Do This To Simplify Your Next Financial Review ... (Part 1) | Jon Luskin | 156
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Release Date: 07/13/2025
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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Drowning in Debt at 48, Retired at 58: Here’s How She Did It! | Kim Hunter-Borst | 181
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
At 48, Kim Hunter-Borst was drowning in debt even though she had a solid New York income. Where was the money going? How did she fix it and reach early retirement by 58? We find out in this no-shame late-starter conversation that was recorded live in Bali at the FI Freedom Retreat (please excuse the background noise!) Kim was firmly in the messy middle and retraces the moment she decided to stop winging it. She shares some simple systems that finally stuck, and the handful of brave choices—asking for more at work, saying no to status buys, and saying yes to purpose—that changed her...
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The Soul of Wealth | Dr. Daniel Crosby | 180
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Dr. Daniel Crosby took a circuitous path to the world of money — starting as a psychologist and ending up as one of the most engaging voices in behavioral finance. He is Chief Behavioral Officer at Orion and author of The Soul of Wealth. Dr. Crosby goes beyond the math to the meaning: identity, autonomy, and why 'you don't really want to be rich, you want to be free.' He joins the show to talk us through: Reframing money as a tool for time freedom, relationships, and purpose—not status Using behavior science to close the gap between 'knowing' and 'doing' Downshifting lifestyle...
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Contrarian Tax Planning Tips | Cody Garrett & Sean Mullaney | 179
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Sean 'FI Tax Guy' Mullaney and Cody 'Measure Twice' Garrett are two of the smartest financial planning pros who are best known for sharing their deep knowledge in the financial independence community and beyond. They join us today to break down tax planning in a way you may not have ever heard before. They don't agree with some of the conventional advice and make a case for the contrarian views they share in their new book, 'Tax Planning To and Through Early Retirement'. In this conversation, we dive into: Top year-end tax tips for later starters Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits...
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Live from Bali: Are They Really Retired? (Part 2) | Jackie & Doc G | 178
Catching Up to FI: Financial Independence for Late Starters
Recorded live in Bali, at the FI Freedom Retreat (the 2nd one in 2025), Jackie teams up with Doc G from the Earn & Invest Podcast. They ask the spiciest FI question of all—not 'can I retire yet?' but 'should I?' Three very different journeys take the mic: Fara's 'accidental FIRE' at 47 and her boomerang back to a cause-driven job (then boomerang away again) Gene's post-quit LinkedIn relapse and the search for purpose without a W-2 Rachel Richard's pivot from real estate and a viral brand (Money Honey Rachel) to doing the inner work, ditching external validation,...
info_outlineBogleheads 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 the first part of a 2 part episode. Click here to listen to part 2.
=== VOTE FOR US: PLUTUS AWARDS ===
We need your vote for the 2025 Plutus Awards! You can now vote for your hosts behind "Catching Up to FI” - Bill Yount & Jackie Cummings Koski.
✅ WHAT IS THE PLUTUS AWARDS?
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Catching Up to FI
- Best New Personal Finance Content Creator - Audio
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- Plutus Storyteller Award
- Best Traditional Retirement Content
- Best Personal Finance Content for Underserved Communities
- Best Personal Finance Content for Women
Other categories
- Best New Personal Finance Content Creator - Written (F.I.R.E. for Dummies)
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RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Charity:
Jonathan Clements Getting Going on Savings Initiative
Jon’s Sample Financial Reviews
Jon’ Thesis paper: Measuring the Value Added by Alternative Assets within the Investment Pools of Non-profit Organization
Bogleheads Live- Episode 39: Disability Insurance
Kitces Article: Why Tax-Loss Harvesting During Down Markets Isn’t Always A Good Idea
Bogleheads on Investing Podcast
Bogleheads Investment Policy Statement
The John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy
2025 Bogleheads Conference (Oct 17-19, San Antonio)
⏰ ‘Catching Up to FI’ Episodes referenced
Retirement Remix: Crafting Financial Futures with Purpose | Christine Benz | 117
Tactical Tips and Tripwires: The DIY Financial Planner's Guide | Cody Garrett | 112
How to Think About Money | Jonathan Clements | 040
How a Second Grader Beats Wall Street | Allan Roth | 033
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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.