Most people enter marriage with optimism and good intentions, but very few understand what actually causes relationships to fall apart over time. After spending 15 years inside divorce courtrooms and watching more than a thousand marriages unravel, today’s guest reached a blunt conclusion that challenges everything we’re taught about marriage and money.

Aaron Thomas, divorce lawyer, Harvard Law graduate, and founder of Prenups.com, shares what he learned from seeing marriages fail up close, and how those lessons completely reshaped how he approached his own relationship. Instead of ignoring the risks, Aaron reverse-engineered the most common emotional and financial breakdowns couples face and built systems to prevent them before they ever show up.

This conversation explores practical tools couples can use to strengthen trust, reduce money-related conflict, and stay aligned on big goals like financial independence, early retirement, and lifestyle design. You’ll learn how to run a marriage check-in that actually works, why prenups can be healthy (not hostile), and how clear financial agreements can protect both your relationship and your FI journey.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify repeating conflict patterns before they escalate
• Schedule an annual relationship check-in on your calendar
• Set a shared spending limit to prevent daily money tension
• Create financial guardrails for helping family and friends
• Align on FI timelines before resentment builds
• Talk through risk tolerance differences, not past each other
• Use a prenup to clarify values and expectations early
• Learn your state’s default divorce rules before you marry

Other Episodes You’ll Love:

How to Have End-of-Life Conversations with the People You Love | E185 Tess Waresmith

When You and Your Partner See Money Differently | E162 Brian Page

When Your Spouse Makes More Than You | E151 Ed Coambs

Guest Summary:

Aaron Thomas is a divorce lawyer, Harvard Law graduate, and founder of Prenups.com. After representing hundreds of couples through emotionally and financially costly divorces, Aaron became passionate about helping couples proactively design healthier relationships. His work focuses on clear communication, financial transparency, and practical systems that reduce conflict and support long-term partnerships, especially for high-achieving couples pursuing financial independence.

Aaron’s website: https://prenups.com/

Connect With Justin

Email me at Justin@FIMinded.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Support FI Minded

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Like this episode? Share it with a friend pursuing financial independence.

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If you’re great at saving money but feel anxious, guilty, or uncomfortable spending it, I want to share 4 spending principles that have helped me.

Many people pursuing financial independence don’t struggle with discipline. They struggle with permission. We have endless advice on saving and investing, but far less guidance on how to actually enjoy the money we’re working so hard to build.

In this episode, I’ll share my personal Spending Playbook: four spending principles I use as a super saver to spend confidently, reduce stress, and still stay on track toward financial independence. These principles are designed to help me enjoy my money without sabotaging my long-term goals.

This isn’t about spending more; it’s about spending intentionally, so saving stops feeling like a sacrifice.

The 4 Spending Principles Covered

1. The Fun Fund

A simple way to give a portion of your money one clear job: enjoyment — without competing with your investing goals.

2. The Oops Budget

A no-questions-asked buffer for unplanned, non-fun expenses so money doesn’t add stress during already stressful moments.

3. The “Moments That Matter” List

A short list of life events and experiences where you pre-decide money won’t have an outsized influence on your choice.

4. Guilt-Free Spending Categories

A few high-impact categories where spending creates outsized happiness — and where under-spending isn’t necessarily a win.

Key Takeaways:

• Being good at saving doesn’t automatically make spending easy
• Guilt around spending is often a permission problem, not a math problem
• Pre-deciding how you’ll spend removes stress in the moment
• Spending rules can create freedom, not restriction
• Enjoying your money is a skill you can practice
• Intentional spending supports FI — it doesn’t sabotage it
• The goal isn’t to spend more, but to spend with confidence
• Financial independence should make life feel bigger, not smaller

Other Episodes You’ll Love:

Smart Frugality: The Frugal Mindset That Actually Feels Good | E183 JC Rodriguez

Is Saving Too Much Holding You Back? | E179 Jesse Cramer

You’re Financially Free, But It Doesn’t Feel Like It | E165 Shannah Game

Connect With Justin

Email me at Justin@FIMinded.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Support FI Minded

Want to hear more? Follow FI Minded on your favorite podcast player.

Like this episode? Share it with a friend pursuing financial independence.

Love the show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Everyone only gets 168 hours each week, and work quietly consumes the best of them. When careers sprawl into nights and weekends, health, relationships, and joy are usually the first things sacrificed. This conversation is about reclaiming time before burnout forces the decision for you, and proving that you don’t need full financial independence to start living with more freedom right now.

Andy Hill shares how he and his wife redesigned their lives to work just 20–25 hours per week while still supporting their lifestyle and long-term goals. Through practical examples and mindset shifts, Andy breaks down what it really takes to transition away from a traditional five-day workweek without feeling reckless or irresponsible. The focus isn’t on escaping work. It’s on intentionally designing it.

You’ll learn how CoastFI, part-time work, and solopreneur models can create flexibility long before you reach your FI number. This episode explores how to test reduced hours safely, set boundaries with employers or clients, and identify the moment when “more money” stops being the thing worth optimizing. If you’re craving more time but don’t want to derail your financial future, this is your blueprint.

Key Takeaways:

• How to work fewer days without waiting for full financial independence
• CoastFI can unlock flexibility long before retirement
• Time freedom is built gradually, not all at once
• One reclaimed day can transform how life feels
• Part-time work can reduce burnout without killing progress
• Clear boundaries protect your time and income
• Small experiments lower the fear of cutting hours
• Shifting your priorities toward time and health

Other Episodes You’ll Love:

Is Saving Too Much Holding You Back? | E179 Jesse Cramer

Mini-Retirements: Retire Often, Not Just Early | E177 Jillian Johnsrud

How to Live a FI Life Without the FI Bank Account | E170 Jess from Fioneers

Guest Summary:

Andy Hill is the creator of Marriage, Kids, and Money and the author of Own Your Time. After years of juggling a full-time job and a side hustle, Andy designed a solopreneur lifestyle that prioritizes time freedom while maintaining financial security. His work focuses on helping families align money with what matters most: time, flexibility, and intentional living.

Check out Andy’s new book: Own Your Time

Connect With Justin

Email me at Justin@FIMinded.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Support FI Minded

Want to hear more? Follow FI Minded on your favorite podcast player.

Like this episode? Share it with a friend pursuing financial independence.

Love the show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.