BiggerPockets Money Podcast

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

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Mindy's Twitter

Scott's Instagram

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

Biggerpockets Bookstore

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

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

300 Doors, 100% Creative Financing with Pace Morby

Airbnb

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

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Scott's Instagram

Mindy's Twitter

Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

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

Check Out Mindy’s 2022 Live Spending Tracker and Budget

Amazon

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

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

Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Check out our sponsor page!

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!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Mindy's Twitter

Scott's Instagram

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

Biggerpockets Bookstore

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

Fueling Early Retirement at 36 with Just 4 Rental Properties

Investopedia Stock Simulator

Money Coach University

“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

Mindy's Twitter

Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

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

Check Out Mindy’s 2022 Live Spending Tracker and Budget

Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Check out our sponsor page!

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!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Mindy's Twitter

Scott's Instagram

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

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

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

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 CoverHow to get over your fear of debt when investing in real estateWhy you may want to sell your primary residence instead of rent it out (once you move)Avoiding capital gains taxes and taking home a BIG profit when selling a primary residenceBuilding equity and net worth through simple cosmetic live in flips Achieving financial flexibility and how overinvesting in retirement can hurt you in the short-runThe Rule of 72 and using it to quickly calculate how much you’ll have in retirementAnd So Much More!

Links from the ShowBiggerPockets Money Facebook GroupBiggerPockets ForumsFinance Review Guest OnboardingScott's InstagramMindy's TwitterApply to Be a Guest on The Money ShowPodcast Talent Search!Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube ChannelListen to The “On The Market” Podcast: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, BiggerPocketsCheck Out Mindy’s 2022 Live Spending Tracker and Budget

Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Check out our sponsor page!

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

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Mindy's Twitter

Scott's Instagram

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

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

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

Many FIRE chasers want to know how to stop overspending. But maybe the solution to overspending is simply knowing about it in the first place. For many Americans, credit card debt, exuberant living, and buying more than what they need are ongoing problems. And even for money masters like Carl and Mindy Jensen, it’s no different. As two leaders in the personal finance space, they understand why people overspend and how to stop it. But, as they’ve found out this year, giving advice can be easier than putting it into practice.

As many listeners know, Carl and Mindy have been publicly tracking their household spending. They’ve tried their hardest to stay within the limits they set for themselves, but some months' bills creep up on you more than others. In this monthly budget review, Carl and Mindy talk about why they’ve overspent, how to become more “money conscious”, and how to stop yourself from living a “money rich, lifestyle poor” life.

Editorial Correction: On a previous episode of the "BiggerPockets Money" podcast, we stated that gains in a 529 Plan account would be forfeited if not used for educational expenses. This is incorrect and we apologize for the mistake. If you’d like to know more about the 529 Plan rules and regulations, please visit this blog post. Thanks to our wonderful BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group members for pointing out this error! Happy investing! 

In This Episode We Cover

How to budget and expense track the right way (stay up to date on your inputs!)

Umbrella insurance and how to get better insurance coverage for even less

Why many millionaires choose not to use a budget

Carl and Mindy’s newest live in flip project purchase

May’s budget busters and how buying quality goods can save you more in the long run

How to stay “money conscious” while living a proactive (not reactive) life

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Mindy's Twitter

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

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

Check Out Mindy’s 2022 Live Spending Tracker and Budget

529 Plan Rules - Nerdwallet article

Food Spending Eating Away at Your FI Plans? Here’s How to Eat for Cheap

Carl and Mindy’s Spending Summary: Why We Went $1,000 Over Budget…Again

1500 Days

1500 Days YouTube Channel

Want to work less and make more? With a forty-hour workweek, it seems hard to imagine a reality where you can do less but still get the same results. How can you fit an entire week’s worth of work into only one day’s working hours? Jason Wojo and Peter Kolat, hosts of The Lifeonaire Show, argue that it’s easier than you think to cut out much of your workday, enjoy your life more, and reach financial freedom faster.

Both Jason and Peter grew up in troubling financial environments—raised in households where fighting about money was the norm. As Jason and Peter grew up, took on careers, got married, and had families, they saw themselves falling into the same traps as their parents—taking on debt, overspending, and working far more than they had liked. After hitting “rock bottom”, they decided to take a step in the right direction and change their financial future.

With the help of a financially-free “vision”, Jason and Peter now live lives almost unrecognizable to their pasts. They now help others find their passions, chase their dreams, and achieve financial freedom with ease. So, if you’re tired of the grind, the stress, and the financial anxiety, you may want to consider becoming a “Lifeonaire” like Jason and Peter.

Links from the Show

Why healthy finances are key to keeping a family (and marriage) in-tact 

Hitting “rock bottom” and climbing out of credit card and consumer debt 

Building a rental property portfolio debt-free and how you can do it too

The four core tenants of money philosophy and why everything starts with your “vision”

The 80/20 Rule and why working less can help you make more money

Calculating the cost of financial freedom and why it’s probably less than you think

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Mindy's Twitter

Scott's Instagram

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

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

How to Get Financial Freedom So You Can Do What You’re Meant to Do

Lifeonaire Website

If you want to invest in real estate, you’ll need a few things: a property, an income source, and some cash. If you’ve got all three, you should be able to finance your way to owning a rental property, but this becomes a little more challenging when you’re someone with fluctuating income. Entrepreneurs, especially those without a consistent client base or consistent schedules, have a seriously hard time tracking, budgeting, and saving their income which changes every other month.

Chelsea and Wade feel this way as well. They’re both entrepreneurs, but, as a filmmaker, Wade has far more fluid income than Chelsea does. Some months Wade will bring in tens of thousands, while other months, nothing. Chelsea can subsidize the household budget with her more regular income, but even then, the couple needs to keep a strong safety reserve to ensure they’re never going too over budget without their bank account being refilled.

Thankfully, Chelsea and Wade are very good at managing their money and may actually have too much of it. They’relooking to dive into real estate investing to start building a path to financial freedom. With a serious amount of safety reserves, they’re thinking of buying a short-term rental as their first investment property. But, does their inconsistent income threaten their vacation rental plans?

In This Episode We Cover

How to manage emergency funds and safety reserves when self-employed

Retirement accounts vs. rental property investing and which is best for early FI

Saving for your child’s college and why a 529 plan may limit your child’s future choices

Self-employed health insurance and whether or not getting a job is worth the lucrative benefits

The most important metric to look at when investing in short-term rental properties 

Whether or not your cash position is too conservative for your investing goals

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Scott's Instagram

Mindy's Twitter

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel

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

Check Out Mindy’s 2022 Live Spending Tracker and Budget

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

Is College Worth the Cost? This 30,000 Variable Study Says “Sometimes…”

Why 40% of Master’s Degrees Aren’t Worth It (and Which Are) w/Preston Cooper

529 Plan Rules - Nerdwallet article