Afford Anything

Tag: mini-retirements

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#423: Ask Paula: Can I Make Money with My Passion?

We’ve heard the warnings about following your passion.

People ask if you can *actually* make money doing what you love. They frame the question “passion or profit?” as though these are in opposition.

The majority – who have never tried – decry, “what if you fail?”

Nobody asks the more important question: what if you succeed?

Are you still going to love your passion when you rely on it to pay the bills?

We grapple with that question in today’s episode, which is devoted to side hustles and starting a business. We use questions from two of our listeners as a jumping-off point to discuss the realities of going into business for yourself, doing what you love.

We share examples from our own lives as professional podcasters, as well as from the lives of friends who are full-time photographers, musicians, writers and other creative entrepreneurs.

Enjoy!

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

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#412: Ask Paula: Should I Repay Debt or Invest?

Taylor recently graduated. She wants to reach financial independence as soon as possible. What should she do first: invest or repay low-interest debt?

Carter doesn’t want to pay too much for his investments. He’s worried about the tax drag. He wants to know how to improve cost efficiency in his portfolio. How should he manage decisions about basis points, dividends and capital gains?

Our first anonymous caller has been working and investing for a decade. Today her portfolio is large enough that she and her husband can finally take a mini-retirement.

They’d like to rebalance their portfolio. They want it to reflect the fact that they won’t be working for a while. They’d also like to calculate how much money they need to travel with their children. How should they handle this?

Our second anonymous caller is worried that their portfolio is out-of-whack. Their money is in a target date retirement fund. They’d like to move some of it to a three-fund portfolio. But this is a scary time to sell. Stocks are low. What should they do?
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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#382: Ask Paula: There’s No Such Thing as a FIRE Number

Sara wants to leave her job to spend time with her children, and she needs help in calculating her FIRE number. But is this possible?

Joe is buying his first house hack and would like to understand if the FHA loan or the doctor loan would be better for him.

Kat received a windfall and is wondering if she should invest it in stocks, real estate, or a combination of both.

Aisha is moving to the US and wants to start investing ASAP – how should she approach her goal to reach FIRE?

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

Enjoy!

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

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By Paula Pant

#332: Ask Paula: What’s the Point of Financial Independence if I’m Not Going to Retire?

Ginger’s financial independence (FI) number is $2 million, but she doesn’t want to fully retire early. Once she hits ‘coast’ FI, she wants to 1) buy her time back with outsourcing, 2) take a mini-retirement, and 3) buy a vacation home. Does it make sense for her to divert retirement contributions to these goals, or should she aim to save $2M?

Wilson plans to have a two percent withdrawal rate in retirement. Given this low rate, should he go all-in on stocks? Or should he split up his retirement funds and invest one half conservatively and the other half aggressively?

Jennifer has a low-stress doggie-daycare, but she needs a bigger space to scale up. How the heck can she find a property to suit her needs in Austin, TX?

My friend and former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins me to answer another round of listener questions.

(If you have questions on business, money, trade-offs, financial independence strategies, travel, or investing, leave them here and we’ll answer them in a future episode.)

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By Paula Pant

#306: Ask Paula & Joe – How to Shift From Financial Independence to a Mini-Retirement?

Jake and his wife want to retire in five years, at which point they’ll have 14 years before they can access their 401k funds. To help bridge that gap, Jake wants to know: what should their asset allocation look like for their taxable brokerage account?

This year, Kim’s employer enrolled all employees into a “fully funded indemnity program combined with a nationwide direct primary care membership.” What the heck is this program, and how might it impact Kim’s finances?

Burnt Out in Boston is switching their focus from financial independence to taking a mini-retirement. How can they financially and mentally prepare for this leap?

Matthew is torn: should he and his wife – both 26 – max out their Roth IRAs and then save up for a rental property, or simply save cash for the rental and worry about their Roth later?

Finally, Deva and her husband are fed up with their messy tenants. They’re kind and responsible, but they’ve left the yard a mess. They have a clause in the lease that addresses this, so beyond that, what can they do?

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

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By Paula Pant

#262: Ask Paula – I’m Taking a Mini-Retirement in a Pandemic. What Should I Do?

Tyson is taking a year off of work and plans to devote some of his time to domestic travel, volunteer work, and bolstering his rental property portfolio. He originally planned to travel internationally, but won’t due to the pandemic. How does this plan sound?

Jace is wondering whether she should take advantage of the low stock market prices or keep a larger emergency fund due to the pandemic. Which is the better option, given her goal of financial independence?

Jace also wants to know: where do you park your money after maxing out a 401k and Roth IRA?

Venkat had to relocate after living in a condo for one year. He rents out the condo, but he’s in the red. Should he sell this condo? If so, when? 

TW has $250,000 in cash that he can use to either pay off his rental property or purchase two more properties. Which is the better option? 

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

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By Paula Pant

#258: Ask Paula – Can I Quit My Job Before I’m Financially Independent?

“Burned Out in Boston” wants to reach financial independence.

But she’s not sure she can stick it out in Boston much longer.

She and her husband want to move to an area that doesn’t have many job prospects, and they want to make this leap soon, ideally before they reach FI. How do they know when it’s the right time to jump ship to their dream location?

Ingrid and her husband own two rentals. They’re torn between paying one of their rentals off or buying more properties. Which is the better route to take?

Pat is torn: should she convert her garage into an accessory dwelling unit, or use funds to buy an out-of-state rental property?

Chelsea wants to know: what should you do if your newly purchased home is an instant money pit?

Julia wants to know how to approach investing in sector-specific index funds, like utility ETFs. Should they be a small or large portion of your portfolio?

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

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By Paula Pant

#256: Ask Paula: Bonds Are Tanking. Should I Switch to Real Estate Instead?

Jon is wondering if now is a good time to move his RRSP into a tax-free savings account, given the market downturn. He knows you can’t time the market, but the opportunity is tempting. What should he do?

Laurel’s question revolves around the CARE Act and early withdrawal from a 401k. She needs to rebalance her 401k and wants to buy a rental. Instead of selling stocks, should she sell bonds as a form of rebalancing and to withdraw for a rental property?

After seeing so many businesses experience financial hardship, Rebecca and her husband are curious: why don’t companies have emergency funds?

Salome sees the stock market downturn as an opportunity for tax-loss harvesting, but does this hold if you’ve held stocks for less than a year?

Josh and his wife have funds in Vanguard and Betterment, and they own their apartment in Queens, NY. Does the equity they have in their apartment count as real estate, or should they invest in something else for more diversification?

Jenny and her husband earn $220,000, max out their 403b and HSA, and have an extra $4,000 per month to invest. Where should they put this money?

Sheena has the option to purchase company stock at a 15 percent discount through an Employer Stock Purchasing Plan. However, it’s volatile right now. Should she contribute the maximum amount, or nothing?

My friend and former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins me to answer these questions. Enjoy!

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By Paula Pant

#227: Ask Paula – How Can I Get the Most from My Mini-Retirement?

Lien is taking a year off of work to live the van life with her husband. She wants to know how she can make the most of this sabbatical to figure out how to turn her less-than-inspiring career into a lifestyle that she loves.

Lien called in again to say that she wants to start a new business and a family when she returns from her gap year. Her former job offered excellent health benefits and maternity leave, but she doesn’t really want to go back. What should she do?

Eddie wants to build his real estate portfolio. How should he approach downpayments – put down more to net more profit, or put down less to acquire more properties?

Wilson is wondering if it’s a good idea to partner with a friend on real estate ventures. What are the downsides?

Wilson also wants to know about real estate business expenses, and the pros and cons of short-term rentals vs. long-term rentals.

Sean has an inconsistent employment history and is struggling to find a lender that will give him a mortgage. He wants to know if there are any other ways he can get a mortgage for a 4-plex?

An anonymous listener is thinking about taking the leap into real estate investing and wants to know how to overcome the fear they have about it. Also, should they put all of their savings towards real estate?

Anonymous is also wondering: how do you calculate net worth when you’re married?

I answer these questions on today’s episode of the podcast. Enjoy!

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By Paula Pant

#223: Ask Paula – Should I Choose This or That? How to Weigh the Tradeoffs

Elizabeth is curious to know: what does a good net worth breakdown look like? Is it appropriate to have a lot of your net worth tied up in real estate?

Marie wants to start her own business, but she’s living paycheck-to-paycheck. Is incurring debt her only option to make this dream a reality?

Bria wants to take a second mini-retirement and has a good chunk of money saved up. She wants to come back to the workforce with a cash cushion. What should she do with her money while traveling?

Anonymous is relocating from Southern California to Florida. She wants to know if she should rent an apartment and buy a rental property, or buy a primary residence with the $150,000 she has saved.

Connor is facing a dilemma. Is he correct in not prioritizing 401k contributions given that his employer doesn’t offer a match, combined with his goal for financial independence? Is his strategy of using his savings for real estate investing better?

Caroline is wondering: should she aggressively pay off her home and her rental properties, or use her excess savings to fund a brokerage account?

Today’s episode is full of exploring and weighing tradeoffs. Let’s dive in!

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