Catching Up to FI

A lively campus session on practical money skills for young adults. They tackle savings rate, reverse budgeting, and why small habits like $2 bills matter. Clear breakdowns of 401(k) basics, vesting, rollovers, and avoiding cashouts. Simple investing wins are highlighted with index fund reasoning and cautions about individual stock risk. Real-life stories about lifestyle inflation and fast net worth growth keep it honest and encouraging.

Dr. Karen DeLong, a University of Tennessee professor who built a campus personal finance day, explains why three advanced degrees included no money class. She describes bringing retirement and investing basics into classrooms. Students ask real questions like 401(k) rollovers and merging finances. Funding from Farm Credit Mid-America helped scale the initiative.

A practical walk-through of cleaning up a messy 401(k) quickly and confidently. Steps for accessing plan documents, naming beneficiaries, and decoding confusing fund menus are covered. Contributors, employer matches, vesting, and tax options like Roth vs pre-tax get clear explanations. Tips include simple one- to three-fund strategies, spotting low-cost index funds, tracking down lost accounts, and rollover cautions.

Jackie Cummings-Koski, an early retiree who left corporate life at 49 to teach financial literacy, shares candid reflections on six years of retirement. She describes why she retired early, how she funds life using FIRE math and creative withdrawal strategies, and the surprising personal and health benefits that followed. She also highlights practical planning moves and why late starters still have powerful advantages.

A Surprise FI story about discovering financial independence through a pension search and quiet 401(k) habits. Childhood money lessons, frugality, and employer benefits fueled steady saving and smart relocations. He explains retiring at 44, managing ACA subsidies, Roth conversions, and planning a 72(t). The real payoff became time with his kids and coaching others to start regardless of timing.

Jeffrey Trull, founder of Money Meets AI who helps people apply AI to personal finance, discusses where AI truly helps and where it should not be trusted. He covers prompt tactics, feeding documents like 401(k) plans, Google vs. ChatGPT, paid vs. free tools, hallucinations and fact‑checking, privacy and redaction, and using AI as a thought partner rather than a sole financial planner.

Bill Bernstein, a neurologist turned market historian and author of classic investing books. He discusses his unlikely path into investing. He outlines five investing hurdles and why history and psychology matter. He explains bubbles, forecasts versus predictions, portfolio tilts and a TIPS ladder. He shares a 30/30 savings model and a sober take on FIRE.

Adam Nash, co-founder and CEO of Daffy, builds modern donor-advised funds for everyday givers. He explains how DAFs moved from elite tools to an app-first, flat-fee model. Topics include tax-smart giving, mobile-first quick donations, campaigns and matching to build culture, workplace and advisor programs, and why DAFs can act like a simple charitable 401(k).

Bill Yount, an emergency physician who reached FI around 60 and now advises on decumulation and family wealth, recounts his ten‑year sprint to financial independence. He discusses moving from a three‑fund portfolio to risk‑parity, hiring a flat‑fee planner after years DIYing, order of withdrawals and asset location, boosting savings to ~40%, and strategies to jump‑start his kids’ Roths and HSAs.

Jesse Cramer, an engineer-turned personal finance writer known for research-backed, story-driven insights, and Rachel Camp, a CFP® focused on practical retirement and withdrawal strategies, tackle the consumption gap. They discuss why savers struggle to flip to spenders, the 4% rule origin, concrete spending frameworks like buckets and guardrails, and ways to buy back time and prioritize health, relationships, and experiences.