Blog - Afford Anything

Today is My 10-Year-I-Don’t-Have-A-Job-AVersary

April 4, 2018 By Paula Pant 60 Comments

Today is the 10-year anniversary of the day I quit my job.

More accurately, it’s the 10-year anniversary of my last day of employment. Exactly 10 years ago today, on April 4, 2008, I finished my final day as a salaried employee.

I have never been employed by someone else since.

The notion that 10 years have passed since that fateful day sounds crazy. Ten years isn’t that long. It’s one-third of a 30-year mortgage.

But volumes have filled the cavernous space between April 4, 2008 and April 4, 2018.

When I quit, I didn’t have any concept of financial independence. I had no intention of staying out of the workforce permanently. I assumed I’d quit for two years, enjoy a mini-retirement, and then find a job again.

I didn’t realize that once I had a taste of unemployment, the thought of returning to office life seemed unbearable.

Here’s the backstory:
[Read more…]

Timeline vs. Intensity

March 27, 2018 By Paula Pant 15 Comments

“My dreams feel impossible. Everything is so far away. Five more years until I pay off the car. Twelve more years until I pay off the house. Do I have to wait until I’m 50+ to enjoy life?”
______

Let’s say you have a goal that’s audacious and unconventional.

You want to create $45,000 per year in passive income. Or you want to live 100 percent debt-free. Or you want to spend a year traveling across Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.

Maybe you’d like to take 6 months off work to garden, exercise, and spend time with your kids. Or to focus full-time on starting a business or becoming an artist.

How soon can you do this?

Sooner than you might think.
[Read more…]

Here’s a Counterintuitive Idea for Your Retirement …

March 20, 2018 By Paula Pant 39 Comments

Once upon a time, in southern California in 1994, there lived a man named William Bengen.⠀

His friends called him Bill.

Bill was born in Brooklyn, and he studied aeronautics at MIT. He wrote a big paper on advanced model rocketry. Then he became an executive at a soft drink company. Finally, 17 years later, he retired to sunny southern California.

Well, kinda.

Bill was smart and full of energy. He couldn’t stay retired for long. He decided to get a masters in financial planning. He opened his own firm.

And he started reading papers that … bemused him.

You see, at this time, many financial planners were claiming that since the stock market historically returns 7-9 percent compounding rates on average, retirees could withdraw and spend 7 percent of their portfolio. ⠀
⠀
Bill had a hunch that this was misguided. He decided to prove it.
[Read more…]

Why Money Won’t Solve Your Problems

March 6, 2018 By Paula Pant 34 Comments

A few years ago, my friend J.D. Roth told me a story that’s stuck in my mind ever since. ⠀
⠀
During his 20’s and early 30’s, J.D. was broke and in credit card debt. But in his mid-30’s, he started a business, and within three years, he sold it for a significant sum. He became wealthy almost overnight. ⠀
⠀
That’s where the story begins. ⠀
⠀
After his fortunes turned, he took a look at the rest of his life and realized it was still brimming with problems. He felt unhappy with his current relationship, weight, overall health, poor eating habits, lack of travel and lack of exercise. ⠀
⠀
He was financially abundant, but unhappy with the rest of his life. ⠀
⠀
That’s when J.D. realized that throughout his life, he had used money as an excuse. ⠀
[Read more…]

8 Money Myths That Might Be Holding You Back

February 19, 2018 By Paula Pant 54 Comments

I live in a two-bedroom condo. It’s furnished with a used couch and used coffee table.

My shoe rack is made from old cardboard boxes glued together.

Almost everything else in my home is from Craigslist, Amazon and Overstock. I consider IKEA to be a splurge.

My favorite hobbies are hiking and camping (free and cheap).

My friend Amanda cuts my hair. (In fairness, she’s a hairstylist.)

I can’t remember the last time I got a manicure or pedicure.

When I travel overseas, I fly with airline miles and visit countries where the exchange rate works in my favor.

The cheapest car I’ve ever purchased cost $400. I drove it for a year and a half, then sold it for $200.

The newest car I’ve ever purchased was 4 years old.

I bought my laptop and phone used (refurbished).

I lived with roommates until I was 31.

And I never need to work a job I dislike again.

This is what financial independence looks like.
[Read more…]

If Money is Not the Motivation, What Is? — an Interview with the Mad Fientist

November 16, 2017 By Paula Pant 25 Comments

Brandon always wanted to be wealthy. He just didn’t know why.

“I don’t like fancy cars, and big houses just seem inefficient,” he said. “I just wanted to have money to manage.”

But in 2011, Brandon discovered the concept of financial independence.

“That just blew my mind — it was just like, oh, I can buy my freedom, and my freedom is something that I would love to spend my money on,” he said.
[Read more…]

How to Make Long Flights Tolerable

November 10, 2017 By Paula Pant 23 Comments

Here’s the funny thing: I hate flying.
⠀
Yet I’ve taken 18 flights in the last 9 months. Including one Wednesday. And my next flight is today.⠀
⠀
To be clear — I’m not afraid of flying. I just don’t enjoy it. It’s noisy. It’s cramped. I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate. I feel drained and exhausted afterwards. ⠀
⠀
Since I’ve been on the road (um, in the air) so much this year, I realized I needed coping strategies to make long flights tolerable. Here’s how I manage the irritations of flying, and how I keep costs to a minimum:

[Read more…]

Love is Stronger Than Fear

October 2, 2017 By Paula Pant 15 Comments

I live in Las Vegas. This is my home.

Here are a few things that happened today:

Thousands stood in line for 6-8+ hours to donate blood.
Hundreds more donated water, snacks and shade.
Locals gathered on Facebook to offer free housing, rides, and pet-sitting for victims and volunteers.
Airlines donated free flights to victims’ family members.
Hotels donated free rooms to people traveling to Vegas to help victims.
Rideshare and taxi companies offered free transportation to blood donation centers and hospitals.
Faith leaders from many religions held vigils and encouraged giving.

Love is stronger than fear. Good is more powerful than evil. Heroes are more numerous than villains.

Please be a hero. Here are three ways you can help:

#1: Support the Las Vegas victims’ fund, which will provide support to the families of the shooting victims.

The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund campaign on GoFundMe raised $1.8 million within less than a day. Many of these donations came in small ($5 – $25) increments from people who gave whatever they could.

#2: The emergency rooms in Las Vegas feel “like we were in a war zone,” one trauma surgeon said. Please send support to local hospital staff who are working tirelessly. Giving $5 or $10 from every person can create a tremendous impact.

#3: Finally, please support any other causes that are calling you. We live in a world in which 1 in 9 people don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. Around 1 in 3 people don’t have access to sanitation. These facts don’t make headlines. But they matter.

Thank you.

What Would You Do If You Didn’t Have to Work?

August 28, 2017 By Paula Pant 63 Comments

Oh my goodness. I’ve done the unthinkable. I’ve written a blog post, after a many-month absence.

I realize this comes as a shock. If you need a moment to process, take your time.

Okay. Here we go.

So.

I’ve been quiet around here, so first I want to let you know I’m still alive. (Mostly.)

I don’t publish often, because I pressure myself to create articles that are perfect. Since that’s impossible, I stay silent and publish nothing.

To remedy this, I’m now committed to publishing the most imperfect posts you’ll ever read. This one, like everything I write, will be full of jokes that fall flat, terrible grammar, and incomplete sentenc–

(Hehe. #jokesthatfallflat )

Today’s post is a literal status update for the sake of my longtime readers who want to know what’s happening. Here’s the latest in my world of travel, investing and ideas …

[Read more…]

Real Estate Income Report: How Much I Made in April & May 2017

June 28, 2017 By Paula Pant 50 Comments

Hey there!

Just an update to let you know I’m still alive.

I know, I know … I’m a lazy bum who hasn’t published articles often. Sorry about that.

I tend to operate on “Paula Time.” It’s my own schedule, and it’s slooooow. #sooooslow

By some miracle, I created a new YouTube video in which I disclose my real estate income reports from April and May 2017. If you’re fascinated by real estate investing and/or weirdly into financial voyeurism, check out the latest income report here.

[Read more…]