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By Erin @ Team Afford Anything

PSA Thursday: 31 Tips to Stay Productive As You Work From Home

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

Today’s focus is work. Specifically, working from home, and how to stay focused and productive throughout your day.

Getting thrown into working from home when all you’ve known is the office life can be hard. Especially when there are added distractions involved that you don’t have to deal with at the office, like your kids, a pile of dishes, or your gloriously-stocked refrigerator.

How can you manage the expectations of both your colleagues and the people you live with? How can you find a routine when you feel like you’re being pulled in a million different directions? How can you ensure your kids are taken care of and your boss/manager/client is happy?

Listen to the episode to discover the 31 tips we recommend for staying productive as you work from home.

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By Erin @ Team Afford Anything

#251: From High School Dropout to Successful Entrepreneur, Author and World Traveler — with Chris Guillebeau

Do you love the idea of making money on your own — without a boss?

Can you imagine deciding how you spend each day?

Are you bored and looking for a challenge? Do you love the thought of adventure?

Today’s guest, Chris Guillebeau, knows all about hustling, living an unconventional life, working towards seemingly impossible goals, and combining his interests into an epic lifestyle business that brings him freedom and joy.

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By Erin @ Team Afford Anything

PSA Thursday: How to Build an Emergency Fund During an Emergency

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

Today, we cover two topics:

1. Building an emergency fund during an emergency
2. How the bear market affects the way that you handle your investments

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By 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?”

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By Paula Pant

#249: How to Talk to Your Parents About Retirement and Beyond — with Cameron Huddleston

I’m recovering from Covid-19 at the moment, so I couldn’t put together a new episode this week. But in honor of the First Friday of the month, I wanted to re-air this interview with Cameron Huddleston, which we originally aired in August 2019.

In this interview, we discuss how to have those important but awkward conversations with your parents and grandparents about estate planning, wills, trusts, power of attorney, and more.

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By 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.

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By Paula Pant

PSA Thursday: Social Distancing is Social Solidarity

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‪My chief overriding mission is to use this platform to do everything in my power to help slow the spread of coronavirus. I’d also like to provide as much guidance as possible in this turbulent bear market and potential recession.

To do that, I’m introducing a new segment to the podcast: PSA Thursdays.

In this special weekly segment, I’ll talk about how we can:

— Flatten the curve
— Manage our finances in a turbulent market
— Work from home more productively
— Help friends and neighbors who are affected by economic stress

Here’s today’s episode, below. Enjoy from a safe distance six feet away.  🙂

P.S. Wash your hands! 🙂

PSA Thursday – 3/19/20: Social Distancing is Social Solidarity

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By Paula Pant

#247: Ask Paula – Is the Stock Market Going to Crash in 2020? How Should I Invest in a Bear Market?

Caroline wants to buy her first home in Denver, CO. How can she calculate how much mortgage she can comfortably afford?

Anne plans to retire later this year on rental income (woohoo!). She’s saved up a hefty emergency fund for her properties, and she wants to know 1) if she should invest a portion of this in index funds, and 2) whether she should rebalance her portfolio to account for this huge cash allocation.

Anonymous Nurse has over $100,000 in debt, not including their mortgage. They want to invest in rental properties, but with so much debt, they’re thinking of selling their home or renting it out. Which option is best given their interest in real estate?

Joy wants to know if she should put $50,000 towards her primary residence mortgage, or use it as a downpayment on her first rental property. What are the pros and cons of each option?

Anonymous owns a cash-flow positive condo…on leased land. The land will revert back to the owners in 32 years. When is the best time to sell this property?

I answer these five questions in today’s episode. Enjoy!

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