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.
501
Jean Chatzky Shares Money Rules for Modern Life
#43: Jean Chatzky, financial editor for the TODAY Show, host of the HerMoney podcast and a frequent guest on TV shows like Oprah, Regis & Kelly, and The View is the bestselling author of many books, including Money Rules, which we discuss in...
33 min
502
The Incredible Value of Deep Work, Instead of D...
#42: Your most valuable asset isn’t your house, car or retirement portfolio. It’s your attention. Most knowledge workers spend their day frantically hopping between meetings, emails, phone calls and social media. But that’s not the best way to...
67 min
503
Ask Paula: Investing, Rebalancing and Renovating
#41: Mollie, a listener, is making smart money moves. She's getting the maximum match on 403b contributions. She's saving for a downpayment on a home. Her husband opened a Roth IRA. What's next? After listening to the Jim Collins episode, Mollie...
31 min
504
The Power of Habit Formation, with Gretchen Rubin
#40: Most of us want to develop better habits. We want to exercise more, eat healthier, get more sleep, watch TV less, pay off debt, or save money. The problem? We make excuses. We tell ourselves we'll splurge "just this one time." We convince...
71 min
505
The Seven Stages of Financial Independence, wit...
#39: It's tempting to think of "financial independence" as a finish line. You've either crossed the finish line, or you're still running the race. But financial independence is more nuanced, says today's guest, Joshua Sheats. We...
85 min
506
Why You're Not As Busy As You Think, with Laura...
#38: There are 168 hours in a week. If you work 40 hours per week and sleep 8 hours per night, you’ve accounted for 96 hours. You have an additional 72 waking hours per week. What are you doing with this time? That’s the...
38 min
507
Chris Guillebeau -- How to Live a Remarkable Li...
#37: Chris writes about life, work and travel. He has visited every country in the world and written a number of New York Times best selling books. He joins us to talk about challenging ourselves, experimentation,and deliberately changing our...
35 min
508
Ask Paula -- Should I Buy a Turnkey Rental Prop...
#36: It's the first Monday of the month, and you know what that means ... Time for another Ask Paula episode! On today's show, I answer a handful of phone calls from listeners who posed questions about real estate investing. One caller from...
25 min
509
How to Start Freelancing on the Side, with Carr...
#35: Carrie Smith enjoyed her full-time accounting job, but she wanted to make extra money on the side. Who doesn't, right? She landed a second job in a tax office, working 9-to-5 for one employer and 5-to-9 for the other. She...
36 min
510
How I Built a Six-Figure Online Store -- with S...
#34: Steve Chou's wife used to work grueling hours at a job she dreaded and despised. When she became pregnant with their first child, she decided to quit. The problem? She earned six figures, and their family needed that...
42 min
511
How I Became a Millionaire on a Military Salary...
#33: After serving in the Navy for 20 years, Doug Nordman, then-age 41, retired from his military career. Most of his peers started second careers in the civilian world. But Doug didn't. He had an ace up his sleeve: he had spent his...
37 min
512
Ask Paula: The Market Might Drop. Should I Sell?
#32: Should you sell your stocks, given that we might be heading for a possible downturn? Also, what are the downsides of index funds? Should you invest in out-of-state rental properties, and if so, how can you figure out where to look? These are just...
41 min
513
The Simple Path to Wealth, with Jim Collins
#31: Jim Collins, also known as popular blogger JL Collins, has been financially independent since 1989. He achieved this in the simplest way possible: he saved half of his income and invested in index funds. Jim says the simplest possible approach...
34 min
514
Okay, I’m Financially Independent. Now What? --...
#30: When Jim Wang was 29-and-a-half, life changed forever. Jim started an online company (a blog) in his mid-20's. His website grew to several hundred thousand readers and started earning five-figure monthly sums. It sounds too good to be true. I...
86 min
515
Ask Paula: Pay Debt vs Buy a Home? Invest in In...
#29: Paula answers questions you sent in about multi-level marketing, paying off credit card debt vs buying a house, and socially responsible investing. For more information, visit the show notes at
38 min
516
How I Woke Up, Removed the Blindfold, and Notic...
#28: Most people only pay attention if there's a problem - that includes money. Guest, Evelyn Connors gets honest and raw about her previous understanding of how money works and her uber-excitement of taking control of her FI (financial independence)....
43 min
517
Pete the Planner, Comedian-Turned-Money-Columni...
#27: Pete the Planner talks about why millionaire-dom is important and why it's important to try a "mock retirement". For more information, visit the show notes at
39 min
518
The Last Show With Jay
#26: Sometimes you need to let go of the good for the great. Jay Money has started a lot of projects, only to let them go because they didn't match his goals. The show must go on - and it will with Paula at the wheel. Jay will be back from time to...
73 min
519
The Stacking Benjamins Roundtable Plays a Game ...
#25: Would you rather...have $15k in quarters or $15k in dollar bills? Today we have fun with Joe Saul-Sehy, Len Penzo and Greg McFarlane (HELLO Greg) from the Stacking Benjamins Roundtable. For more information, visit the show notes at
40 min
520
Ask Us Anything #4 - Betterment, Wealthfront, R...
#24: You ask. We answer. Let's grab a beer. This is the first Ask Us Anything in which we hear YOUR voices -- which makes this episode extra-awesome. In this week's episode, Paula and J. Money tackle listener-submitted questions, such as:...
62 min
521
Farnoosh Torabi, Host of CNBC's Follow the Lead...
#23: Farnoosh Torabi is host of CNBC's Follow the Leader. She shares stories about spending 48 hours with the most influential business leaders in the nation. For a list of notes and resources, visit
49 min
522
How Jeremy and Winnie Retired in Their 30's
#22: Jeremy and Winnie are the bloggers behind Go Curry Cracker. They took a vacation to the Philippines and decided this was where they wanted to live - and retire there early (like REALLY early). For more information visit
57 min
523
Making Money as a Voice Over Actor with Carrie ...
#21: Carrie Olsen started podcasting with her husband, then dipped her toe into the voice-over industry and is KILLING IT! For more information,
52 min
524
From Debt to Financial Independence, with Get R...
#20: The Money Boss, JD Roth, went from $35k in credit card debt to selling a personal finance blog for an undisclosed amount of money. Today he shares how financial independence affected him - and how having enough money to be financially independent...
58 min
525
Football and Hip-Hop's Financial Advisor Rob Wi...
#19: Financial Advisor to the stars, Rob Wilson, gives us the inside scoop on what kind of help celebrities and sports heroes need. What he tells us may surprise you! For more information, visit the show notes at
54 min