Choose FI: Choose FI is a podcast and community focused on financial independence. There are so many stories about people from diverse backgrounds and their journey to financial success. These stories were the main driver for many of our financial decisions and successes. We would be in a very different place today if we had not gone down the rabbit hole and gotten serious with money. Chelsey was able to go part-time. I was able to take off from work for over a year while our kids are young to take care of them. This would not have happened without Choose FI.

Ramit Sethi: Ramit is all about building a rich life. He is about financial independence without sacrificing your passions and hobbies. One of the main things I do not see eye to eye with about Ramit is his views on homeownership. He is very pro renting. I fall more into a 50/50 renting vs homeownership and as a financial coach, I help clients not only look at the numbers but at lifestyle and psychological factors as well. I do run and own a real estate company and am the managing broker; however, I do not blindly convince my clients to buy or rent based on my own preferences. Renting provides flexibility in that when you want to move, you just don’t renew your lease. When you own a house, you need to sell which can be risky. Homeownership allows a fiscally responsible person(s) to have stability and security knowing that there is no landlord who is going to sell or non-renew their lease (as long as you pay your property taxes). There are plenty of people happy with homeownership and also plenty of people happy with renting. Ramit does live in New York, so I can understand how expensive homeownership is there and that would certainly influence a decision. I really like that Ramit encourages people to spend money on what they value and cut back in areas that do not provide them with joy.

Dave Ramsey: I like that Dave Ramsey has very specific baby steps. I think his program is truly great for those in chronic debt and just want to live a life where they are not constantly stressed about money. Some people seem to not know what to do after completing Dave Ramsey’s steps and I would encourage them to look into Choose FI after that. The main part of Dave Ramsey that I do not entirely agree with is his views on credit cards and his views on company match for investing. I agree that if you are in credit card debt, you probably need to stop using them, cut them up, and go to a cash system. I can definitely coach people through this process. Some people likely should keep doing this system. I also know that it is easier to spend on a credit card so most households will naturally spend more. It is hard (maybe impossible?) to make purchases on Amazon with cash. So cash provides a barrier that makes it harder to spend. There are some benefits such as saving time (valuable to most people) and the potential rewards (rewards are only useful if you pay on time, in full, every month). I also think people should be taking advantage of company 401k matches even if they are in debt. It is free, 100% return on investment. Yes, pay down high interest consumer debt, but don’t delay future safety by leaving free money on the table.

Caleb Hammer: Caleb is entertaining. His guests are often frustrating. He does give generally good advice. I enjoy watching his content although I am not sure I have learned much from him that I had not already learned from the others I have listed.

Money Guys: The Money Guys are both financial advisors and CFP (certified financial planners). They have a great step system similar in ways to Dave Ramsey. They are fairly financially conservative and very knowledgable.

Bigger Pockets Money: This is actually the show I first listened to as far as finances goes. I was interested in real estate so was a Bigger Pockets fan. While buying our Chicago 3-flat, I began listening to Bigger Pockets Money and I think it was episode 8 that they interviewed Choose FI and that is where I got hooked on the financial independence journey. After listening to a few episodes of Choose FI, they interviewed “Waffles on Wednesday” and I knew my wife (girlfriend at that time) would be on board after hearing their story. We never looked back (except for wishing we knew all this in our early 20s instead of mid 20s).

Books: Some of my favorite books: Psychology of Money, Millionaire Next Door, I’ll add more in a bit