Catching Up to FI

What if the person inspiring the room didn't come from a polished finance background at all, but from payday loans, being unbanked, a credit score in the 500s, and the kind of rock bottom most FI stories rarely admit out loud? In this on-location episode from Madison, WI, Jackie sits down with Afra Smith, founder of The Melanin Project and creator of the Wealth Empowerment Conference, for a conversation that is as honest as it gets. She's a late-starter and shares how depression, financial chaos, and a painful career setback forced her to finally confront what wasn't working. She shares how one financial coach, one budget, and one decision to stop waiting for someone else to rescue her changed the direction of her life. From there, she built something much bigger than a comeback story. It's now a growing movement centered on financial wellness, lived experience, and giving people the tools to rebuild from where they actually are. Her raw truth is proof that your hardest chapter does not have to be your final one.
This episode covers: 
Afra's journey from payday loans, ChexSystems, and depression to financial stability
The career disappointment that became her wake-up call
How one financial coach and a basic budget started her turnaround
Why financial struggles in underserved communities are often deeper than "just spend less"
The origin of The Melanin Project and the Wealth Empowerment Conference 
Why lived experience and emotional honesty matter in financial education 
The link between mental health, physical health, and wealth-building
How Afra built a meaningful community event while still working a full-time job
Why consumption habits and appearances can distort how we judge wealth and value 
What it looks like to turn pain into service and purpose
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=== 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
The Melanin Project 
TrueStage 
CLIMB USA (Bob Wynn) 
Madison Gas and Electric Company 
Summit Credit Union
 
⏰ Related Episodes 
From Poverty to Wealth and Early Retirement | Jackie Cummings Koski | 007
We Found Them! Past Guests At The Women of FI Weekend | Kim H. and Lisa B. | 218
 
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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 smartest legacy move isn't leaving your kids a pile of money someday, but using your wealth right now to help them buy time, build habits, and change their future while you're still here to watch it happen? We sit down with Allen Mueller of 7 Saturdays Financial for a practical, deeply useful conversation about gifting to family with intention. The thread running through all of it is simple: money is not just for accumulating. It's for strengthening the people and values you care about most.
This episode covers:
Why gifting during your lifetime can be more impactful than leaving a larger inheritance later
The difference between a tax threshold and a paperwork threshold for gifts
How the annual gift exclusion really works
Why many retirees underspend and unintentionally miss chances to help family now
Smart ways to fund kids' and grandkids' futures through 529s, custodial Roths, and brokerage accounts
How to think about gifting for college, healthcare, and home down payments
Why "skin in the game" still matters when helping younger family members
How appreciated shares can be gifted downstream or upstream for tax advantages
Why wisdom and stewardship matter more than simply transferring money
How FI can turn parents and grandparents into real-time wealth builders for the next generation
.
=== 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
7 Saturdays Financial
Allen's LinkedIn 
.

⏰ Related Episodes
Why 90% of Families Lose Their Wealth (and How to Stop the Cycle) | Julia Myers | 209 
These New Rules Will Change The Way You Think About 529 Plans | Patricia Roberts | 193 
 
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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 smartest move on your road to FI isn't buying a bigger house, but shrinking the footprint, clearing the clutter, and finally designing a life that actually fits? In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Susanka, the architect behind the bestselling "Not So Big House" movement. We talk about what happens when you stop building for appearances and start building for how you really live. Sarah shares how growing up in England, then landing in car-centric suburban Los Angeles made her question why Americans kept buying "hamburger bun but no hamburger" houses full of unused rooms.
 
This episode covers:
Sarah Susanka's origin story and how suburbia pushed her toward architecture 
The difference between building bigger and building better 
Why unused rooms are the housing version of lifestyle bloat - How right-sizing a home parallels right-sizing a life 
The design power of light, ceiling height, flow, and multi-use space 
How small architectural moves can create huge changes in mood and function 
Why old thought patterns can clutter a life just like unused rooms clutter a house 
The connection between beauty, sustainability, and building things that last 
How Bill used Sarah's ideas in his own home design and life redesign 
Why intentional design matters even more for late starters making a reset spaces.
.
=== 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 
👉🏽 https://a.co/d/01umGgeh  (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
Sarah's Website
Not So Big Design Principles for House & Life with Sarah Susanka
Sarah TedX talk
📗The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live
The New Urbanism
The Not So Big Bungalow
 
.

⏰ Related Episodes
How Clutter Steals Your Time (And How to Get It Back) | Rose Lounsbury | 188
 
.
📌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 fastest way to understand women's financial power isn't another lecture, but a trivia game that quietly reveals how recent, fragile, and still unfinished so much of women's economic progress really is? In this special "Sheconomy" quiz-show episode, Jackie and Bill join Janine Firpo and financial planner Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez for a lively game show. They move from Equal Pay Day and credit-card rights to why women often outperform men as investors, why female-led companies and firms still get shut out, and what could happen if women intentionally shifted even a slice of their wealth toward their values. The tone is playful, but the message is serious: money is power, and women stepping into that power changes families, businesses, markets, and maybe the whole economy.
This episode covers:
The surprising timeline of women's financial rights in the US
What Equal Pay Day reveals about how far women still have to go
Why women often outperform men as investors 
How overconfidence and overtrading hurt returns
Why women-led businesses still receive a tiny share of venture capital
The rise of advice-only and flat-fee financial planning models
What values-aligned and ESG investing actually mean
Why women's money choices can reshape markets and communities
How much wealth women are expected to control in the coming years
The collective impact women could have by shifting capital intentionally
.
=== 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 
👉🏽 https://a.co/d/01umGgeh  (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
Our Sheconomy 
.
⏰ Related Episodes
Vote Your Money: Values Aligned Investing | Janine Firpo | 139 
The Power of Cash Flow Planning | Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez | 016
 
.
📌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 women in the financial independence community finally get a room of their own and use it not just to talk numbers, but to unpack the invisible stuff they've been carrying for years? In this on-location episode, Jackie takes us inside the Women of FI annual weekend in Maryland. This was a rare women-centered FI retreat that blends case studies, life design, laughter, and vulnerability. She catches up with two familiar voices from past episodes, Kim Hunter-Borst and Lisa B. to hear what retirement, sabbaticals, and post-FI life actually look like in motion, not just on paper. Other attendees also share why a women-only space hits differently: less posturing, more honesty, more room to talk about emotional labor, caregiving, identity, and the inner work that often gets skipped in mixed-money spaces.
This episode covers: 
What happened at the Women of FI annual women's weekend in Maryland 
Why women-centered FI spaces create a different kind of openness and trust 
Kim Hunter-Borst's vision for building a smaller, more vulnerable, more intentional retreat 
The 2026 theme of "release" and what women said they were ready to put down 
A retirement update from Kim after leaving full-time work 
A follow-up from Lisa B. on quitting her job, taking a summer break, and what happened next 
Why women said they needed space for both the "outer" and "inner" work of FI 
How attendees are thinking about Coast FI, sabbaticals, community, and post-FI life
.
=== 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 
👉🏽 https://a.co/d/01umGgeh  (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
 
Women Of FI 
WE Wealth Collective Facebook Group 
EconoMe Conference https://economeconference.com
CampFI 
FinTalks Events
.
⏰ Related Episodes
Drowning in Debt at 48, Retired at 58: Here's How She Did It! | Kim Hunter-Borst | 181
Case Study: The Real Numbers That Told Her She Could Quit her Job, Now! | Lisa B | 161
The Power of Cash Flow Planning | Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez | 016
 
.
📌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.