What if raising kids didn't have to cost a fortune—or derail your path to financial independence?

In this episode, Brad Barrett sits down with Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung, authors of Parent Like a Millionaire Without Being One, to challenge the biggest myths about the cost of parenting. They break down how families can use smart FI strategies to rethink childcare, housing, and everyday expenses—without sacrificing quality of life.

Discover practical, actionable ways to reduce costs, design a flexible family lifestyle, and take control of your financial future while raising kids.

• Misconceptions about the cost of raising children

• Financial independence strategies for parents

• Flexible child care options

• Housing costs and their impact on family budgets

• The concept of "money trees" for financial goal setting

• 00:00:00 - Introduction and Book Overview

• 00:05:00 - Financial Strategies for Parenting

• 00:20:00 - Key Categories of Costs

• 00:35:00 - Money Trees and FI Goals

• 00:50:00 - Closing Thoughts

• Explore innovative child care arrangements, like co-working spaces with daycare.

• Evaluate housing decisions as they significantly affect financial stability.

• Implement "money trees"—small, actionable financial goals for managing expenses.

• Parent Like a Millionaire Without Being One

• Quit Like a Millionaire

Live from Richmond, VA - Design Your Extraordinary Life!

Brad Barrett, Alan Donegan, and Katie Donegan on fear, family, and building a life you don't need to escape from.

What does an extraordinary life actually look like once you achieve financial independence?

In this special live episode from Richmond, Virginia, Brad Barrett sits down with Alan Donegan and Katie Donegan in front of a live audience to explore what happens after you start designing your life intentionally.

From overcoming fear and raising financially literate kids to building meaningful second income streams and finding the balance between contentment and ambition, this conversation explores how FI isn't just about money — it's about living deliberately.

Whether you're early in your journey or already financially independent, this episode will challenge you to think bigger about what's possible.

• Designing an Extraordinary Life
• Health and Wellness Trends
• Vision for the FI Community
• Overcoming Fear
• Parenting with Financial Independence
• Developing Second Income Streams
• Balancing Contentment and Striving

• 00:00:00 - Introduction to Live Event
• 00:05:00 - Health and Wellness
• 00:15:00 - Vision for FI Community
• 00:25:00 - Overcoming Fear
• 00:35:00 - Parenting in FI
• 00:45:00 - Second Income Streams
• 00:55:00 - Extraordinary Life Traits
• 01:05:00 - Contentment vs. Striving

• Choose FI local groups
• Victoria Falls
• El Avion in Costa Rica

• Identify and trust reliable sources for health information.
• Consider quick mini-experiments to design a second income stream.
• Reflect on what an extraordinary life means to you and take steps to make it real.
• Incorporate financial literacy into daily family interactions.

• "Success isn't the absence of fear but taking action despite it."
• "Everything you want in life is outside your comfort zone."
• "FI is a superpower, and we've spread the message, but we have a long way to go."
• "Being interested makes you interesting."
• "The seasons of life change, and so do we."

Most people think they know where their money goes each month… but when they actually run an expense audit, they find hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars quietly leaking out of their budget.

Today we're walking through how to run a simple expense audit, how to find those leaks, and how to use a "value matrix" to decide what's worth keeping—and what's quietly draining your life and your wallet.

• Conduct an Expense Audit: Review your expenses for February to March to identify spending leaks.
• Utilize the Value Matrix: Categorize expenses into high/low joy and high/low cost to optimize spending.
• Regular Check-ins: Establish a routine of auditing and reflecting on your spending habits to refine financial strategies over time.

• ChooseFI Community Platform

• Start Your Expense Audit: Begin reviewing your expenses now to uncover potential leaks.
• Engage with the Community: Share your audit findings and strategies on the ChooseFI platform.
• Utilize the Value Matrix: Apply this framework to reflect on your spending and make informed decisions.
• Listen to Episode 586 for more details on initiating your expense audit and understanding its importance.