Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money

#564: Our economy just gave us two big surprises that shape how we'll do business and invest in 2025. Our job market is going through major changes. Sure, we added 227,000 jobs - way more than anyone expected. Healthcare and hospitality are booming. But here's what you need to watch: our unemployment rate just climbed to 4.2%. When you look at how many people are joining or leaving the workforce,...

#563: Bitcoin is hitting new all-time highs. Is this just another bull cycle, or are we witnessing a fundamental shift in how the world thinks about money? That's the question at the heart of our conversation with Tatiana Koffman, General Partner at Moonwalker Capital and author of "The Myth of Money." Koffman joins us to explain why Bitcoin might be considered "digital property" rather than just...

#562: More than 90 percent of people who ask to get their credit card annual fee reduced are successful. Yet most people never ask.  Why? They assume the answer will be no. Matt Schultz, the author of “Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More,” joins us to explain the psychology and tactics behind successful negotiation.  The key insight: companies want to keep your business. Banks, employers, and ser...

#561: Joanne is confident that her short and long-term financial plans are set, but she’s not certain about the medium-term. What’s the proper way to allocate money for different time horizons? Jessie is intrigued by Paul Merriman’s simple portfolio recommendations but wonders about his lean away from growth stocks. Are value funds generally better for everyday investors? Nancy is worried she’ll m...

#560: Bill Bengen, the former rocket scientist who discovered the "4 percent rule" of retirement planning, joins us at the Bogleheads conference in Minnesota. Bengen clarifies that calling it a "rule" is misleading since it doesn't fit everyone's situation. The 4 percent figure came from studying the worst-case scenario since 1926, when someone who retired in 1968 could only safely withdraw 4.2 pe...

#559: An anonymous caller, whom we name “Samantha,” and her husband are financially strained and feeling torn. Shortly after purchasing two rental properties, their income dropped dramatically. Should they sell? Tina is a full-time environmentalist. She’s worried that her index funds don’t align with her values on sustainability. Is there a world where she can be a savvy investor and fight climate...

#558: What happens when you spend three decades talking to retirement experts? You learn that most of what people think they know about retirement planning is oversimplified or wrong. Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar, joins us on the Afford Anything podcast to share what she's discovered after 31 years of interviewing experts across personal finan...

#557: Imagine saving nearly your entire paycheck while your rental properties cover your bills. That's exactly where real estate investor Andrew finds himself — and yet he's at a crossroads.  At FinCon, a personal finance conference, former financial advisor Joe Saul-Sehy and I sit down with Andrew and another attendee who bring their money dilemmas live on stage. Andrew's question seems simple at...

#556: An anonymous caller was raised to work hard, live below his means, and save. He feels undeserving of his recent $1,000,000 inheritance and struggles to spend it. What should he do? Jack bought a house with a seven-year adjustable-rate mortgage. He’s confused about when and how he should refinance out of it. What should he do? Jack is also wondering how to do the breakeven calculation between...

#555: Brandon Ganch (known online as MadFientist) joins us from Scotland to share how his life has transformed since retiring in 2016 at age 34. “I thought retirement was an age, not a function,” he said. “And when I realized it was just a math function, it changed my entire life.” Eight years into retirement, Brandon talks about how his spending and lifestyle have evolved. While his investment po...

#554: The U.S. jobs market hit a surprising speed bump in October, adding just 12,000 new jobs — way below the expected 100,000.  A mix of natural disasters and labor unrest explains the slump. Recent hurricanes in the Southeast wiped out somewhere between 40,000 to 70,000 jobs, while strikes at Boeing and other companies added to the slowdown. Against this backdrop, the Federal Reserve looks read...

#553: This is the third and final episode in a three-part series. Dr. Brad Klontz and Adrian Brambila join us to share 21 harsh truths about building wealth.  This episode focuses on the final 11 harsh truths, following up on their previous conversations about the first 10 harsh truths. The conversation begins with a key distinction: poor people buy stuff, while rich people buy time. They explain...

#552: In this special three-part series, we discuss some of the 21 Harsh Truths About Money.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode552 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#551: Financial psychologist Dr. Brad Klontz and Youtuber Adrian Brambila join us to talk about money psychology, starting with a dark but revealing story about an experiment with dogs.  Scientists put dogs in electrified cages from which they couldn't escape. Eventually, the dogs stopped trying to escape and just lay down, even when later moved to cages where escape was possible. This 'learned he...

#550: Paul Merriman, a former wealth manager turned financial educator, joins us to share investing wisdom that could reshape how you think about your money. We kick things off talking about portfolio diversification. Paul suggests a simple four-fund strategy that includes large cap, small cap, and value stocks. He says this mix has historically beaten the S&P 500 with lower risk. We then dive int...

#549: Steven is stuck on the question of financial stability. How do you know if you have it? Is there an objective answer based on net worth? Or is it a calculation relative to your income and age? Jack isn’t sure how to factor his house into his net worth. It’s an asset, but he has a mortgage against it, and there are transaction costs associated with selling it. How should he frame it? Patricia...

#548: Economist Dr. Karsten Jeske talks with us about the current economic landscape. Karsten, who retired at 44, breaks down the Fed's recent decisions and how they might affect our finances. He explains how markets often anticipate interest rate changes before they happen. Karsten challenges traditional views on inflation and unemployment, telling us that textbook models don't always match reali...

#547: An anonymous caller and her husband have a $2 million net worth at 40, but they’re worried that the one-fund portfolio that got them there isn’t good enough anymore. Are they right?  Jared feels frustrated that so much personal finance media is centered around tech and freelance workers. Does Paula and Joe have negotiation advice for someone in the union? Sam owns two overseas properties in...

#546: The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates by half a percentage point. What does this mean for your mortgage, your savings account, and the economy at large? In this First Friday economic episode, we dive deep into the Fed's decision. But that's just the beginning. As the presidential election looms, we'll also unpack the economic proposals from both candidates, examining how their plans for...

#545: Kat feels thrown off. She’s realizing that the simple investing strategy that nearly 5x’d her portfolio in six years might be unwise. Should she course correct? And how? Ryan and his wife are torn between buying what they want (a single-family house) and what seems prudent (a multi-family house). How do they decide? Is there a third way? At 30, Danielle has saved enough for a traditional ret...

#544: Remember that time you found a $20 bill in an old jacket pocket? The rush of excitement, followed by the quick mental math of what you could buy with it? That's your money mindset at work. In this episode, we dive deep into the psychology behind our financial decisions. You'll hear about the three money mindsets: anxious, obsessed, and avoidant. Ever clutched onto every penny out of fear? Th...

#543: Picture this: You're at a car dealership, trying to get the best price on your dream car. The salesperson hits you with a "take it or leave it" offer. Your palms are sweaty, your heart's racing. What do you do? That's just one of the tricky situations we dive into in this episode. We're tackling seven types of hardball negotiation tactics that can trip you up in all sorts of situations - fro...

#542: Ever feel like you're never doing enough with your money, even when your finances look good on paper? You're not alone. Katie Gatti Tassin, host of the Money with Katie podcast, dives into a phenomenon called "money dysmorphia" in today’s interview. She shares how she got flooded with responses when she asked her listeners about money dysmorphia. Folks with hefty savings and investments stil...

#541: Ever wondered if you're making the right choice between a Traditional and Roth 401(k)? You're not alone.  In this episode, Katie Gatti Tassin, host of MorningBrew’s Money with Katie podcast, joins us to tackle this common retirement savings dilemma. We deep-dive into the debate between using Traditional vs. Roth 401(k) accounts for retirement savings, in the context of: Future tax rates  Tax...

Originally aired August 2023: Stanford psychology professor Jamil Zaki shares his research and findings around the science of empathy – and how we can apply this to improving our relationships with colleagues, clients, customers, co-founders, and business and investing cohorts. Zaki is the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, and the author of “The War For Kindness.” We'll break down...