Afford Anything

#304: Paige and her fiancé have two autumn 2021 goals: save for a wedding and an emergency fund. There’s one problem: they only have around $200 per month to save. How can they grow the gap when they’ve run out of things to cut and ways to earn more?Kat’s investor friend connected her with a wholesaler who only deals in cash. How can she find $130,000 to buy her subject property?Anonymous “Countryside Living” is renting their grandparent’s property, which they plan to make their forever home. It’s on the older side and needs renovations, but the repairs don’t need to happen immediately. How can they fund these repairs while also avoiding a mortgage payment in their 60s?Annalis wants to know whose approach to business I prefer: Gary V’s, or Cal Newport’s? She also asks: how do you become a good speaker?Anonymous “My Job Pays for My Housing” is planning for financial independence. Given that their employer covers their housing, when should they start looking for a house? Now, or in the last year of their job?My friend and former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins me to answer these five questions today. Enjoy!For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode304 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#303: Can you imagine living in a world without email? Most of us can’t - how would we get work done? - but this is what Cal Newport advocates for in his newest book, A World Without Email. Cal cites a study that found the average knowledge worker checks various communication tools once every six minutes. At that rate, it’s a wonder we get any work done at all.Cal argues that modifying our habits (like checking email at designated times) isn’t enough. We need to look for solutions outside the inbox and seek to reduce back-and-forth communication at all costs. If you’re drained by your inbox, we chat about strategies, processes, and systems that can help streamline your work and communication flow.For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode303  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#302: Did you know that optimists worry about their finances 145 fewer days than pessimists? They’re also more likely to save money, and are 7x as likely to experience better financial health.Michelle Gielan, bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness, defines optimism “as the expectation of good things to happen and the belief that our behavior matters.”She shares specific tactics and mindset shifts we can make right now to become more optimistic and resilient, and, in the process, develop a better relationship with stress.For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode302 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#301: Amelia is worried that she and her husband are under-insured. Should her husband get a short-term disability policy, even though it’s expensive and they’re unlikely to need it?Sarah wants to refinance her owner-occupied triplex, but she’s torn between a 15-year and a 30-year option. Which is better in her situation?Steven just discovered the financial independence (FI) movement in July 2020, and he wants to reach FI in 11 years. He has $30,000 in cash and $26,000 of student loan debt. How should he use his cash given his FI goal?The South American Anthropologist wants to make a career change. His baby daughter has inspired him to become an example of living life on your own terms. Will his financial independence plan sustain him and his family for years to come?Annalis and Mike are hunting for their first rental property, but they haven’t found anything nice that meets the one percent rule. Should they purchase a mansion and rent the rooms on Airbnb?For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode301 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#300: Here’s the deal: Target Date Retirement Funds are simple, automated, easy. The problem? What’s simple might not be optimal. Investment expert Paul Merriman joins us to discuss the two-fund portfolio, a mix of one target date fund and one small cap value fund.He describes why this could be the ultimate portfolio for buy-and-hold investors who want to boost their returns, without excessive complexity or risk. If you’re wondering what to do with your 401k, tune in.For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this podcast, they discuss tax strategies for selling Tesla stocks, structuring property ownership, health insurance options for self-employed individuals, and retirement planning in Costa Rica. Guest financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins to offer insights on these topics, providing valuable advice for listeners looking to optimize their finances.

#298: Money conversations with friends, family members, or significant others are unavoidable. Most of us dread these conversations - they’re awkward, heated, or draining.Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial Talks Money, shares tips and scripts for tactfully setting financial boundaries and expectations without drama. If you’re anxious about being in a wedding, splitting the tab with friends, or asking your siblings about taking care of your parents, this episode is for you.For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode298 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This morning, almost every major brokerage halted trading on the most volatile stocks, including GameStop, BlackBerry, Bed Bath & Beyond, Nokia, and AMC Theaters.We're in a situation where major trading platforms are blocking retail investors - us - from placing trades, while allowing hedge funds and institutional investors to drive prices.That is not a free market.When you don't let people buy, and you don't let people sell, you're locking people out of the game entirely.Yesterday, I was worried that grandma and grandpa would make the wrong investment choices and irrationally bet their life savings away. Now, they're prohibited from making any choice. 🤯We deserve the right to make our own trading decisions.For the latest updates, follow me on Instagram (https://instagram.com/paulapant) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you blinked, you missed the biggest stock market story since the crash of March 2020. It’s a story that led GameStop, a brick-and-mortar company that sells *physical* video games (remember when games came on 5.25-inch floppy disks?), to skyrocket its share price by 700 percent in two weeks. It’s a story of short selling, of high-frequency trading, and of individual investors who harbor deep anger towards hedge funds. It’s a story of social media vs. Wall Street ... and the innocent bystanders who get caught in the crossfire. That's the story we cover in today's episode. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/psathursday Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#297: George is torn between paying down his student loan debt (which he deferred) or buying a househack. Which is better for his long-term goal of reaching financial independence?Mario is curious to know: is his two-fund portfolio at a 90/10 split is a good asset allocation for his Roth IRA?Hanan wants to figure out if a backdoor Roth IRA conversion will work for her. She also wants to investigate whether a Vanguard Institutional 500 Index Trust and a Vanguard Institutional Total Bond Market Index Trust are ideal. Are trusts different from index funds or mutual funds and if so, how?Vivian is worried about bridging the gap between when she retires and when she claims Social Security. Will her plan of doing a Roth conversion ladder work out the way she hopes?Lastly, June and her husband netted $400,000 from the sale of some golden parachute ISOs. They want to help their children pay for college and are trying to figure out how to strategically use this money. Should they pay off their home, buy rentals, fund 529s, or Roth their 401ks?My friend and former financial planner, Joe Saul-Sehy, joins me to answer these five questions. Enjoy!For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode297 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices