcare premiums by understanding how ACA subsidies really work Tapping her pre-tax IRA before 59.5 using 72(t) without blowing...
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He's Back! Peek Inside The Mad Fientist’s Post-FI Life & His Struggle to Spend | Brandon Ganch | 185
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
The Mad Fientist (Brandon Ganch) is an OG, pioneer, and giant in the Financial Independence (FI) movement! It took us a while to get him on the show, but he finally joins us for this very special holiday catch-up. Brandon is a software developer and strategically put those skills to work in creating the popular Mad Fientist blog & podcast. He's best known for deep dive experiments on tax optimization, early access to retirement funds, and other brilliant FI strategies. Now a family man with a wife and two kids, Brandon rarely does interviews these days. But today you will get a rare...
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I Love Goooooold?! :) | Frank Vasquez | 184
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Frank Vasquez (aka 'Uncle Frank' to the FI community) returns to the show to talk gold and what this shiny speculation is actually doing in a modern FI portfolio. Frank is the voice behind Risk Parity Radio and has a knack for making even the most tangled concepts in life and investing feel approachable. In this episode he tackles: Gold as speculation, not a gamble Gold's role in accumulation vs. retirement Typical gold allocation Correlation & diversification Physical gold vs. ETFs DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS: 🆕NEW PARTNER: The modern way...
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Shopping Hacks For The Holidays | Trae Bodge | 183
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Trae Bodge is one of the country’s leading smart-shopping and personal-savings experts. You’ve probably seen her on CNBC and Good Morning America, or in publications like The New York Times, USA Today, and MarketWatch. She joins us on the show for a holiday-season intervention on spending, shopping, and gift-giving. Trae also shares news about her, mom-inspired Threadneedle Alley Foundation, a nonprofit that provides grants and guidance to midlife entrepreneurs facing financial challenges. Through Dec. 31, 2025, entrepreneurs ages 40 and up can apply for a . 🎁 🎁...
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Broke at 50 ➡️ Retired at 60! | BiggerPockets Crossover | 182
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
We love collaborations and this time we teamed up with Mindy and Scott from BiggerPockets Money to tackle a case study you don't want to miss: "How to go from Broke at 50 to Retired at 60!" This originally aired on BiggerPockets Money in August, and since then it received over 300,000 views and quickly moved up to the second most popular video on their YouTube Channel. Needless to say, this topic, got people talking! We spell out exactly what we would do to go from a zero-dollar net worth to a million dollars in retirement! This is a step-by-step plan that anyone who wants to retire on time...
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John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy
Bogleheads Conference 2023 - Jordan Grumet on Living without Regrets
Catching Up to FI Episodes mentioned:
The Life and Death of The 4% Rule | Christine Benz | 077
Social Security Made Simple | Mike Piper | 054
Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk | Cameron Huddleston | 048
How to Think About Money | Jonathan Clements | 040
Purpose, Identity, & Connection | Jordan Grumet | 022
Hard & Soft Sides of Retirement | Fritz Gilbert | 019
Say Cheese!: The Retirement Spending Smile | David Blanchett | 110
F-You Money Part 1 | JL Collins | 023
F-You Money Part 2 | JL Collins | 024
Pathfinders: Stories of Success and Financial Independence | JL Collins | 069
Pathfinders: Triumphs and Trials on the Road to Financial Independence | JL Collins | 070
Jennifer Rozelle (coming in February 2025)
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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.