By Paula Pant
Home prices have outpaced wages for more than a decade, and first-time buyers are stretching further every year. Now a new idea is entering the conversation, the 50-year mortgage. It promises lower monthly payments, yet it reshapes everything from equity growth to long-term risk.
In this episode we sit down with Karsten Jeske, PhD, CFA […]
By Paula Pant
Welcome to the last First Friday episode of the year. Today, we’ll dive into an unprecedented moment in the U.S. economy: a missing jobs report, a divided Federal Reserve, a sluggish labor market, and a holiday shopping season shaped by AI, bargain hunters, and low consumer confidence.
In this episode, we […]
Written By Paula Pant
It’s Giving Tuesday.
You probably woke up thinking it would be simple: write a check, feel good, move on.
Instead you’ve found yourself in a full-blown negotiation with your spouse.
Together, you’ve set aside $500 for charity.
You want to give to your university.
Your spouse wants to fund malaria prevention.
Both charities offer a […]
By Paula Pant
If you’ve ever stared at an insurance quote and wondered, “Is this really worth it?”, you’re not alone. Liability and umbrella policies can feel like an expensive mystery, especially when your net worth is growing and your risks are shifting.
In today’s episode, we dig into a listener’s dilemma about soaring liability and umbrella insurance […]
Written By Paula Pant
Let’s take a look at some stats from the holiday weekend.
How much are people spending?
What does this tell us about the economy?
How confident do households feel about their income and budgets?
Let’s look at the numbers and see what stories they’re telling us.
U.S. shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online on […]
By Paula Pant
Today’s episode is a special rerun from the Afford Anything “greatest hits” vault, one that’s especially timely as we move through peak shopping season.
Originally aired in January 2020, this conversation with behavioral economist Jeff Kreisler digs into the hidden psychology behind sales, discounts, so-called “free shipping,” and all the subtle […]
Written By Paula Pant
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Which means in 48 hours, your inbox is going to explode with “savings.”
Except here’s the thing: most of those “savings” aren’t savings at all.
Let me break down what’s actually happening to your brain during Black Friday.
Truth #1: You can’t save money by spending it.
That 40 percent off Instant […]
By Paula Pant
We’re living through the first era in which an investor can ask a machine to read a decade of SEC filings in seconds. That sounds powerful, but also a little terrifying. Can we trust it? And how do we use it without falling for hallucinations or built-in optimism?
In this episode, we dig into the […]
By Paula Pant
Most teams hire for skills. The best teams hire for wiring.
What if the reason someone accelerates your organization, or quietly derails it, has more to do with their response time, processing style, or sense of mission than their résumé?
This episode dives into the hidden patterns that shape how people work, make decisions, and […]
Written By Paula Pant
Remember the last thing you bought ….
…. that’s now collecting dust in your closet?
You thought it was a great deal, but now it’s just making you feel guilty?
Yeah, me too.
Here’s what nobody tells you about the price tag: it’s lying to you.
That $500 treadmill […]
