Radical Personal Finance

I always keep my eyes out for interesting and unusual lifestyle stories. Last week when I was researching cheap coffin plans, I came across the $5 DIY coffin plans at PiedmontPineCoffins.com.

Upon further reading I became aware that Don and his family live entirely off-grid and that he creates his coffins entirely by hand!

Sounded like a fun story so I invited him on!

Enjoy,

Joshua

• Find an awesome financial advisor at www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/paladin
• Refinance your loans (or get a new one) at www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/SoFi
• Sign up to support Radical Personal Finance on Patreon! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

This past weekend I had the privilege of addressing the very fun crowd of hardcore Mustachians gathered in Gainesville, FL for Camp Mustache SE 2017.

(Mustachian = acolyte of the Mr. Money Mustache blog and personal lifestyle and financial philosophy.)

I was invited to give a presentation and I chose for my topic, "Why Wait Until You're F.I. to Live Like You're F.I.?"

This addresses a theme I often see among the hardcore early retirement crowd. The idea is this: "My life stinks right now but it'll all be great after F.I." But, is that the best way to approach it? Why not recognize that life can be great now and after F.I.?

Enjoy!

Joshua

• Please take my 20-second demographic survey! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/survey
• Refinance your loans with SoFi and save money! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/sofi
• Personal Capital is the world's best financial dashboard. And it's free! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/personalcapital
• Support RPF on Patreon! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patreon

On Fridays we do a live Q&A show! If you'd like to join me on the next one, sign up to support the show as a patron! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

Today we cover:

• How Can I Gain Enough Experience to Use my CFP Designation?
• Can I Unwind My Parents Reverse Mortgage?
• How Do I Engage In A Meaningful Goal-Setting Process After a Layoff?

Enjoy!

Joshua

• Take my 20-second demographic survey at www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/survey
• Find a great financial advisor at www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/paladin
• Refinance your loans at an awesome great rate at www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/sofi

The health of your credit score is an important subject. It's important that you keep your credit report squeaky clean and your credit score high.

Today, I'm going to give you some simple, free tools to do so.

• How to check your credit reports for free
• How (and why) to freeze your credit reports
• How to monitor your credit scores for free

Joshua

• Please take my 20-second demographic survey! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/survey
• Find an awesome financial advisor near you! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/paladin
• Get a free, 34-day trial of the YNAB budgeting software I use. www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/YNAB
• Check your credit reports once each year, for free: www.annualcreditreport.com
• Clark Howard's credit freeze guide: http://www.clark.com/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide
• Monitor your credit score for free: www.creditkarma.com

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been steadily flirting with an all-time record of 20,000 points.

I certainly expect it to cross that threshold any day.

But, so what?

Today I tackle these three questions:

1. What does a 20,000 point DJIA mean?
2. What does it mean to you?
3. What should you do about it?

Enjoy!

Joshua

• Please take my super-quick demographic survey. You can do it right on your phone! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/survey
• Set up your Personal Capital dashboard for FREE! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/personalcapital
• Find a great financial advisor at Paladin Registry! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/paladin

Ain't it strange how so many of the universal human experiences cost so much?

Childbirth. Marriage. Getting Old. Death. All of them can cost a bunch of money.

But does it have to be that way? Are there alternatives?

Yes.

Guess what: kicking the bucket doesn't necessarily have to break the bank!

There are ways to do it cheaper. If you want to.

Today I tackle funeral expenses. You might not be able to benefit from the savings, but at least your family can have a little more cash left over to celebrate your life!

Enjoy,

Joshua

• $5 buys you a set of plans to build a coffin for http://piedmontpinecoffins.com/diy-coffin-plans/
• Or, you can buy a simple wood coffin for $431, delivered. http://kentcasket.com/
• You can do a home funeral and even home burial in almost all the states. Here are the problem states: http://homefuneralalliance.org/the-law/problem-states/
• Start 2017 off right by finding a great new financial advisor! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/paladin
• Set up all your accounts in Personal Capital for free! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/personalcapital

What's the point of budgeting? Isn't it supposedly supposed to help you get richer?

Well, one way to make budgeting matter is if your budget categories actually help you to understand what's happening with your money.

Today, I walk you through some of my personal budget categories and explain how they impact my spending decisions.

I don't think you'll find these budget categories in any pre-existing software. But I do think they'll be really useful to you!

Joshua

• 246-You Need a Budget and Here's the Best Way for You to Make One! Interview with Jesse Mecham, Founder of YNAB
• 273-Three Budgets You Should Establish for 2016: Time, Money, and Food
• Try YNAB free for 34 Days! www.RadicalPersonalFinance.com/YNAB
• Use Libsyn to host your very own podcast! www.libsyn.com Get first month free with coupon code "radical."
• Support RPF on Patreon! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

I think RVs are awesome. In fact, my family just got back from a very fun 2-week RV trip last week!

But, RVs can also be a major money drain. Much like boats, it's easy to overestimate the pleasure you will get from it and underestimate the hassle.

In today's show, I share with you some of my ideas and thoughts on RVs:

• Where they work and where they don't
• Things to consider and keep in mind before you buy
• Advantages and disadvantages of the various types
• Tips for buying smart

Enjoy the show!

Joshua

• Start your budget for 2017 today! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/YNAB
• Follow through on your financial resolutions by finding a great financial advisor: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/paladin
• Book a consulting call with me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall
• Support RPF on Patreon www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

Hey Radicals!

Happy new year!

I was planning to come into 2017 with a bang, but a stomach bug turned the bang into a fizzle for me. Oh well!

You'll be hearing some changes to RPF in coming days. I want you to know about those in advance, so tune in for a quick chat today!

Joshua

I missed a couple of important points on the previous show on Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs). Today we wrap those points up with a quick discussion of:

• catastrophic protection
• deductibility
• HSA compliance
• pre-existing conditions

We also discuss:

• Self-Insurance
• Direct Primary Care/Concierge Care
• Catastrophic Coverage
• Dread Disease/Critical Illness Insurance
• Doctors on Call

Enjoy!

Joshua

• Start your new year off right by mastering your budgeting. www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/YNAB
• Support RPF on Patreon! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron
• Book a consulting call with me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall