#485: If you’ve ever thought: "I’d love a business BUT …”

You're not alone. Countless people don't start businesses or side hustles for these reasons.

And they're losing thousands -- perhaps millions -- in opportunity cost.

How much could you make if you started a side hustle that eventually scaled into a business? Possibly millions. Today's guest, Noah Kagan, is living proof.

Noah was employee #30 at Facebook. His stock options, if fully vested, would be worth over $1 billion today.

(If you want to do the math -- his stock options came to 0.1 percent of the company, which has a current market cap of $1 trillion.)

But Noah was fired just a couple months before his stock options vested. So rather than getting a billion-dollar payout, he got nothing.

He sank into a deep depression, eventually recovering with the help of a therapist who counseled him on how to reframe the experience.

Then he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He became a serial entrepreneur, building multiple businesses. His most successful venture now makes $80 million in gross revenue, and his personal take-home is $3.3 million per year (which comes from a $200,000 annual salary and $3.1 million profit distribution.) His net worth is $36 million.

Not a billion, but still not too shabby.

Noah recently wrote a book called "Million Dollar Weekend: The Surprisingly Simple Way to Launch a 7-Figure Business in 48 Hours."

He sits down with us (in person!) to share:

-- how to find business ideas

-- how to overcome objections and rejections

-- how to scale

By the end of the episode, the common objections that you often hear -- like "I don't have time/money/ideas" -- will be quashed.

Please enjoy!

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode485

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#484: Kristen’s financial advisor charges a 1.3 percent fee on her investments. They also sold her term life, whole life, and long-term disability insurance. Do they have her best interests at heart?

Casey has $290,000 in student loan debt. He committed 10 years to one employer for a chance at public service loan forgiveness. But five years in, Casey questions what he’s missing out on.

Sara feels like it’s time to move to a more conservative asset allocation but she’s torn between buying bonds from Vanguard or Treasury Direct. What’s the difference anyway?

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode484

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#483: Competitive. Results oriented. Driven to be the very best.

These are a few ways to describe achievement culture.

Achievement culture can also be described as stressful, high pressure and unhealthy.

Yet, there is consistently the pressure – internally and externally – to make more money, be a better parent, spouse, friend, or employee. These burdens comes at a heavy cost to our well-being.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of the New York Times Best Seller “Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic - and What We Can Do About It” shares with us how to manage our need for success AND how to avoid the toxic traps that can accompany obsession with success.

She offers insights into the consequences of this culture on individuals' mental health, and overall well-being, while also discussing practical solutions to common challenges.

If you've ever felt the burn of trying to do it all, or if you just want a smarter way to navigate success without losing your sanity, the insights shared in this interview will help you develop a more fulfilling and balanced life.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode483

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#482: A caller named “M” wonders if liquidating stocks for a larger down payment makes sense in a high-interest rate environment.

An anonymous caller wants to take a pay cut to pursue his passions. But 75 percent of his net worth is in real estate. Is this too risky?

Tiffanie hasn’t saved enough for early retirement, but she has a plan to use home equity to accelerate her goals. Is this going to work?

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode482

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#481: Predicting the stock market is a terrible idea.

But we can look at economic indicators and upcoming events to get a big-picture, 30,000-foot view of where our economy might be heading in 2024.

In today’s episode, we explore what’s in store for 2024.

We talk about the recent surge in Bitcoin prices, and the expected SEC approval of a Bitcoin ETF.

We discuss when the Fed will lower interest rates, and the impact this might have on home buying.

We talk about Robert Kiyosaki’s recent admission that he’s holding $1.2 billion in debt.

And we take inventory of black swan events and election year abnormalities that might impact the flow of money.

Enjoy!

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode481

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#480: The death of a sibling.

Being declared dead after a head-on collision with a drunk driver.

Suffering financially during the Great Recession.

CANCER.

Today’s guest, Hal Elrod, has battled all of these tough challenges.

His little sister passed away in his mother's arms. Years later, Hal was hit by a drunk driver, broke 11 bones, declared dead, and once revived, learned that he might have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. (He eventually regained his ability to walk.) And after that, he was slammed hard in the wallet during the Great Recession.

But he's a fighter. He needed to develop practices to build his resilience.

So Hal created “The Miracle Morning,” a morning routine practice that gained massive popularity when he released it in 2012.

The six-step Miracle Morning routine is coined S.A.V.E.R.S. -- silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and scribing (writing).

The routine became wildly popular, in part due to its flexibility; Hal explains that time-crunched people can start this as a six-minute routine; dedicating just ONE minute to each of these six steps. Over time, people can see the positive changes that this makes, and expand the time they allot for this.

The routine is now the subject of a documentary, also called the Miracle Morning, available on Prime Video. Midway through filming, Hal was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and given a 30 percent chance of survival. He let the cameras roll as he coped with his diagnosis in real time.

He joins us on this podcast to describe that experience, and to talk about the practices that he's used to stay productive in the face of grief, severe injury and cancer. 

He talks to us about:

As we move into the New Year, many of you are setting goals and resolutions.

Hal describes specific, actionable tactics that you can use to build scaffolding and support around your new goals.

Enjoy!

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode480

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#479: Nicole’s 78-year-old mom is paying huge fees for low returns. How can Nicole help her mom make better investments?

Paul is a single dad, worried about paying his daughter’s college costs. He’s trying to figure out how to report lower income on the FAFSA, so that his daughter can get better financial aid.

Nick is in his 40’s. His long-term care insurance rate is nearly doubling. Should he stop spending on this type of insurance?

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode479

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#478: Ever skipped that extra drink, pricey cheese, or a night out for the sake of your wallet?

If this feels familiar, then you’ll appreciate today’s episode with Jamila Souffrant.

Jamila is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, podcast host, and author, guiding us on making savvy choices to save while still having fun.

Jamila explores the power of understanding our ""why not,"" staying motivated on our financial paths, shaping a success-bound mindset, and posing THREE crucial self-assessment questions for goal alignment.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode478

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#477: Kayla is torn between paying off a loan early or catching up on missed retirement contributions.

Josh wants to retire early and meets the threshold for zero capital gains taxes. Should he put all his retirement savings into a brokerage account?

An anonymous caller wants to know how to merge financial lives with her husband from another country.

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

P.S. Got a question? Leave it at https://affordanything.com/voicemail

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode477

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#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 to become an astronaut. The chances of making it are incredibly slim. He went to a local college, studied engineering, and took a job at IBM.

But he couldn’t shake the tiny voice inside that said – “why not try?”

So Mike upended his life. He enrolled in a Ph.D. program at MIT, and then proceeded to fail the qualification exam so badly that his professors gently suggested that perhaps a doctorate isn’t right for him.

He battled to pass the exam on his second attempt, and went on to teach at Georgia Tech, from where he repeatedly submitted applications to NASA for their astronaut candidate program – which they called “as* can.”

He was thrilled when he finally received his acceptance – until he learned that he needed 20/20 vision. At the time, NASA required astronauts to have naturally 20/20 eyesight, without surgery.

So he sought out a doctor to help him re-train his eyesight.

Then he learned that he’d need to pass a swim test. He was in his 30’s and had never swum. “Can’t I just take a math quiz?,” he joked.

But he … didn’t let that sink him. (Pun intended).

In today’s special episode, former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino explains how anyone – including you – can take your own moonshot.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode476

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices