Afford Anything

Tag: retirement planning

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#436: Ask Paula: How Do I Pay for Grad School?

Jeremy wants to attend graduate school. Should he take student loans or cash out his investment portfolio?

Andy is wondering if the 4 percent rule stands up to high inflation. (There’s a shockingly simple answer!)

Did Rudolfo discover a hack to supercharge his 401k investing?

Nandini is overwhelmed by her investing choices. What accounts should she use? What funds should she pick?

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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#435: Ask Paula: How To Prepare for A Layoff

Lee is 30 and facing a tech layoff. She can live for a year on her savings. She’s thinking about taking the rest of the year off. How should she prepare her investments?

Stacy wants to buy an Airbnb but she’s scared she’ll regret selling her company stock to do it.

An anonymous caller is tired of living paycheck-to-paycheck as a freelance artist. How can she stabilize an inconsistent income?

Danelle is a DIY investor. She can’t find a financial advisor who gives advice without insisting on managing her investments. Is she looking in the wrong places?

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

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#433: Ask Paula: Should I Quit My Cushy Job?

Should “Walker,” an anonymous caller, give up a cushy job to take a year-long sabbatical in Europe?

Blue wants to rent out his East Coast home, take a sabbatical from work, travel to the West Coast with his family, and start a YouTube channel and other entrepreneurial projects. How should he manage his money to make this happen?

Melissa regrets buying a house two years ago in Ft. Lauderdale. She’s poured $30,000 into repairs, all of which she borrowed. Her home-related debts have mounted. She’s over-extended. Should she cut her losses?

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

Enjoy!

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

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#432: The Risk of Not Fully Living, with Michael Lynch

Have you ever worried about running out of money after you retire?

Do you keep checking your net worth to make sure you have enough? Does this always feel a little … unsatisfying?

This episode discusses why.

Today’s guest, Michael Lynch, is a certified financial planner and author. His most recent book, “It’s All About The Income,” says that we’re obsessed with the wrong thing. Retirement planning is focused on growing assets. But your assets aren’t going to keep the lights on. Your INCOME, not your assets, is the centerpiece of your retirement.

He shares real-life examples of the biggest risks to your income — the risks that might halt you from enjoying your retirement years. He shares tips on how to make sure your income is smooth and secure, even when you’re not punching the clock anymore.

Enjoy!

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#426: Key Takeaways: Best Lessons from the Last Year, with Paula Pant

Behavioral researcher, Vanessa Van Edwards, talks to us about the critical importance of charisma – and how to use the perfect blend of warmth and competence to be charismatic.

Dr. Michael Slepian walks us through what secrets mean, what they cost, and how we think about them.

We dive into the world of long distance real estate investing, and talk about two of the major components of investing – Cash and mindsets – to help you determine if long distance real estate investing is right for you.

International best selling author, Julie Winkle Giulioni, reviews eight dimensions of career development and how to navigate them.

Chris Hutchins, entrepreneur and life hacker extraordinaire, spills his best secrets on optimizing spend to travel more cheaply.

Kiersten and Julien Sanders join us to discuss money topics for couples, and their framework for being financially independent in 15 years.

Stanford professor Jeremy Utley breaks down the art of creativity and producing new ideas – and shares actionable tips on how we can be more creative and have better ideas.

Dr. Daniel Crosby discusses how we are not wired to be good investors, and how to overcome our evolutionary wiring.

Enjoy this compilation of our favorite episodes to air in the second half of 2022.

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#425: Ask Paula: My Dad Died, and My Mom Is CLUELESS About Finances

Ellen’s dad died unexpectedly. Her mom is clueless about finances. How does she help a 70-year-old unravel financial complexities?

Mike has an opportunity to buy into his friend’s growing business. What should be his legal, financial, and relationship considerations?

Pepp wants to know what’ll happen to her Restricted Stock Units when her company goes private.

An anonymous caller needs to build her nest egg. She’ll be a full-time student with no income. She has 20 years until retirement. Should she execute a Roth conversion?

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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#417: Ask Paula: Marriage and Money – What Are the Right Conversations?

Our first anonymous caller is getting married. What are the financial considerations the couple should be thinking through since there is a large income gap between them?

Our second anonymous caller is concerned about her ability to continue working due to major depression. Should she consider disability insurance?

Carly is an accidental landlord and would love […]

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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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#409: Ask Paula: Should I Sell My Rentals to Buy More Stocks?

Liz and her husband are planning to retire in 5 to 10 years. They have rental income properties, but Liz is bored of managing these, and she’s intrigued by the idea of buying stocks at a discount when the market is low.  Should she sell her rental properties and use the money to buy stocks instead?

Rebecca is a high income earner and thinking about investing in a Roth 401k … but she’s scared of how much she’ll have to pay in taxes. Should she do it anyway?

Anonymous made big changes last year: she got a new career AND sold a house! Now she needs help figuring out capital gains and lowering how much she’ll have to pay in taxes … and she won’t have access to her company’s 401K for most of the year.

Kyle and his wife are moving into their dream home! What should they do with their current place?

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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#399: Ask Paula: The Stock Market Is Down – Can I Still Retire?

Bella is SO CLOSE to reaching F.I.R.E and is worried about her withdrawal rate if the stock market drops. If the stock market does drop, can she withdraw as much as she had originally planned?

Sam has been investing for several decades and thinks that he should stay invested in his portfolio, despite the recent drop in value…but he is still wondering if there’s a chance that he should sell.

Meisha is making more money at her new job but can’t contribute to her 401(k) for the first six months – what should she do with her extra money in this interim??

Kyria is a young investor with multiple goals: she’s wondering how to best save for a down payment without it being eroded by inflation and also whether her investment choices should take on more risk, since time is on her side.

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

Enjoy!

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Afford Anything