Written By Paula Pant
Fear is whispering.
It’s in your ear. And it’s getting louder.
“You can’t quit your job,” the fear whispers. “You’ll never find another one.”
“Don’t invest,” it says. “You’re not smart enough.”
“You shouldn’t travel,” it insists. “The world is dangerous and lonely.”
Hogwash. Baloney. Pfooey.
Fear is wrong. But the […]
Written By Paula Pant
This has been a big week: I had dinner with my biological sister, whom I haven’t seen in 7 years. (I was adopted.)
But this isn’t a blog post about cross-country family reunions. It’s a post about a magical thing called discretionary income, the key to a portal of incredible opportunities.
Discretionary […]
Written By Paula Pant
Welcome to the site, Marketplace Money listeners!
If you turned on NPR this past weekend, you might have heard me tell a musician to drink more beer. Weirdest personal finance advice ever.
But what do you expect from me? I don’t give boilerplate advice. I talk about mindset. And strategy. And beer.
[…]
Written By Paula Pant
In the 18th century, a French writer named Denis Diderot received a gift: a beautiful scarlet dressing gown.
The fabric was gorgeous. The colors were rich. The craftsmanship was spectacular.
Diderot immediately threw his tattered old gown away. He didn’t need it anymore. His new gown was breathtaking.
Of course, he needed […]
Written By Paula Pant
A few years ago I went camping in southeastern Utah with a group of friends.
“I love this place,” I said, gazing at the towering sandstone canyons. Then, ever so casually, I commented, “Hmm. Maybe I’ll come live here for a summer. Just two or three months. Could be fun.”
One […]
Written By Paula Pant
Myth: You can either have free time or you can make lots of money. But not both.
Fact: Money buys time.
When I was a kid, I didn’t care about making a lot of money. I’d rather have the time, flexibility and freedom to enjoy my life, I thought.
In hindsight, I was […]
Written By Paula Pant
Time for a round of Answer the Reader’s Question: Ignorance vs. Bliss.
Today’s question comes from a reader in his twenties who says:
“I was wondering if you have ever written an article on converting the (financial) ‘non-believers’?
“I’ve been trying to get my girlfriend to … help us be financially […]
Written By Paula Pant
Two weeks ago I went camping in the desert, without a phone signal or Internet connection.
During the 10 days when I was “unplugged,” a handful of urgent issues formed. A nasty virus infected Afford Anything, triggering “malware” alerts every time a reader tried to visit. Google de-listed me from its […]
Written By Paula Pant
Ever met a “should” – er? A person bound by invisible scripts who wants you to conform to their world view?
People seem to crawl out of the woodwork with opinions about how you should spend your money and manage your career.
“Now is the best time to buy a house!” […]
Written By Paula Pant
Today, Afford Anything turns one year old.
Exactly a year ago today I wrote my first post on this website, and geez, it was a terrible post. I’m too embarrassed to link to it.
I had no clue what I was doing when I started this site. I didn’t know HTML coding. I didn’t know […]
