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Paula Pant | Cumulus Podcast Network

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.

Afford Anything

#666: In this First Friday economic update, we explore the paradox defining our current economy: record-breaking retail numbers alongside plummeting consumer confidence. 

In this First Friday economic update, we explore the paradox defining our current economy: we're spending more than ever, while feeling worse about money than we have in years.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics hasn't released jobs data for two consecutive months. The Federal Reserve must make a critical interest rate decision flying blind. 

Meanwhile, private sector data reveals troubling trends. Small businesses are hemorrhaging jobs while discount chains like Dollar General see their stock prices soar 44%.

Americans are spending differently this holiday season. They're shopping earlier, using AI to find deals, and turning to buy-now-pay-later options. Households are spending less than last year, yet total spending increases because more people are participating. 

This K-shaped recovery benefits luxury retailers and bargain stores while crushing the middle market.

We also cover essential year-end financial moves. From maximizing retirement contributions to tax-loss harvesting strategies, we help you navigate your personal finances amid economic uncertainty.

The disconnect between what the numbers say – and how people feel – reveals deeper truths about an economy that's technically growing while leaving many behind.

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) Spotify Wrapped and podcast listener data

(2:05) Jobs report missing, BLS delays

(5:01) ADP shows 32,000 job losses

(8:00) Youth unemployment over 10%

(10:32) Fed meeting without data

(12:24) Mortgage rates might drop below 6%

(20:06) Holiday spending hits $1 trillion

(23:43) Consumers spend less individually

(26:36) Discount stores outperform market

(28:29) Shopping starts in October now

(30:22) AI helps holiday shopping

(36:09) Giving Tuesday up 11%

(38:28) Year-end money moves

(45:00) Charity and gift tax limits

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, and your family: https://affordanything.com/episode666
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First Friday: The Strange Economics of Feeling Poor While Spending More Description:

#665: If you’ve ever stared at an insurance quote and wondered, “Is this really worth it?”, you’re not alone. Liability and umbrella policies can feel like an expensive mystery, especially when your net worth is growing and your risks are shifting.

In today’s episode, we dig into a listener’s dilemma about soaring liability and umbrella insurance costs, and we explore how to think clearly about protection, exposure, and the parts of your portfolio that may already be shielded. Along the way, we unpack how shifting household risks, driver ages, and asset location change the insurance strategy year by year.

From there, we take questions about Roth choices, future tax brackets, and whether it’s worth giving up investment flexibility to build a stronger tax triangle. These conversations get to the heart of how we balance risk, taxes, and long-term planning in the FI journey.

Listener Questions in This Episode

Andy asks: How can I protect my $2 million net worth without paying nearly $950 a month for increased auto, home, and umbrella coverage, especially with a teenage driver in the mix? (01:47)

Mike asks: Given our high current tax bracket and expected lower tax rate in retirement, does contributing to a Roth still make sense for us? (25:50)

Cindy asks: Should I move my rollover IRA into my new 401(k) so I can start doing backdoor Roth contributions, even if the investment choices are more limited? (39:47)

Key Takeaways

 Sometimes the question isn’t “umbrella or nothing,” it’s “what risk am I truly trying to insure, and for how long,” especially when a teenage driver temporarily changes the household risk profile.

 You already may have more asset protection than you think. Retirement accounts and primary residences often carry their own layers of protection, which influences how much liability insurance you actually need.

 The Roth decision hinges less on math in isolation and more on your likely future earnings, work style, and appetite for locking in today’s tax rates.

 Building a balanced tax triangle gives you flexibility later, especially when future tax rates are unknowable and retirement timing is uncertain.

 Backdoor Roths can be powerful, but only when the tradeoff between investment choice and long-term tax flexibility makes sense for your goals and timeline.

Related Episode:

Episode 649: Umbrella insurance deep dive

Chapters

Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary greatly across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads.

(00:00) Offense versus defense and setting up today’s questions

(01:47) Andy asks about protecting a $2 million net worth

(12:00) What’s already protected and how coverage layers work

(17:00) Managing short-term risk when a teenager starts driving

(29:50) Mike asks whether high earners should prioritize Roth contributions

(35:07) How career trajectory and future tax rates shape Roth logic
(

45:54) Building a balanced tax triangle

(47:47) Cindy asks about using a backdoor Roth to shift her tax triangle
(

52:10) Tradeoffs of moving an IRA into a 401k

(54:06) How long Roth dollars need to grow to matter

Have a question for Paula and Joe? Call it in at https://affordanything.com/voicemail

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, your tax advisor: https://affordanything.com/episode665
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Q&A: How Much Insurance Is Enough When You’re Protecting Your Wealth

#664: Have any of these thoughts ever crossed your mind?

If I had more willpower, I’d achieve my financial goals.

I’m doomed to fail with money.

Budgets suck. They only show me what I did wrong and make me feel horrible.

If so, you’re not alone.

It’s not that you lack willpower.

It’s not that you’re doomed to fail with money.

It’s not that you’re a horrible person for blowing your budget.

It’s that you’re human.

And humans make emotional decisions all the time. Decisions that often defy logic.

But making emotional decisions doesn’t have to be a financial death 
sentence. Money management is a skill, which means we can improve.

When we understand the “why” behind our decisions, coupled with the 
marketing tactics that retailers use, we can guard ourselves against 
cognitive biases and sales strategies.

That’s what today’s guest is here to discuss.

Jeff Kreisler, co-author of Dollars and Sense and Editor-in-Chief of PeopleScience.com, joins us to talk about common money mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

Jeff attended Princeton University and practiced as a lawyer before 
he became an author and a speaker. He co-authored Dollars and Sense with
 Dr. Dan Ariely, a bestselling book that explores behavioral economics 
and asks why we make faulty financial decisions.

In this interview, Jeff names five common money mistakes and offers four solutions.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode664
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The Psychology of Sales, Discounts and Deals [GREATEST HITS]

#663: We’re living through the first era in which an investor can ask a machine to read a decade of SEC filings in seconds. That sounds powerful, but also a little terrifying. Can we trust it? And how do we use it without falling for hallucinations or built-in optimism?

In this episode, we dig into the practical, real-world ways AI can strengthen our investing process while avoiding its biggest pitfalls. If you’ve ever wondered how to blend old-school fundamentals with new-school tools, this conversation will open up an entirely new mental model.

Our guest is Brian Feroldi, an investor who has spent more than twenty years doing classic, deep-dive fundamental research. He reads SEC filings for fun, and he’s embraced AI not as a stock picker, but as a force multiplier that can turn days of research into minutes.

We talk about the specific guardrails that make AI useful for fundamental investors, including restricting sources to trusted filings, designing step-by-step instructions, and assigning the AI a role so it knows how to “think.” We also explore how to stress-test optimism bias, how to analyze companies like a forensic accountant or a short seller, and how to build prompts that match your own investing personality.

Whether you’re an index-fund loyalist with a little “fun money” or a hands-on analyst, this conversation will expand the way you evaluate businesses and make decisions.

Key Takeaways

 How a single prompt can transform AI from a loose generalist into a sharp, reliable research assistant.

 The surprising way optimism bias shows up in AI tools, and how to flip it to your advantage.

 Why limiting your data sources can make your analysis dramatically stronger.

 The role-play trick that helps you see a company the way a short seller, value investor, or even Warren Buffett might.

 A simple reframing that turns AI from a stock picker into something far more powerful for decision-making.

 The moment in the demo that revealed a blind spot even seasoned investors often miss.

Resources and Links

 Get Brian’s free business-analysis prompt at longtermmindset.co/ai

 Check out Brian’s YouTube channel: Long-Term Mindset @BrianFeroldiYT

Chapters

Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary greatly across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads.

(03:02) Pros and cons of using AI for stock research

(4:55) Why Brian invests heavily in individual stocks

(12:52) Guardrails for reducing AI hallucinations

(17:22) How to write step-by-step prompts

(24:02) Using roles to shape AI’s output

(35:57) Running Brian’s prompt on Kava

(46:22) Understanding pricing power and recession behavior

(01:00:02) Evaluating management teams

(01:06:02) Using AI to reflect your investing personality

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, and your family around the Thanksgiving table: https://affordanything.com/episode663
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Why AI Misleads Investors and How to Fix It

#662: Most teams hire for skills. The best teams hire for wiring. 

What if the reason someone accelerates your organization, or quietly derails it, has more to do with their response time, processing style, or sense of mission than their résumé?

This episode dives into the hidden patterns that shape how people work, make decisions, and handle pressure; the clues we often overlook, and the tiny tells that reveal who will thrive.

We’re joined by William Vanderbloemen, whose firm has completed nearly 4,000 executive searches. 

After reviewing years of candidate data, he discovered why some people create momentum everywhere they go and others struggle, even when they look perfect on paper. 

We explore what “fast thinkers” and “slow thinkers” bring to a team, how to spot agility before you hire someone, and why some workers need a mission while others need a measurable win.

Along the way, we reflect on our own tendencies and how understanding them can change the way we build teams, manage energy, and make long-term decisions.

Key Takeaways

Response speed can signal mental wiring, not politeness, which makes it a powerful hiring clue.

The real interview starts long before the formal meeting, which means every informal interaction counts.

Agility shows up when plans change, so micro-tests can reveal how someone handles shifting conditions.

Many high performers are driven either by purpose or measurable progress, and knowing which matters.

Understanding our own lane helps us hire better, delegate better, and build systems that reduce friction.

Resources and Links

Simon Sinek, Start With Why https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA

Vanderbloemen Group https://vanderbloemengroup.com/

Be the Unicorn by William Vanderbloemen https://www.amazon.com/Be-Unicorn-Data-Driven-Separate-Leaders/dp/1400247101

Chapters

Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary greatly across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads.

(00:00) What thousands of executive searches revealed

(10:35) The nine markers of high performers

(22:01) Fast thinkers, slow thinkers, and finding your lane

(25:35) Why response time predicts performance

(25:48) Testing agility in real-world scenarios

(47:16) Why purpose matters more to younger workers

(55:13) Why curiosity is a career superpower

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, your veterinarian: https://affordanything.com/episode662
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What If Everything We Know About Hiring Is Wrong?, with William Vanderbloemen

#661: When your income drops, debt spikes, and a rental property starts bleeding cash, it can feel like your entire financial foundation is cracking beneath you. Veronica, our first caller, is navigating all of it at once, from a near-foreclosure to a luxury car payment that’s strangling her budget. Her question is simple but enormous, how do you rebuild when you’re overwhelmed and out of margin?

Once we work through her path forward, we shift to a listener on the opposite end of the spectrum. Daniel has maxed his Roth IRA, HSA, 401(k), and 457, and now sits on growing surplus cash. We talk about where extra money belongs when you’re aiming for early retirement and wondering whether to invest, save, or crush a low-interest mortgage.

And to close, we take on a question dominating every financial feed right now, what if AI stocks really are in a bubble? We break down what it means to short the market, whether put options are actually a “safe” bet, and how to position a portfolio if you’re worried about tech valuations.

Listener Questions in This Episode

 Veronica asks (02:06): How do I dig out of debt, repair my credit, and stabilize my rental after nearly going into foreclosure. 

 Daniel asks (28:17): What should I do with my surplus side hustle cash when I already max tax-advantaged accounts and have a 3.5 percent rental mortgage.

 Scarlet asks (49:20): If AI stocks are in a bubble like the dot-com era, is there any relatively safe way to profit from a crash, such as put options.

Key Takeaways

 Why tackling the right problem first can change the entire trajectory of a debt recovery plan.

 How downsizing one major expense can unlock breathing room you didn’t realize you had.

 The surprising factor that often matters more than interest rates when choosing between investing and debt payoff.

 Why flexible money becomes essential when planning for early retirement.

 What most people misunderstand about betting against a bubble, especially in fast-moving tech sectors.

 The simple portfolio shift that can help calm bubble anxiety without trying to time the market.

Resources and Links

 
GreenPath Financial Wellness – nonprofit credit counseling and debt management support for people overwhelmed by payments and afraid of bad actors in the debt relief world.

 Our course: Your Next Raise – a deep dive on how to negotiate a higher salary at work, with a special comp offered in this episode.

 
Paul Merriman Four-Fund Portfolio – the simple, diversified investing framework Daniel uses inside his retirement accounts.

 
The Big Short movie Michael Lewis and the film adaptation.

 
1929 book by Andrew Ross Sorkin – a historical look at bubbles and crashes.

Chapters

Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary greatly across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads.

(0:00) Veronica’s debt crisis and rental challenges 

(16:46) Cutting car costs and rebuilding cash flow 

(22:28) Debt relief programs and avoiding bad actors 

(28:17) Daniel’s surplus cash and retirement strategy 

(37:52) Brokerage vs mortgage payoff discussion 

(49:20) Can you profit from an AI bubble burst 

(1:00:40) Why shorting and puts rarely pay off 

(1:08:18) Safer ways to position your portfolio

Got a question: Call it in: https://affordanything.com/voicemail

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, your veterinarian: https://affordanything.com/episode661
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Q&A: She's Broke. He's Rich. And You're Asking About AI Stocks.

#660: Caring for an aging parent can morph into a second full-time job, and even the most financially savvy adults get blindsided. Bank accounts freeze, home sales stall, and family savings disappear faster than anyone expects.

In this episode, we dig into what really happens when you take over a parent’s financial life, from the first power of attorney to the final tax return. 

We explore the emotional and logistical realities of dementia care, Medicaid, trusts, probate, and why a single smartphone setting can determine whether you can access the information you need.

Veteran financial journalist and certified financial planner Beth Pinsker joins us to share the hard lessons she learned while managing her parents’ money, housing, and estate. She opens up about the “you don’t know what you don’t know” moments that hit even experts.

We look at why almost every caregiver reaches a breaking point, the two documents that can save a year of stress and tens of thousands of dollars, how a forgotten zero-balance home equity line nearly torpedoed a real estate deal, and why phone access now belongs at the center of estate planning.

We also confront the brutal math of long-term dementia care, the real differences between Medicare and Medicaid, how to evaluate facilities beyond brochures, and what happens when a parent dies without updated paperwork. Through it all, we focus on how clear conversations about wishes and values can reduce guilt and burnout for the people left steering the ship.

Key Takeaways

 Financial caregiving comes for almost everyone eventually, and even experts hit roadblocks, so the goal is not perfection but reducing avoidable chaos.

 Power of attorney and healthcare proxy documents are foundational, often more urgent than a will, and they need to be current, state-appropriate, and shared with the people who may need to use them.

 A locked smartphone without a legacy contact can become a financial brick, cutting caregivers off from essential clues about accounts, subscriptions, and bills.

 Long-term dementia care can run five to six figures per year, outlasting even solid nest eggs, so families need to confront the realities of Medicaid and state-specific safety nets before the money runs out.

 How assets are titled, from bank accounts to real estate, determines whether heirs inherit smoothly through a trust or spend years and thousands of dollars navigating probate.

 The most important “plan” is knowing a loved one’s wishes for quality of life and end-of-life care, so financial and medical decisions feel like honoring them instead of guessing in the dark.

Key moments

(0:00) Why financial caregiving blindsides even the experts

(05:18) The hidden home equity line that almost killed a real estate deal

(10:54) Two documents every adult in your life should have

(14:29) The critical phone setting that protects access to accounts and memories

(21:23) What Prince’s estate taught us about wills and inertia

(31:39) Planning for a decade of dementia care without going broke

(35:16) How Medicaid really works and why “running out of money” is a process

(38:46) The menu of care options from in-home help to CCRCs and nursing homes

(44:31) The “smell test” for evaluating facilities in the real world

(51:06) What to do in the first weeks after a parent dies

(54:38) Trusts, titles, probate, and how one frozen account cost $5,000 to unlock

(01:01:04) Knowing their wishes so money decisions feel like honoring, not guessing

Resources and Links

 Beth Pinsker’s website: bethpinsker.com

 Beth’s retirement and financial planning columns at MarketWatch

 Beth’s book, My Mother's Money, on financial caregiving and planning for aging parents and loved ones

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, and anyone who is thinking about caregiving: https://affordanything.com/episode660
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The Brutal Math of Caring for Aging Parents, with MarketWatch Columnist Beth Pinsker

#659: Imagine that you’re at the absolute peak of your career. You’re the CEO of a prominent advertising company at the age of 36, but you feel like you’re driving in the wrong lane. It’s wrong.Then you make a hard career pivot and it works out beautifully.My guests today know exactly what that’s like. We’re joined by James Patterson, the author who has sold more than 425 million copies of his books. He has co-authored books with President Clinton, Dolly Parton, and now his latest co-author is Dr. Patrick Leddin, who also joins us to talk about disruption.

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) Defining disruption versus gradual change

(5:20) Positive disruption mindset and overcoming fear

(8:12) Process for uncovering personal passions

(10:25) Patterson disrupts publishing with six books per year

(13:45) Research reveals 16 disruptive behaviors

(16:30) Academia embracing different voices and perspectives

(21:00) Mountain climber story shows gradual disruption

(24:14) Framework for navigating career transitions

(28:19) Limiting beliefs and psychological barriers

(30:55) Being open to change versus stability

(35:00) Taking ownership of disruptive choices

(41:00) Mission versus purpose distinction

(46:37) Advice for embracing positive disruption

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, and James Patterson book fans: https://affordanything.com/episode659
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James Patterson Shows Why Comfort Can Be a Trap

#658: An unusual First Friday episode because we don't have a jobs report. 

However, we do know that in October, U.S. companies announced more job cuts in a single month than they have over any single month of the last 20 years. In other words, October was peak job cut month. 

By contrast, private payrolls, as reported by ADP, rose by 42,000 in October, so we have a little bit of conflicting data. Some pessimistic, some optimistic. We're going to take a deeper look at that in today's episode. 

Timestamps:

Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising segments. The provided timestamps are approximate and may be several minutes off due to changing ad lengths.

(00:00) Conflicting Job Market Data

(03:40) Youth Unemployment and AI’s Impact

(10:16) Fed Rate Cuts and Housing Market

(20:23) New Job Postings Lowest in 4 Years

(20:54) Consumer Sentiment 

(22:04) Social Security Payments Increase in 2026

(23:33) Rising Car Costs and Repossessions

(24:46) Good News for Prescription Drug Prices

(31:50) Government Shutdown Impacts
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First Friday: When the Gov’t is Closed, Where Do We Find the Numbers?

#657: This week, Paula and Joe dig into a listener’s question about ETFs that track the stock trades of U.S. politicians — including the Democratic “NANC” fund and its Republican counterpart “KRUZ.” They explore whether this strategy is smart investing or just expensive entertainment.

Then, they shift gears to home ownership headaches. Another listener asks how to control ballooning maintenance costs, and Paula shares her best advice for finding trustworthy contractors, budgeting for repairs, and knowing when DIY doesn’t actually save money.

Finally, an anonymous caller wonders if starting a small business just for tax breaks makes sense. Paula and Joe explain the IRS rules — and why energy and purpose matter more than deductions.

From “fun money” investing to financial planning that actually works, this episode is all about balancing curiosity, caution, and common sense.

Key Takeaways

 Congressional-trade ETFs aren’t a shortcut to wealth. They’re speculative, lag behind real trades, and carry high costs

 Home maintenance is predictable — plan for it. Create a repair timeline and build relationships with investor-friendly contractors

 DIY isn’t always cheaper. Factor in time, tools, and opportunity cost

 Never open a business just for taxes. If it doesn’t make a profit or bring joy, it’s an energy drain, not a strategy

 Separate fun money from freedom money. Keep speculation playful, and build wealth with focus and purpose

Chapters

Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising segments. The provided timestamps are approximate and may be several minutes off due to changing ad lengths.

(00:00) Should You Follow Congress’s Trades?

(06:00) The Lag Problem and Investor Bias

(10:30) The “Fun Money” Rule

(11:20) The Hidden Cost of Home Repairs

(15:00) Finding Investor-Friendly Contractors

(18:00) Planning Ahead for Repairs

(22:00) DIY vs. Opportunity Cost

(26:00) Starting a Small Business for Tax Breaks

(29:00) The IRS “3-of-5 Rule”

(32:00) Purpose Over Deductions

(34:00) Final Thoughts

https://affordanything.com/voicemail

Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, and all the Nancys in your life: https://affordanything.com/episode657
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Q&A: Can You Really Beat the Market by Copying Members of Congress?

#308: Ziggy purchased an $890,000 property in San Mateo, CA in 2016. After living there for a year, he had to move, so he rented it out. Unfortunately, it’s cash flow negative. Is this property worth holding onto, or should he sell?
Vivek has a paid-off primary residence that he’s interested in renting out for a few years, before selling. He’s worried about capital gains tax – does turning the home into a rental impact the amount he’ll pay?
Anonymous in Virginia wants to travel after retiring, which will increase her expenses for the first seven or so years of her retirement. How can she plan for a higher withdrawal rate at the beginning of retirement, and a lower withdrawal rate in the middle of her retirement?
Given the talk around student loan forgiveness, Jess wants to know: should she pay the minimum on her student loan debt and save the payments she would otherwise make? Or should she keep throwing extra at her higher interest loans?
My friend and former financial planner, Joe Saul-Sehy, joins me to answer these questions on today’s show. Let’s dive in!
For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode308
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Ask Paula: I Want to Travel After I Retire; How Much Should I Save?

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