Chautauqua Columbia September 3-10, 2022
One week. 35 people. Small Columbian village.
ALL the personal finance and lifestyle design discussions you will ever, ever want!
Does this NOT sound like the most absolutely amazing vacation/experience???!!!
This was Chautauqua 2022 in Villa de Leyva, Columbia. Chautauqua was started by JL Collins in 2013 and has been going strong ever since. His goal was to bring cool people together in cool locations for cool conversations. The first several events were hosted in Ecuador but now have been all over the world including Greece, the UK, Portugal and most recently, Columbia.
I attended the Portugal Chautauqua in 2019 and met an amazing group of people. I instantly knew that I wanted more but sadly, a little thing called the GLOBAL PANDEMIC happened. This year, the event was back on and sold out in less than 12 hours.
As I was getting ready to leave for the trip, friends and family were asking me what Chautauqua actually was….and it was really hard to explain! These were some of the things that I told them. ’It’s kind of like a personal finance retreat…but don’t worry, it’s not a Ponzi scheme.’ ‘It’s financially based but we actually don’t really talk about money that much. Trust me, it’s really cool and they don’t try to sell you anything.’
I arrived in Bogota on August 30 so that I could explore the city a bit before Chautauqua began. (I was calling this the pre-Chautauqua). A few other Chautauquans also had the same idea so we met up for some wonderful tours and food. (I also left my cell phone in an Uber, but recovered it with the help of our amazing tour guide and my new Chautauquan friends!).
Official Chautauqua started on Saturday morning, September 3rd. The bus picked everyone up at various locations (airport, hotels, etc) and began the approximately 4 hour journey to Villa de Leyva. Bogota is a busy, busy city. I found it enjoyable for a few days but would have had a hard time spending significant time there. Villa de Leyva is VERY different from Bogota. The traffic jammed streets were replaced with cobble stoned alleys and walkways. There were beautiful flowers everywhere! I joked that the main venue (called Duruelo) reminded me of the beautiful Casita in the Disney movie ‘Encanto’.
Duruelo venue view from my room!
The first 24 hours I attempted to try to learn everyone’s name and a little about where they were from. We had a nice opening dinner in town on Saturday and then the presentations started Sunday morning. Katie and Alan Donegan were the facilitators/planners of the entire event. They did such an amazing job with EVERY little detail, in addition to each giving a stellar presentation. JL Collins from jlcollinsnh.com, Kristy and Bryce from millennial-revolution.com and Doc G from the ‘Earn and Invest’ podcast were the other amazing speakers in the lineup.
We began with JL Collins himself (aka ‘The Godfather’) in a sort of Q and A session with Alan Donegan. It just never gets old listening to JL. He is so humble and kind but also so very knowledgeable. His book ‘The Simple Path to Wealth,' is one of my absolute favorites. I think I have purchased it 5-6 times for various people as gifts. JL’s basic strategy is this: Buy index funds consistently (whether the market is up or down) and hold them forever.
Monday’s presentation was with Dr. Jordan Grumet (AKA ‘Doc G’) of the ‘Earn and Invest’ podcast. He just came out with his new book, ‘Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor’s Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth and Living a Regret-Free Life’. This presentation really emphasizes the ‘Why of FI’. He spoke about defining your sense of purpose, identity and connection, building a path to financial independence and facing what scares each of us the very most.
Tuesday we adventured into the nearby town of Raquira. We experienced a local pottery workshop and took some photos on a giant clay hand! They are also in the process of building a giant clay piggy bank.
Wednesday it was time for the presentation by Kristy and Bryce from millenialrevolution.com. These two are absolutely hilarious and wonderful people. They have been given the title, ‘Canada’s youngest retirees’ after achieving FI several years ago. Kristy spoke while Bryce assumed the role of ‘wizard behind the curtain’. The main message was that achieving FI gives you protection (FI armor) so that you have the ability to do whatever YOU actually want. There are always obstacles in life…but having FI armor makes you invincible!
(Throughout the week, each participant receives a ‘One on one’, a one hour dedicated time slot with a speaker. My previous Portugal Chautauqua’s one on one was with JL Collins. This time around, I had the pleasure of meeting with Kristy and Bryce.)
Wednesday night, Katie Donegan gave a presentation on comparison and ‘being enough’. Katie has done some amazing things in her life. However, after leaving formal schooling and the traditional work force, she struggled in some ways. This was something that I believe MANY of us could identify with. This session really was not about money at all! It was about lifestyle design and planning your absolute best life.
On Thursday, Alan Donegan gave his presentation and workshop, the Idea Factory. A certain quote stood out for me in his presentation. “The extraordinary belongs to those who create it.” No one is going to give you an extraordinary life. You have to create it. Alan was the co-creator of the Pop Up business school (or Rebel business school now). He and Katie are now running the Rebel finance school over YouTube (at no cost) to several thousand participants. Despite all the things that he and Katie have done, he still humbly states, “I just made this shit up.” Alan talked about the idea of a ‘mini-experiment’ with an ice cream analogy. How do you know what your favorite ice cream flavor is? Well, you TRIED it! If you never tried any ice cream flavors, you would not actually know what you liked it and what you did not like. I remember meeting Alan and Katie at the last Chatauqua in Portugal. When deciding whether or not they would take on a new project, they would ask themselves 2 questions. (1) Is it fun? (2) Does it matter? I LOVE this. As humans, we are so good at getting in our own way…squashing ideas before they even have a chance. Try something. Did it work? No. OK, try something else. Yes? Yeah! Keep it going. It really can be that simple.
The Idea Factory workshop involved many Post-Its!
Thursday night, we had the opportunity to be part of the studio audience for one of Doc G’s ‘Earn and Invest’ podcasts. Four Chautauquans were featured - Wendy from CA, Brent from FL and a young amazing couple Ryan and Rylee from my home state of IL! At the end, we all had a chance to state what we expected from Chautauqua and what we actually got from it. A wedding party with super loud music prompted us to switch locations for the podcast but it all turned out well.
Not only are the speakers talented and amazing…so are the participants! Marc Goodman, Author of ‘Future Crimes’ and a cybersecurity expert was a participant this week. In less than 36 hours, he put together an impromptu presentation on ‘Cybersecurity for the FI community’. He blew us all away!
Friday was a ‘day off’ from any formal programming. Some folks booked tours in and around the area, while others booked massages/spa treatments. It was also an opportunity to possibly snag one of the speakers for an impromptu one on one. Friday night was a special dinner and celebration of the event and new friends.
As I reflected on the Chautauqua week experience, it solidified one ultimate truth. Becoming financial independent DOES, of course, involve having financial assets AKA money. However, as my journey into financial independence progresses…. it quickly becomes no longer about making and obsessing over money. Instead, it is all about making an actual LIFE for myself that’s rich in purpose and community.
On one of the last nights, a new friend David was celebrating a birthday. He said something at dinner to the effect of…. ‘Here at Chautauqua, it feels as though we arrived as friends, but are leaving as family.’ This could not be more true. At this Chautauqua and the last, I really felt like the meals are where the magic happened. I would try to sit down next to somebody new for every meal so that we could talk and get to know each other. We are a diverse group! Some folks have kids…others do not. Some live outside the US, while others are US or Canadian based. Some are ‘retired’ while others are at the beginning of their FI journey. One thing is for sure…You have never met a more welcoming and inclusive group of folks than at Chautauqua.
Come for the finances…but stay for the life long friendships and family.
