The Financial Independence Show

Cody wrote a book!

That’s right, the secret is out, and you’re getting all the details here, folks.

Retire by 30 is a guide to reaching financial independence as fast as possible.

In this episode, Justin gets to pepper Cody with questions about the book, including:

Why was Cody living the American Nightmare rather than the American Dream

What it felt like to hear that he was “a waste of time and resources.”

What did saving 80% really look like

Did he ever struggle to know what he actually valued versus what he’d been conditioned to want?

How to decide when to kill a hustle versus double down?

How to choose between the “be an intrapreneur and negotiate raises” path vs. the “quit and side-hustle” path

What it felt like to hit FI at 25

Which FI is most underrated— Coast FI, Barista FI, Lean FI, Cash Flow FI, etc. Which

What was most surprising once money was no longer the forcing function in life?

What is it that he wants readers to feel after closing this book

What’s next for Cody

And much more!

Have you been looking for a book to help you find your path to early retirement? Or maybe you know someone who could use this kind of guidance?

Give this episode a listen, check out the book, and share with friends and family!

Links from the Episode

Retire by 30 (https://retireby30book.com)

The ebook is just $0.99 through the month of May, and Cody is giving away an iPhone to one lucky buyer.

YouTube Interview

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

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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!

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Learn More About Your Hosts

CodyDBerman.com (Cody’s Blog)

Saving-Sherpa (Justin’s blog)

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)

In this episode, we dive into the concept of “Comprehensive Coveting” and why you can’t cherry-pick the best parts of someone else’s success without accepting their sacrifices.

For example, maybe squeezing into a 375 sq/ft apartment or forgoing children isn’t something you’re comfortable with, even if those are huge reasons why Justin retired at 33.

We pull back the curtain on tons of real-world trade-offs, especially with early retirement.

Plus, we run the numbers on what upgrading your lifestyle actually costs in years of your life

Finally, we leave you with a quick “Covet Audit” to help you turn financial envy into actionable clarity.

What things in life are you coveting? Can you use it as motivation, or is it time to move on and let go?

If you found value in the episode, please share it with a friend!

Links from the Episode

Comprehensive Coveting Blog Post (https://saving-sherpa.com/blog/comprehensive-coveting)

YouTube Interview

https://youtu.be/kgH6b4WZOBY

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)

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)