By Paula Pant
On the First Friday of each month, we air a special bonus episode.
Historically, these episodes have been the same as our normal weekly shows. They alternate between interviews and community Q&A episodes.
But for more than a year, I’ve wanted to create something special, something that makes these monthly bonus episodes stand out […]
By Paula Pant
Eve has been investing in her brokerage account and the tax liabilities are starting to add up. She wants to retire in 12 years and is wondering if she should invest in after-tax contributions and plan on a Roth conversion.
Anonymous has rental properties and wants to start building his kids credit histories. Is it a good idea to add them as co-borrowers on the mortgage?
Lily is really excited about investing in real estate, but househacking wasn’t the right fit. She’s looking for advice on investing in opportunity zones through crowdfunding platforms.
By Paula Pant
When our earliest ancestors noticed their immediate surroundings change – the trees began disappearing and their environment morphed into open savannah – they sensed they had a huge problem on their hands.
They were easy prey. They lacked adequate speed, strength and sharp sense of smell that would be useful for protection from predators.
But if they huddled together, they would be more protected. So like a school of fish or a herd of zebras, early humans began to band together as they roamed the dangerous and exposed plains.
But in any herd of zebras, a few slowpokes, the very young or old, the ill or injured, get eaten alive. This needed a solution.
Early humans improved their odds of survival by using handheld tools to kill predators from a distance, for example, by throwing rocks at lions in a coordinated defense.
Once they developed a coordinated, weapon-centric defense, they began using these same weapons offensively, in order to hunt.
They enjoyed the most successful hunts when they cooperated, communicated and coordinated, imagining future scenarios, strategizing and planning together. This required sharper cognition.
They traded brawn for brain.
And so an unprecedented cognitive revolution began, one that made humans the most remarkable species the world has ever seen.
In today’s episode, psychology professor Bill von Hippel explains the evolutionary science behind how we’re hardwired as humans.
We’re wired to be social, to connect, to communicate and cooperate.
We’re wired to want to learn and teach, to build a collective body of knowledge that stretches beyond what any single individual could ever learn in their lifetime.
We’re wired to feel surges of happiness that fade, so that we’re intrinsically motivated to keep repeating behaviors that lead to additional surges of happiness.
Once we understand the evolutionary science behind what makes us happy, Dr. von Hippel explains, we can apply this knowledge to making better decisions for our work, money and lives.
Bill von Hippel is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Michigan. He’s currently a psychology professor at the University of Queensland in Australia. He joins us to share his insights into the history and science of happiness.
By Paula Pant
Michelle makes $190,000 and is going to switch to a career that pays $40,000 on average. To prepare for this lower salary, she’s selling her current home and buying a different one. Should she pay off her new home with the proceeds from the old one? Or should she invest her profits?
Kristen is 32, and she and her husband want to retire in less than 20 years. They make too much to contribute to a Roth IRA. Should they use back door Roth conversions to speed along their path to early retirement?
Anonymous lives in a high cost-of-living area and is wondering where to keep her down payment and emergency funds. Should she use I-bonds, TIPS, or some combination of these two?
In today’s episode, former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these tough situations.
Enjoy!
Do you have a question on business, money, trade-offs, financial independence strategies, travel, or investing? Leave it here and we’ll answer them in a future episode.
By Paula Pant
Why does the stock market rise? Why does it crash? Why does it recover?
To answer these questions, we need a deep, tree-trunk understanding – a core, fundamental understanding – of how the stock market operates.
What, exactly, IS a stock – and how are stocks valued? What’s the difference between the Dow Jones, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq? Why is the market a voting machine in the short-term, but a weighing machine in the long-term?
Brian Feroldi, the author of “Why Does the Stock Market Go Up?,” joins us for a Stocks 101 explainer episode.
If you’d like a deeper understanding of the world of stocks, you’ll enjoy this explainer episode.
And if you have a friend/spouse/coworker who’s said, “I need to learn more about investing,” share this episode with them.
Enjoy!
By Paula Pant
Alex is curious about cryptocurrency. How should she analyze the returns promised by different platforms and where can she go to learn more about crypto in general?
Grace wants to buy a manufactured home for rental income. Should she calculate her returns differently for a manufactured home?
Thomas and his wife have parallel goals of saving for a down payment and contributing to retirement accounts. How should they balance both of these goals?
In today’s episode, former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these tough questions.
Do you have a question on business, money, trade-offs, financial independence strategies, travel, or investing? Leave it here and we’ll answer them in a future episode.
Enjoy!
By Paula Pant
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, many commentators have remarked that we’re living in an “epidemic of anxiety.”
More than 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety, and countless millions more notice themselves “acting out” against their responsibilities in smaller, self-sabotaging ways: procrastinating, lacking motivation, grappling with an inability to concentrate.
In today’s episode, Dr. Ellen Vora, M.D., discusses both the internal and environmental factors that can exacerbate anxiety. She talks about nutrition and sleep, as well as the fact that, frankly, your job just might suck.
She applies these ideas to tactics that allow us to better handle our finances, investments, careers and lives.
Dr. Ellen Vora holds a B.A. from Yale University and a medical degree from Columbia University. She’s a board-certified psychiatrist.
Enjoy this conversation, and share your comments and feedback with members of our community at affordanything.com/community.
By Paula Pant
Micheal’s parents just sold their home to pay off debt and fund their retirement. How should he invest the profits?
Ryker would like to understand what it would take for cryptocurrency to be considered as a good investment option for a diversified portfolio.
Megan has qualified for her employer’s 401k and needs help deciding between […]
By Paula Pant
Nearly every financial news story for the past several months has centered around inflation – but what, exactly, is inflation? What are its causes? What are its effects? How is it measured? What notable inflationary events have unfolded throughout history, and what can we learn from these?
In this episode, we peel back the layers of the onion in order to deepen our understanding of the concept of inflation. We discuss hyperinflation, biflation, stagflation; we discuss the CPI, the PPI, and core inflation. We discuss the demand-pull inflation, cost-push inflation and the wage-price spiral. We resist the temptation to make predictions about the future, choosing instead to focus on refining our understanding of the present.
Enjoy!
By Paula Pant
Hypothetical from the Hampton Inn is curious about whether he should keep his 30 year term life insurance policy or let it lapse with 12 years left on the policy.
Ramon asks us about the details behind infinite banking.
Anonymous Emily is wondering which financial products would work best to cover care and expenses as she ages.
Max is thinking through real estate and stock market returns as they relate to future population trends.
Do you have a question on business, money, trade-offs, financial independence strategies, travel, or investing? Leave it here and we’ll answer them in a future episode.
Enjoy!
