Afford Anything – Details, episodes & analysis

#536: NYU Psychology Professor Dr. Tessa West has spent nearly two decades studying relationships, including those in the workplace. She talks about her research on why people feel disconnected from their jobs and what to do about it. Dr. West breaks down five main ways people might feel unhappy at work: 1. Crisis of identity: This is when you've poured a lot into your career, but you're starting to question if it's really who you are anymore. 2. Drifting apart: This happens when your job changes, not you. Maybe your company's gone through some big shifts, or your day-to-day tasks are different now. Or maybe your industry has totally changed. 3. Stretched too thin: We've all been there - too much to do and not enough time. 4. Runner up: Always close to that promotion or raise, but never quite getting there. 5. Underappreciated star: You're doing great work, but no one seems to notice. Dr. West digs into each of these, explaining what they look like and why they happen. She talks about how work relationships are a lot like romantic relationships — just as you might feel disconnected from a partner, you can feel the same way about your job. She describes a matrix that shows how satisfied you are with your job versus how much you identify with it.  She also gets practical stuff, describing how to manage distractions at work and be more productive. There's a neat concept called "working spheres" that might help you organize your tasks better. If you're thinking about leaving your job, Dr. West suggests doing some self-reflection and networking to learn about other industries or companies. She warns that there's often a lot of "hidden" stuff about jobs that you won't find in the job description, so it's essential to dig deeper. At the end, she talks about how to figure out if a new job will actually be better. Her main tip? Ask tough questions in interviews. Don't be afraid to dig into the not-so-great parts of the job or company. Dr. West doesn't sugarcoat the tough parts of work life, but she offers practical advice for dealing with them. Whether you're happy in your job or thinking about a change, you'll find something useful here. Timestamps Note: Timestamps will vary slightly on individual listening devices based on dynamic ad lengths. 1:09 - Dr. Tessa West. Psychology professor. Workplace relationships. 3:10 - Five major ways people feel disconnected from work. 4:55 - Work relationships mirroring other relationship types. 9:04 - "Crisis of identity" at work. 13:40 - Matrix: job satisfaction vs. identity centrality. 18:20 - "Drifting apart" from your career. 21:40 - Common changes causing career drift. 25:55 - "Stretched too thin" at work. 29:35 - Managing external work disruptions. 31:40 - "Working spheres" for better productivity. 37:37 - "Runner up" at work. 40:29 - Common reasons for not getting promoted. 47:51 - "Underappreciated star" at work. 51:18 - Next steps if unhappy at work. 55:56 - Determining if a new job will be better. For more information, go to https://affordanything.com/episode536 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#535: Melissa and her partner are preparing for the best earning years of their lives. Could they benefit from automated tax-loss harvesting and transition from DIY investing to a robo-advisor? An anonymous caller just learned something surprising about their Roth 401k and feels squeamish about making future contributions to this account. What’s Paula and Joe’s advice? Hampton is following up on a question from Episode 524 to spark an intriguing discussion on the generational tax advantages of a Roth IRA. 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/episode535 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#526: Recorded LIVE on stage at the Morningstar Conference in Chicago! We chat with behavioral finance professor Meir Statman. He breaks down the differences between standard finance and behavioral finance, making it clear that understanding human behavior is an essential part of investing. Statman starts by explaining that standard finance assumes people are rational. They make decisions purely based on logic and aim to maximize wealth. However, behavioral finance sees people as normal, not always rational. We often act on emotions and cognitive shortcuts. For instance, people might prefer receiving dividends over selling shares, even if both result in the same financial gain. This is because dividends feel like income, while selling shares feels like dipping into savings. He uses a great metaphor to explain how investors view their portfolios. Think of a dinner plate: behavioral investors like their investments separated, like mashed potatoes on one side, vegetables on another, and steak in the middle. Rational investors don’t care if it’s all blended together because they only focus on the total nutrients. This shows that normal investors have different needs and want to balance safety with growth. Statman talks about the importance of diversification. He recalls a lunch with Harry Markowitz, the father of Modern Portfolio Theory, who supported the idea of having a mix of safe and risky investments. Markowitz himself had municipal bonds to avoid poverty and stocks to grow wealth. Diversifying helps investors manage risk and meet both their safety and growth needs. We then dive into how people manage money across their life cycle. Statman points out that young people know they need to save but are tempted to spend. They often control this urge by putting money into retirement accounts like 401(k)s. As people get older, they become so good at saving that they sometimes forget to spend and enjoy their money. Statman gives a funny example of his mother-in-law, who refused to replace an old sofa because she didn’t want to dip into her savings. Statman also touches on asset pricing and market efficiency. He explains that while traditional finance focuses solely on risk, behavioral finance considers other factors like social responsibility. Some investors are willing to accept lower returns to stay true to their values. Additionally, he argues that market prices do not always reflect true value, and it’s hard to predict when they will. Towards the end, we discuss the broader aspects of wellbeing. Statman emphasizes that financial wellbeing is just one part of a happy life. Family, health, work, and community are also crucial. He believes financial advisors should help clients achieve overall life wellbeing, not just financial success. For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode526 Timestamps Note: Timestamps vary on individual listening devices based on advertising run times. 1:23 - Explain the differences between standard and behavioral finance. 4:30 - Discuss Harry Markowitz's influence on modern investment strategies. 6:08 - Highlight life cycle investing and saving/spending behaviors over a lifetime. 10:02 - Explore mental accounting and differentiating between income and capital. 11:14 - Talk about common trading mistakes due to cognitive errors. 14:26 - Discuss utilitarian, expressive, and emotional benefits of financial decisions. 17:41 - Explain the difference between System 1 and System 2 thinking. 21:39 - Discuss how emotions and moods impact investment decisions. 25:59 - Explore the concept of regret and how it affects financial decisions. 30:21 - Emphasize the importance of human touch in financial advising. 44:00 - Discuss the impact of AI on different industries and investment decisions. 48:24 - Highlight the need to balance financial wellbeing with overall life wellbeing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#442: An anonymous caller is struggling with a tempting offer from her family to buy her first house. Chris recently tripled his income. How should he manage this unexpected surplus? Tyson is wondering if it's a good time to convert his bonds into treasuries. “Jaula” wants to know if she should count her side hustle income as part of her retirement money. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#441: It’s GRADUATION WEEK! For those of you who’ve been following along this past year, you know that I’ve been completing the Knight - Bagehot Fellowship at Columbia University. This week, my family and I are celebrating the countless hours of studying, all-nighters and eye opening experiences, so here at Afford Anything, we’re airing an important episode from our archives. This episode addresses important questions we’ve been getting from the Afford Anything community, including: Where do I invest? How do I diversify outside of the stock market? How many individual stocks should I hold? I’m looking forward to returning to the amazing Afford Anything community full-time as of June 1st, and eagerly anticipating sharing everything I’ve learned with YOU!!!! The team has big plans for the next year, so enjoy this episode and stay tuned for future announcements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#440: An anonymous caller wants to retire and travel in 20 to 30 years. How does she know if she’s saving enough? Trace plans to take a mini-retirement next year. Where should she keep her savings until then? Samantha and her partner have lived out of their truck for 20 years. They sorta-kinda feel ready to buy a house and settle down. But they’re hesitating. What if they hate it? “Barbara,” an anonymous caller from Episode 422, is struggling with a scarcity mindset. How does she stop worrying about the future and build the confidence to enjoy life now? 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/episode440 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#439: There are massive rapid changes unfurling in the financial world. This week’s biggest news: First Republic Bank collapsed; JP Morgan Chase acquired it. (As it happens, I was one of 12 people who was lucky enough to have dinner with Chase CEO Jamie Dimon exactly one week ago – just days before the acquisition. I tell that story around the 8-minute mark of today’s episode.) The Fed issued a 10th consecutive rate hike, raising interest rates another quarter of a percentage point. Inflation is still double the target rate. And public confidence in bedrock financial institutions, as measured by a regional banking index fund, is in the toilet. I talk about these issues for the first 18-ish minutes of the podcast, and then we switch to a replay of an interview that we held with acclaimed financial advisor Michael Kitces, which originally aired as Episode 64. Enjoy! The interview with Michael Kitces originally aired on February 13, 2017 https://affordanything.com/64-michael-kitces-mind-powerful-money/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#438: “Do you want to save money? Or do you want to enjoy your life?” That’s a common question, but it’s strange. It assumes these ideas are opposites: frugality is synonymous with deprivation; spending is a proxy for enjoyment.  That premise is wrong.  Let’s stop conflating spending with happiness. Let’s stop using “savings” or “free” as a euphemism for second-tier or sucky. Most online articles that discuss free or frugal enjoyment are poorly-thought-through listicles that offer half-baked ideas, like “go to the park” or “host a potluck.” Not only are these insufferable, they also miss the point. Behavioral change doesn’t come from a laundry list. It comes from cognitive reframing. To facilitate this reframe, we’ve invited Yale-educated former attorney and world-renowned happiness expert Gretchen Rubin to return to our show.  Gretchen was a guest on Episode 40, when she cited research about effective habit formation. She returns with a methodical, structured look at how to derive more joy from daily experiences through heightened sensory awareness. She draws from science, philosophy, medicine, literature and psychology to tell a layered story about how to find simple pleasures in everyday things. Her latest book, Life in Five Senses, came out on April 18 and immediately hit the New York Times bestseller list. Enjoy! Timestamps as of April 2023: 10:44: Why you should visit the same place everyday 11:55: How going to the same place can change over time 16:40: Advantages of being in tune with our senses 24:07: How to deepen your sense of smell 31:00: How culture impacts senses 37:19: How does your age impact your sensory experience? For show notes, go to https://affordanything.com/episode438 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#437: Do you have a project you want to start … but you’re stuck in analysis paralysis? Do you feel like if you want to do something right, you have to do it yourself? Do you try to wind down after the end of a long day, but your energy levels are just not quite restored? If you answered “Yes!” to any of these questions, then this episode is for you. Psychotherapist Katherine Morgan Schafler, a former on-site therapist at Google, and author of “The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control,” joins us to chat about her research on perfectionism. She shares a framework on five types of perfectionism. She describes the pros and cons of each type, and how to work through some of the negative tendencies to build a more emotionally healthy life. Enjoy! For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode437 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#436: Jeremy wants to attend graduate school. Should he take student loans or cash out his investment portfolio? Andy is wondering if the 4 percent rule stands up to high inflation. (There’s a shockingly simple answer!) Did Rudolfo discover a hack to supercharge his 401k investing? Nandini is overwhelmed by her investing choices. What accounts should she use? What funds should she pick? 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices