Radical Personal Finance

Today on the show we answer this question: "Hey Joshua,"I'm a fairly new listener and have been going through some of your older podcasts to absorb as much info as possible. I think you could potentially provide some good advice that I'd love to hear answered in an upcoming podcast if possible..."Since discovering your podcast I've completely changed my thoughts on savings and consumption. I've always lived pretty frugally (I thought) but it turns out I was making poor decisions all along. I bought a house last year thinking that was a fool proof way to hang on to my money. I only just ran the numbers this month since I've discovered your podcasts on homeownership, and I've discovered I would have been much better off renting. I've also cut my cell phone bill in half (still $70/month though) and cut back on my weekend golf habit which I was spending about $200/month on. In place of that I've decided to train for a triathlon which is free since I already have a decent road bike. So thank you for all those tips on saving! I'm continuing to find ways to save."My situation that I'd like your advice on is my current job. I'm an engineer making just south of $200,000/year. I'm working at a nuclear power plant in the middle of no where in Georgia. The closest town is Augusta which is still a 50+ minute commute each way (I'm single, 30 years old, and living in a trailer in the woods near the plant wouldn't going to help that situation). I'm working 50 hours/week plus the commute and 30 minute unpaid lunch break. My entire week is consumed by work and travel to work. This is a paperwork heavy desk job which brings me zero fulfillment. I would love to quit and chase short term seasonal outage work but my dividend/investment income isn't nearly enough to live off and I can't justify turning down this kind of steady income stream. I'm miserable but well paid. I'm afraid that if I quit, my experience level isn't enough to land me the highly sought after seasonal work I'd be trying to get. I believe you were likely in a similar pay scale when you quit your job and since your situation was similar to mine is I'd like your advice as to how to get more enjoyment out of life and work."Love the podcast!" Enjoy the show! Joshua Get a $100 bonus when you open an account at TradeKing: www.tradeking.com/radical Support Radical Personal Finance on Patreon! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

I'm up here in Nashville, TN at the moment and had the opportunity to connect with Dan Miller from 48 Days to the Work You Love. Dan is a legend in the career advice business. He has helped many, many people transition from work that paid the bills to work that they love. Dan has a lifetime's experience as an entrepreneur and in today's interview he shares his advice with us on: Should everyone be an entrepreneur? Is entrepreneurship risky? How can we teach our kids to be entrepreneurs? How to decide when to save and when to spend. Enjoy! Joshua Dan's website: www.48days.com Support RPF! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

When I began podcasting, I was looking for information and advice. Although I found some good, there was a real paucity of advice from people who had done something like I wanted to do. I've been satisfied with a lot of the progress that I've made with Radical Personal Finance, and I want to give back to the podcast and community. So, in today's show we do not discuss personal finance or money at all. Rather, this show is all about podcasting. It's simply contains the lessons I have learned about podcasting and commentary on the things that have worked and the things that have not worked. I hope this content is useful to you. And I hope that many of you will go out and start your own podcast. Joshua Support Radical Personal Finance on Patreon! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

I've long admired Jack Spirko and his show "The Survival Podcast" as a voice of reason in an industry fueled by hyperbole and fear. He does a great job of teaching people how to systematically build a lifestyle of resilience and freedom. And, most important, he teaches that everything you do to build a prepared life should make your life better if times get tough...or even if they don't. Enjoy the interview! Joshua The Survival Podcast www.thesurvivalpodcast.com Get an extra $100 bonus when you open an account: www.tradeking.com/radical Try my favorite budgeting software for free! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/YNAB

On Fridays I do Q&A. If you'd like to participate in a show like this, please become a Patron of the show and you will gain access to the information to call in for these shows. www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Today we cover: How to Practice Stealth Wealth How to Locate Assets in a Tax Efficient Manner Refinancing a HELOC to an Amortizing Loan How My Wife and I Handle Day-to-Day Money Enjoy! Joshua NYT article mentioned: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/fashion/i-now-pronounce-you-husband-and-husband.html Man of Steel & Velvet: http://rpf.link/1TveV2D

I will be in Nashville, TN next week for a conference. If you're in the area, I would love to meet up with you. Please reach out to me on Twitter and let me know that you'd like to connect. www.twitter.com/joshuasheats

Can a hobby of writing about personal finance lead to becoming financially independent in a very short time? It did for Jim Wang, my guest on today's show. Jim founded the site Bargaineering as a part-time hobby. It quickly became a leading voice in the world of personal finance websites. Ultimately, it led to Jim's becoming financially independent in a shockingly short amount of time. In today's interview, we seek to go behind the story a bit. To learn about the personal story and lessons learned from Jim's experiences. He has a lot to share that's very applicable to all of our lives. Enjoy! Joshua Jim's current site: https://wallethacks.com/ (He is no longer affiliated with http://www.bargaineering.com/ ) Start your search for a financial advisor here: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/paladin If you have student loans, connect with Jay Fleischman www.studentloanshow.com/radical

My guest today is Ann Barnhardt. I first became aware of Ann in late 2011 after she published a letter detailing the closure of her firm, Barnhardt Capital Management. At the time, this letter troubled me. Many people make strong statements and publish strongly worded essays. But when someone follows through on their word to the point of closing a functioning firm, I pay attention. I never could quite wrap my head around what happened at MF Global in 2011. Frankly, I still can't. But I thought it would be awesome to invite Ann on the show to hear her first-hand experience. She obliged. During the course of our interview we discussed: her professional background in the trading and commodities business what actually happened in 2011 in the markets what has happened since then her predictions for future world events what led her to become a tax protester Enjoy the show! Joshua Ann's website: www.barnhardt.biz https://twitter.com/AnnBarnhardt Support Radical Personal Finance on Patreon www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

Over the weekend, I was reading the book "unWorking: Exit the Rat Race, Live Like a Millionaire, And Be Happy Now" by Clark Vandeventer while sitting in a tire repair shop, waiting for my tire to be patched. When I came to this page, I stopped. And then I had an epiphany. When you're very, very clear on what you want, it's simple and easy to decide what to do. But when you don't know what you want, it's almost impossible to decide what to do. So, do you know what you want? Enjoy the show! Joshua unWorking by Clark Vandeventer http://rpf.link/1oEAdxT the page that stopped me http://rpf.link/knowwhatwewant Support Radical Personal Finance on Patreon! www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

Friday Q&A show today! Is an umbrella liability insurance policy a good idea? Should I buy life insurance for my stay-at-home wife at my job? How do I finance real estate? What type of entity should I choose for real estate investment? Enjoy! Joshua www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/ynab www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron