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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 metacogn ...
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Tips for Tipped Workers, with Barbara Sloan
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The majority of financial advice is geared to people with 9-5 jobs: “Negotiate for a raise.” “Max out your 401k match.” “Budget based on your income.” Where’s the financial advice for people who earn money in tips: restaurant servers, bartenders, hairstylists, concierge, valets, ushers, nail salon workers, strippers, or other service industry profe…
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Ask Paula: Should I Quit My Cushy Job?
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#433: Should “Walker,” an anonymous caller, give up a cushy job to take a year-long sabbatical in Europe? Blue wants to rent out his East Coast home, take a sabbatical from work, travel to the West Coast with his family, and start a YouTube channel and other entrepreneurial projects. How should he manage his money to make this happen? Melissa regre…
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The Risk of Not Fully Living, with Michael Lynch
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Have you ever worried about running out of money after you retire? Do you keep checking your net worth to make sure you have enough? Does this always feel a little … unsatisfying? This episode discusses why. Today's guest, Michael Lynch, is a certified financial planner and author. His most recent book, “It’s All About The Income,” says that we’re …
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Mr. Money Mustache Talks About His Dating Life
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#431: The title says it all. Paula Pant interviews Mr. Money Mustache about his dating life. We chat about why he wants to date inside the FIRE community (financial independence, retire early) – and whether he’s had any luck. We discuss the perils of navigating into the dating world after a divorce, which he did at age 43. And – AHEM – HE’S ON THE …
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Ask Paula: My Parents Are Drowning In Credit Card Debt. What Should I Do?
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#430: D is worried that she’s going to suffer from her parents’ poor financial choices. Is it time to confront them about it? An anonymous caller and her fiance both own a house. Which one do they move into after the wedding? In a world of rising inflation, Nick wants to know if it’s time to change the way he saves for his future. Another anonymous…
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How BIG Things Get Done, with Dr. Bent Flyvberg
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#429: Have you ever thought about remodeling a kitchen? Retrofitting a camper van for #vanlife? Converting your basement into an Airbnb? Building a custom website? Recording an album? Did you worry that this project will cost more and take longer than you expected? This episode is all about how to complete projects on-time and under budget. Today's…
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Ask Paula: Do I really need a Financial Advisor?
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#428: Jamie currently lives at home and dreams of reaching financial freedom by her early 30s. How can she take advantage of her low expenses to accelerate her wealth building? An anonymous caller has enough to retire in 5 years. Does she still need her financial advisor or is it time to do it on her own? Meghan is a personal finance enthusiast who…
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Start a Micro-Business & Build Multiple Income Streams, with Nick Loper
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#427: Okay, maybe the phrase “side hustle” is overused. But it’s also misunderstood. “Side hustle” is a catch-all term that people use to describe everything from low-paid gig economy labor – Doordash, Uber Eats, Rover – to six-figure consulting for Fortune 500 companies. On the remote-work side, it includes everything from freelance graphic design…
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Key Takeaways: Best Lessons from the Last Year
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#426: Behavioral researcher, Vanessa Van Edwards, talks to us about the critical importance of charisma - and how to use the perfect blend of warmth and competence to be charismatic. Dr. Michael Slepian walks us through what secrets mean, what they cost, and how we think about them. We dive into the world of long distance real estate investing, and…
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Ask Paula: My Dad Died, and My Mom Is CLUELESS About Finances
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#425: Ellen’s dad died unexpectedly. Her mom is clueless about finances. How does she help a 70-year-old unravel financial complexities? Mike has an opportunity to buy into his friend’s growing business. What should be his legal, financial, and relationship considerations? Pepp wants to know what’ll happen to her Restricted Stock Units when her com…
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The Power of Knowing When To Walk Away
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#424: We’re taught to stay in the game. Persist. Be gritty. Try, try again. But sometimes, the best decision is to walk away. Move on. How do you know when that’s right? When should you double-down … and when should you fold? Today’s guest, Annie Duke, won more than $4 million as a professional poker champion. She wrote the bestselling book Thinkin…
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Ask Paula: Can I Make Money With My Passion?
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#423: We’ve heard the warnings about following your passion. People ask if you can *actually* make money doing what you love. They frame the question “passion or profit?” as though these are in opposition. The majority – who have never tried – decry, “what if you fail?” Nobody asks the more important question: what if you succeed? Are you still goi…
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Ask Paula: We’re Saving 72 Percent Of Our Income … and It SUCKS
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#422: Emily is saving aggressively for financial independence, but it’s hard to enjoy the present. Is it time to increase spending? Monroe wants to stop working. Forever. Which is more important: debt payoff or investing? Another anonymous caller and his spouse dream of building a homestead on an expensive piece of land. How much is too much to spe…
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How to Schedule Your Day for Peak Enjoyment, with Laura Vanderkam
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#421: Life is busy. We spend too much time on chores, errands, commuting, emails and other draining tasks. We lack time for joy and hobbies. Or do we? Today’s guest, Laura Vanderkam, talks to us about how to make the most of our time and carve out more space for gratifying experiences. Laura Vanderkam is a time management and productivity expert. H…
#420: Harvard professor Arthur Brooks described two types of intelligence – and explained, in scientific terms, the wisdom that comes with age. Dr. Ellen Vora, M.D., shared insight into the roots of procrastination, offering evidence-based tips for how to overcome our own inner demons of anxiety, fear and laziness. Psychology professor Bill von Hip…
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Ask Paula: Should I Stay At My Job For the 401k?
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#419: Casey isn’t happy at her job. If she leaves before her one-year mark, she’ll lose her 401k contributions. Should she stay or find a new job? Daan resides in a high-cost-of-living area where real estate appreciates rapidly. But there’s no cash flow. How should he evaluate real estate as an investment? Emily already maximizes her 401k contribut…
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Maybe We Should Spend More, with Dr. Jordan Grumet
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#418: When Jordan Grumet was a child, his dad died unexpectedly. That was decades ago. Jordan is a father today, but he thinks often about the possibility of dying young. And he wonders how to balance enjoying today vs. saving for tomorrow, given that none of us know how long we’ll be on this earth. How do we think about our lives when the clock st…
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Ask Paula: Marriage and Money: What Are the Right Conversations?
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#417: Our first anonymous caller is getting married. What are the financial considerations the couple should be thinking through since there is a large income gap between them? Our second anonymous caller is concerned about her ability to continue working due to major depression. Should she consider disability insurance? Carly is an accidental land…
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The Crypto Crash, the Housing Market, and Hot Takes on the Latest Economic Headlines
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#416: Crypto is tanking. Household debt is climbing. Student loans are tangled up in the court system. And the house market…did what?! Today’s bonus First Friday episode takes a look at the latest economic headlines, with analysis, commentary and hot takes. Enjoy! For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode416 L…
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How I Give Away 41% of My Income, with Bob Lotich
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#415: The average American donates 2.1 percent of their income to charity, according to data from the Giving Institute. But an ordinary couple living in Nashville, Bob and Linda Lotich, refuse to be average. When they were both 31, they decided to “give their age” – they pledged to donate 31 percent of their income to worthwhile causes. They’ve inc…
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Ask Paula: I Think I Can Retire Early. Am I Crazy?!
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#414: Amanda is worried that her recently diagnosed health condition might force her to stop working. How should she financially prepare her family? Anonymous is a savvy DIY investor who wants to retire early and is wondering if she should hire a financial advisor. Should Krista tap into the equity from one of her rentals to rebalance a portfolio t…
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Why We’re Paying Attention to the Wrong Things, with Dr. Daniel Crosby
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#413: If an idea dominates the headlines, we notice it. But maybe we shouldn’t. Today’s guest, psychologist and behavioral finance expert Dr. Daniel Crosby, says there’s a difference between a prediction that gets repeated, and one that’s likely to unfold. What’s salient isn’t accurate, he says. And vice versa. He also talks about how money problem…
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Ask Paula: Should I Repay Debt or Invest?
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By Paula Pant | Cumulus Podcast Network
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Invest Anywhere: Learn About a City Like an Expert
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#411: In the final installment of this two-part mini-series, we walk you through becoming a subject matter expert in your investment city of choice. We discuss who you should talk to, where you can find them and what you should talk to them about. Timing of discussion points as of November 2022: 06:11: Who you should talk to 10:09: Why conversation…
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The Routine Habits of Breakthrough Thinkers, with Jeremy Utley
1:08:29
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#410: You face plenty of problems. But you have a scarcity of good solutions. Stanford Professor Jeremy Utley can help. He says that solving complex problems requires creativity. And creativity comes from deliberate practice. It’s not an innate talent. It’s a skill. And it’s useful in any occupation, from accounting to zookeeping. Jeremy speaks and…
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Ask Paula: Should I Sell My Rentals to Buy More Stocks?
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#409: Liz and her husband are planning to retire in 5 to 10 years. They have rental income properties, but Liz is bored of managing these, and she’s intrigued by the idea of buying stocks at a discount when the market is low. Should she sell her rental properties and use the money to buy stocks instead? Rebecca is a high income earner and thinking …
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Build Your 15-Year Career, with Kiersten and Julien Saunders
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#408: When Kiersten and Julian Saunders began dating in 2012, they fell in love quickly, and their relationship felt strong – until they started talking about money. They broke up as a result of their first money conversation. Luckily, they got back together, figured out how to have tough conversations, and paid off $200,000 in debt over the next f…
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Ask Paula: The 5 Types of Accountants (and Who To Avoid!)
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#407: Ionnie wants to vet her tax professional as diligently as she assesses her financial advisor – how should she go about doing that? Anonymous needs a career change, and she needs help figuring out how to approach the decision making process when choosing and preparing for her next field of employment MM prefers the simple path to wealth and in…
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Invest Anywhere: I’ve chosen my city…now what?
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#406: In this two-part episode, we first tackle the data points needed to assess various investment locations within your city of choice. We will cover seven specific neighborhood characteristics to review before diving into deal finding, and three things to look at once you've found a specific deal to evaluate. Then, we interview Kristen Lazure, t…
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Ask Paula: How to Handle a HUGE Bonus, Commission or Windfall
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#405: Daniel and his wife want to go on an extended vacation and leave their jobs next year…and still have money in case there’s a problem at their rental properties. Would a HELOC help them? Anonymous and her husband have received a large commission and want to understand how to better plan for their future by optimizing for these inconsistent win…
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How I Paid off $500,000 in Credit Card Debt, Then Launched a Company With $35 Million in Annual Revenue — with Rand Fishkin
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#404: When Rand Fishkin was 25 years old, he carried $500,000 in credit card debt. Less than a decade later, Rand was the Founder and CEO of a company that grossed $35 million in annual revenue. In this episode, Rand shares the story of hitting his financial rock-bottom and making the ultimate comeback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca…
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How I Reached Financial Independence Through Real Estate – With Chad Carson
1:12:29
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#403: September Sabbatical continued! If you’ve been listening to the show for the past few years, then you know that we’ve entered our September Sabbatical, where the team takes a break from podcast production and airs a few of our favorites from the 400+ episodes we’ve aired to date. F.I.R.E. holds four pillars: Financial psychology, Investing, R…
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The Psychology of Money, with Morgan Housel
1:10:22
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#402: Do you wrestle with the idea of leaving your savings in an account earning next to nothing versus investing it in the stock market? Do you use investment strategies that allow you to work with your nature, rather than against it? Are you careful to seek investment advice from those who share your investment goals, or do you get caught up in t…
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You are a Badass at Making Money, with Jen Sincero
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#401: It’s September! If you’ve been listening to the show for the past few years, then you know that I’m on what I’ve dubbed my September Sabbatical, in which I’m taking a break from podcast production. F.I.R.E. holds four pillars: Financial psychology, Investing, Real estate, and Entrepreneurship. This September, we’re running four weeks of episo…
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#400: The Lies Told About Early Retirement
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Today we’re sharing three talks given at the EconoMe conference, with each of these talks relating to F.I.R.E. The three discussions are: FI-Landia is a lie - What I Learned On My Journey To F.I.R.E., with Carl Jensen What If You Achieve All Your Goals But You’re Still Not Happy, with Rich Jones How To Never Again Say, “I Can’t Afford It”, with Pau…
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Ask Paula: The stock market is down - Can I still retire?
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#399: Bella is SO CLOSE to reaching F.I.R.E and is worried about her withdrawal rate if the stock market drops. If the stock market does drop, can she withdraw as much as she had originally planned? Sam has been investing for several decades and thinks that he should stay invested in his portfolio, despite the recent drop in value…but he is still w…
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How To Travel For (Almost) Free, with Chris Hutchins
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#398: Chris Hutchins is an avid life hacker, a financial optimizer and the host of the top ranked podcast “All The Hacks”, where he shares his quest to upgrade his life without having to spend a fortune. These passions have led him to being featured in a documentary on financial Independence called “Playing with FIRE” and collecting millions of poi…
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Ask Paula: Is the bank trying to scam my parents…?
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#397: Nic’s parents are forced to confront earlier than anticipated retirement…and they aren’t financially prepared. Now, a bank is offering to buy a part of their mortgage or a part of their house. Is this a scam?! Jon from Colorado is curious about after tax contributions to a Roth 401k, and would like us to talk about why we wouldn’t recommend i…
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Creating Happiness At Work, with Julie Winkle Giulioni
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#396: International best selling author and leadership speaker, Julie Winkle Giulioni, talks through a multidimensional career framework that features eight dimensions of career development. She spells out how to apply the dimensions of contribution, competence, connection, confidence, challenge, contentment, choice and climb to different parts of …
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Invest Anywhere: There are THOUSANDS of Cities, Where Do I Invest?!
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#395: Welcome to Invest Anywhere, our monthly series on long-distance real estate investing. Invest Anywhere airs on the First Friday of each month and is co-hosted by Paula Pant and Suni Rao. In this episode, we tackle the challenging decision of how to evaluate a city for rental property investment. We will cover three specific sets of analysis, …
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Ask Paula: How Much Should I Invest vs. Keep in Cash?
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#394: Bill listened to our episode with Bill Bengen, father of the 4% rule, and he wants to know if there was a way for him to figure out how much money he should be keeping in cash. Sheryl gets stock from her company, and she would usually sell it…but the stock value has decreased. And now, she isn’t sure what she should do. Heather inherited an I…
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Money and Investing Have Changed, with Chuck Jaffee
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#393: Chuck Jaffee is a forty year veteran financial journalist who regularly writes for the Wall Street Journal and is also a nationally syndicated financial columnist. He discusses how money and investors' attitude towards investing has changed over the last few decades. 00:44: Introducing Chuck Jaffe 03:05: How people interacted with the market …
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Ask Paula: Did the Great Recession Lead to the FIRE Movement?
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#392: Colleen and her husband own SEVEN paid off rental homes. Now they’re heading into retirement and disagree on what to do with some of that equity. Kevin wants to hit FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and believes his motivation comes from witnessing the financial trauma of the Great Recession. He’s wondering if others are motivated t…
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Powerful Tactics to Take Control of Your Life and Career, with Dr. Reza Abraham
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#391: Dr. Reza Abraham, an international leadership consultant, walks us through a framework of staying in control of your career and your life. This framework utilizes a singular core, three cornerstones and twelve principles. He explains how to apply and execute these principles to reinforce personal fulfillment, growth and progression. 0:00:47: …
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Ask Paula: Help! My Bills Are Too High
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#390: We start this episode with two anonymous callers who have opposite problems: one says her bills are too high, while the other is worried that she’s saving too much. Anonymous (“Izzy”) saves A LOT. She wants to relax about her spending more, and start including more joy into her life. How should she approach the next 10 or 20 years, so that sh…
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Invest Anywhere: Should I Bother Investing in Long-Distance Real Estate?
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#389: Should you bother investing in real estate … especially from a distance? Is the hassle worth it? What’s the upside? Do you really want this? Or should you just stick with index funds? Isn’t it scary to invest out-of-state? How do you know if you’re ready? In today’s episode of Afford Anything Presents: Invest Anywhere, my co-host Suni Rao and…
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Feeling Anxious About Your Investments?, with Scott Nations
1:09:21
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#388: Recessions are terrifying. Market crashes often bring out the worst in people’s anxieties and fears. This fear triggers us to act even more irrationally than usual – which can lead to making expensive mistakes in our investment portfolios. In today’s episode, Scott Nations, who spent his career studying market volatility, describes some of th…
#387: Lila is concerned about inflation and the risk of a recession. Should she invest in the stock market, despite the scary headlines? Or should she pay off her primary residence or her investment properties? Linda invested in a 529 for her son’s college, and he’ll be starting in the fall. But, the value of the plan dropped right before she was p…
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The Psychology of Secrets, with Dr. Michael Slepian
1:05:22
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#386: We all have our secrets. We keep some secrets from bosses, colleagues and clients, like the fact that we hope to retire early, change careers, or start a business. We keep other secrets from friends and family, like our income, net worth, spending habits and investing mistakes. Research from around the world shows that we tend to keep the sam…
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Ask Paula: How to Invest When You’re Unsure of the Goal
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#385: Anonymous (“Jennifer”) keeps hearing us say that you should “start with the end in mind” – that your investments should match your goals and timeline. But what if you don’t have any specific financial goal? What if your risk tolerance is different than you once thought? Rachel’s new employer won’t let her contribute to retirement for more tha…
