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Tag: financial freedom

January 10, 2022By Paula Pant

#348: Ask Paula: How Should We Invest to Retire By Our Mid-40’s?

Julia and her husband, both 27, want to retire by their early to mid-40s. Is there a point at which they should stop contributing to tax advantaged accounts and only contribute to taxable accounts?

Ana and her family like their home, but it needs to be bigger. A cash-out refi didn’t give them enough funds for their dream renovation. Should they put their money into the market in the hopes that it will grow large enough to fund a future renovation? Or should they move into a bigger house, rent out their house, and fix it up years down the road?

Anonymous from MA is flummoxed by HSA-compatible health plans. His copay and deductible are awful, and even bronze plans seem better. Are HSA plans overrated, or does the math work out?

Aja’s mom is 75 and has to take required minimum distributions from her IRA. She doesn’t need the money. Where should she put it?

Nick has a seasonal business. Can a sweep account help stabilize him?

My friend and former financial planner, Joe Saul-Sehy, joins me to answer these questions on today’s show. Enjoy!

Do you have a question on business, money, trade-offs, financial independence strategies, travel, or investing? Leave it here and we’ll answer them in a future episode.

Keep reading...

July 17, 2019Written By Paula Pant

Unusual Ideas about Self-Care … FIRE Edition

There are people who claim that ‘self-care’ requires wasting money.

They’ll encourage you to “treat yourself!,” because “you deserve it!”

Buy those shoes! Enjoy that upscale sushi restaurant! Upgrade to the nicer, newer car! You work hard. You deserve it!

Uh-huh.You know what else you deserve?

You deserve the relief that comes from wiping out a debt.

You deserve the joy that comes from buying an investment or a rental property.

You deserve the pride that comes from maxing out your contributions to a retirement account.

You deserve the stress relief that comes from taking a long walk in the park while listening to an audiobook, or taking a yoga class, or enjoying a hard workout at the gym.

Keep reading...

March 20, 2019Written By Paula Pant

So I Gave a Talk at Google …

A few months ago, I got an invitation to speak at Google.

“Cool,” I thought. “That’s, like, grown-up stuff!”

The invitation came from one of my podcast listeners, David Moltz, who works at the company’s Los Angeles office and who hosted the hour-long Q&A.

“Could you talk about financial independence,” he asked me, “but maybe leave out the part about everyone quitting their job?”

“Haha! Sure thing,” I replied.

Keep reading...

August 13, 2018Written By Paula Pant

How Much is Enough?

The idea behind financial independence is that your passive income — typically through investments — is enough.

But how much is enough? Enough for what?

The typical reaction that many people have to this question is to define “enough” based on their current standard of living.

For example: “Right now, my spouse and I […]

Keep reading...

April 25, 2018Written By Paula Pant

15 Insightful Books about Investing, Money, Work and Life

I love to read. If you share my enthusiasm, you might enjoy this variety of books about money, work and life that I recommend.

Feel free to scroll, or click on one of these links to skip ahead to your favorite section.

Productivity Books Money Mindset Books Investing Books Real Estate Books

Productivity […]

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...

March 6, 2018Written By Paula Pant

Why Money Won’t Solve Your Problems

A few years ago, my friend J.D. Roth told me a story that’s stuck in my mind ever since. ⠀
⠀
During his 20’s and early 30’s, J.D. was broke and in credit card debt. But in his mid-30’s, he started a business, and within three years, he sold it for a […]

Keep reading...

November 16, 2017Written By Paula Pant

If Money is Not the Motivation, What Is? — an Interview with the Mad Fientist

Brandon always wanted to be wealthy. He just didn’t know why.

“I don’t like fancy cars, and big houses just seem inefficient,” he said. “I just wanted to have money to manage.”

But in 2011, Brandon discovered the concept of financial independence.

“That just blew my mind — it was just like, oh, I […]

Keep reading...

August 29, 2015Written By Paula Pant

The 12 Essential Lessons You Must Learn About Money & Life

I’d like to explain … well … why this website exists.

Afford Anything promotes a handful of radical ideas:

#1: You can create financial independence — the ability to quit trading-time-for-money, because your investments cover your bills.

#2: Financial independence comes from passive income.

#3: To build passive income, you’ll first need to create a […]

Keep reading...

February 12, 2015Written By Paula Pant

Mini-Retirements, Semi-Retirement, Early Retirement — What’s the Most Awesome Lifestyle?

This recent reader email struck a chord:

I’m a software engineer trying to plan my plunge [into freedom]. I’m young, so I figured I would grind it out, save a lot, and retire early.

But after a health scare, I realize mini-retirements might trump early retirements, and I want to […]

Keep reading...

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Afford Anything

  • Start Here
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