How Wealthy People Buy Cars (Cash vs. Finance vs. Lease)
From Your Next Dollar: Money Management for High Earners by NerdWallet Wealth Partners
September 8, 2026 · 45 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the costs associated with paying cash, financing, and leasing a car, along with a listener's inquiry about purchasing an electric SUV.
Interested in working with a financial advisor? Visit nerdwalletwealthpartners.com Learn what paying cash, financing, and leasing a car can really cost you before you sign anything at the dealership. Host Andrew Giancola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling compare paying cash, financing, and leasing a car, and where you could take big hits in each case. They also walk through a filter for keeping a car payment and a maintenance budget inside your income.Then, a Redditor with a $716,000 household income asks whether to buy a $100,000 electric SUV. NerdWallet Wealth Partners LLC (NWWP) is a SEC registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training, nor does it constitute an endorsement by any securities regulator. The content presented by NWWP on its Your Next Dollar podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as personalized investment, tax, or legal advice to any person. The views, strategies, examples, and figures discussed are intended to be general in nature, subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and may not be suitable for every individual. Any hypothetical…
People in this episode
Host: Andrew Giancola
Guest: Ryan Sterling
Topics covered
- car buying
- financing
- leasing
- wealth management
- financial advice
Keywords
- car payment
- financing options
- leasing cars
- wealthy car buyers
- financial advisor
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NerdWallet Wealth Partners, NerdWallet Wealth Partners LLC
Places: Reddit
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