The Personal Finance Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: How To Design Your Dream Life with Andy Hill
Host: Andrew Giancola
Guest: Andy Hill
Release Date: January 21, 2026

Overview

In this episode, host Andrew Giancola welcomes returning guest Andy Hill to discuss the transition from achieving Coast FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) to designing a life of greater fulfillment, balance, and purpose. The conversation digs deep into practical strategies, the emotional challenges of shifting from aggressive saving to intentional living, and how to cultivate time freedom. The episode draws on Andy’s personal journey, key insights from his new book Own Your Time, and his transformation from corporate worker to part-time solopreneur.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Coast FIRE: What Happens After You Hit It?

• What is Coast FIRE?
  Achieving enough savings so, with compounding, you no longer need to add to your retirement accounts; your investments will grow to fund your retirement (07:04).
• Emotional Impact:
  Achieving that number is exciting, but “quite quickly after that, it fades, man. It's just a number.” True fulfillment comes not from net worth milestones, but from accumulating memorable experiences with loved ones (Andy Hill, 12:52).
• Realization Moment:
  Discovering Coast FIRE opened up options like part-time work and greater lifestyle design flexibility (19:27).

2. Balancing Living for Today vs. Saving for Tomorrow

• Finding The Middle Ground:
  Andy’s experience fluctuated from spending everything in his 20s to being a super-saver. He now advocates for a balanced “middle way”:
  • Saving 25–30% of income is impactful without feeling deprivation (09:12).
  • Oversaving can lead to “a quick pathway to divorce and no friends.”
• Actionable Advice:
  • Start with identifying your “why” and values (“do some dreaming exercises... what do I want out of my life?” — 09:12).
  • Use tools like zero-based budgeting and adjust spending to prioritize things that matter most.

3. Bringing Your Partner Along

• Value Alignment:
  Couples should communicate their dreams to ensure alignment in financial goals (09:12).
• Practical Tip:
  Physically adjust budgets to focus on top family priorities and dreams.

4. Bringing Memories and Experiences to the Forefront

• Shifting Focus:
  “The goal, the win, is an accumulation of incredible memories with people that you love.” (Andy Hill, 12:52)
• Intentional Spending:
  After reading Die With Zero, Andy prioritized family experiences over further aggressive saving.

5. What If You’re “Behind”?

• Advice for Late Starters:
  If you like your career: Save and invest around 15%, and invest the rest in life’s experiences (16:28).
  • If you dislike your job, Coast FIRE gives an “escape hatch” sooner by reducing needed savings rate.
  • “Don’t delay that moment of spending time with somebody you love… invest that other 15% in experiences.” (Andy Hill, 18:20)

6. Psychology of Shifting from Aggressive Saver to Enjoying Life

• Letting Go:
  Scaling back from high savings to enjoying more is emotionally challenging but necessary for life satisfaction (27:28).
  • “We just sort of laddered down... started to bring that [savings rate] down... and eventually got to about just saving and investing 10%.”
  • Redirected the difference to family trips and meaningful experiences.
• Gradual Transition:
  “If it still feels odd, maybe pull it back a couple of percent… and start moving it towards things that bring your life more joy and happiness.” (Andy Hill, 27:28)

7. Life After Coast FIRE: New Options Unlocked

• Reduced Work Hours:
  • Andy and his wife both transitioned to ~20–25 hours/week (31:16).
• Personal Development:
  • More time for workouts, quality time with spouse, presence for children, supporting aging parents, and new hobbies (e.g., hip-hop dance!).
  • “It’s just like opening up space and time for new identities in your life outside of worker.” (Andy Hill, 31:16)
• Intentional Living:
  • Being deliberate with time and energy is critical to meaningful life design.

8. Redefining "Enough"

• Current Perspective:
  “I'm pretty happy right now... this is our version of financial independence. We have built up our wealth enough where we can own more of our time now and... do it because we want to do it, not because we have to do it.” (Andy Hill, 36:20–38:16)

Notable Quotes

• On the fleeting nature of financial milestones:

  “Quite quickly after that, it fades, man. It's just a number. And so really the goal, the win is an accumulation of incredible memories with people that you love.”
  — Andy Hill [12:52]

• On prioritizing present-day experiences:

  “The goal, the win, is a accumulation of incredible memories with people that you love and experiences. And what can you do to sustain that type of lifestyle over the long haul? Because that is happiness, man.”
  — Andy Hill [12:52]

• On letting go of the saver identity:

  “For me to say, well, let me stop doing that was like, pretty difficult... But when we started to balance, like, okay, yeah, we're not investing 10 more percent towards our 401k... But with that 10%, we're going on this all inclusive trip to Cancun with the kids. And it's going to be memories they're going to remember their entire lives...”
  — Andy Hill [27:28]

• On the capacity to be present:

  “I was not present with my wife, I was not a good husband, I’m not a good partner...now I'm leaning into making more dinners, cleaning the house, spending more time fixing things around here, being there for her for morning coffee every morning...”
  — Andy Hill [31:16]

• On time wealth:

  “Time freedom, time ownership. Owning your time and moving in the direction that feels right to you, not because somebody tells you to move in that direction.”
  — Andy Hill [41:19]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [07:04] – Andy’s balance between spending and saving
• [09:12] – Dreaming exercises, goal-setting with spouses, and the power of the “gap”
• [12:52] – Die With Zero, shifting to valuing memories
• [16:28] – Strategies for those behind on retirement
• [19:27] – The moment Andy realized he hit Coast FIRE, new life questions
• [27:28] – Handling the emotional transition from saving to spending
• [31:16] – What life looks like now: part-time work, fitness, family, hobbies
• [36:20] – Redefining “enough” and life satisfaction
• [39:19] – Rapid fire Q&A: best investment, major influences, and more
• [41:19] – “What does wealth mean to you?”

Memorable Rapid-Fire Q&A

• Go-to gas station snack: “Whatchamacallit bar and a pack of Funyuns, probably like a Dr. Pepper… this is like my 17 year old hit the gas stat.” (Andy Hill, 38:49)
• Greatest investment: Taking a risk on a relationship, flying to meet his now-wife against the odds (39:19)
• Wealth philosophy: “Time freedom, time ownership.” (41:19)

Final Takeaways

• Coast FIRE is not an endpoint but a doorway to intentional living, greater freedom, and time abundance.
• The pursuit of financial independence should support—rather than stifle—rich experiences and relationships.
• The “middle way,” personalized for your situation, offers balance between future security and present-day joy.
• Gradually ease into new spending and living patterns to make the emotional transition sustainable and joyful.
• Redefining “wealth” as time ownership, not just net worth, opens up the dream life many are truly seeking.

Where to Find Andy Hill

• Book: Own Your Time (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.)
• Podcast: Marriage, Kids and Money – marriagekidsandmoney.com