#525: We chat with renowned financial advisor Michael Kitces at the Morningstar Investor Conference in Chicago. Kitces answers a big question: Is the economy worse than we think? He explains that a few big companies like Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet are holding up the S&P 500. But this doesn’t mean the economy is bad. It's common for a small group of companies to drive the market. Since it’s hard to predict which companies will do well, he stresses the need for diversification. Kitces tells us to ...
Jul 23, 2024•2 hr 43 min•Ep 525•Transcript available on Metacast #524: Mark and his partner will soon inherit an IRA worth over a quarter million dollars. With today’s elevated interest rates, would throwing it all at a primary residence be the smartest play? An anonymous caller and his girlfriend are musicians who dream of building a home with a monetizable recording studio. How do they untangle personal wants from business needs? Will feels stumped about the options in his defined benefit pension plan. When should he choose a guaranteed annuity over a lump ...
Jul 19, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 524•Transcript available on Metacast #523: How much is an hour of your time worth? Google's Executive Productivity Advisor , Laura Mae Martin, joins us to answer that question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 16, 2024•50 min•Ep 523•Transcript available on Metacast #522: Emily Anne is worried about her obsessive tracking behavior. She’s in great financial shape but struggles to shake the constant compulsion to check her accounts. What should she do? An anonymous caller and his partner plan to use geo-arbitrage to retire early before reaching their financial independence number. Can they have their cake and eat it too? Kevin and his wife are having second thoughts about their Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) real estate investments. How do they back out witho...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 522•Transcript available on Metacast #521: If you're a longtime listener, you'll enjoy this candid, behind-the-scenes conversation about entrepreneurship and growth between Paula Pant and former financial advisor and Stacking Benjamins host Joe Saul-Sehy. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode521 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 10, 2024•40 min•Ep 521•Transcript available on Metacast #520: Happy 248th birthday, USA! In this 5th of July First Friday economic update, we cover five topics: the economic impact of elections in the UK; the S&P 500 topping 5500; the effect of the Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling on Social Security and retirement planning; the latest jobs report; and California’s new law allowing accessory dwelling units to get sold separately as condos. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode520 Resources Mentioned: UK’s Offic...
Jul 05, 2024•44 min•Ep 520•Transcript available on Metacast #519: We sit down with Jim Kwik, a brain coach and expert in memory improvement, speed reading, and optimal learning. As a child, Jim suffered a brain injury that made learning difficult. He was labeled "the boy with the broken brain," which deeply affected his confidence and performance in school. Today, he’s an expert in memory, focus, learning, cognition and mental performance. He’s here to remind us that our brains are our number one wealth-building tool. He talks to us about strategies for ...
Jul 03, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep 519•Transcript available on Metacast #518: If you want to learn about building wealth through entrepreneurship, you’ll enjoy this episode. When Rachel Rodgers graduated from law school, she didn’t take the conventional path to working at a big law firm. Instead, she opened her own practice, specializing in intellectual property law. Many of her clients were entrepreneurs and small business owners. Rachel quickly realized that many of her clients faced significant challenges in trying to grow their business. This ignited a new visio...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 518•Transcript available on Metacast #517: Kimiko is dismayed that the asset allocation books she’s read led her down a path to an underperforming portfolio heavy in ex-US stock investments. Where should she go from here? Julie and her husband dream of owning a vacation rental in the Denver area even though the math doesn’t add up. It seems like everyone around can make it work though. What’s missing? Casey is excited to build his real estate portfolio and purchase his third rental property. He’s also worried that his plan to fund ...
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 517•Transcript available on Metacast #516: Have you ever wondered how small, seemingly insignificant actions can have massive impacts on your financial life? In today's episode, we talk to Dr. Brian Klaas, a Professor at University College London and an affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford. He explains how our decisions can lead to unintended and unanticipated consequences. He describes why resilience is more important than efficiency when it comes to protecting your investments and career from unexpected shocks. You'll...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 516•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and her husband are juggling two home sales and one home purchase within the next two to four years. How do they execute wisely while navigating a tight real estate market? Zerai works two jobs that both offer a pension and retirement plan. Can he take advantage of everything at his disposal or must he make some tough choices? Emily and her husband bought their home a year ago. But a national builder tempts them to sell and upgrade using a 3-2-1 buydown mortgage. Should they do it? Forme...
Jun 18, 2024•57 min•Ep 515•Transcript available on Metacast #514: The S&P 500 hit a record high — and the GameStop guy is back, and he now owns 9 million shares of GME, making him the 4th largest shareholder. Interest rates from remain the same, and are expected to hold steady until September. Inflation remains unchanged from last month. Last month we saw a massive explosion of new jobs, at 272,000 — nearly 90,000 more than predicted. But we also saw unemployment tick up, which created mixed signals. Learn the implications of the latest economic news — a...
Jun 14, 2024•35 min•Ep 514•Transcript available on Metacast #513: Jason Tartick, a former banker and TV star from The Bachelorette, discusses finances in relationships. He describes eight crucial questions about money that every couple should discuss. When a couple is dating, but before they get serious, he says, each person should divulge their debt-to-income ratio. This is your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. Keeping this ratio below 30-40% is crucial for financial stability. Banks consider this when approving loans. Couples...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 513•Transcript available on Metacast #512: An anonymous caller who received a large inheritance feels paralyzed by all the investment philosophies he’s read about. How does he pick a winning strategy he can stick with? Josh is an expectant dad looking to buy a bigger house but doesn’t know how much everything will cost. Should he save more or invest more? Another anonymous caller worries that large expenditures like buying a new car or replacing her home’s roof will blow up her budget in retirement. How does she plan for unexpected...
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep 512•Transcript available on Metacast #511: Sara is five years from retirement with a paid-off house. But she’s worried that her money will run out before she turns 80. What does she need to do now to protect her future self? Lauren is a personal finance nerd who gets it. But one question perplexes her: When should she should choose an ETF over an index mutual fund? What about vice versa? Paula and Joe explain. An anonymous caller plans to sell her house and live a “slow-madic” lifestyle. But she’s on disability and needs to keep he...
Jun 04, 2024•53 min•Ep 511•Transcript available on Metacast #510: Maybe you’re trying to convince: – Your spouse | to embrace the FIRE movement. – Your teenage kids | to invest some of their summer job money in stocks. – Your neighbor | to sell you their house in a private, off-market deal. – Your boss | to give you more vacation time. – Your client | to pay you more. Today’s episode is about how to change minds, build trust, navigate conversations, and influence and persuade others. We chat with Michael McQueen, a social researcher, strategist, and the ...
May 31, 2024•54 min•Ep 510•Transcript available on Metacast #509: Rob wants to retire early, but a real estate investment led to $30,000 of credit card debt. Should he take on more debt to pay it off? An anonymous return caller took Paula’s advice and ran with it, doubling her income within a few years. Should she update her investment strategy now that she’s in a higher tax bracket? Humaira is tired of paying rent with nothing to show for. Can she leverage some benefits by using her credit card to pay the bills? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy an...
May 28, 2024•44 min•Ep 509•Transcript available on Metacast #508: Recently I chatted with Stanford researcher Dr. Mary Murphy, a renowned expert in the field of psychological and brain sciences. Dr. Murphy, who is a Professor at Indiana University and conducts research at Stanford University, shared insights into the concepts of fixed mindset and growth mindset. We deep dived into her extensive research on how these mindsets impact motivation, performance, and relationships at work and home. She conducted research alongside legendary psychologist Dr. Car...
May 24, 2024•55 min•Ep 508•Transcript available on Metacast #507: Robert was recently released from prison and wants to start his life on the right foot. What’s Joe and Paula’s advice for him? Suzy is excited to deploy her first corporate bonus but scared to invest everything in a lump sum. Should she stick with what’s worked in the past and just dollar cost-average? Meghan doesn’t understand how stock pricing affects capital appreciation. Is it always better to buy when share prices are low? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these thre...
May 21, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep 507•Transcript available on Metacast #506: "Today's guest, Brandon Ganch, also known as the MadFientist, reached Financial Independence (FI) and quit his job as a software developer at 34. But then he faced a vexing question: what should he do with the rest of his life? In this episode, Brandon shares his journey with FI, revealing the gap between the ideal life you envision on spreadsheets and the reality that unfolds. He talks about reaching FI sooner than planned, having more money than anticipated, and the adjustments he had to...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 506•Transcript available on Metacast #505: Ryan Johnson isn't your average CEO. He's a visionary reimagining city life, one car-free community at a time. In this episode, we chat with Ryan, the co-founder of Culdesac, about building walkable neighborhoods designed for human connection, not just traffic. We'll dive into his experience with Opendoor, his passion for electric bikes (he owns over 60!), and his audacious plan to revolutionize urban living. Buckle up (or maybe don't) for a conversation about the future of cities, the pow...
May 14, 2024•59 min•Ep 505•Transcript available on Metacast #504: Brian Kelly faced a harsh reality during the Great Recession – $65,000 in income and crushing credit card debt. He started a simple side hustle, a website called The Points Guy, as an attempt to earn a few hundred dollars a month. Fast forward to today: The Points Guy boasts 11 million monthly visitors and a thriving team of 140 employees. In this episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on his incredible journey, transforming a fledgling side hustle into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. He ...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 504•Transcript available on Metacast #503: Lindsay’s husband struggles with a mental disability. She’s worried about the impact on her family’s finances. How does she maintain harmony in her marriage and protect her kids’ future? An anonymous caller is stoked about her young nephew’s interest in saving for retirement. What’s Paula and Joe’s advice for a teenage saver? Another anonymous caller wants to get personal about Paula’s personal finances. Following up on a discussion from episode 494, Melanie has exciting news to share abou...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep 503•Transcript available on Metacast #502: The Fed met earlier this week and elected to keep interest rates at a 23-year high, in an effort to wrestle inflation closer to its two percent target. Despite this, the April jobs report, which was released today, shows that jobs grew for the 40th consecutive month, and unemployment remains under 4 percent, an historic low, for the 27th straight month. The 12-month inflation rate is 3.5 percent, based on March CPI data. Stocks remain on a tear, but performance is lopsided, with 10 compani...
May 03, 2024•43 min•Ep 502•Transcript available on Metacast #501: Drop the mic! ChooseFI's Brad Barrett takes the host role in this special episode, interviewing Paula Pant about the financial independence community. This episode was recorded LIVE at a comedy club in Brooklyn, as the final installment of the Episode 500 and 501 celebration. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode501 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 01, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep 501•Transcript available on Metacast Enjoy Part 2 of our two-part Episode 500 special, recorded live at a comedy club in Brooklyn. Host Paula Pant and special guest Brad Barrett from ChooseFI answer questions from the audience, live on stage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr•Ep 500•Transcript available on Metacast Enjoy Part 1 of our two-part Episode 500 special, recorded live at a comedy club in Brooklyn. Brad Barrett, host of the ChooseFI podcast, joins us on stage to talk about what financial independence ideas and practices have changed … and what ideas and practices have remained consistent, universal and time-tested throughout the years. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode500 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 24, 2024•54 min•Ep 500•Transcript available on Metacast We delve into the world of Financial Independence (FI) with a pioneer -- Vicki Robin, the co-author of Your Money or Your Life. In the 1970s, Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, from vastly different backgrounds, came together over a shared vision: FI as a life philosophy, not just a savings strategy. Their book, "Your Money or Your Life," which sold more than one million copies, outlined a three-dimensional approach to FI: Financial Intelligence: Thinking clearly and objectively about money. Financi...
Apr 19, 2024•44 min•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast Esquire Magazine editor-at-large and bestselling author A.J. Jacobs joins the show to discuss his experimental approach to life. Jacobs, whose TED Talks have been viewed more than 3 million times, shares best practices around motivation, habits, confidence, boosting happiness, and optimizing creativity. In this episode: -- Discover the benefits that come from frequently changing your habits -- Learn why "fake it 'til you become it" is A.J.'s secret weapon for habit development. -- Explore how ex...
Apr 18, 2024•35 min•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast Stocks or skills? How should you invest? Should you pour money into unlocking your income potential? Or should you pour money into the market? Forget the motivational posters -- unlimited potential is real. But unlocking it takes investment. The question is: Do you invest in yourself or the market? Stocks, bonds, real estate offer clear returns. But what about investing in your skills, a side hustle, or education? Financial advisor Michael Kitces joins us to crack the code on maximizing your ret...
Apr 17, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast 
