#414: Amanda is worried that her recently diagnosed health condition might force her to stop working. How should she financially prepare her family?
Anonymous is a savvy DIY investor who wants to retire early and is wondering if she should hire a financial advisor.
Should Krista tap into the equity from one of her rentals to rebalance a portfolio that is weighted heavily in real estate?
Natasha thinks she and her husband have saved enough to retire early but it feels scary. Is she truly ready or is she nuts? 
Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these four questions in today’s episode.
Enjoy!
P.S. Got a question? Leave it here.
For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode414
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Ask Paula: I Think I Can Retire Early. Am I Crazy?!

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.

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Esquire Magazine editor-at-large and bestselling author A.J. Jacobs joins the show to discuss his experimental approach to life.
Jacobs, whose TED Talks have been viewed more than 3 million times, shares best practices around motivation, habits, confidence, boosting happiness, and optimizing creativity.
In this episode:
-- Discover the benefits that come from frequently changing your habits
-- Learn why "fake it 'til you become it" is A.J.'s secret weapon for habit development.
-- Explore how extreme gratitude can transform your mindset.
-- Hear a cautionary tale of healthy living gone wrong.
-- Learn how to make any career or business connection by unearthing the way in which you're distant cousins (as everyone on earth is, at most, roughly 70th cousins)
Plus, hear a hilarious story about Jacobs revealing his entire sexual history to actress Scarlett Johansson.
This episode originally aired in 2017. 
We're sharing this as part of GREATEST HITS WEEK, a 5-day series in which we're sharing 5 episodes, across 5 days, that we produced during the earliest years of the Afford Anything podcast. You may have missed it then; enjoy it now.
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A.J. Jacobs: Habits, Health, and Human Connection [GREATEST HITS WEEK]

Stocks or skills? How should you invest? Should you pour money into unlocking your income potential? Or should you pour money into the market?

Forget the motivational posters -- unlimited potential is real. But unlocking it takes investment. The question is: Do you invest in yourself or the market? Stocks, bonds, real estate offer clear returns. But what about investing in your skills, a side hustle, or education? 

Financial advisor Michael Kitces joins us to crack the code on maximizing your return on investment, both personal and financial. Learn how to make smarter choices about your future and unlock your true potential.

We're sharing this as part of GREATEST HITS WEEK, a 5-day series in which we're sharing 5 episodes, across 5 days, that we produced during the earliest years of the Afford Anything podcast. You may have missed it then; enjoy it now.
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Michael Kitces: Investing in Stocks vs. Skills [GREATEST HITS WEEK]

JL Collins, the author of "The Simple Path to Wealth," achieved financial independence in 1989 with a surprisingly simple strategy: saving half his income and investing in index funds.

In this episode, JL breaks down his ultra-simple investing approach. He argues that keeping things uncomplicated leads to better results in the long run. "The less you mess with your investments," he says, "the more freedom you have to focus on what truly matters."

This episode is for anyone who feels overwhelmed by complex investment strategies. Learn how to set your finances on autopilot and get on with living your life.

We originally recorded and aired this episode in 2016.

We're sharing this as part of GREATEST HITS WEEK, a 5-day series in which we're sharing 5 episodes, across 5 days, that we produced during the earliest years of the Afford Anything podcast. You may have missed it then; enjoy it now.
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JL Collins: How to Beat Wall Street with a Boring Portfolio [GREATEST HITS WEEK]

Today’s guest is Jean Chatzky, financial editor for the TODAY Show, host of the HerMoney podcast and a frequent guest on TV shows like Oprah, Regis & Kelly, and The View.

We discuss six money rules to guide your spending, including:

#1: The more time you spend looking, the less happy you’ll be with what you find.
#2: Your retirement trumps their tuition.
#3: Losing money hurts more than it should.
#4: Big numbers make smart people do stupid things.
#5: Don’t lend money to friends & relatives, and don’t co-sign for loans.
#6: If it's 50% off, it’s still 50% on.

This leads us into discussing tactics to prevent wasteful spending, such as:

-- The 10/10/10 Rule: How will you feel about this purchase in 10 minutes? 10 months? 10 years?
-- The 24 Hour Rule: Delay the purchase by 24 hours. Do you still want it?
-- Only Pay Full Price: Paradoxically, avoiding sales – and ONLY buying items at full price – might help you save more money in the long run.

Finally, we chat about how to balance financial priorities when you and your spouse want different things. What if you want to retire early, but your spouse doesn’t? How do you handle this?

Jean shares her ideas on these topics in this episode, which we originally recorded and aired in 2016.

We're sharing this as part of GREATEST HITS WEEK, a 5-day series in which we're sharing 5 episodes, across 5 days, that we produced during the earliest years of the Afford Anything podcast. You may have missed it then; enjoy it now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jean Chatzky: The 50% Off Fallacy & Other Ways You're Sabotaging Your Savings [GREATEST HITS WEEK]

At 2:13, we hear from Eugene. Eugene and his wife are retiring with a $10 million net worth and a guaranteed income that exceeds their annual budget. Do they still need things like life insurance and a financial advisor?
The next question, at 30:24, comes from an anonymous caller. Her HOA costs have doubled since she bought her condo. She’s wondering if it’s still a good investment. Should she keep it or sell it?
We answer Nandini’s question at 48:14. Nandini and her husband save tons every month toward no goal in particular. What should they do with all their extra cash?
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/episode499
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Ask Paula: I Think I Can Retire Early. Am I Crazy?!

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