Q&A with Experts Live on the ChooseFI Site
I’ve been excited to announce this for months and it’s finally ready:
The ability for you to ask questions about numerous FI and life topics and get them answered by our friends and world-class experts is live on the ChooseFI website!
Ask a question on our feedback page (the same place that’s linked to at the bottom of every newsletter for the 1% wins submissions) and I’ll review it and pass many on to the growing list of experts who have already committed to answering questions including:
- Karsten Jeske (Big ERN) on safe withdrawals
- Fritz Gilbert on drawdown strategies
- Jess from the Fioneers on designing your life before FI (including Coast/Slow FI)
- Jillian Johnsrud on mini-retirements
- Dr. Bobby Dubois on health and longevity
- Dean Turner on fitness and muscle building
- Chad Carson on real estate
- Katie & Alan Donegan on entrepreneurship and international FI
- Sean Mullaney on taxation
- Cody Garrett on a range of FI topics and case studies
It’s hard to describe how transformative and helpful I think this can be for the FI Community and I’m so excited (but not surprised) that these incredible people are willing to help the community.
I’m actively trying to get many more experts on a range of topics and will be updating you as I add people to the list.
But in the meantime, get your questions in on any topic and we can get working on answering them!
Here are the first six we’ve published:
(Note: Be sure to notice the audio player on each that allows you to hear the expert’s answer and then scroll down for a more detailed written version)
- “Should You Hold Bonds in Taxable or Tax-Deferred Accounts?” answered by Cody Garrett
- “Already Maxed Out Your Roth IRA, 401(k), and HSA? Here’s What to do Next” answered by Cody Garrett
- “Where to Begin When You’re Ready to Prioritize Your Health in 2025” answered by Dr. Bobby Dubois
- “Should You Contribute to Roth401(k) or Traditional 401(k) in Your Peak Income Years” answered by Sean Mullaney
- “Safe Withdrawal Rates for Early Retirees: Does the 4% Rule Work Across a 40 to 50 Year Horizon” answered by Karsten Jeske
- “Creating a Dynamic Withdrawal Strategy” by Fritz Gilbert
Nuts and Bolts: Buying (and Selling) Equities
Mindy and Scott over at the BiggerPockets Money podcast are crushing it lately with actionable, educational resources on how to access your money before 59.5. Their recent episodes with John Bowens on 72(t) and accessing an IRA at 45 without penalties were particularly good.
Most recently, they had our good friend Frank Vasquez on to walk through the actual process of setting up a portfolio (at Fidelity in this case, but the concept holds no matter what brokerage you’re using) and, crucially, how to actually sell assets.
We will all need to sell assets in the future, and this type of educational information will set you mentally on a path where you know you can do this easily when the time comes.
I listened to this episode as a podcast, and it was amazingly compelling, and I know the YouTube walkthrough will be even more informative for you.
If you’re getting set to take the first steps towards buying equities, or you want to get in the mindset of selling assets when the time comes, I highly recommend this episode!
ChooseFI Community Taking Action This Week
I just got back from 5 weeks of travel across the country. I was able to take Amtrak for free with points. I took it from Michigan to California, with stops in Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, and got to see family and friends along the way. Luckily, I'm mostly able to work remotely (I need to swipe my badge once/week), and my company has offices in different states. One thing that isn't talked about a lot with travel rewards is the carbon cost, which is greatly reduced with train travel.
- Thad
My 1%+ improvements, this week.
- Discovered my company has a 457, for which I am eligible. I enrolled, immediately!
- Completed 2nd week of Dean Turner's workout.
- Choose FI gave me the tools to finally understand my financial life and the courage to step away from a job that caused me a lot of stress. I found the job that lights me up, in my same company. My current job ends on 4/4/25. I'm taking a week off to spend time with loved ones. My new job starts on 4/14/25! Have had people calling me, telling me I'm making the right decision, I'm courageous, they're jealous, and on and on. I've been sharing my journey, and referring them all to ChooseFI.
- Employed some of the advice from the Hello Nectarine advisor. Moved my money from a higher fee large cap fund to lower fee ETF, containing the same large cap companies and similar return.
- Andrea
We recently received our completed tax return from our accountant. He has been good in the past and with the due date only a week away my wife and I almost just signed the document and called it a day. We were owing for federal and multiple states so I figured I might as well do a quick review and ended up finding a big mistake. We both did backdoor Roth IRA contributions of $7,000 each and this total of $14,000 was included in our taxable income. The conversion from the traditional IRA to our Roth IRA was showing as taxable and after a quick phone call our accountant had our updated return. The difference was a $4,000 swing from us owing about $2,000 to gaining $2,000. Just goes to show that accountants are human and can make mistakes so take the time and don't skip the review of your tax return.
- Michael
This week my 1% better feels like 100% better. I purchased more stocks and bonds yesterday, and I'm glad to say it because my husband and I are now only $100,000 away from Coast FI. What a milestone! Let's rewind really quick. I found ChooseFI on July 2nd, 2020 and my life was forever changed. Similar to Jonathan I was a pharmacist working for a retail chain, but wanting more "time"; my own time. I binged episodes before work, after work, day and night for months. I slowly started taking action, just one thing at a time, even if I didn't know how yet to use that thing in the long run. Thanks to your constant reminders to take action, I have stacked habits and automated many parts of our finances. Nearly five years later, we are on our way, closer than I ever imagined to a life that isn't all about work. This year I was able to step back and started working only 4 days a week, using this extra time to spend with our loved ones.
- Joanna
I made my life 1% better by transferring brokerages for a cash bonus paid out over 2 years. The choice became clear when I stopped visualizing the cash bonus as a % and instead as # of weeks of work. Is the transfer worth the %? Maybe 🤔 Is the transfer worth 4 working weeks of my life? Definitely 😃
- Enrique
My 1% actually feels like a far bigger win to me right now. I realized at the end of 2024 that I technically had reached my FI number! Although I'd like to continue to build additional reserves for things like funding my daughter's college education, I have the peace of mind that should I get cut from the workforce or need to resign, I will be ok. That feeling is priceless! I now also know how to access my funds if I do retire early thanks to the ChooseFI podcast. I'm so grateful for this information!
- Carrie
Click HERE and let me know what you did to make your life 1% better this week!