#375: Here’s the deal: The majority of people who write about personal finance repeat the same tired aphorisms and cliches. “Millennials aren’t investing enough,” they’ll lament. “Millennials are amassing wealth at a slower pace than previous generations!” But when you ask for their source, they turn up blank. Each writer points to a headline, which sources another headline, in a neverending circular secondary-source-citation that fails to point to any primary data source. Nick Maggiulli doesn’t play that game. If you haven’t heard the name Nick Maggiulli yet, prepare to meet one of the most original, insightful voices in the media landscape of personal finance and investing. (His last name is pronounced “ma - julie,” and his godfather refers to him as “paper hands,” but that latter point is a different story for another day.) Nick is a data scientist with a knack for clear written communication, a rare Venn Diagram intersection of skill sets. He holds a laser-focused interest in the arenas of personal finance and investing, and he’s eager to share fresh, nuanced, evidence-backed takes about savings, spending and investing with anyone who will listen. He recently released his first book, Just Keep Buying; the title reflects a user-friendly reminder to continue dollar-cost averaging. It also speaks to the main idea behind wealth creation: accumulate income-producing assets, consistently, for as long as you possibly can. It’s an honor to welcome Nick Maggiulli onto the Afford Anything podcast for what I hope is the first of many appearances. In today’s episode, we discuss actionable strategies for managing your money, including assessing your spot along the save-invest continuum, implementing the 2X rule into your spending decisions, and saving half of your inflation-adjusted future raises. Enjoy! For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode375 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#373: How do people make money in real estate? Many focus on rental income, but this is only one of five ways that properties create wealth. We explain five surprising ways that real estate builds your balance sheet: cash flow, appreciation (market-based and forced), tax benefits, principal paydown, and instant equity at closing. Why does this matter for long-distance investors? If you’re investing out-of-state, you’ll need to choose a city or town. How do you decide? First, think about how you want to bias your returns. Do you want to optimize for cash flow? More appreciation potential? Identifying this will help you align your city/town selection with your financial goals. If you’ve been thinking about investing in real estate – especially if you might invest long-distance – you’ll love this episode. Enjoy! For more information, visit the show notes at https://affordanything.com/episode373 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices