The FI community is incredibly good at effort, optimization, and doing hard things for a long time. But somewhere along the way, many of us forget how to stop. Even after gaining more control over our time, we fill it back up with projects, commitments, and expectations, leaving us busy, tired, and quietly stretched thin.

Joel Larsgaard shares what it looked like to recognize that “doing it all” was no longer sustainable, even when the work was meaningful. After front-loading years of effort through saving, investing, and building How to Money, Joel began intentionally pulling back: working fewer hours, prioritizing family and health, and even taking a six-week sabbatical. This conversation explores why doing less isn’t laziness, but a necessary evolution after years of striving.

You’ll hear how financial independence can be used as a tool for time, not just wealth, along with practical ways to say no, resist constant expansion, and create space without losing ambition. If you’ve reached a point where more effort isn’t improving your life the way it used to, this episode offers a healthier path forward - one built on balance, presence, and intentional choices.

Key Takeaways:

• Doing more eventually stops improving your quality of life
• Financial independence is a tool to reclaim time, not fill it
• Burnout can exist even when work is meaningful
• Saying no protects energy for what matters most
• Over-committing quietly erodes family and personal time
• Small boundaries can create disproportionate freedom
• Doing less doesn’t kill ambition—it refines it
• Success should feel sustainable, not exhausting

Other Episodes You’ll Love:

4 Rules That Will Help You Spend Money Without Stress & Regret | E188

How to Create a 3-Day Workweek (Before You Reach FI) | E187 Andy Hill

3 Hidden Traps That Make FIRE Feel Empty | E182 Jordan Grumet

Guest Summary:

Joel Larsgaard is the co-host of How to Money, one of the most popular personal finance podcasts, where he helps listeners build wealth while living well. Through his own FI journey, Joel has shifted from relentless optimization toward a more intentional, balanced life—focusing on family, health, and long-term sustainability without abandoning ambition.

Connect With Justin

Email me at Justin@FIMinded.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Most people enter marriage with optimism and good intentions, but very few understand what actually causes relationships to fall apart over time. After spending 15 years inside divorce courtrooms and watching more than a thousand marriages unravel, today’s guest reached a blunt conclusion that challenges everything we’re taught about marriage and money.

Aaron Thomas, divorce lawyer, Harvard Law graduate, and founder of Prenups.com, shares what he learned from seeing marriages fail up close, and how those lessons completely reshaped how he approached his own relationship. Instead of ignoring the risks, Aaron reverse-engineered the most common emotional and financial breakdowns couples face and built systems to prevent them before they ever show up.

This conversation explores practical tools couples can use to strengthen trust, reduce money-related conflict, and stay aligned on big goals like financial independence, early retirement, and lifestyle design. You’ll learn how to run a marriage check-in that actually works, why prenups can be healthy (not hostile), and how clear financial agreements can protect both your relationship and your FI journey.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify repeating conflict patterns before they escalate
• Schedule an annual relationship check-in on your calendar
• Set a shared spending limit to prevent daily money tension
• Create financial guardrails for helping family and friends
• Align on FI timelines before resentment builds
• Talk through risk tolerance differences, not past each other
• Use a prenup to clarify values and expectations early
• Learn your state’s default divorce rules before you marry

Other Episodes You’ll Love:

How to Have End-of-Life Conversations with the People You Love | E185 Tess Waresmith

When You and Your Partner See Money Differently | E162 Brian Page

When Your Spouse Makes More Than You | E151 Ed Coambs

Guest Summary:

Aaron Thomas is a divorce lawyer, Harvard Law graduate, and founder of Prenups.com. After representing hundreds of couples through emotionally and financially costly divorces, Aaron became passionate about helping couples proactively design healthier relationships. His work focuses on clear communication, financial transparency, and practical systems that reduce conflict and support long-term partnerships, especially for high-achieving couples pursuing financial independence.

Aaron’s website: https://prenups.com/

Connect With Justin

Email me at Justin@FIMinded.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Support FI Minded

Want to hear more? Follow FI Minded on your favorite podcast player.

Like this episode? Share it with a friend pursuing financial independence.

Love the show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

If you’re great at saving money but feel anxious, guilty, or uncomfortable spending it, I want to share 4 spending principles that have helped me.

Many people pursuing financial independence don’t struggle with discipline. They struggle with permission. We have endless advice on saving and investing, but far less guidance on how to actually enjoy the money we’re working so hard to build.

In this episode, I’ll share my personal Spending Playbook: four spending principles I use as a super saver to spend confidently, reduce stress, and still stay on track toward financial independence. These principles are designed to help me enjoy my money without sabotaging my long-term goals.

This isn’t about spending more; it’s about spending intentionally, so saving stops feeling like a sacrifice.

The 4 Spending Principles Covered

1. The Fun Fund

A simple way to give a portion of your money one clear job: enjoyment — without competing with your investing goals.

2. The Oops Budget

A no-questions-asked buffer for unplanned, non-fun expenses so money doesn’t add stress during already stressful moments.

3. The “Moments That Matter” List

A short list of life events and experiences where you pre-decide money won’t have an outsized influence on your choice.

4. Guilt-Free Spending Categories

A few high-impact categories where spending creates outsized happiness — and where under-spending isn’t necessarily a win.

Key Takeaways:

• Being good at saving doesn’t automatically make spending easy
• Guilt around spending is often a permission problem, not a math problem
• Pre-deciding how you’ll spend removes stress in the moment
• Spending rules can create freedom, not restriction
• Enjoying your money is a skill you can practice
• Intentional spending supports FI — it doesn’t sabotage it
• The goal isn’t to spend more, but to spend with confidence
• Financial independence should make life feel bigger, not smaller

Other Episodes You’ll Love:

Smart Frugality: The Frugal Mindset That Actually Feels Good | E183 JC Rodriguez

Is Saving Too Much Holding You Back? | E179 Jesse Cramer

You’re Financially Free, But It Doesn’t Feel Like It | E165 Shannah Game

Connect With Justin

Email me at Justin@FIMinded.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Support FI Minded

Want to hear more? Follow FI Minded on your favorite podcast player.

Like this episode? Share it with a friend pursuing financial independence.

Love the show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.