EconoMe Conference

After a year of research and overthinking, I bought a 2023 Mazda CX-9 this week! But that's not even the most interesting part of the story...

Here's what I've been teaching our 13-year-old about how we think about money:

We don't buy new cars. Not because we can't afford them, but because it's way too much fun to let the first owner take the biggest depreciation hit. I bought a 2023 CX-9 with 40k miles for $29,000 out the door. New, it would have been $44,000. That's a 33% discount on a car that was leased and meticulously maintained. The first owner did me a favor.

We don't take loans on depreciating assets. The exception would be a 1-2% rate where we could park the rest in a high yield savings account and come out ahead. Even with near perfect credit, the best rate I could get right now is around 5.5-6%. We pay cash for cars.

We don't let life dictate our big purchases. My 2010 Mazda 3 with 120k miles still had life in it. But I knew eventually we'd need to replace it, so I decided to control the timing rather than wait for it to break down and scramble. I identified exactly what I wanted, figured out the price I was willing to pay, set up alerts, and then waited patiently for over a year. We did the same thing with our water heater and HVAC. Replace before it's urgent and you make a much better decision.

Our 13-year-old has heard me talk through every step of this process in real time. Which is why it was hilarious when I asked what he wants for his first car and he said... a Tesla. 👀

The deal we have with him is that we'll match whatever he saves. So if by some miracle he saves enough to buy a Tesla with our match, more power to him! He currently has $138.

But here's what I actually want him to understand: The reason I could drop $29,000 on a car this week is because I bought my first car at 17 for $7,000 and my last one at 31 for $6,000. The reason his dad can be gainfully unemployed right now and pursuing his dream of stand-up comedy is because of the intentional decisions we both made over many years.

I get why his starting line looks confusing when he's only ever seen our finish line. But I'm hopeful these conversations are planting seeds!

I think our case study workshop at The EconoMe Conference got such an overwhelmingly positive response because we’ve had years of monthly local case study meetups to help refine the process and template.

Here’s how it works: one brave soul (affectionately known as the “willing victim”) walks us through a presentation of their financials: income, spending, investments, and future plans. Then, the group chimes in with ideas, feedback, encouragement, and the occasional reality check.

Case studies are so important because they provide a foundation for us to learn from each other. While the presenter typically walks away with new perspectives and ideas, they are not the only one benefitting. I see the same people come back every month because we are all walking away with actionable tidbits and mindset shifts.

Our next free Cincinnati local case study meetup is Monday Sept 16th at 5:30pm at the Madeira library. Join the local Cincy Choose FI group (search on FB) to see all the dates for our monthly meetups. I’m currently scheduling them on demand… so if you want to present a case study, please DM me.

And special thanks to Jackie Cummings Koski () who ran the case study workshop at EconoMe and created a new badass template for us! The new template is even more comprehensive, flows really nicely, and the design/readability is *chef’s kiss*.

I think our case study workshop at The EconoMe Conference got such an overwhelmingly positive response because we've had years of monthly local case study meetups to help refine the process and template.

Here’s how it works: one brave soul (affectionately known as the “willing victim”) walks us through a presentation of their financials: income, spending, investments, and future plans. Then, the group chimes in with ideas, feedback, encouragement, and the occasional reality check.

Case studies are so important because they provide a foundation for us to learn from each other. While the presenter typically walks away with new perspectives and ideas, they are not the only one benefitting. I see the same people come back every month because we are all walking away with actionable tidbits and mindset shifts.

Our next free Cincinnati local case study meetup is Monday Sept 16th at 5:30pm at the Madeira library. Join the local Cincy Choose FI group (search on FB) to see all the dates for our monthly meetups. I’m currently scheduling them on demand… so if you want to present a case study, please DM me.

And special thanks to Jackie Cummings Koski who ran the case study workshop at EconoMe and created a new badass template for us! The new template is even more comprehensive, flows really nicely, and the design/readability is *chef's kiss*.

One of the biggest myths about the FIRE movement is that it’s full of people who just don’t want to work.

But I think most of us recognize that work is an important part of well-being.

What we're really doing is separating our finances from our work.

We're right sizing the role that work plays in our lives. We are freeing work from the confines of a “job”. And most importantly, we are taking OWNERSHIP of our work.

Because work isn’t the problem.

Employment in a capitalist hellscape is the problem.

Capitalism is sneaky.

It convinces you that getting a “good job” is the goal.
That working harder is the path to freedom.
That the next promotion or raise will finally fulfill you.

But here’s the truth:

The only way to win in capitalism is ownership of stocks, bonds, property, and businesses.

And ultimately, true wealth is about time ownership (which is the only asset that we cannot get more of).

Employment, no matter how cushy the benefits, will never give you full autonomy over your time.

This is why self-employment and entrepreneurship matter.

True wealth isn’t having a job with good benefits.
It’s owning your time.
It’s building income streams that work harder than you ever could.
It’s walking away from the game when you realize the rules were never designed for your freedom.

🔥 Use employment as a means to an end.
Buy assets. Build ownership. Reclaim your time.

Then use that time to make friends who get it.

Because FI is way better with friends!

Thanks so much to Bill Yount from Catching Up to FI for the kind words! 🙏

Coming from someone who truly gets the power of community, this means a lot. We love partying with you and the Catching Up to FI crew every year!

And Bill’s not alone — check out all our ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Google reviews (link in bio).

If EconoMe lit a fire for you, help us spread the word: leave a review and let others know what makes this event special 🔥

The EconoMe Conference is the only large-scale event specifically designed for the FIRE movement.

And we’re here to solve two major problems many of us face on the path to FI:

1. It’s Lonely

Pursuing FI is pretty unconventional, and for many it becomes an isolating endeavor. Your friends and family think you’re strange, and it seems like no one around you really gets it.

We believe that FI is Better with Friends! Tapping into this incredible community will add a richness to your path in ways that you can’t do alone. There is an easy sense of camaraderie that builds between people headed towards a common goal that can make the whole journey feel so much lighter and more fun.

2. It’s easy to lose steam

When you first discover FI, you’re fired up. You cut expenses, increase income, solidify an investment strategy, optimize everything. You’re in motion.
But after the initial sprint, what’s left?
The long, quiet wait of accumulation.
And suddenly… it’s boring.
That’s why you come to EconoMe: to fuel your FIRE.

You’ll leave with a renewed sense of possibility and you’ll learn from people who are using their time, money, and energy right now to build lives they don’t need to retire from.

This is not a stuffy financial conference, this is a party about money! Whether you are already FI, knee-deep in the accumulation phase, or just getting started cleaning up your finances, we’re committed to curating amazing thought-provoking content for you.

🎟 We have 150 tickets left, and they go on sale June 1st.
💌 Join the mailing list (link in bio) to be the first to get the ticket link.

The best book I read last year was Paul Millerd’s Good Work.

In fact, I think it should be required reading for the FIRE movement.

While “work” and “retirement” are often presented as polar opposites, I think the real goal is separating our finances from our work.

And once we’ve done that, we realize: not just any work will do. Only Good Work will work.

Work that’s fulfilling. Self-directed. Purposeful.
Work that respects your autonomy — not just your productivity.

Paul’s book helped me see that when we’re working out of financial necessity, we’re often being paid to overlook our indifference.

And when we finally recognize the “delusion where the trivial is disguised as important” (which, let’s be honest, could be the tagline for corporate America), it’s easy to confuse that with a dislike of all work.

But Good Work isn’t draining. It’s a noble pursuit.
It’s slow.
It’s about “coming alive over getting ahead.”
It’s not about quitting the race — it’s about changing the race entirely.

Huge thanks to Paul for donating 300 copies to our sharing library at EconoMe!

Did you grab a copy? I’d love to hear what stood out to you…