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Category: Investing

April 30, 2020By Erin @ Team Afford Anything

PSA Thursday: How Bad Is the Stock Market Crash?

Welcome back to PSA Thursday, a somewhat-weekly segment in which we talk about how to handle money, work, and life in the middle of a pandemic.

The majority of us have experienced a rapid change that’s affected every aspect of our lives, from work to our wallets to our health. We’re living in a world that was completely unimaginable two months ago. And we’re trying to handle increased responsibility in a time of high anxiety and high uncertainty.

These weekly PSA episodes are one of many ways in which we hope to help our community make sense of how to manage our limited resources – our money, our time, our energy – in the context of these rapidly changing circumstances. 

Today, our focus is on money – specifically, the stock market. 

Why did it crash in March? What effect did that have on us as a society? Why has it rebounded in the middle of a shutdown, and what does that mean? Are valuations too high relative to earnings? 

How can we handle our investments and retirement savings at a time when the movements of the market seem irrational and unpredictable?

We explore these questions in today’s episode.

Keep reading...

April 27, 2020By Erin @ Team Afford Anything

#253: The Thinker’s Guide to Market Volatility, with Dr. Steve Wendel and Sam Lamas

It’s the spring of 2020, and the market is incredibly volatile.

It soars up one day and plummets down the next.

No one knows what to expect from the market or the economy.

No one knows what to expect, period.

What can we do in the midst of such turbulence? What should we do?

What our minds want to do and what we should do are at war with each other. 

For example, your mind might want you to panic sell after a sharp market downturn.

“Take me off this roller coaster!” it screams. 

But in reality, turning paper losses into real losses is a mistake. Investors often lose more when they panic and sell than they would have if they stayed the course. 

Unfortunately, your mind is nowhere near that conclusion. It’s too busy having an emotional reaction to the news. 

How can you protect yourself from reacting to panic? Is it possible to let some semblance of logic shine through?

Today’s guests say yes. It’s possible to save yourself from yourself, as long as you learn to recognize the cognitive tricks your mind plays on you. 

Keep reading...

April 8, 2020By Erin @ Team Afford Anything

#250: Ethical Investing 101, with Dr. Jon Hale, Head of Sustainability Research for Morningstar

Should we invest in sustainable funds?

If we choose sustainable funds, will our investment returns suffer? Will our expense ratios be sky-high? What drawbacks might we face?

How do we know that these funds are actually ethical? And what choices are out there for people who want to invest ethically or sustainably?

We invited Dr. Jon Hale to our show today to answer these questions.

Dr. Jon Hale is a chartered financial analyst and the global head of sustainability research for Morningstar. He directs Morningstar’s research on sustainable investing, which launched with the Morningstar Sustainability Rating for Funds in 2016.

We were inspired to conduct this interview on sustainability after we heard a question from one of our community members, Lily. She left a voicemail asking:

“Why don’t we hear anything about ethical investing in the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement? I’ve had trouble locating socially responsible funds in the past, and I wonder if these funds are labeled well or if they’re essentially a scam. Is there a third-party reviewer of these funds?”

Keep reading...

March 26, 2020By Paula Pant

#248: Covid-19 and the Bear Market

We are living in a time of extreme uncertainty.

Many of us are questioning how we can best use the funds we have to survive it.

“Should I sell the funds I have invested in the market, or keep contributing?”

“Should I continue with my plans to invest in real estate?”

“Should I hoard all of my cash in case this gets worse?!”

My friend and former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins me on today’s show to shed light on the answers and how to handle the stock market collapse.

Keep reading...

February 7, 2020By Erin @ Team Afford Anything

#240: 10 Questions to Master Successful Investing, with David Stein

Do you know what it takes to be a successful investor?

Can you name the three drivers of asset class performance?

Are you aware of the upsides and downsides of each investment that you hold?

Not having the answers to these questions could leave your portfolio exposed to major risk.

That’s why David Stein, today’s guest, wrote an appropriately titled book: Money For the Rest of Us. His book outlines 10 thought-provoking questions to ask before making any investment decision.

David, a two-time guest on the show, was the Chief Investment Strategist and Chief Portfolio Strategist at Fund Evaluation Group, a $70 billion investment firm. While there, he co-founded the firm’s $2.2 billion asset management division and developed its investment philosophy and process as the lead portfolio manager.

In this interview, David discusses the 10 questions outlined in his book:

What is it?
Is it investing, speculating, or gambling?
What’s the upside?
What’s the downside?
Who’s on the other side of the trade?
What’s the investment vehicle?
What does it take to be successful?
Who’s getting a cut?
How does this investment impact your portfolio?
Should you invest?

Whether you’re new to investing or consider yourself an advanced investor, David has an asset allocation approach that can save you from the expensive mistakes investors often make.

Here’s how to think through each of these 10 questions and improve your investment decision-making process.

Keep reading...

September 2, 2019By 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.

Keep reading...

April 9, 2019Written By Paula Pant

Six Percent is the New Four Percent

Today’s article is extra-nerdy. Pull on your Coke-bottle reading glasses and let’s run through a little bit of math.

Ready? Let’s go.

If you’re retiring on index funds, you might plan your retirement on the 4 percent withdrawal rule.

But if you’re retiring on rental properties, you could use the equivalent to a 6 percent withdrawal rule.

This holds true even if total returns on the two investments are the same.

Keep reading...

August 20, 2018By Paula Pant

#146: Ask Paula – Where Should I Keep My Money if I Want to Retire Early?

My friend and former financial advisor, Joe Saul-Sehy, joins me to answer a multitude of questions on retirement savings and investing, so let’s dive in.

Elyse has two questions:
#1: Through her job, Elyse has a 401(a) hybrid. Right now, she contributes 0.5% as her employer will contribute 2.5% only when she contributes 4%.

 […]

Keep reading...

April 16, 2018By Paula Pant

#125: How to Gain a Competitive Edge, with Morgan Housel

Morgan Housel has spent thousands of hours reading about investing.

As a former columnist for the Wall Street Journal and The Motley Fool, he’s spent more than a decade reading, interviewing, thinking and writing about how to manage money.

And he’s come to a simple conclusion: less is more.

Doing nothing is often the best […]

Keep reading...

March 20, 2018Written By Paula Pant

Here’s a Counterintuitive Idea for Your Retirement …

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 […]

Keep reading...

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Afford Anything

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