Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money
45 million downloads. One question: what does it actually take to build wealth? Each week, Paula Pant brings in economists, investors, business leaders, authors, and researchers to dig into the five pillars of financial freedom — financial psychology, increasing income, investing, real estate, and entrepreneurship. Deep insights rooted in economics and behavioral finance. First-principles thinking. No surface-level tips. Follow or Subscribe to hear new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Get smarter with money. Build wealth.
First Friday: Stocks Crashed. Jobs Boomed. Now What?
One major tech index lost $2.3 trillion in a single day on Thursday – the biggest one-day loss on record. The S&P 500 fell 4.4 percent, the Dow dropped more than 1,800 points and the Nasdaq slid into correction territory.
👉 Join us for what happens next: affordanything.com/newsletter
The selloff started with AI stocks after the midterm elections raised questions about data center construction.
This First Friday episode covers what happened, why it dragged down the whole market and what the latest economic numbers mean for your wallet.
We explain concentration risk and what it me...
Q&A: I’m at High Risk for Alzheimer’s. Is $2.5M Enough to Take Care of My Family?
Most retirements in the U.S. aren’t voluntary. Layoffs, health problems or caring for a family member decide the date for most people, so real financial planning has very little to do with skipping lattes.
Paula and former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy answer three listener questions. The first is from an Air Force major with $2.5 million saved whose parents both have early-onset Alzheimer’s. The second is from a 58-year-old early retiree deciding whether to rent or buy her next home. The third is from a couple weighing whether to pay down a 6% mortgage.
<...
Acorns CEO: The Scariest Part of Investing Is the First Step, with Noah Kerner
Over half of young Americans avoid looking at their money to cope with stress, and the CEO of Acorns says he was one of them. In his twenties, even a guaranteed 2.5% return felt too scary to touch, and it cost him a decade of growth.
Noah Kerner is CEO and chairman of Acorns, the automated saving and investing app whose customers have invested more than $33 billion, often starting with spare change.
👉 Acorns: https://affordanything.com/acorns
In this episode we discuss:
Why avoiding your money feels like relief, and wha...Q&A: I’m the Executor of Dad’s $500K Portfolio. Should I Cash It Out?
A bond fund that lost 38% feels like proof you should have bought individual bonds instead. But individual bonds would have lost value too; you just wouldn’t get a statement telling you so.
Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins Paula to answer three listener calls. The first comes from an executor deciding whether to move his late father’s $500,000 brokerage account to cash during probate (the court process of settling an estate). The second is from an investor whose bond fund lost 38% in six years, and the third is from a 401(k) plan manager of 2...
3 Million Americans Got Rich From Boring Businesses. Here's How, with Owen Zidar & Eric Zwick
#761: Roughly 3 million Americans who own private businesses — car dealerships, beer distributors, dental practices — are collectively worth more than ten times the entire Forbes 400. Most of them didn't start rich, and you've probably never heard of a single one.
Economists Owen Zidar (Princeton) and Eric Zwick (University of Chicago Booth School of Business) spent more than a decade linking anonymized tax records to the people who own America's private businesses. They share what they found in their new book, The Everywhere Millionaire.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why owning all...Q&A: $1 Million Invested, $100K a Year to Live On. Do We Ever Need to Save Again?
#760: A couple in their late 30s and early 40s with $1 million invested may never need to save another dollar for retirement, because left alone, that money could grow to about $4 million. The harder question isn't the money. It's which of them keeps working to carry the family's health insurance.
Paula and Joe start with Beth, an accountant married to a burned-out tech worker, who wants to know whether they can cut back on work now. Then they tackle a retiree's Ivy League financial aid questions and a New Yorker asking whether renting forever is a financial death...
My Bank Account Hit Zero ... Then I Got Rich -- with Jaspreet Singh of Minority Mindset
#759: At 19, Jaspreet Singh bought a rental for $8,000. What followed was a nightmare tenant, a lawsuit, and a later house stripped of its copper, and it taught him what the real estate books leave out.
Jaspreet is the founder of Minority Mindset, a personal finance YouTube channel with more than 2.5 million subscribers, and CEO of Briefs Finance. He’s also a licensed attorney who chose to build businesses instead of practicing law.
Avoid these 7 expensive rental property mistakes → https://affordanything.com/rent
In this episode, we discuss:
How...My Bank Account Hit Zero ... Then I Got Rich -- with Jaspreet Singh of Minority Mindset
#759: At 19, Jaspreet Singh bought a rental for $8,000. What followed was a nightmare tenant, a lawsuit, and a later house stripped of its copper, and it taught him what the real estate books leave out.
Jaspreet is the founder of Minority Mindset, a personal finance YouTube channel with more than 2.5 million subscribers, and CEO of Briefs Finance. He’s also a licensed attorney who chose to build businesses instead of practicing law.
Avoid these 7 expensive rental property mistakes → https://affordanything.com/rent
In this episode, we discuss:
How...Q&A: "I’m 26 and No Longer Motivated by Money. Am I Unemployable?”
#758: Joe says that if you tell an employer you’re not motivated by money, you’re unemployable. Paula says that’s exactly the person she wants to hire.
Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins Paula to answer a question from a 26-year-old whose net worth is already 10 times her annual spending. Then they take on two more: whether target date funds are worth it, and whether a dad of young kids should make a career change that cuts his income by 60%.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why not being motivated by money...Q&A: "I’m 26 and No Longer Motivated by Money. Am I Unemployable?”
#758: Joe says that if you tell an employer you’re not motivated by money, you’re unemployable. Paula says that’s exactly the person she wants to hire.
Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy joins Paula to answer a question from a 26-year-old whose net worth is already 10 times her annual spending. Then they take on two more: whether target date funds are worth it, and whether a dad of young kids should make a career change that cuts his income by 60%.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why not being motivated by money...Steve Jobs Hated the Name “Genius Bar.” How He Came Around, with Ron Johnson
#757: Ron Johnson is the creator of the Apple Stores and former CEO of JCPenney.
At age 24 Ron Johnson turned down a $120,000 Goldman Sachs offer to unload trucks for $40,000, and that detour led Steve Jobs to hire him to build the Apple Store. Years later, he took over JCPenney and watched it fail for a reason that had nothing to do with his vision.
Ron Johnson created the Apple Store and worked directly for Steve Jobs for 12 years, after bringing designer products to Target. He later served as CEO of JCPenney and is the author of...
Steve Jobs Hated the Name “Genius Bar.” How He Came Around, with Ron Johnson
#757: Ron Johnson is the creator of the Apple Stores and former CEO of JCPenney.
At age 24 Ron Johnson turned down a $120,000 Goldman Sachs offer to unload trucks for $40,000, and that detour led Steve Jobs to hire him to build the Apple Store. Years later, he took over JCPenney and watched it fail for a reason that had nothing to do with his vision.
Ron Johnson created the Apple Store and worked directly for Steve Jobs for 12 years, after bringing designer products to Target. He later served as CEO of JCPenney and is the author of...
How Losing $500K in ‘08 Led One Trader to a Different Kind of Portfolio, with Jared Dillian
#756: In September 2008, Jared Dillian watched about half a million dollars of Lehman Brothers stock go to zero in a single week. He wasn't allowed to sell any of it. What he built afterward is a portfolio designed so he never goes through that again.
Jared Dillian was a trader at Lehman Brothers from 2001 until its collapse, and ran its exchange-traded fund desk. He's the author of The Awesome Portfolio and taught finance at the university level for 13 years.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why to sell your company stock as soon as you're allowed...How Losing $500K in ‘08 Led One Trader to a Different Kind of Portfolio, with Jared Dillian
#756: In September 2008, Jared Dillian watched about half a million dollars of Lehman Brothers stock go to zero in a single week. He wasn't allowed to sell any of it. What he built afterward is a portfolio designed so he never goes through that again.
Jared Dillian was a trader at Lehman Brothers from 2001 until its collapse, and ran its exchange-traded fund desk. He's the author of The Awesome Portfolio and taught finance at the university level for 13 years.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why to sell your company stock as soon as you're allowed...First Friday: AI, Debt, and a Social Security Shortfall. Should Your Money Plans Change? With Rob Berger
#755: Many retirees fear running out of money more than they fear dying. AI is reshaping the economy, the U.S. now spends over $1 trillion on interest, and Social Security faces a shortfall. Rob Berger says if you're worried about all that, it's a sign you're thinking clearly.
Rob Berger is a former securities lawyer, founder of the personal finance site Dough Roller, and host of a nearly 300,000-subscriber YouTube channel on investing and retirement planning. He started writing about money in 2007, just months before the Great Recession.
In this episode, we discuss:
How...
First Friday: AI, Debt, and a Social Security Shortfall. Should Your Money Plans Change? With Rob Berger
#755: Many retirees fear running out of money more than they fear dying. AI is reshaping the economy, the U.S. now spends over $1 trillion on interest, and Social Security faces a shortfall. Rob Berger says if you're worried about all that, it's a sign you're thinking clearly.
Rob Berger is a former securities lawyer, founder of the personal finance site Dough Roller, and host of a nearly 300,000-subscriber YouTube channel on investing and retirement planning. He started writing about money in 2007, just months before the Great Recession.
In this episode, we discuss:
How...
Q&A: We Have $80K in Cash and Want a 1–2 Year Sabbatical. Is It Enough?
#754: Four months of savings in the bank, a goal of eight, and a career break she's excited to fund. Does everything else really have to wait? Paula and Joe's answer: don't turn your emergency fund into an emergency.
A 42-year-old UK listener asks how to split money between an emergency fund, a career break, and retirement. Then we map out a 30-something couple's sabbatical and ask whether you can objectively grade a politician on the economy.
In this episode, we discuss:
How to tell a true emergency from...Q&A: We Have $80K in Cash and Want a 1–2 Year Sabbatical. Is It Enough?
#754: Four months of savings in the bank, a goal of eight, and a career break she's excited to fund. Does everything else really have to wait? Paula and Joe's answer: don't turn your emergency fund into an emergency.
A 42-year-old UK listener asks how to split money between an emergency fund, a career break, and retirement. Then we map out a 30-something couple's sabbatical and ask whether you can objectively grade a politician on the economy.
In this episode, we discuss:
How to tell a true emergency from...Why 60,000 New York Apartments Sit Empty in a Housing Crisis, with Kenny Burgos
#753: New York City is short roughly half a million homes, yet at least 60,000 rent-regulated apartments sit empty. Under current rules, many owners lose less money by leaving them vacant than by fixing them up.
Kenny Burgos is CEO of the New York Apartment Association, which represents owners of rent-stabilized buildings, and a former New York State Assemblymember from the Bronx.
In this episode, we discuss:
How New York's rent rules work, and why they've lasted since 1969 Why the typical New Yorker pays about $1,600 while listings ask $5,500 Why some...Why 60,000 New York Apartments Sit Empty in a Housing Crisis, with Kenny Burgos
#753: New York City is short roughly half a million homes, yet at least 60,000 rent-regulated apartments sit empty. Under current rules, many owners lose less money by leaving them vacant than by fixing them up.
Kenny Burgos is CEO of the New York Apartment Association, which represents owners of rent-stabilized buildings, and a former New York State Assemblymember from the Bronx.
In this episode, we discuss:
How New York's rent rules work, and why they've lasted since 1969 Why the typical New Yorker pays about $1,600 while listings ask $5,500 Why some...Q&A: I’m Tired of Managing My Rental Property. Should I Sell It?
#752: A caller's rental is performing fine, but a late-paying tenant and a roof replacement have her ready to sell it before she moves to Madrid for her MBA. Paula argues the real fix isn't selling — it's a hire she hasn't made yet.
This week, Joe joins Paula to help a caller decide whether to sell a rental property from abroad, then dig into new data on why women's labor force participation dropped in July while their share of new jobs surged in August.
In this episode, we discuss:
How to tell if you're making th...Q&A: I’m Tired of Managing My Rental Property. Should I Sell It?
#752: A caller's rental is performing fine, but a late-paying tenant and a roof replacement have her ready to sell it before she moves to Madrid for her MBA. Paula argues the real fix isn't selling — it's a hire she hasn't made yet.
This week, Joe joins Paula to help a caller decide whether to sell a rental property from abroad, then dig into new data on why women's labor force participation dropped in July while their share of new jobs surged in August.
In this episode, we discuss:
How to tell if you're making th...Why Self-Worth Predicts Your Income More Than Your SAT Score Does, with Marisa Franco
#751: The belief that’s quietly sabotaging your progress might not even be true. Free worksheet to question it: https://affordanything.com/turn-it-around
Two people can grow up with the exact same test scores — and as adults, one of them ends up earning double the other. Psychologist Marisa Franco says the deciding factor isn't intelligence, and it isn't luck. It's whether you actually believe good things are allowed to happen to you.
Dr. Marisa Franco is a psychologist and professor at the University of Maryland, and the New York Times bestselling author of Plat...
Why Self-Worth Predicts Your Income More Than Your SAT Score Does, with Marisa Franco
#751: The belief that’s quietly sabotaging your progress might not even be true. Free worksheet to question it: https://affordanything.com/turn-it-around
Two people can grow up with the exact same test scores — and as adults, one of them ends up earning double the other. Psychologist Marisa Franco says the deciding factor isn't intelligence, and it isn't luck. It's whether you actually believe good things are allowed to happen to you.
Dr. Marisa Franco is a psychologist and professor at the University of Maryland, and the New York Times bestselling author of Plat...
Your "Diversified" Portfolio Might Secretly Be One Big Bet on AI, with Alec Litowitz
#750: Free worksheet: question the belief that might be keeping you stuck — before reality forces the update for you: http://affordanything.com/turn-it-around
Alec Litowitz spent three decades building one of the world's largest hedge funds, and he says the highest-IQ people in the room are often the last to notice the world has changed. His answer isn't more intelligence — it's the willingness to be wrong, quickly, and update before everyone else catches up.
Alec co-founded Citadel alongside Ken Griffin and later founded Magnetar Capital, one of the largest alternative asset managers in the...
Your "Diversified" Portfolio Might Secretly Be One Big Bet on AI, with Alec Litowitz
#750: Free worksheet: question the belief that might be keeping you stuck — before reality forces the update for you: http://affordanything.com/turn-it-around
Alec Litowitz spent three decades building one of the world's largest hedge funds, and he says the highest-IQ people in the room are often the last to notice the world has changed. His answer isn't more intelligence — it's the willingness to be wrong, quickly, and update before everyone else catches up.
Alec co-founded Citadel alongside Ken Griffin and later founded Magnetar Capital, one of the largest alternative asset managers in the...
How a Blind Man and His Dog Survived 9/11 from the 78th Floor
#749: Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the first plane hit on Sept. 11.
He felt the impact, but couldn’t see it. Michael has been blind since shortly after birth.
Alongside his guide dog, Roselle, they descended 1,463 steps – escaping just before the South Tower, 100 yards away, collapsed. They then helped a woman who was temporarily blinded by the dust.
Michael's story answers the question – What do you do when something terrifying is happening, you don't...
How a Blind Man and His Dog Survived 9/11 from the 78th Floor
#749: Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the first plane hit on Sept. 11.
He felt the impact, but couldn’t see it. Michael has been blind since shortly after birth.
Alongside his guide dog, Roselle, they descended 1,463 steps – escaping just before the South Tower, 100 yards away, collapsed. They then helped a woman who was temporarily blinded by the dust.
Michael's story answers the question – What do you do when something terrifying is happening, you don't...
Q&A: My Dream Job Won't Wait If I Take a Family Gap Year — Do I Quit Anyway?
#748: The real question behind quitting a job you love or paying off debt anyway? Your money mindset. Take our free quiz to find yours: https://affordanything.com/fiire
A listener with $686,000 saved and a job she loves wants to take her family on a year-long trip — but Paula says her real question isn't about money at all. Later: a dad chooses to stop maxing his IRA to pay off a mortgage, even though the math says otherwise.
Joe joins from the road to help answer three listener questions: a family weighing a year off against a...
Q&A: My Dream Job Won't Wait If I Take a Family Gap Year — Do I Quit Anyway?
#748: The real question behind quitting a job you love or paying off debt anyway? Your money mindset. Take our free quiz to find yours: https://affordanything.com/fiire
A listener with $686,000 saved and a job she loves wants to take her family on a year-long trip — but Paula says her real question isn't about money at all. Later: a dad chooses to stop maxing his IRA to pay off a mortgage, even though the math says otherwise.
Joe joins from the road to help answer three listener questions: a family weighing a year off against a...
First Friday: Trouble in the Bond Market
#747: We have good news on multiple fronts to share about the job market, the stock market, the commodities market, and volatile news around the bond market.
And we begin it with some great news coming out of Nepal.
Welcome to the First Friday episode for September 2026.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements.
(00:00) Rescued workers in Nepal
(04:53) Strong August jobs report
(10:14) Conflicting employment data
(12:27) Strong jobs, weaker stoc...
First Friday: Trouble in the Bond Market
#747: We have good news on multiple fronts to share about the job market, the stock market, the commodities market, and volatile news around the bond market.
And we begin it with some great news coming out of Nepal.
Welcome to the First Friday episode for September 2026.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements.
(00:00) Rescued workers in Nepal
(04:53) Strong August jobs report
(10:14) Conflicting employment data
(12:27) Strong jobs, weaker stoc...
Q&A: What Nepal Reveals About Wealth and Safety
#746: We begin today’s episode with a discussion of the disastrous flash flooding in Nepal, a personal topic for Paula given her family there. There’s both a human story, one of the resilience of the Nepalese people and the strong community bonds there, and an economic story, where poor infrastructure and a lack of economic development have hindered disaster response and exacerbated the tragedies of recent events.
Listeners can donate to help the victims here:
The Prime Minister Relief Fund: https://pmdrf.nchl.com.np/
Caritas Nepal: https://www.caritasnepal.org/donate-now/
...
Q&A: What Nepal Reveals About Wealth and Safety
#746: We begin today’s episode with a discussion of the disastrous flash flooding in Nepal, a personal topic for Paula given her family there. There’s both a human story, one of the resilience of the Nepalese people and the strong community bonds there, and an economic story, where poor infrastructure and a lack of economic development have hindered disaster response and exacerbated the tragedies of recent events.
Listeners can donate to help the victims here:
The Prime Minister Relief Fund: https://pmdrf.nchl.com.np/
Caritas Nepal: https://www.caritasnepal.org/donate-now/
...
The Four Kinds of Rich Nobody Counts -- with Sahil Bloom [GREATEST HITS]
![The Four Kinds of Rich Nobody Counts -- with Sahil Bloom [GREATEST HITS] episode artwork](https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/8f/65/2d/6c/8f652d6c-cd3d-417a-b844-22febe85a25c/2d3e6952f05234315b87acbfc5cb580e7d8dbb73d61cc25c8aa8f18865ca742602d98c852405507b3b2d94c1d7e381aae4f86fd330b0825d046a35fade1923a0.jpeg)
#745: A friend once asked Sahil Bloom how often he saw his parents. About once a year, Sahil said.
How old are they? Mid-60s.
His friend did the math out loud. If they live to 80, you'll see them 15 more times.
Sahil was 30, living in California and making great money at a venture fund. Within 45 days of that conversation, he quit his job, sold his house and moved across the country to be near family.
He's now managing partner of...
The Four Kinds of Rich Nobody Counts -- with Sahil Bloom [GREATEST HITS]
#745: A friend once asked Sahil Bloom how often he saw his parents. About once a year, Sahil said.
How old are they? Mid-60s.
His friend did the math out loud. If they live to 80, you'll see them 15 more times.
Sahil was 30, living in California and making great money at a venture fund. Within 45 days of that conversation, he quit his job, sold his house and moved across the country to be near family.
He's now managing partner of...
This Historian Says We're Living in the Best Era Ever, with Joseph Moore
#744: With about $200 and a crypto exchange, historian Joseph Moore turned himself into a legitimate billionaire — a stunt that says more about how money actually works than most financial advice does. It's also a preview of the 300-year argument he makes in this episode: that almost everything we're told about money is newer, and far less permanent, than we think.Joseph Moore, PhD, is a historian and the national bestselling author of How to Get Rich in American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice That Worked (& Didn't). His own self-experiments with historical money strategies helped him become financially independent in his mi...
This Historian Says We're Living in the Best Era Ever, with Joseph Moore
#744: With about $200 and a crypto exchange, historian Joseph Moore turned himself into a legitimate billionaire — a stunt that says more about how money actually works than most financial advice does. It's also a preview of the 300-year argument he makes in this episode: that almost everything we're told about money is newer, and far less permanent, than we think.Joseph Moore, PhD, is a historian and the national bestselling author of How to Get Rich in American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice That Worked (& Didn't). His own self-experiments with historical money strategies helped him become financially independent in his mi...
Everyone Wants a Piece of You. Here's How to Stay Whole -- with Luke Burgis
#743: Everyone talks about a loneliness epidemic — but Luke Burgis argues the opposite problem is just as real: we now have so much easy, frictionless community that we never have to develop a solid sense of who we actually are.
Luke Burgis is a professor of business at The Catholic University of America and the founder of the Cluny Institute, and the bestselling author of Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. He returns to the show to talk about his new book, The One and the Ninety-Nine.
In this episode, we discuss:
Wh...Everyone Wants a Piece of You. Here's How to Stay Whole -- with Luke Burgis
#743: Everyone talks about a loneliness epidemic — but Luke Burgis argues the opposite problem is just as real: we now have so much easy, frictionless community that we never have to develop a solid sense of who we actually are.
Luke Burgis is a professor of business at The Catholic University of America and the founder of the Cluny Institute, and the bestselling author of Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. He returns to the show to talk about his new book, The One and the Ninety-Nine.
In this episode, we discuss:
Wh...