Bonita Bell-Anderson (Ask Good Questions Podcast) and Paul Adams (More Than Commas) unpack why Americans under-save, how culture rewards consumption, and why retirement is a narrative, more than math.
Paul shares reset moves: save ~20% of gross income, cultivate contentment, set a written strategy, and “don’t break strategy.” They explore evidence-based investing with Dimensional Fund Advisors, guarding against lifestyle inflation, and reframing “retirement” as financial independence. Practical language hacks (“that would break strategy”) and small, repeatable habits help listeners compound toward freedom, without chasing status.
A candid, encouraging playbook for purposeful money and life.
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00:00 – Intro & disclaimers
01:20 – Meet Paul Adams
04:50 – Family, mobility, and designing work
07:30 – Eye-opening retirement stats
10:50 – Why we don’t save: feedback loops
19:40 – “Retirement is a narrative problem”
31:10 – “Don’t break strategy” language shift
37:45 – Evidence-based investing & DFA
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