Childfree Life by Design
Childfree Life by Design is a podcast for people who are Childfree or permanently childless and thinking seriously about money, legacy, and what comes next. It tackles financial planning, estate planning, and life decisions for adults building a future without children and without a default script to follow.
Hosted by experts in financial and life planning, the show cuts through outdated assumptions about family, retirement, and aging. Conversations focus on utilizing wealth, solo aging, long-term care, relationships, and how to plan with clarity when you don’t have kids.
This isn’t about justifying your choices or debating labels. It’s about practical guidance for planning life without children making smart financial decisions, defining legacy on your own terms, and building support systems that actually work.
If you’re Childfree, childless, or planning without kids and want thoughtful, trusted education, this is where those conversations happen.
Disclosure: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult your professional advisors before implementing any ideas discussed. For full disclosures, visit Childfreewealth.com.
Childfree Life by Design
Navigating Your "Second Half of Life": FIRE vs. FILE and Accessing Your Money Early, Ep 162
Are you tired of the traditional work-and-retire-at-65 plan? This episode is for you. We're diving into the concepts of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and FILE (Financial Independence, Live Early), and exploring how you can break free from the traditional script. Dr. Jay and Bri challenge the idea that retirement is an "on/off switch" and introduce the "dimmer switch" approach of FILE, which allows you to design a life you love now, rather than waiting for a distant retirement.
Timestamps
🔹 0:48 - When can I retire vs. do you want to retire?
🔹 2:28 - Are you a FIRE or FILE person?
🔹 3:33 - Dr. Jay's "mental chew toy"
🔹 5:39 - The importance of planning for what you’ll do with your time
🔹 6:40 - The "Purpose Code" and living with lowercase "p" purpose
🔹 11:53 - The difficulty of giving up a specific career path
🔹 14:49 - Overcoming self-limiting beliefs
🔹 15:49 - Why age is the least important factor in retirement
🔹 18:24 - The debate: Are you ready to make a change?
🔹 19:13 - What brings you joy?
🔹 25:23 - Accessing your retirement money before 59½
🔹 28:37 - The rule of 55
🔹 32:17 - The rule of 72t, or SEPP
🔹 34:05 - Accessing Roth IRA contributions penalty-free
🔹 35:48 - Inherited IRAs
🔹 37:53 - 401k loans: The good, the bad, and the ugly
🔹 45:36 - Health insurance options for early retirees
Mentioned in this episode:
🔹 Andy & Libbi Financial Planning Sessions
1️⃣ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/16367564
2️⃣ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/16367713
3️⃣ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/16368047
4️⃣ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/16962286
5️⃣ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/17411168
🔹 Finding Purpose Beyond Financial Independence with Doc G, Ep 120 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/16367437
🔹 The Purpose Code by Jordan Grummet, MD https://jordangrumet.com/books/
