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.
728 episodes transcribed#342: Russell is a busy professional who’d like to invest passively in real estate. Is there data he can use to compare this approach to owning and ma...
#341: Imagine a line. Cowardice exists at one extreme end of that line. Recklessness exists at the other extreme end. And in the balanced middle, you’...
#340: Imagine this: You start a side hustle. Maybe you sell planners or lead workouts in the park. You make a few thousand dollars during your first y...
#339: Have you ever thought, “I’d like to invest in rental real estate but there are no cheap properties in my area!” “Homes in my city are too expens...
#338: This month, we’re running four episodes based around the four pillars of F.I.R.E. — financial psychology, investing, real estate and entrepreneu...
#337: Meet Kristen Berman, a top researcher in the field of behavioral economics. She’s the co-founder of Irrational Labs, which designs products that...
#336: Anonymous and his partner have a one-bedroom condo that they rent out in Pasadena, CA. The problem? They’re barely breaking even. Should they ke...
#335: Have you ever spent years studying the wrong major, climbing the ladder at the wrong company, chasing the wrong career? Have you spent years li...
#334: In today’s episode, we answer three questions from a college senior named Rafael. He asks about productivity tools and tactics, student debt, Ro...
#333: In the 1890s and early 1900’s, we had recessions every two years. From 2009 to 2020, we enjoyed an 11-year bull run, the longest bull run in his...
#332: Ginger’s financial independence (FI) number is $2 million, but she doesn’t want to fully retire early. Once she hits ‘coast’ FI, she wants to 1)...
#331: Four thousand weeks. That’s how long we live if we’re lucky enough to celebrate our 80th birthday. We rarely think of our lifespan in terms of w...
#330: Linda is 58 and wondering how to account for her Social Security benefits when thinking through the 25x expenditure equation. Her expected expen...
#329: Have you ever thought about how an economist views financial planning? Would you guess that it's vastly different from how some financial planne...
#328: Sarah O Sahara’s parents sold their rentals and business of 24 years. They’d like to create a trust for their grandkids with boundaries in place...
#327: The stories of success that highlight talent and hard work don’t tell a complete picture. The best artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs don’t al...
#326: Anonymous is struggling with being too frugal, possibly to the detriment of her health. I mentioned in a previous episode that I struggled with...
#325: Okay, so everyone and their dog is talking about Bitcoin — but what exactly is it? And what’s Ethereum? If you’re feeling lost in the topic and...
#324: Rob and his fiancé are grappling with what to do about her $400,000 of federal student loan debt. Should they pay it off immediately, or bank on...
#323: Brad and Jonathan from ChooseFI join us for a deep philosophical and practical discussion around what we learned from 2020. We explore... What...
