Radical Personal Finance

I was recently speaking with a friend of mine who is in the process of starting a business. I was answering some of his questions when I realized how daunting it can be to start a business if you haven't done it before. And how simple it seems after you've done it.

Many people have searched and searched for the holy grail of investing: a portfolio that provides a good return with low risk that can weather the economic storms, no matter what they be. Some feel that they have found it in The Permanent Portfolio. The Permanent Portfolio is a concept that was designed by Harry […]

There is an iron formula of wealth that can be applied to all financial plans. The relationships between balance sheets cannot be broken in any way. To become wealthy, you much increase the net worth on the bottom of the balance sheet. The only two ways to increase net worth are to increase assets or reduce […]

Hey friends, I’m still not able to speak well enough to record a normal show but I wanted to make sure you have something thought-provoking to listen to. The thought-provoking audio for today is from Cal Newport‘s speech at The World Domination Summit. I hope to be back with you loud and strong on Monday! […]

Today’s show is very short but, I hope, very thought provoking. I’m feeling sick today and am not able to produce any content that will be up to snuff. But I’m certainly not about to leave you without something that will uplift you and make you smarter. Nothing’s seriously wrong with me–just run down due […]

The Cash Flow Statement is the one document that you can create which will definitively show whether you can expect your wealth to increase or decrease in the long run. There are only three variables we can manipulate in any financial plan that will affect long-term wealth: The amount of inflows The amount of outflows […]

This show is an interview with Jacob from The Early Retirement Extreme book and blog. Jacob is a former physicist who developed a plan that can help anyone, regardless of income, industry, or background, from where they are to financial independence in 5 years by learning to free themselves from the earn/pay cycle and substituting use of […]

Monday’s shows are variety shows with me sharing current events and commentary from this past week. The topics are wide-ranging and provocative! Enjoy! Links mentioned in today’s show: Discussion on happiness and money: New York City is the Most Unhappy City in America? Refers to this recent Harvard paper on the inequality of happiness across the nation. […]

I plan that Friday’s show generally be a Q&A show and today, I planned to answer two questions: one about planning for long-term care needs and the other about what to do with a less-than-stellar 401(k) plan. Unfortunately, I was really only able to answer the first one. But, I hope the answer will provide […]

Many times people ask me where to start with the process of financial planning. Today’s show answers that question. If you were assigned to take over a failing business and you wanted to turn it around, you would begin by answering two questions: Why does this business exist? (Purpose) Where is this business at? (Financially […]

Would you like to know what stocks, bonds, and derivatives actually are and how they actually work? Listen to today’s show to build your foundational knowledge so you’re not fooled by faulty analysis of markets. Join us as we discuss: Real assets vs. financial assets (all wealth comes from real assets–financial assets merely represent a claim […]

Today we have an interview with Jake Desyllas, author of “Becoming an Entrepreneur: How to Find Freedom and Fulfillment as a Business Owner” and host of The Voluntary Life Podcast. The primary interview is about entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurship is a really valid–if not the most effective–way to purse and find financial freedom and personal […]

In today’s show we use the CFP Board’s “Job Task Domains” to frame the financial planning process as a helpful template for DIYers or as necessary information for financial planners. This framework and template is a comprehensive guide to the financial planning process, which is the method employed to get outstanding results. Beginning Announcements: It’s […]

On Fridays I answer your questions! I’ll answer any question you ask me. Today, we discuss: How would I protect my investments from a bear market? How would I invest the money I’m saving for a house downpayment? What financial advice would I give an 18y.o. me? What’s the most complicated thing in my day? […]

In today’s show we move over onto the more “radical” side of financial planning. Today’s show is an interview with David Gross, author of “99 Tactics of Successful Tax Resistance Campaigns.” David worked as a computer programmer and lived a fairly normal life until 2003, when he became bothered by the actions of the U.S. Government […]

Today’s show is a bit more general and philosophy focused rather than technical. I decided to use a question from my Twitter exchange with Robbie this morning as the springboard for my show. @RadicalPF knowing what you know today. What financial advice would you have given your 18yr old self? Doesn’t just have to be […]

Beginning announcements: We’re live in iTunes! Share this link please! http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radical-personal-finance-podcast/id896153632 I’ve set up an email list–please consider subscribing so you receive the full set of show notes every day. We email the entire post so you can decide if you want to listen or not! Thank you so much for the comments and show ideas! […]

In today’s show, we tackle a Frequently Asked Question about whether I should wait to invest in stocks because of where the market is at. The Dow closed above 17,000 last week. Inevitably, here are the four articles you will see all week: Stocks have more room to run! Stocks are in a bubble and […]

In today’s show we dig deep into the forgotten history of retirement. Have you ever wondered how we wound up with the retirement system today? Have you ever wondered what political movements led to the creation of things like mandatory retirement and the Social Security system? Although I certainly can’t answer all the questions in one […]

Today on the Radical Personal Finance Podcast, we deal with the elephant in the living room: Nobody ever retires! Especially those who can afford to! Billionaires don’t retire. Poor people can’t retire (even though they desperately want to sometimes). The Four Hour Workweek Man works about 10 hours a day. Mr. Early Retirement Extreme himself […]

Today’s show is an introduction to the Radical Personal Finance Podcast. We discuss: My background with financial planning and financial planning media. My frustrations with the financial press. My philosophy that very little is right or wrong in financial planning; perspective is important. Our goal to destroy financial planning dogma. A rational approach to financial […]

You are 100% responsible for your income–both creating an income source and for the actual level of your income. In the US American context, you’re paid exactly what you’re worth in the marketplace. So, to make more, you have to be worth more. The bad news is that being worth more is difficult because it […]

Today’s show topic is real estate and we’ll be discussing why your house is a terrible investment, how to do a proper rent vs. own calculation, and other wealth building topics with our special guest, James Collins. It’s certain to be challenging, controversial, and, I hope, appropriately radical. Please listen to the entire episode to understand […]

Today’s show is a conversation about the current status of the show, some of my mistakes and things I’m working on and it’s also a casual conversation about what’s really important. We talk about the problems and solutions facing our consumer society and how we already know each and every one of the solutions to […]

Today, we have an in-depth conversation with Brandon, the Mad Fientist. If all goes according to plan, Brandon should have enough money by the end of next year (2014) to never have to work again. He will be in his early 30s. Today’s show goes fairly deep into some of the technical strategies that Brandon is […]