We chat with renowned financial advisor Michael Kitces at the Morningstar Investor Conference in Chicago. Kitces answers a big question: Is the economy worse than we think? He explains that a few big companies like Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet are holding up the S&P 500. But this doesn’t mean the economy is bad. It's common for a small group of companies to drive the market. Since it’s hard to predict which companies will do well, he stresses the need for diversification. Kitces tells us to focus on long-term growth instead of trying to time the market. He shares a famous quote from econom ..read more

#524: Mark and his partner will soon inherit an IRA worth over a quarter million dollars. With today’s elevated interest rates, would throwing it all at a primary residence be the smartest play?  An anonymous caller and his girlfriend are musicians who dream of building a home with a monetizable recording studio. How do they untangle personal wants from business needs? Will feels stumped about the options in his defined benefit pension plan. When should he choose a guaranteed annuity over a lump sum payment?  Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three question ..read more

#523: How much is an hour of your time worth? Google's Executive Productivity Advisor , Laura Mae Martin, joins us to answer that question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ..read more

#522: Emily Anne is worried about her obsessive tracking behavior. She’s in great financial shape but struggles to shake the constant compulsion to check her accounts. What should she do? An anonymous caller and his partner plan to use geo-arbitrage to retire early before reaching their financial independence number. Can they have their cake and eat it too? Kevin and his wife are having second thoughts about their Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) real estate investments. How do they back out without compromising their estate plan? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these thre ..read more

#520: Happy 248th birthday, USA! In this 5th of July First Friday economic update, we cover five topics: the economic impact of elections in the UK; the S&P 500 topping 5500; the effect of the Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling on Social Security and retirement planning; the latest jobs report; and California’s new law allowing accessory dwelling units to get sold separately as condos. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode520 Resources Mentioned: UK’s Office for National Statistics: May 2024 report SupremeCourt.gov: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimo ..read more

#518: If you want to learn about building wealth through entrepreneurship, you’ll enjoy this episode. When Rachel Rodgers graduated from law school, she didn’t take the conventional path to working at a big law firm. Instead, she opened her own practice, specializing in intellectual property law. Many of her clients were entrepreneurs and small business owners. Rachel quickly realized that many of her clients faced significant challenges in trying to grow their business. This ignited a new vision in her: to not just provide legal services but to help entrepreneurs achieve financial success. Sh ..read more

#517: Kimiko is dismayed that the asset allocation books she’s read led her down a path to an underperforming portfolio heavy in ex-US stock investments. Where should she go from here? Julie and her husband dream of owning a vacation rental in the Denver area even though the math doesn’t add up. It seems like everyone around can make it work though. What’s missing?  Casey is excited to build his real estate portfolio and purchase his third rental property. He’s also worried that his plan to fund the purchase with his 457 Plan is flawed. What should he do? Former financial planner Joe Sa ..read more

#516: Have you ever wondered how small, seemingly insignificant actions can have massive impacts on your financial life?  In today's episode, we talk to Dr. Brian Klaas, a Professor at University College London and an affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford.  He explains how our decisions can lead to unintended and unanticipated consequences.  He describes why resilience is more important than efficiency when it comes to protecting your investments and career from unexpected shocks. You'll learn how to tell the difference between predictable problems and those that ..read more

Jessica and her husband are juggling two home sales and one home purchase within the next two to four years. How do they execute wisely while navigating a tight real estate market? Zerai works two jobs that both offer a pension and retirement plan. Can he take advantage of everything at his disposal or must he make some tough choices? Emily and her husband bought their home a year ago. But a national builder tempts them to sell and upgrade using a 3-2-1 buydown mortgage. Should they do it? Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these three questions in today’s episode. Enjoy! TIME ..read more

#514: The S&P 500 hit a record high — and the GameStop guy is back, and he now owns 9 million shares of GME, making him the 4th largest shareholder. Interest rates from remain the same, and are expected to hold steady until September. Inflation remains unchanged from last month. Last month we saw a massive explosion of new jobs, at 272,000 — nearly 90,000 more than predicted. But we also saw unemployment tick up, which created mixed signals. Learn the implications of the latest economic news — and how it impacts your wallet — in this month’s economic update. For more information ..read more