By Paula Pant
Welcome to Greatest Hits Week – five days, five episodes from our vault, spelling out F-I-I-R-E.
Today’s second letter I stands for Investing. This episode originally aired in April 2022, but the framework remains one of the most practical guides we’ve shared for building wealth at any age.
Nick Maggiulli joins us to reveal […]
By Paula Pant
They’ve done everything right on paper. Mid-40s, nearly $2 million saved, clear spending numbers, and a realistic plan to downshift work within the next five to seven years. And yet, the hesitation is real.
In this Q&A episode, we unpack the hesitation that shows up right before a major financial transition, even when the numbers […]
By Paula Pant
If you’ve ever stared at an insurance quote and wondered, “Is this really worth it?”, you’re not alone. Liability and umbrella policies can feel like an expensive mystery, especially when your net worth is growing and your risks are shifting.
In today’s episode, we dig into a listener’s dilemma about soaring liability and umbrella insurance […]
By Paula Pant
We’re living through the first era in which an investor can ask a machine to read a decade of SEC filings in seconds. That sounds powerful, but also a little terrifying. Can we trust it? And how do we use it without falling for hallucinations or built-in optimism?
In this episode, we dig into the […]
By Paula Pant
What would you do if, at the age of 23, you found yourself with $70,000 a year leftover after expenses? Would you pour everything into retirement and coast to financial independence, or stockpile a down payment before life gets pricier with kids, a mortgage, and maintenance costs?
This week, we dive into that real-life dilemma […]
By Paula Pant
What if you did everything “right”, earned the degree, landed the six-figure job, and still felt broke?
That’s exactly where Rose Han found herself. Fresh out of NYU with a finance degree and a Wall Street paycheck, she had a negative net worth, mounting stress, and a sinking feeling that traditional success wasn’t the path […]
By Paula Pant
Many who reach CoastFI find themselves in a strange in-between: financially independent enough to stop saving, but not ready to fully retire. When you’re living off a taxable brokerage for decades, does the “never hold bonds in taxable” rule still apply?
This episode explores how traditional asset location advice meets real-life spending. We unpack how […]
Written By Paula Pant
Imagine asking ChatGPT to build you a $1.2 million portfolio … and then actually following it.
That’s exactly what one of our listeners considered doing.
She used AI to design her entire allocation, then called into the Afford Anything podcast to ask:
“How’d the robot do? What would you tweak?”
On a recent episode, Joe […]
By Paula Pant
Sarah Williamson is the kind of person who shapes the decisions that move trillions of dollars. She earned her MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and holds both the CFA and CAIA designations, two of the most demanding credentials in finance.
In this episode, she helps us understand how investing really works, who the […]
Written By Paula Pant
Hey everyone. Sooo … the Fed cut interest rates on Sept. 17.
You’re probably thinking:
“Wow, Paula. That news is three weeks old. You’re finally writing about it now?”
Yep. Yep.
“What are you going to tell us next? Hey everyone — We landed on the moon! Pearl Harbor attacked! Dewey defeats Truman!”
Fair point.
[…]
