The Financial Independence Show

What if building wealth meant buying a smaller house, driving a used car, and ignoring what the neighbors think? Lucy Hinds, known online as The Quiet Millionaire, left her corporate HR career at 37. After paying off $30,000 in student loans, she built a portfolio of index funds and rental properties while growing the gap between what she earned and what she spent. Lucy shares how she bought three houses in three months, downsized her home by 1,000 square feet, and nearly tripled her base salary from $58,000 to $147,000. She also breaks down her current $40,000 personal annual budget, including how a paid-off home, shared expenses, and lower childcare costs help make it work. Today, she’s embracing FINE: Financial Independence, Next Endeavor. For Lucy, freedom means choosing the work she enjoys and building a schedule around her life. In this episode, we cover: Paying off student loans with Dave Ramsey’s baby steps Moving from hoarding cash to investing and using debt intentionally Buying three houses in three months and six houses over two years Downsizing instead of upgrading as her wealth grew Growing her income while keeping lifestyle inflation in check Combining rental income with low-cost index funds Self-managing rentals and preparing for unexpected repairs What her $40,000 personal budget actually includes Leaving corporate life and finding her next endeavor Why tracking your spending is her number one money tip And much more. If you got value from this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend! Links From the Episode Lucy on Instagram Lucy on TikTok Lucy on Facebook YouTube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlq6i-nvkV4 Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! You can do that by clicking here Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Website) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s Website)

Should you pay off your mortgage or invest? Choose Roth or traditional? Buy rental properties or stick with index funds? Paula Pant, host of Afford Anything, joins us again to work through some of the biggest debates in personal finance. Instead of giving everyone the same answer, she shares frameworks for making decisions based on your income, your goals, and the risks you’re already taking. She also opens up about her own portfolio, including why she paid off all seven rental properties and moved beyond a simple VTSAX strategy. In this episode, we cover: Growing the gap between what you earn and what you spend Separating your actual needs from lifestyle upgrades Paying off your mortgage versus investing, and choosing a 15- or 30-year loan Where to keep your emergency fund without overcomplicating it How Paula balances rental income and index fund investments Why she favors Roth accounts and when traditional makes sense Using side hustles to diversify your income and build new skills Following your curiosity instead of waiting to find your passion When to embrace Coast FI or pause retirement contributions to build a business And much more. If you got value from this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend! Links From the Episode Afford Anything Paula’s Free FiiRE Workbook Paula’s First FI Show Appearance YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/31k632WLFTw?is=HNnEZgFIdREW3lZr Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! You can do that by clicking here Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Website) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s Website)

Could you walk away from a business that was still making money? Doug Cunnington joins us again to share what happened when he started doing about 20% less work each year—and eventually retired. Six years after our first conversation about affiliate websites, we’re catching up on his portfolio, his spending, and what life actually looks like on the other side of FI. In this episode, we cover: How Doug quiet quit his own business Why he shut down his online courses and income streams His investment portfolio and why he keeps it simple Learning to spend on what you value When good enough is good enough (and optimizing costs too much time) Why idleness can be a good thing Making room for fitness, hobbies, and experimenting The role luck played in his financial independence journey Finding an identity beyond your job And much more. If you got value from this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend! Links From the Episode Mile High FI The Doug Show Doug’s First FI Show Appearance YouTube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6dHKNjlkTk Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! You can do that by clicking here Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Website) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s Website)

What’s more important than money? Freedom. In this episode, Vincent Pugliese explains how and why he prioritizes freedom above all else. More specifically, we cover: How to create freedom and design your life Building a business while quitting your job Vincent’s annual business and life assessment How to beta test a business idea What the FIRE community gets wrong Lessons he’s passing down to his kids How to know when to quit something How to make business easy And much more. If you got value from this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend! Links From the Episode The Unconference Vincent on Facebook Vincent on LinkedIn YouTube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPMVRqb-Lnk&feature=youtu.be Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Website) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s Website)

What if you could reach financial freedom and enjoy the journey? That’s exactly what Justin Peters has done so far, and he’s been able to amass a $1M net worth by age 33. In this episode, we cover: How saving 70% was too extreme Justin’s investment portfolio breakdown Turning a side hustle into a real business His 4 rules for spending money The best way to quit a full-time job Justin’s biggest financial mistake If and when you need a financial advisor When to know when enough is enough Moving from a 5-day to a 2-day workweek And much more. If you got value from this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend! Links From the Episode FI Minded Podcast FI Minded Episode 192 (Fridays for Practicing Financial Freedom) FI Minded Episode 188 (Four Rules to Help You Spend Money) Cody on FI Minded YouTube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZFxlu-bPZY Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here << Learn More About Your Hosts CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Website) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s Website)