Doug and co-host Kristen Knapp chat with Fritz Gilbert (The Retirement Manifesto) at the EconoMe Conference about various drawdown strategies and spending in early retirement. Fritz describes how he personally implements a “bucket strategy” approach to withdrawing money by setting up a monthly “paycheck”, how decumulation differs from accumulation, and explains sequence-of-returns, inflation, & longevity risks. The group also discusses annual financial reviews, dynamic spending guardrails, viability of DIY investors, and intentional living.

Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/

Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you!

• Guitar Accessories
• Hiking & Outdoor
• Essentials for Sleep

Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington

Links

• The Retirement Manifesto
  • Blog
  • “Our Retirement Investment Drawdown Strategy”
  • “Revisiting Our Drawdown Strategy After 3 Years of Retirement”
  • “Do You Really Need a Trust? And Other Estate Planning Questions Retirees Ask Most”
  • “How To Build A Bond Ladder”
• Freedom for Fido
  • Website
  • Facebook
• Fritz Gilbert, “Keys to a Successful Retirement”
  • Kindle
  • Paperback
  • Spiral-bound
• FI Friends Travel
• Big ERN/Early Retirement Now
• MHFI Facebook group
• Doug’s site
• Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey

—

Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list!

Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more

**Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Brought To...

Doug chats with Mark Trautman (Mark’s Money Mind) about the relevance of The 4% Rule in modern retirement planning. They explore whether it remains a solid “north star” for those in the accumulation phase or if it has become an outdated guideline that potentially hinders retirees from living their best lives. Mark also shares his personal transition from a high-saver to a strategic retiree focused on decumulation & creating memory dividends.

Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/

Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you!

• Guitar Accessories
• Hiking & Outdoor
• Essentials for Sleep

Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington

Links

• Mark Trautman/Mark’s Money Mind
• David Chilton, “The Wealthy Barber”
  • Paperback
• William Bengen, “A Richer Retirement”
  • Kindle
  • Hardcover
  • Audiobook
  • Audio CD
• Retirement and IRA Show
• Bill Perkins, “Die With Zero”
  • Kindle
  • Hardcover
  • Paperback
  • Audiobook
• Big ERN on MHFI episode 280
• Aubrey Williams, “Everyone Adjusts! Use Historical Analysis Risk-Based Guardrails to Reach FI Sooner!”
• ProjectionLab
• MHFI Facebook group
• Doug’s site
• Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey

—

Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list!

Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more

**Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Brought To You By:

The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles

Support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, PanCan, for the PurpleStride.

Donate here

PurpleStride is an inspiring event for anyone who has been affected by pancreatic cancer. We are raising funds to ensure vital research continues and free resources are made available to all who need them.

We’ll be at the Dallas event (PurpleStride) DFW. If the this episode is up, then donations are still open. Thank you.

Doug and Mark Trautman (Mark’s Money Mind) answer questions from the listener mailbag. They discuss how to prepare for retirement, building social connections beyond work, psychological shifts of leaving a career, strategies for “manufacturing” a retirement paycheck, how to navigate the changing landscape of car ownership (buying vs. leasing), and the mindset shift of decumulation & spending.

Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/

Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you!

• Guitar Accessories
• Hiking & Outdoor
• Essentials for Sleep

Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington

Links

• Mark Trautman/Mark’s Money Mind
• Mark’s Money Mind Episode 063, “Taxes, Travel, and Market Turbulence”
• CampFI
• Mr. Money Mustache on MHFI episode 309
• Kevin Sebesta on MHFI episode 302
• Morgan Housel, “Psychology of Money”
  • Kindle
  • Hardcover
  • Paperback
  • Audiobook
• ChooseFI Ep 022, “The True Cost Of Car Ownership”
• MHFI Facebook group
• Doug’s site
• Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey

—

Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list!

Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more

**Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Brought To You By:

The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles

Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com

0:00 Introduction

0:56 Recent travels

5:53 Question – Preparing to retire

11:13 Social connections, hobbies, & identity

18:50 Retirement paycheck strategy

23:35 Question – Leasing vs. buying cars

29:16 Longevity & when leasing makes sense

34:17 Question – Decumulation & spending

40:47 Calculating downsid...

Doug chats with his wife Elizabeth about her 2-year anniversary in early retirement. Elizabeth describes why she loves not working, challenges with balancing routine vs. flexibility, and how reduced stress has improved relationships and communication. Doug & Elizabeth also discuss budgeting with a financial advisor, differences in “fun fund” spending, the impact of market returns on retirement confidence, perceived social pressure within the FI community to retire, and not necessarily retiring “to something”.

Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/

Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you!

• Guitar Accessories
• Hiking & Outdoor
• Essentials for Sleep

Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington

Links

• Elizabeth on MHFI episode 281
• Leckerlee Cookies
• Earn & Invest, “What’s the Point of FIRE?”
• The FI Collective
• Bill Perkins, “Die With Zero”
  • Kindle
  • Hardcover
  • Paperback
  • Audiobook
• “Survive the 9 to 5” podcast
• “The Doug Show” podcast
• MHFI Facebook group
• Doug’s site
• Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey

—

Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list!

Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more

**Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Brought To You By:

The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles

Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com

0:00 Introduction

2:08 Leaving a full-time career

8:07 Part-time work experiment

18:36 Retirement surprises

23:03 Finding a routine

29:46 Relationship improvements

36:28 Pressure to retire

43:31 Spending & budgeting

50:30 Influence of the stock market

55:24 Retirement tips & readiness

1:00:05 Wh...

Doug and Kristen Knapp (FI Friends Travel) dive into a listener-submitted topic from Dell regarding the potential benefits of oversaving. Doug & Kristen discuss the pros & cons of oversaving, the necessity of having a plan for “retiring to something” after work, and explore the psychological shifts that occur when you no longer need a paycheck. They also tackle common traps in the FI community such as “One More Year Syndrome”, golden handcuffs, and identity issues tied to a career.

Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/

Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you!

• Guitar Accessories
• Hiking & Outdoor
• Essentials for Sleep

Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington

Links

• FI Friends Travel
• ChooseFI local groups
• EconoMe Conference
• CampFI
• Mark Trautman/Mark’s Money Mind
• Kevin Sebesta on MHFI episode 302
• Morgan Housel, “The Art of Spending Money”
  • Kindle
  • Hardcover
  • Paperback
  • Audiobook
• Bill Perkins, “Die With Zero”
  • Kindle
  • Hardcover
  • Paperback
  • Audiobook
• MHFI Facebook group
• Doug’s site
• Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey

—

Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list!

Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more

**Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Brought To You By:

The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles

Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com

0:00 Introduction

4:17 D...

Please support the show if you like it! I play highlights about Die With Zero, specifically about Time Bucketing.

You can donate via Buy Me a Coffee. You get extra content and know that you’re making the show possible.

Mile High FI is listed as one of the TOP Podcast on Careers in Apple Podcasts!

Spotify is 28% of the audience, so that’s grown in 2025 and higher than I said in this episode.

If you extrapolate the Spotify year end review data to the total downloads, here is what you get…

Mile High FI is a:

• Top 5 podcast for about 5,000 people!
• #1 podcast for about 740 people!

I don’t have ads anymore so I want to cover production costs. Most of the costs are related to software and tools and hosting. Many other podcasts have sucky ads every 15 minutes. I don’t want to do that.

Producer Chris volunteers to edit and produce the show. We’re not trying to get rich doing the show, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and planning.

You can also check out the affiliate offers here, which are products that I recommend. Mile High FI usually gets a small percentage, say 1% to 15%, depending on the arrangement. It helps, but direct donations are the best.

Doug chats with Pete Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache) about various fears that some people have about early retirement. They explore why some people may be reluctant to retire, despite being financially ready, and specifically how fear of boredom can hold people back. They discuss “One More Year Syndrome” and the irrational fear of running out of money despite what the math says.

Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/

Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you!

• Guitar Accessories
• Hiking & Outdoor
• Essentials for Sleep

Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington

Links

• Pete Adeney/Mr. Money Mustache
• Pete on MHFI episode 308
• Morgan Housel, “Is the F.I.R.E. Movement Dead?”
• The Donegans
• The FI Collective
• MHFI Facebook group
• Doug’s site
• Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey

—

Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list!

Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more

**Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.**

Brought To You By:

The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles

Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com

0:00 Introduction

1:51 One More Year Syndrome

5:50 Scared of boredom

10:18 Building social skills

17:22 Boring people are bored

22:03 FI Collective

25:51 Soundcheck – New house