Budgeting as the first step

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In this episode of At Any Rate, Evan Raidt and Andrew Sather dig into the four big reasons it feels so much harder to get ahead financially in 2026: housing is way less affordable, wage growth has stalled, personal debt is at record highs, and savings rates have plummeted.

They share stats that put today’s money struggles in context—and then get practical, with concrete moves you can make to survive (and even thrive) in this new reality: from budgeting and side gigs, to leveraging your network, getting transparent about money, and avoiding the debt traps that are everywhere.

Topics Covered:

• Why housing is so much less affordable than it used to be

• Stagnant wages: why most people’s income hasn’t kept up

• The debt trap: how credit cards and easy financing make things worse

• What’s behind plummeting savings rates (and how to fix yours)

• Actionable strategies: budgeting, side gigs, investing, and using your “village”

Timestamps:

01:44 When was money “easier” — nostalgia vs reality

05:52 Housing affordability

09:16 How to make buying a home possible

13:50 Why budgeting is still the first step

18:00 Wages: why they’ve stalled, and how to actually get a raise

21:00 Side gigs, skill-building, and leveraging your network

25:19 The “village” approach

29:09 The debt trap

32:26 How wealthy people use debt

36:42 Should you pay off debt early?

40:42 Savings rates: why they’ve dropped, and how to build yours back up

Resources Mentioned

The Value Spotlight Newsletter: https://einvestingforbeginners.com/value-spotlight-newsletter/

Free monthly budgeting spreadsheet: https://einvestingforbeginners.com/budget/

Email Evan at evan@einvestingforbeginners.com

Have questions or want your story featured? Email the show at newsletter@einvestingforbeginners.com or comment below. Your feedback shapes the podcast!

Remember, financial freedom is built one smart move at a time. Keep it simple, keep it steady, and at any rate, we’ll see you next time.

Timestamps are generated by artificial intelligence, and are not 100% accurate depending on the platform used for listening.

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