Afford Anything
You can afford anything, but not everything. We make daily decisions about how to spend money, time, energy, focus and attention – and ultimately, our life.
How do we make smarter decisions? How do we think from first principles?
On the surface, Afford Anything seems like a podcast about money and investing.
But under the hood, this is a show about how to think critically, recognize our behavioral blind spots, and make smarter choices. We’re into the psychology of money, and we love metacognition: thinking about how to think.
In some episodes, we interview world-class experts: professors, researchers, scientists, authors. In other episodes, we answer your questions, talking through decision-making frameworks and mental models.
Want to learn more? Download our free book, Escape, at http://affordanything.com/escape. Hosted by Paula Pant.
451
The Secret Lives of Introverts - with Jenn Gran...
#93: Do you enjoy spending time alone? Does your inner monologue chatter constantly? When you were a student, did you sometimes stay quiet even when you knew the correct answer? Do you avoid confrontation? Does small talk bore you? Have people told...
48 min
452
Ask Paula - How Do I Hire an All-Star Rental Pr...
#92: If you're interested in real estate investing, and if you've wondered how to assemble an all-star team, today's episode is for you. I'm hosting another edition of Ask Paula, in which I tackle three audience-submitted questions about building a...
36 min
453
How to Spend Less, Earn More and Grow the Gap
#91: Grow the gap between your income and your expenses: How to tackle the 4 biggest expenses in the average American household budget. Also, I share non-obvious tips on how to trim back on these costs. Enjoy! Paula For more details on this...
46 min
454
Ask Paula -- I'm Tired of Paying Rent. Should I...
#90: Curious about real estate investing? I'm rocking the microphone solo on today's episode, tackling the rental property questions that you -- the listeners -- have asked. Rachel from the Ozarks asks: I'm inspired to start investing in real estate....
43 min
455
Imagine You Only Have 10 Years to Live ...
#89: Imagine you’re financially secure. You have enough money to support yourself, your family and pursue your dreams. You’ll need to continue working, but it’s fulfilling work with a reasonable schedule. What would you do with both your time...
42 min
456
Ask Paula - When is Lifestyle Inflation a Smart...
#88: Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I answer 4 questions from the Afford Anything community. We chat about how to control lifestyle inflation, how to break up with a financial planner, how to invest your first $10,000, and whether or not...
41 min
457
Myths about Money - Are Your Ideas Holding You ...
#87: A week and a half ago, I flew to Portland for the World Domination Summit -- a conference with an admittedly eyebrow-raising title. The conference is hosted by Chris Guillebeau, the New York Times best-selling author of multiple books, including...
49 min
458
Ask Paula - Should I Keep My Properties in an LLC
#86: The real estate questions keep coming in, so today I’m answering questions from three Afford Anything listeners: Heather is ready to buy her first rental property. She wants to acquire about one house per year, following a buy-and-hold...
29 min
459
How to Make Money without a Job -- with Nick Lo...
#85: Like many people, Nick Loper used to work a full-time job that didn't excite him. Unlike most people, Loper decided to escape his uninspiring work life. First, he launched a shoe-comparison website that began collecting side income. Over time,...
59 min
460
Ask Paula: No, Really, I'm Asking for a Friend!...
#84: This week, I tackle your questions with my good friend, recovering financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy. Here's what we answer: 1. I'm asking for a friend -- no, really, I'm asking for a friend! My friends are married and buried. They're a married...
53 min
461
This is The Toughest Episode I've Created So Far
#83: Hey. It’s time we talked. I’ve made many tough decisions in my business. I’ve said “no” to thousands of pitches, turned away countless advertising requests, and made difficult choices about content and tone. And sometimes I don’t know...
38 min
462
Ask Paula - How Do You Pick a Rental Property?
#82: Welcome to another Ask Paula episode! This week, I answer three real estate questions: #1: What criteria do you use when you’re shopping for an investment property? What qualities make you say, “heck yeah I’m buying this!!” — and what...
39 min
463
Get Me Out of This Crappy Job! - with Jenny Bla...
#81: Jenny Blake used to have an enviable job. As a Career Development manager at Google, she enjoyed the perks of a Silicon Valley life, plus the satisfaction of helping people everyday. She co-founded Google's Career Guru Program, and helped...
48 min
464
Joe Says Life Insurance Won’t Make the Headline...
#80: Chris, age 30, makes $200,000 per year and saves 50 percent of his income. What accounts should he use in order to maximize his tax benefits? Dee, age 39, is getting tired of apartment living. She found a great neighborhood in which she'd like...
47 min
465
How I Bootstrapped a $4 Million Company, with L...
#79: When Laura Roeder was 22, she quit her job to become a full-time freelancer. She earned $30,000 in her first year as a freelancer; $60,000 in her second year. Ten years later -- (Laura is now 32) -- her company earns $4 million in annual...
58 min
466
Ask Paula (and Will) - How Technology is Changi...
#78: Imagine that you're looking for a rental property. It's a warm Saturday afternoon, and you decide to cruise through a few open houses in the area. Your autonomously-driving electric vehicle pulls into the driveway. Your wifi-enabled contact...
51 min
467
What I've Learned from 9 Years of Nonstop Trave...
#77: “Have you ever tried to stop-peeing midstream? It’s like trying to put spray cheese back in the can. The damage has been done, and the only thing left to do is try to enjoy yourself.” That’s a quote from a deleted chapter in a book...
53 min
468
Ask Paula - How to Handle an Inheritance, Shoul...
#76: This week, my buddy Joe Saul-Sehy joins me to answer another round of listener-submitted questions. A listener from California asks: My husband and I will be inheriting money, which we plan to invest in index funds. We believe that our...
60 min
469
Jen Sincero says she used to be a "grouchy brok...
#75: In her early 40's, Jen lived in a converted garage, buried in credit card debt and scrounging for spare change. She was the type of person who'd join her friends at a restaurant for dinner , order nothing except tap water, and fill up on the...
56 min
470
Ask Paula - How to Repay $50k in Student Loans ...
#74: Former financial planner and friend of the show, Joe Saul-Sehy from Stacking Benjamins, joins me to answer the following listener questions: Kicking off today's episode, Nicky asks: I'm young and healthy. My car is old and not-worth-much. And...
66 min
471
What Chess Taught Me About Making Smarter Life ...
#73: Last January, I went to a party at a trailer park that featured a huge bonfire, a few llamas, and a member of Public Enemy. (I realize that sounds like the setup to a joke. Welcome to my life.) While I was there, I met a former competitive...
67 min
472
Ask Paula -- Should I Loan Money to Friends? St...
#72: Spaghetti is a major part of my life. I eat it, of course, as many people do. I also spill it all over my pants, despite the fact that I’m 33 and should’ve learned the rules of gravity by now. But most importantly, I use spaghetti as a...
48 min
473
Can I Retire Yet? - with Roger Whitney, the Ret...
#71: Roger Whitney is known as the "retirement answer man." "All I think about, all day long, is how to make that [retirement] transition successfully," he says. But he holds a dirty little secret. "I don't believe in retirement. And the most...
61 min
474
Erin Lowry on Raising Children Who Are Enabled,...
#70: Erin Lowry, author of , talks about the early childhood scripts that we learn about money. Why is this topic important? Well, if you're a parent, you want to set a good financial example for your child to follow. Giving them the right tools and...
61 min
475
Ask Paula - The Real Estate Edition
#69: So many Afford Anything listeners have great questions about real estate investing. That's why this episode of Ask Paula is dedicated to answering them. Our first question comes from Ade, who has $25,000 to invest in real estate and lives in the...
65 min