Afford Anything
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: thinking about how to think. In some episodes, we interview world-class experts: professors, researchers, scientists, authors. In other episodes, we answer your questions, talking through decision-making frameworks and mental models. Want to learn more? Download our free book, Escape, at http://affordanything.com/escape. Hosted by Paula Pant.
Episodes
June 24, 2025 • 70 mins
#619: Dave is no longer happy with his financial advisor, but he’s nervous about switching over to self-management after being completely hands-off for so long. What should he do?
An anonymous caller keeps hearing about the benefits of Cost Segregation for investment property. What is it? And should he apply this strategy to his recently acquired duplex?
Another anonymous caller is eagerly anticipating a windfall from his emp...
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June 20, 2025 • 80 mins
DOWNLOAD the RISK PARITY PORTFOLIO CHEAT SHEET at affordanything.com/riskparity
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#618: Frank Vasquez watched his parents, ages 91 and 96, struggle financially in retirement.
They were immigrants. His dad was a physician. They raised five kids. They retired in the early 1990’s. But by 2009, they ran out of money.
When Frank was 45, in 2009, his parents would call asking for money to help make ends meet.
This real...
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June 17, 2025 • 64 mins
#617: Austin and his wife are worried about moving to a single-income household while supporting two kids. Should they free up cash flow by paying off a car loan, or tighten up and stay the course?
Paul has been retired for seven years, but still can’t shake his anxiety about not having enough. Is there a good way to know when he’s finally escaped the dreaded sequence of returns risk?
Jonathan wants to build up his taxable broker...
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June 13, 2025 • 109 mins
#616: Two school teachers in Ohio saved their entire lives for one dream — buying a farm.
When they inherited $1.3 million and found the perfect property for $1.2 million, everything seemed perfect.
Five days before closing, they received what looked like a legitimate email from their closing company with wire transfer instructions. They sent the money and showed up at closing, only to discover they'd been scammed.
The email ...
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June 10, 2025 • 72 mins
#615: Emily is nervous that buying their first home will derail her family’s journey to financial independence. What’s the smartest way to deploy their savings and stay on track?
Based on cap rate calculations, Paul’s real estate investments have appreciated beyond their sensible holding point. Should he sell his assets, or is there more to consider here?
Mike is recently retired while his wife still works. With a paid-off home a...
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June 6, 2025 • 56 mins
#614: The US just added 139,000 new jobs in May. That beat expectations. But the real story isn't in the job numbers — it’s in the bond market.
Something unusual is happening in bonds. Treasury yields are spiking. The dollar is weakening. That combination almost never happens together. And it's signaling concerns about future inflation.
Trade wars continue on. A federal court just struck down some tariffs. The administration wil...
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June 3, 2025 • 97 mins
#613: Rachel Rodgers graduated from law school with $330,000 in student loans. Her starting salary? Just $41,000.
Most people would have accepted this crushing debt-to-income ratio. They'd slowly chip away at payments for decades. Rodgers had a different plan.
She deferred her loans and started her own virtual law practice in 2008 — during the recession, when jobs were scarce and most lawyers were struggling to find work.
Her m...
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Grant Sabatier never worked in retail, never worked in a bookstore, and had no idea what he was doing when he opened Clintonville Books in Columbus, Ohio.
But that's exactly the point.
The experiment required 1,200 hours of solo work — measuring spaces, moving 40,000 books, and navigating city regulations.
But it taught him something crucial: even experienced entrepreneurs face steep learning curves when they try something new...
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May 27, 2025 • 69 mins
#611: With the state of the world changing so rapidly, Lesley is struggling to accept that “this time isn’t different.” Does the past still reliably inform the present in the face of major decisions today?
An anonymous caller and her husband want to achieve financial independence through real estate within 10 years. Is it better to pay off existing mortgages or prioritize buying more rentals?
Melanie feels duped by the FICO credi...
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May 23, 2025 • 94 mins
In 2005, Sebastien Page nearly died from a mysterious bacterial infection that doctors couldn't diagnose for a week.
A single observant physician noticed cuts on his toes from running in wet terrain and connected the dots.
The experience forced Page to confront mortality — and completely changed how he thinks about goals.
Page, the chief investment officer at T. Rowe Price and author of The Psychology of Leadership, joins ...
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May 20, 2025 • 78 mins
Eva is approaching financial independence, but she’s worried about messing up the transition. How does she set her portfolio up for success during the drawdown years of early retirement?
Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I deep-dive into this question in today’s episode.
Enjoy!
P.S. Got a question? Leave it here.
Episodes about the Efficient Frontier:
https://affordanything.com/577-qa-the-efficient-frontier-was-pe...
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#608: At age seven, Robert Rosenkrantz made a decision that would shape his entire life: he would take full responsibility for his future.As a child, Rosenkrantz watched his parents struggle financially. His father was unemployed for two years, and his mother worked as a drugstore clerk.Their financial insecurity was painfully obvious to young Robert. He never knew if the electricity or telephone service would be shut off.But rathe...
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May 13, 2025 • 84 mins
#607: George is a worried baby boomer, wondering if today’s generation is drowning in the noise of today’s financial landscape. How does one find a balance between information and overload?
Heather is stunned by the notion that renting could make more financial sense than buying. Where she’s from, the numbers seem to always swing in favor of owning. What’s she missing?
Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these q...
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May 9, 2025 • 77 mins
#606: Hospice nurse and end-of-life educator Suzanne O’Brien joins us to discuss the financial realities of dying in America — and they might surprise you.
Remember Aretha Franklin? Her handwritten will was found in her couch cushions after she passed away. Despite her substantial wealth, this simple document was legally upheld. It's a powerful reminder that having any form of will is better than none at all.
But there's more to ...
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May 6, 2025 • 46 mins
#605: In light of recent federal mandates to return to the office, Pedro is having a hard time giving up on his fully remote lifestyle. Is there a creative solution to his dilemma?
An anonymous caller is excited to move abroad permanently. How should she structure her investments to support her international lifestyle while maintaining a home base in the US?
Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these questions in ...
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May 2, 2025 • 60 mins
#604: The biggest trade shake-up in 135 years is happening right now.
April brought tariff levels that economists say haven't been seen since the 1890s, creating ripple effects throughout the economy.
We're seeing a stark disconnect between official economic data and how people feel about their financial future.
While the economy added 177,000 jobs in April — beating forecasts — consumer confidence has plummeted to alarmin...
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April 29, 2025 • 64 mins
#603: Bethany’s partner wants to invest most of their money in gold and silver, but no one seems to talk about this kind of investing. Is this a red flag or a potential opportunity?
Diana is worried she’s been saving too much for her kids’ college - hundreds of dollars a month since they were born. How does she know when to stop?
Wendy’s pension and social security will cover all her basic expenses during retirement. Does the ...
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April 25, 2025 • 66 mins
#602: Ever looked back at an old Facebook post and cringed? According to Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic, that discomfort is evidence of something powerful: your personality has changed, even if you didn't notice it happening.
In our latest episode, Khazan, who recently wrote a book on the science of personality change, breaks down how our personalities aren't fixed traits but flexible characteristics we can intentionall...
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April 22, 2025 • 56 mins
#601: Nick and his wife have $100,000 to invest, but they’re worried about the volatility of the current stock market. Should they look into alternative investments such as private equity?
Even though Roth IRAs come with tax-free withdrawals in retirement, Josh is worried about his tax bracket going up and neutralizing the benefits. Is he right to be concerned?
The retirement portion of Cindy’s financial three-legged stool is set...
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April 18, 2025 • 103 mins
#600: Jillian Johnsrud was falling apart. After suffering a miscarriage, she couldn't pull herself together to return to her job as a youth pastor in DC. She decided to take a month off.
That unexpected break became Jillian's first "mini-retirement" — a deliberate step away from work for at least 30 days to focus on something meaningful.
Today, Jillian is a mom of six who has taken more than a dozen mini-retirements with her kid...
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