BiggerPockets Money

Is house hacking still a good strategy for reaching financial independence in 2026? Scott Trench and Evan Lawler break down a real house-hacking opportunity, looking at mortgage costs, cash flow, market conditions, sold properties, and how to systematically find real estate deals that can help you build wealth. If you're considering house hacking, real estate investing, or using rental income to accelerate FIRE, this episode offers a practical framework for evaluating the numbers and knowing when to act.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Evan Lawler:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_financialfoundation/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_FinancialFoundation 

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

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How much do you actually need to retire, and once you get there, how do you turn your portfolio into income without running out of money? In this episode, Christine Benz from Morningstar joins us to talk about one of the biggest challenges of early retirement: decumulation. We get into how much you can realistically withdraw, what to do when markets are expensive or take a downturn, and how to build a portfolio that can support you for decades. Christine also explains why you don’t need a perfect portfolio or an overly complicated strategy to retire successfully, and why staying flexible may be one of the most important parts of a good retirement plan.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Christine Benz: 

• Website: https://www.morningstar.com 
• Podcast: The Longview 

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is happening with inflation, interest rates, energy prices, and the economy, and what does it mean for investors? In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench welcome back J Scott to break down the current economic landscape and explain how inflation, Federal Reserve policy, energy costs, housing, interest rates, money supply, and geopolitical events can affect your finances and investments. 

They discuss why inflation still feels high, how rising energy prices impact the broader economy, why mortgage and borrowing costs can remain elevated, and whether investors should change their portfolios in response. 

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with J Scott: 

• https://linktr.ee/jscottinvestor

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What are the best careers for reaching financial independence? In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, Mindy Jensen and Evan Lawler explore careers that can accelerate your path to FI. They break down how income potential, flexibility, pensions, benefits, variable income, and lifestyle can affect your ability to build wealth and reach financial independence faster.. They also discuss side hustles, managing inconsistent income, and why choosing the right career can be just as important as saving and investing when you're working toward FI.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Evan Lawler:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_financialfoundation/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_FinancialFoundation

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you go from nearly $1 million in debt to building a $1.3 million net worth? In this BiggerPockets Money episode, hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench sit down with Naseema McElroy to hear how she rebuilt her finances through intentional money decisions, strategic debt payoff, disciplined investing, and strong financial systems. Naseema shares how selling a home helped her eliminate debt, how she learned to control major expenses, and why boring, consistent investing became the foundation of her wealth. 

She also opens up about navigating real estate setbacks, life transitions, and the path toward financial independence. If you’re paying off debt, investing, rebuilding after a financial setback, or working toward financial freedom, this episode is packed with practical lessons you can use to build wealth.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Naseema McElroy:

• Website:financiallyintentional.com
• Social: @financiallyintentional

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you go from $18,000 in debt to nearly $1 million in just six years? On the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench sit down with Kate to unpack the money decisions that completely changed her financial trajectory. She shares how she tackled debt, curbed sneaky spending, built an emergency fund, grew her income through career moves, and began consistently investing in low-cost index funds. 

More importantly, Kate explains how aligning her spending with what she actually values helped her build wealth without feeling like she was constantly depriving herself. If you're working toward financial independence, paying off debt, or simply trying to build better money habits, this episode is packed with practical strategies you can put to work.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Kate:

• Website: https://www.derekateonfire.com/
• Email: [email protected]

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lifestyle inflation can quietly derail your path to financial independence, but does spending more as your income and life change have to be a bad thing? Scott Trench and Evan Lawler break down how spending changes through different stages of life, what the data says about future expenses like housing and childcare, and how to build a realistic financial independence or Coast FI plan. They also explore the FI community’s shift away from extreme frugality and how to use data, flexibility, and better spending expectations to build wealth without sacrificing your quality of life.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Check out the Budget Calculator from this episode: https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/budget/
• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Evan Lawler:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_financialfoundation/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_FinancialFoundation

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench sit down with Eli Breece from Dividendology to unpack dividend growth investing and how it compares to traditional index fund investing. They discuss sequence of returns risk, dividend sustainability, free cash flow, valuation, bear markets, and how to evaluate dividend growth stocks. 

Eli also explains why he believes dividend investing can be a powerful approach to building long-term wealth and creating retirement income, while Mindy and Scott bring their own skepticism to the strategy.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Eli Breece:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dividendology

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench explore how you can use AI to make better financial decisions and move closer to financial independence. They share practical ways to ask better questions, give AI the right context, stress test your financial plan, and even develop an investment thesis. Plus, they talk about where AI can help and why you still need to double-check its work.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, Mindy Jensen and Evan Lawler take a closer look at Coast FIRE and what it really means to stop aggressively saving for retirement while still working toward financial independence. They talk through what could go wrong, from market downturns and rising expenses to lifestyle creep and unexpected changes in your life or career. They also discuss how much flexibility Coast FIRE can give you, how to build in a little margin, and what to think about when deciding whether Coast FIRE or traditional FIRE makes sense for you.

To go beyond the podcast:

• Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
• Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
• Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets

Connect with Evan Lawler:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_financialfoundation/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_FinancialFoundation

We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.