524 episodes

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.

Afford Anything Cumulus Podcast Network

    • Business
    • 4.7 • 3.3K Ratings

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.

    Wall Street Secrets, with Your Rich BFF Vivian Tu

    Wall Street Secrets, with Your Rich BFF Vivian Tu

    #493: Do you ever wonder what happens behind closed doors on Wall Street?
    Vivian Tu, also known as Your Rich BFF, is here to spill the tea.
    Vivian grew up in a modest immigrant family. After college, she found herself working insane hours on Wall Street after college.
    While working on Wall Street, Vivian saw some weird things.
    Once, a coworker stumbled hungover into the office after a trip to Atlantic City, carrying a duffel bag with thousands of dollars in cash inside.
    Vivian realized that there's a group of high-income and high-net-worth people who handle money in drastically different ways than she learned in her frugal upbringing.
    She learned about investing, taxes, legal loopholes. She discovered new ways of thinking about money.
    She shares these insights -- gleaned from her Wall Street days -- in today's podcast episode.

    Resources mentioned:
    Book: Rich AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life

    Attend the LIVE Recording of Afford Anything's 500th Episode!
    https://affordanything.com/live500
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    • 1 hr
    I’m Earning Extra from my Side Hustle. But Does This Cramp My Chances at Investing?

    I’m Earning Extra from my Side Hustle. But Does This Cramp My Chances at Investing?

    #492: Christine’s business is struggling. She needs more income. If she adds a full-time remote job to her plate, how will her retirement and finances change?
    Rob enjoyed a banner year in 2023. He made over $1 million. But the sting of income tax has him making moves that violate his investment strategy. Is his tax tail wagging the dog?
    Gena is excited to make the most of business deductions. Can she contribute 100 percent of her wages to a 401k and have the company match that?
    Christina is tired of living like a pauper in the name of student loan repayment. Is Public Service Loan Forgiveness the answer?
    Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these four questions in today’s episode.
    Enjoy!

    P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail
    For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode492
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    • 57 min
    Why Bitcoin is Back in the News | First Friday

    Why Bitcoin is Back in the News | First Friday

    #491: Welcome, Emma Chamberlain’s fans!! Thanks for joining the Afford Anything community. You can find out how to escape the 9-to-5 grind at affordanything.com/escape
    Once a month, on the First Friday of the month, we explore the hot economic and money stories that are dominating the headlines. These days, Bitcoin is back in the news. As of Friday morning, March 1st, its price ranged around $62,000, which is pretty darn close to its previous all-time high of $68,700.
    But why?
    Crypto was hot in 2020, but it faded from memory in recent years. What’s behind the comeback? And what does that tell us about how investments become fads?
    Find out in today’s First Friday bonus episode.
    Bonus listening: https://affordanything.com/325-bitcoin-for-beginners for a deep dive into understanding how Bitcoin works.
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    • 22 min
    Inside the Mind of a Supercommunicator, with Charles Duhigg

    Inside the Mind of a Supercommunicator, with Charles Duhigg

    #490: Great communication will get you a raise.
    It'll get you promoted. You'll land the corner office.
    You'll make friends and be the life of the party.
    You'll land business deals and form lucrative partnerships.
    Supercommunication is a superpower.

    But how do we build it?
    Sometimes, you might walk away from a conversation with the joy of having made a cool new friend.
    Or you snagged a critical piece of information that you realllllly needed. Or you successfully negotiated an extra $5,000 off your car.
    On the flip side, sometimes you'll walk away from a conversation, scratching your head and wondering … “What just happened?”
    If either of these situations have happened to you, Charles Duhigg will help you understand WHY.
    Duhigg is a Pultizer Prize winning reporter. He holds an undergrad degree from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. He wrote for the LA Times and New York Times, before landing at The New Yorker.
    His first two books, The Power of Habit and Smarter, Faster, Better, have sold more than 5 million copies. Recently, he came out with a new book called Supercommunicators.
    He chats with us today to discuss the power of communication.
    Duhigg shares why communication is a critical component to happiness and success in every part of life. He discusses the different styles of conversations that people can have, which lead to either connection or disconnection. He also shares critical tips to help us all become supercommunicators and live richer lives.
    Enjoy!

    For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode490
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    • 1 hr 20 min
    Ask Paula: What to Do with a Six-Figure Windfall?

    Ask Paula: What to Do with a Six-Figure Windfall?

    #489: Cara made $100,000 in commissions this year, her biggest bonus ever. What should she do with the money if she wants to retire early?
    An anonymous caller is upset that the 401k plan he sold his boss on is charging him an Assets Under Management (AUM) fee. Should he keep the 401k at all?
    Remy and her husband need to come up with $30,000 for IVF treatments. How do they build their family without breaking the family finances in the process?
    Another anonymous caller and his partner have lived in an RV for years. They’re ready to settle. Should they sell most of his investments to purchase raw land and build an off-grid home?
    Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these four questions in today’s episode.
    Enjoy!
    P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail

    For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode489
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    • 1 hr 8 min
    Gut Instincts and Big Decisions, with Morgan Housel

    Gut Instincts and Big Decisions, with Morgan Housel

    #488: Ever made a flippant, seemingly minor decision that radically changed the course of your life?
    Morgan Housel has experienced this. At age 17, he made a quick decision that ended up saving his life. Sadly, two of his friends were less fortunate.
    He shares that story in today's podcast episode, and sheds light on the lessons he's learned from it.
    Housel says that his lifesaving choice -- and many of our other important decisions -- are snap verdicts, ones that we don’t spend much time thinking about.
    If pivotal moments are decided in a flash, how do we navigate risk? How do we evaluate our options?
    Housel says this comes understanding concepts that remain constant, consistent, and universal.
    We need to accept that humans aren’t rational. We must appreciate the reasons why the best answer doesn’t always win. We ought to remember that we overlook many good things happening around us. These constants will most likely impact our futures.
    Housel was named by MarketWatch as one of the 50 most influential people in the market. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Psychology of Money. His new book is titled Same As Ever.
    He joins us to discuss the ideas in his latest book.
    For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode488
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    • 1 hr 2 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
3.3K Ratings

3.3K Ratings

Bret from the Midwest ,

So much more than just a money and investing podcast!

I can’t thank you enough for producing such great content. I found this podcast searching for money and investing content but this is SO MUCH MORE!! There have been some interviews that I originally thought would have been of no value to me initially but Paula quickly captured my attention when she asked such great questions. If anyone reading this review wants a good sampling of the interview content then you should check out episode 426 as Paula highlights golden nuggets from the previous year! Great episode with valuable content!! Keep up the good work Afford Anything team!

dashuaige ,

Outstanding podcast

This is an amazing podcast on personal finance, financial independence, and life optimization with an optional side of real estate investing. As a speaker and as an interviewer, Paula is incredibly eloquent, mature, and intelligent. She has a wide variety of guests with a lot of different perspectives, both self-made bloggers as well as professionals, and her interviews are truly first-rate and worth listening to. I also have to credit her for sparking interest in real estate for me, something I was never previously interested in. I have taken away a lot of knowledge on real estate, as well as some insight into behavioral psychology in finance as well as productivity and mindfulness. The only thing that would make the podcast a little bit better in my opinion is if it catered a bit more to people with young children, single parents or anyone else who does not have as much personal freedom to simply travel or spend time investigating real eatate markets at a whim. That said, her tagline that you can afford anything but not everything, and that every choice you make has an opportunity cost is a universal truth, and her podcast truly helps you find real ways to align your life to your values. Edit 4/2020: Paula’s COVID-19 infection and her podcasts around that period gave me a whole other appreciation for it because I am a physician currently dealing with the outbreak. She made wonderful podcasts on how to be a fiercely compassionate and socially responsible citizen with all the economic suffering; then she gave the best PSA I’ve ever seen from a medical layperson on the need to social distance not just to protect oneself but to protect the most vulnerable people in our society. Then she tacked on brilliant content on how to be an intelligent investor during the huge market downturn, especially valuable to younger investors who don’t remember 2008. Intelligence, compassion and responsibility all while being financially savvy - this is now my favorite podcast.

Bharat Krishnan ,

Unrealistic

Caught a few episodes and just thought it didn’t have great actionable advice. Some of the guests seemed super unrealistic too, like the dude who spends $20k/month on expenses.

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