Newsletter

FI-Side Chats

What happens when you discover financial independence, but your partner is not convinced? Nik Johnson shares the role his wife’s support played in their journey—from a failed car dealership to rebuilding their finances, building a home, and having the choice to retire. In this CampFI presentation, Nik introduces his C.E.N.T. framework: Communicate Evaluate Negotiate, and Trust. His message is to focus on a shared future, listen to your partner, and work toward a plan that serves both of you. Original presentation: From Failure to FI: The Importance of a Supportive Mate. Recorded in 2025. Resources: • Nik's Everyday Money Heroes podcast - https://everydaymoneyheroes.com/ YouTube:@Everyday-Money-Heroes • Relationship Coaching With Nik & Adinah @relationshipcoachingwithni4517 CHAPTERS 0:00 Make it about us 0:14 Discovering FI—and telling your partner 1:32 Meet Nik Johnson 2:27 How do I get my partner on board? 3:55 Setting expectations as a couple 5:11 Going all in on a business 7:51 When the money was gone 9:05 Choosing mercy and support 10:06 Rebuilding after the setback 11:37 Building a home together 14:05 The freedom to fail 15:15 Finishing the house and paying it off 16:23 The gift of time 19:33 The C.E.N.T. framework 21:22 Resources 21:43 What if your partner is right? 22:26 Watch next
How to Get Your Partner on Board with FI | Nik Johnson
What if fear of failure is keeping you from trying something that could change your life? In The Retirement Experiment, Rebekah Rollins shares how burnout, community, and small practical steps helped her bring forward a planned career break. Rebekah reflects on the boring middle of a financial independence journey, the uncertainty of leaving familiar work, and what she was learning three months into her mini-retirement. Recorded at CampFI in 2025. Later in 2025, Rebekah co-founded FI FunFest with her husband, Brad. FI FunFest is a weekend of fun, connection, and friendships at a lakeside retreat celebrating the FI community. Learn more: https://www.fifunfest.org/ Resources: Leap Like Me with Lisa Hoashi https://www.lisahoashi.com/podcast Retire Often with Jillian Johnsrud https://a.co/d/02gFgYO1 The Sabbatical Project with DJ DiDonna https://thesabbaticalproject.org/ CHAPTERS 0:00 What if you win? 0:22 A retiree in training 1:19 The original retirement plan 2:17 The boring middle 3:12 Burnout and resistance to change 5:22 Self-doubt and fear of failure 7:00 Understanding burnout 9:11 A turning point at CampFI 10:49 Small steps toward an exit plan 12:20 Facing fear and doubt 13:30 What if I win? 14:09 Making decisions without regret 15:20 Keeping sight of the goal 17:35 Taking the career break 18:07 Life three months into mini-retirement 19:36 Resources and the next step 20:43 Closing thoughts and applause 21:04 Watch next LOOKING FOR MORE? ✌️Find your tribe at a CampFI nearest you! Register here: https://campfi.org/ Watch This Next https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIxrcc5HS94Ym28v9AQpSnHpmU1m3SX4 CampFI is a life-changing retreat for people on their journey to financial independence. Whether you're just curious, working towards or have already achieved financial independence, this event has something for everyone, from various outdoor activities, hanging out and mind-opening sessions. In 2017, Stephen Baughier created this retreat to provide the opportunity for attendees to learn and grow together on their journey of Financial Independence.
What If You Win? The Retirement Experiment | Rebekah Rollins | CampFI
What if creativity is already part of your life—you just haven't called it art? Bill Melcher explores that question with Pete Adeney, Mr. Money Mustache, through stories of raising a daughter, fixing cars, welding, making things, and finding adventure in everyday life. Part 2 focuses on Bill's main presentation. He reflects on seeing life beyond money, starting the creative parts of retirement now, changing lifelong habits, and using time with intention. His supplied photographs accompany the talk, followed by Pete and Bill's closing reflections. Recorded at CampFI in 2025. Part 1 contains their shared opening, Bill's early background, and Pete's longer discussion of financial independence, fatherhood, health, and community. Contains adult language and mature analogies. Thumbnail artwork is an AI-assisted retro adventure-comedy illustration based on supplied speaker photographs. CHAPTERS 0:00 A financial adventure 0:15 Creativity, family, and being a dad 1:02 Learning to fix cars 2:51 Did you like spreadsheets in kindergarten? 3:20 Seeing life through a financial lens 4:43 How we learn what success means 6:20 Creativity and money 7:26 Start living your retired life now 8:23 Creativity and balance 9:17 The garage as an art studio 10:11 Investing in yourself 10:57 Changing lifelong money habits 13:08 Art, family, and legacy 14:26 Doing things with intention 15:48 Friendship and community 17:26 Every moment is yours 18:34 Pete’s closing reflection 19:26 Bill: being in the present 20:28 Watch next
Bill and Pete's Financial Adventure Part 2 | Bill Melcher
What does life after financial independence actually look like? Pete Adeney, Mr. Money Mustache, and his friend Bill Melcher share stories of friendship, fatherhood, building things, and making room for an unconventional life. Part 1 follows their shared opening and focuses on Pete's journey: retiring to be a dad, discovering new interests, the 'happiness buttons,' and why he sees health and community as central to retirement. Pete's closing reflection on worrying less rounds out the episode. Recorded at CampFI in 2025. Part 2 focuses on Bill's ideas about creativity, everyday art, and using your time intentionally. Contains adult language. Thumbnail artwork is an AI-assisted retro adventure-comedy illustration based on supplied speaker photographs. CHAPTERS 0:00 A financial adventure 0:16 Forty years of unconventional retirement 1:58 How Pete and Bill became friends 3:25 The rowboat solution 5:01 MMM HQ and hands-on adventures 8:33 Bill’s accidental path to FI 13:31 Pete’s accidental path to FI 16:42 Retiring to be a dad 19:16 Building, welding, and writing 21:03 The happiness buttons 23:33 Health as wealth 25:49 Get outdoors 28:42 The secret staircase 30:23 A creative exercise for work and retirement 31:41 Pete’s closing lesson: worry less 32:31 Watch next
Bill and Pete's Financial Adventure Part 1 | Mr. Money Mustache
Dan Griffin shares his path to becoming a Boglehead and walks through ten principles for keeping investing simple: make a plan, start early, manage risk, diversify, avoid market timing, use index funds, keep costs and taxes low, and stay the course. The talk explores compounding, asset allocation, rebalancing, the long-term effect of fees, and the value of patience. CHAPTERS 0:00 Investing made simple - preview 0:14 Opening applause and introduction 1:18 Dan's investing background 2:16 A change in mindset 5:29 Who was Jack Bogle? 7:00 Bogleheads and ChooseFI 7:52 The ten Boglehead principles 8:14 1. Develop a workable plan 8:45 2. Invest early and often 11:00 3. Balance risk and capacity 12:19 4. Diversify 13:44 Asset allocation and rebalancing 17:27 5. Avoid market timing 20:40 6. Use index funds 22:09 7. Keep costs low 24:53 8. Minimize taxes 25:18 9. Invest with simplicity 26:03 10. Stay the course 26:45 Recap and closing applause 27:11 Watch next Recorded at CampFI Southeast in January 2025. Includes Dan's original slides alongside the presentation. LOOKING FOR MORE? ✌️Find your tribe at a CampFI nearest you! Register here: https://campfi.org/ Watch This Next https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIxrcc5HS94Ym28v9AQpSnHpmU1m3SX4 CampFI is a life-changing retreat for people on their journey to financial independence. Whether you're just curious, working towards or have already achieved financial independence, this event has something for everyone, from various outdoor activities, hanging out and mind-opening sessions. In 2017, Stephen Baughier created this retreat to provide the opportunity for attendees to learn and grow together on their journey of Financial Independence.
How to Be a Boglehead: 10 Principles for Simple Investing | Dan Griffin
Alise Jackson shares how losing her husband unexpectedly at 36 changed the way she thinks about money, security, and time. Paying off consumer debt gave her room to grieve, while unfinished financial preparations brought challenges she had not anticipated. In this CampFI presentation, Alise reflects on what helped, what she wishes they had done differently, and how she rebuilt her life. She discusses preparing for loved ones, finding community, and recognizing when a retirement dream is taking more time than it gives back. Recorded in January 2025. This presentation shares Alise's experiences and views at the time of recording. Speaker website, as shown in the supplied presentation: https://ajmoneycoach.com/ More CampFI talks: https://www.youtube.com/c/CampFITogetherWeFI/videos CHAPTERS 0:00 The wealth of time — opening excerpt 0:14 Meet Alise 0:57 Marriage, debt, and the starting point 2:02 A financial awakening 4:05 Sudden loss and what preparation made possible 7:33 The financial good, bad, and unexpected 15:24 Rebuilding a life and valuing time 20:22 Preparing for the people you love 24:36 When retirement stops buying back your time 27:12 Changing course with help from the FI community 28:48 Watch next and subscribe
The Wealth of Time: What I Learned About FI After Loss | Alise Jackson
Hours of spreadsheets, budget meetings, and tracking every transaction—and still overspending. Matt Tarr shares how he and his wife changed their approach to budgeting, automated their system, and found more freedom in their everyday spending. In this CampFI presentation, Matt discusses their path to CoastFI, why a budget needs to work for both partners, and how they used Qube Money for spending, bills, and short-term goals. He walks through the digital cash-envelope approach, their account setup, buffer category, and monthly reports. Matt is co-host of the CoastFI Couple podcast. https://coastficouple.com/ In the talk, he discloses that he is an investor in Qube Money https://qubemoney.com/ (CampFI is not an affiliate marketer for Qube Money) and works with the company raising private equity. This recording presents his experience and the product as described at the time of the presentation. CampFI — Together We FI. CHAPTERS 0:00 We still overspent — teaser 0:15 Meet Matt Tarr 1:04 Why a good budget matters 2:12 Our path to financial freedom 3:37 What CoastFI means to us 4:30 When budget date nights took all night 6:43 Why tracking alone did not work 8:10 Three qualities of a good budget 9:50 Our automated account setup 10:57 Could we leave a stressful career? 12:49 Qube Money and Matt’s disclosure 14:33 Bills, spending, and goals 15:41 How digital cash envelopes work 17:47 Our spending categories and buffer 19:33 Bills and unexpected price increases 22:31 Saving for short-term goals 24:13 Monthly reporting 24:49 Less stress and guilt-free spending 25:59 Keep budgeting simple and sustainable 26:20 Watch next MORE FROM CAMPFI Find an upcoming CampFI retreat: https://campfi.org/ Watch more talks: https://www.youtube.com/c/CampFITogetherWeFI/videos CampFI brings people together to learn, connect, and support each other on the journey to financial independence. Whether you're exploring FI, working toward it, or already there, there's a place for you in the community.
Budgeting Without Anxiety: How We Stopped Overspending | Matt Tarr | CampFI
Why do we buy what we buy? Jen Smith explores the needs behind spending: connection, confidence, creativity, and purpose. Using Maslow's hierarchy of needs, everyday purchases, and her own experience as a committed saver, Jen explains how family, friends, faith, and fulfilling work can help guide money decisions. She also looks at how marketers appeal to those needs. The opening excerpt highlights one example: buying status to earn respect from people we do not know. The full talk puts that idea in context and explores spending that supports the life you want. CHAPTERS 0:00 Why you really spend — teaser 0:15 How to spend money 1:07 Jen, Jill, and Frugal Friends 1:18 Maslow and the needs behind spending 4:05 Family, friends, faith, and fulfilling work 5:02 Spending on love and belonging 5:48 Esteem, confidence, and status purchases 8:41 Buying supplies without doing the hobby 9:17 Creativity and spontaneity 11:10 When to spend instead of save 12:05 Questions to guide a purchase 13:08 How marketers appeal to your needs 15:50 Spotting manufactured problems 17:00 Three ways to spend with purpose 17:37 Watch next and subscribe Speaker: Jen Smith Listen to Jen's podcast here: https://www.frugalfriendspodcast.com/ Book: Buy What You Love Without Going Broke https://a.co/d/05HuOsEY MORE FROM CAMPFI Find an upcoming CampFI retreat: https://campfi.org/ Watch more talks: https://www.youtube.com/c/CampFITogetherWeFI/videos CampFI brings people together to learn, connect, and support each other on the journey to financial independence. Whether you're exploring FI, working toward it, or already there, there's a place for you in the community.
Why You Really Spend | Jen Smith | CampFI
What happens after you reach a financial goal? In this CampFI talk, Jill Sirianni explores how to build a life that supports both the pursuit and the achievement of your goals. Through personal stories and practical questions, Jill discusses the arrival fallacy, the costs of goal pursuit, and four practices that can make the journey more sustainable: asking thoughtful questions, practicing contentment, embracing simplicity, and engaging with community. Topics include defining enough, connecting goals with your values, gratitude, finding your radical middle between hustle and complacency, and investing in social wealth. #CampFI #FinancialIndependence #IntentionalLiving CHAPTERS 0:00 Your goals aren’t enough 0:16 Welcome and curating your life 1:14 An encounter with FIRE 3:00 Life on the other side of a goal 4:35 The pitfalls of goal setting 6:45 Intrinsic motivation and the journey 8:09 Four practices that sustain us 8:21 Ask thoughtful questions 10:29 Practice contentment 12:00 Find your radical middle 13:08 Embrace simplicity 14:56 Engage with community 16:14 Bring it all together 17:18 Watch next and subscribe Presentation: Curating Your Life to Support Your Financial Goals Speaker: Jill Sirianni Listen to Jill's podcast here: https://www.frugalfriendspodcast.com/ Book: Buy What You Love Without Going Broke https://a.co/d/05HuOsEY MORE FROM CAMPFI Find an upcoming CampFI retreat: https://campfi.org/ Watch more talks: https://www.youtube.com/c/CampFITogetherWeFI/videos CampFI brings people together to learn, connect, and support each other on the journey to financial independence. Whether you're exploring FI, working toward it, or already there, there's a place for you in the community.
Curate Your Life to Support Your Financial Goals | Jill Sirianni | CampFI
Subscribe