Chautauqua 2019 – UK & Portugal – Tickets Now Available

First…

OK, I’m just going to come out and say it. If you want to join us for Chautauqua 2019 stop reading and go directly here to sign up:

Chautauqua UK & Portugal, 2019

Do it now. The advance interest we’ve had this year has been like no other. Chautauquas always sell out quickly, and this looks to be a whole other frame of reference. If you miss out, be sure to put yourself on the wait list and the mailing list to get future Chautauqua info first.

Note:

As of Feb 4th, Portugal is sold out.  There are still a few spots left for the UK, but they too are going fast.

Second…

That is the brand new Chautauqua logo at the top of this post. Obviously, we love it. We hope you do as well. But what I am really interested in is: What message do you take from it?

If you are inclined to share, please do so in the comments. After a few days, I’ll pick out the one that comes closest to our intent and send you a free copy of my book. If you want me to deface it, I’ll also autograph it for you.

Coming close to the mark matters, but so will wit and humor.

Back to Chautauqua…

This year we are doing four Chautauquas in two countries and, once again, Alan and Katie are handling all the logistics as they did for Chautauqua Greece 2018 & UK 2017. The result was brilliant:

So brilliant we are returning to Ettington Park, this time for two back-to-back weeks:

Week 1 — June 8-15, 2019:
  • JL Collins
  • Kristy – Millennial Revolution
  • Alan – PopUp Business School 
  • Carl – Mr 1500 Days  
Week 2 — June 15-22, 2019:
  • JL Collins
  • Kristy – Millennial Revolution
  • Alan – PopUp Business School 
  • Jillian – Montana Money Adventures

Then, come Fall, we head to a brand new country and venue in Portugal for another two back-to-back Chautauquas. We searched extensively on-line and choose three likely candidates. Then we sent our ace Millennial Revolution team to stay in each and scout them out. They provided detailed video reports. Two were fabulous. One, not so much. The most fabulous, and where we will be, is…

Douro41

Week 1 — September 21-28, 2019:
  • JL Collins
  • Kristy – Millennial Revolution
  • Alan – PopUp Business School 
  • Taylor & Scott – Playing with FIRE
Week 2 — September 28 – October 5, 2019: 
  • JL Collins
  • Kristy – Millennial Revolution
  • Alan – PopUp Business School 
  • JD Roth – Get Rich Slowly

As you can see, we are not only going to a new country, we are returning to an old favorite. That is the Chautauqua plan going forward: Revisiting the ones we love best and exploring different countries and accommodations; always unique.

What remains the same is my original vision from the very first one: To hang out in a cool place, with cool people and to discuss cool things like financial independence, entrepreneurship, life and whatever else comes up. I’ve attended eleven Chautauquas so far and they just keep getting better. Attendees call this one of the best, if not the best, week of their lives. Summed up best perhaps in this quote:

“No one in my day-to-day life understands this FI path. At Chautauqua, everybody gets it. I have found my tribe.”

Here’s a look at your speakers and hosts:

Alan Donegan not only organizes Chautauqua (under the careful supervision of his wife Katie) he one of the founders and key presenters of…

PopUp Business School

…which has helped hundreds of people launch their own business without going into debt or raising money. In short, they help make dreams reality.

I first came across Kristy & Bryce thru her anti-boomer video rant. Being a boomer myself, of course we’ve become friends. They have become a corner stone of Chautauqua ever since I took it to Europe. Their book, Quit Like a Millionaire, comes out later this Spring.

How Chautauqua Rewired My Brain

Carl returns this year for his third Chautauqua. The first was as an attendee. He was so engaging, we invited him to be a speaker in Greece. He was brilliant. Inviting him back to the UK is what the kids call a no-brainer. Even though he wears other blogger’s shirts. (He’s really Mr. 1500 Days)

Plus, he brings his pet dinosaurs.

Chautauqua UK 2019: Castles, Camerasaurs and Community

Jillian joins us for Week 2 in the UK for her debut Chautauqua. She writes and coaches at Montana Money Adventures. If you want to know why I asked her to join us, check out my introduction to her guest post on my site: “I wanted the unreasonable”

The Power of Community

If you want to hang out with movie stars, Week 1 in Portugal is for you. Scott & Taylor are the creators, producers and stars of the upcoming documentary that has the FI world buzzing: Playing with FIRE (official trailer)

Their book is already available on Amazon:

Why we love Chautauqua and you will too

 JD Roth is nothing short of a lion in the financial blogging universe. He is the founder of Get Rich Slowly, one of the earliest, most successful and most respected of all FI blogs. He was one of the speakers I recruited for the very first Chautauqua way back in 2013. I’m thrilled to have him back.

JD joins us for Portugal Week 2.

Join me in Portugal for Chautauqua

Want to know more about these rascals? Check ’em out here:

Speakers Chautauqua 2019

We hope to have you join us!

If this is not your year, but Chautauqua speaks to you, be sure to sign up on the mailing list. You’ll get first noticies as our plans for future years evolve.

*Our thanks for the new logo to designer extraordinaire and Chautauqua alum, Jason Stadnik. He is now hard at work on the new logo for PopUp Business School. If you’d like his help on your own project, you can reach him here: jason@pulptype.com

 

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Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where they featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Empower is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Vanguard.com

Comments

    • jlcollinsnh says

      We wish you could return as well!

      Hanging out with awesome people like you guys is what it is all about. 🙂

      • Mr C says

        Absolutely – hanging out with awesome people who just get you is what its all about.

        Jim – if you ever have someone who wants to chat to an attendee before making a decision, feel free to send them our way.

  1. jh-australia says

    Hi JL,

    The brand new Chautauqua logo is obviously Earth (the “world”) viewed upside down.

    The message I take from it is that the world is not necessarily how we have been taught to view it (by society at large, the popular media and corporations through advertising) . In the world of money, we’ve been told it’s normal to work 40-50 years purely for the paycheck to make ends meet (instead of for fulfilment, helping others), to use credit to buy things we cannot afford nor need, to be a slave to the bank until mortgages are paid off and after all that, hope that there’s enough left to live on at retirement age.

    The upside down world depicts how things can be different. To work for the love of what we do and not because we have to, to be able to invest for the future relying on oneself only and to be able to live a financially independent life. As Chautauquas are a meeting of like minds that dare to think differently, I think it’s a very apt logo. These are my thoughts anyways.

  2. Zach Holz says

    Damn my teacher’s schedule! 🙁 I would totally be there if it wasn’t when I had to teach. It looks awesome and I will stare mournfully from afar while it’s going on.

    • jlcollinsnh says

      Hey Zack…

      In 2017 we went to the UK in August and several teachers joined us.

      We have to think about revisiting that timing.

      Thanks for the reminder!

  3. Link W says

    I don’t think the world is upside down. It’s just looked at from a different perspective.

    In the color version, there’s also a big sideways comma right in the middle of it, covering the part of the world where human evolution took off.

    What happens if you pause for a second where you’ve come from and reconsider the world from another angle? What do you see? How is it different? And who will you be in *that* world? Begin there, but the rest of the sentence is up to you!

  4. wendy says

    Change your Perspective is the safe choice…

    We’ll Turn Your World Upside Down!
    Sounds better – like a come on for a new Adult store…
    …especially considering Millennial Rev & Mr1500 and their – ahem – saucy humor are involved
    🙂

    I hope a bunch of new folks get to attend and see how cool it is to find a group to feel at home with…have fun everyone!

  5. Triplet Mom says

    Hello Mr Collins, I am going this year to see what “find my tribe” feels like. I hear so much about it but haven’t encountered it in our day to day life. No one in our immediate circle understands why we make FI choices especially when we have triplets to raise. They assume we will never get to our goal or it’s impossible. It’s hard to explain that it’s not impossible since we are doing it. I stopped explaining myself, just put my head down, remember my FI goals and forge onward with my husband (who doesn’t quite get it but gets it) Thank you for inviting regular people like us to spend time with all of you trailblazers. Here’s to another amazing Chautauqua year!

    • jlcollinsnh says

      Awesome TM…

      …I look forward to hanging out with you 🙂

      You’ll talk about a lot of things with the other folks and not one explanation or justification of FI will be required. LOL

  6. Dave in Chi says

    I think the logo represents the way FI (and/or FIRE) turns the world upside down for most folks. It’s turning the world of money and consumerism on its head (buying only what you truly want or need, saving your money – not jut blowing through it, showing that investing can be easy [index funds] as opposed to the MER heavy investment schemes of banks and financial advisers). Also, I think its worldwide concept, as signified by the planet being upside down. It’s also a worldwide event, held in different countries – connecting people from all over the globe. I could wax more philosophical but I think this enough. 🙂 See you all in June!

    • jlcollinsnh says

      Chicago is my home town. 🙂

      I remember, it was in the winter of ’82, the temp dropped to a record -26F.

      June in the UK should be warmer.

      See you there!

  7. Denny and Michele says

    Interpreting the logo:
    Turning the world upside down by empowering people to take control of their financial lives and focus on what really matters: family, friends, community.

    (And maybe the greedy capitalists will fall off. Mwah Ha Ha! )

    We’re looking forward to meeting everyone in Portugal and we’re bringing our book so you can “deface it” with your autograph.

  8. patrick says

    Hi JL,

    Thanks for the post. I have secured my spot for week 1 of the UK Chautauqua and can’t wait to meet eveyrone!

    As for the logo, my interpretation of it distills down into one word: eccentric.
    For me, the beauty of the FI community is that it encourages you to challenge the conventional way of thinking about your life as opposed to demonising you for rejecting the societal norms pushed upon us daily.

    The unique view of the globe reminded me of the brilliant and eccentric minds of the past (Copernicus/Galileo/Pythagorus) who saw the world differently from their peers. They challenged conventional ideas such as the Earth being flat being or it being at the centre of the universe. These ideas were met with intense criticism and it took incredible fortitude to stand behind them.

    While I think that those who have pioneered the FI movement would feel a little uncomfortable with the comparison to the names above, at it’s core I believe they both represent the same philosophy. FI is a different way of viewing the world which challenges the conventional ideas we have been sold by our peers.

    Just my two cents!

    Thanks,
    Patrick

  9. Tyler Brandewie says

    Love the logo & the site – very crisp. To date, this is one of the best financial blogs I’ve come across in my 31 years. Thank you for continuing this.

    Generally speaking, I think the Earth portion of the logo challenges people to subversively rethink the world we live in. Same landscape, different vantage point. By doing something as simple as looking at a map differently and changing one’s perspective lens, geography can be re-learned.

    The same concept can be applied in the financial world, no matter the individual situation. Most of us have been looking at finances in a singular way our entire lives. The essence of this blog, and presumably the Chautauqua, is that one does not need to necessarily change their life around, but to consider a different angle and reshape one’s actions in order to improve upon it (RIDE OUT THE STORM!!!!). 🙂

    The actual word-portion of the logo, “CHAUTAUQUA”, pairs well with the implied meaning of the upended Earth, like a fine wine with a hearty meal. Before reading this blog, I admittedly didn’t know what ‘Chautauqua’ meant. Once I learned of its origins and celebratory/educational/entertaining nature, I fully understood why it was chosen as the verbal representation of these ‘excursions’. Learning does not have to be dull and drab – on the contrary, learning can be much more beneficial if one also resonates with the environment and people surrounding the learning experience.

    • jlcollinsnh says

      No, the event being held in Ecuador this year is entirely unrelated to our Chautauqua events.

      I created the concept of Chautauqua in 2012 and launched the first one in 2013. To handle the in-country logistics I engaged Cheryl at Above the Clouds Retreats, which is based in Ecuador. However, over time, her vision for Chautauqua and mine slowly parted ways.

      In 2017, I engaged Alan and Katie Donegan to handle in-country logistics for the first ever UK Chautauqua. Together we took it to Greece in 2018 for two events, and now back to the UK and on to Portugal for four events in 2019.

      These are now the only “JL Collins endorsed Chautauquas” and the only ones I participle in. If that matters to you. 🙂

      While I wish Above the Clouds Retreats the best with their event, and Ecuador holds a special place in my heart, it is important to understand it is something different and I cannot speak for it.

      Hope this helps!

  10. Carl says

    Thanks for including me again this year! I can’t wait to meet some new members of the tribe. Life is good.

    However, life is great when in the company of good friends.

    • Dave in Chicago says

      Hi Carl – I’ll be there and look forward to meet you. I’ve been a reader of your blog for years. 🙂

  11. Techwiz says

    Comments on logo:
    The black and white version seems to be of low quality or maybe I just have to clean my monitor. (I prefer the colour version)
    The upside down earth took me by surprise and took me a minute to catch the implied meaning that one should “change their perspective” or “turning your world upside down” of course if you came from Australia and New Zealand the upside down would look correct.

    I like the term Chautauqua and really fits well being related to the adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries bringing entertainment and culture for the whole community.

  12. Done by Forty says

    We will be very close to you guys in September but I think we’re just going to miss being in the same spot at the same time in Portugal. And it’s sold out! Congrats on the very quick sell out — we’ll have to make it another year.

  13. Ui-sung Park says

    Hello.

    My name is Ui-sung Park and I work for a publishing company called Vintage House in Korea.

    Please understand that I am forced to send a message on reply because I do not know your contact number.

    While searching on Amazon, I am interested in the book you published in 2016.

    Please send me a contactable email address at my e-mail(parkus.vh@gmail.com) and I’ll send you the suggestions related to the Korean version of the book.

  14. S Reid says

    I work in a school too so can’t come but you’re right in my back yard! I live it Stratford-upon-Avon! Maybe I could pop by for a very British cup of tea and say hi? 😊

  15. Bruno Bontempi says

    The logo is obviously a depiction of my beloved Italy (highlighted in light blue) with some of its surroundings.

    More seriously, it makes me think that we can really “be the change we wish to see in the world” (thanks, Mahatma, for the one-liner) provided we:
    – accept to see things from a different perspective;
    – decide to come together…

    … as a Nation?
    … as a Party?
    … as a Movement?

    None of the above. As a *tribe*. Personal relationships are what we need to get out of this mess.

    Thanks for all you do, Mr Collins.

  16. jlcollinsnh says

    First, thanks to all of you who posted their interpretations of the new logo.

    You were all pretty much spot on, which means…

    1. Either we did a great job and the logo conveys the meaning we intended well.

    2. Or, out of the tens of thousands of readers this blog has, you few were the only ones who got it. 😉

    Choosing a winner was tough, but in the end the nod goes to Patrick. He won us over with the word “eccentric” and by putting us in the same class as Copernicus/Galileo/Pythagorus. 🙂

    OK, Patrick. Reply to this comment and let me know you are still interested and I’ll send you a PM for your address.

    Congratulations and condolences on your win!

  17. Daniel says

    Ever thought of holding a meeting in the US? I would be willing to host the meeting at my beach manse on the ocean on the east coast of Florida. There is enough space for 30 people to meet for discussion, and presentations, including some roundtable discussions on the secluded beach, and enough rooms at my local country club guest house/hotel to accommodate all guests. The cost would be a fraction of international travel, and those on a tight schedule would appreciate the abbreviated travel time. Exotic overseas locales are nice, but ultimately attendees are interested in gaining knowledge with like-minded individuals without having to burn through that precious FIRE savings. Just a thought.

    • jlcollinsnh says

      Chautauqua was conceived as an event to hang out in a cool place with cool people to discuss cool things. The exotic venues are part of the magic.

      While there is certainly a place for an event such as you describe, we have our hands full keeping up the the demand as it is.

      Still you have me curious as to you “beach manse” and the local. BTW, while we limit attendees to 29, by the time you add in the speakers and team we have about 40 people at the events.

  18. Wadiman says

    Hi Jim –

    The FI movement has really taken off here in Australia – our Aussie Reddit FI forum has 13k members and there are also many active members on the MMM forum as well as at least half a dozen high quality FI bloggers.

    I understand that you have your hands full with upcoming Chautauquas but was wondering if you would be interested in collaboration to support the establishment of a locally-run trial event here?

    The time is right for a high quality event here I have no doubt it could be structured to be a very profound and life-changing for participants.

  19. Spendwisemom says

    The logo shows the world upside down which means to me that the way you do things is opposite to the path that the world is currently going in. Freedom is more valuable than material items, security regardless if the world is turned upside down or not. You can make a good life the way you choose, not how it is dictated by the world.

    I think my husband would love your book. He has said the same thing about investing, but you give more detail that he would enjoy. As for retiring early, He is a professor, and the wonderful thing is that he loves what he does, and would find a way to do it after he retires and that is why he works.

    Thank you for your influence on so many people to help them to learn how to be financially wise.

  20. Frenchy says

    Damn…six grand for a one week trip that doesn’t include airfare…

    Please tell me that you’re not letting anyone with major debt (student loans, etc) come on this trip…

    • jlcollinsnh says

      “…not letting anyone…”

      You grant me more power than I have or would want. 😉

      Whether to come or not is the decision of each individual.

      That said, I would strongly discourage anyone with debt to spend money coming to Chautauqua, or on anything else for that matter other than paying off that debt. No one in debt has ever come, possibly because of this post:
      https://jlcollinsnh.com/2015/03/26/stocks-part-xxviii-debt-the-unacceptable-burden/

      As for the cost, Chautauquas are designed to be exactly what I want them to be and they cost what it takes to make them that way. When I went looking for an event like these in 2011-12, I found it didn’t exist. So I created it.

      It sold out in three weeks and we had a waiting list of people wanting to come. Every year since then it has sold out even faster and the wait lists are longer. Already we cannot accommodate all those who wish to experience it.

      Chautauqua is not designed to be cheap, it is designed to be awesome.

      Is it expensive? That depends on the individual’s perspective, as I explain in this post:
      https://jlcollinsnh.com/2013/06/14/stocks-part-ixx-how-to-think-about-money/

      For some who come, it is a large, carefully considered expense. For others, the price is pocket change. Money is relative. But in all cases, attendees report their expectations exceeded and having received great value for their money. That’s the goal.

  21. Justin says

    Logo interpretation:

    I’ll take a different perspective from others who have said the Chautauqua logo is just an upside down Earth. It clearly has the continents pushed together in a manner that is very different from that which currently exists, regardless of your orientation relative to the planet.

    This can take one of two meanings.

    1) The pursuit of FI and being willing to experience new people and new cultures has the potential to bring the world closer together. Breaking out of the rat race bubble (Neo style) finally allows us the time and mental energy to see what’s important: bringing people from around the world together so we can learn from each other to be the best versions of ourselves.

    2) FI is such a far off and unreachable goal that the continents will form a new Pangeae before we are able to realize it.

  22. Chris says

    How about SE Asia as a destination for one of these? Kick off your geoarbitrage adventure in style!

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