BiggerPockets Money

Should you turn your primary home into a rental property or sell it when you move? It's one of the biggest financial decisions homeowners face, and in this episode, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench are helping Alyssa and John figure out the answer.

This couple is relocating and facing a dilemma: they have a home with a low mortgage rate that could generate rental income, but they're also craving simplicity and wondering if selling would accelerate their path to financial independence. Alyssa and John open up about their complete financial picture, investment portfolio, and long-term FI goals as Scott and Mindy crunch the numbers and weigh the options.

This Episode Covers:

The financial pros and cons of converting your primary residence into a rental property

How to analyze rental property cash flow and return on investment

Tax implications of selling vs. renting out your home

The impact of low mortgage rates on the rent vs. sell decision

Lifestyle considerations: being a long-distance landlord and property management challenges

How rental income affects your path to financial independence

Real numbers breakdown: Alyssa and John's complete financial analysis

Property management costs and whether DIY landlording is worth it

How to make smarter real estate decisions during major life transitions

And SO much more!

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Episode #704

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Learn how to set and achieve your 2026 goals in this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast with hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench. In this episode, Mindy and Scott review their 2025 achievements and create actionable plans for 2026, covering everything from family milestones and fitness goals to business ventures and financial targets. You'll discover proven goal-setting techniques, strategic planning frameworks, and practical tips for turning New Year's resolutions into real results.

What You'll Learn:

Strategic goal-setting frameworks for personal, financial, and professional growth

How to set realistic yet ambitious goals for 2026

Accountability strategies to actually achieve your resolutions

Real examples of personal finance goals and wealth-building plans

How to track progress and adjust goals throughout the year

And SO much more!

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Ready to take control of your finances in 2026? Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench are breaking down one of the most powerful tools for financial success: the personal financial statement. Think of it as your complete financial snapshot—tracking your net worth, cash flow, assets, and liabilities all in one place. The best part? They're giving you a free comprehensive spreadsheet to make it ridiculously easy.

This Episode Covers:

Whether you're just starting out or ready to level up your money game, this episode gives you the foundation you need.

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Sam and Carolyn reached financial independence in their thirties through frugality, real estate investing, and building side hustles that generated $10,000 per month. Then they made a bold move—quitting their jobs and briefly relocating to Canada.

This Episode Covers:

How Sam and Carolyn house-hacked their way to a multi-property real estate portfolio

The unconventional side hustles that generated $10K monthly in additional income

Their complete financial strategy: savings rate, expense tracking, and investment allocation

The decision to quit their jobs and achieve full financial independence in their thirties

Why they moved to Canada and how universal healthcare and education factored into their FIRE plan

Navigating the challenges of early retirement and aligning goals as a couple

Building systems for long-term wealth preservation and flexible lifestyle design

Lessons learned and advice for aspiring FIRE seekers

Whether you're just starting your FIRE journey or looking for creative ways to accelerate your path to financial independence, Sam and Carolyn's story offers actionable strategies you can implement today.

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Join Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench for a powerful conversation with Regina Moore, who achieved millionaire status before 35 through frugality and her career as a pharmacist. But when her young son was diagnosed with cancer, everything changed.

In this deeply personal episode, Regina opens up about how a healthcare crisis tested her Lean FIRE plan in ways she never anticipated. And how financial independence—despite not being a perfect shield—gave her family options during their hardest moments.

Her family was placed in an incredibly difficult position due to subsidy cliffs. The conversation highlights the practical realities Regina and others face, examines the structural challenges within current healthcare policy, and discusses potential solutions.

This episode covers:

How achieving FI before crisis provided crucial flexibility

The ACA subsidy cliff and impossible financial trade-offs

Adjusting FIRE plans when life doesn't go as expected

Why she's still grateful she achieved financial independence

Systemic healthcare issues 

A must-listen for anyone pursuing financial independence who wants to understand what happens when real life tests your plan.

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Building a $2.5 million portfolio is hard. Spending it without running out? That's even harder.

Welcome to the 700th episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast! To mark this milestone, hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench are tackling one of the most critical—and most overlooked—aspects of financial independence: decumulation. Most people obsess over building wealth but stumble when it's time to actually spend it. The withdrawal strategy you choose can mean the difference between a comfortable 40-year retirement and running out of money at the worst possible time.

In this episode, we cover:

Sequential vs. blended vs. cyclical withdrawal strategies—which is right for you?

How to create a tax-efficient drawdown plan that could save you hundreds of thousands

The role of Roth accounts, traditional IRAs, and taxable brokerage accounts in your withdrawal strategy

When to do Roth conversions and how to time them for maximum benefit

Healthcare planning in early retirement and how it affects your withdrawal strategy

Estate planning considerations and maximizing what you leave behind

Real-world scenarios: what withdrawal strategies look like in practice

The biggest mistakes retirees make in the decumulation phase

Whether you're just starting your FI journey or you're ready to retire next year, this comprehensive guide will help you spend your money strategically, minimize taxes, and make your nest egg last.

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Are you using the wrong retirement withdrawal strategy? Sequential drawdown—draining one account before touching the next—is the most common approach to early retirement, but it could be costing you tens of thousands in unnecessary taxes.

In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench sit down with Enrolled Agent Mark to break down tax-efficient withdrawal strategies that maximize your retirement savings. Discover blended drawdown strategies and cyclical drawdown methods that optimize which accounts you tap first—Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, taxable brokerage, HSA—to minimize your lifetime tax burden.

This episode covers:

Sequential vs. blended vs. cyclical retirement drawdown strategies

How to optimize withdrawal order from retirement accounts (401k, IRA, Roth, taxable accounts)

Tax-efficient retirement planning for early retirees and FIRE followers

How to leverage today's historically low tax rates before they expire

Healthcare costs in early retirement (ACA subsidies, Medicare planning)

Asset protection and estate planning considerations

Roth conversion strategies during low-income years

How to avoid costly tax mistakes in the decumulation phase

Whether you're planning for financial independence, already retired early, or managing multiple retirement accounts, this tax optimization masterclass will help you keep more of your money and make your nest egg last longer.

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What would you do differently if you could start your FIRE journey over today?

Back in 2013, Scott was fresh out of college house hacking his way to financial independence, while Mindy and her husband were deep into their FIRE journey documenting it all on their blog. Fast forward to 2025—both are financially independent, but if they were starting from scratch today, they'd make some serious changes.

Welcome to the BiggerPockets Money Podcast! In this episode, Scott and Mindy reveal what they'd do differently starting their FI journey in 2025. The fundamentals still work—frugality, saving, investing—but the tactical strategies? Those have evolved dramatically.

In this episode, we cover:

Whether you're just starting out or already on track to financial independence, this episode gives you a fresh roadmap for building wealth in today's world.

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What happens after you achieve financial independence? Former Facebook employee turned comedian Paul Ollinger discovered the answer wasn't what he expected—and it completely changed how he thinks about money, work, and happiness.

This Episode Covers:

Why financial autonomy beats wealth accumulation—and what that actually means for your daily life

The psychological challenges of early retirement nobody talks about (and why having a plan is non-negotiable)

How he navigated major financial decisions in high-cost cities like New York without sacrificing his goals

The truth about happiness and wealth—does more money actually make you happier?

How to prepare for life's unexpected curveballs that can derail even the best financial plans

And SO much more!

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Will 2026 healthcare costs destroy your FIRE plan? Enhanced ACA tax credits expire in 2026—meaning health insurance premiums could DOUBLE or TRIPLE overnight. This healthcare subsidy cliff threatens millions who depend on affordable marketplace coverage.

In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench interview Matt McGough from KFF to break down the 2026 healthcare crisis and what you can do NOW to protect your early retirement.

This Episode Covers:

Who gets hit hardest by 2026 healthcare premium increases

Exact cost projections for early retirement health insurance in 2026

Actionable strategies to prepare NOW for rising healthcare costs

Which FIRE strategies still work after ACA subsidy changes

Affordable health insurance alternatives for early retirees

History of ACA subsidies and why they're expiring

Steps to protect your financial independence from the healthcare affordability crisis

And SO much more!

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