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.
601
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
602
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
603
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
604
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
605
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
606
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
607
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
608
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
609
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
610
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
611
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
612
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
613
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
614
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
615
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
616
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
617
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
618
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
619
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
620
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
621
Ask Paula - How to Invest Your Tax Refund, Save...
#68: My buddy Joe Saul-Sehy, host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast, joins me this week for another episode of "Ask Paula (and Joe!)" -- in which we workshop through questions that came from you, the Afford Anything community. This week, Joe and I...
66 min
622
Ask Paula -- How to Care for Aging Parents, Buy...
#67: It's the first Monday of the month, which means it's time to answer questions from the Afford Anything community. Our first question comes from a caller in a tough spot: Her mother-in-law is 66 years old. She's divorced, holds no retirement...
45 min
623
Take Radical Responsibility for Your Life -- a ...
#66: You know that rare moment when you meet someone with whom you connect *instantly*? I felt that way when I met Emma Pattee, the 26-year-old millionaire and mini-real-estate-mogul who joins me on today's episode. Emma and I share similar stories:...
46 min
624
How to Improve Your Relationship with Money
#65: I've always taken an approach to life that puts my freedom first. My one and only 9-5 lasted only 3 years. Since then I've been self employed and built financial independence through rental real estate. And while most see this podcast as...
42 min
625
Michael Kitces -- Your Mind is More Powerful Th...
#64: Your potential is unlimited. I realize that's the type of cliche that you normally find embossed in cursive script on the side of coffee mugs. It's trite and impersonal and overused. But it's also true. Your potential to earn and grow is...
77 min