Catching Up to FI

Exposed! We go behind the scenes with industry experts and disrupters in the retail car-buying market, Ray and Zach Shefska. They are the powerful father-son team behind CarEdge, a car-buying platform that's fighting fiercely for transparency. Ray brings 43 years of dealership experience and Zach brings the modern tech (like AI agents) and viral moments when he exposes dealers misbehaving. Together, they reveal how dealerships really make money, including things like dealer fees, financing, and often unnecessary ad-ons. Don't miss this breakdown of smart ways for you to research, shop, avoid games some dealers play, and get the fairest price on your next car.
This episode covers
How dealerships use monthly payments to distract buyers from the total cost of a car
Why negotiating a vehicle can be especially difficult for women and minority buyers
Using AI agents to obtain and negotiate real dealer pricinng
The fees, add-ons, and protection packages buyers should question
Why "if it's taxable, it's negotiable" is one of Ray's favorite rules
How to get and compare a true out-the-door price
Why a pre-purchase inspection is critical when buying a used vehicle
The pros and cons of CarMax and Carvana
How pre-approved financing can protect you from dealer interest-rate markups
Cash versus financing, leasing and total cost of ownership
Ray's ultimate rule: buy what you need, not just what you want
 
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===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS===
F.I.R.E. For Dummies
Did you know that co-host Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP®, AFC® is also author of "F.I.R.E. For Dummies"? This is the perfect guide for anyone looking to move from the basics of their finances to reaching F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and enjoying the time freedom it creates. Even if you feel behind on your finances, the steps in this book will help you catch up sooner than you ever imagined. 
Learn from someone who actually achieved F.I.R.E. in her 40s even after getting a late start 
Covers everything from basics to advanced strategies in one guide 
Practical solutions for early retirement obstacles like health insurance and early withdrawal penalties 
📕 Get Your Copy  (currently 40% off on Amazon)
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners
 
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RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW
CarEdge (Research, Dealer Ratings, Car-buying Service)
CarEdge Podcast
CarEdge YouTube
CarEdge Live YouTube
Shady Car Dealers are Done! Fair Pricing Summit DC
Zach's AI Summit Talk
Ray's letters to his late wife Suzanne 
 
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📌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.

What if the biggest retirement risk isn't running out of money, but being too afraid to spend the money you worked decades to build? Personal finance icon Jean Chatzky joins Bill and Jackie to tackle the psychology and math behind turning a lifetime of savings into a Forever Paycheck. Jean shares her own late-start reset after losing her father, getting divorced, and getting fired within a single year. She then explains why retirees often happily spend Social Security and pensions while fiercely protecting their investment balances. Together they explore Jean's tools that can create both security and permission to spend. Jackie even runs her own numbers and discovers her forever-income gap might be surprisingly easy to fill. 
This episode covers 
Jean Chatzky's own financial reset after a series of major life changes at 40 
Why retirees can become surprisingly reluctant to spend their accumulated savings 
The "decumulation gap" and the psychology behind creating a retirement paycheck 
How to build a "moat budget" around essential expenses and important wants 
How risk tolerance and FOMO can shape your retirement-income strategy 
Why Jean changed her long-held opinion about annuities 
How home equity, insurance, HSAs, and other assets can become retirement resources 
Why late starters need forgiveness, benchmarks, and trusted guidance, not perfection
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=== SUPPORT  THE  SHOW ===
📩 Sign up for our newsletter
📺 Watch & Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
🌐 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

 
.
===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS===
F.I.R.E. For Dummies
Did you know that co-host Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP®, AFC® is also author of "F.I.R.E. For Dummies"? This is the perfect guide for anyone looking to move from the basics of their finances to reaching F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and enjoying the time freedom it creates. Even if you feel behind on your finances, the steps in this book will help you catch up sooner than you ever imagined. 
Learn from someone who actually achieved F.I.R.E. in her 40s even after getting a late start 
Covers everything from basics to advanced strategies in one guide 
Practical solutions for early retirement obstacles like health insurance and early withdrawal penalties 
📕 Get Your Copy  (currently 40% off on Amazon)
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners
 
.
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW
📙The Forever Paycheck
Her Money
Her Money Podcast
Guaranteed Income: A License to Spend  (A research paper by David Blanchett and Michael Finke) 
 
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⏰ Related Episodes 
Are Pensions Really Dead? The Surprising Value of Modern Pensions | Andy Panko | 233
How To Build Your Own Paycheck: From Saver to Spender | Fritz Gilbert & Dana Anspach | 171 
 
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📌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.

What happens when you finally reach financial independence and your brain responds with, "Great, now what?" In this special crossover from ChooseFI, Ginger turns the microphone on Bill and digs into the part of financial independence that spreadsheets rarely prepare us for. He shares how a lawsuit and burnout woke him up financially at 50 and how he and his wife flipped from single-digit saving to intentional wealth building. Bill also explains why reaching FI at 60 created a whole new problem: actually giving himself permission to leave work.
This episode covers
Bill's financial wake-up call at age 50 and his "trifecta" of late-starter mistakes
How he and his wife moved from single-digit saving to a 30–40% savings rate
Working through regret, shame, anger, and scarcity after a late start
Why lifestyle downsizing felt more freeing than depriving
The "fog of FI" and why reaching your number does not automatically make retirement easy
One-more-year syndrome, professional identity, and creating a gradual glide path out of work
How FI gave Bill leverage to cut shifts, reduce night work, and reclaim his time
The advantages late starters still have despite missing decades of compounding
Why health, relationships, community, and purpose become more important after the math is solved
Bill's belief that relationships may compound even better than money
 
.
=== 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

 
.
===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS===
F.I.R.E. For Dummies
Did you know that co-host Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP®, AFC® is also author of "F.I.R.E. For Dummies"? This is the perfect guide for anyone looking to move from the basics of their finances to reaching F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and enjoying the time freedom it creates. Even if you feel behind on your finances, the steps in this book will help you catch up sooner than you ever imagined. 
Learn from someone who actually achieved F.I.R.E. in her 40s even after getting a late start 
Covers everything from basics to advanced strategies in one guide 
Practical solutions for early retirement obstacles like health insurance and early withdrawal penalties 
📕 Get Your Copy  (currently 40% off on Amazon)
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners
 
.
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW
ChooseFI
https://choosefi.com

⏰ Related Episodes
Founder of 'Catching Up to FI' Just Hit Financial Independence, Now What? | Bill Yount | 196
 
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⚠️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.

A 72(t) plan is little-known IRS provision which gives you a perfectly legal way to access your retirement money before 59½ without the 10% penalty. In this second half of the 2-part episode, Jackie brings back Mr. 72t, William (Bill) Stecker, CPA and founder of 72tcalc.com. This episode takes on the practical half of their deep dive into 72(t) plans as they move from theory to execution. Jackie puts her own plan on screen to let Bill do what he does best... audit it! He scrutinizes her $240k starting balance, $15k annual withdrawals, plan timeline, and the surprising fact that her account has actually grown even though she's been taking money out. 
This episode covers
Why Bill strongly favors the amortization method for most practical 72(t) plans
How the 5% interest-rate floor changed SEPP planning
The three basic inputs needed to calculate a 72(t)
How to document the correct starting IRA balance
What records to keep in case the IRS ever asks questions
Why annual withdrawals may reduce opportunities for mistakes
How to handle a 1099-R that says "early distribution, no known exception"
Jackie's real-life 72(t) setup, asset allocation, and withdrawal schedule
How 72(t)s can work alongside Roth conversions and other income strategies
Why some people may qualify for better early-withdrawal exceptions and not need a SEPP at all
This is the second part of a 2-part episode. Be sure to subscribe the show and catch part 1 (episode 234) from 8/30/26.
 
.
=== 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

 
.
===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS===
F.I.R.E. For Dummies
Did you know that co-host Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP®, AFC® is also author of "F.I.R.E. For Dummies"? This is the perfect guide for anyone looking to move from the basics of their finances to reaching F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and enjoying the time freedom it creates. Even if you feel behind on your finances, the steps in this book will help you catch up sooner than you ever imagined. 
Learn from someone who actually achieved F.I.R.E. in her 40s even after getting a late start 
Covers everything from basics to advanced strategies in one guide 
Practical solutions for early retirement obstacles like health insurance and early withdrawal penalties 
📕 Get Your Copy  (currently 40% off on Amazon)
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners
 
.
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW
🌐72tcalc.com Website 
Free consultation with Bill Stecker's Firm (The Marble Group)
email: themarblegroup@wispertel.net
Phone: (312) 361-0221 
 
Official IRS Tax Code 72(t) 
IRS Notice 2022-6 (sets a new floor interest rate of 5% for calculating 72(t) distributions)


72(t) Calculators 
72tCalc  
FI Tax Guy 72(t) using Google Sheet
Dinkytown 
CalcXML
UngrindFi  
 
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⏰ Related Episodes 
Retiring Early? CPA Explains How To Use A 72(t) to Escape The 10% Penalty | Bill Stecker (Part1) | 234
72(t) Expert Tells All: No More Secrets About Early Withdrawals (Part 1) | Bill Stecker | 131
Cashing in on 72(t): The Goldmine of Early Retirement Rules (Part2) | Bill Stecker | 133 
 
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📌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.

You won't find a more comprehensive resource on the topic of 72(t) plans and substantially equal periodic payments (SEPP). This little-known IRS provision gives you a perfectly legal way to access your retirement money before 59½ without the 10% penalty… and almost nobody in finance wants to touch it! So, Jackie brings back the one expert that lives and breathes 72(t)s, William (Bill) Stecker, CPA and founder of 72tcalc.com. Bill picks up where he left off when he last appeared on the show in 2025. He further explains the nuances of 72(t) plans and how to avoid common mistakes. Hear how 72(t)s can be incredibly powerful tools for early retirees, laid-off workers, and anyone ready to leave the traditional "hours-for-dollars" trade.
This episode covers
What a 72(t) or SEPP plan actually is
Access to retirement accounts before age 59½ without the 10% penalty tax
Why so many financial professionals hesitate to work with 72(t) plans 
The minimum plan period and why modifying a SEPP can become extremely expensive 
How to determine how much early retirement income you actually need
The differences between the Rule of 55 and a 72(t) strategy 
Why Bill usually prefers moving money from employer "plan land" into "IRA land" 
How brokerage accounts, Roth contributions, part-time work, and SEPPs can work together 
Why inflation and unexpected expenses need to be built into an early-retirement income plan 
How splitting an IRA into separate accounts can create flexibility and isolate potential mistakes


This is the first part of a 2-part episode. Be sure to follow the show and catch part 2 next week (9/6/26).
.
=== 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

 
.
===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS===
F.I.R.E. For Dummies
Did you know that co-host Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP®, AFC® is also author of "F.I.R.E. For Dummies"? This is the perfect guide for anyone looking to move from the basics of their finances to reaching F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and enjoying the time freedom it creates. Even if you feel behind on your finances, the steps in this book will help you catch up sooner than you ever imagined. 
Learn from someone who actually achieved F.I.R.E. in her 40s even after getting a late start 
Covers everything from basics to advanced strategies in one guide 
Practical solutions for early retirement obstacles like health insurance and early withdrawal penalties 
📕 Get Your Copy  (currently 40% off on Amazon)
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners
 
.
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW
🌐72tcalc.com Website 
Free consultation with Bill Stecker's Firm (The Marble Group)
email: themarblegroup@wispertel.net
Phone: (312) 361-0221 
72(t) Calculators 
72tCalc  
FI Tax Guy 72(t) using Google Sheet
Dinkytown 
CalcXML
UngrindFi  
Official IRS Tax Code 72(t) 
 
.
⏰ Related Episodes 
72(t) Expert Tells All: No More Secrets About Early Withdrawals (Part 1) | Bill Stecker | 131
Cashing in on 72(t): The Goldmine of Early Retirement Rules (Part2) | Bill Stecker | 133 
 
.
📌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.