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.

Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 799 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 92.

Unknown Host hosts Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money, a business show with 799 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #755

  AI, Debt, and a Social Security Shortfall. Should Your Money Plans Change? With Rob Berger

  Oct 2, 20261h 10m

  #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 to tell whether today's high stock prices should change your plan When to trim a stock that's grown too big, and when to let it ride Why a booming economy can still leave so many people feeling squeezed What a looming Social Security shortfall could mean for your retirement How to cover your basic bills with guaranteed income, whatever markets do How to ease into retirement instead of going from 40 hours to zero Why daily spending habits matter more than investing knowledge Whether you're five years from retirement or five years into your career, this episode will help you separate what's truly changing from what never does. RESOURCES MENTIONED RETIREMENT WORRIES FEEL OVERWHELMING? SEE YOUR WHOLE FINANCIAL PICTURE ON ONE PAGE http://affordanything.com/cornerstone Rob Berger on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9C17-OMxa-7oRSaCtztObw Rob's free weekly retirement newsletter https://robberger.com/newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  Episode #754

  Q&A: We Have $80K in Cash and Want a 1–2 Year Sabbatical. Is It Enough?

  Sep 29, 20261h 14m

  #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 an expense you know is coming How to rank competing savings goals when you can't fund them all How to protect retirement without putting your life on hold How to cover a sabbatical when your cash runs short Why low-income years are a prime window for Roth conversions How to test whether you can stomach an all-stock portfolio How to judge a politician's economic record without the spin If you're juggling short-term plans and long-term goals and feel pulled in every direction, this episode will help you decide what gets funded first, and what can wait. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements. (05:30) The real difference between emergencies and expenses (07:28) Why a former planner never said "emergency fund" (13:13) The monthly math that breaks most wish lists (18:36) One question that reveals what you really want (26:37) Why four months of savings is enough for now (33:48) Fund the sabbatical before earmarking a down payment (37:00) Why a career break is prime time for Roth conversions (43:24) How to test if you can handle a 22% drop (1:01:53) Judge politicians on policies, not short-term results (1:09:42) Why focusing on what you control grows your influence RESOURCES MENTIONED Emergency fund, sabbatical, retirement? See which box each dollar belongs in with this free one-page worksheet: https://affordanything.com/cornerstone Paul Merriman's free model portfolios and investing courses: https://paulmerriman.com Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers: https://amzn.to/4xOaEg3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  Episode #753

  Why 60,000 New York Apartments Sit Empty in a Housing Crisis, with Kenny Burgos

  Sep 25, 20261h 26m

  #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 buildings now sell for $50,000 an apartment, and why that isn't a deal How a rent freeze pushes costs onto market-rate renters and delayed repairs Why a targeted rent freeze for seniors and disabled residents works better What Vienna's housing model accounts for that New York's doesn't What aspiring landlords should weigh before buying rent-regulated property Whether you own rentals, hope to, or just want to understand the rent-control debate, this episode shows what happens when costs keep rising and rents can't. RESOURCES MENTIONED Ready to buy your first rental property, or get more out of the one you already own? Join the waitlist for Your First Rental Property. You'll be the first to know when enrollment opens: courses.affordanything.com New York Apartment Association: https://housingny.org Housing New York podcast with Kenny Burgos: https://housingny.org/housingnypodcast Kenny Burgos on X: https://x.com/KennyBurgosNY ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements. (03:44) Why New York's 1969 emergency rent rules never ended (04:58) The surprisingly low rent most New Yorkers actually pay (23:33) Why buildings now sell for $50,000 an apartment (25:12) Costs rose 4.5%. Rents were frozen at 0%. (31:39) The rent-freeze program that actually works (39:38) Who really pays when rents are frozen (47:13) Why 60,000 apartments sit empty during a shortage (01:01:53) Buyout or pressure? The $150,000 question (01:06:52) What Vienna gets right that New York doesn't (01:16:18) Should you buy a rental in New York? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  Episode #752

  Q&A: I’m Tired of Managing My Rental Property. Should I Sell It?

  Sep 22, 20261 hour

  #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 the right call for the wrong reason Why a new roof or a set of windows can be a form of forced investing The one hire that can solve the same problem as selling your rental A simple way to estimate a rental property's real return What to weigh before selling a working investment on gut feel alone Why women's labor force participation fell in July even as their job gains led the year Why the trades are becoming a stronger bet than a four-year degree for some new grads This one's for anyone facing a big financial decision that feels more emotional than mathematical — whether that's a rental property, a career move, or a job you're not sure is worth keeping. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements. (01:45) Why she wants to sell a rental that's "objectively good" (03:25) When it's actually okay to sell a good investment (10:03) One hire that stops panic-selling a rental property (14:44) The simple math to compare rental returns vs. stocks (17:31) Paula's own confession about hating her first rental property (22:22) Why doing what you're best at beats doing everything yourself (30:11) 100% of last month's labor force drop was women (31:54) The real reasons women are leaving the workforce right now (32:18) Why women got 85% of new jobs created this year (47:00) The industry that could fix jobs and housing at once RESOURCES MENTIONED Torn on selling a rental? Get our free 10-day guide, which includes a deal-analysis exercise to help you decide with the numbers, not just your gut: https://affordanything.com/fiire Sign up for our newsletter (get the new site first): https://affordanything.com/newsletter Leave us a voicemail with your own money question: https://affordanything.com/voicemail Read the BLS jobs report Paula cites in this episode: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  Episode #751

  Why Self-Worth Predicts Your Income More Than Your SAT Score Does, with Marisa Franco

  Sep 18, 20261h 7m

  #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 Platonic. She's back to talk about her new book, Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment. In this episode, we discuss: How self-worth — not intelligence or family income — predicts how much you'll earn as an adult Why some people quietly sabotage their own portfolio right before they hit financial independence The difference between "good" and "bad" high self-esteem, and why one of them wrecks relationships Why getting more love or praise than you expect can make you pull away instead of lean in How to actually process a hard emotion instead of shoving it down Why hitting a big financial goal can leave you feeling strangely empty once you get there How to rebuild your sense of self after losing an identity you were attached to Whether you've ever undermined your own progress right before a finish line, or wondered why reaching a goal didn't feel the way you thought it would, this episode gives you a framework for understanding — and changing — that pattern. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements. (02:05) The two very different types of high self-esteem (04:36) Self-esteem vs. self-worth: the real difference (05:37) Why self-worth predicts income more than SAT scores (12:21) Sabotaging your own portfolio right before you hit FI (14:15) The self-fulfilling prophecy behind financial fear (23:36) Why too much love can make you pull away (25:05) How low self-worth blocks promotions and job offers (36:13) The memory trick that can change your brain (46:19) Why self-worth matters most in a bad market (1:06:10) Does self-worth actually drive your net worth? RESOURCES MENTIONED Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment: https://drmarisagfranco.com/worth-the-book/ Marisa's website (speaking, articles, more): https://drmarisagfranco.com Marisa on Instagram (for signed copies via Lost City Books): https://www.instagram.com/drmarisagfranco/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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