Real Estate Investing with Coach Carson · Chad Coach Carson

#443: You Don't Have to Wait 15 Years to Retire (Here's the Smarter Way)

·48 min·4 clips

Chad describes how a mini retirement in Spain physically untied the stress in his chest after six weeks.

This episode features host Chad Carson and guest Jillian Johnsrud discussing the concept of "retiring often" or taking mini-retirements. Jillian Johnsrud is a financial independence advocate and author of the book "Retire Often," who has personally practiced this lifestyle with her family. The conversation centers on integrating meaningful breaks into one's career to enjoy life now rather than delaying all gratification for a distant, traditional retirement. Jillian defines a mini-retirement as a break of one month or longer where you step away from your primary career to focus on something personally meaningful. She shares her own examples, including a 10-week road trip to 10 national parks with her young children in a pop-up camper and taking a month in her late twenties for intensive outpatient therapy. Other possibilities she mentions include learning tango for a month, building a food forest in a backyard over a summer, or taking a year off to repair a relationship with a child. A key insight is that life has seasons with expiration dates, and opportunities with children, aging parents, or one's own health may not be available later. Jillian argues that mini-retirements can act as a capital investment in health, hobbies, or relationships, yielding benefits for years. For those employed full-time, she suggests negotiating unpaid leave by crafting a positive, specific story for an employer or planning breaks between job changes. Self-employed individuals can prepare by simplifying, automating, documenting, and delegating business tasks, which often improves the business long-term. Jillian presents a financial case, noting that taking a month off to renovate and rent a property 12 years ago cost a few thousand in lost income but resulted in $300,000 in gained equity. The tone is conversational, educational, and encouraging, with both hosts sharing personal anecdotes and practical strategies. Listeners interested in financial independence, work-life balance, or integrating more adventure and personal growth into their lives would appreciate this episode. Those solely seeking advanced real estate investing tactics or who are skeptical of taking extended career breaks might find it less relevant.

As heard by us

Freedom feels more real when it is tested in small ways instead of postponed forever.

Coach Carson and Jillian Johnsrud make a plainspoken case for trying on financial freedom before it fully arrives. Jillian's idea of retiring often and Carson's 10-week road trip in a pop-up camper with his kids, including stops at 10 national parks, give the episode its…

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Skip the 15-year sprint and practice financial freedom in small doses now.

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