I have finally binged my way through all of Money with Katie and there is a podcast-shaped hole in my heart. I'm a man, but I really enjoyed a more female perspective on all things money - it's not radically different from what I hear male podcasters in the personal finance sphere say, but it is *just* different enough to give me a new perspective on things. I know Katie is still out there doing things but she's moved on to more big-picture, systems level problems and I'd like to have a perspect...

25 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies C by CaiS6

How to account for large, irregular expenses in FI planning

Hi! As we get closer to FI (5-7 years if assumptions hold), I've been thinking about the best way to plan for large but irregular expenses. Things that pop up every 3-10 years like large house maintenance (washer/dryer, HVAC, roof, etc) and especially buying a car in cash. For assumptions let's say $25-35k every 4 years (two cars, each kept 8 years, staggered purchases) and for home maintenance costs maybe $500 some years and $5000 others. Currently, I 'budget' for home maintenance costs but als...

24 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Investing A by Anonymous

Increased investing?

I'm curious if there is anyone else that has actually increased their investing during the down market. Probably more specifically for those that are close to FI or are still accumulating.

20 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Earning More J by Josh M.

Guidance for transitioning to CFP (from Army CPT)?

I’m an Army CPT planning to transition out in ~4 years (after transferring GI Bill benefits). I’ve grown pretty dissatisfied with my career path, and I’m exploring financial planning as a long-term career. Note, I'm in the brainstorming stage and am just looking at options. I enjoy personal finance, building plans, and teaching others, from the experience I've had. The end goal would be education-focused (workshops, classes, and/or hourly advice), and not AUM-driven. We’re currently at Coast FI...

16 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Real Estate m by mdhershberger32

Sell Home and Rent?

Hi everyone! Based on my own personal experience and reading others’ financial analyses of renting versus buying, I believe there are circumstances in which it makes more sense to rent than buy, and my husband and I don’t believe our current house will be our long-term home, so I’m trying to figure out if it makes sense financially to go ahead and sell now and start renting if that’s going to save us money over the long term. Does anyone have suggestions on how to do the math for this? I’m curre...

15 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Tax Strategies C by Charlotte

Spreadsheet from Cody & Sean's book?

Hi everyone! In their book "Tax Planning to and through Early Retirement," Cody Garrett & Sean Mullaney mention creating a spreadsheet in chapter 36 to track cap gains/losses for EOY tax planning, deciding whether to do a Roth conversion, etc. Has anyone already created a spreadsheet like this that they would be willing to share? They also mention current year tax planning software for this same purpose. Any recommendations? We are retiring in May and this part of retirement feels foggy to m...

9 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Military FI N by Nords

ChooseFI Honolulu meetup: 1:30 PM Saturday 21 March, Taps & Apps.

For those of you on Oahu (and any ChooseFI members who happen to be visiting Oahu this weekend), we're having another meetup at 1:30 Saturday 21 March at Taps & Apps in Mililani Mauka. \[ChooseFI Honolulu Meetup\](/member/events/7fc1d9f8-35bd-4075-92ae-489fc07425db) I'll be there, congratulating Clarence L once more on becoming an official military retiree! We're keeping an eye on the weather. This weekend's Kona Low Part 2 will hopefully be less severe than last week, but we'll know more by...

1 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Lifestyle Design H by Heatherrrr

I did it -> last full time day is March 13

Hey everyone! Just sharing something exciting, I put in my notice at my w2 job and my last day will be next Friday. My side hustle has been taking off, and I cant wait to spend more time on that. My husband is still working his W2, which will cover our expenses. Savings rate will drop to his 401k match + HSA. We're about 68% to our Fi#, and past coastfi. It doesn't feel real yet, but I am so excited for the next chapter.

8 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies A by Arcenis Rojas

To Roth or not to Roth

I recently wondered whether I should convert my traditional IRA and 401K accounts (including my current 401K contributions) to Roth. I spoke with a friend who advocated strongly for switching everything to Roth. While I recognize that Roth has great advantages (I have a Roth IRA presently) like no taxes on distributions and no required minimum distributions, I wonder if it'd be right for me. Below is a little bit about my situation. - I'm more interested in retiring with zero than passing anythi...

24 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Investing k by kyleray336

Large Windfall

I want to respect rule number 2 as much as possible here, but I am genuinely asking for guidance. I have received an $800,000 gift in the beginning of my FI journey. This is unexpected and it immediately makes me feel lightyears ahead of my goals! The issue is, I have not started my taxable account yet. I only have my funs in 401k. I have not finished my expense audit completely, but I have a good idea. Right now this money is burning a hole in my HYSA. FI is $1.3M. I feel like my plan to retire...

10 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Tax Strategies A by Anonymous

Tax Loss Harvesting....

With current market volatility, I would like to capture losses with recent investments to offset my dividends/income. Where can I get more information on TLH (within Vanguard), documenting the losses for tax reporting purposes for the year, forms needed for 2026 tax prep to show losses for accountant and moving the losses forward should they exceed the $3,000 yearly limit? Thank you for any information I can get.

9 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies d by daposton

New Morningstar Article (Feb 26) - Very low Safe Withdrawal percentages

Hi ChooseFI community, I normally like and appreciate the Morningstar articles on personal finance. However, I just read one from Feb that pushes the standard safe withdrawal rate for a 40 year retirement to 3.2%. Does anyone have any feedback on that number? I would estimate a large percentage of this community is modeling a 40+ retirement period. Here is a link to the article. (FYI - Yes, I have read about risk parity. Yes, I have read the ERN SWR series.) [www.morningstar.com](https://www.mor...

22 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies m by matthewbg89

Roth conversions - what can be withdrawn tax-free

To supplement my brokerage account in early retirement, I'm building in using Roth contributions that I can withdrawal tax/penalty free. My question is about once conversions. After I retire, I'll roll my 401k into a traditional IRA. From there, I was thinking about Roth conversions. I know I'd spread out the conversion over multiple years to manage the taxes, but just roll with this basic example. Say in the 401k I had contributed $100,000 and that grew to $175,000. I roll that into a tradition...

18 replies 5 days ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies 8 by 8thWonder

Umbrella Insurance Policy Recommendations!

Hi all! Not sure where this topic neatly fits but here seemed best. I am finally about to look up some umbrella insurance policy quotes. Was wondering if those in the community that have already purchased it had some companies they do business with that they recommend? And if you’re comfortable feel free to share your coverage amount and yearly policy rate, plus if you like the company’s support if you’ve ever dealt with them. Cheers!

16 replies 5 days ago Read more →

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