What happens when the creators of the Coast FI calculator tell you, "Congratulations, you've made it"?

That's exactly what happened to us.

After months of questioning our calculations and wondering whether we were really at Coast FI, Rascal attended the Slow FI Retreat hosted by The Fioneers, and our family's financial plan became one of the featured case studies.

In this episode we share:

• What it was like to project our entire financial life onto a screen in front of 30 strangers

• The surprising reaction from the Coast FI experts (spoiler: there wasn't much debate)

• Why they encouraged us to focus less on the numbers and more on the life we're trying to build

• How reducing work hours may still allow us to reach Financial Independence in our 50s

• The emotional challenge of believing you've finally reached "enough"

• The practical changes we're already making, from taking every school break off to creating more space for health, creativity, and family.

We also talk about one of the biggest lessons from the retreat:

The cost of not making changes while your children are still young.

This conversation isn't really about spreadsheets.

It's about trust.

Trusting the numbers.

Trusting yourself.

And giving yourself permission to build a life you don't need to postpone until retirement.

#CoastFI #SlowFI #FinancialIndependence #FIREMovement #FinancialFreedom
#Enoughness #FinancialTherapy #LateStarterFIRE #FamilyFinance #FinancialPlanning #MoneyMindset #WorkLifeBalance

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

OMG. We think we may have reached Coast FI.

In this episode, we revisit the Coast FI calculator from The Fioneers and compare where we are now versus just 8 months ago when we believed we were still 1–5 years away from this milestone. After double checking the formulas (twice 😅), we realized something wild: depending on the assumptions, we may already be there. 

We break down:
• What Coast FI actually means (and why it’s different from traditional FIRE)
• Strategies we used that accelerated our timeline
• How small changes in assumptions (retirement age, average rate of return) make a huge difference in the Coast FI threshold number
• How maxing pre-tax retirement accounts before brokerage accounts reshaped our approach
• The emotional whiplash of realizing “we made it”… and not fully trusting it

We also talk honestly about:
• Our “One more year” syndrome
• Fear around market swings and job transitions
• Why financial milestones don’t magically erase anxiety
• How our recent financial calamities shaped our preference for safety and cash reserves

This episode became less about spreadsheets and more about the emotional threshold; noticing our disbelief and skepticism while still allowing ourselves to imagine a different life, one with more spaciousness, family time, health, creativity, and less hustle.

Plus, Rascal shares excitement about attending the Slow FI Retreat hosted by The Fioneers — at what feels like the exact right moment in our journey.

🔗 Coast FI Calculator by The Fioneers:
 https://thefioneers.com/coast-fi-calculator

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

**Activity guide sheet in our Resource Doc!**

This week, we’re bringing a new lens to the podcast: financial therapy. Rascal puts on their therapist hat to help us explore hidden emotional relationships to money — especially in partnerships.

Using a framework called Internal Family Systems (or “parts work”), we explore how different aspects of ourselves show up during financial decisions — from fear and shame to protection and power. These “parts” influence how we budget, spend, save, and show up in our financial relationships.

We talk about:
 • Why money decisions in couples can feel so personal — and what’s actually going on underneath
 • How to identify your own “money parts” and recognize your partner’s (without blame or shame)
 • A simple practice to begin noticing and naming your emotional patterns around money
 • How this work supports your FIRE journey — especially during moments like reaching Coast FI or hitting big setbacks

Whether you’re in a relationship or not, this episode will help you reflect more deeply on what money means to you — stability, freedom, care, obligation, control, connection — and how those meanings may shift over time.

This is not financial advice. It is emotional insight that can help you build deeper intimacy, greater self-awareness, and more clarity on your path toward financial independence.

Teaser: We also hint at a future episode on using EMDR for money beliefs and FI-related emotional blocks.

#financialtherapy #moneyandemotions #internalfamilysystems #moneyintimacy #firewithkids #coastfi #financialindependence #emotionalwealth #moneyanxiety #financialintimacy #partswork #moneyhealing #fiemotions

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

In this episode, we reflect on four major financial “calamities” that hit our family between 2022 and now — and how those moments shaped our growth, resilience, and intimacy as financial partners.

While none of these events left us without food or housing, they were significant outflows relative to what we were earning and saving — emotional, destabilizing, and deeply instructive.

We share stories and insights from:

 • 2022: The birth of our youngest, with zero paid leave and unequal income
 • 2023: Purchasing a second home and the financial power dynamics it exposed
 • 2024: Major water damage and temporary relocation (“our house broke,” said the toddler)
 • 2025: An expensive legal process — and the emotional cost of drawing down our emergency fund

Through each “blip,” we explore:
 • The evolution of our financial intimacy and shared decision-making
 • How we transitioned from separate money to a one-pot model
 • What it’s like to max out your credit cards and still believe in your plan
• Why emergency funds are non-negotiable (even when you hate tapping them)
• The inner work Rascal did to manage money anxiety, and how Fetch gained financial voice

This isn’t a step-by-step guide. It’s a real-time, real-life glimpse into what wealth-building looks like when life throws curveballs—and why we still believe in financial independence as a path to deeper connection, even when the journey gets messy.

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• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

What would your life look like if you hit Coast FI tomorrow? In this light, personal episode, we let ourselves dream a little—and reflect on how our day-to-day lives might shift if we no longer had to save for the future.

We revisit the definition of Coast FI: that moment when your retirement savings are set, and future contributions aren’t necessary. You still work to cover today’s expenses, but now you can choose to earn less, work fewer hours, or be more intentional with your time.

We explore:
 • How Coast FI would reshape our family rhythms and weekday routines
 • Why things like cabbage slaw, early preschool pickups, and field trips matter so much
 • How we’d invest more time into food, fitness, relationships, nature, and rest
 • The tension between dreaming of FIRE and recognizing the joys that Coast FI could bring much sooner

This isn’t about luxury travel or early retirement—it’s about presence, connection, and savoring the ordinary joys that often get squeezed out by second jobs and side hustles.

If you’ve ever wondered what all this money work is for, this episode will help you reconnect with the quiet, meaningful parts of life that Coast FI can open up.

#coastfi #financialindependence #firewithkids #financialfreedom #whatisweath #slowliving #familywealth #parentingandmoney #lateFIstarters #financialmindset #dailyjoys #coastfilife

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

In this episode, we pick up where we left off on our Coast FI path—and dive into the real-life, real-time process of choosing 403(b) (or 401(k)) funds that match our values, fees, and family cash flow.

We talk about:
 • Why we decided to prioritize Fetch’s 403(b) over Rascal’s SEP (for now)
 • How we used ChatGPT to analyze 47 different fund options from scratch
• What we learned about expense ratios, ESG investing, and Fidelity vs. non-Fidelity funds
• Why our paycheck flow is temporarily upside down — and how that’s reshaping our money habits
• The psychological challenge of shifting control, roles, and comfort zones around who’s “managing” what

This is a deep and practical episode for anyone who:

• Wants to DIY their 403(b) or 401(k) investments
• Is navigating self-employment + W2 income trade-offs
• Is learning to balance values-based investing with expense ratio realities
• Is late to FIRE but trying to build systems that work for your real life

Plus: we tease an upcoming episode that will question whether ESG funds are truly aligned — or just shiny distractions with high fees. Stay tuned.

#403b #401k #firemovement #coastfi #esginvesting #expensetratio #diyinvesting #chatgptandmoney #retirementsavings #valuesbasedinvesting #financialindependence #familyfinances #financialdecisions

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

In this episode, part of our What Is Wealth? series, we explore a game-changing concept in the FIRE world: Coast FI — and how discovering it completely shifted our financial goals.

Coast FI is the idea that if you save enough early, you can stop contributing to retirement accounts and still retire comfortably. It’s not about leaving the workforce — it’s about gaining freedom, flexibility, and more time with your family now, not just decades from now.

We talk about:
 • What Coast FI really means (and no, it’s not living by the beach)
 • Why this milestone fits our family’s season of life better than full FIRE
 • How the Coast FI Calculator from The Fioneers gave us a timeline of 1–5 years 😳
 • The powerful impact of age, return rate, and savings pace on your Coast FI number
 • How our retirement strategy has evolved — and why Fetch finally started a 403(b)

If you’re in your 30s or 40s, have kids at home, and feel like full FIRE is too far away, this episode will open up a more achievable and meaningful path. Coast FI might give you the freedom to work less, enjoy more, and stay present without sacrificing your future.

🔗 Try the calculator here: thefioneers.com/coast-fi-calculator

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

After two years at Fetch’s job, we finally decided to invest in the 403(b). In this episode, we walk you through why we waited, what changed, and how we’re making the decision now — with a little help from ChatGPT.

You’ll hear:
 • How our FIRE journey shifted our perspective on tax-advantaged accounts
 • Why we passed on the 403(b) at first (and what we misunderstood back then)
 • What helped us rethink the “Middle Class Trap” and early access fears
 • How we used ChatGPT to analyze Fidelity fund options and match them to our existing portfolio
 • The real trade-offs between SEP and 403(b), especially around flexibility and paycheck deductions

We also reflect on how far we’ve come — from confusion about tax filing status to confidently talking portfolio allocations and contribution maxes.

Whether you’re navigating multiple retirement accounts, thinking about Coast FI, or just figuring out where to stash your next investment dollar, this episode gives you a grounded, real-life look at how we’re making it all work.

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

Is it possible to take a meaningful family vacation without blowing your FIRE goals? In this episode, we share how we spent a week in La Paz, Mexico as a family of five — for under $5,000 — and how the trip deepened our evolving definition of wealth.

We cover:
 • How we planned and budgeted (including credit card hacks and DIY adventure gear)
 • What we prioritized to increase time wealth and ease
• Sticky money moments — when we said “no” to overpriced fried food and “yes” to rubber ducky chaos
• What we wouldn't change (like getting ice cream every day 🍦)
• Why we believe travel can be part of our wealth goals rather than derail them

For us, this wasn’t just a vacation. It was a way to live our values — choosing connection, simplicity, and joyful memories now, not just in some future retirement.

We also share a few stories that surprised us, what helped the kids reflect on value, and how we enjoyed the experience again all together after landing back at home.

If you’ve been wondering whether travel, family and FIRE can coexist, this episode will inspire you to reconsider how you define wealth, and how to craft a trip that nourishes your family now.

#firewithkids #familybudgettravel #redefiningwealth #financialindependence #firemovement #budgetfriendlytravel #meaningfulvacation #parentingandmoney #timewealth #latestartersfi

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi

This episode, Rascal went on a financial date — but not with Fetch. With AI. 😏

In this playful and surprisingly insightful episode, we explore what happened when one of us fed our real-life budget tracker to ChatGPT and asked it to analyze our finances.

You’ll hear:
 • Why we decided to test AI as a financial thought partner
 • What budget "secrets" Rascal spilled to the robot
 • How AI did with spending cuts (spoiler: don’t touch our ice cream 🍦)
 • How helpful it was for retirement forecasting, savings goals, and ETF research
 • Where AI miscalculated — and why human oversight still matters

We also talk about the real-world emotional experience of using AI in a deeply personal way — especially as elder millennials who remember a pre-internet childhood.

If you’ve ever wondered whether a robot can help you FIRE faster, want a laugh, or are just curious about how tech could support your money mindset, this episode is for you.

Bonus mentions: Rascal shares other AI tools out there (like CLEO and YNAB) and whether they'd go on a second financial date with AI again. Fetch is only slightly jealous.

#AIandmoney #budgetingwithAI #financialindependence #chatgptbudgeting #techandfinance #firemovement #personalfinancepodcast #eldermillennialmoney #AIadvisor 

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Check out our Resource Doc: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_j7CHmbRZsZgWC-SWLIQcunmJdpkEDUsdfhWA1FW04s/edit?usp=sharing

And our IG account @tryingforfi