Afford Anything Podcast Por Paula Pant | Cumulus Podcast Network capa

Afford Anything

Afford Anything

De: Paula Pant | Cumulus Podcast Network
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 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.2024 Afford Anything LLC Economia Finanças Pessoais Gestão e Liderança
Episódios
  • Q&A: Should You Keep Part of Your Money Outside the U.S.?

    Q&A: Should You Keep Part of Your Money Outside the U.S.?
    Dec 30 2025
    #676: Ally:How can I optimize my asset allocation and Roth contributions now that I’m over $1 million in assets? I’m 45, single, never married, with about $1.2 million in assets. Roughly $100,000 is in stocks, which might scare some people. Here’s my breakdown: Vanguard brokerage account: VTSAX $132,000, ISCV $5,000, VOO $5,000 Vanguard Rollover IRA: VTSAX $65,000, IVV $25,000, VOO $62,000 Vanguard Roth IRA: VTSAX $228,000, ISCV $6,000 Pre-tax 401(k): Active stock fund $218,000 (0.01% expense ratio), Equity dividend fund $55,000 (0.01% expense ratio) Russell 1000: $270,000 (0% expense ratio) HSA: $9,000 in the Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 ESPP: $90,000 Savings account: $12,000 I view my brokerage accounts as savings, where I can sell assets if I need cash, as well as sell my company shares. My questions: How far am I from the efficient frontier? How efficient is my asset allocation? I’ve mostly been a “VTSAX and chill” type. If I rebalance, what’s the best way to do it without incurring taxes? Next year, I’ll make more than $150,000, even after contributing $24,500 to my pre-tax 401(k) in 2026. Can I still do a backdoor Roth, given that I already have an IRA balance? I was told it could be complicated. Am I out of luck investing in a Roth next year? Also, should I roll over my 401(k) into my existing Rollover IRA to gain more investment options, even though the 401(k) fees are very low? I’ve reached over $1 million in assets, but I’m not confident my first million was invested efficiently. I want to correct it before reaching my next million. Emma: Can We Split a Dependent’s Tax Status Midyear to Maximize Health Insurance Subsidies? We’re a family of four with two adults and two children, ages 15 and 21. Our 21-year-old is a full-time university student and is expected to graduate in May 2026. The hope is that she’ll secure a full-time job after graduation. Our health care broker told us that we could claim her as a dependent for half of the year and then have her claim herself for the second half. According to the broker, this would allow her to stay on our health insurance and help us qualify for a larger premium subsidy. Is it actually possible to split a dependent’s tax status this way within a single year, or is this a misunderstanding? Anonymous: Is It Wise to Hold Some Investments Outside the U.S. for Geopolitical Diversification? I’ve always believed that “this time isn’t different,” but lately I’m feeling uneasy. I’m increasingly concerned about what seems like a slow erosion of institutional trust in the U.S., especially regarding agencies and structures that support our financial system. From leadership changes at key government institutions to growing political influence over economic policy, I’m starting to wonder if it’s prudent to hold a small portion of assets physically and legally outside the U.S. I’m not talking about exotic offshore schemes. I mean legitimate ways to invest in broad index funds or ETFs through a brokerage account based abroad—as a form of geopolitical diversification and personal contingency planning. I’d love to hear your perspective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hora e 7 minutos
  • [E] The Myths We Believed About Startups [GREATEST HITS]

    [E] The Myths We Believed About Startups [GREATEST HITS]
    Dec 26 2025
    #675: Welcome to Greatest Hits Week – five days, five episodes from our vault, spelling out F-I-I-R-E. Today’s letter E stands for Entrepreneurship. This episode originally aired in September 2018, at a moment when startup culture was loud, venture capital was abundant, and entrepreneurship was often framed as something that involves outside investors and rapid growth. ____ In this episode, we rewind the clock to 2018. Remember what entrepreneurship was supposed to look like back then? Build a startup. Raise capital. Scale fast. Get rich. That was the dominant story. But our guest, Rand Fishkin, told a different story – a story about founder burnout, debt, and the downside of startup culture. Rand, the founder of Moz, shares how he and his mother accumulated nearly half a million dollars in debt while running an early services business. He talks about what it felt like to face creditors, negotiate settlements, and keep going under intense financial pressure. From there, we move into one of the most misunderstood ideas in entrepreneurship: the difference between service businesses and product businesses. Rand breaks down the trade-offs. Services generate income faster. Product businesses rely on outside capital. And founders often earn far less than people expect. That leads to a deeper conversation about incentives. Once venture capital enters the picture, priorities shift. Profits matter less. Growth matters more — and it affects both the business and your personal finances. High revenue does not automatically translate into personal wealth. We also talk about the side of entrepreneurship that rarely makes the highlight reels: Loneliness. Anxiety. Depression. And the relief that comes from realizing that even the most successful founders often feel lost while they’re building. This conversation feels less like startup advice and more like a long-term framework for thinking clearly about risk, money, and meaning. If you’ve ever questioned whether entrepreneurship automatically leads to financial freedom, this episode offers a grounded and very honest answer. Timestamps Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising run times. The provided timestamps are approximate and may be several minutes off due to changing ad lengths. (00:00) Facing creditors and repayment negotiations (08:50) How a services business really works (11:40) From consulting to software (15:00) Services vs. product businesses (12:20) Why high revenue doesn’t mean personal wealth (25:05) Venture capital incentives (27:50) Founder salaries and financial reality (30:40) Startup mythology vs. lived experience (33:20) Loneliness and mental health (36:15) Founder strengths and weaknesses (39:50) Feedback and self-awareness (42:30) Designing a business that fits your life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    46 minutos
  • [R] Remember When Inflation Was High and Rates Were Rising? [GREATEST HITS]

    [R] Remember When Inflation Was High and Rates Were Rising? [GREATEST HITS]
    Dec 25 2025
    #674: Welcome to Greatest Hits Week – five days, five episodes from our vault, spelling out F-I-I-R-E. Today's letter R stands for Real Estate. This episode originally aired in May 2022, but the insights on long-distance investing remain just as relevant for anyone feeling priced out of their local market. We tackle the five biggest challenges of investing far from home – from fear of the unknown to managing contractors remotely – and reveal four compelling benefits that make it worth the effort, especially when you're competing in markets where million-dollar properties are the norm. ________ Remember when inflation was high and rates were rising? What were people saying about real estate back then? And with the benefit of hindsight, how much of what we thought at the time proved to be correct? If you feel unsettled, join the club. At this present moment – December 2025 – interest rates are falling, but not enough. Inflation is mostly under control, but not enough. The noise makes everything feel new. When you only see the present moment, everything looks obvious. When you remember the past, patterns start to show. That's why we’re rewinding the clock back to May 2022 – when interest rates were rising and inflation was near its peak. So what was on our mind three years ago? We start with the basics. Why the Federal Reserve raises rates. What higher borrowing costs do to spending. Why falling stock prices often reflect fear – not proof that housing prices must fall next. We explain the difference between recession and deflation, and why the two are often confused. We walk through what made the housing market in 2022 different from 2008. Inventory was tight. Builders had not overbuilt. Many homeowners held fixed-rate mortgages and record levels of equity. Those conditions mattered then. They still matter now. That equity becomes the next focus. We talk about cash-out refinances, HELOCs, and reverse mortgages – and what happens when homeowners borrow against rising values. You hear how higher rates can slow borrowing, why that matters for inflation, and what risks appear if some borrowers struggle to repay. From there, we outline four ways investors might encounter properties if foreclosures rise: bank-owned homes, short sales, “subject to” deals, and wraparound mortgages. The episode then shifts to long-distance real estate investing. You hear the real challenges. Fear of the unknown. Managing people you cannot see. Contractors who disappear. Agents who stop returning calls. You also hear what makes distance workable: education, relationships, local investor networks. We walk through how investors think when conditions feel unstable — and why looking backward sharpens how you see what comes next. Timestamps: Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising run times. The provided timestamps are approximate and may be several minutes off due to changing ad lengths. (0:00) Trade-offs and priorities (07:41) Fed hikes rates (09:16) Inflation drivers explained (11:26) Recession vs housing (13:21) Home equity surge (15:21) Borrowing against equity (17:11) Foreclosures and options (18:26) Subject-to and wraps (21:11) Shift to distance investing (25:31) Education and networks (31:36) Choosing markets (36:11) Accountability challenges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hora e 18 minutos
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