BiggerPockets Money

How do you go from $90,000 in debt to a $2.5 million net worth and Coast FI? Ericka Young, a financial coach, joins BiggerPockets Money to share how she and her husband paid off $90K in debt in just five years and built wealth through budgeting, consistent investing, and growing their income.
Ericka breaks down the debt snowball strategy that helped them get out of debt, why boring index fund investing worked, and how she turned financial coaching into a business. Now that she’s reached Coast FI and built a $2.5 million net worth, she’s facing a new question: should they pay off their mortgage or buy a vacation rental?
To go beyond the podcast:
Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets
Connect with Ericka Young-
Website: https://www.erickayoung.com/
Social: https://www.instagram.com/erickayoungofficial/?hl=en
For Better or Worth: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-better-and-worth/id16654812
We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if you could work less, travel more, and enjoy financial freedom long before reaching your full early retirement number? Mel, nurse and creator of Traveling to Retirement, joins Mindy Jensen and Evan Lawler to explain how Coast FI changed her approach to money, work, and life. At 33, she has a 65–80% savings rate, is roughly 60% of the way to her $3 million FI goal, and could stop investing today and still reach financial independence by 41.
Mel shares how she quadrupled her income, keeps expenses relatively low, and uses tax-advantaged accounts and a taxable brokerage to build wealth. But the real goal isn't just retiring early. It's having the freedom to work fewer days, travel when she wants, and pursue opportunities without worrying about maximizing every dollar. She also explains why enjoying the journey matters more than reaching a magic number.
To go beyond the podcast:
Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets
Connect with Mel:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingtoretirement/
Mel’s Stan Store: https://stan.store/travelingtoretirement
We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when you go from spending 120% of your income to saving 80%-90% of it and eventually reach financial independence in your 40s? Justin David Carl knows firsthand that making a high-income doesn't necessarily mean building wealth. After racking up $80,000 in debt during his Hollywood nightlife career and falling six years behind on taxes, he had to completely rethink his relationship with money. But once he discovered the Financial Independence (FIRE) movement, he turned things around in a big way.
Welcome back to the BiggerPockets Money podcast! Justin joins Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench to share how he went from nightclub VIP hosting to earning as much as $888,000 a year in tech sales, paying off debt, and building wealth through an aggressive savings and investing strategy. But reaching financial independence brought an unexpected challenge: figuring out what to do next. Now, instead of chasing the highest possible net worth, Justin is focused on maximizing his "net life", the quality of his everyday life.Tune in to learn how he built an 80%-plus savings rate, why he traded his Range Rover for a Prius, how he navigated the identity crisis of early retirement, and why financial independence should be about enjoying your life, not just growing your portfolio!
To go beyond the podcast:
Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets
Connect with Justin David Carl:
Social Media: @JustinDavidCarl
Website: fitrichlife.com
Podcast: Fit Rich Life
We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when an energy shock sends oil prices soaring? The ripple effects can reach far beyond the gas pump, driving up the cost of groceries, transportation, and everyday goods while putting the Federal Reserve in a difficult position on inflation and interest rates.
In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money, host Scott Trench and longtime guest J Scott break down the economic domino effect of energy supply shocks and how disruptions in global energy markets can affect inflation, mortgage rates, household finances, and the broader economy. They explain how oil futures react almost immediately, why gasoline prices can take one to two weeks to respond, and how the effects can spread through supply chains for months or even years. They also explore how tariffs and deglobalization could intensify economic pressures, why energy-importing countries may face greater risks than the United States, and whether the Federal Reserve can control inflation without slowing economic growth.
Tune in to understand how energy shocks move through the economy, what policymakers can realistically do about them, and how to think about the financial consequences for your household.
To go beyond the podcast:
Interested in a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
Interested in Learning More About Buying a Franchise? Check out: biggerpocketsmoney.com/franzy
Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets
Connect with J Scott:
https://linktr.ee/jscottinvestor
We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if the key to a better retirement isn't saving more, but learning when it's safe to spend more? Financial planner Aubrey Williams breaks down retirement guardrails, a flexible withdrawal strategy that helps early retirees adjust spending based on portfolio performance instead of relying on a fixed withdrawal rate. Using a $1 million portfolio, he explains how to balance market risk with the often-overlooked risk of underspending and missing out on life while you're still young enough to enjoy it.
The goal is to spend confidently, adapt when markets change, and make the most of the money you've worked so hard to save.
To go beyond the podcast:
Listen to the Full Episode (671): https://youtu.be/VSffAvPaxFE
Interested in working with a Flat Fee Financial Planner? Go to https://biggerpocketsmoney.com/fipro/
Get 50% Off Your First Year of Monarch by using code ‘Pockets’: https://www.monarch.com/pockets
Follow BiggerPockets Money on Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BPMoney
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpocketsmoney/
We believe financial independence is attainable for anyone no matter when or where you’re starting. Let’s get your financial house in order!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.