Question and Experiment, Merit Aid, Life Hack for Flights

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<h2 id="heading-question-and-experiment" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center">Question and Experiment</h2>\nOne of the hallmarks of a FI mind is thinking differently. This extends to all areas of life and we find that testing and experimentation help us succeed in ways that most other people simply don\u2019t.\nWe aren\u2019t content to take things as they are.\nWe constantly question. We constantly experiment.\nThings that are societally \u201cnormal\u201d aren\u2019t a given.\nEveryone else spends all their money and lives paycheck-to-paycheck.\nWhy does it have to be that way?\nWe live the same middle-class lifestyles, but we\u2019re getting wildly wealthy in the process.\nWe aren\u2019t content to work for 50+ years and maybe eke out a few years of \u201cretirement\u201d in our 70s and 80s.\nWe consider mini-retirements, Coast FI, or a period of concerted saving to get us to the point where working is optional forever.\nIf we find ourselves in communities where everyone thinks the same way, we don\u2019t go along with it, we question and try to understand.\nAnd if we can\u2019t understand or don\u2019t agree, we forge our own paths.\nWe don\u2019t fall prey to \u201ceveryone says,\u201d even when it\u2019s something small.\nFor example, I\u2019ve always looked at the made-up holidays like Valentine\u2019s Day or Mother\u2019s/Father\u2019s Day and thought you\u2019d have to be crazy to go out to eat on those days when restaurants are crowded, the food is rushed and more expensive and it\u2019s a stressful experience.\nHow about February 13th or 15th? Same way to show your affection, but just a little bit smarter.\n\u201cEveryone says\u201d you need to come out of the gym sweaty and miserable to get a \u201cgood\u201d workout.\nFor the last 3 years I haven\u2019t sweated once during my strength training \u2013 in fact, to an outside observer it looks like I\u2019m walking around for 45 minutes and lifting for 12.\nBut yet I\u2019ve gotten the best results of my life.\nBecause I sought out something better, and I found it.\nI\u2019m fanatical about staying ahead of chronic diseases, especially Type 2 Diabetes, which runs in my family, so I went to the Ulta Lab Tests website last week and subjected myself to an \u2018Oral Glucose Tolerance Test.\u2019\nI bought my own glucometer, so every 30 minutes I tested my blood sugar and had a running conversation with ChatGPT to assess the results.\nIt was like having the most intelligent doctor in the world in my pocket.\nThe world has never made it easier to question, test and experiment.\nBy pursuing FI you\u2019ve already stepped up and said you\u2019re someone who thinks differently. I\u2019d love to see you expand that into other areas of your life and continue that lifelong process of experimentation.\n<hr style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0"></div> \n \n\n \n

<h2 id="heading-merit-aid-for-college" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center">Merit Aid for College</h2>\nIf you\u2019re the parent of a 6th through 11th grader and you haven\u2019t listened to <a href="https://www.choosefi.com/are-you-prepared-for-college-brian-eufinger-ep-460/" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">ChooseFI Episode 460 with Brian Eufinger</a>, you need to drop everything and listen to that episode.\nThis was the most eye-opening episode I\u2019ve recorded in years, as I was completely unaware of \u201cmerit aid grids\u201d based on GPA and ACT/SAT test scores.\nAfter doing some research, I found a college we really like here in Virginia publishes a merit aid grid and it seems plausible to get up to a full tuition scholarship for a capable student. We simply wouldn\u2019t have known this existed if Brian hadn\u2019t come on the show.\nReminder that Brian suggests <a href="https://edisonprep.com/sophomore/" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">all parents of 10th graders review the presentation</a> they have available on this \u201cSophomore\u201d page on their site and sign up for one of <a href="https://www.edisonprep.com/mocks/" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">50+ entirely free mock testing sessions</a> to determine if the ACT or SAT is better for your student to focus on.\nTo paraphrase Brian, \u201cbetter to be Varsity in one test instead of JV in two.\u201d\n<hr style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0"></div> \n \n\n \n

<h2 id="heading-life-hack-flightaware" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center">Life Hack: FlightAware</h2>\nAs I\u2019m writing this, I\u2019m getting set to pick Katie & Alan Donegan up from the airport for a live event we\u2019re holding in Richmond next weekend.\nI tracked their airplane all day to watch for delays using <a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/findflight/" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">FlightAware\u2019s Flight Finder</a> and I realized this may be a life hack you aren\u2019t aware of.\nI use this for EVERY flight I ever take, especially if there\u2019s a connection, so I can track the whereabouts of both airplanes to look for delays.\nGo to FlightAware and enter your flight details. You can click \u201cWhere is my plane now?\u201d and find exactly where the airplane is at the current moment and see if it\u2019s on-time or are there any potential delays.\nIt\u2019s also kind of fun to track the flights with GPS this way and see their arrival time, altitude, speed, etc. (but that might just be fun for me! Ha)\n<hr style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0"></div> \n \n\n \n

<h2 id="heading-choosefi-updates" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin:0 0 16px; color:#000; text-align:center">ChooseFI Updates:</h2>\n<ul class="list-disc pl-3" 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">\nChooseFI Local Group Events: Email Notification: Take 30 seconds and <a href="https://local.choosefi.com/groups" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">sign up for your local group here</a>. Select your local group and then sit back and get email notifications of the local events in your area.\n</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px">\nEpisode Discussion: Just a reminder that you can now join the discussion and give us your thoughts on each podcast episode. Log into your ChooseFI account and the most recent episode will appear at the top of the first page. Here's <a href="https://local.choosefi.com/member/episode/585" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">the link to Episode 585</a>.\n</li>\n<li style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; margin-bottom:8px">\nTravel Rewards Credit Cards: I keep my <a href="https://choosefi.com/top-recommended-travel-cards" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">Top Ten Recommended Cards page</a> constantly updated, so it should always be your first source for travel rewards cards. Update: The #4 card in my list just increased the bonus offer! This is a fantastic option if you're looking for points that are transferable or can be used in a flexible manner to reimburse travel expenses.\n</li>\n</ul>\n(Note: We earn a commission if you sign up for credit cards through our site. I don\u2019t advertise on the podcast or in the newsletter. Your support using these card links makes that possible. Thank you!)\n<hr style="border:0; border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6; margin:24px 0">\n<h2 id="heading-choosefi-community-taking-action-this-week" 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></div> \n \n\n \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 I found probably 10K of unclaimed money for my entire family <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/there-are-billions-of-dollars-in-unclaimed-money-heres-how-you-can-claim-yours/" style="font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-weight:500; color:#1c7ff2; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:2px solid #1c7ff2; padding-bottom:2px">after you posted</a>! My maiden name is pretty distinctive, so I searched in home state since that is where the majority of my extended family lives or have lived. I found probably at least 10k for my siblings, parents, and extended family.\nBetween my mom, dad, and me, we have reached out to everyone to give them a heads up. Even $20 would make a huge dent for some of my family members, and one cousin even had a big unclaimed life insurance payout (mother had died when she were a minor). Thank you!!!\nI also searched my husband and they hadn't reported one of his until about 10 years after he lived there. It was about $3, but hey that will pay for one of his morning energy drinks at Circle K! (I try to order those for cheaper on Amazon, but hey I can't optimize everything for him lol)\n\n \u2014 Ange\n </blockquote></div> \n \n\n \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 My wife and I had our first baby a year ago and have been sharing her 2016 Camry ever since I sold my car in 2021 when the car market was crazy, and you could get more than you paid for it. We are planning on having a second child next year and figured the time was good to start looking for a second vehicle was before we really needed it. With end of year around the corner, we might be able to score a deal on a used Toyota Sienna.\nI've been casually shopping for a few months tracking what mileage and prices look like. I saw an amazing deal pop up in Pittsburgh (350 miles from me) for a top trim, AWD Sienna with low miles. I called the dealer to verify all the details because the price was amazing. After a little more negotiation due to some scratches that weren't shown online, I booked a flight and hotel with points that same day. The next morning, I stopped at the bank for a cashier's check and was driving the car home about an hour later.\nIt was a long 10-hour drive, but I didn't mind because I got a fully loaded, slightly used vehicle for 33% off vs. buying brand new. I know the car market has been crazy, but if you know what you want, take your time, and are willing to travel, you can still get a great deal.\nAlso, I cannot recommend enough getting a Toyota Sienna hybrid if you are looking for a great family vehicle!\n\n \u2014 Andrew\n </blockquote></div> \n \n\n \n

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Question and Experiment, Merit Aid, Life Hack for Flights

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