Afford Anything
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.
Show episodes
Astronaut's Guide to Taking YOUR Moonshot, with Mike Massimino from NASA and Big Bang Theory
#476: Mike Massimino stared in disbelief at his TV. The date was July 16, 1969, and he marveled as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. At that moment, he knew he wanted to become an astronaut. He was six years old. But as Mike grew older, he developed more “realistic” dreams. After all, every kid wants t
#475: Born in 1924, Charlie Munger was raised during the Great Depression. At the time of his death on Tuesday, his net worth was estimated at $2.6 billion. But Munger’s greatest achievement wasn’t merely the scorecard of his net worth. His wit and wisdom, which Munger shared with the world through his book, Poor Charl
Surviving a $35,000 Credit Card Scam, Job Loss and Foreclosure, with Tiffany Aliche, The Budgetnista
#474: When Tiffany Aliche was in her 20’s, she fell victim to a credit card scam. A crafty swindler convinced her to take out a cash advance against her credit card for $35,000. He said that he’d invest the money and produce Bernie Madoff-style returns. She was an inexperienced investor. She believed him. She never saw
#473: Sarah has cash to pay a $8,000 medical bill but she’s reluctant to drain her savings. Should she sign up for the hospital’s interest-free payment plan? Jennie is an independent consultant but gets paid as a W-2 employee. Without access to a SEP IRA or a 401k plan, is there another option to save for retirement? A
Happiness Habits, with Harvard Professor Arthur Brooks
#472: Imagine this: You’re a teenage musical prodigy, a world-class classical French horn player. You drop out of college at age 19 and spend your twenties touring the globe as a musician (including, once, tripping and falling off the stage at Carnegie Hall). At age 31, you retire from your musical career, get a Ph.D.,
#471: Bob split a $350,000 windfall between savings and paying down his mortgage. But now he’s wondering if he made a good choice. Can Paula and Joe do the math to justify his gut-driven decisions? Julia wants to tap the equity from a second home to buy a third home in Texarkana, Texas. Is this a good plan? Joey Jr. wa
