Episode 33: The Debt Free Guys: David and John Auten-Schneider: Living Fabulously and Authentically

Fiftyfaces Focus 2024 Pride Special

David and John Auten-Schneider are a married couple who have branded themselves the Debt Free Guys, and host a popular podcast and website full of tools to help listeners and clients to “live fabulously, not fabulously broke”. They have a proprietary Wealth Builder’s Pyramid tool that they use as a multi-pronged approach to financial freedom, a solid credit score and debt-free living. Their mission is to help their clients particularly, but not exclusively, members of the LGBTQ+ community to live happy, healthy and wealthy.
Our conversation takes a quick tour through the background of each of David and John, which was quite divergent in its inclusiveness and tolerance of LGBTQ+ lifestyle, and we hear about David’s strict relious upbringing in which coming out was not at all easy. We hear how they met, and the epiphany around sustainable spending that led them to pay down their combined $50,000 in debt and commit to doing the same for other members of their community.
We dig in a little to the root cause of some lack of financial stability among some of their peers and some of it derives from ostantious spending in order to win acceptance and approval. Providing a non-judgemental environment that is inclusive and provides practical supports allowed them to develop an important niche within the landscape of financial planning. You can learn more about The Debt Free Guys here: https://debtfreeguys.com

Our fourth Pride series is supported by JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase has long been a supporter of equality in all forms, including for the LGBTQ+ community. Starting with the very first PRIDE business resource group in 1996, they recently strengthened their commitment by creating the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs and a full-time, dedicated team to deliver on a global LGBTQ+ agenda.
The Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs partners closely with stakeholders across the firm to promote intersectionality and leverage its combined resources to deliver equity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees, clients, partners and communities, worldwide.