BiggerPockets Money Podcast · Friday, July 31, 2026
Adriene Adams describes a client who, after reaching their FIRE number and retiring, couldn't figure out how to spend their money. Adams helped the client plan a trip to Switzerland, a place with nostalgic significance for the client, by helping them allocate funds and providing the psychological permission to spend.
“He retired in November of 2025. So he's about six, seven months into it. He has way more money than he needs. He reached his fire goal. He's not spending any of it. And he originally was like, "Yeah, I want to do some travel. I want to do a couple of things," right? And he could not figure out how to actually get himself to spend the money.”
“So he started talking about this trip to Switzerland where he spent six months before he ever went to college, and he's like, "It would be so nostalgic to go back."”
“And by the end of the call, he was ready to start planning this trip with his friends. Because he needed like that psychology to really help give him the permission and the confidence to spend the money.”
“But when you're just sitting there, staring at the cash in your bank account, it's like, analysis paralysis. I don't know what to do with it.”