{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":0.049,"endTime":2.18,"body":"Welcome"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":0.049,"endTime":2.18,"body":"back to the average Joe finances"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2.18,"endTime":6.92,"body":"podcast on your host Mike Cavaggioni"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2.18,"endTime":6.92,"body":"let's get to today's episode."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":7.159,"endTime":8.239,"body":"Hey, how's it going everybody?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":8.239,"endTime":12.409,"body":"So today's guest is Sam Zelinka and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":8.239,"endTime":12.409,"body":"Sam has been a federal employee."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":12.924,"endTime":17.364,"body":"Since the age of 18, he currently"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":12.924,"endTime":17.364,"body":"runs an early retirement blog called"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":17.364,"endTime":22.015,"body":"governmentworkerfi.com to help federal"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":17.364,"endTime":22.015,"body":"employees understand their benefits"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":22.104,"endTime":23.634,"body":"and plan for early retirement."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":24.114,"endTime":28.194,"body":"Sam, uh, we've been talking a lot,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":24.114,"endTime":28.194,"body":"uh, on social media, via Twitter."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":28.554,"endTime":30.264,"body":"Um, I'm really excited"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":28.554,"endTime":30.264,"body":"to have you on the show."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":30.264,"endTime":31.254,"body":"Thanks for joining me today."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":31.644,"endTime":32.185,"body":"Yeah, thanks"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":32.185,"endTime":32.485,"body":"Mike."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":32.514,"endTime":36.054,"body":"I'm really excited to be here and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":32.514,"endTime":36.054,"body":"I just want to say that, um, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":36.054,"endTime":38.845,"body":"am a government employee, but I'm"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":36.054,"endTime":38.845,"body":"speaking in my personal capacity to."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":39.844,"endTime":43.624,"body":"Um, so nothing I say"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":39.844,"endTime":43.624,"body":"represents the views of USDA."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":43.624,"endTime":46.384,"body":"And this is, um, just, just me speaking."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":47.119,"endTime":47.78,"body":"As myself,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":48.049,"endTime":49.729,"body":"we're"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":48.049,"endTime":49.729,"body":"just talking to Sam today, guys."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":49.729,"endTime":50.509,"body":"So yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":50.539,"endTime":53.539,"body":"Got to get that disclaimer, out of"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":50.539,"endTime":53.539,"body":"the way, make sure you know, that we"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":53.539,"endTime":56.9,"body":"know who we're talking to and it's,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":53.539,"endTime":56.9,"body":"it's not any representation of, of the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":56.9,"endTime":58.699,"body":"government or, or anything like that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":58.699,"endTime":60.229,"body":"So, uh, thank you for that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":60.229,"endTime":65.239,"body":"And I'm really excited to have you on, so"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":60.229,"endTime":65.239,"body":"the, you know, I kind of just did a little"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":65.239,"endTime":67.489,"body":"wave top touch of, of your background."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":67.489,"endTime":71.275,"body":"Like we talked, you know, You've been"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":67.489,"endTime":71.275,"body":"a federal employee since the age of 18"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":71.875,"endTime":73.675,"body":"and you run this retirement blog, right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":73.675,"endTime":75.505,"body":"Called a government worker five.com."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":76.075,"endTime":80.275,"body":"And I'd like to talk a little bit about"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":76.075,"endTime":80.275,"body":"all of that, but if you could, can you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":80.275,"endTime":81.895,"body":"just share a little bit about your story?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":81.895,"endTime":83.275,"body":"How did this all get started for you?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":83.275,"endTime":87.625,"body":"What, what made you decide to go into"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":83.275,"endTime":87.625,"body":"the, you know, the federal government"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":87.625,"endTime":91.975,"body":"workspace and then decide to, to blog"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":87.625,"endTime":91.975,"body":"about what you're doing to retire."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":92.575,"endTime":95.095,"body":"So maybe, maybe"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":92.575,"endTime":95.095,"body":"I'll start with the blog and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":95.095,"endTime":97.015,"body":"then go back to the federal."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":98.09,"endTime":98.389,"body":"Thanks."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":98.389,"endTime":104.0,"body":"So, um, like I've always been really"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":98.389,"endTime":104.0,"body":"interested in personal finance and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":104.0,"endTime":107.209,"body":"investing and like, that was something"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":104.0,"endTime":107.209,"body":"we talk about at the dinner table"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":107.209,"endTime":111.919,"body":"when I was growing up and I started"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":107.209,"endTime":111.919,"body":"my federal career pretty early."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":111.919,"endTime":112.22,"body":"So."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":113.134,"endTime":114.905,"body":"And what do I know about"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":113.134,"endTime":114.905,"body":"federal retirement?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":114.935,"endTime":116.074,"body":"Well, like not a whole lot."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":116.074,"endTime":119.525,"body":"So I started reading about how the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":116.074,"endTime":119.525,"body":"pension works and all that stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":119.525,"endTime":121.205,"body":"And I was like, wow, this"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":119.525,"endTime":121.205,"body":"is, this is really cool."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":121.925,"endTime":126.155,"body":"And I think just like during my federal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":121.925,"endTime":126.155,"body":"career, I'd have like conversations"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":126.155,"endTime":130.655,"body":"with people down the hall or at some"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":126.155,"endTime":130.655,"body":"meeting or just random conversations."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":130.655,"endTime":131.225,"body":"I'm like, whoa."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":131.96,"endTime":137.75,"body":"They have no idea how their pension works"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":131.96,"endTime":137.75,"body":"and this is kind of scary or kind of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":137.75,"endTime":142.1,"body":"shocking to me because like, wow, that's,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":137.75,"endTime":142.1,"body":"you're kind of, it's like walking into a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":142.1,"endTime":145.37,"body":"casino and putting a whole bunch of money"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":142.1,"endTime":145.37,"body":"down on a table and you don't know any"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":145.37,"endTime":147.2,"body":"of the rules or like how the game works."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":147.41,"endTime":150.32,"body":"So I was always kind of shocked by"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":147.41,"endTime":150.32,"body":"that when I got interested in the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":150.32,"endTime":154.49,"body":"fire movement, um, I started reading"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":150.32,"endTime":154.49,"body":"a lot of other fire blogs and I was"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":154.49,"endTime":157.43,"body":"like, well, these blogs are great"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":154.49,"endTime":157.43,"body":"and I like them, but they aren't."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":158.205,"endTime":161.475,"body":"Address any of this, Hey, the aspects"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":158.205,"endTime":161.475,"body":"you'd have with in terms of federal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":161.475,"endTime":165.045,"body":"employment and how does that affect"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":161.475,"endTime":165.045,"body":"your pension or other benefits?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":165.255,"endTime":167.955,"body":"And so I just felt like there"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":165.255,"endTime":167.955,"body":"was kind of a need there."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":167.955,"endTime":169.575,"body":"It was a topic they knew a lot about."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":169.575,"endTime":173.055,"body":"I cared about, and then I also really"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":169.575,"endTime":173.055,"body":"just want to help other federal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":173.055,"endTime":175.935,"body":"employees because it is super important."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":175.965,"endTime":177.165,"body":"And I think there's just a lot of."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":178.135,"endTime":179.845,"body":"Misinformation out there."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":180.114,"endTime":185.124,"body":"I mean, OPM has all the information"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":180.114,"endTime":185.124,"body":"like out there, but you have to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":185.124,"endTime":186.775,"body":"like read it and interpret it."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":186.895,"endTime":189.385,"body":"And it's like really hard to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":186.895,"endTime":189.385,"body":"understand what's going on."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":189.385,"endTime":192.505,"body":"So yeah, just wanted to have"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":189.385,"endTime":192.505,"body":"stuff that's easy to read."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":192.715,"endTime":194.755,"body":"If you're a federal employee,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":192.715,"endTime":194.755,"body":"Hey, you can read this."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":194.965,"endTime":197.304,"body":"Um, and it's, it's there to help them."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":197.304,"endTime":200.345,"body":"So that's, that's kinda"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":197.304,"endTime":200.345,"body":"the story with the blog."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":200.955,"endTime":201.995,"body":"Yeah,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":200.955,"endTime":201.995,"body":"that's, that's awesome."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":201.995,"endTime":206.135,"body":"And you know, you're hitting, you're"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":201.995,"endTime":206.135,"body":"hitting like, uh, some pretty important"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":206.135,"endTime":209.945,"body":"topics right off the bat because you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":206.135,"endTime":209.945,"body":"know, one of the things that we talk"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":209.945,"endTime":211.325,"body":"about here on average, Joe finances."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":212.21,"endTime":218.21,"body":"In general, how there is a lack of"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":212.21,"endTime":218.21,"body":"financial literacy, um, or, or a lack"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":218.21,"endTime":222.439,"body":"of knowledge for, for people that are"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":218.21,"endTime":222.439,"body":"working in these different nine to five"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":222.439,"endTime":225.83,"body":"jobs, whether it's federal employment"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":222.439,"endTime":225.83,"body":"or not, they don't really know what to"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":225.83,"endTime":229.7,"body":"do with their money to set them, set"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":225.83,"endTime":229.7,"body":"themselves up for a future retirement."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":229.7,"endTime":234.109,"body":"And everybody thinks that, Hey, I'll"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":229.7,"endTime":234.109,"body":"just save, save, save, and invest in"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":234.109,"endTime":237.65,"body":"my 401k and then retire at 65 or 70."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":238.219,"endTime":241.1,"body":"And, uh, you know, collect social"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":238.219,"endTime":241.1,"body":"security and then like, that's going"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":241.1,"endTime":242.42,"body":"to be it, there's so much more to that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":242.42,"endTime":243.799,"body":"And there's so much more that you can do."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":243.799,"endTime":246.859,"body":"So you found this particular niche right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":246.859,"endTime":249.889,"body":"In the federal employee space and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":246.859,"endTime":249.889,"body":"you found that there's a need for"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":249.889,"endTime":254.42,"body":"it because as you talk to fellow"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":249.889,"endTime":254.42,"body":"employees, you're seeing that, you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":254.42,"endTime":255.469,"body":"know, there's a lack of knowledge."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":255.499,"endTime":256.549,"body":"There's some disparity here."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":257.059,"endTime":260.929,"body":"Um, even though all the resources"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":257.059,"endTime":260.929,"body":"are there and available to them, you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":260.929,"endTime":262.669,"body":"know, you had mentioned OPM, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":262.669,"endTime":265.1,"body":"So for those of you listening, OPM"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":262.669,"endTime":265.1,"body":"is office personnel management."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":265.13,"endTime":268.789,"body":"And the, uh, I know that I'm"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":265.13,"endTime":268.789,"body":"also a federal employee myself."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":268.789,"endTime":273.559,"body":"So, but the, uh, the thing is, is"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":268.789,"endTime":273.559,"body":"like, you know, when you go to websites"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":273.559,"endTime":274.909,"body":"like that, and you're trying to."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":275.794,"endTime":277.355,"body":"Digest this information."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":277.655,"endTime":279.815,"body":"It's not an easy pill to swallow."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":279.825,"endTime":281.284,"body":"It's not easily digestible, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":281.284,"endTime":284.885,"body":"It's just like this wall of text and,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":281.284,"endTime":284.885,"body":"and people are gonna look at that and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":284.885,"endTime":289.115,"body":"just run away screaming like with their"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":284.885,"endTime":289.115,"body":"hair on fire and, and hands up screaming."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":289.534,"endTime":293.465,"body":"Um, but what you do is you provide,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":289.534,"endTime":293.465,"body":"you provide this blog, right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":293.495,"endTime":297.544,"body":"That, you know, provides a lot"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":293.495,"endTime":297.544,"body":"of this, this same knowledge, but"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":297.544,"endTime":299.705,"body":"this it's just easier to digest."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":299.705,"endTime":302.825,"body":"It just it's a greater value"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":299.705,"endTime":302.825,"body":"because it's, somebody will actually"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":302.825,"endTime":303.935,"body":"sit down and take the time to."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":304.73,"endTime":305.84,"body":"Hey, this is easier to read."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":305.84,"endTime":308.6,"body":"This is easier on my eyes and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":305.84,"endTime":308.6,"body":"I'm learning something here."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":309.049,"endTime":313.309,"body":"So you're you found this way to provide"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":309.049,"endTime":313.309,"body":"a service to people in the seat,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":313.309,"endTime":315.079,"body":"like kinda in the same shoes as you."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":315.59,"endTime":317.539,"body":"Um, and I think that's"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":315.59,"endTime":317.539,"body":"just absolutely amazing."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":317.539,"endTime":321.559,"body":"So I know I'm kind of like really"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":317.539,"endTime":321.559,"body":"dipping down into the weeds here."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":322.684,"endTime":325.564,"body":"You know, that's kind of what"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":322.684,"endTime":325.564,"body":"this is all about, right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":325.564,"endTime":329.225,"body":"Is providing that financial literacy"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":325.564,"endTime":329.225,"body":"to others because you've discovered"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":329.225,"endTime":333.064,"body":"what you needed to do to get yourself"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":329.225,"endTime":333.064,"body":"to a point where you can retire early."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":333.395,"endTime":335.914,"body":"And now you're saying,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":333.395,"endTime":335.914,"body":"Hey, you can do it too."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":336.454,"endTime":339.635,"body":"And so I just want to say thank you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":336.454,"endTime":339.635,"body":"that, you know, for the service that you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":339.635,"endTime":343.804,"body":"provide by, by having a blog like that,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":339.635,"endTime":343.804,"body":"that provides such great information."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":343.804,"endTime":344.345,"body":"So that's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":344.345,"endTime":345.005,"body":"fantastic."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":345.184,"endTime":345.694,"body":"Thanks, Mike."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":345.694,"endTime":345.845,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":345.855,"endTime":347.284,"body":"Just wanted to jump in there."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":348.145,"endTime":348.385,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":348.385,"endTime":352.674,"body":"Like maybe expand a little bit, like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":348.385,"endTime":352.674,"body":"so yeah, the government website with all"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":352.674,"endTime":354.204,"body":"these rules about federal retirement."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":354.235,"endTime":358.914,"body":"But if you, if you do like do a Google"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":354.235,"endTime":358.914,"body":"search, it's not going to take you to a,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":358.914,"endTime":361.044,"body":"like a logical spot on the OPM website."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":361.85,"endTime":364.76,"body":"And it's so complicated because"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":361.85,"endTime":364.76,"body":"there might be one rule."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":364.76,"endTime":368.03,"body":"If you retire with 30 years of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":364.76,"endTime":368.03,"body":"service and another, if you retire"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":368.03,"endTime":370.669,"body":"with 10 years of service and they're"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":368.03,"endTime":370.669,"body":"on completely different web pages."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":370.669,"endTime":373.34,"body":"And if you don't know to look there,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":370.669,"endTime":373.34,"body":"you're going to read one thing."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":373.34,"endTime":376.13,"body":"And then that's why you hear these"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":373.34,"endTime":376.13,"body":"conversations in the hallway."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":376.13,"endTime":378.62,"body":"And they're like, no, no, no, you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":376.13,"endTime":378.62,"body":"get to keep your health insurance."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":378.62,"endTime":380.96,"body":"And it's like, no, you don't,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":378.62,"endTime":380.96,"body":"you lose your health insurance."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":381.62,"endTime":382.76,"body":"Like they're both right."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":382.88,"endTime":385.88,"body":"And like very specific cases, but"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":382.88,"endTime":385.88,"body":"it's just like all over the place."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":385.88,"endTime":389.99,"body":"So, um, a lot of what I try and do is"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":385.88,"endTime":389.99,"body":"like, if you, instead of like writing."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":390.5,"endTime":395.179,"body":"And like the handbook, like legal thing"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":390.5,"endTime":395.179,"body":"spread out with like different subject"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":395.24,"endTime":397.1,"body":"matters based on the legal authority."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":397.52,"endTime":399.74,"body":"I just like, if you have"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":397.52,"endTime":399.74,"body":"a question you Google."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":400.46,"endTime":401.51,"body":"You hit my website."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":401.51,"endTime":404.21,"body":"It's going to walk you through like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":401.51,"endTime":404.21,"body":"logically what, what you're going"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":404.21,"endTime":407.809,"body":"to find and kind of walk you through"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":404.21,"endTime":407.809,"body":"those steps in a, in a way that's like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":407.809,"endTime":409.909,"body":"designed for humans and not lawyers."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":410.059,"endTime":413.27,"body":"Um, so that's like a big part of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":410.059,"endTime":413.27,"body":"what I do in terms of like, this"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":413.27,"endTime":416.179,"body":"really specific niche is like, just"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":413.27,"endTime":416.179,"body":"trying to help federal employees."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":416.62,"endTime":417.799,"body":"You don't need a translator."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":417.89,"endTime":418.61,"body":"Oh yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":418.85,"endTime":421.07,"body":"So, um, so yeah, that's just."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":421.82,"endTime":424.36,"body":"That's a big part of what"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":421.82,"endTime":424.36,"body":"government worker fire is is, is"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":424.37,"endTime":427.46,"body":"for these people, providing them"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":424.37,"endTime":427.46,"body":"like really good information."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":427.5,"endTime":428.659,"body":"That's like solid."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":428.659,"endTime":431.99,"body":"I'm not like trying to like lie"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":428.659,"endTime":431.99,"body":"to them or come up with stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":431.99,"endTime":435.89,"body":"It's all, it's all good information,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":431.99,"endTime":435.89,"body":"but it's compiled in a way that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":436.04,"endTime":439.52,"body":"designed for the user instead"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":436.04,"endTime":439.52,"body":"of like for the government."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":439.67,"endTime":440.28,"body":"Right, right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":440.63,"endTime":442.31,"body":"Something that has the end user in mind."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":442.4,"endTime":443.15,"body":"So, yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":443.15,"endTime":444.05,"body":"That's, that's awesome."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":444.05,"endTime":445.61,"body":"So, all right, Sam, so."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":446.885,"endTime":450.005,"body":"You, you started as a federal"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":446.885,"endTime":450.005,"body":"employee at the age of 18."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":450.605,"endTime":456.005,"body":"When was it that you took a look at like"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":450.605,"endTime":456.005,"body":"your career where you were going and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":456.005,"endTime":461.585,"body":"said, Hmm, I really need to make sure"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":456.005,"endTime":461.585,"body":"I'm setting myself up to be in a good"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":461.585,"endTime":463.235,"body":"spot when I decide I want to retire."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":463.595,"endTime":467.855,"body":"What, you know, when in your career was"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":463.595,"endTime":467.855,"body":"that and what was like that turning point?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":467.855,"endTime":469.325,"body":"What was the, what flipped that switch?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":470.225,"endTime":474.455,"body":"Yeah, so I think it"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":470.225,"endTime":474.455,"body":"was probably, um, it was probably"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":474.455,"endTime":475.925,"body":"when I was 22, it was kind of."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":476.975,"endTime":481.955,"body":"Excuse me right when I was finishing"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":476.975,"endTime":481.955,"body":"up my, my undergraduate, um, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":481.955,"endTime":484.325,"body":"had, I had applied for a program."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":484.835,"endTime":490.205,"body":"It doesn't exist anymore, but it was, they"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":484.835,"endTime":490.205,"body":"needed scientists in certain like areas"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":490.205,"endTime":491.375,"body":"that they didn't have a lot of scientists."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":491.375,"endTime":493.955,"body":"So they'd pay for you to go to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":491.375,"endTime":493.955,"body":"graduate school while you're."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":494.855,"endTime":496.414,"body":"Did research with the government."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":497.284,"endTime":500.525,"body":"And so, um, I got"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":497.284,"endTime":500.525,"body":"accepted in that program."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":500.525,"endTime":502.445,"body":"I was like starting graduate school."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":502.445,"endTime":504.515,"body":"And that was when I became"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":502.445,"endTime":504.515,"body":"a permanent employee."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":504.515,"endTime":507.815,"body":"I was just kind of a temporary"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":504.515,"endTime":507.815,"body":"employee before that, um, had"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":507.815,"endTime":509.105,"body":"some different temporary jobs."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":509.105,"endTime":509.405,"body":"And so."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":510.155,"endTime":513.425,"body":"I was like, okay, well, this"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":510.155,"endTime":513.425,"body":"is, this is like what it is."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":513.425,"endTime":518.105,"body":"And so I spent a lot of time at first"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":513.425,"endTime":518.105,"body":"study and like how scientists get"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":518.105,"endTime":519.935,"body":"paid and in the federal government."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":519.935,"endTime":524.105,"body":"Cause they're on a special pay"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":519.935,"endTime":524.105,"body":"scale that has a lot of rules"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":524.105,"endTime":525.545,"body":"that you need to figure that out."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":525.695,"endTime":531.305,"body":"And I think, I mean, I think that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":525.695,"endTime":531.305,"body":"was really huge for me because I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":531.305,"endTime":534.935,"body":"read this whole big document and it"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":531.305,"endTime":534.935,"body":"turns out scientists and government."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":535.775,"endTime":538.145,"body":"Their pay is determined"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":535.775,"endTime":538.145,"body":"by a lot of things."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":538.145,"endTime":540.515,"body":"But one of the things is like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":538.145,"endTime":540.515,"body":"by how many publications you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":540.515,"endTime":543.305,"body":"have and, and some other factors."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":543.305,"endTime":546.605,"body":"So I was like honed in when I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":543.305,"endTime":546.605,"body":"started graduate school is like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":546.635,"endTime":548.045,"body":"oh, I have the answers to the test."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":548.045,"endTime":551.705,"body":"Like at the end of this, like, I know"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":548.045,"endTime":551.705,"body":"I need to have a lot of publications."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":551.705,"endTime":556.235,"body":"So like I'm going to try and publish"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":551.705,"endTime":556.235,"body":"as much as I can and do these"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":556.235,"endTime":559.865,"body":"other things that get researchers"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":556.235,"endTime":559.865,"body":"promoted so I can like climb up,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":560.645,"endTime":562.655,"body":"um, in pay as quickly as possible."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":563.885,"endTime":568.115,"body":"So it kind of started there on my"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":563.885,"endTime":568.115,"body":"career track, figuring that out."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":568.595,"endTime":573.065,"body":"And then while I was doing that,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":568.595,"endTime":573.065,"body":"I was also trying to understand"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":573.875,"endTime":575.255,"body":"what, what the pensions like."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":575.255,"endTime":578.885,"body":"So it's called first stands for"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":575.255,"endTime":578.885,"body":"federal employee retirement system."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":578.915,"endTime":580.235,"body":"So like, okay, what's first."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":580.265,"endTime":581.105,"body":"How does that work?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":582.155,"endTime":583.865,"body":"What are some of these details with it?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":584.545,"endTime":586.145,"body":"You know, what's the thrift savings plan."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":586.145,"endTime":587.045,"body":"How does that work?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":587.555,"endTime":589.295,"body":"Um, and."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":590.42,"endTime":595.25,"body":"No, I spent, and I had time because I was"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":590.42,"endTime":595.25,"body":"like young and I was in this career and I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":595.25,"endTime":599.87,"body":"knew I was going to be in there for a long"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":595.25,"endTime":599.87,"body":"time because I had to pay back some time."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":599.87,"endTime":603.44,"body":"The time I went to grad school, I had"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":599.87,"endTime":603.44,"body":"to pay that back, um, in that job."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":603.47,"endTime":607.55,"body":"And so, um, yeah, I was, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":603.47,"endTime":607.55,"body":"took the time I learned it."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":607.76,"endTime":610.88,"body":"Yeah, the federal government's the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":607.76,"endTime":610.88,"body":"largest employer in the United States."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":610.88,"endTime":614.96,"body":"So I think these things are broadly"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":610.88,"endTime":614.96,"body":"applicable to a lot of people, but a very"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":614.96,"endTime":618.47,"body":"few percentage of this large employer."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":619.25,"endTime":622.61,"body":"Um, really understand how, how it"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":619.25,"endTime":622.61,"body":"all works and how they can maximize"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":622.61,"endTime":625.64,"body":"it and how they can make sure"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":622.61,"endTime":625.64,"body":"they're getting what they earned."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":625.94,"endTime":629.27,"body":"Um, you know, it's not taking anything"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":625.94,"endTime":629.27,"body":"away, it's just making sure that they're"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":629.27,"endTime":630.62,"body":"getting what they, what they earned."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":630.86,"endTime":631.1,"body":"So"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":631.4,"endTime":631.85,"body":"right on."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":631.85,"endTime":632.03,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":632.03,"endTime":635.09,"body":"So there's a couple of things"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":632.03,"endTime":635.09,"body":"you talk about in that, right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":635.12,"endTime":640.52,"body":"And you had mentioned, um, as you were,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":635.12,"endTime":640.52,"body":"you're going through, you decided, okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":640.73,"endTime":643.88,"body":"I need to figure out this pay scale"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":640.73,"endTime":643.88,"body":"and figure out how to move up in"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":643.88,"endTime":645.44,"body":"that PayScale as quickly as possible."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":645.89,"endTime":649.939,"body":"Um, Now, then you talked about the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":645.89,"endTime":649.939,"body":"F the actual first system, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":649.939,"endTime":652.22,"body":"Firs and then thrift savings plan TSP."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":652.58,"endTime":657.26,"body":"So can you explain, like what the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":652.58,"endTime":657.26,"body":"difference between the two of those are?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":657.26,"endTime":660.89,"body":"Because some people think that"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":657.26,"endTime":660.89,"body":"professional employees, that all they"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":660.89,"endTime":664.79,"body":"get is a TSP and that it's, there's a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":660.89,"endTime":664.79,"body":"matching, you know, that you get from"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":664.79,"endTime":668.72,"body":"your employer, the government, um, and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":664.79,"endTime":668.72,"body":"then that's pretty much it, but, but"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":668.77,"endTime":670.85,"body":"there's a lot more that goes into that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":670.85,"endTime":672.83,"body":"So can you, can you go into a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":670.85,"endTime":672.83,"body":"little bit more detail about"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":673.189,"endTime":674.42,"body":"the difference between furs and."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":675.65,"endTime":676.31,"body":"Oh, yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":676.46,"endTime":678.53,"body":"Like I could talk about that all day."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":678.65,"endTime":683.54,"body":"Um, so, so TSP, that's a little"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":678.65,"endTime":683.54,"body":"bit kind of more defined that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":683.54,"endTime":685.04,"body":"stands for thrift savings plan."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":685.25,"endTime":690.8,"body":"It works essentially the same as a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":685.25,"endTime":690.8,"body":"401k, um, but it's only available"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":690.8,"endTime":695.66,"body":"to, uh, civilian and military federal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":690.8,"endTime":695.66,"body":"employees, and it only has five"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":695.66,"endTime":697.7,"body":"different funds in there that match."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":698.6,"endTime":699.92,"body":"Certain benchmarks."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":700.16,"endTime":704.24,"body":"Um, so there's like a, a C4 and that's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":700.16,"endTime":704.24,"body":"the S and P 500, there's a small"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":704.24,"endTime":707.96,"body":"cap fund international fund, and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":704.24,"endTime":707.96,"body":"two different types of bond funds."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":708.5,"endTime":712.61,"body":"So it's really set up for federal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":708.5,"endTime":712.61,"body":"employees and military members to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":712.67,"endTime":717.44,"body":"be able to invest with no, just it's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":712.67,"endTime":717.44,"body":"set up so that they can't mess it up."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":717.71,"endTime":720.77,"body":"As long as you're putting"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":717.71,"endTime":720.77,"body":"money in, it's going to grow."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":721.01,"endTime":724.88,"body":"Um, and it's gonna, it's going to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":721.01,"endTime":724.88,"body":"do just fine in these degenerate"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":724.88,"endTime":726.05,"body":"categories that get super low for."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":727.1,"endTime":730.85,"body":"And for civilian federal employees,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":727.1,"endTime":730.85,"body":"if you put in 5%, they'll match"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":730.85,"endTime":737.449,"body":"5% and as the same maximum limit"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":730.85,"endTime":737.449,"body":"as the, uh, as a 401k, so 19,500 a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":737.449,"endTime":739.97,"body":"year, and there's also a Roth option."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":740.0,"endTime":742.16,"body":"So that's the TSP."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":742.339,"endTime":747.964,"body":"Um, The government's 401k and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":742.339,"endTime":747.964,"body":"how that does kind of furs"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":747.964,"endTime":749.194,"body":"is the retirement system."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":749.194,"endTime":754.204,"body":"So when most people think of furs, they"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":749.194,"endTime":754.204,"body":"think about their pension, which is 1%"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":754.415,"endTime":758.015,"body":"of your salary, your high three salary."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":758.015,"endTime":760.954,"body":"So like the last three years you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":758.015,"endTime":760.954,"body":"worked for the federal government,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":760.954,"endTime":764.704,"body":"that average times, 1% times"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":760.954,"endTime":764.704,"body":"the number of years of service."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":764.704,"endTime":768.155,"body":"So if you work for 30 years, you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":764.704,"endTime":768.155,"body":"get 30% of your final salary."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":768.395,"endTime":770.074,"body":"Um, roughly."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":771.335,"endTime":773.375,"body":"Um, but it's actually"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":771.335,"endTime":773.375,"body":"a lot more than that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":773.555,"endTime":780.335,"body":"Um, if you're a FERS employee and, um,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":773.555,"endTime":780.335,"body":"and you pass away before you retire,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":780.425,"endTime":785.195,"body":"your spouse and children receives"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":780.425,"endTime":785.195,"body":"prefers benefit, your pension benefit,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":785.255,"endTime":790.415,"body":"there's, um, a disability retirement,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":785.255,"endTime":790.415,"body":"um, that you can earn as well."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":790.445,"endTime":793.445,"body":"There's the ability to carry"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":790.445,"endTime":793.445,"body":"your health insurance into"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":793.445,"endTime":795.335,"body":"retirement in certain situations."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":796.4,"endTime":800.0,"body":"Um, there's a whole, there's a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":796.4,"endTime":800.0,"body":"first supplement that supplements"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":800.03,"endTime":802.88,"body":"the amount of your pension until"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":800.03,"endTime":802.88,"body":"you reach social security age."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":802.88,"endTime":806.15,"body":"So there's like a billion"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":802.88,"endTime":806.15,"body":"different components to it."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":806.15,"endTime":807.59,"body":"And it's actually really valuable."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":807.59,"endTime":811.88,"body":"So, um, on one of my blog posts, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":807.59,"endTime":811.88,"body":"kind of did this calculation about"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":812.09,"endTime":815.81,"body":"what happens if you retire like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":812.09,"endTime":815.81,"body":"one day before your like minimum"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":815.81,"endTime":817.52,"body":"retirement age set by the government."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":818.24,"endTime":821.87,"body":"And I calculated you lose about"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":818.24,"endTime":821.87,"body":"a million dollars, um, your, your"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":821.87,"endTime":823.4,"body":"pension that like one person."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":824.27,"endTime":827.84,"body":"Per year, times, years of service"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":824.27,"endTime":827.84,"body":"that that's, that's solid."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":827.99,"endTime":831.35,"body":"Like you'd still earn that, but"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":827.99,"endTime":831.35,"body":"like you lose the health insurance,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":831.35,"endTime":833.81,"body":"you lose the first supplement,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":831.35,"endTime":833.81,"body":"you lose all these other things."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":834.26,"endTime":837.41,"body":"And that was like a really"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":834.26,"endTime":837.41,"body":"big, big amount of money."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":837.41,"endTime":837.65,"body":"So."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":840.785,"endTime":841.385,"body":"Oh, yeah, go ahead."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":841.795,"endTime":841.915,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":841.925,"endTime":844.175,"body":"So with that, so"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":841.925,"endTime":844.175,"body":"you're talking about like, if you were"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":844.175,"endTime":847.595,"body":"tired, like a day before the minimum age"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":844.175,"endTime":847.595,"body":"that the government says you can retire,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":847.595,"endTime":852.575,"body":"so you can, you can retire and start"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":847.595,"endTime":852.575,"body":"collecting your, um, your first pension,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":853.025,"endTime":856.925,"body":"um, before that minimum date, but then"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":853.025,"endTime":856.925,"body":"you, you wind up losing other benefits."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":856.925,"endTime":857.855,"body":"Is that what you're saying?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":858.485,"endTime":859.415,"body":"Um, you can."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":860.285,"endTime":862.985,"body":"Anytime you walk away from the government."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":863.165,"endTime":864.965,"body":"If you've, uh, I'll take that back."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":865.205,"endTime":868.445,"body":"If you've worked for the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":865.205,"endTime":868.445,"body":"government for five years, um,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":868.475,"endTime":871.115,"body":"you can get pension at age 62."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":871.954,"endTime":873.905,"body":"Equal to that formula."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":873.905,"endTime":877.265,"body":"So if you work for five years"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":873.905,"endTime":877.265,"body":"and quit, when you're 62, you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":877.265,"endTime":880.204,"body":"get 5% of your high three salary."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":880.564,"endTime":883.745,"body":"Um, if you work for 10"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":880.564,"endTime":883.745,"body":"years, you get 10% at age 62."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":883.895,"endTime":887.314,"body":"So say you work for 30 years."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":887.405,"endTime":889.954,"body":"And the minimum retirement"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":887.405,"endTime":889.954,"body":"age for most people is 57."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":889.954,"endTime":894.425,"body":"So say you worked for 30 years,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":889.954,"endTime":894.425,"body":"you started 27 and you retire the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":894.425,"endTime":897.334,"body":"day before your 57th birthday."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":897.985,"endTime":902.755,"body":"You'd still get 30% of your salary, but"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":897.985,"endTime":902.755,"body":"you couldn't collect it until age 62."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":903.115,"endTime":907.375,"body":"Whereas if you make it to 57,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":903.115,"endTime":907.375,"body":"you can get it like on your 57th"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":907.375,"endTime":909.295,"body":"birthday, like right away, right away."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":909.295,"endTime":912.145,"body":"And there's a whole bunch of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":909.295,"endTime":912.145,"body":"other things that kick in if you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":912.145,"endTime":913.615,"body":"worked a minimum retirement age."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":913.615,"endTime":915.985,"body":"So there's a lot going on when, with that"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":917.035,"endTime":919.704,"body":"similar to a,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":917.035,"endTime":919.704,"body":"like the military retirement, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":919.704,"endTime":922.495,"body":"So like, I'm going, I'm going to retire"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":919.704,"endTime":922.495,"body":"next year with 20 years in the Navy."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":923.1,"endTime":926.19,"body":"And, you know, I, I, I start"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":923.1,"endTime":926.19,"body":"getting my pension right away."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":926.55,"endTime":931.05,"body":"Whereas if I was to, um, get out"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":926.55,"endTime":931.05,"body":"of the military and like, I guess,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":931.05,"endTime":935.16,"body":"affiliate with the reserves later on,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":931.05,"endTime":935.16,"body":"um, and, and finish up my time in the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":935.16,"endTime":940.5,"body":"reserves, I wouldn't actually get my"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":935.16,"endTime":940.5,"body":"military pension until I think 62 is."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":941.155,"endTime":942.025,"body":"Is it 67?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":942.475,"endTime":944.455,"body":"I don't remember the, uh, the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":942.475,"endTime":944.455,"body":"number off the top of my head."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":944.455,"endTime":945.324,"body":"Cause I'm not a reservist."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":945.715,"endTime":949.344,"body":"Uh, but, but yeah, so it sounds,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":945.715,"endTime":949.344,"body":"it's kind of sounds like that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":949.344,"endTime":952.705,"body":"Like you, you do like a small"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":949.344,"endTime":952.705,"body":"amount of time, but there's no,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":952.854,"endTime":955.824,"body":"you don't have to do any type of"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":952.854,"endTime":955.824,"body":"affiliation on the outside after that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":955.824,"endTime":956.245,"body":"Right then."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":956.245,"endTime":958.555,"body":"So if you just do the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":956.245,"endTime":958.555,"body":"five years or the 10 year."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":959.295,"endTime":963.344,"body":"No matter what, at 62, you're going to get"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":959.295,"endTime":963.344,"body":"some type of check, you know, based off"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":963.344,"endTime":964.965,"body":"of that, that high three salary, right?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":964.995,"endTime":965.384,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":965.415,"endTime":967.844,"body":"You're going to get a check for yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":967.995,"endTime":971.084,"body":"That percentage and you will know"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":967.995,"endTime":971.084,"body":"what it is cause you, you know,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":971.084,"endTime":972.405,"body":"your high three will be sat here."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":972.405,"endTime":973.005,"body":"Here's a service."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":973.025,"endTime":973.285,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":973.485,"endTime":973.844,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":974.655,"endTime":977.925,"body":"Um, I think the only thing to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":974.655,"endTime":977.925,"body":"consider is that there's going to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":977.925,"endTime":979.455,"body":"be inflation between that time."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":979.455,"endTime":979.814,"body":"So."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":980.485,"endTime":984.114,"body":"You know, if your salary is a hundred"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":980.485,"endTime":984.114,"body":"thousand dollars, you know, today, and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":984.114,"endTime":988.225,"body":"then you wait 30 years to start collecting"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":984.114,"endTime":988.225,"body":"that, you know, maybe a hundred thousand"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":988.314,"endTime":990.655,"body":"is only like worth $50,000 in the future."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":990.655,"endTime":994.824,"body":"And so, you know, your, what you're"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":990.655,"endTime":994.824,"body":"getting back is going to be smaller"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":994.824,"endTime":996.685,"body":"than it would be in today's dollars."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":996.745,"endTime":997.074,"body":"Okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":997.314,"endTime":997.854,"body":"That's fair."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":997.884,"endTime":998.394,"body":"That's fair."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":998.844,"endTime":999.205,"body":"All right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":999.205,"endTime":1003.104,"body":"So we're, we're talking about, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":999.205,"endTime":1003.104,"body":"you know, different pensions and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1003.104,"endTime":1006.314,"body":"things like that, but I want, I want"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1003.104,"endTime":1006.314,"body":"to kind of switch, focus a little."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1007.225,"endTime":1010.824,"body":"And I want to talk about your"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1007.225,"endTime":1010.824,"body":"own personal financial journey."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1010.885,"endTime":1015.415,"body":"Uh, so what, what Sam is doing here,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1010.885,"endTime":1015.415,"body":"and from what I understand, I know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1015.925,"endTime":1017.695,"body":"um, you're married with kids, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1018.084,"endTime":1022.195,"body":"Um, and you were able to pay off"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1018.084,"endTime":1022.195,"body":"your house I believe in 10 years."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1022.285,"endTime":1022.795,"body":"That's correct."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1023.094,"endTime":1025.584,"body":"And so you did that and you're"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1023.094,"endTime":1025.584,"body":"you're right now, you're"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1025.584,"endTime":1028.375,"body":"tracking to be financially"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1025.584,"endTime":1028.375,"body":"independent in your early forties."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1029.04,"endTime":1034.139,"body":"Um, so if you could, can you, can you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1029.04,"endTime":1034.139,"body":"tell us, like what, what route you took"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1034.26,"endTime":1038.639,"body":"and what you did to pay off your house"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1034.26,"endTime":1038.639,"body":"early and to get yourself at a point where"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1038.639,"endTime":1041.25,"body":"you're going to be able to be financially"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1038.639,"endTime":1041.25,"body":"independent in your early forties?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1041.669,"endTime":1045.48,"body":"Yeah, so I think, um, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1041.669,"endTime":1045.48,"body":"know you have a lot of stuff on the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1045.48,"endTime":1048.929,"body":"podcast about, uh, real estate and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1045.48,"endTime":1048.929,"body":"that kind of stuff, but my family"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1048.929,"endTime":1051.99,"body":"like grew up and we're always talking"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1048.929,"endTime":1051.99,"body":"about stocks and the stock market."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1051.99,"endTime":1053.82,"body":"Just like you said, there's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1051.99,"endTime":1053.82,"body":"a lot of different ways, a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1053.82,"endTime":1055.32,"body":"lot of different pathways to."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1056.064,"endTime":1057.834,"body":"To get where you're trying to go."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1057.864,"endTime":1062.094,"body":"So that was, that was kind of like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1057.864,"endTime":1062.094,"body":"what I was most comfortable with."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1062.124,"endTime":1063.324,"body":"That was what we were growing up."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1063.384,"endTime":1070.104,"body":"So, um, you know, I got my first job"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1063.384,"endTime":1070.104,"body":"at 16, 15, 16, something like that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1070.284,"endTime":1073.584,"body":"Um, and my dad helped"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1070.284,"endTime":1073.584,"body":"me like open a Roth IRA."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1074.235,"endTime":1078.554,"body":"Um, and yeah, start contributing"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1074.235,"endTime":1078.554,"body":"to that as a teenager."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1079.155,"endTime":1083.354,"body":"So, I mean, I think, you know, that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1079.155,"endTime":1083.354,"body":"compounds and compounds and compounds,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1083.534,"endTime":1089.864,"body":"um, and yeah, just trying to, so early"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1083.534,"endTime":1089.864,"body":"on, you know, my twenties college, that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1089.864,"endTime":1091.965,"body":"kind of stuff, like you didn't have"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1089.864,"endTime":1091.965,"body":"a lot of money, but you know, tried"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1091.965,"endTime":1093.524,"body":"to save sound, put some in stocks."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1094.094,"endTime":1097.425,"body":"Um, and then, uh, I got married."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1097.935,"endTime":1100.875,"body":"When we were kind of young, we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1097.935,"endTime":1100.875,"body":"were both in our early twenties."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1100.995,"endTime":1103.575,"body":"Um, my wife and I, and we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1100.995,"endTime":1103.575,"body":"didn't really have a whole lot."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1103.665,"endTime":1105.075,"body":"Um, I was going to graduate school."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1105.075,"endTime":1106.635,"body":"She got her first job."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1106.905,"endTime":1112.605,"body":"Um, but we didn't really say a whole lot"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1106.905,"endTime":1112.605,"body":"in the beginning, but then we also, every"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1112.605,"endTime":1115.895,"body":"time we got to raise from that point on,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1112.605,"endTime":1115.895,"body":"and we got a lot of raises because we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1115.895,"endTime":1119.385,"body":"had like, just started working or like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1115.895,"endTime":1119.385,"body":"get out of school or something like that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1120.015,"endTime":1124.064,"body":"Uh, we just try and say, Y, like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1120.015,"endTime":1124.064,"body":"we try to keep our expenses the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1124.064,"endTime":1126.135,"body":"same when we got these raises."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1127.034,"endTime":1132.074,"body":"And I think that was a big chunk of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1127.034,"endTime":1132.074,"body":"it because we were living just fine."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1132.165,"endTime":1132.625,"body":"And"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1132.975,"endTime":1136.215,"body":"did you find"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1132.975,"endTime":1136.215,"body":"that hard to do with, uh, inflation,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1136.365,"endTime":1139.784,"body":"like especially, well, well now,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1136.365,"endTime":1139.784,"body":"like it's, it's pretty crazy, but"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1140.145,"endTime":1143.745,"body":"you know, back when inflation was"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1140.145,"endTime":1143.745,"body":"the normal, you know, quote unquote"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1143.745,"endTime":1145.905,"body":"normal, like two, two and a half, 3%."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1146.58,"endTime":1151.949,"body":"Um, by, by doing that by, you know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1146.58,"endTime":1151.949,"body":"taking all your pay raises and still"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1151.949,"endTime":1156.689,"body":"trying to live off of like, I guess your,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1151.949,"endTime":1156.689,"body":"your prior paychecks, what w what kind"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1156.689,"endTime":1158.37,"body":"of impact did that have with inflation?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1158.999,"endTime":1159.389,"body":"I don't know."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1159.719,"endTime":1162.06,"body":"We weren't tracking"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1159.719,"endTime":1162.06,"body":"things like super closely."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1162.06,"endTime":1165.495,"body":"Like, since I started a few years"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1162.06,"endTime":1165.495,"body":"before I started blogging, We started"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1165.495,"endTime":1169.185,"body":"tracking like every penny and, you know,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1165.495,"endTime":1169.185,"body":"getting expense reports every month."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1169.185,"endTime":1172.725,"body":"And now I could probably tell"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1169.185,"endTime":1172.725,"body":"you exactly how much, you know,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1172.725,"endTime":1176.685,"body":"inflation has affect how much"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1172.725,"endTime":1176.685,"body":"inflation has affected our spending."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1176.715,"endTime":1177.794,"body":"But I don't know."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1177.824,"endTime":1181.635,"body":"I mean, maybe we raised it here or"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1177.824,"endTime":1181.635,"body":"there a little bit, but I mean, I think"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1181.725,"endTime":1185.145,"body":"most of the time we just saved it all"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1181.725,"endTime":1185.145,"body":"and then if things were really tight,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1185.294,"endTime":1187.215,"body":"we would like dial it back a little."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1187.865,"endTime":1188.625,"body":"We're adjusting."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1188.665,"endTime":1190.835,"body":"I mean, it was, it's a fluid process."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1191.045,"endTime":1193.295,"body":"I asked that"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1191.045,"endTime":1193.295,"body":"because like, I I've seen, I've read a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1193.295,"endTime":1195.245,"body":"couple other different like fire blogs."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1195.245,"endTime":1198.605,"body":"And one of the things that, that,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1195.245,"endTime":1198.605,"body":"that, uh, uh, a big topic that always"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1198.605,"endTime":1201.785,"body":"gets discussed is, okay, anytime"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1198.605,"endTime":1201.785,"body":"you get a pay raise or anything"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1201.785,"endTime":1205.235,"body":"like that, try to continue to live"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1201.785,"endTime":1205.235,"body":"off of, you know, um, what you were"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1205.235,"endTime":1207.245,"body":"making before and invest the rest."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1207.305,"endTime":1211.205,"body":"And, and I think that works to an"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1207.305,"endTime":1211.205,"body":"extent, but then I feel like after"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1211.205,"endTime":1214.895,"body":"a couple of years, if you're still"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1211.205,"endTime":1214.895,"body":"trying to live on like five years ago,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1214.895,"endTime":1218.735,"body":"salary, That you're going to start"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1214.895,"endTime":1218.735,"body":"to really feel the effects of that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1218.764,"endTime":1223.175,"body":"And it might take a well in, in"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1218.764,"endTime":1223.175,"body":"today's environment, it might even"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1223.175,"endTime":1226.995,"body":"take one or two years where you get a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1223.175,"endTime":1226.995,"body":"pay raise and you realize, oh no, we,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1226.995,"endTime":1228.514,"body":"we gotta, we gotta use some of this."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1228.965,"endTime":1233.435,"body":"So as I that's, I, I was just curious,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1228.965,"endTime":1233.435,"body":"like, um, if, if you saw like some type"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1233.435,"endTime":1236.045,"body":"of impact, uh, as, as the years went on,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1236.675,"endTime":1237.514,"body":"I mean, I'm sure."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1238.67,"endTime":1243.08,"body":"I mean, the answer is we, we did"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1238.67,"endTime":1243.08,"body":"increase spending at various points,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1243.08,"endTime":1247.879,"body":"but, um, I think, you know, the way"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1243.08,"endTime":1247.879,"body":"we handle their finances was that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1247.94,"endTime":1253.28,"body":"we tried to put as little amount"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1247.94,"endTime":1253.28,"body":"into joint checking as possible each"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1253.28,"endTime":1254.93,"body":"month, like enough to cover our bills."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1255.32,"endTime":1260.18,"body":"And there was some like slop in there"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1255.32,"endTime":1260.18,"body":"that we kind of knew what it is."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1261.015,"endTime":1266.205,"body":"And when it kind of got below that level,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1261.015,"endTime":1266.205,"body":"then we're like, oh, well, do we need"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1266.205,"endTime":1267.795,"body":"to like tighten things up a little bit?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1267.945,"endTime":1270.315,"body":"And then if there was a few months"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1267.945,"endTime":1270.315,"body":"where things are tight, we're like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1270.315,"endTime":1274.305,"body":"okay, we're going to adjust this and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1270.315,"endTime":1274.305,"body":"put more into joint checking each month."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1274.305,"endTime":1278.595,"body":"So, I mean, it's kind of like a lazy"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1274.305,"endTime":1278.595,"body":"man's version of like zero-based"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1278.595,"endTime":1282.135,"body":"budgeting or like a Dave Ramsey,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1278.595,"endTime":1282.135,"body":"like envelope system or something,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1282.165,"endTime":1283.635,"body":"but it was kind of just, we know it."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1283.785,"endTime":1285.195,"body":"We know it's going into joint checking."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1285.87,"endTime":1288.179,"body":"We know how much is in there"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1285.87,"endTime":1288.179,"body":"at various times a month."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1288.179,"endTime":1291.449,"body":"And if it gets too low, like, okay,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1288.179,"endTime":1291.449,"body":"we need to, we need to adjust this."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1291.479,"endTime":1295.199,"body":"And then if we found that, oh, after"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1291.479,"endTime":1295.199,"body":"several months, there's a lot of enjoying"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1295.199,"endTime":1297.87,"body":"check-in and we're like, well, we need"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1295.199,"endTime":1297.87,"body":"to, we need to take this back down."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1297.87,"endTime":1299.429,"body":"So this is a fluid process."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1299.82,"endTime":1299.909,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1299.919,"endTime":1303.209,"body":"So did you find, uh, have you ever tried"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1299.919,"endTime":1303.209,"body":"any of those methods, like the M the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1303.209,"endTime":1304.77,"body":"envelope method or anything like that?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1305.544,"endTime":1311.665,"body":"And we have not I mean, we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1305.544,"endTime":1311.665,"body":"just had a system that works, um, and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1311.695,"endTime":1315.534,"body":"get my wife and I we'd call them finance"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1311.695,"endTime":1315.534,"body":"summits, but say like every six months or"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1315.534,"endTime":1320.754,"body":"so, we'd sit down, look at our investment"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1315.534,"endTime":1320.754,"body":"balances, look at our paychecks, how they"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1320.754,"endTime":1322.314,"body":"were getting like distributed amongst."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1322.834,"endTime":1326.044,"body":"Like different investment goals"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1322.834,"endTime":1326.044,"body":"and stuff, and then decide if"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1326.044,"endTime":1327.635,"body":"we wanted to change anything."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1327.725,"endTime":1329.885,"body":"And it is kind of what worked for us."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1329.885,"endTime":1334.024,"body":"I mean, there's like, it was our"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1329.885,"endTime":1334.024,"body":"system that we worked for us, but"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1334.024,"endTime":1337.564,"body":"it wasn't, it didn't really draw"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1334.024,"endTime":1337.564,"body":"us strongly from say any of that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1338.154,"endTime":1338.695,"body":"Big names."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1339.114,"endTime":1339.354,"body":"Okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1340.705,"endTime":1341.245,"body":"Just curious."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1341.245,"endTime":1344.485,"body":"Cause like I know my wife and I, we"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1341.245,"endTime":1344.485,"body":"tried the envelope system for a little"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1344.485,"endTime":1347.574,"body":"while, which was great, you know, I"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1344.485,"endTime":1347.574,"body":"just, you know, when you have physical"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1347.574,"endTime":1350.965,"body":"cash and you're, you're spending money"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1347.574,"endTime":1350.965,"body":"as physical cash, you're definitely,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1350.995,"endTime":1352.735,"body":"you definitely are more apprehensive."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1353.61,"endTime":1356.399,"body":"T to hand over those dollars"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1353.61,"endTime":1356.399,"body":"versus swiping a card."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1356.399,"endTime":1360.629,"body":"So that does, it does help with"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1356.399,"endTime":1360.629,"body":"that, like disciplinary part of it."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1361.11,"endTime":1365.759,"body":"Um, but you know, it kind of evolved"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1361.11,"endTime":1365.759,"body":"for us to where now we do sinking funds."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1366.09,"endTime":1370.229,"body":"So we have, um, you know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1366.09,"endTime":1370.229,"body":"funds for every possible, like"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1370.229,"endTime":1371.279,"body":"different expense that we have."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1371.279,"endTime":1374.729,"body":"Like we have a, a pet, a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1371.279,"endTime":1374.729,"body":"pet and vet fund, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1375.719,"endTime":1375.999,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1375.999,"endTime":1376.35,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1376.35,"endTime":1379.184,"body":"And then like, um, Uh, car maintenance."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1379.214,"endTime":1382.334,"body":"Uh, we have a holidays and birthday fund."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1382.604,"endTime":1385.274,"body":"We know exactly how much we're"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1382.604,"endTime":1385.274,"body":"going to spend on each person."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1385.274,"endTime":1389.084,"body":"It's, it's kind of sick, but, uh, you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1385.274,"endTime":1389.084,"body":"know, and we, we set it up that way."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1389.084,"endTime":1391.694,"body":"And then we have our, our"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1389.084,"endTime":1391.694,"body":"allotment every month where, okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1391.754,"endTime":1395.084,"body":"You know, when we get paid, okay, we"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1391.754,"endTime":1395.084,"body":"move this here this year, this year,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1395.084,"endTime":1396.584,"body":"this much goes into our investments."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1396.914,"endTime":1399.434,"body":"This much stays in the checking"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1396.914,"endTime":1399.434,"body":"account to pay the bills done."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1399.884,"endTime":1401.544,"body":"And, uh, and we kind of"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1399.884,"endTime":1401.544,"body":"broke it down that way."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1402.43,"endTime":1406.54,"body":"Moved away from the envelope system,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1402.43,"endTime":1406.54,"body":"but basically, you know, digitized it"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1406.54,"endTime":1408.0,"body":"with, with the sinking funds method."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1408.01,"endTime":1411.52,"body":"I'm, I'm, I'm just throwing that out"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1408.01,"endTime":1411.52,"body":"there because I'm, I'm a big fan of that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1411.52,"endTime":1414.4,"body":"So when you mentioned the, uh, the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1411.52,"endTime":1414.4,"body":"envelope method, I was like, oh, okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1415.12,"endTime":1416.68,"body":"Of kind of just rang that in mind."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1417.49,"endTime":1420.639,"body":"Let's take a brief moment to"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1417.49,"endTime":1420.639,"body":"hear from our show sponsors."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1420.699,"endTime":1421.78,"body":"What's going on everybody."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1421.78,"endTime":1424.84,"body":"So today I want to talk to you about"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1421.78,"endTime":1424.84,"body":"the podcast editing service that"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1424.84,"endTime":1429.939,"body":"we use for the average Joe finances"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1424.84,"endTime":1429.939,"body":"podcast that is edit pods.com."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1429.969,"endTime":1433.57,"body":"And what I really like about them is"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1429.969,"endTime":1433.57,"body":"it's a subscription-based service."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1433.78,"endTime":1435.669,"body":"So the prices are fantastic."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1435.969,"endTime":1438.879,"body":"And not only do they do the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1435.969,"endTime":1438.879,"body":"podcast episodes for us,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1438.879,"endTime":1440.169,"body":"but they also make us video."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1440.739,"endTime":1443.379,"body":"Audiograms social media caption videos."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1443.379,"endTime":1445.419,"body":"They do our show notes, thumbnails."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1445.659,"endTime":1447.459,"body":"It's just fantastic products."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1447.58,"endTime":1450.55,"body":"Go check them out@editpods.com."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1450.82,"endTime":1451.87,"body":"What's going on everybody."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1451.87,"endTime":1455.5,"body":"So today I want to talk to you about"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1451.87,"endTime":1455.5,"body":"Buzzsprout the average Joe finances"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1455.5,"endTime":1459.189,"body":"podcasts recently switched over"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1455.5,"endTime":1459.189,"body":"to Buzzsprout and I got to say, I"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1459.189,"endTime":1460.84,"body":"am super happy with the progress."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1460.87,"endTime":1464.739,"body":"Our podcast is now on every"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1460.87,"endTime":1464.739,"body":"single major platform and reaching"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1464.739,"endTime":1468.28,"body":"audiences that we couldn't reach"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1464.739,"endTime":1468.28,"body":"before, which is just super awesome."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1469.18,"endTime":1471.64,"body":"Thank you to Buzzsprout for"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1469.18,"endTime":1471.64,"body":"being such a great platform."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1471.64,"endTime":1475.24,"body":"But also I want to say, Hey guys, if you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1471.64,"endTime":1475.24,"body":"sign up for Buzzsprout and you sign up"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1475.24,"endTime":1479.38,"body":"for one of their paid plans using our"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1475.24,"endTime":1479.38,"body":"link, you'll get a $20 Amazon gift card."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1479.59,"endTime":1480.61,"body":"So go check them out."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1480.64,"endTime":1484.87,"body":"It's average, Joe finances.com/buzzsprout"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1480.64,"endTime":1484.87,"body":"and we'll make sure the link"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1484.87,"endTime":1486.19,"body":"is in the show notes below."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1486.52,"endTime":1488.26,"body":"Let's get back to today's episode."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1490.435,"endTime":1494.665,"body":"You're listening to the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1490.435,"endTime":1494.665,"body":"average Joe finances podcast, whether it's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1494.665,"endTime":1500.185,"body":"single or multi-family real estate, the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1494.665,"endTime":1500.185,"body":"stock market, or side hustles, we discuss"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1500.185,"endTime":1503.094,"body":"it all strap in and enjoy the ride."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1504.774,"endTime":1505.284,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1505.314,"endTime":1506.574,"body":"I mean, we're really similar."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1506.574,"endTime":1510.925,"body":"We had, I don't know, like it doesn't"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1506.574,"endTime":1510.925,"body":"savings accounts or something in addition"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1510.925,"endTime":1513.745,"body":"to join tech in, you know, plus our"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1510.925,"endTime":1513.745,"body":"investments and that kind of stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1513.745,"endTime":1518.304,"body":"So, um, we had a car phone, we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1513.745,"endTime":1518.304,"body":"had a vacation fund, we had pet"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1518.304,"endTime":1521.155,"body":"fund, um, you know, all that stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1521.425,"endTime":1525.594,"body":"So that way we knew that way when we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1521.425,"endTime":1525.594,"body":"hit, like, we were putting a little,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1525.624,"endTime":1528.774,"body":"like very little in joint check-in,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1525.624,"endTime":1528.774,"body":"but, um, and that was stuff that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1528.774,"endTime":1532.165,"body":"wasn't tracked like groceries and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1528.774,"endTime":1532.165,"body":"I don't know, whatever other stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1532.77,"endTime":1536.55,"body":"Well, the like, you know, mortgage"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1532.77,"endTime":1536.55,"body":"and the stuff that needed to get paid."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1536.61,"endTime":1539.699,"body":"And then yeah, if there was a car,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1536.61,"endTime":1539.699,"body":"something went wrong in the car,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1539.699,"endTime":1540.929,"body":"then that came out of the car fund."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1541.199,"endTime":1544.709,"body":"Um, I think it would be hard to really"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1541.199,"endTime":1544.709,"body":"just do this like, oh, everything."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1544.739,"endTime":1547.649,"body":"The minimum amount is going to the joint"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1544.739,"endTime":1547.649,"body":"checking if you didn't have sinking funds,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1547.649,"endTime":1552.179,"body":"because a lot of things only come up, you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1547.649,"endTime":1552.179,"body":"know, once a year, something like that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1552.179,"endTime":1554.489,"body":"And that would just be"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1552.179,"endTime":1554.489,"body":"way too complicated."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1555.379,"endTime":1557.629,"body":"Yeah, right on, so, okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1557.659,"endTime":1560.54,"body":"I'll I want to rewind back a little"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1557.659,"endTime":1560.54,"body":"bit, cause I just, I'm still looking"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1560.54,"endTime":1564.17,"body":"down at my notes here and, uh, there's"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1560.54,"endTime":1564.17,"body":"something that you said I wrote it"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1564.17,"endTime":1571.37,"body":"down because, uh, I find it, um,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1564.17,"endTime":1571.37,"body":"really awesome that you guys had"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1571.37,"endTime":1576.05,"body":"conversations at the dinner table when,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1571.37,"endTime":1576.05,"body":"when you were a kid on finances, right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1576.05,"endTime":1577.94,"body":"You guys talked about money"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1576.05,"endTime":1577.94,"body":"at the dinner table, like."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1579.49,"endTime":1581.26,"body":"That was always like a taboo topic."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1581.26,"endTime":1584.409,"body":"And I, a lot of people that I talk"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1581.26,"endTime":1584.409,"body":"to, um, especially like, you know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1584.419,"endTime":1586.87,"body":"millennials and stuff, they, they,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1584.419,"endTime":1586.87,"body":"they always say that to you like, oh"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1586.87,"endTime":1588.22,"body":"yeah, like we never talked about money."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1588.22,"endTime":1589.899,"body":"We never talked about"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1588.22,"endTime":1589.899,"body":"bills and things like that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1589.899,"endTime":1592.33,"body":"That was always a very touchy subject."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1592.72,"endTime":1595.81,"body":"And then I've interviewed people on"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1592.72,"endTime":1595.81,"body":"the podcast, especially, um, people"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1595.81,"endTime":1597.399,"body":"that immigrated to the United States."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1597.399,"endTime":1600.399,"body":"And they always said like, no money was"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1597.399,"endTime":1600.399,"body":"always a topic that we talked about."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1601.184,"endTime":1604.814,"body":"They're like very successful and, and,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1601.184,"endTime":1604.814,"body":"and did quite well for themselves."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1605.235,"endTime":1608.654,"body":"So do you think that having these"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1605.235,"endTime":1608.654,"body":"conversations at the dinner table,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1608.654,"endTime":1612.404,"body":"by, by everybody being comfortable"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1608.654,"endTime":1612.404,"body":"to talk about that instilled some"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1612.404,"endTime":1617.264,"body":"type of, I guess just a, like in the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1612.404,"endTime":1617.264,"body":"back of your mind, subconsciously."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1618.135,"endTime":1621.195,"body":"Just did something for your mentality"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1618.135,"endTime":1621.195,"body":"to, to make you think about money in a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1621.195,"endTime":1625.145,"body":"different way than I guess somebody who"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1621.195,"endTime":1625.145,"body":"wouldn't talk about that at the dinner."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1625.514,"endTime":1626.054,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1626.175,"endTime":1627.794,"body":"I mean, I think it was huge."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1627.855,"endTime":1633.225,"body":"I mean, I think, um, definitely in terms"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1627.855,"endTime":1633.225,"body":"of like confidence in investing in stocks"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1633.225,"endTime":1637.004,"body":"or, I mean, I'll have conversations"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1633.225,"endTime":1637.004,"body":"with people and they're like, oh"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1637.004,"endTime":1638.084,"body":"man, I've got everything in there."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1638.084,"endTime":1643.514,"body":"G phone because like other other outset,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1638.084,"endTime":1643.514,"body":"oh, the G fund for those listeners"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1643.514,"endTime":1644.745,"body":"who aren't government employees is."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1645.564,"endTime":1649.254,"body":"It's a guaranteed fund and the TSP,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1645.564,"endTime":1649.254,"body":"like I said, there's five funds."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1649.284,"endTime":1652.764,"body":"The G fund is like a money market"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1649.284,"endTime":1652.764,"body":"or a savings account, guaranteed."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1653.635,"endTime":1657.264,"body":"Um, so yeah, I mean, I have conversations"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1653.635,"endTime":1657.264,"body":"and have a great return at all."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1657.804,"endTime":1658.135,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1658.165,"endTime":1661.254,"body":"It, it it's lower than inflation."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1661.615,"endTime":1661.735,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1661.735,"endTime":1663.804,"body":"Before I knew what I was doing,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1661.735,"endTime":1663.804,"body":"I spent 13 years in the G"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1663.804,"endTime":1664.764,"body":"fund while I was in the Navy."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1664.764,"endTime":1669.504,"body":"It was, uh, I could, uh, I, I kicked"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1664.764,"endTime":1669.504,"body":"myself in the face all the time for that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1670.294,"endTime":1670.985,"body":"But, right."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1671.014,"endTime":1675.094,"body":"So I guess so, I mean, there"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1671.014,"endTime":1675.094,"body":"is like tangible things, like, okay, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1675.094,"endTime":1678.664,"body":"started off and I was like, okay, well,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1675.094,"endTime":1678.664,"body":"I'm going to have like all my money in"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1678.664,"endTime":1682.144,"body":"the C fund because I'm not going to retire"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1678.664,"endTime":1682.144,"body":"for, you know, 40 years or whatever."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1682.144,"endTime":1687.394,"body":"And that's going to be stock fund,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1682.144,"endTime":1687.394,"body":"um, for your listeners, sorry, using"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1687.394,"endTime":1689.194,"body":"the, um, the government terminology."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1689.194,"endTime":1693.754,"body":"But, so I think there were things"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1689.194,"endTime":1693.754,"body":"like that, but also just, I never"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1693.754,"endTime":1696.304,"body":"felt like money was a taboo topic and."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1697.08,"endTime":1698.07,"body":"I knew."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1698.19,"endTime":1698.37,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1698.37,"endTime":1701.13,"body":"When I was like, thinking about going to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1698.37,"endTime":1701.13,"body":"college and that kind of stuff, I had a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1701.13,"endTime":1705.66,"body":"very clear picture about, um, what college"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1701.13,"endTime":1705.66,"body":"is going to be like the cost of college."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1705.69,"endTime":1709.44,"body":"Like, and we had a lot of conversations"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1705.69,"endTime":1709.44,"body":"about different people we knew"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1709.5,"endTime":1711.27,"body":"in the neighborhood or whatever."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1711.27,"endTime":1711.6,"body":"And."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1712.44,"endTime":1716.7,"body":"Yeah, their kids college and their"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1712.44,"endTime":1716.7,"body":"student loans and other stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1716.7,"endTime":1717.93,"body":"And I was like, wow."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1717.96,"endTime":1718.29,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1718.32,"endTime":1718.86,"body":"Okay."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1718.919,"endTime":1721.59,"body":"You're like, this is the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1718.919,"endTime":1721.59,"body":"value of a college degree."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1721.649,"endTime":1723.27,"body":"This is how much it's going to cost."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1723.27,"endTime":1726.21,"body":"If I go here or go here,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1723.27,"endTime":1726.21,"body":"you know, all those things."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1726.21,"endTime":1729.84,"body":"And you know, this is, I mean, I just"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1726.21,"endTime":1729.84,"body":"felt like I didn't realize it at the time."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1729.84,"endTime":1730.62,"body":"Cause it was just normal."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1730.62,"endTime":1731.639,"body":"Like, Hey, we're going to talk about."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1732.199,"endTime":1735.139,"body":"This is why we talk about"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1732.199,"endTime":1735.139,"body":"stocks or we talk about college"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1735.169,"endTime":1736.129,"body":"costs or that kind of stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1736.159,"endTime":1737.689,"body":"But, um, yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1737.78,"endTime":1742.28,"body":"Now learning that, that that's kind"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1737.78,"endTime":1742.28,"body":"of unusual in America is like, okay."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1742.31,"endTime":1745.97,"body":"Yeah, I'm really glad I had"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1742.31,"endTime":1745.97,"body":"that knowledge when I was a kid."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1747.22,"endTime":1748.85,"body":"It was"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1747.22,"endTime":1748.85,"body":"just the household I grew up in."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1748.85,"endTime":1751.985,"body":"But other people I talked to you like"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1748.85,"endTime":1751.985,"body":"would always say, oh yeah, No, we,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1752.034,"endTime":1753.304,"body":"we never really talked about money."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1753.304,"endTime":1755.164,"body":"It was always like a very touchy subject."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1755.164,"endTime":1757.804,"body":"And, um, and I, I always found that odd."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1757.894,"endTime":1762.574,"body":"Um, and I remember too, like, even,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1757.894,"endTime":1762.574,"body":"even as I got older and I became more,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1763.084,"endTime":1767.705,"body":"uh, you know, savvy with my finances,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1763.084,"endTime":1767.705,"body":"uh, having conversations, like even"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1767.705,"endTime":1771.034,"body":"with my dad about like, Hey, I think"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1767.705,"endTime":1771.034,"body":"you should check out, you know, doing"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1771.064,"endTime":1772.384,"body":"maybe something a little bit different."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1772.985,"endTime":1775.294,"body":"They're like, oh, but you know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1772.985,"endTime":1775.294,"body":"what, what are you going to"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1775.294,"endTime":1776.164,"body":"talk to me about that stuff?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1776.254,"endTime":1777.304,"body":"He's like, I know what"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1776.254,"endTime":1777.304,"body":"I'm doing, you know?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1778.389,"endTime":1782.379,"body":"But it's like, yeah, it was just"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1778.389,"endTime":1782.379,"body":"never really a topic that my"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1782.379,"endTime":1784.96,"body":"family, uh, like to discuss at all."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1784.96,"endTime":1785.59,"body":"It was money."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1785.59,"endTime":1790.179,"body":"So I try to, um, w with my own"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1785.59,"endTime":1790.179,"body":"children just, you know, uh, keep"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1790.179,"endTime":1794.5,"body":"them in the know, uh, and, you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1790.179,"endTime":1794.5,"body":"know, just educated in finances."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1794.669,"endTime":1797.389,"body":"I'm not afraid to show them like"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1794.669,"endTime":1797.389,"body":"what our budget looks like and, and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1797.56,"endTime":1798.879,"body":"what we spend on certain things."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1798.879,"endTime":1800.919,"body":"I think it's important"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1798.879,"endTime":1800.919,"body":"for them to know that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1800.919,"endTime":1802.51,"body":"So they understand the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1800.919,"endTime":1802.51,"body":"value of the dollar."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1803.1,"endTime":1805.949,"body":"Um, and you know, on top of"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1803.1,"endTime":1805.949,"body":"that, the other thing is, is"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1805.949,"endTime":1807.509,"body":"financial education itself."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1807.569,"endTime":1810.389,"body":"You know, I'm, I'm, I'm thankful"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1807.569,"endTime":1810.389,"body":"that, you know, my wife and I"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1810.389,"endTime":1811.59,"body":"like be homeschool our kids."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1811.59,"endTime":1814.799,"body":"So, uh, you know, financial literacy"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1811.59,"endTime":1814.799,"body":"is part of their curriculum."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1814.799,"endTime":1815.939,"body":"So it's, it's just something that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1816.729,"endTime":1820.629,"body":"Um, I think is super important"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1816.729,"endTime":1820.629,"body":"because I, I don't, I am at the point"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1820.629,"endTime":1823.3,"body":"where it's like, you know, I want"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1820.629,"endTime":1823.3,"body":"to build generational wealth for"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1823.3,"endTime":1825.1,"body":"my family, for generations to come."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1825.61,"endTime":1829.51,"body":"Uh, but at the same time, I want my"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1825.61,"endTime":1829.51,"body":"family to like my children to be able"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1829.51,"endTime":1831.219,"body":"to go out and do this on their own."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1831.699,"endTime":1834.79,"body":"I want to give them all the tools"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1831.699,"endTime":1834.79,"body":"and, and put that in their toolbox."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1834.79,"endTime":1838.78,"body":"So, um, speaking of tools"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1834.79,"endTime":1838.78,"body":"in the toolbox, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1838.78,"endTime":1842.26,"body":"So we're gonna kind of bring this"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1838.78,"endTime":1842.26,"body":"back into being a federal agent."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1842.809,"endTime":1843.11,"body":"Right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1843.59,"endTime":1848.629,"body":"Um, so besides FERS and TSP, which,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1843.59,"endTime":1848.629,"body":"which are some fantastic, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1848.659,"endTime":1853.699,"body":"retirement benefits, what are some other"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1848.659,"endTime":1853.699,"body":"benefits to being a federal employee?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1853.969,"endTime":1854.33,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1854.629,"endTime":1860.299,"body":"Um, I mean, I think the one I enjoy"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1854.629,"endTime":1860.299,"body":"the most is, um, annual leave."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1860.57,"endTime":1865.309,"body":"Um, so we get, uh, an incredibly"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1860.57,"endTime":1865.309,"body":"generous amount of vacation."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1866.139,"endTime":1870.459,"body":"Um, so after you've been with"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1866.139,"endTime":1870.459,"body":"the government for 15 years, you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1870.459,"endTime":1871.899,"body":"get eight hours of pay period."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1871.899,"endTime":1876.459,"body":"So that's like 10% of, I mean, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1871.899,"endTime":1876.459,"body":"kind of consider it, like I only"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1876.459,"endTime":1880.78,"body":"work 90% of the time because every 80"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1876.459,"endTime":1880.78,"body":"hours I work, I get eight hours off."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1881.53,"endTime":1882.909,"body":"Um, so that's a really good one."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1883.06,"endTime":1888.519,"body":"Um, and, um, yeah, the, the government"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1883.06,"endTime":1888.519,"body":"health insurances is pretty good."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1888.55,"endTime":1893.53,"body":"I mean, it's, um, it's better than"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1888.55,"endTime":1893.53,"body":"a lot of the private sector plans."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1893.53,"endTime":1894.699,"body":"I mean, it's not the world's most."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1895.564,"endTime":1898.205,"body":"Health insurance, but it's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1895.564,"endTime":1898.205,"body":"very solid health insurance."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1898.235,"endTime":1902.485,"body":"And if you work until your minimum"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1898.235,"endTime":1902.485,"body":"retirement age, Uh, you can take it with"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1902.485,"endTime":1906.745,"body":"you into retirement, which is pretty"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1902.485,"endTime":1906.745,"body":"unheard of, um, you know, besides the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1906.745,"endTime":1910.674,"body":"military, like there's, there's nowhere"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1906.745,"endTime":1910.674,"body":"else that you can just take your, take"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1910.674,"endTime":1912.264,"body":"your healthcare with you when you go."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1912.745,"endTime":1915.294,"body":"Um, so that's, that's huge."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1915.504,"endTime":1918.324,"body":"Um, I mean, I think those"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1915.504,"endTime":1918.324,"body":"are, those are the big ones."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1919.135,"endTime":1921.504,"body":"Uh, probably I'm spacing on"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1919.135,"endTime":1921.504,"body":"a couple, cause it wasn't"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1921.504,"endTime":1922.375,"body":"really thinking about that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1922.405,"endTime":1925.824,"body":"I have a whole post on my blog"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1922.405,"endTime":1925.824,"body":"where I talk about all these random"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1925.824,"endTime":1929.064,"body":"benefits of working for the federal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1925.824,"endTime":1929.064,"body":"government, but those are the two"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1929.064,"endTime":1930.475,"body":"that pop into my head right now."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1931.034,"endTime":1932.635,"body":"And those,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1931.034,"endTime":1932.635,"body":"those are two great benefits that pro."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1934.034,"endTime":1936.524,"body":"The ones I figured you would,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1934.034,"endTime":1936.524,"body":"you would actually touch on too."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1936.524,"endTime":1940.014,"body":"So, uh, that's one of the things I enjoy"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1936.524,"endTime":1940.014,"body":"about being in the military as well as"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1940.014,"endTime":1944.684,"body":"is the annual leave and then the, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1940.014,"endTime":1944.684,"body":"the medical benefits, uh, that I too"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1944.684,"endTime":1946.754,"body":"will get to carry into my retirement."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1947.294,"endTime":1950.894,"body":"Um, which is, which is huge, especially"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1947.294,"endTime":1950.894,"body":"with the cost of healthcare, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1950.955,"endTime":1954.314,"body":"you know, in the United States,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1950.955,"endTime":1954.314,"body":"it's, it's pretty astronomical."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1954.314,"endTime":1954.674,"body":"And if you don't."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1955.459,"endTime":1958.759,"body":"You know, good health insurance"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1955.459,"endTime":1958.759,"body":"or, or coverage, uh, you can find"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1958.759,"endTime":1962.749,"body":"yourself, uh, you know, not saving for"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1958.759,"endTime":1962.749,"body":"retirement, but saving for hospital"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1962.749,"endTime":1963.679,"body":"bills for the rest of your life."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1963.679,"endTime":1966.919,"body":"So it could, it could be pretty daunting"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1963.679,"endTime":1966.919,"body":"when you, when you think of it that way."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1967.52,"endTime":1968.629,"body":"So, all right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1968.629,"endTime":1975.29,"body":"So besides what you're doing with"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1968.629,"endTime":1975.29,"body":"FERS and TSP with your investments,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1975.29,"endTime":1979.1,"body":"for your, your future retirement,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1975.29,"endTime":1979.1,"body":"uh, what are some other things."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":1979.784,"endTime":1981.345,"body":"You yourself invest in."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1981.435,"endTime":1982.005,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1982.155,"endTime":1989.595,"body":"Um, so a lot of stocks, a lot of index"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1982.155,"endTime":1989.595,"body":"funds, a few individual stocks, um,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1989.595,"endTime":1994.305,"body":"and those are spread across Roth IRAs"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1989.595,"endTime":1994.305,"body":"and tax bond, investment accounts."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1994.455,"endTime":2000.609,"body":"Um, And then, um, you know, a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":1994.455,"endTime":2000.609,"body":"small percent in cryptocurrencies."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2000.879,"endTime":2005.259,"body":"Um, and I kind of look at those as"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2000.879,"endTime":2005.259,"body":"like pretty volatile and like, I don't"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2005.259,"endTime":2009.37,"body":"know what's going to happen with them,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2005.259,"endTime":2009.37,"body":"but, um, you're not on the old layer."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2009.37,"endTime":2010.689,"body":"You're afraid to lose in there."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2011.219,"endTime":2016.48,"body":"It's like, if it, if it disappears, it"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2011.219,"endTime":2016.48,"body":"disappears, but if it, you know, like if"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2016.48,"endTime":2020.83,"body":"it goes to the moon, if it goes into yes,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2016.48,"endTime":2020.83,"body":"like I bought, like, I just kept seeing"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2020.83,"endTime":2022.929,"body":"on Reddit, like everywhere, everywhere."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2023.86,"endTime":2027.31,"body":"Like this January was like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2023.86,"endTime":2027.31,"body":"talking about doge coin."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2028.0,"endTime":2030.07,"body":"And I was like, I was like, what?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2030.1,"endTime":2030.88,"body":"Like, no."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2030.88,"endTime":2034.429,"body":"And then I was just like, then I was like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2030.88,"endTime":2034.429,"body":"I don't even remember where on Reddit."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2034.429,"endTime":2034.72,"body":"I saw."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2034.81,"endTime":2035.32,"body":"I was like, okay."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2035.32,"endTime":2038.139,"body":"If somebody over here is talking about"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2035.32,"endTime":2038.139,"body":"doge coin, like I just need to buy."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2038.139,"endTime":2038.59,"body":"So."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2039.299,"endTime":2042.329,"body":"And, you know, like it went up,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2039.299,"endTime":2042.329,"body":"you know, I thought about it was"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2042.339,"endTime":2045.779,"body":"just like putting a bet on like a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2042.339,"endTime":2045.779,"body":"sporting event or something like that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2045.989,"endTime":2051.569,"body":"Um, and you know, it did like, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2045.989,"endTime":2051.569,"body":"don't know, like a, like 18 parlay"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2051.569,"endTime":2053.819,"body":"or something better type performance."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2053.819,"endTime":2056.669,"body":"And I was like, oh man, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2053.819,"endTime":2056.669,"body":"should have had a bigger thing."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2056.669,"endTime":2060.839,"body":"So then after that I started, it kind"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2056.669,"endTime":2060.839,"body":"of made me realize that people are"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2061.079,"endTime":2062.729,"body":"going to put money into cryptocurrency."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2063.48,"endTime":2066.179,"body":"And I don't know if they're"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2063.48,"endTime":2066.179,"body":"going to have any value."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2066.179,"endTime":2070.409,"body":"Like if you read, if you go on Reddit"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2066.179,"endTime":2070.409,"body":"and read like the cryptocurrency Reddits,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2070.409,"endTime":2073.589,"body":"they're all like, oh, this, this like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2070.409,"endTime":2073.589,"body":"coin is super valuable because it's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2073.589,"endTime":2076.139,"body":"going to do smart contracts or it's"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2073.589,"endTime":2076.139,"body":"going to do this, or is going to do that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2076.139,"endTime":2079.379,"body":"And I'm like, I don't know if it's going"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2076.139,"endTime":2079.379,"body":"to do any of that, but if people are"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2079.379,"endTime":2084.415,"body":"like, well, Pay more money in the future"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2079.379,"endTime":2084.415,"body":"for it, or if it does get adopted or if"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2084.415,"endTime":2086.125,"body":"it does, then it's going to go up a lot."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2086.214,"endTime":2091.105,"body":"And so like, yeah, it's kind of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2086.214,"endTime":2091.105,"body":"fun money, but it's also, I mean, I"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2091.105,"endTime":2093.054,"body":"think, I don't think it has any value."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2093.054,"endTime":2096.774,"body":"Like a stock is like partial ownership"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2093.054,"endTime":2096.774,"body":"in a company and it's going to have"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2096.774,"endTime":2100.884,"body":"some value and it's going to pay some"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2096.774,"endTime":2100.884,"body":"dividends, like finding a cryptocurrency."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2101.57,"endTime":2106.97,"body":"Like buying a kind of crazy collectible"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2101.57,"endTime":2106.97,"body":"thing, but if enough people buy them and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2106.97,"endTime":2110.78,"body":"say they're going to buy them and then"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2106.97,"endTime":2110.78,"body":"it could really take off and I wouldn't"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2110.81,"endTime":2112.61,"body":"want to like, not have anything in it."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2112.67,"endTime":2116.87,"body":"Um, so that's kind of my"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2112.67,"endTime":2116.87,"body":"thoughts on cryptocurrencies."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2117.35,"endTime":2121.16,"body":"I wrote a really funny post on doge"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2117.35,"endTime":2121.16,"body":"coin on my blog that like got shared."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2121.95,"endTime":2124.859,"body":"Uh, time and like Google was"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2121.95,"endTime":2124.859,"body":"recommending it to people I'm like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2125.52,"endTime":2126.99,"body":"you may, you might be interested in."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2126.99,"endTime":2130.47,"body":"So yeah, it felt like I needed to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2126.99,"endTime":2130.47,"body":"get a dovish coin tattoo after that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2130.47,"endTime":2133.77,"body":"Cause it was like my, my"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2130.47,"endTime":2133.77,"body":"blogs blogs brand for awhile."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2133.89,"endTime":2134.609,"body":"Oh, that's awesome."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2135.029,"endTime":2135.24,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2135.24,"endTime":2138.69,"body":"I don't, I don't, I don't mess with too"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2135.24,"endTime":2138.69,"body":"many cryptocurrencies I have in the past."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2138.72,"endTime":2140.58,"body":"Uh, but now there's only one that I have."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2141.49,"endTime":2145.81,"body":"Um, and the only reason why I have it"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2141.49,"endTime":2145.81,"body":"it's because it's actually related to the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2145.81,"endTime":2151.749,"body":"podcast because the podcast, I have it"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2145.81,"endTime":2151.749,"body":"up on this site called Oriel, a U R E L."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2152.2,"endTime":2157.87,"body":"And basically, um, based on like"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2152.2,"endTime":2157.87,"body":"listens, people can vote for your podcast"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2157.87,"endTime":2159.1,"body":"or leave a tip and stuff like that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2159.68,"endTime":2161.81,"body":"And then you get these"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2159.68,"endTime":2161.81,"body":"things called hive coins."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2161.839,"endTime":2165.919,"body":"So I have a whole bunch of hive coins"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2161.839,"endTime":2165.919,"body":"from because for whatever reason, the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2165.919,"endTime":2168.799,"body":"podcast did surprisingly well on there."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2168.799,"endTime":2171.589,"body":"So I have all these hive coins"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2168.799,"endTime":2171.589,"body":"sitting in this wallet and I"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2171.589,"endTime":2173.629,"body":"don't know what to do with it."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2173.959,"endTime":2175.609,"body":"And it has a monetary value."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2175.609,"endTime":2177.41,"body":"Like I can cash it out, I guess."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2177.439,"endTime":2178.129,"body":"I don't know."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2178.629,"endTime":2181.029,"body":"But that's like the only one I"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2178.629,"endTime":2181.029,"body":"have and that's like the only"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2181.029,"endTime":2182.319,"body":"crypto wallet I really have."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2182.74,"endTime":2185.049,"body":"Um, and, uh, it's interesting though."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2185.049,"endTime":2187.839,"body":"I mean, I, I had, I had a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2185.049,"endTime":2187.839,"body":"guest on not too long ago."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2187.87,"endTime":2192.43,"body":"Um, that episode hasn't aired yet either,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2187.87,"endTime":2192.43,"body":"but, um, that can we kind of like dove a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2192.43,"endTime":2195.609,"body":"little bit deeper into crypto and he was"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2192.43,"endTime":2195.609,"body":"helping me learn a little bit about it."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2196.059,"endTime":2200.019,"body":"Um, he kind of explained blockchain a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2196.059,"endTime":2200.019,"body":"little bit better, um, because it wasn't"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2200.019,"endTime":2205.794,"body":"something I really knew too much about,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2200.019,"endTime":2205.794,"body":"or like, Cared to get to like involved in."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2205.794,"endTime":2209.274,"body":"Cause I just, I just, I just didn't see"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2205.794,"endTime":2209.274,"body":"it really, but, you know, after talking"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2209.274,"endTime":2214.314,"body":"with him and, and, and understanding more"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2209.274,"endTime":2214.314,"body":"about why there's like this crypto craze,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2214.765,"endTime":2219.895,"body":"um, you know, it's, it was a little easier"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2214.765,"endTime":2219.895,"body":"for me to digest, um, and understand"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2219.895,"endTime":2223.194,"body":"that a little bit better, but it's still"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2219.895,"endTime":2223.194,"body":"not something that I'm a hundred percent"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2223.194,"endTime":2227.334,"body":"sold on or would like really invest"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2223.194,"endTime":2227.334,"body":"in like, um, like I'll, I'll have that"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2227.334,"endTime":2228.734,"body":"small percentage that I have right now."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2229.54,"endTime":2231.25,"body":"I didn't even put any"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2229.54,"endTime":2231.25,"body":"money into it myself."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2231.25,"endTime":2235.72,"body":"So, um, I just kind of leave it,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2231.25,"endTime":2235.72,"body":"leave it there, you know, let it sit."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2235.72,"endTime":2239.02,"body":"And if it, if it goes up"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2235.72,"endTime":2239.02,"body":"in value, then fantastic."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2239.02,"endTime":2241.54,"body":"If it doesn't do anything"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2239.02,"endTime":2241.54,"body":"well, I didn't lose anything."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2241.54,"endTime":2242.8,"body":"So I'm good with that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2244.03,"endTime":2245.8,"body":"I think that's,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2244.03,"endTime":2245.8,"body":"that's a good strategy."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2246.424,"endTime":2250.625,"body":"And I mean, but I'm also kind of just"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2246.424,"endTime":2250.625,"body":"a big believer in like, um, you know,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2250.625,"endTime":2254.315,"body":"people are adults and if they want"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2250.625,"endTime":2254.315,"body":"to like, like put it all on, like,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2254.464,"endTime":2259.355,"body":"you know, whatever car Dano or like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2254.464,"endTime":2259.355,"body":"Bitcoin or something, like go for it."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2259.595,"endTime":2260.944,"body":"Um that's."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2260.975,"endTime":2266.254,"body":"Yeah, but I think for me it's a small"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2260.975,"endTime":2266.254,"body":"percentage, but I do think like, we really"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2266.254,"endTime":2271.145,"body":"don't know, like it's really young, so"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2266.254,"endTime":2271.145,"body":"it could either like boom or Boston."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2271.174,"endTime":2272.404,"body":"We just, just have no idea."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2273.134,"endTime":2273.345,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2273.345,"endTime":2274.485,"body":"I mean, time will tell."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2274.485,"endTime":2274.695,"body":"Right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2274.725,"endTime":2275.715,"body":"Well, we'll see what happens."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2276.134,"endTime":2278.805,"body":"Who knows, you know, uh, 20 years"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2276.134,"endTime":2278.805,"body":"from now, you'll probably know."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2279.6,"endTime":2282.779,"body":"You know what Mike, ah, man, I should've,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2279.6,"endTime":2282.779,"body":"I should've bought more crypto."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2282.899,"endTime":2283.29,"body":"Dang it."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2283.74,"endTime":2287.37,"body":"You know, or, Hey, I should have"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2283.74,"endTime":2287.37,"body":"bought less or, or not got into it all."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2287.37,"endTime":2289.169,"body":"I mean, you know, w w"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2287.37,"endTime":2289.169,"body":"we'll see what happens."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2289.5,"endTime":2289.89,"body":"It is."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2289.979,"endTime":2292.68,"body":"That's the other thing too, is like,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2289.979,"endTime":2292.68,"body":"it's, it's really, it's still, it's"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2292.68,"endTime":2298.17,"body":"still too young to think about like,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2292.68,"endTime":2298.17,"body":"What the potential could really be."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2298.23,"endTime":2299.52,"body":"Um, there, there's not enough."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2299.52,"endTime":2304.11,"body":"Like, I guess that data to really"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2299.52,"endTime":2304.11,"body":"make like, uh, have some type"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2304.11,"endTime":2307.44,"body":"of analytical thought process"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2304.11,"endTime":2307.44,"body":"as to where crypto can be going."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2307.83,"endTime":2310.59,"body":"As some people can sit here and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2307.83,"endTime":2310.59,"body":"say all day that it's gonna, you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2310.59,"endTime":2311.73,"body":"know, it's all gonna skyrocket."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2312.299,"endTime":2315.99,"body":"Um, but I, I mean, I th we'll see,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2312.299,"endTime":2315.99,"body":"we'll see what the future holds."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2315.99,"endTime":2317.819,"body":"I don't, I don't want to go"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2315.99,"endTime":2317.819,"body":"down this crypto rabbit hole."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2318.54,"endTime":2321.45,"body":"I can go down rabbit holes all the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2318.54,"endTime":2321.45,"body":"time, but this is one-on-one to try to"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2321.45,"endTime":2324.33,"body":"avoid so gonna gonna move on from there."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2324.87,"endTime":2326.25,"body":"But, um, okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2326.52,"endTime":2330.93,"body":"So let's say that, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2326.52,"endTime":2330.93,"body":"we have somebody that is."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2331.47,"endTime":2337.83,"body":"You know, a new federal employee, they,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2331.47,"endTime":2337.83,"body":"uh, you know, age of 18 or, or, uh, maybe"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2337.83,"endTime":2341.97,"body":"they went to school and, um, you know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2337.83,"endTime":2341.97,"body":"they're, they're in their early twenties"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2342.36,"endTime":2346.529,"body":"and they're starting off as you know, in"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2342.36,"endTime":2346.529,"body":"civil service and they say, Hey, okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2347.215,"endTime":2351.085,"body":"I know that I want to retire by 45."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2351.175,"endTime":2355.255,"body":"What would you recommend to somebody"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2351.175,"endTime":2355.255,"body":"who's starting government service?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2355.735,"endTime":2357.145,"body":"Let's say at 20 years old."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2357.265,"endTime":2359.185,"body":"So we'll say we'll give"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2357.265,"endTime":2359.185,"body":"them a 25 year period."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2359.515,"endTime":2362.915,"body":"What would you recommend to"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2359.515,"endTime":2362.915,"body":"somebody to do if they wanted to."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2363.58,"endTime":2364.69,"body":"Retire at 45."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2365.259,"endTime":2365.62,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2365.65,"endTime":2369.04,"body":"I mean, I think at the advice"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2365.65,"endTime":2369.04,"body":"there's is probably going to be"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2369.04,"endTime":2373.63,"body":"really similar to, um, some of us"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2369.04,"endTime":2373.63,"body":"that is not in government service."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2373.63,"endTime":2373.87,"body":"Right."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2373.87,"endTime":2377.77,"body":"So you're going to need to have"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2373.87,"endTime":2377.77,"body":"a cashflow plan for how you're"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2377.77,"endTime":2378.85,"body":"going to cover your expenses."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2379.475,"endTime":2382.685,"body":"So after 45, their situation's going"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2379.475,"endTime":2382.685,"body":"to be a little bit better because at"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2382.685,"endTime":2385.325,"body":"age 62, they're going to get their"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2382.685,"endTime":2385.325,"body":"deferred pension, which is going to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2385.325,"endTime":2387.185,"body":"be like 25% of their final salary."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2387.185,"endTime":2389.615,"body":"So that's going to help out"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2387.185,"endTime":2389.615,"body":"kind of towards the end."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2389.915,"endTime":2391.055,"body":"So that's good."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2391.055,"endTime":2393.845,"body":"Cause if they burn through their"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2391.055,"endTime":2393.845,"body":"money a little bit faster than"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2393.845,"endTime":2395.345,"body":"normal, they'd have that safety plan."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2395.375,"endTime":2398.555,"body":"They're still going to have to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2395.375,"endTime":2398.555,"body":"figure out health insurance and,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2398.765,"endTime":2400.535,"body":"um, some of these other things."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2401.194,"endTime":2401.825,"body":"Oh, that's right."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2401.825,"endTime":2404.674,"body":"Because if you, if you stop"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2401.825,"endTime":2404.674,"body":"before 57, you lose that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2404.825,"endTime":2407.075,"body":"If you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2404.825,"endTime":2407.075,"body":"stop before 57, you lose that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2407.075,"endTime":2410.465,"body":"So it's like a huge, that's"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2407.075,"endTime":2410.465,"body":"definitely something to consider."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2410.495,"endTime":2410.725,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2410.735,"endTime":2414.634,"body":"It's definitely something to consider"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2410.735,"endTime":2414.634,"body":"and they do have, um, now it seems like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2414.634,"endTime":2417.365,"body":"every few years and my office and other."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2418.065,"endTime":2421.995,"body":"It's different, but they offer a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2418.065,"endTime":2421.995,"body":"thing called a early out buy-out."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2422.235,"endTime":2429.015,"body":"Um, so there for you have 20 years"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2422.235,"endTime":2429.015,"body":"of service and are age 50 or 25 years"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2429.134,"endTime":2434.145,"body":"at any age, um, you can retire early"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2429.134,"endTime":2434.145,"body":"with full benefits, health insurance."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2435.535,"endTime":2437.305,"body":"Immediate pension and all that stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2437.305,"endTime":2443.245,"body":"So, you know, if they've got 25 years"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2437.305,"endTime":2443.245,"body":"of service, maybe like you want to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2443.305,"endTime":2446.575,"body":"stick around a little bit and see if it"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2443.305,"endTime":2446.575,"body":"seems like there's going to be a like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2446.575,"endTime":2449.004,"body":"buyout situation or early out for them."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2449.274,"endTime":2450.564,"body":"Um, I don't know."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2450.625,"endTime":2453.714,"body":"I mean, yeah, each situation is going to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2450.625,"endTime":2453.714,"body":"be a little bit different, but I think,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2453.984,"endTime":2456.625,"body":"you know, if you're just starting off and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2453.984,"endTime":2456.625,"body":"you're early in the game and a federal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2456.625,"endTime":2460.705,"body":"career and, you know, you want to retire"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2456.625,"endTime":2460.705,"body":"early, then it's just a matter of knowing."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2461.404,"endTime":2464.345,"body":"What your federal retirement's going"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2461.404,"endTime":2464.345,"body":"to look like after early retirement."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2464.585,"endTime":2464.825,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2464.825,"endTime":2469.415,"body":"So, so plan for what that cost is going"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2464.825,"endTime":2469.415,"body":"to look like between the age of 45 and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2469.415,"endTime":2471.965,"body":"62, and have a, have a good plan for that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2472.535,"endTime":2476.015,"body":"Uh, that includes, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2472.535,"endTime":2476.015,"body":"health insurance now, right?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2476.105,"endTime":2479.945,"body":"When, when they start collecting"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2476.105,"endTime":2479.945,"body":"their pension at 62, do they get the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2479.945,"endTime":2481.654,"body":"health insurance back or is that."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2482.254,"endTime":2482.944,"body":"It's just gone."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2483.064,"endTime":2483.754,"body":"It's gone."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2483.785,"endTime":2484.055,"body":"Wow."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2484.085,"endTime":2484.294,"body":"Okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2484.484,"endTime":2485.585,"body":"So that's, that's good to know."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2485.855,"endTime":2489.575,"body":"So it's not like, you know, you,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2485.855,"endTime":2489.575,"body":"you get back on, uh, and you're"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2489.575,"endTime":2491.044,"body":"back where everybody else is at."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2491.254,"endTime":2494.674,"body":"Um, once you hit 62, you know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2491.254,"endTime":2494.674,"body":"you're getting the pinch, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2494.685,"endTime":2495.754,"body":"the pension, but that's it."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2496.265,"endTime":2496.685,"body":"Excuse me."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2496.685,"endTime":2497.015,"body":"So."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2497.689,"endTime":2498.08,"body":"Okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2498.109,"endTime":2500.149,"body":"No, that's, that's"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2498.109,"endTime":2500.149,"body":"definitely what I've seen."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2500.299,"endTime":2504.049,"body":"I've seen some stuff on"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2500.299,"endTime":2504.049,"body":"like federal employee message board where"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2504.14,"endTime":2508.85,"body":"it's like, somebody's plan to like, apply"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2504.14,"endTime":2508.85,"body":"for federal jobs again, when they're"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2508.85,"endTime":2510.62,"body":"close to their minimum retirement age."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2510.709,"endTime":2515.959,"body":"Um, and then, you know, cross your minimum"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2510.709,"endTime":2515.959,"body":"retirement age and then retire again."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2517.22,"endTime":2517.669,"body":"Okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2517.759,"endTime":2518.18,"body":"Okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2518.479,"endTime":2521.419,"body":"So you pretty much, pretty much"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2518.479,"endTime":2521.419,"body":"ended at 25 years of service."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2521.419,"endTime":2526.49,"body":"And then Hey, at 55, I'm going to"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2521.419,"endTime":2526.49,"body":"go, uh, work for two more years or."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2527.12,"endTime":2527.54,"body":"Something like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2527.54,"endTime":2528.29,"body":"that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2528.62,"endTime":2530.69,"body":"I mean, that's, that's the plan."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2530.72,"endTime":2533.45,"body":"I don't know how, like, I mean, whatever."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2533.48,"endTime":2537.29,"body":"I mean, we hire, I mean, the"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2533.48,"endTime":2537.29,"body":"federal government is an equal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2537.29,"endTime":2540.77,"body":"opportunity employee, employer, and"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2537.29,"endTime":2540.77,"body":"we do hire people in their fifties."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2540.8,"endTime":2543.65,"body":"Like I've seen that frequently"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2540.8,"endTime":2543.65,"body":"if they're qualified and."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2544.345,"endTime":2548.185,"body":"Um, if you leave federal service, you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2544.345,"endTime":2548.185,"body":"can get reinstatement rights, which makes"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2548.185,"endTime":2549.535,"body":"it a little bit easier to come back."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2549.535,"endTime":2554.125,"body":"So, um, and it just needs to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2549.535,"endTime":2554.125,"body":"be any federal DOB to get your"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2554.125,"endTime":2556.794,"body":"health insurance back at 8 57."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2556.795,"endTime":2559.675,"body":"So it doesn't seem completely crazy."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2559.675,"endTime":2561.475,"body":"There is some risk in that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2561.595,"endTime":2563.575,"body":"Um, it's not like it's not something like"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2564.025,"endTime":2567.415,"body":"I get rehired"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2564.025,"endTime":2567.415,"body":"that's yeah, that would be a so-so."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2567.415,"endTime":2567.565,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2567.565,"endTime":2568.645,"body":"So don't plan on it that way."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2568.645,"endTime":2572.305,"body":"Don't bank on it, but now let's,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2568.645,"endTime":2572.305,"body":"let's say somebody was like a."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2573.444,"endTime":2578.964,"body":"And at a much higher pay grade, like they"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2573.444,"endTime":2578.964,"body":"they're like a GS 15 or whatever, right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2578.964,"endTime":2584.605,"body":"Like at, at 'em and they retired 25 years"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2578.964,"endTime":2584.605,"body":"and then they come back in at the age"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2584.605,"endTime":2591.714,"body":"of 55 as like a . Is there a high three"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2584.605,"endTime":2591.714,"body":"going to be based off their GS 15 salary?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2591.805,"endTime":2594.895,"body":"Or is it gonna be based off of"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2591.805,"endTime":2594.895,"body":"their most recent three years?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2594.955,"endTime":2595.944,"body":"No, it's the highest."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2596.595,"endTime":2597.495,"body":"So perfect."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2597.795,"endTime":2599.565,"body":"It's still so similar to the military."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2599.625,"endTime":2600.105,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2600.195,"endTime":2603.975,"body":"And I mean, I guess the, I mean, I guess"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2600.195,"endTime":2603.975,"body":"that's kind of a steal because they're"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2603.975,"endTime":2610.935,"body":"getting the like GS 15 salary year, like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2603.975,"endTime":2610.935,"body":"multiplier working these extra years, as"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2610.935,"endTime":2617.92,"body":"you know, Uh, GS nine or, you know, park"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2610.935,"endTime":2617.92,"body":"ranger, you know, some like some thing."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2617.93,"endTime":2623.14,"body":"So, I mean, I think that's where if, you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2617.93,"endTime":2623.14,"body":"know, you want to retire early, like in"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2623.14,"endTime":2627.82,"body":"not work at all, then there's not a lot"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2623.14,"endTime":2627.82,"body":"of options for you as a federal employee."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2627.82,"endTime":2633.25,"body":"But if you say like, well, you could"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2627.82,"endTime":2633.25,"body":"look for a part-time job or you could"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2633.25,"endTime":2637.81,"body":"look for, you know, some seasonal"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2633.25,"endTime":2637.81,"body":"jobs, um, like, like a seasonal."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2638.435,"endTime":2639.155,"body":"Federal job."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2639.365,"endTime":2639.545,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2639.545,"endTime":2644.555,"body":"There's seasonal federal jobs, like, um,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2639.545,"endTime":2644.555,"body":"they're called like 13 thirteens for some"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2644.555,"endTime":2651.155,"body":"reason, like 13 pay periods on 13 pay"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2644.555,"endTime":2651.155,"body":"periods off, I think, is that so a lot"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2651.155,"endTime":2654.935,"body":"of those are with like the forest service"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2651.155,"endTime":2654.935,"body":"or bureau of land management where you"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2654.935,"endTime":2660.815,"body":"have some like national park or something"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2654.935,"endTime":2660.815,"body":"that's open for, um, like different"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2660.815,"endTime":2662.705,"body":"seasons and things like different seasons."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2663.275,"endTime":2664.475,"body":"Like that's very interesting."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2664.835,"endTime":2666.395,"body":"Firefighters are another one."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2666.939,"endTime":2670.779,"body":"Um, but that one's kind of hard to"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2666.939,"endTime":2670.779,"body":"get into if you're an older person."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2671.049,"endTime":2674.35,"body":"Um, but those are all"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2671.049,"endTime":2674.35,"body":"seasonal employees as well."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2674.709,"endTime":2678.039,"body":"Um, and that's, uh, that's, you know,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2674.709,"endTime":2678.039,"body":"there's, there's a lot of firefighters."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2678.039,"endTime":2679.809,"body":"There's a lot of wildfires"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2678.039,"endTime":2679.809,"body":"in the United States."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2679.809,"endTime":2683.08,"body":"That's, uh, a kind of tough to think."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2683.41,"endTime":2684.129,"body":"That's good to know."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2685.275,"endTime":2689.165,"body":"I already asked you, like one of the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2685.275,"endTime":2689.165,"body":"questions I normally ask near the end, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2689.165,"endTime":2692.025,"body":"about the, like what recommendations you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2689.165,"endTime":2692.025,"body":"would have for somebody coming into this."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2692.415,"endTime":2695.235,"body":"Um, but there was something that"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2692.415,"endTime":2695.235,"body":"I didn't get to ask you about"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2695.235,"endTime":2696.404,"body":"that I wanted to ask you about."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2696.404,"endTime":2699.884,"body":"And I have to ask you about this"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2696.404,"endTime":2699.884,"body":"before, before we end this interview."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2700.245,"endTime":2704.265,"body":"And that is, um, we, we"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2700.245,"endTime":2704.265,"body":"briefly mentioned it."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2704.979,"endTime":2707.68,"body":"You paid off your house in"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2704.979,"endTime":2707.68,"body":"10 years, how'd you do that?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2707.74,"endTime":2708.37,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2708.399,"endTime":2713.529,"body":"So I think that's one of these things"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2708.399,"endTime":2713.529,"body":"that it was a big motivation for us."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2713.62,"endTime":2718.089,"body":"Um, I know that we could have made more"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2713.62,"endTime":2718.089,"body":"money if we invested the money that we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2718.089,"endTime":2721.93,"body":"paid down, our mortgage balance with"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2718.089,"endTime":2721.93,"body":"it, wasn't a huge, like, it wasn't"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2721.93,"endTime":2726.729,"body":"financially advantageous to pay off"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2721.93,"endTime":2726.729,"body":"the mortgage first, but it was really,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2727.06,"endTime":2730.629,"body":"it encouraged us to save more money"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2727.06,"endTime":2730.629,"body":"because we could see the balance like."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2731.579,"endTime":2735.12,"body":"And so there was kind of a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2731.579,"endTime":2735.12,"body":"couple of things that happen"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2735.899,"endTime":2737.459,"body":"when we got the mortgage."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2737.49,"endTime":2738.269,"body":"I don't know a few."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2738.299,"endTime":2742.649,"body":"Well now in 2021 interest rates"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2738.299,"endTime":2742.649,"body":"are super duper low, but I don't"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2742.649,"endTime":2747.18,"body":"know, five years ago they dropped"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2742.649,"endTime":2747.18,"body":"to some like insanely low level."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2747.18,"endTime":2748.68,"body":"That was like the lowest Everence over."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2749.24,"endTime":2754.28,"body":"We refinanced after we had owned the house"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2749.24,"endTime":2754.28,"body":"for five years to a 10 year mortgage."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2754.37,"endTime":2754.7,"body":"Oh, wow."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2754.76,"endTime":2757.34,"body":"And it just, it increased"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2754.76,"endTime":2757.34,"body":"our payments a little bit."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2757.37,"endTime":2760.88,"body":"Well like a moderate amount, but"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2757.37,"endTime":2760.88,"body":"it cut the term down to 10 years."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2760.88,"endTime":2764.63,"body":"And then once you are on a 10 year"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2760.88,"endTime":2764.63,"body":"mortgage, like the amount you pay in"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2764.63,"endTime":2767.54,"body":"principle is like way, way more than"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2764.63,"endTime":2767.54,"body":"the amount you're paying interest."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2768.47,"endTime":2771.86,"body":"Um, so that way, even if we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2768.47,"endTime":2771.86,"body":"didn't put another, like penny."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2772.58,"endTime":2774.14,"body":"The principle, it was going to be gone."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2774.14,"endTime":2775.43,"body":"It was going down pretty fast."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2775.49,"endTime":2776.69,"body":"Oh, that's no, that's amazing."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2776.75,"endTime":2779.42,"body":"So that was like the, that"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2776.75,"endTime":2779.42,"body":"was like the big lift."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2779.48,"endTime":2785.18,"body":"But then I think it's just, it was"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2779.48,"endTime":2785.18,"body":"something where if we got like a refund"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2785.18,"endTime":2790.22,"body":"or a check or just any random pieces"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2785.18,"endTime":2790.22,"body":"of money from anything sold some stuff"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2790.25,"endTime":2793.88,"body":"on like Facebook marketplace, we'd"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2790.25,"endTime":2793.88,"body":"just like log into the bank and make a"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2793.94,"endTime":2796.009,"body":"mortgage principal payment like that day."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2797.035,"endTime":2801.084,"body":"Like, oh, Hey, we just sold some"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2797.035,"endTime":2801.084,"body":"like stuff that we're not using."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2801.444,"endTime":2804.654,"body":"Like let's go transfer 25 bucks"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2801.444,"endTime":2804.654,"body":"to the mortgage principal."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2805.314,"endTime":2808.194,"body":"Um, 20, $25, you know?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2808.194,"endTime":2811.644,"body":"Hey, it's it's, it's something it's"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2808.194,"endTime":2811.644,"body":"it's, it's just chipping it down."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2811.644,"endTime":2812.664,"body":"So yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2812.664,"endTime":2817.704,"body":"So you do enough of those $25 payments"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2812.664,"endTime":2817.704,"body":"and you adds up to a mortgage payment."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2818.374,"endTime":2818.674,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2818.674,"endTime":2821.584,"body":"It adds up to a mortgage payment and yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2821.615,"endTime":2825.814,"body":"Put them into the tax return in there,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2821.615,"endTime":2825.814,"body":"put some, you know, whatever in there."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2825.814,"endTime":2828.665,"body":"And it, uh, that was how we did it."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2828.694,"endTime":2832.504,"body":"And it was like I said, it was real"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2828.694,"endTime":2832.504,"body":"motivational to see that go down."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2833.015,"endTime":2835.624,"body":"Like, you know, if we were throwing"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2833.015,"endTime":2835.624,"body":"the money and like are like"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2835.624,"endTime":2838.745,"body":"investment account, taxable investment"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2835.624,"endTime":2838.745,"body":"account, like, well, it's going up"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2838.774,"endTime":2840.395,"body":"like, and these are big numbers."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2840.395,"endTime":2844.115,"body":"So twenty-five bucks doesn't,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2840.395,"endTime":2844.115,"body":"doesn't really seem like a big deal."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2844.115,"endTime":2846.575,"body":"But if you're like, you know,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2844.115,"endTime":2846.575,"body":"no that it's cutting off."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2847.249,"endTime":2848.839,"body":"Eventually it cuts off another month."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2849.14,"endTime":2851.209,"body":"I had a spreadsheet where I was"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2849.14,"endTime":2851.209,"body":"kind of tracking it so I can"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2851.209,"endTime":2855.919,"body":"say, I go, yeah, well, next month"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2851.209,"endTime":2855.919,"body":"I'm going to be that much lower."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2855.95,"endTime":2856.31,"body":"So"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2856.64,"endTime":2857.33,"body":"no, that's great."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2857.33,"endTime":2860.99,"body":"So was, was that more of like a, cause you"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2857.33,"endTime":2860.99,"body":"said it was kind of like a motivational"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2860.99,"endTime":2863.779,"body":"thing, as, you know, as you were paying"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2860.99,"endTime":2863.779,"body":"down the balance of your mortgage."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2863.779,"endTime":2867.68,"body":"Was that like a, cause you know,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2863.779,"endTime":2867.68,"body":"you already mentioned it too."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2867.68,"endTime":2871.279,"body":"Like you could have been investing"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2867.68,"endTime":2871.279,"body":"that money, uh, you know, into"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2871.279,"endTime":2872.779,"body":"your, your investment accounts and."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2873.39,"endTime":2876.27,"body":"You know, give you a better"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2873.39,"endTime":2876.27,"body":"return than, than paying down the"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2876.27,"endTime":2879.899,"body":"mortgage early, but was it more"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2876.27,"endTime":2879.899,"body":"of like a, like a mental thing?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2879.899,"endTime":2884.609,"body":"Like, Hey, you know, we're going to have"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2879.899,"endTime":2884.609,"body":"our house paid and no mortgage payment."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2885.089,"endTime":2887.009,"body":"Uh, was that kind of like"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2885.089,"endTime":2887.009,"body":"the reasoning behind it?"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2887.009,"endTime":2888.33,"body":"Just like that, that comfort level?"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2888.54,"endTime":2891.419,"body":"Yeah, I think it was,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2888.54,"endTime":2891.419,"body":"it was comfort and it was, yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2891.419,"endTime":2895.29,"body":"And then it was like, well, we own our"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2891.419,"endTime":2895.29,"body":"house and like, okay, well, if things"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2895.29,"endTime":2900.419,"body":"hit the fan, um, well we own the house"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2895.29,"endTime":2900.419,"body":"and we can live for a lot, lot less."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2900.419,"endTime":2900.68,"body":"And."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2901.325,"endTime":2902.315,"body":"That just believe."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2902.585,"endTime":2904.235,"body":"Yeah, this is a great peace of mind."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2904.235,"endTime":2908.045,"body":"Once we reached that goal and kind of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2904.235,"endTime":2908.045,"body":"working towards it, we could see that we"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2908.045,"endTime":2911.585,"body":"could live on one income if we needed to,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2908.045,"endTime":2911.585,"body":"or we could do all these other things."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2911.585,"endTime":2915.935,"body":"And so it just felt like a lot of"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2911.585,"endTime":2915.935,"body":"freedom and that's like something we do."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2916.455,"endTime":2917.475,"body":"Don't need to worry about."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2917.535,"endTime":2920.805,"body":"And yeah, like our kids don't need"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2917.535,"endTime":2920.805,"body":"to worry about where are we going"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2920.805,"endTime":2922.785,"body":"to live or, I mean, it's a lot of,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2923.475,"endTime":2923.685,"body":"yeah."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2923.685,"endTime":2926.895,"body":"I mean, cost of living is a"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2923.685,"endTime":2926.895,"body":"lot better when there is no"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2926.895,"endTime":2930.404,"body":"housing costs, so that's awesome."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2930.435,"endTime":2931.095,"body":"Well, okay."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2931.424,"endTime":2933.674,"body":"Uh, Sam, this has been absolutely amazing."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2933.734,"endTime":2939.165,"body":"Um, you know, the, your journey, uh,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2933.734,"endTime":2939.165,"body":"just in itself and what you share"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2939.165,"endTime":2941.265,"body":"on your blog is just some fantastic."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2942.075,"endTime":2946.455,"body":"Not only for federal employees and"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2942.075,"endTime":2946.455,"body":"government workers, but, uh, just in"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2946.455,"endTime":2951.195,"body":"general for somebody that's looking for"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2946.455,"endTime":2951.195,"body":"some type of, uh, financial knowledge to,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2951.225,"endTime":2956.685,"body":"uh, invest, get themselves set up to where"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2951.225,"endTime":2956.685,"body":"they can retire early, pay off their house"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2956.685,"endTime":2960.615,"body":"early, just so many different benefits"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2956.685,"endTime":2960.615,"body":"to checking out a blog like yours."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2960.615,"endTime":2962.055,"body":"So it's not just limited to."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2962.709,"endTime":2964.12,"body":"You know, federal employees."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2964.12,"endTime":2968.08,"body":"So, um, if you could, uh, we've"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2964.12,"endTime":2968.08,"body":"already mentioned a couple of times,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2968.08,"endTime":2971.379,"body":"but if you could, could you share"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2968.08,"endTime":2971.379,"body":"where people can find more information"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2971.379,"endTime":2974.709,"body":"about you, you know, your website,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2971.379,"endTime":2974.709,"body":"any social media profiles that they"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":2974.709,"endTime":2976.45,"body":"can follow and, and things like that."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2976.899,"endTime":2977.41,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2977.68,"endTime":2980.35,"body":"Mike, um, I had a really great"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2977.68,"endTime":2980.35,"body":"time talking with you as well."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2980.379,"endTime":2981.49,"body":"It was a lot of fun."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2981.549,"endTime":2982.959,"body":"I love talking about this kind of stuff."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2983.944,"endTime":2989.045,"body":"Um, so yeah, if people want to find me,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2983.944,"endTime":2989.045,"body":"my website is a government worker Phi,"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2989.045,"endTime":2991.745,"body":"so that's government procure F i.com."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2992.285,"endTime":2993.395,"body":"My Twitter handle."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2994.26,"endTime":2999.21,"body":"Just gov worker fi and I'm pretty"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2994.26,"endTime":2999.21,"body":"active on there and there's a government"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2999.21,"endTime":3004.7,"body":"worker, five Facebook, um, account"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":2999.21,"endTime":3004.7,"body":"profile page, all that stuff as well."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3004.7,"endTime":3009.14,"body":"So, um, that's, that's where I am"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3004.7,"endTime":3009.14,"body":"mostly, so people can find me there"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3009.32,"endTime":3014.63,"body":"and, um, yeah, just tweet at me or"},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3009.32,"endTime":3014.63,"body":"send me a DM and be happy to, to."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3015.85,"endTime":3016.27,"body":"Awesome."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3016.62,"endTime":3018.43,"body":"And that's how Sam and I got connected."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3018.43,"endTime":3019.569,"body":"It's it's pretty awesome."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3019.99,"endTime":3023.74,"body":"Uh, again, absolute pleasure having"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3019.99,"endTime":3023.74,"body":"you on, uh, we'll make sure we have"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3023.89,"endTime":3025.63,"body":"all of those links in the show notes."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3025.93,"endTime":3027.37,"body":"Uh, for those of you that are listening."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3027.37,"endTime":3029.77,"body":"If you're driving right now,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3027.37,"endTime":3029.77,"body":"don't sit here and try to write"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3029.77,"endTime":3031.21,"body":"that down or visit the website."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3031.24,"endTime":3032.35,"body":"Wait till you're in a safe place."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3032.71,"endTime":3035.14,"body":"Uh, but it'll be in the show"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3032.71,"endTime":3035.14,"body":"notes there waiting for."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3035.775,"endTime":3037.785,"body":"Make it easy for everybody"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3035.775,"endTime":3037.785,"body":"to, to find your stuff."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3037.845,"endTime":3041.565,"body":"Uh, and again, Sam, thank you so much for"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3037.845,"endTime":3041.565,"body":"taking some time to talk with me today."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3041.655,"endTime":3042.585,"body":"Hey, thank you, Mike."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3042.585,"endTime":3043.665,"body":"It was, it was great."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3043.725,"endTime":3044.235,"body":"My pleasure."},{"speaker":"Sam Zelinka","startTime":3044.325,"endTime":3044.415,"body":"All"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3044.415,"endTime":3044.685,"body":"right."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3044.685,"endTime":3045.285,"body":"We're out of here."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3045.315,"endTime":3047.985,"body":"Thank you for making it to"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3045.315,"endTime":3047.985,"body":"the end of this episode."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3047.985,"endTime":3052.425,"body":"Greatly appreciate you being here with me"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3047.985,"endTime":3052.425,"body":"today on the average Joe finances podcast."},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3052.635,"endTime":3055.215,"body":"If you haven't done so yet, make"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3052.635,"endTime":3055.215,"body":"this the episode that you go,"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3055.215,"endTime":3058.755,"body":"leave us a five star rating or"},{"speaker":"Average Joe Finances","startTime":3055.215,"endTime":3058.755,"body":"subscribe to our YouTube channel."}]}