Mr. and Mrs. Waffles on Wednesday (WoW) were doing everything wrong. They ran up ridiculous tabs at a local restaurant/bar just “hanging out,” while getting abysmal returns from their financial planner—and paying 1% for this terrible advice.

Dissatisfaction with 5% returns while the market saw 25% returns spurred a Google search, which landed them on a website that told them exactly how to invest in the stock market (hint: index funds). This site also introduced them to the concept of early retirement.

Mr. WoW convinced Mrs. WoW to hop on the FI train with the lure of unlimited travel which led to a financial about-face and expense tracking, which led to the realization that they spent far too much money on things that didn’t matter.

Hear how Mrs. WoW’s self-employment gave their FI journey a jumpstart through tax hacks like write-offs and business expenses.

Listen here or on your favorite podcast player.

Awesome show guys! Some excellent tips on tax optimization and cutting “wasteful” spending. Keep ‘em coming!

These financial independence theme names are getting out of hand. Mr money mustache, Mrs Waffles, Dr mad fientist....

Originally posted by @Ryan E. :

These financial independence theme names are getting out of hand. Mr money mustache, Mrs Waffles, Dr mad fientist....

Mad Fientist isn't a Dr.  

@Mindy Jensen lol! I was taking some liberty with that one. They all put out really good stuff...I just hope the nickname thing doesn't catch on too much in the REI world LOL!

Originally posted by @Ryan E. :

@Mindy Jensen lol! I was taking some liberty with that one. They all put out really good stuff...I just hope the nickname thing doesn't catch on too much in the REI world LOL!

Originally posted by @Ryan E. :

These financial independence theme names are getting out of hand. Mr money mustache, Mrs Waffles, Dr mad fientist....

grumpusmaximus is another good one

the Waffles may want to check with their attorney on the co-mingling of funds and the impact on asset protection

The clever names are more to protect identity. Most of these people blog anonymously so they can share their financial situation openly.

But having a clever name is also a marketing thing. I was more excited to read Red-Debted Stepchild and Johnny Moneyseed than Bob's Money Journey...

I'd say that our show's name -- "The BiggerPockets Money Show" is the most out of hand and creative show name of them all...

I am loving that Bigger Pockets is interviewing more and more of the FI world. That is the reason why my partner, @paulsinger, and I invest in real estate. Thanks! Keep them coming!