Credit Card Hacking Mistakes and Delaying Early Retirement | 9 to FI 058

<p>Credit Card Hacking Mistakes, Annual Fee Cleanup, and Early Retirement Doubts</p><p>Josh introduces a conversation with Elliot focused on credit card hacking and, later, Elliot’s thoughts about possibly extending his early retirement timeline. They discuss a St. Louis heat wave, their current FIRE stages (Elliot nearing retirement; Josh 1.5 years into early retirement after leaving work in April 2025), and listener feedback on fear of boredom. Josh shares a cautionary tale from years of chasing sign-up bonuses and referrals, accumulating a large stack of cards, failing to close unused accounts, and wasting an estimated $1,500–$2,000 per year in annual fees; they discuss tracking tools, closing cards, and temporary credit-score impacts. Elliot describes disliking his job, weighing an extra year to meet family goals, and interviewing internally to change his situation. They also cover post-retirement guilt, Elliot’s improving foot recovery while coaching soccer, and the growth of the St. Louis ChooseFI community activities.</p><p>00:00 Episode Setup</p><p>01:11 Heat Wave Catch Up</p><p>02:26 Where We Are Now</p><p>04:29 Boredom Before Retirement</p><p>07:09 Credit Card Hacking Pitfalls</p><p>12:13 Tracking Cards and Fees</p><p>15:00 The Stack of Cards</p><p>19:25 Elliot Weighs One More Year</p><p>24:46 Life After Retiring Feelings</p><p>33:00 Getting Active Again</p><p>35:20 ChooseFI Community Hikes</p><p>37:34 Thanks and Wrap Up</p><p><br></p><p>Do you have feedback or suggestions? We want to hear from you!</p><p>Contact Elliot: <a href="mailto:Elliot@ninetofipod.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Elliot@ninetofipod.com</a></p><p>Contact Josh: <a href="mailto:Josh@ninetofipod.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Josh@ninetofipod.com</a></p><p>Josh’s other podcast: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4foNu6PXBBTnj7LRPUWeSd?si=380e77ecc4524baf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Stuck In Beta</a></p><p>Josh’s YouTube channel: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/@howtofixitworkshop" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">How To Fix It Workshop</a></p><p>Any of these products help the show. Thanks for your support!</p><p><a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/9tofi" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Buy Us a Coffee⁠</a> - One time donation or monthly, it’s up to you</p><p>We both use<a href="https://my.mintmobile.com/refer/aEWp5rL" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> ⁠Mint Mobile⁠</a> and save