Financial expert Paula Pant explains how you can afford anything, but not everything. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg Up next, William Ackman: Everything you need to know about finance and investing in under an hour ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEDIj9JBTC8 It's oh-so-easy to look at shiny, quickly rewarding options for your money as a ticket to financial independence. A big hit on the stock market; a hockey sticking cryptocurrency; an app that can put you on the path to easy street. But truly building financial independence is a life-long process, says Paula Pant, the host of the Afford Anything podcast. Think of your finances like a tree. While the leaves and fruit are grabby and exciting, they aren't where the tree's strength lies: that's in the roots. So too do healthy finances begin from a core base: figuring out what you value most, what you truly want to afford. From there, you can make the long term plans to see that come to fruition. With a stable, value-driven approach and some discipline, a world of freedom can open before you. You may not be able to buy everything, but you can buy anything. 0:00 Afford anything (not everything) 1:03 First principles thinking 2:30 Financial independence 3:35 Simple steps to independence 4:31 The 20% rule 5:18 Survive a scary economy Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/videos/how-to-afford-anything/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Paula Pant: Paula Pant is the host of the Afford Anything podcast, an award-winning show with more than 24 million downloads. It was named by the New York Times as one of “7 Podcasts Your Wallet Will Love.” She is also the founder of Afford Anything, a personal finance brand with more than 75,000 newsletter subscribers. She is a Knight-Bagehot Business and Economics Journalism Fellow at Columbia University. Pant is frequently featured in financial media including Money Magazine, the Washington Post, Oprah.com, CNBC, Fortune, Marie Claire, Marketplace Money, Men’s Health, Real Simple, Outside Magazine, Cosmopolitan, the New York Times, and more. She’s spoken at the “Talks at Google” series and guest lectured at Georgetown University. She lives in New York City. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on personal finance: Gamification: can video games change our money habits? ► https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/gamification/ 5 realistic ways to save money, according to experts ► https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/realistic-ways-to-save-money/ How to become a millionaire ► https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/millionaire/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. ► Big Think+ Make your business smarter, faster: https://bigthink.com/plus/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: https://bigthink.com/popular/ ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: https://bigthink.com/st/newsletter ► Facebook: https://bigth.ink/facebook ► Instagram: https://bigth.ink/Instagram ► Twitter: https://bigth.ink/twitter