By Paula Pant
Scott Rieckens and his wife Taylor enjoyed a classic Southern California lifestyle.
They lived near a gorgeous beach in sunny San Diego. They frequently dined at sushi restaurants. They drove a BMW.
But after the birth of their daughter, everything changed. Taylor, an intelligent, career-driven, independent woman, suddenly didn’t want to spend any time away […]
By Paula Pant
Anna and Dave want to get married … eventually. But they want to buy a rental property together first. How should they approach this from a paperwork/legal structure standpoint?
Note: They’re thinking about having one partner purchase the home, with the other partner acting as a lender (with proper paperwork in place). Would this be […]
By Paula Pant
Laura Adams grew up in an upper-middle-class family in South Carolina, and her parents supported her through college. She attended her top-choice school, met her husband while they were still students, and enjoyed a charmed life.
When she graduated, she continued to live at a lifestyle to which she felt accustomed. She rented a beautiful […]
By Paula Pant
Antonia, 27, wants to retire in 15 years. She’s trying to figure out whether to contribute to pre-tax or after-tax retirement accounts.
Most financial advice for 20-somethings that she’s encountered says to contribute to after-tax (Roth) retirement accounts. These articles assume that a 27-year-old will continue earning money for the next 30+ years, presumably […]
By Paula Pant
Your income, debt, spending habits and net worth aren’t merely a function of your actions. They’re a reflection of your deep-seated inner psychology around money.
Dr. Brad Klontz, a clinical psychologist and financial planner, joins me on today’s show to discuss four “money scripts” that may be harming us. These scripts include:
Money avoidance — […]
By Paula Pant
It’s time to answer real estate investing questions!
Tom asks:
“We’re thinking about buying a duplex on a beach in a popular vacation destination in Florida. If the property stays 85 percent occupied as a short-term (VRBO) rental at current rates, the income from one unit of the duplex could cover the costs of a […]
By Paula Pant
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 […]
By Paula Pant
This week, former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I answer five questions about investing, retirement, insurance, travel and selling an expensive car.
Eliana is 25 and makes $63,000 per year, plus a little extra from freelance work. She holds $95,000 in cash, $67,000 in retirement investments, and no debt. She doesn’t necessarily hold early retirement […]
By Paula Pant
In the 1970’s, a woman named Vicki Robin teamed up with a man named Joe Dominguez.
They came from different backgrounds: she was an Ivy League graduate with a comfortable upbringing; he was raised in Spanish Harlem on “welfare cheese.”
But they shared one common thread: a commitment to financial independence, not just as a […]
By Paula Pant
Tony lives in Chicago, where the returns on rental properties are so-so. He’s thinking about investing in Indianapolis, where he consistently finds rental properties with cap rates that are greater than 8 percent. Should he invest locally, so that he can get a primary residence mortgage and keep a closer eye on the space? […]
