financial freedom

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    #376: Ask Paula: How Should My 64-Year-Old Mom Handle a Toxic Boss?

    ByPaula Pant

    Meghan’s mom is 64 years old and suffering under a toxic boss. It’s tough to switch jobs at her age. How should she think through the next steps?

    Ellen has a 20-year-old son with physical and developmental disabilities. Her other child, age 21, will need to look after him for the rest of their lives. How should she handle their inheritance? 

    Joe wants to start working part-time in four years, and fully retire four years after that. He worries he’s investing too aggressively for his retirement date.

    In today’s episode, former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these tough situations.

    Enjoy!

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    #374: Ask Paula: Watch Out! Here’s How Lowering Your Investment Tax Bill…Might Increase Your Risk

    ByPaula Pant

    Jake wants investment cash flow until he’s eligible for his military pension in 10 years.  Should he buy small multifamily properties right now, wait a few years and invest in syndications or should he invest in index funds through taxable accounts?

    Andy in Palm Springs is shoveling money into a taxable brokerage account. He wants to use these investments to create another stream of income. But there’s a problem: his tax bill is going to be high. What should he do?

    Anonymous is a U.S. citizen, lives in London, and can’t invest in index funds. Can he emulate the index fund experience by directly buying a huge number of individual stocks?

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

    Enjoy!

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    #364: Ask Paula: No Spouse, No Family, And Thinking About Getting Old – How Do I Prepare?

    ByPaula Pant

    Hypothetical from the Hampton Inn is curious about whether he should keep his 30 year term life insurance policy or let it lapse with 12 years left on the policy.

    Ramon asks us about the details behind infinite banking.

    Anonymous Emily is wondering which financial products would work best to cover care and expenses as she ages.

    Max is thinking through real estate and stock market returns as they relate to future population trends.

    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.

    Enjoy!

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    #362: Ask Paula: Okay Seriously, Why Hasn’t Anyone Solved the Budgeting Issue?

    ByPaula Pant

    David is questioning how to better manage his spending. He’d like a stronger framework to think through budgeting challenges.

    Elisa and her husband bought a home, and now they’re saving extra income every month. She has a pension and her husband is an entrepreneur. How much should they be saving for retirement and how should they invest their extra money?

    Geoff invested primarily in taxable brokerage accounts for the last twenty years. He’s built a $6 million portfolio and reached financial independence. He wonders about the smartest strategy for withdrawing from those taxable brokerage accounts to efficiently manage capital gains?

    Jenna and her husband are planning on buying their next home in a few years. She wants to know if I-bonds are a good way to save for the down payment and closing costs.

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

    Enjoy!

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

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    #358: Ask Paula: Should I Invest in Index Funds More Actively?

    ByPaula Pant
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    Where is the balance between the risks and potential returns of actively and passively investing in index funds?

    Where do you place your savings after you max out your retirement and HSA accounts?

    How do you finance building a rental unit when there’s already a home on the lot?

    Is it more beneficial to buy back pension time with post tax deductions or a 457b plan? Or should I not buy back pension time at all?

    In today’s episode, former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I discuss the purpose and practice of mindful money.

    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.

    Enjoy!

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    #357: Practical Investing and the Efficient Frontier, with Joe Saul-Sehy

    ByPaula Pant
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     Discussing advanced investing topics with me is former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy.

    You may recognize him from the Ask Paula episodes, but we discuss financial topics shared in his new book “STACKED: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management” – co-authored with Emily Guy Birken.

    Enjoy!

  • #355: Hospice Doctor’s Advice on Financial Independence, with Jordan Grumet

    ByPaula Pant
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    When Jordan Grumet realized he had achieved financial independence, he fell into a deep depression. He didn’t know who he was anymore, he says, and he didn’t know what should come next.

    He learned about how to deal with us by observing his hospice patients. In this episode, Grumet, a hospice doctor, describes how working with the dying has taught him about life.

    Enjoy!

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    #356: Ask Paula: FIRE vs. FOMO — How Do You Balance Between These?

    ByPaula Pant
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    How do you find balance between smart money management vs. missing out on opportunities?

    Should you pile money into investments or take that dream trip to Tanzania?

    What should you do when your heart leads you to a decision that doesn’t make sense on paper?

    In today’s episode, former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I discuss the purpose and practice of mindful money.

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    #354: Ask Paula: How Do I Make Sure I Don’t Spend the Money I’ve Invested?

    ByPaula Pant
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    Charlie in Cali has enough money saved to pay cash for a house, but she and her husband decided to finance their home, instead. They’d rather invest the money and arbitrage the spread.

    But one problem: how can they keep themselves from touching this investment?

    Jay is choosing between Fidelity and M1 Finance and has questions about tax loss harvesting.

    Nicole and her siblings will be inheriting some properties that they eventually plan to sell. How should they set up or organize these properties among so many owners? Should one person take the lead? Do they need a shared business account? Also, how should they evaluate a property and make sure they get a good deal when they sell?

    Ed owns three homes, two of which he plans to sell in the next few years. He plans to live in them long enough to establish residence and take the capital gains exemption when they sell. Is his plan for handling the taxes solid?

    We answer these four questions in today’s episode.

    Enjoy!

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    #352: Ask Paula: Should I Pull Money from My Emergency Fund to Invest or Pay Off Debt?

    ByPaula Pant
    [smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA346.mp3" title="Ask Paula: How Can We Reach Financial Independence by 35? " artist="Paula Pant" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" social_linkedin="true" social_stumble="true" social_pinterest="true" social_email="true" ]

    Anna and her husband have volatile income, but Anna thinks that having 18 months of living expenses is unnecessary. She’s torn between paying off her student loans ($30,000) or investing the money. Mentally, she always figured she would pay off her debt first, but wouldn’t investing pay off in the long run?

    Charlotte and her husband are taking a phased approach to financial independence, where they need to bridge two gaps before they each turn 59 ½. How can they calculate how much they need at each phase?

    Elle has a retirement plan in place, but her company is adding a Roth 403(b) option soon. Should she stay the course or adjust her strategy in these last five years before retiring?

    Sara wants to purchase land and build her dream house by refinancing her rental property and turning her current home into a second rental. How can she improve this plan?

    Joe Saul-Sehy, my friend and former financial planner, joins me to tackle these questions on today’s episode. Enjoy!