Afford Anything

Tag: travel

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

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!

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Written By Paula Pant

The Importance of Using the Toilet Correctly (and Other Things I Learned Last Month)

When I was 18, I got a full scholarship for a one-month study abroad trip to Japan.

At the time, I didn’t have much interest in international travel. But free is free, so I spent a month in Japan during the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college.

That trip changed everything.

That trip ignited the travel bug.

I came back so enthusiastic about exploring the globe that I’ve based every major decision in my adult life around the goal of traveling more.

Every major life choice, from my initial career in journalism, to my decision to quit my newspaper job to backpack around Southeast Asia, to my pivot to becoming a location independent, self-employed freelancer …

Every choice I’ve made has been based around whether or not this opportunity would allow me to travel. It’s the benchmark against which all my decisions are made. It set me on a meandering path that led to financial independence.

And it all started with that trip to Japan.

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By Paula Pant

#202: Slow Travel is Cheap Travel – with Nomadic Matt

In 2006, Matt Kepnes worked at a hospital in Boston, and he felt miserable. He dreaded fighting traffic, spending his days under his offices’ fluorescent lighting, drinking stale coffee.

He decided to take one year off — a “gap year” — thinking that after his sabbatical, he’d resume another 40 years of punching the clock.

He worked 60-hour weeks in order to save money for his sabbatical year. He saved $30,000, then handed his boss a resignation letter.

Matt traveled for 18 months, returned to Boston, and realized he had lost his willingness to punch the clock. He couldn’t sit still in an office any longer.He re-packed his bags, bought a one-way flight to who-knows-where, and reinvented himself as a travel writer known as Nomadic Matt. He lives on a budget of $18,250 per year, or $50 per day.

In the last decade, his travel information website, NomadicMatt.com, has become one of the most popular travel blogs in the world, drawing millions of visitors. His writing has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, National Geographic Travel, and the BBC. He’s a New York Times bestselling author, and he’s traveled to more than 100 countries.

In today’s episode, Matt and I discuss the art of slow travel.

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Written By Paula Pant

What Would You Do If You Didn’t Have to Work?

Oh my goodness. I’ve done the unthinkable. I’ve written a blog post, after a many-month absence.

I realize this comes as a shock. If you need a moment to process, take your time.

Okay. Here we go.

So.

I’ve been quiet around here, so first I want to let you know I’m still alive. […]

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The Essential 4-Step Guide to Escaping the Ordinary

 

You want to escape the ordinary …

But you also want a practical plan.

You’re as pragmatic as you are adventurous. You’re a rebel with a retirement plan.

How do you start?

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After last week’s post, several Afford Anything Rebels asked me how to prepare for a massive leap into […]

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