#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 JL Collins, the author of "The Simple Path to Wealth," achieved financial independence in 1989 with a surprisingly simple strategy: saving half his income and investing in index funds. In this episode, JL breaks down his ultra-simple investing approach. He argues that keeping things uncomplicated leads to better results in the long run. "The less you mess with your investments," he says, "the more freedom you have to focus on what truly matters." This episode is for anyone who feels overwhelmed ...
Apr 16, 2024•30 min•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s guest is Jean Chatzky, financial editor for the TODAY Show, host of the HerMoney podcast and a frequent guest on TV shows like Oprah, Regis & Kelly, and The View. We discuss six money rules to guide your spending, including: #1: The more time you spend looking, the less happy you’ll be with what you find. #2: Your retirement trumps their tuition. #3: Losing money hurts more than it should. #4: Big numbers make smart people do stupid things. #5: Don’t lend money to friends & relatives, an...
Apr 15, 2024•30 min•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast #499: Eugene and his wife are retiring with a $10 million net worth and a guaranteed income that exceeds their annual budget. Do they still need things like life insurance and a financial advisor? The next question, at 30:24, comes from an anonymous caller. Her HOA costs have doubled since she bought her condo. She’s wondering if it’s still a good investment. Should she keep it or sell it? We answer Nandini’s question at 48:14. Nandini and her husband save tons every month toward no goal in part...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast #498: Financial literacy includes understanding NFTs, DeFi, and cryptocurrency. But it's hard to separate education from hype. Harvard Business School's Scott Duke Kominers, a professor in Harvard's Entrepreneurial Management Unit, and a Faculty Affiliate of the Harvard Department of Economics and the Harvard Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications, joins us alongside Web3 expert Steve Kacizinsky to explain the financial, technological and social significance of NFTs. NFTs, or Non-Fungi...
Apr 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 498•Transcript available on Metacast #497: Princeton Professor Daniel Kahneman never took an economics class. But he won the 2002 Nobel Prize in economics, thanks to his advancements in understanding the psychology of money. In today’s episode, we pay homage to the late Dr. Kahneman, who passed away on March 27 at age 90. We also discuss the jobs report, inflation data, the booming stock market, the next Bitcoin halving, Capital One’s acquisition of Discover, and the National Association of Realtors settlement. Enjoy! For more info...
Apr 06, 2024•37 min•Ep 497•Transcript available on Metacast #496: How much of a pay cut would you take for a lighter workload? Today we hear from Paul, 35, who’s grappling with that question. Paul’s boss offered him the chance to cut his hours and salary by 25 percent. He’d love to work fewer hours. He has a decent net worth, plenty of savings, and no debt. Should he grab the opportunity? Or stick with his long-term financial independence and early retirement plans? An anonymous caller and her husband want to retire at 55. They also want a bigger home, a...
Apr 03, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 500•Transcript available on Metacast #495: Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. She's famous for her work in radioactivity. Lin-Manual Miranda is a songwriter, producer and director who won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2016, as well as several Tony awards. What do they have in common? They lived a century apart. They innovated in disparate fields. But they shared a similar productivity practice. Both achieved greatness by embracing the practice of slow productivity, says Geo...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep 495•Transcript available on Metacast #494: Tatyana is about to pay off her house at age 39! What’s next? Her husband, who earns twice as much (and whom she met after she bought the home), has no savings. They want a boat. Should she focus there? Matthew recently ended a relationship that resulted in a real estate buyout with an 8.1 percent interest rate. With rates expected to decline, how long should he wait to refinance the loan? Rachel’s friends know her as the finance gal, but she’s stumped about closed-end funds. What should s...
Mar 20, 2024•50 min•Ep 494•Transcript available on Metacast #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 ther...
Mar 13, 2024•1 hr•Ep 493•Transcript available on Metacast #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 tire...
Mar 07, 2024•56 min•Ep 492•Transcript available on Metacast #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 ...
Mar 01, 2024•23 min•Ep 491•Transcript available on Metacast #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 you...
Feb 28, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep 490•Transcript available on Metacast #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 i...
Feb 21, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep 489•Transcript available on Metacast #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 thinki...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 488•Transcript available on Metacast #487: Luis’s wife is killing it at her side hustle. The unexpected income has led Luis to YouTube for hacks to capitalize on their surplus. Can a 529 plan double as long-term care savings? Elizabeth is frustrated with the housing market. She’s been saving for years but isn’t anywhere near her goal. Should she give up and spend it on a dream pottery course instead? Steve has a dilemma. He doesn’t borrow money on principle. And his wife doesn’t want to sell their current house until they’ve closed...
Feb 07, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 487•Transcript available on Metacast #486: By every definition of the word, we’re in a bull market. The S&P 500 hit record highs for five consecutive days last week, and remained strong throughout this week. The Dow is above 38,000 for the first time in history. Unemployment has stayed below 4 percent for 24 months, marking the strongest employment in half a century. And consumer sentiment, which reflects more pessimism than the data warrants, is showing signs of improvement. The Fed met this week and decided to hold rates steady, ...
Feb 02, 2024•54 min•Ep 486•Transcript available on Metacast #485: If you’ve ever thought: "I’d love a business BUT …” I don’t have TIME I don’t have MONEY I don’t have IDEAS I have TOO MANY ideas and I don't know where to start I'm not technical I'm not creative or artistic I'm not good at sales You're not alone. Countless people don't start businesses or side hustles for these reasons. And they're losing thousands -- perhaps millions -- in opportunity cost. How much could you make if you started a side hustle that eventually scaled into a business? Poss...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep 485•Transcript available on Metacast #484: Kristen’s financial advisor charges a 1.3 percent fee on her investments. They also sold her term life, whole life, and long-term disability insurance. Do they have her best interests at heart? Casey has $290,000 in student loan debt. He committed 10 years to one employer for a chance at public service loan forgiveness. But five years in, Casey questions what he’s missing out on. Sara feels like it’s time to move to a more conservative asset allocation but she’s torn between buying bonds f...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 484•Transcript available on Metacast #483: Competitive. Results oriented. Driven to be the very best. These are a few ways to describe achievement culture. Achievement culture can also be described as stressful, high pressure and unhealthy. Yet, there is consistently the pressure – internally and externally – to make more money, be a better parent, spouse, friend, or employee. These burdens comes at a heavy cost to our well-being. Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of the New York Times Best Seller “Never Enough: When Achievement Cul...
Jan 18, 2024•49 min•Ep 483•Transcript available on Metacast #482: A caller named “M” wonders if liquidating stocks for a larger down payment makes sense in a high-interest rate environment. An anonymous caller wants to take a pay cut to pursue his passions. But 75 percent of his net worth is in real estate. Is this too risky? Tiffanie hasn’t saved enough for early retirement, but she has a plan to use home equity to accelerate her goals. Is this going to work? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode. E...
Jan 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 482•Transcript available on Metacast 
