Afford Anything

By: Paula Pant | Cumulus Podcast Network
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    2024 Afford Anything LLC
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Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Finance
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Episodes
  • Q&A: How Much Risk Should My Mom Take in Retirement?

    Q&A: How Much Risk Should My Mom Take in Retirement?
    Mar 11 2025
    #589: Kimmy is worried that her mom’s retirement portfolio is invested too conservatively. Is she right to advise her to take on more risk? Peyton has heard the financial advice about staying away from Whole Life Insurance as an investment, but what about as a savings account for children? Is there good a use case for this? Jeff and his wife are in a great financial position, but they fear that their retirement savings are too heavily apportioned in traditional IRAs. Will they run into tax problems in the future? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these questions in today’s episode. Enjoy! P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/podcast/binge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins
  • First Friday: The Economic Maze We're Navigating Together

    First Friday: The Economic Maze We're Navigating Together
    Mar 7 2025
    #588: Jobs are growing, interest rates are holding, and your student loan options just hit pause. Welcome to this month's economic rollercoaster. The economy is sending mixed messages this month. We added 151,000 new jobs in February, slightly better than January's 143,000. But unemployment ticked up to 4.1 percent. Health care is booming (52,000 new jobs). Restaurants and bars? They're hurting (lost 27,500 jobs). Federal government shed 10,000 positions while state and local governments added 21,000. The Fed isn't making any sudden moves. They'll likely hold interest rates steady at 4.25 - 4.5 percent when they meet March 18-19. Fed Chair Powell made this clear: "We do not need to be in a hurry and are well-positioned to wait for greater clarity." Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is working a different angle. He's targeting 10-year Treasury yields instead of pressuring the Fed on short-term rates. His strategy? Use fiscal and regulatory reforms to convince markets that inflation will be controlled long-term. Energy costs are a key part of his plan. Bessent believes lowering gas and heating oil prices does double duty: saves consumers money and boosts economic confidence. This matters because consumer spending is 70 percent of our economy. Speaking of confidence – it's plummeting. February saw the largest monthly decline in consumer sentiment since August 2021. People across all age groups and income levels are increasingly pessimistic. They expect inflation to hit 6 percent in the coming year (significantly higher than current rates). Got federal student loans? Applications for income-driven repayment plans are temporarily on hold. This affects all plans, even the older ones not being challenged in court. The pause came after a federal appeals court expanded a suspension of the SAVE plan. About 8 million borrowers had enrolled in this program, with more than 400,000 having their debts erased. If you're working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness, this is particularly important since income-driven plans are a key requirement. In crypto news, bipartisan legislation for stablecoins is moving forward. The Senate has the GENIUS Act while the House has the STABLE Act (yes, that spells "stable genius"). These bills would establish clear rules about who can create stablecoins and require them to be fully backed by high-quality assets like U.S. dollars or Treasury bills. They would also officially classify stablecoins as payment instruments rather than securities – a significant regulatory distinction. The housing market? It varies dramatically by location. In DC, some zip codes are seeing prices climb rapidly while others face steep declines. The lesson: real estate is hyper-local. Success comes from becoming an expert in just a couple of specific zip codes rather than trying to understand entire metropolitan markets. As Fed Chair Powell wisely put it, the key is "separating the signal from the noise as the outlook evolves." That's solid advice for navigating our current economic landscape. Episode Mentioned: Afford Anything Episode 564, The Real Story Behind Those Economic Tariffs https://affordanything.com/564-the-real-story-behind-these-new-tariffs/ For more information, such as the sources reported in this episode, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode588 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • Q&A: Should You Cash Out Your ETFs? The Hidden Consequences of That Decision …

    Q&A: Should You Cash Out Your ETFs? The Hidden Consequences of That Decision …
    Mar 4 2025
    #587: Debi is stressed about saving a down payment to buy a house in her high-cost-of-living area. Should she cash out her brokerage account to speed up the process? Lucas and his wife are high earners, but they’re tired and ready for a change. What strategies can they use to maximize their investments and confidently step away from their jobs? Grant is thrown off by recent discussions about the efficient frontier. It sounds a lot like market timing to base an investment strategy on an arbitrary set of historical dates. What’s he missing? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these questions in today’s episode. Enjoy! P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode587 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 8 mins

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Profile Image for Sacred W.

Amazing 👏🏿 Thorough - A must listen !

Wow- Paula Pants show is so inspiring and informative. Financial freedom with a lasting feels more obtainable due to her podcast & newsletter. Thank you. I'd be honored to Meet you someday!!

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amazing

Great episode! This episode was so insightful! I will check out the book "Quit" for more.

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Profile Image for Will Haase

Fantastic Podcast on Financial Independence

This is a great podcast o how to create more freedom in your life. The main theme of the podcast is around achieving financial independence but Paula also talks more broadly about living a purposeful and conscious life. Definitely worth checking out.

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