10 Years of FI for a Better Life
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Iu2019ve been in a nostalgic period where Iu2019m reflecting on how fast time flies (my daughters growing up, ChooseFI turning 9, etc.).
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Instead of viewing this in a negative light, it hit me:
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Itu2019s astonishing what you can do for yourself in 10 years.
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Itu2019s amazing how fast 10 years can go by.
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For most people, itu2019s Groundhog Day all over again (writing this on Groundhog Day, ha), and theyu2019ll wake up in 10 years, and nothing has changed.
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For you, being on the Path to FI means that you can dramatically transform your life and the payoff for this is obvious.
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Every future year gets easier and easier, to the point where you reclaim entire decades back from work and stress.
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Donu2019t ever lose sight that youu2019re doing something remarkable here.
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Just by saving money, just by living a life of intentionality, youu2019re reclaiming the only non-renewable resource in the world: Time.
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Yeah, it isnu2019t u2018get rich quick.u2019 That never works.
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FI is going to take you 10+ years, but you accrue power every step of the journey.
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Take Action with Your Local Group
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In my excitement to talk about the new community platform and app Jonathan is building for the ChooseFI Community, I realized I havenu2019t been clear enough with what I want you to do.
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The one and only thing I want you to do right now is this:
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Take 30 seconds and sign up for your local group here.
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Thatu2019s it.
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Youu2019ll sit back get an email notification every time your local group has an event, you can RSVP and put it on your calendar and weu2019ll automatically send you email reminders.
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Youu2019ll also get a u201cWeekly Digestu201d email showing upcoming events (plus some of the best conversations happening on the platform).
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Weu2019re building the platform and making it better every day, but honestly, I donu2019t care if you visit it right now.
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Just take 30 seconds and sign up, select your local group and then sit back and get email notifications of the local events in your area.
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Essential FI Reading
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If youu2019re new to FI or youu2019re looking for a refresher, here are 3 essential resources that helped me on my own path:
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And just for fun, since I was at JL Collinsu2019 website, I thought Iu2019d link up my favorite: u201cWhy your house is a terrible investment.u201d
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ChooseFI Updates:
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Book Club: Ginger is doing a book club episode with Liz from ‘Liz Gets Loaded’ and we wanted to pass along the book so you can get involved: ‘Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism‘ by Fumio Sasaki. They are going to record in early March, so now’s the time to grab it from your library and get back to us with your thoughts/comments/questions (just hit reply to any of my newsletters).
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FI Service Corps Trip: The FI Service Corps scheduled their next volunteer event for Hurricane Helene/Milton Relief in the Tampa Bay area April 7-12, 2026. Itu2019s limited to 11 volunteers and will fill up quickly. If you want to read about their recent trip to New Orleans, hereu2019s Ryan Brennanu2019s article on the trip.
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Own Your Time Book: My friend Andy Hill, host of the u2018Marriage Kids and Moneyu2019 podcast and past guest on ChooseFI (Ep 68: u201cNext Steps After Financial Peaceu201d) just published a book: Itu2019s called u201cOwn Your Timeu201d and breaks down how families can use money as a tool to buy back their time. The book focuses on realistic paths like Coast FIRE, part time work, and designing a life that prioritizes health, family, and flexibility.
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Episode Discussion: Just a reminder that you can now join the discussion and give us your thoughts on each podcast episode. Log into your ChooseFI account and the most recent episode will appear at the top of the first page. Here’s the link to Episode 584.
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Travel Rewards Credit Cards: I keep my Top Ten Recommended Cards page constantly updated, so it should always be your first source for travel rewards cards. Update: The #4 card in my list just increased the bonus offer! This is a fantastic option if you’re looking for points that are transferable or can be used in a flexible manner to reimburse travel expenses.
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(Note: We earn a commission if you sign up for credit cards through our site. I donu2019t advertise on the podcast or in the newsletter. Your support using these card links makes that possible. Thank you!)
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After coming across a Facebook post, I uploaded my checking account and credit card statements to ChatGPT to let it analyze my finances and asked it to help me cut down on spending by 5% or so. It showed me my biggest spending categories and made some great recommendations!
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Additionally, I went to cancel my Hulu subscription since I don’t use it very often. Before I deactivated my account, Hulu made me an offer to pay $2.99 per month for 6 months instead of the typical $7.99 per month. Turns out my wife watches Hulu more than I do so it’s a good thing I kept it active, but that’s $30 in savings with literally maybe 3 mouse clicks!
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u2014 Connor
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In the past year, I decided to try my hand at turning my 20+ year thrifting hobby into a side hustle. The goal was to make enough to cover my son’s travel sports fees.
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Using online platforms and FB Marketplace, I’ve flipped thrifted or free Marketplace finds into $1,000-2,700 net profit each month – way more than I ever thought was possible. I do this in the mornings or evenings and it takes me an hour or less per day.
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In the past year I have paid for all my son’s travel sports fees, purchased some big ticket items for our home gym (because health is wealth), and made an extra mortgage payment. This, in turn, has allowed us to put more and more of our regular paychecks into savings and investments, so it’s been a win all around.
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All this while allowing me to still stay at home with our son and not miss any moments with him.
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u2014 Kathryn
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I had been paying over $300/month per client for a software that I used with each client. Even though I get a 20% kickback from the saas, I was still paying tens of thousands per year.
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In just a few hours, I made an app using appsheet and zapier with guidance from chatgpt and now am paying just $20/month TOTAL (for use with all clients), and have all the same functionality.
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u2014 Leila
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Our income grew last year when my wife started a full-time job. I suspected switching from Roth to Traditional IRAs could lower our taxes, but I didnu2019t know how to calculate the benefit before the deadline.
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Recently, I learned two key things: First, IRA contributions can be recharacterized through October of the following year. That gave me time to run the numbers and decide exactly how much to move from Roth to Traditional based on our actual income, not an estimate. Second, you can amend your return if you didnu2019t make the change before filing, which let me go back and capture the savings.
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By recharacterizing $11,731 of our $14,000 Roth IRA contribution, I unlocked the Additional Child Tax Credit and avoided 22% tax bracket. We received a $1,897 federal refund and a $568 state refund.
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u2014 Phillip
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For our 20-year vow renewal in Hawaii next year, our favorite resort quoted $6,500. Instead, we reserved the beach next door for $50 and built our own $1,050 celebration, complete with a hula dancer, limo, cake, photographer, musician, and a very special ceremony.
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We also booked first-class suite seats on the flights using miles for our small family and scored 30% off our resort stay. The result? A more personal, joy-filled experience for a fraction of the cost. Now, we’re even more excited!
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u2014 Moriah
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Long time listener, first time “win” sharer! Attention readers:
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I’m an avid reader and traveler. This has led me to use my Kindle and audiobooks more than my beloved old fashioned paper books. For the past few years I’ve had an Audible subscription (approx $15/month). I also had a Spotify family plan account, but my daughter was the primary account holder for the Spotify family plan (even though I was paying the monthly $19.99 fee). She never uses audiobooks, and I learned that the primary account holder for our family plan was entitled to the Audiobook library.
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She cancelled the plan and I reopened it in my name as the primary account holder. We readded the same family members (and none of our Spotify library/playlists were lost in the process), pay the same amount, and I now get Audiobook access that enables me to cancel the Audible account.
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Additionally, I’ve discovered the Libby App and have added library card accounts for 3 of my local Texas libraries. I have access to many free online books (which I read through my Kindle interface with no problem). I can also get audiobooks through this app if I like.
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In total, I’m reading more than ever and have lower and more intentional costs as I do so.
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u2014 Suzanne
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