• First Friday: Why Americans Are More Pessimistic Than Ever
    Jul 4 2025
    #622: #622: The headlines said America added 147,000 jobs in June. The reality? Private companies actually cut 33,000 positions. Grad students just lost access to unlimited borrowing. Parent PLUS loans now cap at $65,000. And tariffs are about to jump as high as 70 percent. Everything is changing at once — taxes, tariffs, student loans, and immigration policy. And data from the University of Michigan says that consumers feel more pessimistic than they did six months ago. Welcome to the 4th of July First Friday episode. On America's 249th birthday, we unpack these economic stories. Timestamps: Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising run times. The provided timestamps are approximate and may be several minutes off due to changing ad lengths. (0:00) Introduction (1:19) Historical trivia about the Declaration of Independence (2:28) Three presidents died on July 4th — statistical improbability explained (4:24) Trump signs domestic policy bill extending 2017 tax cuts (6:13) Student loan changes — borrowing caps and repayment plan eliminations (8:53) Tariff pause expires July 9th, new rates announced (12:00) Original tariff rates and Lesotho example breakdown (16:26) June jobs report headlines versus private sector reality (22:54) ADP reports private job losses while government hiring grows (26:46) Consumer confidence drops 18 percent since December (30:59) Inflation expectations versus actual 2.4 percent rate (34:19) Fed takes wait-and-see approach amid policy uncertainty (36:58) Labor market stagnation mirrors Federal Reserve strategy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • Q&A: Which Investments Should Go Into Which Accounts?
    Jul 2 2025
    DOWNLOAD the FREE Cheat Sheet: ASSET LOCATION MADE SIMPLE at affordanything.com/assetlocation #621: Jared is attracted to the favorable terms of the annuity plan that his employer offers, but he’s hesitant to pay the opportunity cost of locking up his money now. What should he do? An anonymous caller is struggling to find the efficient frontier with only three funds to choose from in his Thrift Savings Plan. Is there any hope for him? Jack feels great about the funds in his portfolio, but he’s losing sleep over how to apportion them between his taxable, pre-tax and Roth accounts. What’s the best tax strategy for him? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode. Enjoy! P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Q&A: My Company Is Going Public and I Have No Idea What to Do – Plus, Should I Fire My Advisor?
    Jun 24 2025
    #619: Dave is no longer happy with his financial advisor, but he’s nervous about switching over to self-management after being completely hands-off for so long. What should he do? An anonymous caller keeps hearing about the benefits of Cost Segregation for investment property. What is it? And should he apply this strategy to his recently acquired duplex? Another anonymous caller is eagerly anticipating a windfall from his employer’s upcoming IPO. How should he prepare for this, and what happens if it fails? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three 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/episode619 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • How to Retire at 50 While Supporting Aging Parents, with Frank Vasquez
    Jun 20 2025
    DOWNLOAD the RISK PARITY PORTFOLIO CHEAT SHEET at affordanything.com/riskparity ______________ #618: Frank Vasquez watched his parents, ages 91 and 96, struggle financially in retirement. They were immigrants. His dad was a physician. They raised five kids. They retired in the early 1990’s. But by 2009, they ran out of money. When Frank was 45, in 2009, his parents would call asking for money to help make ends meet. This reality hit Frank hard and sparked a decade-long quest to crack the code on sustainable retirement withdrawals. At age 45, Frank set an ambitious goal: retire in his early 50’s while still supporting his parents financially. The problem? Most financial experts simply told people to spend less rather than optimize their portfolios for higher withdrawal rates. Frank wasn't satisfied with that answer. You'll hear how Frank discovered that many retirees leave money on the table by holding too much cash or following overly conservative allocation models. Through extensive research, he found a sweet spot for stock allocation that maximizes safe withdrawal rates — something most traditional advisors miss entirely. Frank walks us through his approach to portfolio construction, explaining why he believes in balancing growth and value stocks while keeping bonds limited to US treasuries for recession protection. He breaks down the math behind safe withdrawal rates and reveals why property taxes pose a hidden threat to retirement security as home values climb. You'll learn about risk parity strategies, macro allocation principles, and why diversification across uncorrelated assets creates more stability than traditional 60/40 portfolios. The conversation covers Frank's Golden Ratio Portfolio, a structured approach to asset allocation designed specifically for the retirement drawdown phase. Frank figured out how to fix what went wrong with his parents' retirement. His approach could help you avoid the same mistakes. Timestamps: Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising run times. The provided timestamps are approximate and may be several minutes off due to changing ad lengths. (00:00) Introduction (01:04) Frank's parents' financial struggles (05:21) Finding a sustainable retirement portfolio (10:19) Learning from market crashes (13:25) Different types of investments (25:10) Building the perfect portfolio (32:25) Frank's real-world example (39:24) Property taxes and retirement goals (44:21) Safe withdrawal rate basics (45:22) How much to put in stocks (51:03) Why bonds matter (54:23) Adding alternative investments (1:00:14) The Golden Ratio Portfolio (1:12:11) Investment strategies for retirement (1:15:44) Taking money out of your portfolio (1:18:31) Taxes on withdrawals (1:21:14) Where to put your investments (1:23:35) Keeping it simple (1:26:07) How much cash to hold (1:28:20) Market timing risks (1:34:38) Giving back in retirement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Q&A: We Just Had a Baby and Lost Half Our Income
    Jun 17 2025
    #617: Austin and his wife are worried about moving to a single-income household while supporting two kids. Should they free up cash flow by paying off a car loan, or tighten up and stay the course? Paul has been retired for seven years, but still can’t shake his anxiety about not having enough. Is there a good way to know when he’s finally escaped the dreaded sequence of returns risk? Jonathan wants to build up his taxable brokerage account, but he’s having trouble letting go of the tax benefits of a Roth IRA. How does he get past his psychological hurdles? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode. Enjoy! P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • How Hackers Are Stealing Your Retirement $50 at a Time, with former CIA hacker Dr. Eric Cole
    Jun 13 2025
    #616: Two school teachers in Ohio saved their entire lives for one dream — buying a farm. When they inherited $1.3 million and found the perfect property for $1.2 million, everything seemed perfect. Five days before closing, they received what looked like a legitimate email from their closing company with wire transfer instructions. They sent the money and showed up at closing, only to discover they'd been scammed. The email was fake, sent by hackers who had infiltrated the closing company's servers for months, waiting for exactly this type of high-value cash deal. That story comes from cybersecurity expert Dr. Eric Cole, who joins us to explain why ordinary people have become prime targets for cybercriminals. Cole, a former CIA hacker who served as cybersecurity commissioner under President Barack Obama and advises high-profile clients including Bill Gates' personal estate, has a message: if you think you're too small to be targeted, you're wrong. While billion-dollar companies deploy teams of 60 cybersecurity professionals, you have virtually no protection. Criminals know this. They're not trying to steal $100 million from one person anymore — they're stealing $50 from thousands of people every month. You probably won't notice the small amounts vanishing from your accounts. Cole calls it "death by a thousand cuts," and it's happening right now. We talk through the most common attacks targeting your money. Bank hacking is simpler than most people realize. All criminals need is your account number — printed on every check you write — and your password. With that information, they can often perform electronic fund transfers of up to 50 percent of your account balance without triggering alerts. We also cover the China-TikTok connection, secure messaging options, and why Cole helped configure President Obama's smartphone to connect to fake cell towers that masked his actual location. Cole's bottom line: cybersecurity isn't just for tech companies anymore. Criminals are targeting ordinary people because we're easier prey than heavily protected corporations. Your money is under threat. Here's how to protect it. Timestamps: Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising run times. The provided timestamps are approximate and may be several minutes off due to changing ad lengths. (0:00) Introduction (1:17) Why ordinary people are cybercrime targets (2:29) The "death by a thousand cuts" (4:05) How criminals destroy your credit with fake accounts (5:19) Cryptocurrency wallet attacks and empty life savings (6:08) Elder scams and the devastating impact on families (8:24) Different types of cyber attacks explained (8:44) Bank hacking (14:25) Phishing scams using fake toll messages (18:53) Ransomware as a legitimate Russian business (23:44) How scams and cybersecurity overlap (35:31) Paula's phone security audit (49:54) Smartphone security for high-profile individuals (54:55) TikTok's data collection and Chinese government access (59:44) Real estate scams targeting cash buyers (1:12:18) Essential security rules (1:27:05) What to keep in a fireproof safe https://affordanything.com/episode616 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 50 mins
  • Q&A: We Saved $1.2 Million But We’re Still Renting. Should We Buy?
    Jun 10 2025
    #615: Emily is nervous that buying their first home will derail her family’s journey to financial independence. What’s the smartest way to deploy their savings and stay on track? Based on cap rate calculations, Paul’s real estate investments have appreciated beyond their sensible holding point. Should he sell his assets, or is there more to consider here? Mike is recently retired while his wife still works. With a paid-off home and healthcare already taken care of, what are best practices for drawing down an investment portfolio? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode. Enjoy! P.S. Got a question? Leave it here. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode615https://affordanything.com/episode615 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 12 mins