The Financial Independence Show

Andrew Giancola, host of the award-winning The Personal Finance Podcast, joins us today to talk all things (you guessed it)… personal finance. This guy has read over 576 books on money and business (more since we’ve recorded), and he shares everything he’s learned. Can we trust the 4% rule? Do budgets actually work? What’s the biggest personal finance mistake most people make? It’s always fun to cover crazy stories and fringe tax hacks, but it’s important to remember the fundamentals. Andrew is one of the best out there, sharing these fundamentals with the masses, and we’re so lucky we got to have him on the pod. If you found the episode valuable, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Andrew’s Podcast: The Personal Finance Podcast (https://www.thepersonalfinancepodcast.com/) Andrew’s Website: Master Money (https://mastermoney.co/) Andrew’s YouTube: Master Money (https://www.youtube.com/@mastermoneyco) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/fC6_6KVBGX0?si=chuwbJxXdQ2xrOTr 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

They unpack “comprehensive coveting” and why you cannot cherry-pick someone else’s wins without their sacrifices. They list real lifestyle trade-offs behind early retirement, from tiny apartments to forgoing kids. They calculate how upgrades like a bigger house and car translate into years of work lost. A quick Covet Audit helps turn envy into a clear decision.

Aaron Hurd joins us today to share a more rational, math-based approach to the world of credit card rewards. Aaron is a long-time expert in the space who has written for major publications like Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and The Points Guy. After years of writing for others, he recently shifted focus to become an independent content creator with his Cards and Points YouTube channel. In this episode, we dig into Aaron’s unique backstory—from buying $250,000 in dollar coins to rack up rewards to his “economist” philosophy on point valuations. We also cover: The “Hustle” Origins: How Aaron got his start stacking rebates on Dell computers and exploiting the U.S. Mint’s dollar coin program to generate massive rewards. The Economist Approach: Why focusing on “cents per point” is often a trap. Aaron explains why you should value points based on what you would actually pay in cash, rather than the inflated retail price of a luxury flight. Rational Decision Making: The key questions you should ask yourself before redeeming, such as “What is my alternative?” and “Can I earn cash back instead?” Wallet Strategy: A breakdown of how Aaron categorizes his cards into three buckets: Daily Spenders, Benefit Buyers, and Free Night Earners. And so much more. If you found the episode valuable, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Cards and Points YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@cardsandpoints) Cards and Points Blog (https://cardsandpoints.com/) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/TcR2V7RxxH0 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Andy Hill joins us today to give you the step-by-step playbook to own your time. This is Andy’s second appearance on the show, and this time it coincides with the release of his new book -> Own Your Time: 10 Financial Steps to Put Your Family First and Escape the Corporate Grind. In this episode, we cover each step from the new book: Step 1 – Define the life you want to live Step 2 – Eliminate high-interest debt Step 3 – Protect your family (insurance, emergency fund, etc.) Step 4 – Investing until you reach Coast FIRE Step 5 – Eliminate your mortgage Step 6 – Stockpiling FU Money Step 7 – Create your 3-day workweek Step 8 – Embrace the simple life Step 9 – Use your 4-day weekend wisely Step 10 – Show your children the way And so much more. If you want to go back and get more of Andy’s backstory from our previous episode, you can find that in episode 27. If you found the episode valuable, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Own Your Time (Andy’s New Book) Marriage Kids & Money (YouTube Channel) Marriage Kids & Money (Podcast) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/sGwr_ISlKI8 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

It’s a new year, and that means new goals! Cody and Justin share their top tips and tricks to help you set yourself up for success in 2026. The guys are already hitting the ground running with their 2026 goals: Cody is already testing out snowbirding down in Florida Justin is actively recruiting for his first international group trip Don’t forget to share your goals with us in the Facebook Group. To kick off the episode, the guys break down how the methods they’ve used to successfully meet their goals, which include: Tracking is Key “What gets measured, gets managed.” You need to know how you’re doing currently to improve For finance, use apps like YNAB, Monarch Money, or a spreadsheet For fitness, use apps like MFP, TrainHeroic, etc. For any goal you want to actually reach, there needs to be tracking Inputs vs. Outputs “I’m going to invest $1,000 every month” vs “I’m going to increase my net worth by $25K” “I’m going to work out 5x per week” vs “I’m going to lose 20 pounds.” Accountability Join online groups or local groups Groups that have people ahead of where you currently are are a big bonus Share milestones/goals with friends Keep talking about it to the point where you’d be embarrassed if you didn’t finish Set punishments and rewards for your actions Goal Sizing Goals shouldn’t be so big that they paralyze you They also shouldn’t be so easy that you hit them without much effort A “good” goal should require quite a bit of effort, but still be possible If you hit your goal too early in the year, you may lose steam (you can always level up your goal, too; it’s just important to know your personality) A / B Goals Many runners/athletes in competition have an A and a B goal, maybe even a C goal.  A -> The stars align perfectly, you can see a path to it, you’re putting in the work, but it’s a reach B -> Fairly confident, little room for error, still can be very proud of the outcome C-> as within your control as possible, room for error, a backstop to avoid just giving up if your more aggressive goal fails Becoming a person who ____ “I’m the type of person who saves 50% of my income.” “I’m the type of person who runs marathons.” “I’m the type of person who volunteers.” Let go of the fear of failure by playing the tape forward If you can look yourself in the mirror and be proud of your effort, what is really the biggest drawback to you trying and failing? Celebrate the wins along the way Maybe your goal is a 10k this year Celebrate your first 5-mile run Celebrate your new 5k PR Cody and Justin’s 2026 Goals! Here’s a sneak peek into the goals we shared publicly in this episode: Cody’s Goals: Fewer decisions driven by money Make decisions bc I want to do them (regardless of money) More regular fitness challenges Ironman, Hyrox, 100k steps, etc Spontaneous adventures Always discovering and exploring new places (even at home) Book launch Goal is April/May release, podcast tour, book tour, etc Gold City Ventures Nail down an ad strategy, continue to grow business Real estate Keep running existing properties, only “buying” new properties via syndication. Scaling back a bit feels good Justin’s Goals: Run a Marathon in December (CIM) A goal -> sub 3:15 B goal -> sub 3:30 C goal -> sub 4hr New PRs 5k / 10k / half marathon / Deadlift Hyrox Double with Leslie Lead a group fitness-focused trip A goal -> 12+ person international B goal -> any number domestic C goal -> any number in Austin Build Fitness Community Host 6+ in-person fitness meetups Design 12 12-week beginner Hyrox guide Post weekly fostering community This goal is in support of the fitness trip goal Hang out with at least one friend every week we’re in Austin Run the greatest number of annual miles of my life A goal -> Avg  30 miles per week post Achilles rehab B goal -> Avg  25 miles per week post Achilles rehab C goal -> Avg  20 miles per week post Achilles rehab Finish House Remodel in Mississippi A Goal – Full remodel, landscaped, short-term rental B Goal – Full remodel, long-term tenant C Goal – Liveable for personal use Complete another amazing multi-month International trip with Leslie Build out Recipes A Goal – 50+ fully documented recipes posted on Substack with social posts B Goal – 50 Recipes Designed, 25 documented and posted on Substack C Goal – 50 Recipes Designed Finish documenting the 2025 trip on Substack We hope you enjoy getting these tried and true methods for hitting your goals. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from the Episode Spain Fitness Retreat Share Your Goals With Us The Ultimate FI Spreadsheet YouTube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXe07xlJzRA 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Eric Dingler and his family of 6 travel the world full-time for just $8,000 per month. He runs multiple businesses, “worldschools” his kids, and chooses to live life a bit differently. In this episode, we cover: How to travel with a large family Eric’s digital nomad toolkit Wordschooling and alternative education Business marketing 101 A full budget breakdown for each spending category How he left his job for entrepreneurship And so much more. If you found the episode valuable, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Eric’s Resources (https://ericdingler.com/FIS) InTransit Studios (https://intransitstudios.com/) Eric’s LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericdingler/) Eric’s Podcast (https://familyofdashes.com/podcast/) YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/7VXxuCuFijE 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Wow, how time flies! Justin has officially been retired for two full years. Today, we’ll dig into how year 2 was different, get life and financial updates, and also look forward to year 3. You’ll notice a big fitness theme, and Justin will discuss an upcoming fitness retreat he’s organizing in Spain. We’ll briefly skim over Justin’s 6-month international trip, but if you want a deeper dive into how traveling the world technically saved him money, check out these episodes: Asia Recap & Full Trip Recap Justin also gives us a transparent view of his financial updates. We hope this inspires listeners to see how truly powerful compounding interest is. His High-Level Financial Stats: Net Worth at retirement: $1.7M Net Worth after 1 year retired: $2.1M Net Worth after 2 years retired: $2.7M We also ended this episode in a similar way that we ended his year 1 review of retirement, with a quick blast overview of how he spent his time, which includes: December 2024 Spent the month in Mississippi visiting family January 2025 Going-away party Departed for the Philippines Island-hopping boat tour Feb Indonesia Ubud, Uluwatu, Gili Air, Nusa Lembogan, Nusa Penida Mar Vietnam Birthday on Ha Giang loop Apr Thailand / Amsterdam / Switzerland Koh Lanta Chiang Mai Temple Tours Elephant Sanctuary Tulip gardens Insane train routes Hang gliding off mountains May Italy Lake Como Cinque Terre Parma Florence Elba Naples Ischia Lipari Sicily June Italy Lipari round 2 Sardinia Rome First half-marathon 1hr 40min 19 sec Rufus Du Sol show Jul Back to America Stops in NYC and Dallas to visit friends Maintained fitness on the trip Body fat 10.4 -> 11.3 Lean Tissue 155.4 -> 156.3 Audien & Telykast concert Started Wedding prep Started doing track workouts Run clubs & boat days Started dialling in Biscuit & Cinnamon roll recipes for the wedding Aug House sitting for friends Visited family in Mississippi Concert dome experience Sept Spent over a week in Colorado visiting friends/bachelor trip getaway Got some solid workouts in (at time my longest run of 16 miles and PR on deadlift of 405) Finalized recipe for biscuits and cinnamon rolls for the wedding Fincon Knocked out a 14-mile progressive run with Cody Friends wedding weekend in Austin Rooftop yoga event Really ramped up the dessert factory for the wedding Finalized other wedding things Charley Crockett concert Oct Got married House sat Went to a movie screening debut “Sober” Lots of brand activation events around ACL/F1 timeline (Patron, Bush’s beans, Google) Attended a marketing conference Completed longest run ever of 34 miles Nov First time hired to make a custom birthday cake Redid the backyard, adding pavers and gravel landscaping around firepit and pergola Wild 1-4 am show with Elderbrook and Lane 8 Friendsgiving Hyrox with Leslie (1:10 finish time) Thanksgiving on the Texas Coast Dec 5k PR: 20 min 53 sec 3 Big EDM Concerts Mississippi for Christmas Visit a good friend in Little Rock Began planning first group retreat (Spain Fitness/Hyrox related) We hope you enjoy a look behind the curtain and Justin’s willingness to be open and honest about the retired life. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from the Episode Spain Fitness Retreat Justin’s Retirement Announcement Episode Justin’s 1 Year Since Retirement Episode Asia Recap Episode Full 6-month International Trip Episode YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/Kzdm3St3UkE 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Brandon Ganch, known as The Mad Fientist, retired at 34 and now challenges traditional frugality. He discusses reframing spending habits to enhance happiness, leaning into experimentation rather than strict savings. Brandon shares insights about setting cash machines for future desires and the importance of allowing inefficiencies in life. He emphasizes the shift from money as a primary motivator to pursuing meaningful experiences and relationships, all while developing a unique software to help manage financial goals.

Cody & Justin are here to flood your ears with thanks! Your very own Financial Independence Show co-hosts are here with a special Thanksgiving episode. It’s hard to believe we’re rounding out yet another year, and there’s so much to be thankful for as always. Fitness improving, relationships strengthening, comfort level with retirement steadily increasing, and so much more. Some general categories include: Health Relationships Finances Lifestyle Gratefulness Hang around until the end to hear Cody’s big announcement, and Justin’s not-so-standard Thanksgiving dish that you can wow your friends and family with. You might be shocked at just how little money comes up, and we think that’s the clearest sign we’re living our best lives. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/dz_ThEE_YYU 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

Allison Baggerly from Inspired Budget joins us to share her journey from $111,000 in debt to creating a life of freedom through budgeting. Topics covered include: How to change your spending habits Paying down debt as quickly as possible Different types of budgets and how to implement The power of increasing your income Knowing your “enough” How kids can actually reduce your expenses Planning for early retirement Routines, time blocking, and managing your schedule And so much more. If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend! Links from The Episode Inspired Budget (Allison’s Website) Inspired Budget Podcast Allison’s YouTube Allison’s Instagram Money Made Easy (Allison’s Book) Allison’s Budgeting Spreadsheet Allison’s Daily Budgeting Video YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/59scOklc9jc 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 Blog) Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)