ChooseFI Ep. 578: Year End Wins 2025

Release Date: December 22, 2025

Hosts: Brad Barrett & Ginger

Episode Overview

This ninth annual “Year End Wins” episode of ChooseFI is a celebration and reflection on the community’s accomplishments throughout 2025. Brad and Ginger share listener-submitted financial, personal, and lifestyle wins—big and small—to highlight the diversity of paths and the transformative power of pursuing Financial Independence (FI). The episode underscores that reaching FI is not just about the numbers; it’s about crafting a meaningful, intentional life. Listeners are encouraged to reflect, plan, and take their next steps, no matter their stage on the journey. The tone is warm, encouraging, and community-driven, emphasizing practical action, self-reflection, and the value of sharing both triumphs and challenges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hosts’ Personal Reflections & Wins

• Brad’s Year in Review

  • Finalized his divorce and moved to a new, walkable community.
  • Deep focus on simplicity by minimizing possessions, investments, and responsibilities.
  • Let go of real estate holdings and extra commitments (e.g., being a swim team treasurer) to maximize freedom and peace.
  • Emphasized that FI is about creating intentionality with time:

    “I now live in this incredible community… It feels like I’m on vacation now.” (08:34)

  • “The future is now. Like, the future has to be now. I’m FI. I have this amazing opportunity. I’m extremely healthy. … I’m just focusing on what’s important.” (11:35)

• Ginger’s Reflections

  • Paid off their mortgage a bit early, embracing the concept of “gazelle intensity” for a short period to achieve the goal.
  • Advocates for balance rather than endless optimization or deprivation:

    “We’re trying to build wonderful lives. However you define that.” (16:15)

2. Listener Wins & Community Stories

A. Financial Milestones & Investment Habits

• Victoria (Voice, 28:05):

  • First time maxing HSA, 401k, and Roth IRA after learning about them only recently.
  • Sold her car to eliminate debt and is saving for rental property.
  • “I had no idea what a Roth IRA was until last year.” (28:33)

• Oscar (Email, 50:07):

  • Finally maxed his 401k, learning the nuances of employer match.

• Jen (Email, 35:14):

  • Maxed out both 401k and IRA, consolidated investments to VTI, focused on health after reading Outlive, and traveled using points and miles.
  • Planning to go part-time thanks to reaching Coast FI.

• Nicole & Andy:

  • Nicole: Maxed out contributions for a second year, discovered free audiobooks via local libraries.
  • Andy: Became a volunteer firefighter and left a corporate job for family and meaningful community work, echoing “If not now, when?” (20:52)

• Zach & Farrah (Email, 22:00):

  • Celebrated crossing $1M net worth, used geoarbitrage to travel to 25 countries for a year, returning net positive and landing better jobs.
  • “The high savings rate we prioritized early…gave us the freedom to make an unconventional choice that changed our lives…designing a life we don’t need to escape from.” (23:34)

B. Lifestyle Design & Personal Priorities

• Taylor

  • Bought a family lake cottage for lifestyle reasons, not profit—valued time with family over strict FI timeline.
  • “Watching our kids make memories with their grandparents…is exactly the life we have been working towards.” (27:25)

• Ashley (Voice, 39:48):

  • Paid off her home early, saving substantially on required flood insurance.
  • Helped her 20-year-old save significantly while living at home.

• Carolyn

  • Quit a high-stress job and took a “mini retirement” to recover from burnout, prioritize health, and enjoy life, using Coast FI for flexibility.

• Nathan

  • Wife left work to start a counseling practice; business now growing, providing more family time and income.

C. Meaningful “Non-Financial” Wins & Resilience

• Molly & Lindsey

  • Molly: Navigated family job loss and health crises, used financial cushion to handle turmoil without panic.
  • Lindsey: Quit job to care for terminally ill father, stating:

    “The freedom to be there for someone I love…it may not be St. Kitts…but there’s times I’ve thought…this is as close to heaven as I’ve ever seen.” (34:20)

• Community as Inspiration

  • Email from Meg: Siblings started a “money phone club” to read The Simple Path to Wealth and grow financial knowledge together.

D. Housing Choices & Philosophy

• Alex
  • Chose to stay in a small condo and delay home ownership, viewing a house as “a lifestyle choice more than an investment,” quoting How I Lost Money In Real Estate Before It Was Fashionable.

E. Health, Happiness & Fulfillment

• Kawana

  • Switched jobs for more fulfillment and higher pay, increased retirement savings, and improved overall well-being:

    “I have done more with my more. …I’m just overall happier with my day to day.” (39:01)

• Mary Beth (Voice, 47:49):

  • After 20 years in her field, finally left her job, is playing more golf and pickleball, traveling, and cherishing relationships.
  • “I feel like I’m becoming a better human in this journey…enjoying the ride.” (49:15)

3. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Simplicity and Intentionality:

  “I have pared back everything in my life, with the goal of utter simplicity… this is the time, the future is now.” – Brad (11:05)

• On Gazelle Intensity and FI Philosophy:

  “We’re not trying to live like misers here at all. There’s a balance and it’s incumbent on you…to figure out what that balance is for your life.” – Brad (16:14)

• Meaning in Hardship:

  “We’re experiencing the lumpiness of life and testing the plan and finances we’ve had in place. …It’s been an incredible testament that by controlling our spending and planning for larger emergencies, we can still find some ease during a time of turbulence.” – Molly (32:54)

  “The freedom to be there for someone I love. …There’s times I’ve thought to myself that this is as close to heaven as I’ve ever seen.” – Lindsey (34:14)

4. Listener-Driven Strategies & Experiments

• Embracing the “Boring Middle”

  • Listeners reframed the “boring” mid-years on the financial journey as a time to experiment, take mini-retirements, travel, and design lives worth living now.
  • “You experiment with what does your life look like…It’s something you have to work at.” – Brad (25:16)

• Travel Rewards & Points

  • Multiple listeners (Jen, Henry, Zach & Farrah) took transformative, nearly-free international trips using credit card points and miles.
  • Resources: ChooseFI.com/Disney, ChooseFI.com/cards.

• Local Community Engagement

  • Alex highlighted engaging with local FI meetups; Brad mentioned new ChooseFI local tools for connecting outside Facebook.

    “[The local groups] are seeing…30 to 50% increased attendance at local groups that are using this system…” – Brad (44:18)

5. Encouragement to Take Action

• Big & Small Wins Matter

  • Every step, from opening a new savings account to rethinking a career, counts.
  • “If you don’t take action on it, nothing changes to make your life better. …Sometimes it might mean selling your new car…That’s a decision you might make.” – Brad (30:49)

• Seasonality & Flexibility

  • Emphasized that the journey includes phases; plans and life circumstances change, requiring recalibration and self-compassion.
  • “There are seasons…and you can always build things back into your life if you find that there’s a hole…” – Brad (12:56)

6. Final Takeaways & Inspiration

• “This Can Work”

  • The central message reinforced repeatedly: living with intentionality and optimizing for what matters produces real, tangible change.
  • “Your community members…the people around you…are taking action to make their lives better. And not only can this work, it does work.” – Brad (54:04)

• Encouragement for 2026

  • Brad and Ginger close with gratitude for the community, an exhortation to rest, reflect, and make the coming year purposeful.

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• “I am living the life that I always thought was possible with FI. …I get to control my time exactly how I want to.” – Brad (08:34)
• “The high savings rate we prioritized early in our marriage gave us the freedom to make an unconventional choice that changed our lives…designing a life we don’t need to escape from.” – Zach & Farrah (23:34)
• “You experiment with what does your life look like…It’s something you have to work at.” – Brad (25:16)
• “The freedom to be there for someone I love. …There’s times I’ve thought to myself that this is as close to heaven as I’ve ever seen.” – Lindsey (34:14)
• “I feel like I’m finally in control of my life, my health and my happiness and that is the power of FI. That’s beautiful.” – Brad (about Carolyn, 47:44)
• “I feel like I’m becoming a better human in this journey…enjoying the ride.” – Mary Beth (49:15)
• “This can work.” – Henry (55:37)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [06:03] Hosts review their own wins and lessons
• [18:50] Start of community submissions
• [28:05] Victoria’s voice message: maxed out HSA/401k/IRA, sold car
• [32:41] Molly: financial resilience through job loss and family health struggles
• [34:20] Lindsey: quitting job to care for father with ALS
• [39:48] Ashley’s voice message: paid off mortgage, supporting adult child’s savings
• [47:49] Mary Beth’s voice message: early retirement, adjusting to the withdrawal phase, “enjoying the ride”
• [53:41] Henry: mini retirement, handyman business, health, travel, net worth growth

Summary & Call to Action

This episode is a rich tapestry of what FI looks like in the real world: pragmatic, messy, joyful, and deeply personal. Wins range from paying off mortgages, maximizing investment vehicles, and building community, to taking mini-retirements, recovering from burnout, and cherishing family in times of hardship. The hosts and community reinforce that FI isn't about relentless optimization—it’s about creating a life you don’t need to escape from.

Takeaway:
Whether you’re navigating tough times or enjoying abundance, taking thoughtful action and building flexibility into your plan is what leads to freedom and fulfillment. Your “win” — no matter how small — is worth celebrating, and your FI journey is uniquely yours.

Host’s Final Note:
“Enjoy this time. Use it as a time to rest, recuperate and plan for an amazing 2026. Thanks for being part of the community.” – Brad (55:55)

For further support and to connect locally:

• Subscribe to the ChooseFI newsletter for ongoing inspiration
• Explore local group meetups at ChooseFI.com/local
• Find points/miles resources at ChooseFI.com/cards
• Read more about travel hacking at ChooseFI.com/disney