EverydayFI

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• Join my Patreon membership for $5/mo (premium content coming in 2026!!)
• Buy me a coffee
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Please note, this conversation touches on the sensitive topics of sobriety and suicide. These subjects can be challenging, so if this is something that might be difficult for you, please feel free to take a break from this episode and return when you're ready.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or struggling with substance abuse, support is available. You can reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or visit their website at www.988lifeline.org.

Take care of yourself, and please listen at your own pace.

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Welcome to EverydayFI! I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say you that you don't need a million dollar book deal or famous blog to reach financial independence. By exploring the lives of everyday people pursuing FI I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom, the everyday way.

In this episode, I talk with my new friend, Zack, who shares his compelling story of growing up in Maine, struggling with alcoholism, and eventually finding his path to financial independence. Zack recounts how his college experiences led him to struggle with sobriety, but how his brother's death convinced him to seek rehab. We explore his career as a truck driver, his efforts in diversifying his skills, and his passion for learning to fly. Zack is newer to the FI space and discusses how he found the community, plus a current struggle he's dealing with now about selling his family home. Tune in to hear Zack's story!

Episode Links:

• EverydayFI Episode 45: Silent Struggle - Mental Health Challenges in Military Service, Part 1 with David Robinson
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
• Catching Up To FI podcast
• ChooseFI
• The Stacking Benjamins Show
• Afford Anything
• Monarch Money
• Empower

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership (bonus content coming in 2026!)
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Welcome to EverydayFI! I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say you don't need a million dollar book deal or famous blog to reach financial independence. By exploring the lives of everyday people pursuing FI I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom, the everyday way.

Today on the show I wanted to deviate from my typical interview setup to talk about an urgent matter coming at the end of the year. If you're not aware, the ACA (ie the Affordable Care Act) enhanced tax credits are going away December 31st 2025, which will impact millions of Americans and raise costs of healthcare pretty much immediately.

I've brought on Sam Ferguson, a FIRE community member who knows quite a lot about the ACA and knows all the details on what's going on, and David Robinson, my go to aspiring-CFP friend who'll give us strategies on what to do when the enhanced tax credits disappear at the end of the year.

Episode links:

• This link will take you to the savings page on Healthcare.gov that can show you what you'd pay based on income and state, how to save on healthcare costs, and cost-sharing reductions

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership (premium content coming in 2026!!)
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Welcome to EverydayFI where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say that you do not need a million dollar book deal or a famous blog to reach FI early. By talking with real humans, I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom the everyday way.

Today I'm talking with a financial expert and CFP, Ryan Derousseau, who actually has a lot of clients on the path to FI. I know, you must be shocked! But FI people need financial help too, and as you'll hear Ryan has seen a common pattern amongst these folks that doesn't bode well for the FIRE movement… Tune in to hear more!

Episode links:

• cfp.net
• Catching Up To FI podcast
• ChooseFI
• Ryan's website: Thinking Cap Financial

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership for $5/mo (premium content coming in 2026!!)
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Welcome to EverydayFI, where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say you that you don't need a million dollar book deal or famous blog to reach FI early. By talking with real humans I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom, the everyday way.

Today is part two with Larry, and we start talking about the good stuff like his daily routines, the importance of good sleep, and the positive impact of quitting alcohol 18 months ago. Larry shares insights from his coaching practice, emphasizing the intersection of health, wealth, and happiness. We discuss the challenges of imposter syndrome, the shift from people-pleasing to genuinely helping others, and the importance of building personal standards rather than just setting goals. This episode is a fantastic dive into reframing life's challenges and ever changing nature.

Episode Links:

• Larry's Uncontrollable Me website
• [email protected]
• ChooseFI
• The Mad FIentist
• The Donegans
• Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker
• FI Minded Podcast
• EverydayFI episodes with David Robinson
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
• EverydayFI episode where David coaches "Jess" live
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
• Afford Anything
• Supercommunicators, by Charles Duhigg
• Outlive, by Peter Attia
• Dexa Fit App
• Atomic Habits, by James Clear

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership for $5/mo (premium content coming in 2026!!)
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Welcome to EverydayFI, where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say you that you don't need a million dollar book deal or famous blog to reach FI early. By talking with real humans I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom, the everyday way.

Today is part one with Larry, who shares his fascinating journey towards FI, blending his career in technology with his passion for outdoor adventures. We delve into his upbringing in a frugal household, his career transition to product management, and his discovery of the FI community during the pandemic. Larry outlines his strategies, like funding a brokerage account to bridge retirement funds, and emphasizes the importance of directing time and attention where desired. This episode offers valuable insights into balancing a fulfilling life while on the path to financial independence.

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Welcome to Everyday FI, where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say that you do not need a million dollar book deal or a famous blog to reach FI early by talking with real humans, I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom the everyday way.

I'm back with my buddy and co-host Mitch, with another Mitch and Meg's Money Musings episode, and today we're going to talk about how to talk to your parents about their retirement. Gulp… Tune in!

Episode Links:

• The Latte Factor, by David Bach
• Catching Up To FI
• Die With Zero, by Bill Perkins

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership for $5/mo
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Welcome to EverydayFI, where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say you that you don't need a million dollar book deal or famous blog to reach FI early. By talking with real humans I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom, the everyday way.

Today is part two with Jillian Johnsrud, whose new book "Retire Often" gives you a step by step guide to take several mini-retirements over your lifetime. But today, we actually aren't talking much about her book. Jillian and I get personal and talk about how she arrived at financial independence, well before her blog, book, and coaching businesses had taken off.

Episode Links:

• Retire Often Website
• Retire Often Book (purchase here)
• Free Opt-In Worksheets:
  • Planning
  • Negotiating
• Retire Often Workbook
• Group Coaching
• Jillian's Socials:
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership for $5/mo
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Welcome to EverydayFI, where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say you that you don't need a million dollar book deal or famous blog to reach FI early. By talking with real humans I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom, the everyday way.

Today is part one with Jillian Johnsrud, whose new book "Retire Often" gives you a step by step guide to take several mini-retirements over your lifetime. But today, we actually aren't talking much about her book. Jillian and I get personal and talk about how she arrived at financial independence, well before her blog, book, and coaching businesses had taken off.

Episode Links:

• Retire Often Website
• Retire Often Book (purchase here)
• Free Opt-In Worksheets:
  • Planning
  • Negotiating
• Retire Often Workbook
• Group Coaching
• Jillian's Socials:
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership for $5/mo
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Welcome to EverydayFI where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say that you do not need a million dollar book deal or a famous blog to reach FI early. By talking with real humans, I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom the everyday way.

Today is the second half of Jess's live coaching session where David will reveal whether or not she can actually quit her toxic corporate job!

Episode links:

• Die With Zero, by Bill Perkins
• Healthcare.gov
• Kaiser ACA calculator
  • How Much More Would People Pay In Premiums If The ACA's Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire?
• Simple Path to Wealth, by J.L. Collins
• Mark's Money Mind Show
• David's email: [email protected]

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here

Subscribe on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify.

Welcome to EverydayFI where we explore the lives of everyday people pursuing financial independence. I'm your host, Meghan Combs, and I'm here to say that you do not need a million dollar book deal or a famous blog to reach FI early. By talking with real humans, I'll show you how to forge your own path to financial freedom the everyday way.

Today I actually have a really huge treat for you all. Normally I'd be recording a Meg's Money Musings episode, but instead I'm hosting a live coaching session with David Robinson and Jess. David will be looking over Jess's portfolio live on the show and will talk to her about retirement readiness. Jess is new to the FIRE movement and finds terminology and principles extremely daunting. Other than living frugally, what more could she be doing? How does the 4% rule work? How can she use calculators correctly if she wants to understand scenarios like Coast FI? Could compounding returns enable her to take a passion job in a couple years?

This episode is broken into two parts because our conversation went for almost 2 hours, so tune in for the exciting answer to whether Jess can pull the plug and quit her job!

Episode links:

• Monarch Money
• Big ERN

Support the Show:

• Join my Patreon membership
• Buy me a coffee
• Sign up to be on the show here