friends on FIRE

the friends on FIRE podcast retired about 312 days ago, and Maggie started a new podcast called Inside Out Money with a rotating set of co-hosts. Inside Out Money is about to launch their 50th episode, and in anticipation of that we're sharing one of our top 10 episodes so far - Episode #24 with Maggie and Greg discussing the surprising truth of early retirement and how they're feeling 500 days into early retirement.

Maggie shares the trailer to her new podcast Inside Out Money, which is now available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit the Inside Out Money website (https://insideoutmoney.org/) to learn more, or find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week is our final friends on FIRE episode. We share our memories, fun stats, and closing thoughts as we wrap up what has been an amazing experience for both of us. Thank you to everyone who has listened to and supported friends on FIRE over the last 200 episodes!

In this week’s episode, we answer more listener questions and read more awesome comments you all sent us!

In this week’s episode, we answer listener questions and read many lovely comments you all sent us!

In this week’s episode, we share some big news with our listeners! You’ll have to listen to hear the news, and we also have a special request for all of you at the end of the episode.

In this week’s episode, we talk about helping your parents with financial and legal stuff. First, we share advice for why and how to initiate the discussion. Then, we then dig into tactical advice for what to discuss, such as life insurance, medical insurance, social security, withdrawal strategies and required minimum distributions, naming beneficiaries, estate planning and wills, estate taxes, passwords, avoiding scams, and general financial and legal organization.

In this episode, we read and discuss a recent CNBC article: There’s a quicker, cheaper way to go to college, but fewer students are trying it. We then share our thoughts on dual enrollment and the broader topic of financial vs lifestyle choices.

In this week’s episode, we continue our discussion of the toxic pressure related to career growth, titles, and money and give our advice on how to make changes needed to let go and be happier.

In this week’s current events episode, we discuss the recent Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse and what it all means. We dig into what happened, why, and what it might mean for you.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the sometimes toxic pressure of career growth, titles, and money. We hear from a couple of listeners who share their personal stories of how the anxiety to go for higher jobs has caused them to rethink their priorities. For anyone who’s worked a job with a hierarchy, there can be immense social pressure to climb the ladder. For many people, though, it’s a source of constant anxiety, and there are ways to deal with this. We review some of the reasons why workers feel compelled to grow their careers and how you can let go of those pressures and be happier in your job.

In this episode, Maggie shares her experience and tips for signing up for medical benefits on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. We discuss how to sign-up, some of the details of how the program works, and the best tips and tricks that we’ve learned along the way. And we share the specific amount Maggie and Greg are paying for benefits in 2023 on the marketplace.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the specific mechanics of different ways you can fund early retirement and different withdrawal strategies. We start with a reminder of how early retirement works and then review the various levers that could provide income during your early retirement. We discuss various withdrawal strategies, tax advantages, and other considerations. We also use our own real-life scenarios as examples of withdrawal approaches.

In this episode, we talk about the steps you can take to get your money back when something you buy doesn’t work out. Maybe the vendor never delivered it, maybe it broke, maybe they misled you; no matter what happens, you have a bunch of options to get your money back! We encourage you to try one or many of these and fight for your rights.

In this episode, we share our top 10 favorite products and why we love them. Well, that’s what it was supposed to be; it really turned into Maggie sharing her top 10 favorites and Mike explaining why he isn’t really attached to anything. This becomes a philosophical discussion about stuff and our relationship with it.

In this episode, we discuss the concept of financial intimacy and how focusing on financial intimacy can improve your relationship. Financial intimacy is the level of trust and comfort that couples have when they are discussing and managing their finances together; it’s a measure of how open and honest partners are with each other regarding their finances. We share specific tips and advice for how to improve your financial intimacy.

In this week’s episode, we share how to protect your child’s financial identity and create a strong credit store to set them up well for the future. We dig into why this matters and the specific steps and recommendations for what to do.

In this episode, we talk about how to set boundaries and say no, with your time and with your money. Learning to set boundaries is a critical skill that will help you live a happier, more fulfilled life, and that’s what we’re all about. We discuss why boundaries matter and specific tips and tools to create more boundaries with your time and money.

In this episode, we answer your money etiquette questions and share specific scripts you can use during tricky money conversations. Talking about money with friends and family can be awkward, but we encourage you to train the muscle of being open and honest, and it will get easier over time. We encourage you to speak up and be firm when it’s necessary, but also choose your battles and know when to let things go.

In this week’s episode, we do a full-year expense review and share what each of our families spent this past year. We share our total spending for the year and break down our top spending categories, which areas we’re feeling good about, and where we’d like to improve in 2023. We also share additional reflections and financial goals as we kick off 2022.