Financial Independence Podcast

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**Financial Independence Podcast**

Join the Mad Fientist as he interviews personal-finance icons like Mr. Money Mustache, Ramit Sethi, and JL Collins to discover the strategies they used to achieve financial independence and retire early! Learn about investing, tax avoidance, entrepreneurship, travel hacking, real estate, and all things related to financial independence and early retirement!

Latest Episodes:

A Decade of Freedom Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

I can't believe it…

It's been 10 years since I left my job!

What a wild ride it's been.

I'm more content with my life/finances than I've ever been before, but I'm also more unsure about what the future holds.

I explain everything in today's short podcast episode, so hope you enjoy it :)

Highlights

How AI affects FIRE
My thoughts on Lean FIRE vs Fat FIRE
How I became okay with waste, inefficiencies, and spending more
The benefits of sustainable, asset-based lifestyle inflation
Why I'm now choosing simplicity over optimization
What I plan to spend my extra money on
Why this is the most unnerving period of post-FI life

Learning How to Spend Money (While Enjoying Every Dollar Spent) Nov 14, 2025

Show notes

After decades of saving/investing, it's hard to immediately flip a switch and go into spending mode.

Spending is a skill that you should develop on your way to FI, so that you're better at it when the time comes to really do it.

Here's what worked for me over the last few years!

Highlights

How to reframe expenses and recalibrate how you value money (e.g. College Calculation, 0.01% Rule, etc.)
Why you should expect inefficiencies/waste as your net worth grows
The benefits of splurge accounts and forced annual-spending targets
Balancing the idea that "everything is free" with the benefits of incremental improvements
The importance of prioritizing "now" over "the future", while still spending/saving for both
How to give more while increasing the personal benefits of that giving

Valuable Lessons from My Eighth Year of Freedom Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

In 2021, I decided to stop doing annual updates.

At that time, I thought I had FI figured out and was just living a "normal" life (so no need to talk about it anymore).

Well, a lot has changed since then.

Turns out, I didn't have everything figured out :/

I explain more in today's short podcast episode!

The Power of Quitting Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

Saving up a bunch of money gives you power - power you can use to make your life better and your journey to financial independence quicker.

The only way to take advantage of the power though is to use it.

Full Article:

https://www.madfientist.com/power-of-quitting/

Happiness Through Subtraction Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

If you want to use money to make you happier, stop thinking about what you can buy with it.

Instead, think about how you can use it to remove the things in your life that make you unhappy.

Full Article:

https://www.madfientist.com/happiness-through-subtraction/

Bill Perkins - Memory Dividends, Time Buckets, and Maximizing Net Fulfillment May 02, 2024

Show notes

Out of all the episodes of the Financial Independence Podcast, this is the one I wish I heard when I was on my journey to financial independence.

Bill Perkins, author of Die with Zero, joins Chris Hutchins on the All the Hacks podcast to discuss what money is really for – maximizing net fulfillment.

This interview is incredible, so I reached out to Chris to ask if I could share it with you all, and thankfully he agreed!

Highlights

Why you should maximize for net fulfillment rather than net worth
When is the best time to allocate money to get the most fulfillment
Why you should time bucket your experiences instead of having a bucket list
How to break out of earning-saving-investing autopilot
Why you should fear wasting your life more than running out of money

The Best Advice from JL Collins Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

To celebrate the release of JL Collins' new book, Pathfinders, I collected all the best advice from his Financial Independence Podcast interviews! Jim has been on the show three times:

First, back in 2012 (he was my second guest ever!)
Second, when his hit book, The Simple Path to Wealth, was released
Third, during the depths of the Coronavirus crash

That last interview may be my proudest moment as the Mad Fientist (I explain why during the show). Hope you enjoy this jam-packed episode!

Highlights

The power of FU Money and why it may be less money than you think
Jim's biggest investing mistake and what he learned from it
Why index investing is superior to active investing
Are REITs and international funds necessary
Why your house may not be a good investment
Thoughts on stock picking and actively-managed funds
What makes Vanguard unique and why it's best for investors
The three keys to becoming wealthy
Lessons learned from Black Monday
How to prepare for the next market crash

Parker Hewes - Your Money and Your Health Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Health is similar to finances in that there are many overly-complex things people say you need to do, but there are just a few simple things that actually matter.

What is the "spend less than you earn, invest in a diversified/low-fee portfolio, and leave it to grow/compound" of the health world?

That's what today's episode is about!

Parker Hewes wrote a book called Lifelong Youth: The Simple Path to a Long and Youthful Life, and today he shares the eight health behaviors that will do the most for your longterm health and wellbeing!

Jillian Johnsrud & Chad Carson - Small and Mighty Real Estate Investing Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

On today's episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I welcome back Chad Carson from CoachCarson.com!

Chad just released a new book, The Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor, and I wanted to get him back on the show to talk about it.

I'm not a real-estate investor myself though. So rather than interview him myself, my real-estate-investor friend, Jillian Johnsrud, did the interview for me!

You may know Jillian from Montana Money Adventures, or her new podcast – Retire Often.

She did a fantastic job, so I hope you enjoy their conversation as much as I did!

Ramit Sethi – How to Spend (and Actually Enjoy It) Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

On today's episode of the Financial Independence Podcast, I welcome back Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to Be Rich!

I needed someone to come on the show to provide some tough love and Ramit was the only person for the job.

As Ramit mentioned during our last interview, FIRE people are great at knowing what NOT to spend on but we're not good at knowing what to spend on.

Spending is going to be a big focus on the Mad Fientist this year and I can't think of a better way to kick off this discussion than by getting yelled at by Ramit so hope you enjoy it!

Highlights

Why we doubled our annual spending (and was it worth it)
What Ramit did to make me get all clammy and uncomfortable
Why pay less when you can pay more
How to imagine your own rich life
Why you should start wasting some money at a certain point

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