Tanzania Safari Highlights, Passive Income on Autopilot, and AI Disruption TalkJosh and Elliot discuss Josh’s recent first international trip: a two-week Tanzania safari organized by Kristen Knapp’s FI Friends Travel and “Safari Lauri,” which exceeded expectations and felt more like an adventure than a vacation. Josh shares a favorite memory of deciding via paper-rock-scissors with Swahili-speaking guides to take an optional afternoon safari that led to hearing week-old lion cubs and seeing their mother, and notes they saw the African Big Five plus many other animals, ate lamb, and learned basic Swahili. He reflects on limited internet, receiving rent and other income streams while away, and how language exposure in Frankfurt revived his old German and renewed interest in language learning. They then pivot to AI’s impact, including claims of open-source reverse engineering of Adobe and Microsoft Office and PS5 jailbreaking, and discuss work uncertainty. Elliot covers returning from physical therapy, difficulty forming a workout habit, and “one more year syndrome,” weighing FI timing and a future inflation-adjusted gift for his children amid job dissatisfaction, bad boss, and commute.00:00 Jet Lag Catch Up00:55 Safari Trip Setup03:10 Paper Rock Safari06:29 Lion Cubs Moment08:20 Food And Big Five13:36 Passive Income Autopilot16:34 Swahili And German19:52 AI Disruption Talk31:35 Workout Habit Building35:51 One More Year Debate46:44 Wrap Up And Feedback

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Contact Elliot: Elliot@ninetofipod.com

Contact Josh: Josh@ninetofipod.com

Josh’s other podcast: Stuck In Beta

Josh’s YouTube channel: How To Fix It Workshop

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Does Time Slow Down After You Retire? (Plus: One More Year Decisions & FI Doubts)Josh and Elliot open by talking about Josh’s upcoming first international trip to Tanzania and a geography-trivia Instagram account. Josh shares that since retiring 17 months ago after a 25-year corporate career, time feels like it has slowed down. They discuss Josh’s informal “research” on time dilation, novelty, loss of external time markers, and keeping a steep learning curve through new projects. The conversation shifts to Elliot’s uncertain FI timeline: his job has worsened, he’s aiming to reach a bonus/RSU milestone, and he’s debating working longer to fund inflation-adjusted monetary gifts for his three kids, estimating he’s about 93% FI and wrestling with emotional versus mathematical readiness.00:00 Safari Travel Banter01:21 Geography Trivia Detour03:03 Retirement Time Slowdown06:49 Time Dilation Explained15:29 Keeping Novelty Alive23:15 Learning Curve and Drums25:21 One More Year Decision28:59 FI Math and Family Gifts38:27 Trusting the Portfolio48:11 Wrap Up and Safari Warnings

Spotify:

Do you have feedback or suggestions? We want to hear from you!

Contact Elliot: Elliot@ninetofipod.com

Contact Josh: Josh@ninetofipod.com

Josh’s other podcast: Stuck In Beta

Josh’s YouTube channel: How To Fix It Workshop

Any of these products help the show. Thanks for your support!

Buy Us a Coffee⁠ - One time donation or monthly, it’s up to you

We both use ⁠Mint Mobile⁠ and save a ton on our phone plan: ⁠

⁠Empower⁠ is Josh’s choice for Net Worth and Budgeting

Wanna create a podcast? We use ⁠Descript⁠

Looking for a new credit card? We’re big fans of ⁠Chase⁠

⁠Want to save money on gas, groceries and dining out? Try ⁠Upside!⁠

Books mentioned in this episode:

Come find us and subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@9toFI

Credit Card Hacking Mistakes, Annual Fee Cleanup, and Early Retirement Doubts

Josh introduces a conversation with Elliot focused on credit card hacking and, later, Elliot’s thoughts about possibly extending his early retirement timeline. They discuss a St. Louis heat wave, their current FIRE stages (Elliot nearing retirement; Josh 1.5 years into early retirement after leaving work in April 2025), and listener feedback on fear of boredom. Josh shares a cautionary tale from years of chasing sign-up bonuses and referrals, accumulating a large stack of cards, failing to close unused accounts, and wasting an estimated $1,500–$2,000 per year in annual fees; they discuss tracking tools, closing cards, and temporary credit-score impacts. Elliot describes disliking his job, weighing an extra year to meet family goals, and interviewing internally to change his situation. They also cover post-retirement guilt, Elliot’s improving foot recovery while coaching soccer, and the growth of the St. Louis ChooseFI community activities.

00:00 Episode Setup

01:11 Heat Wave Catch Up

02:26 Where We Are Now

04:29 Boredom Before Retirement

07:09 Credit Card Hacking Pitfalls

12:13 Tracking Cards and Fees

15:00 The Stack of Cards

19:25 Elliot Weighs One More Year

24:46 Life After Retiring Feelings

33:00 Getting Active Again

35:20 ChooseFI Community Hikes

37:34 Thanks and Wrap Up

Do you have feedback or suggestions? We want to hear from you!

Contact Elliot: Elliot@ninetofipod.com

Contact Josh: Josh@ninetofipod.com

Josh’s other podcast: Stuck In Beta

Josh’s YouTube channel: How To Fix It Workshop

Any of these products help the show. Thanks for your support!

Buy Us a Coffee⁠ - One time donation or monthly, it’s up to you

We both use ⁠Mint Mobile⁠ and save a ton on our phone plan: ⁠

⁠Empower⁠ is Josh’s choice for Net Worth and Budgeting

Wanna create a podcast? We use ⁠Descript⁠

Looking for a new credit card? We’re big fans of ⁠Chase⁠

⁠Want to save money on gas, groceries and dining out? Try ⁠Upside!⁠

Books mentioned in this episode:

Come find us and subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@9toFI