Ask Altucher

Should you buy a home? No... Almost never. Time is always more valuable than money and you're going to spend a huge amount of your time repairing your home. Things constantly break and they're expensive in both your time and your money to get fixed. Listen today as James debunks the usual myths like: you'll miss out on the appreciation... you get a tax deduction... or you'll never establish "roots." If you want to ask James a question, you can contact him... Ask a question at . E-mail it to .   Or, text James at 203-512-2161.

How do you transform your life? The answer is simple. Come up with 10 ideas a day. Every day. It doesn't matter if they are good or bad; the point is to exercise your idea muscle, to make it sweat. Today James talks with Claudia about her brand new book, People say ideas are cheap and execution is everything, but that is NOT true. Execution is a consequence, a subset of good, brilliant idea. And good ideas require daily work. As Claudia explains, coming up with 10 ideas a day is very important. Ideas may be easy if you are only coming up with one or two, but if you try to produce more than three, you will feel a burn, scratch your head, and you will be sweating and working hard. There is a turning point when you reach idea number six for the day, when you still have four to go, and your mind muscle is getting a workout. By the time you list those last ideas to make it to ten, you will see for yourself what "sweating the idea muscle" means. When you practice every day your life will transform... Life changes f

Branden Hampton's a master of making money on social media and today James and Claudia ask him to help them understand it. First off, James asks him what his top four social media sites are today. Hands down, Instagram is number one today, followed by Snapchat, Twitter, and then in fourth place, everyone's "necessary evil" – Facebook. They dig into what it takes to make a living off of social media. For all Branden's best ideas, listen here. He's extremely open and willing to share his best secrets. Follow Branden on Twitter - If you want to ask James a question, just go to... Ask a question at . E-mail it to .   Or, text James at 203-512-2161.

Can you really travel the world if you don’t have a bunch of money?  The simple answer is yes… Today James and Claudia call their new friend who just wrote the new book   He shares with us many of the secrets he’s learned over his many years of travel. Such as a way you can stay with people with in countries around the world for free called .  Or a that puts you in touch with people driving between cities and is looking for someone to share the cost of gas.  For all these tricks and a bunch more just listen here.  If you want to ask James a question just go to… Ask a question at . E-mail it to .   Or, text James at 203-512-2161.  

James is a big fan of Apple products, but he says he's going to pay for an iPhone's older technology. He's using a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. He likes the larger screen and calls it the best phone out there. Listen here and let us know what you think. Ask a question at . E-mail it to .   Or, text James at 203-512-2161.

"How do I make money if I just got thrown out of graduate school?" Easy, you get a job... Get your feet on the ground and get to work. You'll begin to get a feeling for what people really want and you should start thinking about how you can solve their needs. James' philosophy about choosing yourself fits perfectly here. While you're working for someone else, start a part-time business, write a blog, help a friend. Stay active... You don't need a graduate degree to be successful. You just need to work hard and work smart. Listen here to find out how. If you have a question that you would like to ask James, you can either: Ask a question at . E-mail it to .   Or, text James at 203-512-2161.

James and Claudia call Vani Hani, author of , to talk about her inspiration for living a healthy life and to investigate what is really in our food, how it's grown, and what chemicals are used in its production. Do you know what's really in the food you eat… and do you care? James talks with Vani about what the best fish to eat right now are, what's up with the paleo diet, and the "not milks." She tells James and Claudia she's not a fan... She says the FDA is completely asleep at the wheel and you have to take control of what you eat, yourself. They cover GMOs… always a hot-button subject. And they talk about if we'll be able to feed a world population that's growing fast. Vani is passionate about this subject and she scares the hell out of James and Claudia.   Listen here to find out why.

“I lost my job and I’ve piled up a huge amount of credit card debt. I just got a new job but I’m only making $11/hr.  What should I do?” James says – Stop making any payments on your credit cards. You can’t afford to pay. I know this goes against what everyone else is telling you but James explains today why this individual shouldn’t pay. He can’t… Get prepared for the calls and the harassment but don’t worry. Listen here today as James explains why. If you have a question that you would like to ask James, you can either:  Ask a question at . E-mail it to .    Or, text James at 203-512-2161.

You don't have to go to college to find your passion. College doesn't make you smarter. You make yourself smarter by studying what you're passionate about. Find a mentor and model yourself after them.   You have to find your passion and college is definitely not the place to find it.

Today's question is a great one. "Should I take a promotion if it means I'll have to work longer hours and sacrifice my Choose Yourself projects?" James suggests you take a good look at what this promotion really means... It means a lot more work for the privilege of being able to buy another dinner out per week, or another pair of shoes or a nicer car. The incremental money will not bring you happiness. So, say yes but spend every free minute you can scrape together to invest in yourself.   Put together a plan to control your own destiny and plan you life and never forget to always Choose Yourself.

"Online dating doesn't seem to be working. Is there anything wrong with me?"  James says there's nothing wrong with the woman who asks this question. Online dating has reduced the value of a relationship just due to the sheer volume and the unlimited supply. Claudia mentions how you have to be clear and set a few parameters and preferences, but you also have to be flexible. Don't only rely on online dating to meet your match. Take dance lessons, go to entrepreneur meet-ups or whatever interests you  But don't rely solely on online dating clubs    

James and Claudia tell their New Year celebration stories and talk about whether any of the holidays we celebrate really make sense. Halloween, Hanukkah, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving... James debunks the ways we celebrate all of them. Listen here and text James if you disagree. If you have a question that you would like to ask James, you can either: Ask a question at . E-mail it to . Or, text James at 203-512-2161.   Happy New Year (or not)

The world around us is changing rapidly and what's old is new again. James' daughter Mollie asks James why he gives away his real phone number for people to text him questions for this show. We used to contact each other via telephone, then it was email, and now it's via a text message. Listen here to today's episode If you have a question that you would like to ask James, you can either: Ask a question at . E-mail it to . Or, text James at 203-512-2161.   Here's to a happy and prosperous New Year from all of us at The James Altucher Show.

James' daughter Mollie sits in for Claudia today and asks James... What did you learn in 2014 and how will that affect you in 2015? Success is measured in decades...   Don't get disappointed in small setbacks. Start today... a decade can pass in the blink of an eye.

Not every couple's timetable is in sync.    Today's question comes via James' text and is a difficult one.    A man writes in...    I'm in love with my woman and we've been together for a while. She wants to have children and I don't.    Should he stay in the relationship or should he let her go?   James and Claudia look at this question from both the man and the woman's perspective.   Should she wait until he's ready? Will he ever be ready?    Or is it time for both of them to just move on.   Listen in today as James and Claudia discuss this difficult topic.

You've got an idea; do you need a business plan to launch it? James says yes sometimes, but not the kind of plan you're probably used to. Forget the PowerPoint with a ton of numbers, graphs, and charts. "And don't ever tell me that there's 1.3 billion people in China and your business only needs to attract 1% of these people to be a huge success." Here's what you should include in your business plan... Who are you? Did you build and sell another business? Can you come up with ideas and do you have business "sense"? Can you sell your idea? Simple, powerful slides, and please...   No smiley face curves.

James and Claudia are celebrating Christmas by cheating on their paleo diet.  We hope you all are enjoying yours. Is blood really thicker than water? Do you have to be around those that are bad for you? Why?   Why not make it a point to be around those that love you and those you love. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you.  This year make sure you don’t forget to Choose Yourself… Episode #73 of The James Altucher Show was about givers and takers with Adam Grant.  This was a fantastic show and if you’ve not listened to it Our question today is from that show.   I’d recommend you listen to and then listen to this Ask Altucher.

Our question comes today from Holland and Claudia gives us all a quick lesson in geography. Many small entrepreneurs are great at their specialty but may not be good at or like to do the accounting or the technology or maybe hate marketing. Ask these small companies – What do you need help with? Make a menu list of what you’re good at and offer these as a webinar. Give away as much as possible, give away all your secrets for free.   And don’t forget to gather testimonials. These are critical to the growth of your company.

The no-complaint diet says that for ten days you can't complain about anything. If you complain, you have to start again As James says, you'll never get there. It's the practice that important. Complaint bonding is an evolutionary trait that we as humans have done a great job of exploiting. But can complaining ever be useful? James says no. What can help you is figuring out the solution to a problem... not complaining about it.   Plus James tosses out a new idea. It's one waiting for someone to grab and run with it.