By Paula Pant
In the 1970’s, a woman named Vicki Robin teamed up with a man named Joe Dominguez.
They came from different backgrounds: she was an Ivy League graduate with a comfortable upbringing; he was raised in Spanish Harlem on “welfare cheese.”
But they shared one common thread: a commitment to financial independence, not just as a […]
Written By Paula Pant
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 […]
By Paula Pant
After Liz Thames graduated from college, she couldn’t find a job.
“Nowhere would hire me,” Thames says. “I had what I thought was this nice resume, and I sent out over 50 applications. Nowhere called me back.”
She took a temporary job at a document-scanning agency, then joined Americorps to serve as a full-time volunteer […]
By Paula Pant
Once upon a time, in southern California in 1994, there lived a man named William Bengen.
He read many claims, widespread at the time, that said that since the markets return at least 7-9 percent compounding rates on average, retirees could withdraw and spend 7 percent of their portfolio.
William had a hunch that this […]
By Paula Pant
Tanja Hester and Mark Bunge used to have demanding but fulfilling careers as political and social cause consultants.
While they loved the mission behind their work, they grew tired of the exhausting hours and grueling travel. Their home felt like a weekend crash pad. They had no time or energy to pursue outside passions like […]
Written By Paula Pant
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 […]
By Paula Pant
Over a year-and-a-half and two million plus downloads later, the Afford Anything podcast has hit another awesome milestone: the 100th episode!
To celebrate, I recorded this one live from Ecuador with my good friend Brandon, otherwise known as the Mad FIentist. (You can watch the video here.)
If you’ve been a listener since the […]
By Paula Pant
Early retirement? Yes please.
This week, I answer questions from the audience around early retirement planning, health savings and debt pay-off.
Question #1: How can I avoid early-withdrawal penalties?
Our first caller is Christianna, who asks two questions:
I’m interested in early retirement. How can I avoid early withdrawal penalties? How does early retirement impact the […]
Written By Paula Pant
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. […]
By Paula Pant
Imagine you’re financially secure. You have enough money to support your family and pursue your dreams. You enjoy fulfilling work with a reasonable schedule. What would you do with both your time and money?
Next, imagine you’re financially independent. Your investments create enough money to support yourself and your family. What would you do?
[…]
