Afford Anything

Category: Episodes

By Paula Pant

#218: Why We’re Irrational with Money, with Kristen Berman

Kristen Berman is co-founder of Irrational Labs, a behavioral product design company, along with Dan Ariely.

She has a fascinating job that involves looking into why people behave the way they do with their money, and discovering the easiest solution to help them create more positive financial behavior.

In short, she’s a proponent of redesigning the current financial system to make saving automatic and easy, and that’s part of what we discuss in this episode.

If creating better financial habits has been a challenge for you, or if you have trouble framing spending as a positive thing, rather than a loss, then Kristen has awesome advice for you.

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By Paula Pant

#217: Financial Independence – My Philosophy and Origin Story, on The FI Show

Earlier this year, Cody and Justin from The FI Show interviewed me and asked some excellent questions about my journey to financial independence, entrepreneurship and passion, and minding the gap between your income and expenses.

We talk about the importance of side hustling and how to create a well-paying job from your skills.

We touch on real estate and why I chose this strategy to reach FI.

We also discuss the bone I have to pick with the financial independence movement.

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By Paula Pant

#216: Unraveling the Four Percent Rule, with Dr. Wade Pfau

It’s September! If you’ve been listening to the show for the past few months, then you know that I’m on what I’ve dubbed my September Sabbatical, in which I’m traveling the globe and taking a break from podcast production.

In light of that, we’re digging through the archives and airing some of my favorite interviews on the show, in between airing interviews I’ve done on other podcasts.

Welcome to another episode from our archives! This one was recorded in March 2018, and Dr. Wade Pfau had a ton of insight into the four percent rule that so many of us are concerned with.

First, here’s a brief history of how the four percent rule came to be.

In 1994, William Bengen decided to look at 30-year timespans throughout U.S. History, beginning with the year 1926.

He worked under the assumption that a retiree held 50 percent stocks (in the form of S&P 500 Index), and 50 percent bonds (intermediate-term government bonds).

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By Paula Pant

#215: Financial Independence in Seven Stages, with Joshua Sheats

We are really digging into the archives with today’s episode. This originally aired back in 2016!

Besides being another fun and fascinating interview, this is one of our most popular episodes. Which isn’t surprising, given the topic we’re exploring. 🙂

Financial independence means many things to many different people, which might be why we find it challenging to settle on a definition that everyone can agree on.

Regardless of what your personal definition is, Joshua Sheats, a financial planner and host of the well-known Radical Personal Finance podcast, says that financial independence can be separated into seven stages.

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By Paula Pant

#214: The Tables Have Turned – My Interview on ChooseFI

It’s September! If you’ve been listening to the show for the past few months, then you know that I’m on what I’ve dubbed my September Sabbatical, in which I’m taking a break from podcast production and traveling the globe.

In light of that, we’re digging through the archives and airing some of my favorite interviews on the show, in between airing interviews I’ve done on other podcasts.

I’m super excited to share an interview I did with Brad and Jonathan of ChooseFI back in December 2018. It was fun to have the tables turned, and Brad and Jonathan left no stone unturned in their interview with me.

If you ever wanted to know my origin story, including where my love for travel comes from, where my desire for freedom came from, and how I combined both, then give this interview a listen.

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By Paula Pant

#213: Nine Lessons from a Millionaire Teacher, with Andrew Hallam

It’s September! If you’ve been listening to the show for the past few months, then you know that I’m on what I’ve dubbed my September Sabbatical, in which I’m traveling the globe and taking a break from podcast production.

In light of that, we’re digging through the archives and airing some of my favorite interviews on the show, in between airing interviews I’ve done on other podcasts.

If you missed the last episode, you might want to listen to it before diving into this one, as Andrew and I go into the finer points of investing here.

Seriously. This is one of the most in-the-weeds shows I’ve done to date.

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By Paula Pant

#212: How Andrew Hallam Became a Millionaire on a Teacher’s Salary

It’s September!! If you’ve been listening to the show for the past few months, then you know that I’m on what I’ve dubbed my September Sabbatical, in which I’m taking a break from podcast production and traveling the globe.

In light of that, we’re digging through the archives and airing some of my favorite interviews on the show, in between airing interviews I’ve done on other podcasts.

The first episode we’re bringing back is part one of a two-part interview with Andrew Hallam, a teacher who became a millionaire in his 30s and reached FI in his 40s.

How? Beyond investing small sums (we’re talking less than $100 per month) throughout college, he also saved half of his starting salary of $28,000.

Yes, you read that correctly. This episode is awesome for anyone who thinks it’s impossible to reach FIRE on a low salary.

I originally interviewed Andrew in January 2017, and we could not stop talking. Which is why our three-hour interview was divided into two parts.

In this first part, Andrew shares his story – how he became a millionaire, and why he wanted to achieve FIRE in the first place.

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By Paula Pant

#211: What’s Your Why? Financial Independence, Debt Freedom and More

Hey there!

I’m writing this from Croatia, where I’m beginning five weeks of travel that I’m calling my September Sabbatical. From now through September 23rd, I’ll be exploring the globe and enjoying a one-month break.

Today, I’m kicking things off with a community-based episode. Here’s the backstory behind today’s show:

There’s an event called CampFI, which is a 3-4 day gathering for people who are interested in financial independence. CampFI holds around half a dozen events per year in various locations; I spoke at one in Colorado Springs this past July.

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By Paula Pant

#210: How to Be an Adult – with Mark Manson

We live in a fascinating era: huge sections of society are more prosperous, advanced and safe than at any other point in human history, yet depression and anxiety are at record highs.

It’s a paradox of progress: the richer the nation, the more likely its citizens are to suffer from mental health issues and report feeling crushing isolation and unhappiness.

What gives?

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By Paula Pant

#209: Ask Paula – Are Index Funds Unsafe?

Anonymous wants to retire early and often. They’re going overseas, where they’ll make their annual salary within six months. Where should they put their extra income?

Anonymous also wants to know: how can they find a financial advisor they can actually trust?

Another anonymous listener wants to know – is it possible to spend more while minimizing taxes in early retirement?

JuanCarlos asks: is $20,000 too little to invest with a financial advisor?

Angela is wondering how to create a Roth IRA account for a teenager.

Rose is thinking about switching from mutual funds to index funds because it means encountering less fees, but her and her husband are in their 60s. Does this make sense?

Ari has $700,000 to invest in a taxable brokerage account. He wants to know if a 90 percent total stock market index and 10 percent bonds is a good asset allocation.

Dave and his wife want to use their defined benefit plans as their primary income stream in retirement, and supplement with Roth and 457 incomes. Where else should they be saving?

Myself and former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy answer these questions on today’s episode.

Enjoy!

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