“It’s one thing to talk about the numbers. It’s another thing to actually look at the homes that you’re purchasing for that price point.”

What happens when financial planners face their own home-buying crossroads?

Our hosts, Natalie and Dan Slagle, pull back the curtain on their decision to walk away from homeownership despite having the pre-approval, down payment, and professional know-how to make it happen.

Their landlords planned to sell by June 2026, later moved up to March. The Slagles targeted a monthly mortgage of 20% of household income.

But reality hit hard. Nearly million-dollar homes came with unfinished basements, century-old infrastructure, and compromised locations. Dan openly admits his MTV Cribs-era expectations didn't match Portland's housing market. Also, the competition at their price point contradicted everything they'd read about soft housing markets.

The Slagles aren't anti-homeownership. Dan candidly envisioned an 18-year family home followed by downsizing near their daughter's future city. But prioritizing flexibility, financial breathing room, and intentional resource allocation won over societal expectations and professional optics.

Sometimes the wisest financial decision is recognizing when the timing simply isn't right.

Key Topics:

1. Getting Pre-Approved: The Numbers (09:31)
2. What Home Ownership Meant Emotionally (12:27)
3. Dan’s MTV Cribs Disillusionment (19:02)
4. Rent vs. Buy Analysis (23:58)
5. What Renting Freed Up Financially (27:08)
6. Non-Negotiables: Location Over Square Footage (31:46)
7. The Turning Point: Disappointing the Realtors (33:35)
8. Final Decision and Looking Forward (38:38)

Resources:

1. Homeownership vs. Renting: The Good, the Band, and the Budget (episode)

Natalie Slagle, CFP® and Dan Slagle, CFP® are the founding partners and lead financial planners at Fyooz Financial Planning — an independent firm dedicated to helping high-earning couples in their 30s and 40s confidently navigate the complexities of managing money together.

At Fyooz, they specialize in turning financial stress into strategy, guiding couples through everything from cash flow and investing to aligning money with shared goals.

Disclaimer: For updated disclosures, please visit fyoozfinancial.com.

“Your goals should reflect your own capacity to hit those goals and not comparison to the rest of the world.”

What makes a financial goal stick? Our hosts, Natalie and Dan Slagle, tackle the psychology behind why most New Year's resolutions fail by January's second Friday, dubbed "Quitter's Day" by fitness app Strava!

The usual culprits are vague aspirations, borrowed goals from social media, too many competing priorities, and zero actionable systems.

But rather than willpower, the solution is intentionality.

The Slagles introduce three essential filters for goal-setting. First, the values filter asks what matters most right now. Dan chooses flexibility around their upcoming home purchase and family time, while Natalie boldly prioritizes self-care, acknowledging that taking care of herself enables her to show up better in every other role.

Second, the season of life filter puts your current life circumstances in context. Are you a new parent with daycare costs? Recovering from burnout? Building a business? Your capacity differs wildly depending on these circumstances.

Natalie shares her struggle with wanting to max out both 401(k)s ($24,500 each, totaling $49,000 annually for 2026) while acknowledging that their current expensive life stage simply doesn't support that goal.

Third, the numbers filter grounds goals in actual cash flow, income, expenses, and reserves.

Beyond these filters, realistic goals share six characteristics: specific amounts, time-bound deadlines, cash flow support, behavior-based actions (not just outcomes), emotional tolerability, and acknowledged trade-offs.

That last one matters. Naming what you're not doing prevents November disappointment!

The Slagles recommend one primary goal supported by complementary goals and maintenance goals. For example, building cash savings from $50,000 to $100,000 (primary), while pausing extra investing and cutting expenses (supporting), yet maintaining current retirement contributions (maintenance).

Partners should separately answer: "What would make me feel more secure by December 2026?" Then compare notes and create one shared goal together, keeping it simple, transparent, and actionable.

Key Topics:

1. Why Goals Fail: Quitter’s Day Explained (04:18)
2. Why January 1st Is Too Late (07:01)
3. Filter #1: Values (08:29)
4. Dan’s Goal-Setting Success System (09:21)
5. Filter #2: Season-of-Life Reality Check (15:40)
6. Natalie’s 401(k) Comparison Trap (18:23)
7. Filter #3: The Numbers Don’t Lie (19:21)
8. Six Characteristics of Realistic Financial Goals (20:59)
9. Primary, Supporting, and Maintenance Goal Framework (25:56)
10. Couple’s Exercise: Questions to Start the Conversation (28:19)

Natalie Slagle, CFP® and Dan Slagle, CFP® are the founding partners and lead financial planners at Fyooz Financial Planning — an independent firm dedicated to helping...

“I feel like the goal today is really just to normalize what we've learned throughout the year, normalize financial mistakes, and also financial growth.”

What does financial transparency really look like? Our hosts, Natalie and Dan Slagle, open their books (literally!) to share the unfiltered reality of their 2025 financial journey.

The highs were high.

Their financial planning practice achieved 107% of its revenue goal, enabling them to provide meaningful employment while maintaining their own financial security. Personally, they saved $54,000 across retirement accounts, a 529 plan, and brokerage investments.

Most significantly, they saved enough for a home down payment ($140,000) but chose to press pause and continue renting. Not only did this give the Slagles financial flexibility, but also peace of mind.

But transparency means sharing the lows too.

Dan regrets spending over $500 between two pairs of marathon shoes after second-guessing his original purchase. Natalie confesses to falling down the Amazon rabbit hole during maternity leave. Their recycling bin, now nearly empty after cutting Amazon for just one month, serves as a surprising "lagging indicator" of improved spending habits.

Emergency expenses stung hardest, like Dan's $3,000 root canal redo, plus several other four-figure surprises.

Through it all, they embraced the power of regular financial check-ins as a couple. They’ve learned to give themselves grace during expensive life stages (like $2,000 monthly childcare), and not lose sight of long-term wins while managing short-term stress.

Looking ahead to 2026, Natalie wants to build a more confident money mindset and increase charitable giving, while Dan aims to focus less on daily cash flow anxiety and more on the bigger financial picture that’s at work behind the scenes.

Key Topics

1. Setting Up 2025's Financial Recap (05:03)
2. Business Revenue (08:37)
3. Personal Savings (13:16)
4. The Home Purchase Decision and Financial Calm (14:49)
5. Regrettable Purchases (17:16)
6. Emergency Expenses That Hurt (24:20)
7. The Down Payment That Wasn't: $140,000 in Perspective (26:48)
8. Hard Lessons: The Need for Regular Check-Ins (30:39)
9. 2026 Goals: Mindset and Charitable Giving (33:49)

Natalie Slagle, CFP® and Dan Slagle, CFP® are the founding partners and lead financial planners at Fyooz Financial Planning — an independent firm dedicated to helping high-earning couples in their 30s and 40s confidently navigate the complexities of managing money together.

At Fyooz, they specialize in turning financial stress into strategy, guiding couples through everything from cash flow and investing to aligning money with shared goals.

Disclaimer: For updated disclosures, please visit fyoozfinancial.com.