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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

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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41:35

First Friday: The Government Shuts Down -- But...

Afford Anything ·

2025/10/03

#648: The U.S. government is shutting down. Bitcoin just hit a record high. Inflation whispers are back. And Wall Street is buzzing with speculation.What does this all mean for your money, your portfolio, and your long-term financial freedom? On this First Friday episode, we unpack the economic headlines you can’t ignore — and help you separate signal from noise. In this episode, we cover: Government Shutdown: What happens when Washington goes dark, and how it could ripple into the markets,

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61:15

Q&A: How Do You Maximize a Mini-Retirement?

Afford Anything ·

2025/09/30

#647: What if you and your partner want to take a few months – or even a year – off work? How do you handle health insurance once you leave your jobs? And how do you make sure the time off isn’t wasted, but becomes a launchpad for what’s next? In this week’s Q&A, we dive into those questions. We also cover three more listener questions: what to do with a leftover $125,000 in a 529 account, how one listener landed a fully remote job with a 30 percent raise, and whether you can amend your taxes

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72:29

The Third Option Between Working and Retiring

Afford Anything ·

2025/09/26

#646: Picture this: your 11-year-old son comes home from a friend's house and asks why you don't have a basketball court in your basement like his buddy's family. Instead of just saying "we can't afford it," you explain that having one would mean dad goes back to working 60-hour weeks and traveling constantly. Your son thinks for a moment and says, "No thanks, I'd rather spend time with you." Andy Hill found himself having exactly this conversation with his son — and it perfectly captures the

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76:47

Q&A: My Friend Won’t Invest - How Can I Help?

Afford Anything ·

2025/09/23

#645: Mike (02:50): After 15 years of intentional living, Mike is 80 percent of the way to financial independence. Now he’s trying to help friends take control of their own financial future. But what happens when one spouse is eager to learn and invest, while the other isn’t interested? Michael (27:07): For two years, Michael has tracked his net worth monthly. So far, growth has been driven almost entirely by how much he saved. But when will investment returns begin to take over and shift that

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69:41

The Hidden Psychology Behind Every Financial Decision...

Afford Anything ·

2025/09/19

#644: Why do we both crave money and resent it? Why do some people sabotage their financial futures in the name of short-term comfort? And why is your brain — not the stock market — the biggest threat to your wealth?In this conversation, we explore the surprising ways that psychology and money intertwine. Our guest, Dr. Daniel Crosby, is a behavioral finance expert, psychologist, and bestselling author of The Soul of Wealth, The Behavioral Investor, and The Laws of Wealth. His research dives into

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63:19

LIVESTREAM: A Former Fed Economist Reveals What's...

Afford Anything ·

2025/09/16

#643: Picture this: you're at the Federal Reserve years ago. The chairman literally hangs up a conference call, waits 30 minutes, then calls back — suddenly everyone agrees on the rate decision. That's the kind of insider story Karsten Jeske (“Big ERN”) shares when he joins us to break down what's happening with the economy right now. Karsten worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta for eight years, then spent a decade on Wall Street at Bank of New York Mellon. Today he runs the popular

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26:06

BONUS: Stagflation, Stocks & Social Security - What’s...

Afford Anything ·

2025/09/15

EXCLUSIVE: Is your money safe in today’s economy? In this bonus interview, Paula Pant sits down with financial expert Rob Berger to unpack the latest on inflation, interest rates, market valuations, and the future of Social Security. Together, Paula and Rob dive into the tough questions: Is the American Dream dead for Gen Z? Will there be another market crash? How should you invest when stocks feel overpriced? Can you still retire comfortably if Social Security gets cut? Rob also

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186 results

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