The Financial Independence Show

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Justin’s 2-Year Retirement Anniversary: Reflections, Updates, and Looking Forward Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

Wow, how time flies! Justin has officially been retired for two full years. Today, we'll dig into how year 2 was different, get life and financial updates, and also look forward to year 3. You'll notice a big fitness theme, and Justin will discuss an upcoming fitness retreat he's organizing in Spain. We'll briefly skim over Justin's 6-month international trip, but if you want a deeper dive into how traveling the world technically saved him money, check out these episodes: Asia Recap & Full Trip Recap Justin also gives us a transparent view of his financial updates. We hope this inspires listeners to see how truly powerful compounding interest is. His High-Level Financial Stats: Net Worth at retirement: $1.7M Net Worth after 1 year retired: $2.1M Net Worth after 2 years retired: $2.7M We also ended this episode in a similar way that we ended his year 1 review of retirement, with a quick blast overview of how he spent his time, which includes: December 2024 Spent the month in Mississippi visiting family January 2025 Going-away party Departed for the Philippines Island-hopping boat tour Feb Indonesia Ubud, Uluwatu, Gili Air, Nusa Lembogan, Nusa Penida Mar Vietnam Birthday on Ha Giang loop Apr Thailand / Amsterdam / Switzerland Koh Lanta Chiang Mai Temple Tours Elephant Sanctuary Tulip gardens Insane train routes Hang gliding off mountains May Italy Lake Como Cinque Terre Parma Florence Elba Naples Ischia Lipari Sicily June Italy Lipari round 2 Sardinia Rome First half-marathon 1hr 40min 19 sec Rufus Du Sol show Jul Back to America Stops in NYC and Dallas to visit friends Maintained fitness on the trip Body fat 10.4 -> 11.3 Lean Tissue 155.4 -> 156.3 Audien & Telykast concert Started Wedding prep Started doing track workouts Run clubs & boat days Started dialling in Biscuit & Cinnamon roll recipes for the wedding Aug House sitting for friends Visited family in Mississippi Concert dome experience Sept Spent over a week in Colorado visiting friends/bachelor trip getaway Got some solid workouts in (at time my longest run of 16 miles and PR on deadlift of 405) Finalized recipe for biscuits and cinnamon rolls for the wedding Fincon Knocked out a 14-mile progressive run with Cody Friends wedding weekend in Austin Rooftop yoga event Really ramped up the dessert factory for the wedding Finalized other wedding things Charley Crockett concert Oct Got married House sat Went to a movie screening debut “Sober” Lots of brand activation events around ACL/F1 timeline (Patron, Bush's beans, Google) Attended a marketing conference Completed longest run ever of 34 miles Nov First time hired to make a custom birthday cake Redid the backyard, adding pavers and gravel landscaping around firepit and pergola Wild 1-4 am show with Elderbrook and Lane 8 Friendsgiving Hyrox with Leslie (1:10 finish time) Thanksgiving on the Texas Coast Dec 5k PR: 20 min 53 sec 3 Big EDM Concerts Mississippi for Christmas Visit a good friend in Little Rock Began planning first group retreat (Spain Fitness/Hyrox related) We hope you enjoy a look behind the curtain and Justin's willingness to be open and honest about the retired life. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from the Episode Spain Fitness Retreat Justin’s Retirement Announcement Episode Justin's 1 Year Since Retirement Episode Asia Recap Episode Full 6-month International Trip Episode YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/Kzdm3St3UkE Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

Unlearning Frugality | The Mad Fientist Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Brandon Ganch, aka The Mad Fientist, joins us to share how he's trying to break some of the frugal habits that allowed him to retire at the age of 34. He is one of the earliest analytical voices in the FI movement, known for treating FI as a systems problem. He leverages his background in computer science, strong preference for systems thinking, experimentation, and automating FI decisions to bring unique perspectives and ways of thinking to the FI space. Brandon retired extremely early, then realized he needed to redesign his post-FI life, not just his finances. Most people in the world can't imagine training themselves to spend more money, but in this space, we totally get it. Brandon walks us through all the experiments he's done around spending money to retrain how he thinks about spending decisions. He covers specific examples of how he is reframing things as well as the increased happiness he's experiencing thanks to these purchases. Topics covered include: How to recalibrate your brain to determine which spending decisions are really worth your time based on net worth Setting aside "Cash Machines" for future purchases Running spending experiments and setting spending rules Breaking old psychological traps to overcome frugality And so much more. If you found the episode valuable, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Wealth Machines (https://wealthmachines.co) - Join as a beta tester before December 12th Mad Fientist Website (https://madfientist.com) Financial Independence Podcast (https://www.madfientist.com/podcast/) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/mrWl40q_K64 Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

We Live Better Than Kings Did (Thanksgiving Special Episode) Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

Cody & Justin are here to flood your ears with thanks! Your very own Financial Independence Show co-hosts are here with a special Thanksgiving episode. It's hard to believe we're rounding out yet another year, and there's so much to be thankful for as always. Fitness improving, relationships strengthening, comfort level with retirement steadily increasing, and so much more. Some general categories include: Health Relationships Finances Lifestyle Gratefulness Hang around until the end to hear Cody's big announcement, and Justin's not-so-standard Thanksgiving dish that you can wow your friends and family with. You might be shocked at just how little money comes up, and we think that's the clearest sign we're living our best lives. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/dz_ThEE_YYU Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

From $111,000 in Debt to Freedom through Budgeting | Allison Baggerly Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

Allison Baggerly from Inspired Budget joins us to share her journey from $111,000 in debt to creating a life of freedom through budgeting. Topics covered include: How to change your spending habits Paying down debt as quickly as possible Different types of budgets and how to implement The power of increasing your income Knowing your "enough" How kids can actually reduce your expenses Planning for early retirement Routines, time blocking, and managing your schedule And so much more. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Inspired Budget (Allison's Website) Inspired Budget Podcast Allison's YouTube Allison's Instagram Money Made Easy (Allison's Book) Allison's Budgeting Spreadsheet Allison's Daily Budgeting Video YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/59scOklc9jc Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

Building a $700,000+ Glamping Business | Garrett Brown Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

Garrett Brown, author of The Glamping Investor, joins us to talk all about building a glamping business. He shares his own journey from $0 to $700,000+ in revenue, and his best tips on how you can get started yourself. Topics covered include: Finding the right plot of land Understanding "landhacking" and why it's so powerful Setting up utilities and amenities Zoning and building laws Different types of glamping structures and their cost Financing and how to buy these types of structures Scaling and improving your glamping business And so much more. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode The Glamping Investor (Garrett's Book) Garrett's Instagram Garrett's YouTube BiggerStays YouTube Pacific Domes (mention The FI Show for best pricing) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/1oCuixGBYsw Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

The Magic of Compounding | Sathish Gajula Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

Sathish Gajula from the Compounding Project joins us to talk about compounding your health, wealth, and mindset. He shares some mindblowing stats, along with plenty of tactical advice. Topics covered include: Why investing early matters so much How to cut back on the "big 3" expenses The most important part of the compound interest equation How compounding affects health and fitness Curating the right information diet Hacks for maintaining motivation and discipline And so much more. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode The Compounding Project (Instagram) The Compounding Project (YouTube) The Compounding Project Podcast Compound Interest Equation: Sathish's Favorite Books: Outlive - Peter Attia The Simple Path to Wealth - JL Collins Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari The Compound Effect - Darren Hardy I Will Teach You to Be Rich - Ramit Sethi Atomic Habits - James Clear Sathish's Favorite Podcasts: Diary of a CEO The Tim Ferriss Show Colin & Samir Sathish's Favorite Apps: Fantastical Calendar Chat GPT Todoist YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/yCded1Kz61I Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

Building a $32.5 Million Treehouse Empire | Seth & Tori Bolt Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Seth and Tori Bolt from Bolt Farm Treehouse join us to share their story of a wedding gift that turned into a $32.5 million business. It's been truly incredible to see what they've built together, and more importantly, just how down-to-earth both of them are despite their tremendous success. Inside the episode, we discuss: Scaling a short-term rental business How hospitality is everywhere Creating a memorable experience Working with your partner Goal setting and the concept of "enough" Attracting top talent Showing up on social media Knowing when to add/cut things And so much more. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Bolt Farm Treehouse @boltfarmtreehouse (IG) @drsethbolt (IG) @toribolt (IG) Bolt Farm Workshop Retreats YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/kL5-g3yGqt0 Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

How to Retire Often | Jillian Johnsrud Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Jillian Johnsrud, a friend and multiple-time guest on The FI Show, joins us to discuss her latest book, Retire Often. Specifically, we cover: Why mini-retirements are so important How mini-retirements can accelerate your FI timeline The art of negotiation Finding meaning from taking breaks Retiring with intention The math behind mini-retirements Why FIRE shouldn't be your first retirement And so much more. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Retire Often Book Jillian's Website Overcoming Adversity (Jillian's 1st Episode on The FI Show) Managing Goals and Avoiding Mediocrity (Her 2nd Episode) Fire the Haters and Create Content Online (Her 3rd Episode) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/2fN3UOOVqBw Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

How He Spent Only $9,400 On a 6-Month Trip (Justin’s 2025 Recap) Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

Justin is back! Your very own Financial Independence Show co-host is here to give you all the financial details from his six-month journey around the world. Spoiler alert, he actually turned a profit and increased his net worth by $100k+ while abroad. The numbers might be shocking, but as always, Justin kept detailed records of expenses and walks you through exactly how he pulled off this incredible trip. Specifically, we cover: Most overrated and underrated places Where he wishes we spent more time First place on his "going back" list Where he'd be most likely to live long term Best bang for your buck experience Where he wishes he had spent more money Accomplished and unaccomplished goals Airbnb income, other income, and creative ways to save Hang around until the end to hear Justin's top 3 tips for someone looking to do something similar! This is an episode you'll want to come back to if you're looking for a blueprint for traveling the world on a budget. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Justin's Travel Blog Spreadsheet with all the expenses Some photos highlighting the European travels $46 to Travel the World (Pre-Trip Episode) $2,052 for 5 Weeks in Southeast Asia (1-Month Recap) $1,500 per Month to Travel in Southeast Asia (3-Month Recap) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/ThTLDOj1A7A Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

Buying Houses with No Money Down from Thousands of Miles Away | Tony J Robinson Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Tony J Robinson, co-host of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Rookie podcast and one half of The Real Estate Robinsons, joins us to talk real estate strategy. Tony has experience with many creative financing options and buying properties all around the country. Specifically, we cover: 100% mortgage loans through small credit unions The BRRR strategy Finding equity partners to finance deals Seller financing Lines of credit against stocks How to identify a "good" investment property Systems for managing your properties Building a team anywhere in the country And so much more. This is definitely an episode you'll want to come back to if you're looking to set up a system for managing your properties. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Tony's Instagram Tony's YouTube Channel The Real Estate Robinsons BiggerPockets Real Estate Rookie Podcast Finding Properties: AirDNA PriceLabs Managing Properties: PriceLabs Guesty Hostfully Breezeway Monday Turno YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/4lojE8R18Ks Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here

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