Jun 4, 2019
Favorite quotes of the episode: “Don’t let anyone else’s story demotivate you. Figure out where you are at and where you want to go, then learn along the way.”
“Balance between saving for future goals and living life today.”
“Financial Independence isn’t about the money, it’s about life fulfillment, create a life you don’t want to retire from.”
Episode Overview
I kicked off 2019 with a promise to discuss big issues, big ideas and provide real-world actionable solutions that we can all implement in our daily lives as busy professionals.
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Marianne Krumdick, a veterinarian, a CPT in the USAR Veterinary Corps and a personal finance enthusiast who is working towards FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early). She even led a Financial Peace University Course (developed by Dave Ramsey) while deployed.
I thought it would be fun and hopefully useful, to have a real-world conversation with real people about personal finance, which resources have helped us along the way and share our perspectives. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I enjoyed speaking with Dr. K!
*Disclaimer: We are NOT financial professionals; this podcast is for entertainment purposes only.
These podcasts are meant to start a meaningful conversation so if you would like to see additional guests share another viewpoint around any of these topics please send an email to angela@pawsconsulting.com with your comments and suggestions for future podcast guests and topics. I absolutely cannot wait to hear from you and look forward to your insights and thoughtful comments. I will cite all articles referenced in this podcast in our show notes so you don’t have to stop what you are doing to scramble to find a pen and paper.
So, with that, let’s jump right in.
TOPICS
Tackling student loan debt while living the life of your dreams and achieving financial independence. *You don’t have to live in your parent’s basement to get there.
Balance between saving for future goals and living life today.
FI, FIRE, Lean FI, Fat FI, FFLC, ERE– Definitions and understand that financial independence isn’t about the amount of money but what you need to be financially stable and not need a full-time job. It’s about life fulfillment, create a life you don’t want to retire from.
Retire early and often!
Step 1: Where are you today? Budget vs. Un-Budget
How to Un-budget? How much can I afford to save? And do that first. Then automate your monthly expenses from your checking account.
Dave Ramsey’s plan is a good get out of debt plan, where to start. Create a budget and list where you spend your money. It may take 90+ days to get a handle on where you spend money and where to cut or replace your current service with a less expensive alternative that gives you the same or greater value.
Discussion of Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps
Spender vs. Saver? Mindset shift: Spend into a savings account in a different bank!
What’s next after you get out of debt? Where Dave Ramsey ends, and FIRE begins.
Get out of the mindset of having someone else “handle it” because no one cares about your money and your financial independence more than you. Keep learning as you go.
Where to put your money? Depends on your goals.
How to stay motivated: Color in a debt barometer or make a paper chain to keep the family involved and motivated! Don’t drag it out longer than you have to because you will lose motivation.
The fun account! Profit first is a way to motivate yourself and keep you focused on your goals. Everyone needs a release valve!
Angela’s hypothesis, what happens when you combine Profit First and the Dave Ramsey method?
42:50- 5 Questions Segment
Q1. We know that the most successful and happy people have a morning routine, what do you do each morning or evening that sets your day up for success? I set my uniform up the night before because I am living in a small space in a deployed environment currently.
Q2. What's your definition of Success? Success is about finding activities in your life that you find fulfilling and surround yourself with people who you have valuable relationships with and hopefully make this world a better place.
Q3. What's your definition of Happiness? Fostering relationships with friends and family and living out purpose. If you are doing those things, you’re going to be happy and also successful.
Q4. What do you know now that you wish you would have known 10 years ago? I wish I knew about index funds! I wish I knew a few simple concepts about finance and where to put my money.
Q5. What do you think is the biggest issue facing busy professionals today? The biggest issue is debt.
RESOURCES
How to Un-budget: “The Latte Factor” book by David Bach https://www.thelattefactor.com/
“Profit First”: https://profitfirstbook.com/
JL Collins, “Simple Path to Wealth”: https://jlcollinsnh.com/ https://jlcollinsnh.com/books/
FIRE Resources: Choose FI: https://www.choosefi.com/
Afford Anything: https://affordanything.com/podcast/
Physician on FIRE: https://www.physicianonfire.com/
Military Dollar: https://militarydollar.com/
Marianne’s Blog Posts: https://militarydollar.com/2018/10/28/saving-on-veterinary-care/
https://militarydollar.com/2019/03/04/vets-advice-pet-food/
Documentary: https://www.playingwithfire.co/whatisfire
Mr. Money Mustache https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-thrive-in-early-retirement-1539271042
Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover https://www.daveramsey.com/store/product/the-total-money-makeover-book-by-dave-ramsey
Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps: https://www.daveramsey.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps
4/10 Americans don’t have $400 to cover an emergency. https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/22/pf/emergency-expenses-household-finances/index.html
NY Times article referenced: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/business/high-debt-and-falling-demand-trap-new-veterinarians.html?module=inline
Angela's favorite books will be raffled off to those who leave a review!
Angela will raffle off, 1 book each week for every 5 new podcast reviews. After you've submitted your review, send an email to angela@pawsconsulting.com, include where you left your review, and the username you left the review under so we can read your review on a special podcast episode and communicate with you to ship out books to our winners!
Join our email list at https://www.pawsconsulting.com/p/shownotes
Sign up for a free High Performance Strategy Session at https://www.pawsconsulting.com/podcast
Connect with Angela at www.pawsconsulting.com or on Twitter and LinkedIn @DemareeDVM.
How to leave a review on iTunes:
Go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-stethoscope/id1354281411 or open iTunes.
Click 'View in iTunes' (or maybe you are already there)
Click 'Subscribe'
Then Click 'Ratings and Reviews'
Then Click 'Write a Review'