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PODCAST

Afford Anything

Paula Pant | Cumulus Podcast Network

You can afford anything, but not everything. We make daily decisions about how to spend money, time, energy, focus and attention – and ultimately, our life. How do we make smarter decisions? How do we think from first principles? On the surface, Afford Anything seems like a podcast about money and investing. But under the hood, this is a show about how to think critically, recognize our behavioral blind spots, and make smarter choices. We’re into the psychology of money, and we love metacognition:

business investing

All Episodes

113:51

Why Taking a Year Off Might Be Your Smartest Money...

Afford Anything ·

2025/12/12

#668: We’re joined in-studio by David Bach, bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire and The Latte Factor. He’s updated his most popular book (over two million copies sold) and this is his last big launch as he heads into retirement.Together, we wrestle with a problem our listeners know well: what happens when you’ve built the habit of saving, investing, optimizing … and then feel weirdly unable to spend. We talk about mini-retirements, the psychology of “spend and enjoy,” and why

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63:39

Should You Ever Get a 50 Year Mortgage? — with Dr....

Afford Anything ·

2025/12/10

#667: Home prices have outpaced wages for more than a decade, and first-time buyers are stretching further every year. Now a new idea is entering the conversation, the 50-year mortgage. It promises lower monthly payments, yet it reshapes everything from equity growth to long-term risk.In this episode we sit down with Karsten Jeske, PhD, CFA from Early Retirement Now, a former Federal Reserve economist known for forensic financial modeling. Together we walk through when a 50-year mortgage might

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43:21

First Friday: The Strange Economics of Feeling Poor...

Afford Anything ·

2025/12/05

#666: In this First Friday economic update, we explore the paradox defining our current economy: record-breaking retail numbers alongside plummeting consumer confidence. In this First Friday economic update, we explore the paradox defining our current economy: we're spending more than ever, while feeling worse about money than we have in years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics hasn't released jobs data for two consecutive months. The Federal Reserve must make a critical interest rate decision

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54:24

Q&A: How Much Insurance Is Enough When You’re...

Afford Anything ·

2025/12/02

#665: If you’ve ever stared at an insurance quote and wondered, “Is this really worth it?”, you’re not alone. Liability and umbrella policies can feel like an expensive mystery, especially when your net worth is growing and your risks are shifting.In today’s episode, we dig into a listener’s dilemma about soaring liability and umbrella insurance costs, and we explore how to think clearly about protection, exposure, and the parts of your portfolio that may already be shielded. Along the way, we

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63:10

The Psychology of Sales, Discounts and Deals...

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/28

#664: Have any of these thoughts ever crossed your mind?If I had more willpower, I’d achieve my financial goals. I’m doomed to fail with money. Budgets suck. They only show me what I did wrong and make me feel horrible. If so, you’re not alone. It’s not that you lack willpower. It’s not that you’re doomed to fail with money. It’s not that you’re a horrible person for blowing your budget. It’s that you’re human. And humans make emotional decisions all the time. Decisions that often defy

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67:47

Why AI Misleads Investors and How to Fix It

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/25

#663: We’re living through the first era in which an investor can ask a machine to read a decade of SEC filings in seconds. That sounds powerful, but also a little terrifying. Can we trust it? And how do we use it without falling for hallucinations or built-in optimism?In this episode, we dig into the practical, real-world ways AI can strengthen our investing process while avoiding its biggest pitfalls. If you’ve ever wondered how to blend old-school fundamentals with new-school tools, this

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79:47

What If Everything We Know About Hiring Is Wrong?,...

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/21

#662: Most teams hire for skills. The best teams hire for wiring. What if the reason someone accelerates your organization, or quietly derails it, has more to do with their response time, processing style, or sense of mission than their résumé? This episode dives into the hidden patterns that shape how people work, make decisions, and handle pressure; the clues we often overlook, and the tiny tells that reveal who will thrive. We’re joined by William Vanderbloemen, whose firm has completed

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80:01

Q&A: She's Broke. He's Rich. And You're Asking About...

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/18

#661: When your income drops, debt spikes, and a rental property starts bleeding cash, it can feel like your entire financial foundation is cracking beneath you. Veronica, our first caller, is navigating all of it at once, from a near-foreclosure to a luxury car payment that’s strangling her budget. Her question is simple but enormous, how do you rebuild when you’re overwhelmed and out of margin?Once we work through her path forward, we shift to a listener on the opposite end of the spectrum

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62:42

The Brutal Math of Caring for Aging Parents, with...

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/14

#660: Caring for an aging parent can morph into a second full-time job, and even the most financially savvy adults get blindsided. Bank accounts freeze, home sales stall, and family savings disappear faster than anyone expects.In this episode, we dig into what really happens when you take over a parent’s financial life, from the first power of attorney to the final tax return. We explore the emotional and logistical realities of dementia care, Medicaid, trusts, probate, and why a single

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68:50

James Patterson Shows Why Comfort Can Be a Trap

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/12

#659: If you have time, how about this for a very short episode description:Imagine that you’re at the absolute peak of your career. You’re the CEO of a prominent advertising company at the age of 36, but you feel like you’re driving in the wrong lane. It’s wrong.Then you make a hard career pivot and it works out beautifully.My guests today know exactly what that’s like. We’re joined by James Patterson, the author who has sold more than 425 million copies of his books. He has co-authored books with

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37:21

First Friday: When the Gov’t is Closed, Where Do We...

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/07

#658: An unusual First Friday episode because we don't have a jobs report. However, we do know that in October, U.S. companies announced more job cuts in a single month than they have over any single month of the last 20 years. In other words, October was peak job cut month. By contrast, private payrolls, as reported by ADP, rose by 42,000 in October, so we have a little bit of conflicting data. Some pessimistic, some optimistic. We're going to take a deeper look at that in today's episode

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59:18

Q&A: Can You Really Beat the Market by Copying...

Afford Anything ·

2025/11/04

#657: This week, Paula and Joe dig into a listener’s question about ETFs that track the stock trades of U.S. politicians — including the Democratic “NANC” fund and its Republican counterpart “KRUZ.” They explore whether this strategy is smart investing or just expensive entertainment.Then, they shift gears to home ownership headaches. Another listener asks how to control ballooning maintenance costs, and Paula shares her best advice for finding trustworthy contractors, budgeting for repairs, and

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90:14

Would You Shock a Stranger? What a 1960s Experiment...

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/31

#656: What would you do if someone in authority told you to do something that felt wrong? Most of us like to think we'd speak up, push back, stand our ground. But research tells a very different story.In fact, when Yale researchers conducted a famous experiment in the 1960s, they found that 65% of people would administer what they believed to be deadly electric shocks to another human being... simply because someone in a lab coat told them to. Today's guest has spent over 15 years studying why

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74:26

Q&A: How to Choose Between Financial Freedom and a...

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/28

#655: What would you do if, at the age of 23, you found yourself with $70,000 a year leftover after expenses? Would you pour everything into retirement and coast to financial independence, or stockpile a down payment before life gets pricier with kids, a mortgage, and maintenance costs? This week, we dive into that real-life dilemma and explore how to strike the perfect balance between freedom now and security later. Along the way, we question whether a 0.40% fee for automated tax-loss harvesting

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85:49

How to Stop Fighting About Money

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/24

#654: Fights about money are common, but they're rarely about math. They're about power, shame, vulnerability, and trust. And no amount of data or fancy spreadsheets is going to fix it. What you need is a better system for fairness, more open communication, and a shared ambition.In this candid conversation with Heather and Doug Bonaparte, we explore how two partners rebuilt confidence, handled their six-figure student loans, and designed a rhythm for money talks that actually works. Together

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62:15

Radical Transparency in Real Estate Predictions

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/21

#653: What happens when we actually check our predictions? In this episode we play clips from our 2023 conversation with Scott Trench from BiggerPockets and ask the uncomfortable question: were we right?Two years ago we made some big calls about the housing market. Mortgage rates had doubled. Prices hadn’t crashed. Inventory was vanishing. Everyone had a theory about what would happen next. Now we look back with data and receipts to see which forecasts held up and which ones fell flat. Scott

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72:33

Why High Earners Stay Broke, with Rose Han

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/17

#652: What if you did everything “right”, earned the degree, landed the six-figure job, and still felt broke? That’s exactly where Rose Han found herself. Fresh out of NYU with a finance degree and a Wall Street paycheck, she had a negative net worth, mounting stress, and a sinking feeling that traditional success wasn’t the path to freedom. In this conversation, Rose shares how she broke out of that cycle and built a seven-figure business that gives her time, independence, and peace of mind. We

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84:46

Everyone Says Don’t Hold Bonds in Taxable Accounts....

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/14

#651: Many who reach CoastFI find themselves in a strange in-between: financially independent enough to stop saving, but not ready to fully retire. When you’re living off a taxable brokerage for decades, does the “never hold bonds in taxable” rule still apply?This episode explores how traditional asset location advice meets real-life spending. We unpack how to balance growth, taxes, and stability when your taxable account becomes your paycheck. Then we shift to two more listener dilemmas:

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73:26

How Money Moves Through Markets

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/10

#650: Sarah Williamson is the kind of person who shapes the decisions that move trillions of dollars. She earned her MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and holds both the CFA and CAIA designations, two of the most demanding credentials in finance.In this episode, she helps us understand how investing really works, who the major players are, how capital flows through the system, and why the incentives driving investors, activists, and asset managers often collide. Sarah spent more

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68:54

Q&A: Should You Buy a House Now or Invest Your Down...

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/07

#649: Many first-time buyers feel like they’re watching the train pull out of the station. If you’ve saved for years but can’t afford a home nearby, should you stretch to buy further (maybe hours) away or invest that cash instead?In this episode, we dig into the psychology, math, and lifestyle tradeoffs behind the “buy now or wait” dilemma. Plus, we unpack total return, explain when umbrella insurance is worth it, and share what every teen should learn about

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213 results

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