Catching Up to FI

The cost of college is skyrocketing! To make sure you're not paying those sticker prices, we brought in New York Times 'Your Money' columnist, Ron Lieber. He is also author of 'The Price You Pay for College' and joins the show for a brutally honest walkthrough of what is actually going on behind the scenes. In this episode he breaks down:
List price vs. cost of attendance
Why most families don't pay rack rate
How to read a school's 'Common Data Set'
Merit vs. need-based aid
How net price calculators and pre-reads can keep you from falling in love with a school you can't afford



DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:
 
MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50
 
ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer). 
 
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners 
 
SUPPORT THE SHOW
📩 Sign up for our newsletter
🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 
🔗Connect with us
☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 
🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

 
 
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
📕 Books by Ron Lieber
🌐 Merit Aid Course (with link to free merit aid checklist)
Ron's New York Times Profile
Niche (for comparing colleges)
Saving For College (Compare 529 Plans)
 
⏰ Related Episodes
Stop Paying for College and Use These High-Return Scholarship Hacks Instead | Chris Corinthian | 189
Banishing The Burden of Student Loan Debt | Travis Hornsby | 122 
The New World of 529 College Savings | Patricia Roberts (Coming Soon)
 
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!
 
 
📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Bill joins Jordan 'Doc G' Grumet for a community episode on the Earn & Invest podcast. They stress-test what happens when someone asks ChatGPT: 'What should I do if I'm retiring in five years?' Bill talks about turning 60, being told he's officially reached financial independence, and shifting from accumulation to a more defensive, retirement-ready nest egg. 
 
 
DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:
 
MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50
 
ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer). 
 
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners 
 
 
=== SUPPORT THE SHOW ===
📩 Sign up for our newsletter
🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 
🔗Connect with us
☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 
🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

 
 
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Earn and Invest Podcast
 
⏰ Related Episodes
The pURPOSE Code | Jordan Grumet | 115
A Boat Named YOLO | Bill Yount | 001
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!
 
 
📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Chris Corinthian is the 'Fin Lit Guy' and knows his way around scholarships and other high-return ways to earn money for college. He joins the show to give us a masterclass on paying for college without wrecking your retirement. Chris opens with his own financial setbacks, including a layoff and a devastating fire, which helped him realize the importance of financial literacy. In this episode, you will learn:
Chris' Debt-free degree triangle
How teens as young as 13 can earn free college credits
His scholarship system that treats applications like a part-time job
Specifics of where and how to apply for scholarships
 
 
DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:
 
MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50
 
ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer). 
 
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners 
 
S U P P O R T   T H E   S H O W
📩 Sign up for our newsletter
🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 
🔗Connect with us
☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 
🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

 
 
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Charities:
Autism Speaks
Red Cross 
 
🌐 The FinLit Guy
📕 Financial Literacy 101 for College Student
📘 Financial Literacy 101 for College Students (free digital download)
My Money Mentors on PBS 
EconoMe Talk
The Boujee Banker
Earn College Credit with CLEP
Scholly Scholarships
Scholarship Owl
Modern States Education Alliance
Raise Me
 
 
⏰ Related Episodes
Banishing The Burden of Student Loan Debt | Travis Hornsby | 122 
The Price You Pay For College | Ron Lieber (Coming Soon)
The New World of 529 College Savings | Patricia Roberts (Coming Soon)
 
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!
 
 
📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Rose Lounsbury likes things simple. Her specialty is helping people embrace the art of decluttering and she joins us on the show today for a New Year's reset that goes way beyond junk drawers. Rose tells us how decluttering is really about creating space— for FI, for generosity, and for the surprising next chapter. After this episode you'll be ready for a clean start for 2026 as she walks us through:
Her own minimalist journey that led her to getting rid of 70% of her stuff, while raising triplets! 
The generational scripts behind our clutter and how to fix it
Why we should own our stuff, not the other way around
How late starters can overcome the clutter trap that quietly devours time, money, and energy
Getting rid of internal clutter 
 
 
DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:
 
MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50
 
ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer). 
 
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners 
 
S U P P O R T   T H E   S H O W
📩 Sign up for our newsletter
🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 
🔗Connect with us
☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 
🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

 
 
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
 
🌐 Rose Lounsbury
📘 Less: Minimalism, For Real
📗 Achievement Addict
Rose's Tedx Talk: How Many Towels Do You Need
Rose's EconoMe Talk: The Journey to Enough
 
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating and review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!
 
 
📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.

Happy New Year! As we roll into 2026, organizing money becomes top of mind and one of the most common New Year's resolutions. So today on the show we have an expert with the leading money management app- Monarch Money, Rachel Lawrence. She is a Certified Financial Planner and fintech leader who works at the intersection of personal finance, behavior, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). She also runs her own fee-only financial planning firm called Reverie Wealth. In this episode Rachel gives us a masterclass on how to organize your financial life with Monarch's modern way to manage money that goes beyond the basics of budgeting. Plus, we'll get a peek into what changes they have coming in 2026!
 
 
DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS:
 
MONARCH MONEY

The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50
 
ALLOY

The Alloy Market offers a seamless and efficient way to sell your gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, regardless of its condition. They are committed to transparency and fairness, ensuring you get the best possible value for your items. Use this special Link and enter code CUTOFI15 to get a $15 bonus when you sell items over $199 (limited time offer). 
 
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners 
 
 
📩 Sign up for our newsletter (NEW!)
🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website 
🔗Connect with us
☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee" 
🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question

 
 
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
 
🌐 Monarch Money
🌐 Reverie Wealth
 
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on your podcast player and leave us a rating or review. If you want to watch, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This helps others find the show and keeps us creating great content for you!
 
 
📌Disclaimer: Our content is for general education and information purposes only. We are not providing financial, legal, or tax advice. Always do your own research or consult a professional before making important decisions.