I’m currently on a plane barreling home, away from my first FinCon and I have a confession to make. There’s a reason I was almost 5 years into my journey to early retirement before attending my first official finance event. I’ve always found the idea of paying hundreds of dollars to attend a personal finance event while on the road to financial independence to be a bit of a contradiction.
I didn’t understand why someone would want to pay for a conference ticket, flight and lodging to listen to people talk about topics that they have (usually) already covered on their blog for free.
After personal finance events, such as FinCon or CampFI, I would watch the videos of the presentations that are often released for free on YouTube and it would just compound my confusion. Why not just attend free meet ups (like the one below) and read free blogs instead?
However, after attending my first FinCon I realized that I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. These events are not about the talks or even showing your plans to a FIRE veteran before pulling the trigger – I mean it is, but based on my experience, that is not the main purpose.
The most rewarding part of this public blogging journey that I’ve been on for over a year is the people and FinCon is no different. It’s about the connections you make by meeting people in person that you’ve already formed a relationship with online. It’s about that feeling of being a part of something bigger and having people there to cheer you on. It’s about having a real life community. I get it now.
So here are my thoughts on FinCon 2019 including a quick recap and a preparation guide.
WHAT IS FINCON LIKE?
Before attending FinCon, I read every recap post I could find to try and get a sense of what actually happens at these conferences. I looked through Twitter feeds and Instagram pictures and found them helpful to get a sense of the adventure that awaited me – so, in case it helps you, here is a daily recap of my FinCon 2019 experience:
HOW TO PREPARE FOR FINCON: THE ULTIMATE BOOTCAMP
Now that is WHAT I did, but I don’t think it properly captures how it felt. In the interest of full transparency and with the aim of helping others prepare for their own FinCon experience, I would like to walk you through my suggestions for how to prepare for FinCon.
After the first day of FinCon, I awakened, rolled over to face my roommate and said “I haven’t felt like this since I played rugby in college. It feels like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
Apparently 1 day at a conference filled with money nerds can rival one of the most brutal sports on the planet and I had no idea. FinCon is essentially a week of standing, walking, talking and laughing.
For example, this was a common occurrence throughout the week: I would be walking to one location and stop 5 different times to chat with people along the way. A 5 minute walk would take hours to complete – it would be the most welcomed distraction possible, but constantly standing and talking, definitely takes a toll on your body – even my 29 year old one.
So after feeling physically exhausted every day, I thought of a training regime that would combat all the challenges I faced during the week. Here’s what I will do to properly prepare for FinCon:
1. Sleep for a month: I know that sounds a little impractical with our jobs, relationships and family lives, but I need to build up sleep reserves not only to combat jet lag, but also to keep my tank full as I get sometimes half of the amount of sleep my body is used to at night
2. Sprint up mountains daily: Other gems that were used to describe how we felt physically during FinCon included “HOW am I sore all over?!” and the classic and not at all dramatic “I’m dying.”
We need our bodies to be in tip top shape and ready to stand and walk for 16 hours straight without breaks, so every morning I’m going to sprint up a mountain like I’m training for a high altitude marathon
3. Yell at the top of my lungs constantly: This can be done in conjunction with training for the marathon. While I’m running up that mountain, I’m going to yell at the top of my lungs.
I’ve gotta strengthen those throat muscles so my voice doesn’t give out like it almost did this year (thank you 5 bags of sugar free cough drops). I think I spoke more in the past 5 days than I have in my entire 29 years of life and need to train accordingly
4. Fast for days at a time: I started intermittent fasting (IF) at the same time that I started eating keto. They were easy to do together since eating keto helps me not be constantly hungry as a result of my insulin spiking and dropping. However, FinCon took my 16:8 IF (16 hours off/8 hours on) to another stratosphere.
Several days during the week I looked up from a group conversation, realized it was late into the afternoon and I hadn’t eaten that day (or at most had eaten what would be considered a small snack). So I need to get used to not eating and build up how long I can fast – I’m going to need it. Luckily, the combination of lots of coffee and no food paired with lots of standing and walking sounds like a great weight loss plan 😉
HOW TO PREPARE FOR FINCON: A PRACTICAL GUIDE
I’m obviously joking about the above bootcamp (though I really do believe those steps would help the FinCon experience). For the less extreme ones of us (myself included) these are the lessons I’ve learned about how to prepare for the next FinCon:
1. Schedule introvert time: I’m going to do this before, during and after the event. For a week or two leading up to a trip, my friends often feel some FOMO coming on and schedule lots of hang out time, which has resulted in me having a social event every day.
In advance of the next FinCon, I’m going to completely clear my social calendar for a week (if not longer) to allow myself some introvert time before the event. Despite my best efforts, I didn’t get a lot during the week and that can feel like slow torture after a while no matter how much fun I’m having. I will also be more diligent about down time during the event. I attempted to schedule a nap each day, but it never happened. Next time I will be more strict with myself.
Staying in the conference hotel did give me the opportunity to step away for a few moments to gather myself or offer friends a place to nap or drop their stuff, which made the higher cost worth it to me. After the event, I’m planning to have several days of downtime as well…though this next FinCon lands on my last week of work ever so that will be covered 😉
2. Prepare to miss presentations: Like the nerds we are, many of my internet friends came to FinCon with an attack plan, which usually involved a color coded calendar that detailed all the sessions they wanted to attend.
There were so many amazing speakers and interesting topics to learn about and I went to a grand total of…ONE of them! And that was simply because I forced myself because I thought it would be ridiculous to attend a conference whose purpose (I believed) was to instill knowledge through presentations and not go to any.
In addition to Tanja Hester’s amazing Big Ideas talk, I attended 1 session out of what felt like a hundred. In the moment, the discussions I was having with my new friends were more important than learning something that I will be able to replay on video. Real life doesn’t have a pause button so be prepared to not stick to your plan because I will warn you that most likely it will go completely out the window
3. Bring a bag of cough drops per day: I brought a bag of cough drops for each day I was at FinCon and it turned out to be the perfect amount – I’m actually finishing up the final bag on the plane now as I write this. While it may seem excessive, this amount allowed me to share with friends and spread the ‘wealth’ without worrying that I would run out.
I was shocked with how much my throat started hurting from talking so much and how often I found myself needing that soothing feeling of a cough drop to even continue my conversation, so I’m going to come prepared!
4. Frugalize food: During my nerdy internet research before arriving at the conference hotel, I discovered in a TripAdvisor comment thread that this Hilton will provide a fridge in your room (they don’t by default) for $25, which is a flat fee for your entire stay.
Next we found a nearby grocery store (Trader Joe’s in this case) and made it a priority to hit it up soon after we arrived so that if we did have a moment to step away, we could eat some food or grab a snack without paying restaurant costs. I’m going to look for a similar opportunity in Long Beach, CA next year
CONCLUSION
FinCon was an absolutely amazing experience. I am still processing it and having a hard time articulating it, but in essence, it is very rare that I find someone in this world that I want to be friends with and even rarer that I find someone I click with instantly.
This week at FinCon, I discovered that I now have hundreds of real friends to add to my small friend pool – friends that instantly ‘get me’, friends that are so incredibly generous with their time and energy and friends that give me hope and show me that the world is full of possibilities just by living their lives. I don’t usually get gushy (it messes with my badass image…), but I can already tell that the relationships I solidified at FinCon have changed my life.
When it was announced before FinCon 2019 started that the next FinCon would be on the west coast and during the same week I am quitting my job forever, I initially thought “Oh well – guess I’ll miss it” since it will be complicated logistically and, to a point, economically because of my company’s bonus structure. But now I’m so onboard that this morning I bought a ticket to FinCon 2020 (in fact I somehow accidentally bought 2 because my browser didn’t complete the transaction properly – oops!).
Despite what I initially thought, this event isn’t about the presentations – it’s about having your people all in one place, outside the internet. So if you’re interested in checking it out, prepare accordingly!
What are your tips to survive conferences with your body and mind intact?
While that bootcamp might seem extreme, I actually might implement some of it next time 🤣. I was just thinking how my loss of voice is not that surprising with my working from home routine with my preference of avoiding calls at all cost lol!
You’ve done an amazing job at explaining my same worries going into this, the *good* overwhelming feeling of those days and the true reasons that make this event beyond amazing! Also, thanks for the many cough drops that litterally saved me from finishing those 5 days without any voice whatsoever 🤣.
That’s what I was thinking! People at Fincon largely work at home and don’t have to talk as much as people with outside-the-house jobs. We are very unprepared for this much talking!
Go for it girl! If I wasn’t such a lazy bum I would join you 🙂 . I feel you on the WFH routine and avoiding calls at all costs. Unfortunately my avoidance attempts are often unsuccessful, but FinCon was still seriously more than I’ve ever talked in my life. I’m usually a listener, but that wasn’t the case there!
Thank you lady! I feel like I’m still processing everything that happened, but came to a similar conclusion as you based on us both buying a ticket for next year 😉 . And obviously no problem with the cough drops – I gotta look out for my roomie!
So you just gave me a great side hustle idea. Rent out my monsterous children before next FinCon. They are great a depriving sleep (I’m heading to work on about 4 hours today), being yelled at (not some of my proudest moments), and give a good workout (pushing the double stroller up the hill at the zoo). Oh, and meals. It’s not uncommon for Ms. FP to stare across the table at dinner any ponder if this was her first meal of the day. All in all, the perfect FinCon bootcamp.
I say this all in jest (mostly). Regardless, I really enjoyed meeting you and getting to hang out for a bit. You’re every bit as awesome in person as online.
Oh my goodness I would love to see you turn that into a side hustle! People do wild things like crossfit for ‘fun’ and ‘preparation’ so why not?! It was awesome hanging with you!! You are also awesome in person 🙂 – glad I lived up to the ‘hype’ 😉
Wow, that’s the same calculus I’m figuring out right now. I definitely decided against it this year, since the idea came about three weeks out from FinCon and everything would have been uber expensive. Next year is tempting, but my sister and I had plans to go overseas. It was tempting though, I haven’t really spent time in California though. I guess I keep hoping they have one within driving distance. After my planned trip with my sister I plan to minimize plane travel because of the environmental cost. I’m really curious about this plan Military Dollar has for a centrally located FI social event. Sounds like a great idea!
I’m sure one day it will be in driving distance 🙂 , but if that’s not soon I too am curious about Mil$’s plan – the community without the conference! I’m totally down when she makes it happen!
Apparently that was meant as friends only, despite being shared on a public twitter post (I mean, it showed up on my timeline). Kind of embarrassing since I offered to help, thinking it was more of a public thing. The way it was worded, it really seemed more of a FI meetup type thing. Oh well.
Oh it is? I thought it was a FI meetup thing as well. I’ll go find the original thread…
It’s NEVER driving distance for me, because I live in Alaska. Heck, even when I lived in Seattle I had to fly to the first two FinCons. But I’ve been to all nine, and I agree that it’s worth it.
Also agree about the introvert time: Now and then I had to dip out of the sea of humanity and go find a quiet spot. I’m so accustomed to working in my quiet* home that the bustle and swirl, while exhilarating, eventually wear me down.
This was the best one yet, in my opinion. I’m hoping for a great 2020 conference: 10 years of this thing!
*The loudest noise is my partner playing the piano in another room.
Oh wow – that’s dedication! Congratulations to making it to all FinCon – 10 years is quite an accomplishment. That’s an interesting point about being used to a quiet home – that’s probably one of the reasons FinCon was so overwhelming now that I think about it. My home (and therefore work) life is very quiet – usually silent. Thank you for stopping by!
Fun fact: I am the only person to have spoken at all nine FinCons. Must admit I’m feeling the pressure to come up with a great idea so that I can be accepted at FinCon20.
Maybe we’ll say hello in person next year.
WOAH!!! That’s super impressive! I’m sure your topic will be awesome – no pressure at all. Deep breaths – you got this 🙂 . And yes I hope we do say hello next year! Looking forward to it.
OMG. Talk about FOMO. I think I have ROMO- regret of missing out. Thanks for the awesome recap!💜
Glad you enjoyed it and “ROMO” is hilarious – copyright it!
I’m thrilled you’ll be at FinCon next year! I couldn’t go this year but also already have my ticket for next year. The suggestion about scheduling introvert time prior to the conference is a great one. I do this with work conferences too, charge up the quiet time batteries and then it isn’t quite as crushing when they drain over the days full of people time. I also do sometimes go to session for the explicit purpose of taking a “people break” mid-event. Sounds like that might not work at Fincon.
Congratulations on your award!
Yay – so excited to meet you!! And that’s so smart you schedule introvert time before conferences – I didn’t know how overwhelming it would be and should have planned for more myself. Sessions as a “people break” is interesting – though heads up during the 1 session I did attend it wasn’t a people break because people came up and talked to us before and after. Maybe hide in the back? And thank you!!
I am SO glad I scheduled almost nothing in advance because my days rapidly filled up with stuff that showed up along the way. And the only official stuff I sat through I half wished I hadn’t because it took away from my chatting time. But being a super extrovert is definitely my FinCon superpower – I didn’t even have to train in advance 😉
Ummm also did I miss it or did you not mention your Plutus award?!
Right?! If I had actually had a serious plan I would have been very disappointed when it didn’t work out. Interesting you almost regret going to some sessions. How many did you do? Yes being an extrovert is definitely a superpower – maybe I should change the title to be introvert focused!
You didn’t miss anything – I didn’t mention my award. It’s not my style 😉 . In all seriousness I’m writing a whole post about it, specifically around recognition and self-doubt. That’ll come out next week!
Great recap on FinCon and the great tips on how to survive a conference especially about scheduling introvert time. With so many people all in one place you need a few moments on your own because it can so overwhelming.
Since FinCon 2020 is in Cali and me living in the Bay Area, it’s a shorter trip to fly down there so I’m planning to attend my first FinCon next year. Thanks for the tips!!
Glad you liked it and I’m excited to meet you next year!! I hope the tips help 🙂 .
It was great to finally meet you in person!! That training regimen would have been super useful for me to do, seeing as I felt like I was just as tired and sore after everyday as well! Looking forward to crossing paths again in the future! (Whenever that happens to be 🙂 )
So awesome to meet you!! And haha so happy my silly regime would be helpful. See you soon! 🙂
It’s definitely an experience! I’m glad you came and that I got to meet you in person!
Hahaha – indeed it was! And yes so happy I got to meet you!! Until next time…
Definitely understand the need for introvert time mid-conference. Never been to FinCon but when I’ve been to work conferences one of my favourite times is closing the door to my hotel room at the end of the day and shutting out the world – I’ll usually try and duck out of evening drinks a bit earlier than I might otherwise do if it was a one-off event, just to give me that time. I really need that break from having to be “on” all the time.
Yeah FinCon made me realize how lucky I’ve been to never have to attend a work conference. I can’t even imagine how tiring that would be and definitely like the idea of shutting my self off from the world at the end of the day 🙂
i don’t think i could handle that kind of large hotel conference environment for too long. maybe i could handle it but enjoying it versus enduring it would be two different things. i might go anyways next year and just go to a few parties with by favorite bloggers and my regular readers/commenters. i’m glad you won a prize. congratulations.
Yeah – dealing with the large hotel conference situation was really tough. Stepping away was key for me – even if I failed to nap. I like your plan though – let’s party and chill! And thanks so much 🙂 . See you soon!!
Glad you had so much fun. And it was nice to meet you, if briefly.
I find taking short breaks in the room helps with my exhaustion/introvert needs. And help keep me from being so sore. The only things that get sore are my feet from the dress shoes.
I actually went to several sessions this time around, which is unprecedented. I guess I just didn’t run into enough of the people I knew to distract me from the presentations. Maybe next year!
Yes – it was wonderful meeting you! Hopefully we can hang for longer next time 🙂 . I’m obviously with you on short breaks in the room – they were incredibly refreshing. And haha – I’m glad you made it to some sessions, but I promise to distract you from more of them next year if you’d like 😉
The 2020 Fincon will be my first. I live in California, so Long Beach is probably as close as it can get to me. I look forward to hopefully meeting you in Long Beach. There is a Trader Joe’s nearby. 🙂
Yay – I look forward to meeting you as well! If you see a purple haired weirdo feel free to give me a shout! And yay on Trader Joe’s!!! I’m excited to keep expenses relatively low again (if I remember to eat 😉 ). Thanks so much for stopping by!