Afford Anything
569 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3.3K ratingsYou 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.
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Episodes
The Secret Lives of Introverts - with Jenn Granneman
September 04, 2017 06:00 - 48 minutes#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 you that you're "too intense" or that you "get deep quickly?" Do you live inside your head? Do people see you as a good listener? Do you rarely interrupt others? Are you better at writing thoughts than speaking them? Are you good at focusing ...
Ask Paula - How Do I Hire an All-Star Rental Property Team?
August 28, 2017 06:00 - 36 minutes#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 team as a real estate investor. Salome from Cincinnati asks: Who are the people I'll need on my real estate team? How much will I spend in paying them? And how can I find them? Doug from Louisiana asks: I've saved $20,000 as the downpayment on a...
How to Spend Less, Earn More and Grow the Gap
August 21, 2017 06:00 - 46 minutes#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 presentation, go to http://affordanything.com/episode91 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ask Paula -- I'm Tired of Paying Rent. Should I Buy a House?
August 14, 2017 06:00 - 43 minutes#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. I live in the Ozarks region, and the cap rates around here are fantastic. However, the online reviews for local property management companies are consistently terrible. What should I do if I can't find a good property manager? Daan from Malays...
Imagine You Only Have 10 Years to Live ...
August 07, 2017 06:00 - 42 minutes#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 and money? Next, imagine you’re financially independent. You DON’T need to work anymore. Your investments create enough money to support yourself and your family. What would you do? Okay, let's shake things up. Imagine you visit your doctor, who tells ...
Ask Paula - When is Lifestyle Inflation a Smart Business Decision?
July 31, 2017 06:00 - 41 minutes#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 sector-specific or theme-specific funds are a good idea. #1: Laura is transitioning to a new job, and she's discovered that her new responsibilities require some lifestyle inflation. She needs work-appropriate clothing, for example; she can't we...
Myths about Money - Are Your Ideas Holding You Back?
July 24, 2017 06:00 - 49 minutes#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 The Art of Non-Conformity. He was also a previous guest on this podcast. I've wanted to check out WDS for years, so I was thrilled when Chris asked me to give a presentation there. Then he mentioned that my presentation should be three hours l...
Ask Paula - Should I Keep My Properties in an LLC
July 17, 2017 04:01 - 29 minutes#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 strategy. Salome and her husband are renting out an unused room in our house on Airbnb. We're interested in venturing into buying rental properties later. Then Caren talks about coming across several real estate investing clubs, or memberships, in which...
How to Make Money without a Job -- with Nick Loper from Side Hustle Nation
July 10, 2017 06:00 - 59 minutes#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, this side project grew increasingly profitable, until -- finally -- he thought he could run this website full-time. Loper quit his job. That's when all hell broke loose. Within days, Loper's website lost 80 percent of its search traffic and ad...
Ask Paula: No, Really, I'm Asking for a Friend! -- How to Crush $500,000 in Debt
July 03, 2017 06:00 - 53 minutes#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 couple, buried in $500,000 of debt. Some is federal student loans, some is private student loans, and some is credit card debt. They're paying the minimum on their student loans, with the hope that these loans will be forgiven after 25 years. The...
This is The Toughest Episode I've Created So Far
June 26, 2017 08:00 - 38 minutes#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 whether or not I’ve made the right choice. Today’s podcast episode is a painfully personal one. I open up my mind, explaining exactly how I make decisions about how to lead this online community. I’m frank about the doubts I hold and the choices I’ve qu...
Ask Paula - How Do You Pick a Rental Property?
June 19, 2017 06:00 - 39 minutes#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 qualities make you say, “No way!” #2: I enjoy renting my personal home, but I still dream of investing in rental properties. Does it make sense to buy a rental property, even while I’m still a renter myself? #3: I’m a 45-year-old actress, and my income ...
Get Me Out of This Crappy Job! - with Jenny Blake, author of Pivot
June 12, 2017 06:00 - 48 minutes#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 countless Google employees find their right career "fit." But, ironically, Blake sensed that her own career wasn't on the right track. So she took a brave plunge that few would dare: Blake quit Google, packed her bags, and moved from California to Ne...
Joe Says Life Insurance Won’t Make the Headline. But it Did.
June 05, 2017 06:00 - 47 minutes#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 to own a home, and she's saving for a 20 percent downpayment. But she's nervous about the high cost of home maintenance. How can she deal with this? Chelsea just moved into a new house with her husband. He purchased the house outright, in cash, a...
How I Bootstrapped a $4 Million Company, with Laura Roeder
May 29, 2017 06:00 - 58 minutes#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 revenue. (Can I repeat that? Did I bury the lede? *Laura went from making $30,000 per year to owning 100% of a company that earns $4 million per year.* And she did this within a decade. Oh, and she also had a baby.) (Like, whoa.) Laura is the founde...
Ask Paula (and Will) - How Technology is Changing the Future of Real Estate Investing
May 22, 2017 06:00 - 51 minutes#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 lenses automatically register the property's details: square footage, year of construction, sales history, tax assessment, price-to-rent ratio, average neighborhood occupancy rates, and multiple cap rate estimates. As you walk through the property, y...
What I've Learned from 9 Years of Nonstop Travel, with Geraldine DeRuiter, The Everywhereist
May 15, 2017 06:00 - 53 minutes#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 written by (in my opinion) one of the funniest bloggers on the internet, Geraldine DeRuiter. Geraldine is an ‘accidental’ travel writer. Nine years ago, she found herself laid-off from a copywriting job and decided, “screw it, I’m gonna travel.” She’s since ...
Ask Paula - How to Handle an Inheritance, Should I Invest in Properties or Start a Business, and More.
May 08, 2017 06:00 - 1 hour#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 inheritance will eventually make us financially independent. However, I feel guilt about the fact that this money is unearned. Do you have any thoughts on this? Eric wants to know: Should he stick with a high-deductible health insurance plan if he's star...
Jen Sincero says she used to be a "grouchy broke person"
May 01, 2017 06:00 - 56 minutes#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 complimentary bread basket. She used duct-tape to repair her shoes. Her "splurges" consisted of buying new windshield wipers. Despite her struggles, Jen believed that pursuing wealth was icky. She'd internalized negative social attitudes towards m...
Ask Paula - How to Repay $50k in Student Loans on a $31k Income, What's the Deal with Bonds, and Do I Really Need Insurance
April 24, 2017 06:00 - 1 hour#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 my personal property isn't exactly fancy-pants. Do I *really* need health, auto and property insurance? Or can I drop these insurances and save the money? _______ Next, Shelbi says: I'm 26, recently earned a graduate school diploma, and I'm ta...
What Chess Taught Me About Making Smarter Life Moves -- with Steve Gossett | Afford Anything Podcast
April 17, 2017 09:30 - 1 hour - 44.9 MBLast 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 chess player named Steve Gossett. Steve is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who creates Princess Rap Battle videos for a YouTube channel with more than 1 million subscribers. But that's not why I invited Steve onto the show. I asked him to join me...
What Chess Taught Me About Making Smarter Life Moves -- with Steve Gossett
April 17, 2017 06:00 - 1 hour#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 chess player named Steve Gossett. Steve is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who creates Princess Rap Battle videos for a YouTube channel with more than 1 million subscribers. But that's not why I invited Steve onto the show. I asked him to join me on ...
What are the Pros and Cons of Portfolio Lending?
April 14, 2017 13:00 - 10 minutes - 6.93 MBThis is a listener question from an episode of 'Ask Paula,' where Paula Pant, host of the Afford Anything podcast, answers questions from listeners like you! You can find the full episode at http://affordanything.com/episode72
How to Manage Multiple Savings Goals?
April 13, 2017 13:00 - 13 minutes - 9.07 MBThis is a listener question from an episode of 'Ask Paula,' where Paula Pant, host of the Afford Anything podcast, answers questions from listeners like you! You can find the full episode at http://affordanything.com/episode72
Real Estate Investing: Worth it if Movig Often?
April 12, 2017 13:30 - 7 minutes - 5.48 MBThis is a listener question from an episode of 'Ask Paula,' where Paula Pant, host of the Afford Anything podcast, answers questions from listeners like you! You can find the full episode at http://affordanything.com/episode72
Should You Keep Savings Liquid or Invest? And Where?
April 12, 2017 13:00 - 3 minutes - 2.62 MBThis is a listener question from an episode of 'Ask Paula,' where Paula Pant, host of the Afford Anything podcast, answers questions from listeners like you! You can find the full episode at http://affordanything.com/episode72
How Do You Stay Sane While Repaying Debt?
April 11, 2017 13:00 - 4 minutes - 2.83 MBThis is a listener question from an episode of 'Ask Paula,' where Paula Pant, host of the Afford Anything podcast, answers questions from listeners like you! You can find the full episode at http://affordanything.com/episode72
Loaning Money to Friends - Good Idea?
April 10, 2017 13:00 - 5 minutes - 4.07 MBThis is a listener question from an episode of 'Ask Paula,' where Paula Pant, host of the Afford Anything podcast, answers questions from listeners like you! You can find the full episode at http://affordanything.com/episode72
Ask Paula -- Should I Loan Money to Friends? Stay Sane While Repaying Debt? ... and More
April 10, 2017 06:00 - 48 minutes#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 metaphor for my business. If I’m not sure if something will work or not, but I want to experiment with an idea, I tell myself that I’m just “throwing spaghetti at the wall.” Maybe it’ll stick; maybe it won’t. Either way, I have permission to try, permiss...
Can I Retire Yet? - with Roger Whitney, the Retirement Answerman
April 03, 2017 05:00 - 1 hour#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 successful clients that I work with ... technically they're retired, but they're still working." Huh? What does that mean? In today's episode, Whitney and I discuss the nuances of 21st-century modern retirement -- and how this ain't nothin' like th...
Erin Lowry on Raising Children Who Are Enabled, Not Entitled
March 27, 2017 06:00 - 1 hour#70: Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial, 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 information about money at an early age, as Erin's parents did, can easily set them on the right path in life. And as 'grown-ups,' many of us have negative scripts around money that we want to unearth and unlearn. Regardless of ...
Should I Buy a Vacation Rental? (How to figure out the numbers)
March 24, 2017 13:31 - 21 minutes - 15 MBThis is a listener's question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Katie is eyeing a vacation rental in one of her favorite destinations. Is it a good idea? And how can she estimate the cap rate (and her expenses) without a ton of information on the property? Do you have a question to have Paula answer on the show? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
Should I Pay Down my Mortgage or Invest in Another Rental Property?
March 24, 2017 13:30 - 7 minutes - 4.99 MBThis is a listener's question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. An Afford Anything listener has a paid-off rental and an Airbnb on her property. Nice! But, she has a $160,000 mortgage on her own house. She has $30,000 in the bank and wants to know: should she put it toward her mortgage, or use it to buy another property? Do you have a question to have Paula answer on the show? Call it in from your...
Moving: Should You Rent or Buy a Property and Rent a Part of it?
March 23, 2017 13:30 - 9 minutes - 6.6 MBThis is a listener's question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Claire is relocating to California, and is curious to know if she’s better off renting, or if she should max out her mortgage loan potential and buy a house that has a detached garage she can rent out to cover the increased mortgage. Do you have a question to have Paula answer on the show? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: ...
How do you Report Rental Income on Income Taxes?
March 22, 2017 13:30 - 4 minutes - 2.98 MBThis is a listener's question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Kayla wants to know how to report rental income on your taxes when you also live in the property. Are there any tax implications to be aware of? Do you have a question to have Paula answer on the show? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
Real Estate Investing: Where Do I Start and What Do I Buy?
March 21, 2017 16:13 - 8 minutes - 6.08 MBThis is a listener's question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Krystina lives and has four rentals in Vermont, but she’s sick of the cold. She’s thinking of selling the properties and moving elsewhere. She asks: if you had to start over, where would you buy and what type of property would you buy? Do you have a question to have Paula answer on the show? Call it in from your computer or smartp...
Atlanta for Real Estate Investing?
March 21, 2017 14:12 - 10 minutes - 7.12 MBPaula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. This question comes from Ade, who has $25,000 to invest in real estate and lives in the Bay Area. Understandably, he’s thinking of investing out-of-state, and wants to know if Atlanta is still a good city to invest in. Where can the best deals be found? Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
Ask Paula - The Real Estate Edition
March 20, 2017 06:00 - 1 hour#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 Bay Area. Understandably, he's thinking of investing out-of-state, and wants to know if Atlanta is still a good city to invest in. Where can the best deals be found? Krystina lives and has four rentals in Vermont, but she's sick of the cold. Sh...
Whole Life Insurance: A Wealth Building Strategy?
March 17, 2017 13:30 - 13 minutes - 9.44 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
Are High Dividend ETFs Worth It?
March 17, 2017 13:30 - 6 minutes - 4.34 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
What are the Best Socially Responsible Funds?
March 16, 2017 13:30 - 8 minutes - 5.66 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
How Should I Invest Savings for my Kids?
March 15, 2017 13:30 - 10 minutes - 7.25 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
I'm DEBT FREE! Now what???
March 14, 2017 13:30 - 12 minutes - 8.43 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
What's the Best Way to use a Tax Refund?
March 13, 2017 13:30 - 10 minutes - 7.49 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
Ask Paula - How to Invest Your Tax Refund, Save for College, and Avoid Massive Pitfalls
March 13, 2017 04:42 - 1 hour#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 answer questions such as: - I'm getting a $2,500 tax refund. Should I use this to invest, repay debt, or upgrade my home? - I'm debt-free (except a reasonable mortgage) and maxing out my retirement accounts. What else should I be doing? - I've sta...
How Should You Go About Buying a Car
March 10, 2017 20:30 - 7 minutes - 5.07 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
Should I Create an Online Course?
March 10, 2017 17:00 - 14 minutes - 9.9 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
How to Maximize Tax Advantages Saving for Retirement
March 10, 2017 12:12 - 6 minutes - 4.78 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
How do you Structure a Business?
March 09, 2017 19:47 - 5 minutes - 4.63 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail
How to Financially Care for Aging Parents
March 08, 2017 13:47 - 9 minutes - 7.35 MBListener Question from "Ask Paula", the monthly episode where Paula Pant answers questions from Afford Anything podcast listeners. Have a question? Call it in from your computer or smartphone: http://affordanything.com/voicemail