Freedom Before FI | Life Design, Purpose, Sabbaticals, Coast FI & Financial Independence (FIRE)

Choosing which FI milestone to aim for on your journey can be a bit paralysing, especially with so many different milestones and strategies. On this episode we’ll be focusing on two popular milestones, Coast FI (which you reach before you get to FI) and Lean FIRE (which is where you’ve actually reached Financial Independence). Both options lead to early retirement at different times and I discuss the differences and reasons why each path might be suitable for someone.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

How can you get to Lean FIRE faster? One of the best ways to do that is to move to a low cost of living area and usually its somewhere warm with a tropical climate. That’s where Geographic Arbitrage (or Geoarbitrage) comes into play. I talk about how Geoarbitrage can speed up your journey to FI, some cities in the world where you can do this and I also share an example of someone who hit Lean FIRE and relocated to Bali in Indonesia to live a life they love.Disclaimer: The monthly living costs noted in this episode are only to give listeners an estimate and provided by nomads.com, naturally everyone will have a different level of spending based on their preferences/budget and the costs are only to give a general guide.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

I’ve recently been considering targeting Lean FIRE in the future and today I share 3 compelling benefits I’ve pondered on in favour of Lean FIRE, compared to ‘Traditional FIRE’ and ‘Fat FIRE’. The FI community was more towards Lean FIRE in it’s early days, although recently there has been more of a push towards Chubby FIRE and Fat FIRE. There’s no right or wrong mind you, only what’s right for our own personal situations at specific times in our lives (each to their own as they say!).Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

On our journey to FI we may encounter what’s called the ‘boring middle’ or we may have so many things on our endless to-do list we forget to do things that are fun and bring us joy. This little tweak in your calendar can help remedy this issue. Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Ato Jay is the awesome founder and host behind the Savvy Wallet platform, which he started back in 2020 where he interviews the brightest minds in business & finance. The podcast has now over 200 episodes and around 50,000 subscribers on YouTube. Along his journey, Ato has built a wealth of personal finance knowledge, in particular saving and investing from a UK standpoint. His goal is to become work optional by 45 and today Ato shares his strategy (and numbers) on how he plans to get there. Things you’ll learn:Ato’s current career in tech (Agile Coach)Interests outside of workEarly money influences from his parentsMoney lessons on his journeyHow he got involved in the finance/business spaceBudgeting advice for othersHow he was able to save for a deposit to buy a houseHis current investments His early side hustlesAdvice for others wanting to start a side hustleFreedoms & options unlocked from managing his money better 'Bridge Pot’ early retirement/work optional strategy and numbersStep by step advice for others wanting to get to work optionalStep by step advice to start investing in the stock marketChallenges of investing in UKHow the Savvy Wallet platform started and what makes it a successHis weekly schedule running the Savvy Wallet while in full time workHis advice on how to survive in todays evolving societyQuick-fire round questions:Something he wished they done 10 years agoHis daily habits that helped him in lifeHis most important lesson in lifeHis 2-3 Book recommendations1-2 small things listeners can do this week to get started Ato Jay (Savvy Wallet) Links:Linktree: linktr.ee/savvywalletYoutube: https://tr.ee/5sEwL93ReV Instagram: https://tr.ee/1RPxildQPp Podcast: https://tr.ee/o72RnPaEvR Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: DM or Follow - Instagram Link Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285Listen to FBF on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474eDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Don’t know what goals to aim for this year? Today I’m giving you a quick refresher on the ‘333’ goal setting method which is good timing as we kick off the new year. This method will help you pinpoint the actual goals that are relevant to you (in case you’re not sure where to start) and it also helps you create a simple plan that will actually help you execute on your goals.Using the ‘333 method’, I take you through 8 easy steps. At the end of the exercise you will have created a simple 3 month plan to take on the first quarter of the new year. You can do this exercise in your free time in just under one hour.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

As I turn 40 this month, I reflect on some of the life lessons throughout the years that have helped me on my Financial Independence journey so far. Some of these lessons I wish I knew earlier and I hope they can help you on your journey as well. This episode is Part 2 where I share life lessons 7-12.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

As I turn 40 this month, I reflect on some of the life lessons throughout the years that have helped me on my Financial Independence journey so far. Some of these lessons I wish I knew earlier and I hope they can help you on your journey as well. This episode is Part 1 and I discuss six of the twelve life lessons, Part 2 will showcase the remaining six lessons.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

I share some of the things I have let go in life that seemed important at the time (and sometimes immovable), to regain some of my freedom back. Freedom can come in all shapes and sizes like location freedom, freedom from stress, financial freedom, freedom from negative stuff, freedom from unhealthy things and so forth. When you let go of things holding you back, this creates more space and freedom for the positive things you want to bring more in your life. Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Nicole and Tylor are the awesome writers behind the Not Your Ordinary Plan blog, they are travel and FIRE movement enthusiasts which is what their blog is all about. They have been on their FI journey for a number of years paying off student loan debt initially then building up their nest egg whilst hitting a number of FI milestones on the way. They recently decided to take advantage of the flexibility that FI gives them and have embarked on a long term mini-retirement (or what their calling their retirement ‘test-drive’) by slow travelling around the world - currently around Asia - and have been dong so for over a year so far.Things you’ll learn:Where they are in the world on their current retirement test driveHow they both metHow they work as a team on the FI pathHow they paid of 90k of student loans in 2 yearsTheir 8 year Financial Independence journey to dateHow their love for travel startedHitting Coast FI and taking 3 month sabbaticalAchieving Lean FIREThe car accident that changed their livesTheir FI number target and how far along they areSaving and investing strategyAnnual expenses and salaries during investment periodGetting there Masters DegreesTheir why of FITravel expensesWhy they decided to go on retirement test-driveWhat they have done so far on retirement test-drive and plan afterAbout their Not Your Ordinary Plan blogQuick-fire round questions at the end:Something they wished they done 10 years agoTheir daily habits that helped them in lifeTheir most important lesson in lifeTheir book recommendations1-2 small things listeners can do this week to get started Nicole & Tylor (Links):Blog: https://notyourordinaryplan.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notyourordinaryplan_/ Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285Listen to FBF on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474eDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

The 4% rule has been one of the pillars of the FIRE community. It represents how much we can safely withdraw from our investment portfolio in retirement and It’s how we’ve calculated our FIRE number (or Nest Egg). It’s a great starting point to get into FIRE. The person who came up with the rule in 1994, Bill Bengan has now updated the rule to 4.7%. This now brings a lot of positives, one of them being we might be able to retire sooner than we originally thought. On this episode I discuss this amongst other pros and cons of the new update.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Being semi-retired is a transition period between working full time and being retired. It typically involves working on a part-time basis to cover your expenses. The FIRE milestone Barista FI is considered to be under semi-retirement and it too consists of working part time to help cover a portion of your living costs. The part time job in semi-retirement is usually a slower paced role with less stress. So what jobs can you actually do part time in semi-retirement? In this episode, I discuss 18 part time jobs ideas, I’ll also share 4 part time jobs I’ve done in the past and also 2 key things to consider before scaling down to part time.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Coast FI and Barista FI are both milestones on the Financial Independence journey. Both have pros and cons and on this episode I discuss some of the differences to think about when choosing which strategy is best for you. I’ll discuss the differences around 4 perspectives consisting of time, financial, work and risk. I also discuss some of the similarities too.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Barista FI is a milestone you can use along your Financial Independence journey to free up more time earlier on to do the things that you enjoy in life. This is a strategy you can utilise before reaching full FI, and it gives you time freedom and can help reduce your stress. On todays episode I’ll be giving an example of how you can achieve Barista FI with an average salary.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Continuing the money mistakes theme, I share 3 purchases I’ve made in the past that I’ve kinda regretted and hopefully you can learn from them on your journey to FI, or share them with your younger friends or family members so they’re aware of them too.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

I share 3 money mistakes I made when I was in my 20’s, some of which I’m literally still paying for to this day. Hopefully you can learn from them on your journey to FI or share them with your younger friends or family members so they are aware of them too.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

One of our main aims on the journey to Financial Independence is finding our life purpose. Today we delve into the wrong way to find purpose and an alternative approach that helps you find it the right way. This episode is inspired by the book The Purpose Code by Jordan Grumet.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

We dive into case study stories from amazing early retirees and highlight some of the the key lessons they have learnt in their first few years of early retirement. As this show focuses on enjoying our journey to Financial Independence it's useful for us to be aware of any pitfalls or downsides to FI so we can plan around them in advance.Case studies on this episode:Youtuber Jean VoronkovaAlan and Katie Donegan (a.k.a The Donegan’s) from Rebel Finance SchoolFreedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

In part 2, we dive into more case study stories from amazing early retirees and highlight some of the the key lessons they have learnt in their first few years of early retirement. As this show focuses on enjoying our journey to Financial Independence it's useful for us to be aware of any pitfalls or downsides to FI so we can plan around them in advance.Case studies on this episode:Richard & Jackie from Early Retirement WanderlustJoel Hart from the Camp FI CommunityFreedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

We dive into case study stories from amazing early retirees and highlight some of the the key lessons they have learnt in their first few years of early retirement. As this show focuses on enjoying our journey to Financial Independence it's useful for us to be aware of any pitfalls to FI so we can plan around them in advance.Case studies mentioned on this episode:Maggie from the awesome Inside Out Money Podcast and platformAmon and Christina from the awesome Our Rich Journey finance platform.Freedom Before FI Links:Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.comEmail: If you want to connect, send me a note at greg@freedombeforefi.comInstagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefiDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice