Afford Anything

Category: Personal Finance 101

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#573: Q&A: Wait, Are We All Wrong About Zero APR Strategies?

An anonymous caller has always put her large purchases on zero percent APR credit cards, but something’s been nagging at her. Is she walking on thin ice with this strategy?

Von is confused why he keeps hearing that Roth accounts are better than traditional if they both lead to the same mathematical result. What’s he missing?

Molly and her husband are well on their way to financial independence, but they feel unfulfilled with their careers. Can they afford to plunge into student debt with a 50 percent pay cut?

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

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#572: Your Last Thoughts Won’t Be About Money, with Dr. Jordan Grumet

At age 7, Dr. Jordan Grumet lost his father. This early loss shaped his career path — he became a physician, following in his dad’s footsteps. But by 2010, feeling burned out from internal medicine, he took an unexpected turn: he became a hospice doctor.

In this episode, Dr. Grumet joins us to discuss what he’s learned from thousands of conversations with people in their final days.

These discussions have revealed a pattern: people don’t typically regret their bank balance on their deathbed. Instead, they regret not pursuing the activities and dreams that truly lit them up.

Dr. Grumet explains the difference between what he calls “Big P Purpose” versus “little p purpose.” Big P Purpose involves major life goals like becoming president or curing cancer. Little p purpose, by contrast, focuses on the process — finding activities you enjoy regardless of the outcome.

He shares the story of a young professional who loved competitive cycling. While working a demanding nonprofit job, this person started fixing bikes at races on weekends. This side project combined his skills and passion, eventually creating enough income for him to reduce his full-time hours.

Dr. Grumet introduces three key concepts for building more purpose into your life:

– Joy of Addition: Add activities that excite you, even if just for 15 minutes daily
– Art of Subtraction: Remove activities that drain you
– Substitution: When you can’t add or subtract, swap one activity for another

He emphasizes that money isn’t the only tool for creating change. Youth, energy, relationships, skills and community can be equally valuable resources. A 22-year-old might lack funds but has the advantage of time and stamina that a 51-year-old doesn’t possess.

Dr. Grumet references the Harvard Adult Developmental Health Study, which found that strong relationships — not achievements or money — most strongly correlate with happiness. He suggests that pursuing activities you enjoy naturally leads to building these vital connections.

The episode closes with a powerful story about his grandfather, who loved math and became an accountant in the 1950s.

This passion influenced Dr. Grumet’s mother to become a CPA, which in turn helped young Jordan develop confidence in math, despite his reading challenges. Years later, this mathematical thinking helped him diagnose a rabbi’s rare condition — proving how small actions can create ripple effects across generations.

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#571: Q&A: When Your Crypto Bet Pays Off TOO Well

An anonymous caller’s crypto investments have recently skyrocketed to 17 percent of her investment portfolio. Given the volatility of this asset, should she rebalance it or go all in?

Jocelyn wants to buy a house in three years but she’s reluctant to keep her sizable down payment in cash. What if she splits the difference and invests half the money instead?

Allison feels antsy holding $1 million in cash with falling interest rates on the horizon. How does she optimize this money while keeping it liquid enough to buy a house on an uncertain timeline?

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

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#570: The Compound Effect of 52 Tiny Financial Changes

Grab your free copy of the 52-week guide to micro-improvements at affordanything.com/financialgoals

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In 2012, the British cycling team pulled off what seemed impossible. After 76 years of losses, they won the Tour de France, took second place, and grabbed 8 Olympic gold medals. Their secret? Tiny improvements that added up to massive change.

That’s the philosophy behind “One Tweak a Week,” a year-long financial roadmap broken into 52 small, manageable steps. Each tweak takes less than an hour — many just minutes — but compound into significant financial progress over time.

The plan breaks down into four quarters. Quarter 1 lays the groundwork with foundational habits like writing a financial motivation statement, calculating net worth, and choosing key metrics to track. It’s about getting clear on where you stand and where you’re headed.

Quarter 2 shifts focus to optimizing your money. You’ll track prices, adjust thermostat settings to cut energy costs, create a “fun fund” for guilt-free spending, and develop strategies for charitable giving. This quarter also tackles professional development and emergency medical expense planning.

In Quarter 3, the focus turns to systematic improvements — maintaining proper tire pressure to save on fuel, capturing work-from-home savings, planning for seasonal expenses, and building a buffer for unexpected price increases.

Quarter 4 wraps up with fine-tuning your system. You’ll evaluate housing options, manage variable food costs, set micro-saving challenges, and create strategies for handling market uncertainty.

The approach mirrors what British cycling performance director Dave Brailsford calls “the 1 percent margin for improvement.” He transformed the team by focusing on tiny details — everything from athlete hand-washing techniques to bringing specific mattresses to hotels for better sleep. Even painting the maintenance floor white to better spot problematic dust on bike gears.

Like Brailsford’s approach, these financial tweaks might seem small on their own. But together, they create a comprehensive system for building lasting wealth.

The guide is available at affordanything.com/financialgoals.

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#566: Q&A: Breaking Up with Total Market Funds After 10 Years

Jackie is sold on Paul Merriman’s “Four Funds” approach, but she’s overwhelmed by the logistics of diversifying her single fund portfolio.. What are the best practices to redistribute her investments, handle taxes, and manage rebalancing?

Heidi’s mother recently passed and she’s struggling to decide between distribution options, their tax implications, and investment options for the […]

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#562: The Secret Psychology of Successful Negotiators, with Matt Schultz

More than 90 percent of people who ask to get their credit card annual fee reduced are successful. Yet most people never ask.

Why? They assume the answer will be no.

Matt Schultz, the author of “Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More,” joins us to explain the psychology and tactics behind successful negotiation.

The key insight: companies want to keep your business. Banks, employers, and service providers invest in long-term relationships because it’s more profitable than constantly finding new customers.

This gives you more leverage than you might think.

For credit cards, Schultz points out that calling the retention department directly (rather than general customer service) often leads to better results. He shares his own experience of getting his $600 annual fee cut in half just by making a yearly call.

With mortgage negotiations, Schultz suggests getting quotes from 3-5 lenders on the same day, since rates change frequently. A quarter-point rate reduction on a $360,000 mortgage saves $20,000 over the life of the loan. The fees themselves can differ by $5,000 between lenders.

When it comes to workplace negotiations, Schultz recommends keeping a weekly log of your accomplishments. Note both your regular duties and times you went above and beyond. This creates a strong foundation for salary discussions.

The most effective negotiations frame requests as win-win scenarios. Instead of just asking for tuition reimbursement, explain how additional education will help you contribute more to the company. Rather than demanding a lower rent, offer to sign a longer lease that reduces the landlord’s vacancy risk.

Schultz emphasizes building relationships during negotiations. The person at the call center has likely dealt with angry customers all day. Being pleasant and making a human connection can lead to better outcomes.

The interview also covers negotiating with family members about money, choosing when to negotiate versus pay full price (like at charity shops or with small businesses), and how to time requests effectively.

The common thread: success comes from understanding the other party’s interests and finding ways to align them with your own.

This episode will show you how to save hundreds — or thousands — in your regular spending, simply by asking.

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#561: Q&A: Why Your Retirement Math Isn’t Adding Up

Joanne is confident that her short and long-term financial plans are set, but she’s not certain about the medium-term. What’s the proper way to allocate money for different time horizons?

Jessie is intrigued by Paul Merriman’s simple portfolio recommendations but wonders about his lean away from growth stocks. Are value funds generally better for everyday investors?

Nancy is worried she’ll miscalculate her financial independence number because her net worth includes pre and post-tax money, plus liquid and illiquid investments. What’s the right approach? 

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

P.S. Got a question? Leave it here.

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#557: Help! The Money is Good … But My Dream Life is Different

Imagine saving nearly your entire paycheck while your rental properties cover your bills. That’s exactly where real estate investor Andrew finds himself — and yet he’s at a crossroads.

At FinCon, a personal finance conference, former financial advisor Joe Saul-Sehy and I sit down with Andrew and another attendee who bring their money dilemmas live on stage.

Andrew’s question seems simple at first: should he sell his index funds to pay off his rental mortgages? But the real story runs deeper.

He feels called to entrepreneurship and wants to quit his corporate job to pursue it full-time. He could achieve minimal financial independence (lean-FIRE) if he pays off the properties, but that might limit his options.

Next, Chris, a Gen X dad, opens up about his Gen Z kids’ gloomy money outlook. His 22 and 24-year-old children, especially his daughter, believe their generation “will never retire.” They see high inflation, expensive housing, and low wages as insurmountable obstacles.

This sparks a deeper conversation about generational perspectives. We note that similar fears existed 15 years ago when millennials entered the workforce during the Great Recession. Joe shares how he helped his own kids develop healthier money mindsets by introducing them to financial voices they could relate to, like Broke Millennial author Erin Lowry.

The discussion evolves into how today’s young people actually have more opportunities than previous generations — they can work remotely, start online businesses with minimal capital, and create multiple income streams through platforms that didn’t exist before. Chris’s daughter, for instance, sometimes makes $35/hour driving for DoorDash during peak times.

We wrap up by talking about the importance of focusing on what you can control and finding purpose beyond just retirement planning. As Andrew points out, it might be worse to spend the best years of your life doing work you don’t care about than to face uncertainty in retirement. The key is taking action on the things within your control while building toward long-term security.

Throughout the conversation, both guests share personal stories that illuminate their situations – from Andrew’s experience at an oil refinery that pushed him toward entrepreneurship to Chris’s daughter storing cash for taxes from her DoorDash earnings, showing she’s more financially aware than she might think.

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#556: Q&A: When a Million Dollars Feels Like a Burden

An anonymous caller was raised to work hard, live below his means, and save. He feels undeserving of his recent $1,000,000 inheritance and struggles to spend it. What should he do?

Jack bought a house with a seven-year adjustable-rate mortgage. He’s confused about when and how he should refinance out of it. What should he do?

Jack is also wondering how to do the breakeven calculation between contributing to a Traditional IRA with upfront income tax savings versus a Roth IRA with deferred savings on investment gains.

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

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