Best Places for Barista FI, Financial Psychology Survey Results

"<div data-block="broadcast-blocks.markdown-email"><div style="">\n <h2 style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Best Places to Work for Barista FI</strong></h2>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">I came across a fun (and genuinely useful)<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Zn0eCEPMA" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;"> video from Zach at On Cash Flow</a> where he set out to answer a simple question:</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Where are the best places to work if you\u2019re pursuing Barista FI?</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">He built a clear set of criteria to find companies that actually make this lifestyle viable:</p>\n<ul style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin:0 0 16px; padding-left:20px;">\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Less than 30 hours/week required for benefits</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Health insurance available to part-time employees</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Average pay of at least 2\u00d7 the federal minimum wage</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Offers a 401(k) match</li>\n</ul>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Before we dive in, a quick refresher on Barista FI:</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;"><em style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-style:italic;">Barista FI is a semi-retirement strategy where you leave a full-time, high-stress career once your investments can cover part of your expenses\u2014and then work a lower-stress, part-time job to cover the rest (often keeping benefits like healthcare in the process).</em></p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">After digging through the data, Zach identified 16 companies that meet all of those criteria and ranked them:</p>\n<ol style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin:0 0 16px; padding-left:20px;">\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Southwest</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Delta</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Nike</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">JPMorgan Chase</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Starbucks</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">AT&T</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">REI</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Trader Joe\u2019s</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Amazon</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">UPS</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Walmart (tied with UPS)</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Macy\u2019s</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Lowe\u2019s</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Wegmans</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Chipotle (tied with Wegmans)</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;">Costco</li>\n</ol>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Barista FI isn\u2019t personally how I envision life after financial independence, but I get the appeal. For a lot of people, this is the perfect middle ground: more freedom, less stress, and just enough structure (and benefits) to feel secure.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Huge credit to Zach for putting this together.</p>\n<hr / style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0;" />\n </div>\n \n </div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.markdown-email"><div style="">\n <h2 style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Financial Psychology Survey: Community Results</strong></h2>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Two weeks ago, I shared Frank Vasquez\u2019s <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">\u201c<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJI7-_Gp_84RE6xBlcs1IPaMfoRft5907oUITKlg3PMoGnfA/viewform" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;">Unified Financial Psychology Assessment,</a>\u201d</strong> a 12-question quiz designed to uncover your financial archetype.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">It looks at your emotional baseline, strategic preferences, and execution style, and how those shape your approach to money.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">You can still take it for personalized results, but Frank just shared updated <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">community-wide insights</strong>, which I thought were worth highlighting:</p>\n<blockquote style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; border-left:4px solid #1c7ff2; padding:0 15px; color:#666; line-height:1.5;">\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Survey results!</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Here<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19iE6RPGlzf8WMTu3HxHu__S3z9YkhIDI/view?usp=sharing" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;"> is a short slide show about some of the highlights</a> (and for those interested, a more<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/11JloQ-5IBusKHZ1yDBPtkb8LjxTKLFGz9upJaD9iPQI/edit?fbclid=IwY2xjawRAhi5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkcUtXdzhNaHhWU21SUDdWc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHm5rM0KaSdO6RPliltiHRPwnt-6FELKj1Vj8y9P4DKlq6R4hE5xqj6SBBbRy_aem_4ShyLUNVbz9FKIxut_mm8Q&tab=t.0" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;"> detailed write-up is available here</a>).</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">We had over 2000 respondents from the ChooseFI and Bigger Pockets Money communities (as of April 5)! Thank you!</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">As noted in the original posts, there are Four Archetypes that the assessment sorted into:</p>\n<ul style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin:0 0 16px; padding-left:20px;">\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">The Stoic Indexer (Probability-Based + Commitment):</strong> Driven by <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">High Conscientiousness</strong> and <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Low/Mod Neuroticism</strong>. These are unemotional "set-and-forget" practitioners.</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">The DIY Synthesizer (Probability-Based + Optionality):</strong> Driven by <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">High Openness</strong> and <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Low Agreeableness</strong>. These are intellectual "engine builders" who optimize complex portfolios.</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">The Safety-First Architect (Safety-First + Optionality):</strong> Driven by <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Mod/High Neuroticism</strong> and <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Low Agreeableness</strong>. They build custom "floors" to manage anxiety without outsourcing control.</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">The Anxious Delegator (Safety-First + Commitment):</strong> Driven by <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">High Neuroticism</strong> and <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">High Agreeableness</strong>. These investors crave authority and contractual guarantees to mitigate stress.</li>\n</ul>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">The AI model predicts that of the <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">General Population</strong>, 40-45% will be Anxious Delegators, 25-30% will be Safety First Architects, 15-10% will be Stoic Indexers and 5-10% will be DIY Synthesizers.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">But the AI model ALSO predicts that <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">this FIRE Cohort</strong> will be much different: Around 1% will be Anxious Delegators, around 5% will be Safety First Architects, 55-65% will be Stoic Indexers and 30-40% will be DIY Synthesizers.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">The AI-model's hypothesis predictions were remarkably accurate, with the <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">actual results</strong> for the FIRE Cohort coming in at:</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">\u00b7 3.9% Anxious Delegators</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">\u00b7 5.3% Safety First Architects</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">\u00b7 51.7% Stoic Indexers</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">\u00b7 39.3% DIY Synthesizers.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">There are a number of other insights in the write-up -- have a peek, and these leads me to a number of other thoughts and ideas. Now I need a "more normal" population to test to see if the General Population predictions are also accurate.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Given how the financial services industry typically markets itself-- mostly on fear to attract Anxious Delegators and Safety-First Architects -- I am pretty confident that is the case.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<hr / style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0;" />\n </div>\n \n </div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.markdown-email"><div style="">\n <h2 style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Reminder: ChooseFI T-Shirt Shop Closing Soon</strong></h2>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Here\u2019s a quick reminder that if you want to purchase a ChooseFI T-shirt, the store closes <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">this Saturday April 18th</strong>.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">If you missed it in last week\u2019s newsletter, here\u2019s a copy & paste of what I wrote:</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">We're bringing back ChooseFI t-shirts for a limited time: The store is open through <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Saturday, April 18th</strong>, and shirts will be printed and shipped after it closes.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">I've partnered with a great company that handles everything\u2014 they open a temporary store, collect all orders during that time, and only start printing and shipping once a minimum number of shirts have been sold.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">This round includes <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">fun new light blue options</strong> along with both our <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">original and current logos</strong>. I\u2019ve chosen <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">high-quality shirts</strong> and lowered the price to keep it near break-even as I don\u2019t want to profit off of your support.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;"><a href="https://foreverfierce.com/collections/choose-fi" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;">Shop the ChooseFI T-Shirt Store</a> via Forever Fierce.</p>\n<hr / style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0;" />\n </div>\n \n </div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.markdown-email"><div style="">\n <h2 style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">ChooseFI Updates</strong></h2>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">ChooseFI Local Group Events</strong>: Take 30 seconds and <a href="https://local.choosefi.com/groups?utm_source=fi-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fi-weekly-apr-14-2026&ck_subscriber_id={{ subscriber.id }}" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;">sign up for your local group</a>. Then sit back and get email notifications of the local events in your area. This is a complete <strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">game changer</strong> and you'll never miss knowing about an event again.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Podcast Discussion</strong>: Join in and give us your thoughts on the podcast. <a href="https://local.choosefi.com/member/episode/594?utm_source=fi-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fi-weekly-apr-14-2026&ck_subscriber_id={{ subscriber.id }}" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;">Here's the link to Episode 594</a> on travel rewards tools and valuation with Noah.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;"><strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Travel Rewards Credit Cards</strong>: I keep my <a href="https://choosefi.com/top-recommended-travel-cards?utm_source=fi-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fi-weekly-apr-14-2026&ck_subscriber_id={{ subscriber.id }}" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:3px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:3px; font-style:normal;">Top Ten Recommended Travel Rewards Cards page</a> constantly updated, so it should always be your first source for your next travel rewards card.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">(<strong style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; color:#000; font-weight:bold;">Note:</strong> If you sign up for a credit card using our links, we earn a commission. That support keeps the podcast and newsletter free from ads. Thank you for making that possible.)</p>\n<hr / style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0;" />\n<h2 style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center;">ChooseFI Community Taking Action This Week</h2>\n </div>\n \n </div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n

\n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">My 1% better last week was booking a trip to Colombia on travel points accumulated from normal spending over the past two years, saving about $500, and also having the flexibility to book the trip a month out without paying more for being spontaneous and not booking further in advance.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">I am very excited as I am taking a year off work after my master\u2019s to travel through South America studying Spanish at a language school in Medellin, cycle through Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile, and hike in Patagonia. I\u2019m leaning into making the most of the boring middle with a mini retirement and also embracing this season of my life where I am willing to travel with less luxuries, camp and stay in hostels, and focus on activities that require health and fitness.</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — Ben\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n \n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">I checked unclaimed property in my state and am now $12.79 richer thanks to a stock dividend payout from years ago. It's not much but I really appreciate your sharing the link and bringing it to our attention again!</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — Diane\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n \n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">This is a Win, a Thesis Statement and Hot Take all wrapped up in one.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Here's my Win: In January of 2025 a friend and I decided to jump into the deep end. We took our love of nature, writing, art and trail running and decided to start an independent publication with written stories, essays, poems and artwork. It took us 6 months, 16 contributors and countless tries but we ended up with an incredible finished product that we have almost broke even on from our initial investment - all while keeping my full time job to keep everything stable for me and my family. It has been so cool to pour my creative energy into something I am so excited about and start to see traction.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Here's my thesis statement and hot take: In the FI community we get way too caught up in the one big break (or even the five small breaks) that launch someone into the stratosphere. Big bets on real estate, selling everything and going nomadic, even big bets on getting into a tech company with equity. I think we need to focus on the small immediate things we could do to feel better right now.</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — Evan\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n \n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">My 1% better: There is a fee for high school AP tests of about $95. I learned several years ago that the school guidance office has the discretion to waive the fees for families that make the request.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">I simply sent an email citing a couple specific financial challenges. During my daughter's high school years, she took 8 AP tests, so that's $760 in fees we didn't have to pay.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">My son is taking his first AP class in 10th grade, and we've received a waiver for that class and plan to request one for all future tests.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">AP classes and tests are a great way to level up in high school and help students shine in college applications. And the benefits continue in College. One of my daughter's best friends leveraged her AP credits to skip\nan entire year of college.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">My daughter didn't get regular college credits, but her AP test scores exempted from many lower level college classes (math, science, and foreign language), which allowed her to double major and do advanced research. Colleges treat AP scores differently, but it is always an advantage to have them.</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — Suzanne\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n \n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">My 1% improvement this week. My employer provides free access for employees to LinkedIn Learning, so my 1% this week is doing some free courses on LinkedIn Learning. (Note that some public libraries also provide free access to LinkedIn Learning.)</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — Jasmine\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n \n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">My 1% better is about food. We went to King Soopers (our local supermarket) and asked about tri tip. They did not have it readily available in the fridges so the butcher said he would check in the back.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Tri tip is probably one of the best cuts for grilling (IMHO). In any case, he said, we can sell it \u201cun prepped or as they get it\u201d for $2.99/lb. That was a steal!!!! Needless to say we bought it and will prep it at home!</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — Juan\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n \n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Signed up for 2 bank bonuses. Will get $250 for the personal checking bonus and $750 for the business checking bonus. Turned around and bought a 10oz silver bar from Costco for $919.99. Basically free, right? lol</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — PrettyFIDadKY\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div><div data-block="broadcast-blocks.community-spotlight"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; margin: 16px 0">\n \n <td\n style="\n border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6;\n background-color: #eff6ff;\n border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\n padding: 20px;\n font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;\n "\n >\n <p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Here is my 1% better:</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">I have been a great credit card point accumulator (close to 1.2M in the past seven years, largely due to sign-up bonuses), but I've struggled to use them. Partially because with two kids with different school schedules, we often don't have the time to travel. But I also get paralyzed by the need to optimize. In some cases, I haven't used points because I was afraid I'd be wasting them on sub-par redemptions and just used cash.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">This year my 78 year old mother asked me to take her to visit my daughter who is studying in Spain. I got a Points.me membership to get help using my points more effectively. With about 28,000 points and about $300 in out of pocket taxes and fees, I got round-trip tickets to Madrid, and the process was much easier than I thought it would be. And I'm using the travel portal for hotels (with the 1.5x bonus). I also used about 15k points to help my daughter attend an academic conference that she couldn't have attended otherwise.</p>\n<p style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; color:#3d3d3d; font-weight:400; line-height:1.5;">Am I getting the absolute best redemptions possible? Probably not. But I've come to embrace that like almost anything else, perfect is the enemy of the good. I can treat two very important people in my life to a dream vacation traveling around Spain spending very little of my hard earned cash. And we'll learn lessons on the way to make our next trip even better.</p>\n <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: #1e40af">\n — Suzanne\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </table>\n\n</div>"