About this episode

A listener who reached financial independence early grapples with post-retirement decisions, including mortgage payoff and investment strategies.

#742: A listener hit her $1.4 million early-retirement goal three years ahead of schedule — and now she's stuck deciding whether paying off a low-interest mortgage is smart, or just fear in disguise. Later, a former financial planner explains why he still won't recommend one of the most talked-about "safer" investing strategies in the FIRE community. This week's Q&A tackles three listener questions: hiring your first accountant amid a complicated tax situation, whether to pay off a mortgage or retire early once you've already hit your number, and why one half of the show won't touch a popular alternative investing strategy. In this episode, we discuss: How to tell the difference between a CPA, an EA, and a tax attorney — and which one you actually need Why software can't keep up once your tax situation gets complicated How to interview and choose an accountant with confidence How to know if "one more year" at work is a smart plan or a sign of fear Why loving your job can change the entire math on early retirement Why a former financial planner still won't recommend risk parity investing What four well-known investing philosophies get right — and where they disagree Whether…

People in this episode

Host: Paula Pant

Guest: former financial planner

Topics covered

• financial independence
• early retirement
• mortgage decisions
• accountant hiring
• investment strategies
• tax situations

Keywords

• financial independence
• early retirement
• mortgage
• accountant
• investment strategies
• tax situation
• risk parity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FIRE community, CPA, EA, tax attorney, risk parity investing, investing philosophies

More episodes of Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money

• Q&A: My Dream Job Won't Wait If I Take a Family Gap Year — Do I Quit Anyway? · September 8, 2026 · 1h 1m
• First Friday: Hope in Nepal; Trouble in the Bond Market · September 4, 2026 · 45 min
• Q&A: What Nepal Reveals About Wealth and Safety · September 1, 2026 · 1h 3m
• The Four Kinds of Rich Nobody Counts -- with Sahil Bloom [GREATEST HITS] · August 28, 2026 · 1h 21m
• This Historian Says We're Living in the Best Era Ever, with Joseph Moore · August 25, 2026 · 1h 43m
• Everyone Wants a Piece of You. Here's How to Stay Whole -- with Luke Burgis · August 21, 2026 · 1h 7m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money podcast page.