Written By Paula Pant
A few months ago, I got an invitation to speak at Google.
“Cool,” I thought. “That’s, like, grown-up stuff!”
The invitation came from one of my podcast listeners, David Moltz, who works at the company’s Los Angeles office and who hosted the hour-long Q&A.
“Could you talk about financial independence,” he asked me, “but maybe leave out the part about everyone quitting their job?”
“Haha! Sure thing,” I replied.
Written By Paula Pant
I’ve learned a ton during the past decade, thanks to reading, interviewing, and massive trial-and-error. I’ve distilled many of these lessons into today’s blog post.
Here are 17 lessons that can improve your money and life.
#1: Money Can’t Make You Happy, But Lack of Money Can Make You Unhappy
They say, “money can’t make you happy.” But that’s false.
Researchers have examined the link between money and happiness — and guess what? Money can make you happy, to an extent. Multiple studies found a significant correlation between money and happiness among people in low-to-middle income brackets.
Written By Paula Pant
Guess what? The Washington Post published an interview with me about the Financial Independence, Retire Early movement (the FIRE movement).
They asked if it’s possible to save half of your income. They asked about the accuracy of Suze Orman’s statement that you’ll need $5 million to retire early. (Spoiler alert: No. You don’t.) And they asked if everyone who reaches financial independence then spends their time blogging about said topic, because if that’s true, then what’s the point?
Written By Paula Pant
The FIRE movement is misunderstood. The drama of the last two weeks proves it. The question is, how can we fix this?
Ohhh we have a new supporter!!
Last week, Suze Orman called FIRE “dumb and stupid.”
“When I was 30 I was dumb and stupid as well, okay?,” she said in an interview with Yahoo! Finance, adding that she’s “pissed off” at people pursuing early retirement.
But since then, she’s taken more time to learn about the movement — and she’s in support.
In a Facebook post titled “What I Hate — and Love — about FIRE,” Suze writes…
Written By Paula Pant
Want to retire early? You’ll need at least $5 million, more likely $10 million, says famous financial personality Suze Orman.
I should know. She said that to me, directly, on my podcast.
I asked Suze for her opinion about a frugal, flexible person who wants to retire early with a $2 million portfolio. She warned that retiring would be a massive mistake.
“Two million dollars is nothing,” Suze said. “It’s nothing. It’s pennies in today’s world, to tell you the truth.”
Wait, what?
Written By Paula Pant
A few weeks ago, I received an email from Suze Orman’s publicist, asking if I’d be interested in interviewing Suze on my podcast.
“Duh,” I replied.
Suze is a legend in the world of personal finance. She’s appeared on Oprah multiple times, published 10 mega-bestselling books, and hosted The Suze Orman Show on CNBC from 2002 to 2015. She’s one of the most famous voices in this space.
I read her most recent book, Women & Money, and sketched out a framework for the interview. Then I threw it away, feeling dissatisfied with my questions, and I turned to the Afford Anything community on Facebook and Twitter.
“I’m interviewing Suze Orman,” I wrote. “What would you like me to ask her?”
Written By Paula Pant
The idea behind financial independence is that your passive income — typically through investments — is enough.
But how much is enough? Enough for what?
The typical reaction that many people have to this question is to define “enough” based on their current standard of living.
For example: “Right now, my spouse and I […]
Written By Paula Pant
I once asked my friend Monica: “What would you do for a living, if you could do anything in the world?”
I expected her to pause, but she knew the answer immediately.
“I’d open my own clothing boutique,” she said.
It was a fitting response (no pun intended). There’s a positive feedback loop between […]
Written By Paula Pant
Well hey, would you look at that!!
Money Magazine wrote a huge feature on my real estate investments. And they NAILED the headline. Damn.
I’m 34 Years Old and Own 8 Homes. Here’s How I Did It.
I’ve been writing about real estate investing since the beginning, and I never thought of a headline […]
Written By Paula Pant
There’s a scene in a classic 1950’s TV show, The Jack Benny Program, in which a mugger points a gun at the title character.
“Your money or your life,” the mugger says.
Jack Benny is silent.
“I said, your money or your life!” the mugger repeats.
“I’m thinking it over!,” Jack replies.
(You […]
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