Financial Literacy and Mastering the Million Dollar Decisions | Paul Merriman | 132
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Release Date: 04/02/2025
The $1,000 Gift From Jonathan Clements To 18-Year-Olds | Bill Bernstein & Christine Benz | 160
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Morningstar's Christine Benz and investing-history legend Dr. William Bernstein announces the Jonathan Clements "Getting Going on Savings" Initiative. In 2024, Jonathan was diagnosed with a terminal illness and decided to use the proceeds from a final book to kick-start a new program that will directly help fund Roth IRAs for young adults (especially from low-income households) to the tune of $1,000 each. The John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is assisting with the project and 'Catching Up to FI' is proud to spread the word by replaying this conversation that...
info_outline
Forget the Corporate Ladder, Here’s How to Climb ‘The Wealth Ladder’ | Nick Maggiulli | 159
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Nick Maggiulli is the data-driven creator of the blog 'Of Dollars And Data', Chief Operating Officer at Ritholtz Wealth, and author of the newly released book 'The Wealth Ladder'. He joins us on the show to break down his six-level wealth ladder and openly shares some of his steps and missteps as he moved up on his own wealth-building journey. In this episode, we discuss these financial insights he shared in the book: Six Wealth Levels (<$10 K to $100 M+) 0.01 % Daily-Growth Spending Rule Grocery / Restaurant / Travel Freedom progression Cookie-cutter asset allocation across ALL accounts...
info_outline
Keeping Up With The Joneses | Bill Yount | 158
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Bill hops onto Jesse Cramer's 'Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors' (formally The Best Interest) podcast. Along with some of our favorite content creators, he shares his crazy spending screw ups-- and the life lessons that followed. Stories from: Bill Yount (Catching Up to FI) Jesse Cramer (Personal Finance For Long-Term Investors) Diania Merriam (EconoMe Conference & Optimal Finance Daily) Justin Peters (FI Minded, formally The Struggle is Real) Jordan (Doc G) Grumet (Earn & Invest) Joe Saul-Sehy (Stacking Benjamins) Jeremy Schneider (Personal Finance Club) ...
info_outline
Do This To Simplify Your Next Financial Review... (Part 2) | Jon Luskin | 157
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Bogleheads favorite Jon Luskin, CFP® drops in for part 2 of his masterclass on embracing simplicity. He specializes in providing hourly advice to do-it-yourself investors and is a long-time advocate of simple, low-cost investing. In this second part he shares with us: Simple Investor Policy Statement (IPS) All-in-One Funds: target date and balanced/life-strategy funds as "default simple" solutions Disability, life, and (if appropriate) long-term care insurance This is the second part of a 2 part episode. === VOTE FOR US: PLUTUS...
info_outline
Do This To Simplify Your Next Financial Review ... (Part 1) | Jon Luskin | 156
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Bogleheads favorite Jon Luskin, CFP® drops in for a masterclass on keeping money moves “so dull they sparkle.” He specializes in providing hourly advice to do-it-yourself investors and is a long-time advocate of simple, low-cost investing. In this episode he shares with us: Why every late-starter’s to-do list should begin with an emergency fund and Social Security game plan before touching their asset mix How low fees—not “sexy” alts—make numbers grow His soup-to-nuts review (including insurance gaps, estate docs and Investor Policy Statement) How simplicity wins This is...
info_outline
Q&A: Tackling Listener Questions | Bill & Jackie | 155
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
You asked and we answered! In this episode we tackle listener questions with more than just a one-sentence response… we go deeper and give you answers with our thoughtful insights, ideas and considerations important to late starters. These are the questions we cover on today’s show: ✅ Bill’s costly mistake with whole-life insurance; what should you do instead? ✅ How does the $19,000 annual gift tax exclusion work? ✅ Do I have too much in cash as I’m approaching retirement? ✅ I’m new to investing and pay someone to manage my 401(k). I also want to start a Roth IRA, is...
info_outline
Learn This or Never Retire | Bill & Jackie | 154
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
On this mid-week episode we join the upbeat creators of 'Rebel Finance School', Alan and Katie Donegan, for a turbo-charged pep rally aimed at every late-starter who's ever whispered "it's too late for me." We kicked off the Donegans' free 10-week course that's helping thousands around the world on their journey to FI. 📩 NEW! 🌐 🔗 ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question ===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED...
info_outline
Mini Retirements, Sabbaticals, Career Breaks- Yes Please! | Jillian Johnsrud | 153
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Jillian Johnsrud—mini-retirement evangelist, mother of five, and author of 'Retire Often'—returns to show us why pressing pause can be the ultimate career accelerator. In this episode she explains the three hallmarks of a bona-fide mini retirement and the three ways to snag one: 1️⃣ Negotiate a sabbatical 2️⃣ Slot it between jobs 3️⃣ Pounce when life throws an unexpected layoff or family crisis 📩 NEW! 🌐 🔗 ☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at 🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with...
info_outline
Late Start, Big Lessons: Early Regrets & Mistakes of a (FI)sician | Bill Yount | 152
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
On this mid-week episode, we're switching it up again. This time Bill joins the 'Finance for Physicians' podcast with host Daniel Wrenne, CFP®. In this vulnerable interview, Bill owns up to every late-starter mistake—credit-card splurges, 'free' advisors, and lifestyle creep after a twin-sized home upgrade. Then he slings real-world antidotes: pause-plan-pivot, backward budgeting, downsizing the McMansion, and letting Social Security's ‘inflation-proof annuity’ finish the job. Bill's best advice is that physicians should treat money like they treat medicine—learn the language,...
info_outline
Women And The Great Wealth Transfer | Cary Carbonaro | 151
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
In this episode we are joined by Cary Carbonaro, an award-winning author, and Certified Financial Planner™ with over 25 years of experience. Her specialty is empowering women to discover their unique path to financial independence. One thing we love the most about Cary is how radically transparent she is with her clients. Just call her the "Queen of Transparency" because she shares her tax return, investment portfolio and other parts of her financial life with them. In our conversation with her we discuss: The Great Wealth Transfer that she talks about in her latest book, 'Women and...
info_outlineApril is Financial Literacy Month, and to help us celebrate we brought in a returning guest, Paul Merriman. Paul has been on the show before to discuss investment portfolios, but today he talks with us about some extraordinary strides he's making as a financial literacy advocate through his nonprofit, The Merriman Financial Education Foundation. We also share some of our favorite financial literacy resources.
☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"
🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question
=== THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR ===
📈 Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is our newest sponsor! Boldin is retirement planning software that's like having a financial advisor at your fingertips. With Boldin, you can:
✅ Track your savings
✅ Get personalized retirement advice based on your goals
✅ Explore investment options to grow your wealth
✅ And create a strategy that’s built for your unique needs
You can get started with the free version or choose the premium option (PlannerPlus) and get a 14-day free trial. Be sure to use this link to get started: Go.boldin.com/catchingup
For a full list of our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:
Merriman Financial Literacy Program at Western Washington University
The John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy
‘Catching Up to FI’ Episodes:
We're Talking Millions! Part 1 | Paul Merriman | 008
We're Talking Millions! Part 2 | Paul Merriman | 009
Celebrating Financial Literacy Month with Next Gen Personal Finance | Tim Ranzetta | 072
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.