BiggerPockets Money

The “semi-retired” lifestyle seems to go against everything early retirement chasers have been taught. For years, it’s been pushed into our brains that “retirement” is one stark event. You retire once, do what you want for the rest of time, and that’s that. But life doesn’t always go that way. Today’s guest Amanda has spent the past two decades raising children, working, and focusing on getting an advanced degree. Now, with extra money coming in she’s finally in the position to invest.

Amanda wants to have the option to work part-time in her mid-fifties so she can spend time with her future grandchildren. She doesn’t oppose a semi-retired lifestyle but wants to make sure she has the assets to support this financial flexibility she’s chasing. She’s investing in her retirement accounts, saving up a strong cash surplus, but knows that as she makes more money in the future, she should have a better plan on where to put it.

Scott and Mindy walk through the ways Amanda can optimize her lifestyle for future retirement. In just a few years, Amanda will have a high income, with the ability to invest in passive income streams like real estate or simply funnel more money into smart stock investments. But at the stage she’s currently at, which is the smartest way to set herself up for a post-nine-to-five life?

In This Episode We Cover

After-tax vs. pre-tax investment accounts and which to prioritize for early retirement

Pensions and whether or not they’re worth working at the same job for

HSA vs. FSA investing and how to maximize your tax-advantaged healthcare accounts

Index fund investing and how to aggressively invest without making things complicated

The four levers of financial independence and which to pull when you don’t have many assets

And So Much More!

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Finance Friday: How to Get to Early Retirement Even Faster

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Early retirement is something people in their forties and fifties do, right? It would seem almost impossible for someone to retire in their mid/late twenties or early thirties without a large inheritance or winning the lottery. Today you’ll meet the woman who did the impossible—Rachel “Money Honey” Richards. Her voice may sound familiar as not so long ago Rachel was a guest on The BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast where she talked about retiring in just two years thanks to “aggressive” real estate investing.

This time, Rachel talks about the more “passive” income streams she built over her twenties, allowing her and her husband to travel the world while making an enviable income, much of which requires little to no effort from Rachel. It’s not surprising that Rachel came from a finance-first background, working as a financial advisor immediately after college. She’s had multiple jobs in a variety of industries but knew running her own ship was where she was meant to be.

Fast forward a few years and Rachel has a strong real estate portfolio, bestselling financial literacy books, an exclusive mastermind and coaching program, as well as courses to help women feel empowered by finances, not afraid. Rachel is the embodiment of putting your future self first, and you’ll probably do the same after hearing about how she got here.

In This Episode We Cover

Using your age as a benefit and how to get around clients/customers judging you by your youth

Where to find the most cash-flowing real estate deals that no one else knows about

Living frugally as you make more money and resisting lifestyle creep at all costs

The multitude of passive income streams almost anyone can create

Selling your rental properties in 2022 and why the “passive” landlord dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

Imposter syndrome and why self-doubt could be costing you tens of thousands

And So Much More!

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Retiring in 2 years Through “Aggressive” Rental Property Investing with Rachel Richards

MoneyHoney Website

Download Rachel's "Passive Income Starter Kit"

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When building your budget, do you have a line designated for “economic downturn” or “high inflation?” Probably not. Many financial freaks like Carl and Mindy Jensen don’t prepare for economic anomalies like rampant inflation or double-digit stock market losses. And like most Americans, they’re finding it hard to not spend more money every month.

Carl and Mindy understand this, but can't seem to rein in their rebellious budget. This month was their most expensive month ever. And even though these expenses were planned, they nonetheless stung when reviewing them later. But even without these accounted expenses, Carl and Mindy have noticed the cost of goods going up while their stock portfolio continues to drop.

If you’re worried about high inflation, rising home prices, food prices, and everything in between, this is a great time to make the needed adjustments to your budget. This will save you not only a bunch of time but also stress when seeing shockingly high prices for everyday things.

Even financially free couples like Carl and Mindy need to reassess, and you may want to as well!

In This Episode We Cover

Mindy’s most expensive month ever recorded and why you should never books flights a month in advance 

Categories you can cut when an economic downturn hits so you (and your family) stay safe

Why saving is more special when you can truly enjoy the things you’re spending on

Rethinking early retirement and why now may not be the best time to leave the workforce

Budgeting, expense tracking, and keeping an eye on your overspending (before it gets out of hand)

And So Much More!

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1500 Days

1500 Days YouTube Channel

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Passive income and credit scores. While they don't entirely rely on each other, having good credit does allow you to build passive income streams far faster. Andrew Brazell learned this the hard way, but thankfully profited big time by making some needed changes. Less than a decade or so ago, Andrew was living in a rat-infested apartment, riddled with credit card and student loan debt, spending all of his money every month. He felt financially hopeless until he struck up a conversation with his Rugby teammate, and BiggerPockets CEO, Scott Trench.

Scott personally helped Andrew dig himself out of a debt hole, start house hacking, and get well on his way to financial freedom. From there, Andrew understood the formula—save your money, buy income-producing assets, and repeat until financially free. Andrew took this lesson to heart, and shortly after paying off his debt, began rental arbitraging his apartment, helping him eliminate his cost of living. That’s when he met Haley Ferguson, his future wife, and a soon-to-be top short-term rental host.

The duo saved their money and bought their first house hack property. And, because of smart landlording, they were able to bring in more than double their mortgage payment in rent alone, allowing them to live at a profit. Now, they’re well on their way to buying even more properties, helping them go from financial fiasco to financial freedom, and finally financial abundance.

In This Episode We Cover

How to save money every month so you can pay off debt, invest, or just have peace of mind

House hacking, rental arbitrage, and other ways you can eliminate your cost of living

Reducing your credit card, medical, or other debts by making a simple phone call

Lifestyle creep and why every financial freedom chaser should resist it

Vacation rental investing and the massive profits that come with it

Purchasing properties with the VA loan and using low down payment loans to scale your real estate portfolio

And So Much More

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How to Create Financial Security (From Scratch!) and Become “Set for Life”

300 Doors, 100% Creative Financing with Pace Morby

Airbnb

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Those searching how to retire early usually come away with one conclusion—you have to make much, much more money. Most financial independence pursuers think that a large salary or enormous sum of assets is what will bring them closer to FI. Fortunately for you, that isn’t always the case, and you’ll see exactly why when we talk to today’s Finance Friday guest, Rebecca.

Rebecca makes a great salary. Actually, she makes two great salaries, working at her government job during the dayand her technical writing job at night. She’s pulling in six figures, owns her own home, and splits expenses with her boyfriend. But she’s struggling to put together a passive income portfolio that will give her a good amount of monthly income when she decides to leave work. So what’s the missing piece in this passive income puzzle?

Scott and Mindy sift through Rebecca’s finances and find some strikingly simple ways that she (and all of you) can save money every month and get to financial freedom decades in advance. This strategy isn’t hard, but it will take a little bit of willpower to get done. Thankfully, even those FIRE movement and financial freedom chasers who aren’t die-hard FI fanatics can still take these lessons to heart.

In This Episode We Cover

Building a passive income plan that can carry you along in early retirement

Budgeting and expense tracking that can save you hundreds (or thousands) a month

Emergency funds and “financial runway” that’ll give you more choices in life

When luxury spending (pool cleaners, house cleaners, etc.) is acceptable

House hacking and how to build wealth all while lowering your housing costs 

The “true value” of your retirement pension and why it may not be worth the extra years of service

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

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Amazon

Finance Friday: Sell (Don’t Rent) Your Primary Residence When You Move Out

Pensions 101: Are Pensions Worth It? w/ Grumpus Maximus

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Early retirement is one of those common personal finance topics that always comes up on the show. It’s arguably the most talked-about subject in our Facebook group and is a common theme among guests on the show. But what does a time-tested, well-respected financial journalist and coach think about retiring early? What does the “perfect” early retirement plan look like if you’re starting from scratch?

Today we’re joined by Ask The Money Coach’s Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, who is used to getting personal finance questions thrown at her all day long. She’s dug deep into everything surrounding investing and early retirement. From stocks to I Bonds, to real estate investing and cryptocurrency—if you’re interested in building (and maintaining) wealth, Lynnette’s website and books have something that will help you on your benjamin-stacking journey.

Mindy and Scott take some of the top investing, saving, and retirement questions from the BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group and ask Lynnette her opinion on them. Hear answers to top questions like when to invest and when to pay off debt, what makes the “perfect” portfolio, how to stop saving and start spending when you retire, and whether to invest for retirement or start a business.

In This Episode We Cover

The debt payoff schedule you should follow if you want to invest while shedding consumer debt

I Bonds explained and how to get around the $10,000 personal purchase limit

Transitioning from “save mode” to “spend mode” when you’ve hit your retirement goal

How to introduce others to personal finance (without it sounding like a lecture)

What to do before you start a business and getting your personal finances in order

Why younger generations of investors are choosing more “risky” investment options 

And So Much More!

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Fueling Early Retirement at 36 with Just 4 Rental Properties

Investopedia Stock Simulator

Money Coach University

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“Buy now, pay later” companies have been around for decades, but not in the form they take today. You may have noticed that when you check out from an online store, a little prompt asks you if you want to purchase your goods for just “four easy payments of…” It seems like a good deal, doesn’t it? You can buy the same goods, for less, today, with no interest payments! Before you add those shoes to your cart, think twice before selecting the “buy now, pay later” option.

Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, NPR reporter and host of Planet Money, was interested in how this type of interest-free internet shopping is affecting consumers. Through his research, he found numerous examples of online shoppers overspending, getting into debt, and not knowing their total purchase price. The ease of paying just a fourth of a product’s price and getting it delivered in days became too much for many consumers to resist. And now, they’re paying the price.

If you don’t want to fall prey to this type of split-up pricing, you’ll want to hear what Alexi, David, and Mindy have to say. Using this type of “interest-free” credit could put your financial freedom in jeopardy—and no one wants to trade early retirement for a new swimsuit.

In This Episode We Cover

The “buy now, pay later” programs and how they target online shoppers

How buying now and paying later could affect your credit score in the long run

What happens when shoppers can’t pay their future installment loans?

Why US legislators are taking “buy now, pay later” companies to court 

The marketing tactics used by these companies to get you to spend more at checkout

Why saving now and buying later will help your future finances

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

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Listen to The “On The Market” Podcast: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, BiggerPockets

Check Out Mindy’s 2022 Live Spending Tracker and Budget

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What's stopping you from becoming debt-free? Everyone’s answers will vary, but one truth remains the same—excessive debt can prevent you from living the life you deserve. Today’s guest, Joe Bussey, took control of his life once he decided to pay off his $220,000 worth of debt and build a “financial runway” he could rely on.

Joe's debt accumulated as he did what everyone in his life told him to. He was in pursuit of a college education when his life took a series of unexpected and unfortunate twists and turns. It all started when he got robbed at gunpoint for all the money he saved for college. From there, he had to start from scratch to save up for school. He had to work several jobs, once working five jobs at a time, to keep up with rent and student loan payments. He then went back to school to pursue a better career but ended up in school for five more years—forcing him to take out even more student loans.By the time he graduated, he was $220,000 in debt.

After graduation, Joe was only making $1,000 a month and eventually fell into a deep depression. It was then Joe decided he needed a change, so he wrote out all his worries and came to one conclusion—they were financial problems. After doing some research, Joe came across BiggerPockets and Set for Life. He read the book cover to cover in one day, and a light bulb went off. After reading the book, Joe took control of his finances, saving up $25,000 in his bank account while paying off $100,000 in just fourteen months!

In This Episode We Cover

Financial runways and how to create financial security from scratch 

How to become “set for life” and the actionable steps you can take to start your journey to financial freedom 

Living off less than half your income and the importance of earning more and spending less

Using your Roth IRA to maximize retirement savings and find financial peace

The benefits of paying off student loans now and how to refinance them

And So Much More!

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How to Become an “Overnight” Success in 10 Short Years with David Greene

Student Loans Update: Repayment, Refinancing, and Potential Forgiveness w/ Robert Farrington

How to Find Free Money to Finance Your Education & Avoid Extensive Student Debt

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Retirement investing is a crucial part of planning for financial freedom. While early retirement is a status that almost everyone would love to achieve, the second-best thing is standard retirement, where you can use your smart investments to make the later years of your life that much easier. But, oftentimes those who are born with a strong work ethic don’t know when the right time to ease off retirement investing is. In some cases, even intelligent investors can find themselves with a lot of retirement income that can’t be touched until decades later.

Jill is trying to end up with a future of financial flexibility. She wants to be able to travel the world with her family,leave her W2 job (if she feels like it), and invest more in assets that give her the power of choice today. She has a very good income, impressive retirement accounts, and wants to take her first step into real estate investing. She’s planning on turning her primary residence into a short-term rental, while her family moves into the live in flip she’s buying next.

This rental property income should give her and her family a cushion of passive income to rely on, but she’ll need much more than this to become truly financially free. Scott and Mindy debate the “invest for later” vs. “invest for now” frames of mind, tackling which one will work best for Jill in her high-income but low passive cash flow situation.

In This Episode We Cover

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I Bonds, and treasury bonds in general, have always been thought of as the “retiree's investment choice.” For those that have a short time horizon on investments, bonds have made perfect sense. With a guaranteed return, there isn’t a lot to risk for someone close to retirement age who simply wants to watch their investments stabilize—not grow or decline. And in today’s high-inflation environment, more and more individuals are realizing how worthwhile bonds are, especially as their traditional assets start to nosedive. 

Neither Mindy nor Scott have heavy allocations in the bond market, so to understand these interesting assets a bit more they invited Shane Shepherd, Assistant Professor at USC’s School of Business, to the show. Shane has seen a recent pique in interest from his students in a few certain subjects—inflation, rising interest rates, and bonds. It seems like even the young generation of investors want to safely store their cash during pre-recession markets. But, does Shane think that I Bonds are a smarter way to save?

If stock market slumps are starting to hit your portfolio hard, this may be the perfect episode to listen to. Shane describes exactly why so many Americans are investing in I Bonds while also explaining who should not contemplate investing in something as stable as bonds. His advice could help you keep pace with inflation or buy killer deals in the coming months!

In This Episode We Cover

I Bonds explained and how they can help you minimize the effects inflation has on your portfolio 

Nominal yield vs. real yield and why you must understand the difference before you invest

What happens to bonds if the US enters into an deflationary period 

Who should (and more importantly shouldn’t) start investing in bonds 

The downside of diversifying and why bonds are a safe, but static investment 

How taking on real estate debt could beat bond rates while building wealth for you

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

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Coronavirus: Is It Time to Give Up on Financial Independence?

Former Fed President Warns Easy Money Will Bring Big Consequences for Investors w/ Tom Hoenig

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