Do you want to own your time, work less, and live more? What if the point isn't maxing out every account forever, but designing a week you don't want to escape from? This is the Coast FI life built by our guest today, Andy Hill. He shares the steps you can take to put your family first and escape the 9-5 grind: for good! He takes us through the full arc: starting married life at –$50K net worth, killing the debt in a year with budget parties, saving 40–50% to hit around $500K in investments by forty, then realizing that number was enough for Coast FI. With all that, he realized that what he really wanted was time.

Andy is an award-winning blogger, podcaster, and family finance coach behind Marriage, Kids, and Money. He's also author of the new book 'Own Your Time: 10 Financial Steps to Put Your Family First and Escape the Corporate Grind', which walks readers through simple, yet highly effective steps families can take to achieve family financial independence. It also features real-life examples of couples who've conquered these family financial independence milestones and found better lives for themselves because of it.

====================

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

SUPPORT THE SHOW

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

🌐 Marriage Kids and Money

📕 Own Your Time: 10 Financial Steps to Put Your Family First and Escape the Corporate Grind

⏰ Related Episodes

Generosity and Smart Spending: A Family Affair | Andy Hill | 103

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Strap in, because Jackie joins Brad Barrett for a crossover episode on the ChooseFI podcast, home of the world's largest FI community! Together, they rewind all the way back to 2017, when Jackie first stumbled onto ChooseFI… and everything changed. She recounts her journey to reaching early retirement by December 2019, and using that freedom to go back to school, get her CFP, and write 'F.I.R.E. for Dummies'. Then the two of them dive deep into the fundamentals and break down what financial independence really means. They explain why even ten dollars a month can spark a lifelong investing habit, and how Jackie's first investment club taught her the power of community and compounding. They decode 401(k)s, demystify fund selection, and spotlight the quiet villain of investing: expense ratios.

The episode widens from there: debt payoff strategies, designing a modest but deeply rich life on $40–45K a year in Ohio, negotiating everything from internet bills to insurance premiums, and the emotional transformation from paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle to feeling 'directionally correct.' They conclude with the realization that FI isn't just about money, it's about options. Whether you're a late starter, brand new or ten years into the journey; returning to the basics is how you stay grounded, stay motivated, and stay on course.

====================

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

SUPPORT THE SHOW

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

🌐ChooseFI

🌐Jackie's website FInomenalWoman.com

📕F.I.R.E. For Dummies

📘Money Letters 2 My Daughter

📈Jackie's Investment Club through BetterInvesting.org

⏰ Related Episodes

The Godfather of FI Talks Fatherhood | JL Collins | 149

Stories, Hacks, & Tribes | Brad Barrett | 021

From Poverty to Wealth and Early Retirement | Jackie Cummings Koski | 007

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

529 plan expert Patricia Roberts blows up the myth that 'it's too late' and '529s are just for rich people with toddlers and Ivy League dreams'. She is author of the book 'Route 529' and shares some big changes with 529 plans that make them an incredibly flexible savings vehicle for more than just college. In this episode we cover:

1. How state tax deductions, credits and 'parity states' work for contributions
2. The shockingly long list of qualified uses including trade schools, apprenticeships, non-degree credentials, K–12 tuition, tutoring, test prep and even student loan repayment
3. Busting the 'use it or lose it' fear and the new option to rollover left over funds to a Roth IRA
4. How to juggle retirement vs. college savings
5. Advanced strategies to create generational education wealth

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

SUPPORT THE SHOW

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

🌐 Gift of College

College Countdown

📕 Route 529: A Parent's Guide to Saving for College and Career Training with 529 Plans

Morningstar 529 Ratings: The Best Plans of 2025

What You Can Pay for With a 529 Plan

⏰ Related Episodes

The College Discount Game You Need To Know Before Choosing A School | Ron Lieber | 191

Stop Paying for College and Use These High-Return Scholarship Hacks Instead | Chris Corinthian | 189

Banishing The Burden of Student Loan Debt | Travis Hornsby | 122

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Dan Haylett gives us a late-starter masterclass on why retirement is a human problem long before it's a math problem. Dan is a UK financial planner, creator of 'Humans vs Retirement' podcast, and author of 'The Retirement You Didn't See Coming'. He walks us through how that outdated 'retire from work and fade away' script clashes with modern 50- and 60-somethings who still have health, curiosity, and huge ambitions. In this episode he also:

• Reframes risk as the possibility of dying with plenty of money but too few memories
• Unpacks why spreadsheets never quite make us feel safe
• Lays out his three-phase map of the second half of life

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer).

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

SUPPORT THE SHOW

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

🌐 Humans vs Retirement Website & Podcast

📕 The Retirement You Didn't See Coming

⏰ Related Episodes

What Would 'Your Money' Look Like In a Simple Sketch? | Carl Richards | 170

The Father of Financial Life Planning (Part 1) | George Kinder | 140

The Three Kinder Questions (Part 2) | George Kinder | 141

Hard & Soft Sides of Retirement | Fritz Gilbert | 019

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

The cost of college is skyrocketing! To make sure you're not paying those sticker prices, we brought in New York Times 'Your Money' columnist, Ron Lieber. He is also author of 'The Price You Pay for College' and joins the show for a brutally honest walkthrough of what is actually going on behind the scenes. In this episode he breaks down:

• List price vs. cost of attendance
• Why most families don't pay rack rate
• How to read a school's 'Common Data Set'
• Merit vs. need-based aid
• How net price calculators and pre-reads can keep you from falling in love with a school you can't afford

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer).

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

SUPPORT THE SHOW

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

📕 Books by Ron Lieber

🌐 Merit Aid Course (with link to free merit aid checklist)

Ron's New York Times Profile

Niche (for comparing colleges)

Saving For College (Compare 529 Plans)

⏰ Related Episodes

Stop Paying for College and Use These High-Return Scholarship Hacks Instead | Chris Corinthian | 189

Banishing The Burden of Student Loan Debt | Travis Hornsby | 122

The New World of 529 College Savings | Patricia Roberts (Coming Soon)

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Bill joins Jordan 'Doc G' Grumet for a community episode on the Earn & Invest podcast. They stress-test what happens when someone asks ChatGPT: 'What should I do if I'm retiring in five years?' Bill talks about turning 60, being told he's officially reached financial independence, and shifting from accumulation to a more defensive, retirement-ready nest egg.

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer).

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

=== SUPPORT THE SHOW ===

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Earn and Invest Podcast

⏰ Related Episodes

The pURPOSE Code | Jordan Grumet | 115

A Boat Named YOLO | Bill Yount | 001

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Chris Corinthian is the 'Fin Lit Guy' and knows his way around scholarships and other high-return ways to earn money for college. He joins the show to give us a masterclass on paying for college without wrecking your retirement. Chris opens with his own financial setbacks, including a layoff and a devastating fire, which helped him realize the importance of financial literacy. In this episode, you will learn:

• Chris' Debt-free degree triangle
• How teens as young as 13 can earn free college credits
• His scholarship system that treats applications like a part-time job
• Specifics of where and how to apply for scholarships

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer).

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

SUPPORT THE SHOW

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Charities:

Autism Speaks

Red Cross

🌐 The FinLit Guy

📕 Financial Literacy 101 for College Student

📘 Financial Literacy 101 for College Students (free digital download)

My Money Mentors on PBS

EconoMe Talk

The Boujee Banker

Earn College Credit with CLEP

Scholly Scholarships

Scholarship Owl

Modern States Education Alliance

Raise Me

⏰ Related Episodes

Banishing The Burden of Student Loan Debt | Travis Hornsby | 122

The College Discount Game You Need To Know Before Choosing A School | Ron Lieber | 191

The New World of 529 College Savings | Patricia Roberts (Coming Soon)

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Rose Lounsbury likes things simple. Her specialty is helping people embrace the art of decluttering and she joins us on the show today for a New Year's reset that goes way beyond junk drawers. Rose tells us how decluttering is really about creating space— for FI, for generosity, and for the surprising next chapter. After this episode you'll be ready for a clean start for 2026 as she walks us through:

1. Her own minimalist journey that led her to getting rid of 70% of her stuff, while raising triplets!
2. The generational scripts behind our clutter and how to fix it
3. Why we should own our stuff, not the other way around
4. How late starters can overcome the clutter trap that quietly devours time, money, and energy
5. Getting rid of internal clutter

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer).

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

S U P P O R T T H E S H O W

📩 Sign up for our newsletter

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

🌐 Rose Lounsbury

📘 Less: Minimalism, For Real

📗 Achievement Addict

Rose's Tedx Talk: How Many Towels Do You Need

Rose's EconoMe Talk: The Journey to Enough

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Happy New Year! As we roll into 2026, organizing money becomes top of mind and one of the most common New Year's resolutions. So today on the show we have an expert with the leading money management app- Monarch Money, Rachel Lawrence. She is a Certified Financial Planner and fintech leader who works at the intersection of personal finance, behavior, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). She also runs her own fee-only financial planning firm called Reverie Wealth. In this episode Rachel gives us a masterclass on how to organize your financial life with Monarch's modern way to manage money that goes beyond the basics of budgeting. Plus, we'll get a peek into what changes they have coming in 2026!

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer).

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

📩 Sign up for our newsletter (NEW!)

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

🌐 Monarch Money

🌐 Reverie Wealth

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Catching Up to FI co-host, Jackie Cummings Koski crosses over to Andy Panko's 'Retirement Planning Education' podcast for a funny, deeply practical masterclass on what FIRE really is (and what it isn't). Jackie is single-mom late-starter, FIRE for Dummies author, and "I retired but I'm still busy" money nerd. She rewinds her journey of retiring before 50 and walks Andy (and listeners) through:

1. How she hit a ~$1M FI number with ~$40K annual spending
2. Managing healthcare premiums by understanding how ACA subsidies really work
3. Tapping her pre-tax IRA before 59.5 using 72(t) without blowing herself up
4. Qualifying for ex-spouse Social Security benefits
5. Medical tourism in Bali funded by her HSA
6. Why most 401(k) menus are quietly sabotaging regular people

They finish with Jackie's second act: two books, a CFP, a master's in financial planning & financial therapy, and co-hosting Catching Up to FI to help late starters realize it's not too late.

DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:

Monarch Money

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50

Alloy

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer).

For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners

📩 Sign up for our newsletter (NEW!)

🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website

🔗Connect with us

☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"

🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

🌐Retirement Planning Education

🎙️Retirement Planning Education Podcast

🌐Tenon Financial

📕 F.I.R.E. For Dummies by Jackie Cummings Koski

⏰ 'Catching Up to FI' Episodes

Retirement Planning Tips | Andy Panko | 063

From Poverty to Wealth and Early Retirement | Jackie Cummings Koski | 007

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!

⚠️Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.