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Artwork for Two Sides of FI

Two Sides of FI

Jason and Eric
Financial Independence
Retirement
Early Retirement
Travel
Retirement Planning
Work-Life Balance
Career Transition
FIRE Movement
Asset Allocation
Mental Health
Fire
Safe Withdrawal Rate
Projectionlab
Budgeting
Investing
Personal Growth
Health Span
Emotional Challenges
Spending Habits
Options Trading

You're listening to Two Sides of FI, a conversation between two lifelong friends about financial independence - what it takes to get there and what comes after. One of us reached FI in 2020, the other in 2024. We started this show to document our different paths, and now that we're both post-FI, we're still figuring out how to use the freedom we spent years working toward. I'm Eric and I'm joined ... more

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Artwork for Two Sides of FI

Latest Episodes

What happens when you walk away from a career you've spent 25 years building? Nearly two years into early retirement, Laura's answers might surprise you.

She retired at 51 after a career in biomedical research, including 13 years running her own lab... more

YouTube

Do you worry about running out of money in retirement? How do you draw down your assets without tanking your portfolio? Eric + Jason talk with FIRE bloggers Karsten Jeske and Fritz Gilbert about the bucket strategy. Is it a reasonable withdrawal plan... more

Your FIRE plan worked — so why is spending still so hard? In this episode, Jason (year 7) and Eric (year 2) share a candid early retirement update. Both portfolios have grown well above their FIRE numbers despite years of withdrawals, and a fee-only ... more

YouTube

Retiring at 47 is early by any definition. In this 2SFI Rewind episode, Jason reflects on his first year in early retirement. Not everything went smoothly as you might expect. Learn what's changed, what's been better, what's worse, and - importantly ... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Fritz Gilbert
Author of Retirement Manifesto blog, known for the bucket strategy discussion
Retirement Manifesto
Episode: REWIND: What’s Wrong with This Popular Retirement Strategy?
Karsten Jeske
Author of Early Retirement Now blog, known for safe withdrawal rate modeling
Early Retirement Now
Episode: REWIND: What’s Wrong with This Popular Retirement Strategy?
Dr. Jordan Grumet
Hospice physician, author, and podcaster
Earn and Invest podcast
Episode: What No One Tells You About Purpose and Happiness in Retirement
David Sun
Electrical engineer and hedge fund manager
The Trade Busters
Episode: How Options Trading Led this Engineer to Financial Independence in His 30s

Hosts

Eric
Co-host of Two Sides of FI, sharing personal FI journey and post-FI insights.
Jason
Co-host of Two Sides of FI, discussing portfolio, planning, and lifestyle choices.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 830 ratings
  • Great show for the RE crowd.

    I’m going back from the beginning on this one, since they don’t really update it anymore. It’s still a great resource. I just retired myself at age 51, and finding the topics the guys discuss very helpful in my own journey.

    Jason and Eric, thanks for all your work on this podcast. If your ever in Minneapolis, I’d buy you a beer or three!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JBSATMAN
    United States4 months ago
  • Well balanced, intelligent and self aware.

    Jason and Eric do a great job of reviewing the financial, emotional and lifestyle aspects of approaching FI and post FI life. I love it. It has been super helpful in my own journey.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Matt, Jo & Zoe
    Australia6 months ago
  • Slow travel

    54 with plans to retire at 56. Based on the cost of our last 2 vacations (2 weeks Europe); my budget of $10,000 a year in retirement won’t make it. My dream is to stay in places longer rather than rushing to see everything.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ART7152
    United States10 months ago
  • Wonderful content on FI and retirement

    I love how these guys share their experiences both approaching and following financial independence. I especially like when they discuss the emotional and developmental topics about retirement, beyond the pure numbers, which is covered ad nauseum elsewhere. Finally I appreciate how they include their spouses from time to time, since FIRE is typically not a solo endeavor. Keep up the great work!

    UPDATE: Just learned that they are considering ending their podcast. This makes me sad. I guess this ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Neoteric5
    United Statesa year ago
  • A window into the life of FIRE

    As of fall 2025, they are currently on pause or maybe done for good. But it doesn’t matter. If you run into this podcast years down the road and see it hasn’t been updated in a long time, know that the content is timeless. And I don’t think anyone will ever do it better. Also how could this have a 4.9 rating and not 5 across the board? 5 years or blood sweat and tears of excellent content deserves a 5 in my view!!

    On to my original review:

    I’m getting ready to FIRE soon. Already FI. There are ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    D-man-1298
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Candid and relatable, balancing technical FI with personal growth.
Loved the focus on emotional and relational aspects of money.
Listeners appreciate spouses' perspectives and real-life applicability.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

REWIND: What’s Wrong with This Popular Retirement Strategy?
Q: Can you describe how your bucket strategy works in retirement, and how you decide when to refill or draw from each bucket?
Fritz describes refilling bucket one quarterly or as needed, using a three-year cash buffer, with bucket two and bucket three composed of bonds and stocks respectively; Karsten emphasizes modeling and monthly or periodic rebalancing, while aiming to maintain a target allocation and adjust withdrawals based on market conditions.
From Divorce to Financial Freedom: FI at 45
Q: What did this financial independence journey look like for you?
Kayla explains her transition from a joint financial perspective during her marriage to managing her finances solo after her divorce, detailing her investment journey and the decision to hire a financial advisor to become comfortable with investing.
From Divorce to Financial Freedom: FI at 45
Q: Tell us a little bit what that was like, rewind the clock 10 years to where things were before and then how you discovered FIRE.
Kayla recounts going through a divorce and starting to independently manage her finances, which led her to discover the FIRE movement. She describes how the divorce was transformative, shifting her perspective on finances and independence.
How Much Can You Really Spend in Retirement?
Q: Why is the CAPE-based target withdrawal so much higher than the fixed safe consumption rate, especially when the CAPE is high?
That 3.96 is saying, you can do this, you should be able to do this forever and be okay because we've already accounted for all of the gyrations that have happened historically. The CAPE-adjusted one is higher because it reflects the current environment.
How Much Can You Really Spend in Retirement?
Q: Why does my safe consumption rate, SCR, go down when I add supplemental cash flows, which is essentially income? Shouldn't it go up?
It should not because the tool knows about the fact that, well, you've told it, you've made this extra income. And so it's going to offset your withdrawals from the portfolio by the same amount.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Two Sides of FI

What is Two Sides of FI about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, down-to-earth look at financial independence and life after. Episodes commonly explore how to reach FI, how to manage money through early retirement, and the non-financial sides of the journey—emotions, identity, lifestyle choices, and travel. The hosts blend practical investing and withdrawal insights with candid reflections on personal growth, making it feel like a conversation between two long-time friends navigating freedom and responsibility together. A notable strength is the emphasis on psychology, relationships, and real-world decisions beyond spreadsheets, which can help listeners map their own paths with more nuance.

A standout trait is the approachable, real-world storytelling that includes partner perspectives and... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Two Sides of FI?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Two Sides of FI:

1. Mile High FI Podcast
2. ChooseFI | Financial Independence Podcast
3. Catching Up to FI
4. Earn & Invest
5. BiggerPockets Money

How many episodes of Two Sides of FI are there?

Two Sides of FI launched 6 years ago and published 115 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Two Sides of FI?

Recent guests on Two Sides of FI include:

1. Fritz Gilbert
2. Karsten Jeske
3. Dr. Jordan Grumet
4. David Sun

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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