The Chasing Financial Freedom Podcast: Episode 4

As promised when I introduced you readers/listeners to the CFF Podcast, Kraig and I are attempting to release a new episode every two weeks. Well, two weeks has just about passed us by and Episode 4 is hot off the presses!

First, I want to thank all of you readers for providing tremendous feedback! It has been extremely helpful in not only shaping Episode 4, but also the entire show going forward. Feedback is extremely important to us, as this product is really for you guys. I really want to provide you guys a lot of value when you stop by this blog. I know your time is limited and really valuable, and I try to make sure that this is a great place to spend a few minutes every day and hopefully find inspiration towards your personal finance goals. Furthermore, I’m just as inspired by you readers as you are by me. So, sharing that is really important and hopefully my desire to share and inspire shines through on these podcasts.

As I was stating above, feedback shaped this episode. One commenter that goes by the name of “Spoonman” indicated that he wanted to hear an episode on coping with the difficulty of pursuing something that other people may find strange”. I thought that was a great idea! I can’t believe I haven’t written a post on this yet, but I thought it was a great idea for the podcast because Kraig and I have both chosen to pursue a lifestyle outside of the norm and because of that I felt we could have a really interesting conversation on what it’s like to be different and how to cope.

In light of that, this Episode is titled: Coping with Being Different.

For those of you who listen to it, we really hope you enjoy it! We would love it if you could leave reviews and/or ratings over at iTunes as that will help us grow the podcast and deliver it to even more people. You can head over the iTunes page and subscribe here:

subscribe via itunes

I’m also including a Quicktime version of the podcast embedded into this post below, so if you don’t want to head over to iTunes you can listen to it right here on the blog.

The Chasing Financial Freedom Podcast: Episode 4 can be found blow. Just click play!

Please provide feedback. Let us know if you liked this new episode. We are really excited about this episode, and feel it’s the best one yet. Please review and/or rate at iTunes and help us grow.

Thanks for reading.

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41 Comments

  1. I Really enjoy it.

    Dr. Seuss said “Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

    I agree to be honest if someone is starting dating because if that person matter, they wont mind if you live frugally.

  2. Thank you for putting together the podcast. This is exactly what I was looking for. I will give you feedback tomorrow because I want to save it for my commute (anything that can make me look forward to my commute will lessen is a plus).

  3. FFDividend,

    Great looking portfolio! I see a lot of common names. 🙂

    I agree with you. The people you’ll really want in your life will accept you for who you are, and the people who don’t accept you are the people you won’t want in your life anyway.

    Thanks for adding that.

    Best wishes.

  4. Dtmheat,

    Thanks! Glad you liked it. Kraig and I also thought it was the best one yet. He even decided to include a blooper at the beginning where I screwed up the intro. He usually does the intro, but I gave it a whirl this time around.

    Great feedback there! I’ll see what I can come up with. That would be an awesome interview!

    Best regards.

  5. Spoonman,

    Hopefully we did your idea justice! Let us know what you think. I hope it helps out with the morning commute. I used to have a 45-minute commute to work at 6:00 in the morning when I was living in Michigan. THAT SUCKED.

    Take care!

  6. Alright, you’ve no idea how hard it is to NOT listen to it right this second…but that’s how much I need something to take the pain away from my commute =). (my commute isn’t that bad, but even riding the train can have its downsides)

  7. Thanks. Most of them are from looking at your portfolio and buying the ones I felt were undervalue. Thanks so much for doing this blog. You are truly inspirational.

  8. So I went ahead and played the podcast anyway because my wife wanted to listen to it!

    Lots of excellent advice in there. I very much agree with the takeaway of the podcast which is to establish a good support network and cultivate relationships that add positive feedback to your journey.

    I am lucky to have a wife that has been onboard with our FI journey from the beginning. I am also lucky to have some friends that are very understanding and are excited for us. One couple we know is pursuing a goal very similar to Kraig’s, so its easy to commiserate with them.

    Some social events are a bit hard though, namely going out to eat. Thankfully eating out doesn’t happen all that often so we treat it like a special occasion. Like you guys pointed out in the podcast, it’s important to understand balance and know when it’s OK to spend a little money. When we get ready to pull the trigger I think my closest friends will be very understanding of our reluctance to throw down $50 for a dinner.

    But as understanding as my friends are, I am very much like you and Kraig in that I “live and breath this stuff” and can find myself talking a bit more than my friends appreciate. That’s where the online community comes in. It’s good to know that there’s kindred spirits out there that share your enthusiasm for investing and pursuing your life dreams.

    Btw, I liked the blooper at the beginning of the podcast because it adds an edge of authenticity to it. My wife and I also cracked up when we heard the bit about ramen noodles and how you pretended it was a different meal each day!

    Thanks again for putting together such a nice episode! Keep up the good work!

  9. Thanks for the podcast, that was a great episode. Voluntary simplicity/frugality is certainly not the norm and for those who embrace it are perceived as being different. I had a co worker ask me once if I had a bunch of kids that I was paying child support for or had some kind of wage garnishment because I was riding a bike to work. The person that said this is clearly one of the people shackled in the cave that Plato refers to in his allegory.

    Cheers,
    Nomad

  10. Spoonman,

    I think you just may be the podcast’s biggest fan! I love all the conversation on this topic and can’t help but nod my head to all you are saying. Thanks for being so enthusiastic about the conversations we’re having and publishing here. It really pumps me up to keep going.

    Thanks again and I’m sorry that your ride to work tomorrow isn’t going to be as exciting now that you’ve already listened.

  11. Greetings from Thailand. Great episode with great information/inspiration. Please keep up the good work. It helps more of us stay focused that you can possibly know!

  12. BEST episode yet.
    Would be great if you guys could scour the internet for a retiree that is ACTUALLY living off dividends right NOW and interview him/her. I think it’d be a tremendous reinforcer to the community whose goal is to retire early. Because most of us are after this goal, that, on paper, seems to make sense, but who out there is living this?

  13. Great work on the podcast guys! You are a really good team and I love listening to you. Keep it up! 🙂

    Thanks from Sweden

  14. Good podcast–lots of ideas. And I love y’all’s accents!

    Such a stereotype: retiring to Florida!

    My significant other is, of course, less frugal than me, but it works both ways. There’s more spending because of him (more air conditioning, more gas, more movies, more restaurants). But there’s also less spending (we share housing, utilities, furniture, books, etc. and we can each fix different kinds of things plus help each other deal with car breakdowns). He is fine with me wanting to retire early, but he sees himself as getting richer and richer and always working and hopefully starting his own business.

    I work for the state, so I don’t have the problem of telling other people to do things that I really think might not be good for them. I just help people use a system that helps them do what they need to do.

    I’ve always earned less than my friends (I mostly hang with programmers and engineers but make less than a first-year teacher), so they already expect me to spend less than they do. Fortunately, they are supportive of me even thought I have taken low-status, low-pay jobs. And of course my co-workers understand frugality, too, because they also have relatively low salaries.

    I bought a small house when I was single. At the time I thought that when I got married (probably to a programmer or engineer), I’d move into his bigger place and rent mine out to students. But my guy doesn’t have his own place and he really loves the in-town location. Seeing where my (richer) friends have moved to, I really like my house better, too. My SO wants to expand it; I don’t want the increased utility bills and property taxes that would lead to. Since it’s my house and we’re not married, I’m winning (for now). We both think we have too much stuff, and that’s definitely the first place to start with this issue. Once we’re down to just what we actually want, we’ll know better whether any renovations would be helpful. And now that the house is paid off, he definitely enjoys having a tiny “rent” (taxes + insurance).

    My family has always thought of me as being the financially responsible one, so they generally support my choices. I was worried that when my paternal grandmother died, that people would switch to coming to me to borrow money, but fortunately my parents don’t think it’s appropriate to borrow from the next generation. Plus, since I make less than them, they don’t think I can afford to lend them money, even though they know I have savings. Whew!

    I don’t think it would have to be harder for extroverts (though I am also an introvert). They would just have to get more creative with the socializing. There are a lot of cheap and free ways to get together–free concerts, picnics, walks, clubs. And parties–my friends still throw a lot of cheap parties like in college such as informal music recitals and art shows and low-cost theme parties like a black-and-white party, tea party, pumpkin carving party, movie-watching party, potlucks or even dinner parties, etc.

    I don’t need to blog on these topics myself, but it does help me to read other blogs and to re-read my copy of The Tightwad Gazette whenever I need an inoculation against commercialism.

    Fortunately, my friends are also wise spenders, even if they do spend a lot more than I do. One set even takes turns taking a year or two off work even though they don’t have enough savings to both quit forever yet. My friends don’t have my goals, but we all benefit from each other’s goals. I give investment advice and home-made party snacks. I get to hang out in other people’s swimming pools and hot tubs, play on their ping-pong tables, join them with video games, read their books, play their board games, and go to their parties. I haven’t had to let friends go for this, though it does happen when they have kids or move away (except for the ones with blogs or facebook).

  15. Great podcast guys and kudos to Spoonman for the idea. You are spot on that it’s all about flexibility! I am forever trying to explain this to my family. They are coming around slowly. Fortunately my wife is onboard as long as we keep talking about our goals.

    Below is an article that will likely be of interest to the community. It references a study and book that found once ones needs are met, more money didn’t make “most people” any happier. Jason and Kraig aren’t accumulating money for the sake of money, but to buy time and flexibility to enjoy a sustainable life full of hobbies and relationships. One of the more insightful quotes I have ever heard was about people spending most of their life working…..in order to buy things they didn’t need…..to impress people they don’t really care about. There is a better way, and it sounds like you guys are well on your way.

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/101025441

  16. your largest holding gave you a nice near 11% raise today..they also gave it to me :)cant remember the last time i woke up and my boss told me id be even getting half of that size of a raise.

    took2summit

  17. Spoonman,

    Hey, really glad you liked it!

    Great points there. You’re really lucky to have a partner that totally supports the idea and is on board. That’s awesome!

    Glad to also hear you have some pretty supportive friends. Although it doesn’t add to the bottom line in terms of dollars and cents like saving money and investing will, support is crucial to succeeding at attaining FI. If you feel like an outsider and everyone is down on you it can be pretty tough to keep going. I’m lucky in that my friends, family and partner have all been extremely kind to me and very supportive of what I’m doing.

    Glad you liked me sharing my experience with ramen noodles! Yeah, I don’t even want to think about ramen noodles after eating them every day for lunch for a year straight. But that lean year provided a really nice boost to my ability to build my wealth snowball and I’m really glad I did it. Imagining I was eating something else was the only way I could keep going, but I tell ya I do miss the days of paying $2.00 for lunch all week. 🙂

    Thanks so much for the support! Like Kraig, it pumps me up as well. Appreciate the kind words.

    Best regards!

  18. Nomad,

    I love that allegory. One of the best insights on humanity that’s ever been written. It’s really funny how even when the truth is exposed, people continue to believe in lies. Ignorance is bliss, right?

    Simple living appeals to me because it’s just plain easy. I couldn’t imagine a more difficult life than working for 40-50 hours per week for 40 years of your life. That’s a tough go of it, in my opinion. It’s so much easier to shift to a much lower gear earlier in life and focus on your passions.

    I’m glad we’re no longer chained in the cave! 🙂

    Take care.

  19. Anonymous,

    Thanks so much. Kraig and I put a lot of effort into the podcast and we’re just hoping to produce a product that people enjoy. Enthusiastic support like this is really helpful. It’s much appreciated!

    Thanks for stopping by from Sweden!

    Take care.

  20. The Fast Weekly,

    This lifestyle is tough to explain to people that aren’t interested. I get that. I know it’s not for everyone. But if the people in your life can just be supportive, I think you’ve already won the battle!

    Great article there! I realized early on in this journey that more money does not equate to more happiness. In fact, it’s precisely because I was spending a lot of money and not receiving a lot of happiness in return that I decided to change my entire life. And I did it not a moment too soon. I know this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but I’ve realized what really matters to me in life: time. The more of it I can have to spend on the people and experiences that really make me happy the better off my life will be.

    Best regards!

  21. Debbie M,

    Thanks for the thoughtful comment!

    The friends of yours that takes a year or two off work sound like amazing people. I don’t have the guts for something like that, because I’d be afraid I wouldn’t be able to get back to work or that I wouldn’t want to go back to work. But If I could do something like that I might just do it. That sounds like a good way to get the best of both worlds.

    I’m not sure exactly how much more difficult living simply or trying to achieve financial independence is for extroverts. I don’t know if it can even be quantitatively measured. But I’m glad I don’t have to find out. I personally think that this type of living just comes more natural to introverts. I agree that extroverts could definitely live frugally and simply, but you’re probably right in the fact that it would require more planning. It would also require more support from friends because they’d likely have to “be in on it”. It would be hard to have board game nights if all of your friends are hellbent on going to the bar.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Best wishes.

  22. took2summit,

    Hell yeah! Gotta love that raise. 🙂

    I figured it would be right about that 10% mark, but I just couldn’t add to my position as it’s already my largest holding. Diversification is the only free lunch us investors have, so I’ll eat as much of it as I can stomach!

    I also have never experienced my boss just giving me a 10% raise because “it was that time of year”. Of course, that’s just one more reason I’m trying to move away from the working class and into the investor class.

    Take care!

  23. First time listening to your podcasts, good work man! Cool idea and both of you guys did great. One suggestion if I may: add a podcast tab at the top of your page so us readers can find them easier. I will check out the other episodes soon!

    I wonder what’s in store for you next… perhaps the Dividend Mantra tv show? Maybe a feature film? To be honest I think you’d make a good talk show host, haha!

    I clicked on a bunch of your ads in support. Thanks for creating excellent content.

  24. CI,

    Thanks for the kind words there. I really appreciate the support. This blog wouldn’t be here without readers like you. I’m just so glad that people find value and enjoyment in the content I provide here. It’s really a dream come true for me. Honest.

    I may add a tab above for the podcasts if these continue and grow in number. For now, you can find them under the “CFF Podcast” label on the right side of the page.

    The Dividend Mantra Show. I love it! I’ll have to start up a Youtube show or something. 🙂

    Thanks again for the support.

    Best regards!

  25. I’m remembering that No Impact Man just invited everyone over for dinner once a week–Wednesdays or something. He told them to just drop by if they had a chance. Even when he was trying to eat local and seasonal–in winter in New York City!–and had basically nothing but bread and cabbage soup, people still enjoyed coming over for home cooking and charades and whatnot. I’m pretty sure that guy’s an extrovert–he ran for Congress!

    On my friends who take off from work, one is a programmer/engineer and is actually always getting asked to rejoin the workforce by old co-workers; the other often changes career goals, so she’s always switching anyway. Whenever one of them starts getting too stressed and forgets how to have fun, the other one starts looking. Whoever’s not working has to deal with the household maintenance. Now they’re trying to decide whether to downsize so they can both quit or keep it up a while longer so they can maintain their party house. (It’s just a normal 2500-square-foot house, but very well laid out for parties, plus they have a pool and hot tub and nice view in the back.)

  26. Love the dividend increase as well.

    Bought 59 shares in PM in august at about the $85 mark. Great feeling knowing that I just started investing in PM and already getting a very nice raise.

    I’ve been with my employer for a year now and have not had a raise. They haven’t increased salaries for the last 3-4 years which means that with inflation the salary is decreasing. I’m determined to go from working class into the investor class with you guys.

  27. $25000 Dividends,

    Great buy on PM! I have been fighting myself lately with this stock. I’ve so badly wanted to increase my exposure as I think the price is right, but I’m already as heavily allocated as I’d like to be. It’s been a struggle, but I’ve held out so far.

    You’re right to be moving from the working class to the investor class. I think you’ll find the reception much warmer! 🙂

    Best wishes.

  28. I just wanted you to know that i really enjoy listening to the podcast! Its in my ears when i’m out on walks here in the middle of Sweden. Thanks guys!

  29. Katz,

    Hey! Just read the post. Very interesting stuff. 🙂

    So awesome to hear you’re living in Thailand. I’ve always wanted to visit. I hope to get there one day. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

    Thanks for the support and kind words. Glad you enjoy the blog.

    Best regards.

  30. Anonymous,

    That’s so great. The global reach of this blog just amazes me. It’s really wonderful to have fans across the globe. Sweden seems really beautiful. I hope the podcasts keep you entertained on your walks.

    Take care!

  31. DM… I’ve been meaning to stop by and let you guys know how much I enjoy this new format for a couple of weeks, finally making it happen. 🙂

    I’ve listened to the Money SOS and the first three of The Chasing Financial Freedom. I’m really impressed. I’ve been following you since you first started and although I feel like I’ve connected with you as a reader the podcast makes it even more personal. I really appreciate how open you and Kraig have been.

    What would I like to see or I guess hear in this instance? I don’t know if it’s possible, but having a roundtable discussion of a topic related to investing, frugality, etc. would be kind of cool. Maybe connect with a couple of other bloggers and discuss a topic. Hearing multiple views in the same venue would be kind of cool. Just a thought…

    Regardless I will continue to read and listen to as much material as you guys produce. Keep up the great work!

  32. Stoic,

    Hey! Great to hear from you. I hope the rehab project is going well! 🙂

    Thanks for the support on the podcasts. It was kind of a risk doing something different and putting myself out there in that kind of way. But you guys have been really supportive and Kraig has been a great partner in this. It’s just awesome to be involved in a really great community like this.

    A roundtable discussion sounds really cool. That might be tough to put together with people on different schedules and what not, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Not only would that be fun to listen to, but it would be really fun to be a part of and produce. I’d love something like that.

    Thanks again for the kind words and support. It means a lot!

    Hope to see you blogging again soon. I can imagine that project is keeping you plenty busy.

    Best wishes!

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