Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money

#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

#750: Free worksheet: question the belief that might be keeping you stuck — before reality forces the update for you: http://affordanything.com/turn-it-around

Alec Litowitz spent three decades building one of the world's largest hedge funds, and he says the highest-IQ people in the room are often the last to notice the world has changed. His answer isn't more intelligence — it's the willingness to be wrong, quickly, and update before everyone else catches up.

Alec co-founded Citadel alongside Ken Griffin and later founded Magnetar Capital, one of the largest alternative asset managers in the world. His new book, The Adaptability Quotient, is out September 15.

In this episode, we discuss:

How adaptability quotient (AQ) differs from IQ and EQ — and why it matters more now

What a doomed Antarctic expedition reveals about real adaptability

Why AI makes knowledge abundant and judgment scarce

How to stop needing to be right so you can update faster

The real reason Blockbuster lost to Netflix (it wasn't a bad decision)

A 4-part test for telling a temporary shift from a permanent one

Why a "diversified" portfolio might secretly be one big bet right now

This episode is for anyone whose career, portfolio, or plans feel less certain than they used to — a way of thinking that doesn't require predicting the future, just noticing when your old model has stopped working.

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

#749: Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the first plane hit on Sept. 11.

He felt the impact, but couldn’t see it. Michael has been blind since shortly after birth.

Alongside his guide dog, Roselle, they descended 1,463 steps – escaping just before the South Tower, 100 yards away, collapsed. They then helped a woman who was temporarily blinded by the dust.

Michael's story answers the question – What do you do when something terrifying is happening, you don't have enough information, you cannot control the outcome, and everyone around you is beginning to panic?

Michael's answer is surprisingly practical.

1. Prepare before you need the preparation.

2. Know what you know, know what you don't know.

3. Stop mentally rehearsing outcomes you cannot control

4. Keep acting on the part that remains within your control.

He had deliberately learned the World Trade Center's exits, emergency procedures, physical layout, and systems long before Sept 11 because he believed that was part of being responsible for his office.

When the building was struck, he describes that preparation as a “mindset” that simply kicked in.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements.

(00:00) Life before September 11

(24:34) The plane hits the North Tower

(34:03) Fear takes over in the stairwell

(1:04:01) Turning tragedy into a new career

(1:28:02) Challenging attitudes about blindness

(1:38:01) Supporting guide dog organizations

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED

michaelhingson.com

guidedogs.com

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

#748: The real question behind quitting a job you love or paying off debt anyway? Your money mindset. Take our free quiz to find yours: https://affordanything.com/fiire

A listener with $686,000 saved and a job she loves wants to take her family on a year-long trip — but Paula says her real question isn't about money at all. Later: a dad chooses to stop maxing his IRA to pay off a mortgage, even though the math says otherwise.

Joe joins from the road to help answer three listener questions: a family weighing a year off against a job she loves, a dad debating whether to stop maxing his IRA to pay off a house, and a longtime listener with a smarter way to save for college.

In this episode, we discuss:

How to decide whether a job you love is worth walking away from for a family gap year

The three factors that actually predict whether you'll love your next job

Why "retiring early" might be the wrong goal — and what to aim for instead

How to know if you're financially ready for a career break, and what to prep first

Why paying off your mortgage can beat investing, even when the math says otherwise

How to structure your mortgage term like a finance pro (and why the 30-year can win)

Why saving in separate, labeled accounts makes it easier to actually hit your goals

Whether you're weighing a big life pivot, deciding what to do with extra cash, or just trying to make saving feel less abstract, this episode offers frameworks — not just formulas — for making the call.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements.

(07:12) Can you afford to quit a job you love?

(11:09) Three things that actually predict job satisfaction

(17:05) Why this window with your kids won't come twice

(22:20) Why retiring often beats retiring early

(30:14) Why bad trip experiences count as good data

(34:18) Why paying off debt can beat the math

(36:49) Why coasting on your current savings pace is risky

(44:26) How to think like a CFO about your mortgage

(51:09) Why one bucket per goal makes saving easier

(53:46) Why your 401k isn't really about retirement

🔗 OTHER RESOURCES

👉 The real question behind quitting a job you love or paying off debt anyway? Your money mindset. Take our free quiz to find yours: https://affordanything.com/fiire

👉 Camp Fi, the financial independence retreats Paula and Joe swap stories about this episode: https://campfi.org

👉 Heavy Metal Money, Chris Luger's personal-finance podcast (Joe recorded this episode from his place): https://heavymetal.money

👉 Got a question of your own? Leave a voicemail for Paula: https://affordanything.com/voicemail

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

#747: We have good news on multiple fronts to share about the job market, the stock market, the commodities market, and volatile news around the bond market.

And we begin it with some great news coming out of Nepal.

Welcome to the First Friday episode for September 2026.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements.

(00:00) Rescued workers in Nepal

(04:53) Strong August jobs report

(10:14) Conflicting employment data

(12:27) Strong jobs, weaker stocks

(17:43) Why bonds matter more

(23:17) Inflation drives Treasury yields

(29:45) Hidden risks in bonds

(36:50) Treasury buyback controversy

(43:32) Liquidity versus warning signs

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED

👉 Build a Life of Financial Freedom with our free workbook: https://affordanything.com/fiire

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