I delayed writing this post for a while partly because I didn't want to recognize the formal end of my 10-year journey writing on Financial Samurai. I was also waiting for some divine inspiration to figure out what's next.
From 2018 – 2019, several potential acquirers contacted me about selling Financial Samurai. I thanked them for their interest and told them I needed to first fulfill my 10-year goal.
In July, 2019 after achieving my 10-year goal, they all contacted me again. This time, I told them I first needed to write my 10-year recap post in order to make the achievement official.
Now that that post has been written, I know I'll soon be contacted again and forced to make a decision. Financial Samurai has been a part of my life for so long that it'll be tough to let it go. As I don't want to be tempted by money, I'm trying to keep the offers at bay for as long as possible.
With Financial Samurai I have autonomy, fun, a sense of purpose, measurable results, and the ability to help people achieve their financial goals. As a stay at home dad, I can't think of anything intellectually better to do while my kids are sleeping.
Financial Samurai has been a dream come true. Ironically, nothing kills a dream quite like achieving it.
What's Next For Financial Samurai
As I love to write with opinion and personality, one of the things I've felt bad about for many years was trying to monetize this site with review posts, sponsored posts, and other sorts of business partnerships. Every day I'm bombarded with requests. I just mainly wanted to have fun and share some helpful financial insights.
As a result, for the last 10 years, my writing formula has essentially been 90% fun / 10% business. I've drastically forsaken revenue for fun because I was already financially secure when I left my job in 2012.
What I've come to realize over the past couple of years is that all the largest personal finance sites in America have a writing formula closer to 10% fun / 90% business. Completely opposite!
These large sites hire staff writers to write about the latest products. They report straight facts with no opinions. It's a great strategy to keep altercations and judgemental comments to a minimum. Further, the founder(s) seldom share anything personal about their lives. Even though this style might sound boring, it is a winning formula in business.
Stubborn To Change My Ways
Until I published The Secret To Your Success: 10 Years Of Unwavering Consistency, I'd been too stubborn to acknowledge this fact. I spent triple the amount of time I normally do on that post in order to help readers get to their own 10-year goals as well.
I was expecting the post to do quite well and for many readers to at least give me a virtual high-five for reaching my goal. Instead, I only got 15 comments on the first day compared to 30 comments on average. Nine were congratulatory while the rest shared their own thoughts and asked me what they should do about their individual situations.
That is when it hit me. Nobody really cares! OK, I'm being a little melodramatic. A few of you do care, as evidenced by subsequent comments and e-mails. But still, there's no denying the response was underwhelming.
It's logical to care mostly about yourself. Everybody is too busy leading their own lives. I totally get it. As a SAHD, I often feel like I'm suffocating for time and energy.
I also realized that 3,200 word posts are hard to digest. More effort does not necessarily lead to better results. Therefore, I need to keep very lengthy posts to a minimum, like once every 10 years.
Given the situation, selling this site seems like a fantastic solution.
The Bright Side Of Not Caring
By cashing in, I could finally fully relax in early retirement. No longer would I need to respond to endless requests for financial help. No longer would I be judged for trying to be a good parent. I could also spend my money how I wished without scrutiny. By selling, I could simplify life further, just like when I sold one of my SF rental properties in 2017.
Then I realized something while reminiscing about the last 10 years in the hot tub after a long tennis match. Since so few people care about the personal aspect of my writing, instead of selling, why not better monetize Financial Samurai with joy!
After 10 years of giving and having lots of fun, it's time for me to be more selfish. Selling the site just when my oldest starts preschool would be illogical though since I'll have more free time.
I started Financial Samurai in 2009, a year after getting married. We both had decent-paying jobs and didn't feel the need to monetize this site.
However, when our son was born in 2017, my feelings about monetization started to evolve. No matter how much money you have, I think every new parent feels a visceral need to make more money to provide for their family. It is part of our DNA to ensure the survival of our species.
Time To Make More Money Online
This old saying is true, “Have children and the money will come.”
Holding my boy for the first time gave me tremendous motivation to do better. Because of him, I started a regular podcast. Not only did I keep up my 3X a week posting schedule, but I also added a weekly newsletter.
With the need to provide for my family plus the realization that personal writing isn't what the majority of readers truly want, I'm going to change my writing formula from 90% fun / 10% business to 70% fun / 30% business over the next year. I know the winning formula for business is 10% fun / 90% business, but I want to take things slow.
A 70/30 split means a little more product review posts, a little more sponsored posts, and new writers. I may try and create more FS-branded products too like my one-of-a-kind, severance negotiation book. But I doubt it for the first year because I dislike selling anything.
I plan to highlight more financial products that either can help you save money, potentially make you money, or help simplify your financial life. My goal is to review the best products that can meet the demands of all types of readers in different financial situations.
Still Going To Keep My Writing Style
The great thing about this new initiative is that it does not take away from my usual style of writing. It enhances the website with more content and greater synergies.
My library of 2,000+ posts will always be there. My regular free weekly newsletter will continue to contain my personal views. Plus, there's plenty of banter to go around in the FS Forum.
The end result will be me not having to put so much time into writing personal posts that few really care about. Readers will have more variety. Further, I'll generate more revenue to take care of my family. A triple win!
The alternative is to sell and let the new owner turn this site into 90% business. After all, an acquirer would want to generate the highest return on its investment. I'm assuming you'd rather me keep the site. But do let me know otherwise.
Taking Things One Year At A Time
Because I've completed my 10-year goal of running Financial Samurai, I have nothing left to prove. As a result, I won't be making another 10-year operating goal for this site.
Instead, I'm going to take things one year at a time. If things are going well, I'll either continue with the 70/30 formula or tweak the formula again. I doubt existing readers will notice much change because the formula has already been changed to 80/20 since the beginning of summer.
Ideally, I'd love to keep Financial Samurai going for another 20 years as an insurance policy for my kids in case they have a rough time in school and in the workforce as I did. They could join Financial Samurai in any one of the following fields: marketing, writing, podcasting, video producing, finance, operations, and product development.
But I've also got to be realistic. 20 years is a damn long time. I don't think I can last that long without adding at least one full-time person. Further, I'd be a fool to pass up an amazing offer.
Excited For Entrepreneurship
For over a year, I struggled with the decision to go back to work full-time once my boy goes to preschool. Being a stay-at-home dad for 29 months was extremely hard given my desire to also keep Financial Samurai running at a high level. But thanks to the underwhelming response to my 10-year anniversary post, I realize I've got the perfect solution.
Instead of going back to work full-time once preschool starts, I'm going to utilize my new free-time to monetize this site better for at least one year. This way, I'll still be able to drive my boy to school in the morning and pick him up by 12:30 pm during his initial transition period. If and when he's up for going all day, I'll easily be able to pick him up by 5 pm. If I had a full-time job, this flexible schedule would be impossible.
I want both my wife and me to continue being stay-at-home parents until our son makes it clear he no longer needs us full-time. After he starts kindergarten I'll be more amenable to joining the workforce full-time.
More Money Brings More Security And Purpose
I know making more money won't make me happier. But the challenge of growing revenue will be an exciting one. To feel secure financially means so much more now that I've got dependents.
For now, our financial target is to earn enough investment income to live a middle-class lifestyle in San Francisco. We're simple people without a lot of wants except to own 100% of our time.
I used to think $300,000 a year would be enough after rigorously crunching the numbers. However, based on the latest housing data from 2Q2019, the minimum qualifying income to purchase the median-priced house is now $343,400! Dayum.
Perhaps housing and other costs will dip by ~10 – 15% in a recession. But over the long term, I expect costs to continue rising at its historical ~5% annual clip. Inflation is truly a killer if you're on the wrong side of it.
We also don't want to move until our son's elementary school situation becomes clear. We expect a lot of rejections since we don't have status and refuse to bribe our son's way into school. But we do have the flexibility to go wherever our boy is accepted between Honolulu & San Francisco. We can also homeschool if we get rejected everywhere.
The Goal Of Making More Is A Fun Struggle
As of now, we have a daunting ~$100,000 retirement income gap if we want to earn the minimum qualifying income in SF to be considered average. With the 10-year bond yield at ~1.5%, we've got to amass another $6,667,000 in after-tax capital to earn a risk-free $100,000 gross return. If we shoot for a 4% return, we'd still need to amass $2,500,000 in after-tax capital.
Therefore, my goal over the next several years is clear: accumulate an additional $2,500,000 to $6,667,000 in capital. Once we reach at least $2,500,000 in additional wealth, I'll then seriously revisit what's next for Financial Samurai. But wait a minute! The 10-year bond yield is now back to 4.5% in 2025. Therefore, we only need to amass $2,500,000 in capital, which we've now done thanks to the bull market in 2023 and 2024!
I know we don't need to live off $343,400 a year in investment income since we already own our primary residence and are relatively frugal. I also realize the goal seems a little ridiculous. In fact, I decided to go into decumulation mode in 2022 once I turned 45. i don’t want to die with too much.
However, instead of denying the truth in the data, I'm going to embrace it. Why not dream BIG?! It takes the same amount of energy to dream small. If we work hard enough, we all deserve to live a middle-class lifestyle no matter where we choose to live.
Evolution Is The Way Of Life
It's going to be fun trying to evolve Financial Samurai into a site with its continued unique voice and a generous number of revenue-generating product offerings. For too long, I've been treating Financial Samurai like a hobby. It's time to focus more on being an entrepreneur. Even if I fail at my new goal, at least I'll be content knowing I gave it my best shot.
For those who finished reading this post, cheers for making it to the very end. And for those who didn't read this post or don't really care, thank you for helping me figure out the ideal solution and giving me this new financial goal to shoot for!
Entrepreneurship Update 2022
It’s been two years focusing more on business. Overall, I ended up making a lot more money. It feels good to have more money to take care of my now two children. However, I was NOT happier with more money as I reflected in my 2021 year in review.
I spent so much time trying to optimize old posts and work with new sponsors that managing FS started feeling too much like work. I’m sure the uncertainty of the pandemic made me less happy too. For 2022+, I plan to take things down a notch again. I’m burned out.
But first, let me successfully market my new Wall Street Journal bestseller, Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom. I spent two years writing and editing it with Penguin Random House.
Entrepreneurship Update 2024
2022 was actually another great year for online entrepreneurship. It was down from a record-high in 2021, but 2022 was still way beyond what we forecasted years ago.
In early 2023, I was extremely happy to take things down again. The pandemic and raising two children kicked my butt. I just want to get fit, play pickleball, and write my next bestselling book.
Funny enough, I'm thinking of going back to work in late 2024. My kids are both almost in school full-time and I'd love to join the artificial intelligence boom that's going on in San Francisco.
I also blew up my passive income after buy an expensive home in 2023. So I need to boost by liquidity public equity exposure again. As the only provider, I have a great desire to earn money again to take care of my family.
I've come to realize it's hard to stay retired once you retire early. After three months, I start going a little stir crazy! It feels great to let go of the pursuit of always making maximum money.
Entrepreneurship Update 2025
As a revisit this post in 2025, my son and my daughter are now in school full-time. As a result, I can either return to early retirement life for 40 hours a week or I can spend some of that time making money. I've decided to go the latter route because we bought the perfect home to raise kids in 2023. Again, we've got around a $100,000 a year passive income to expense gap to make up.
But I don't mind working more to make more money online now that I have more free time. It actually feels great to work more while my kids study and play. It's the “provider's clock” in me ticking. I'll also be buys marketing my book, Millionaire Milestones: Easy Steps To Seven Figures for the next couple of years.
Invest In Entrepreneurs
In addition to being more entrepreneurial in 2025 and beyond, I'm going to invest more of the capital I earned being an entrepreneur in private growth businesses. This way, I have brilliant entrepreneurs working for me!
Companies are staying private for longer, as a result, more gains are accruing to private company investors. Finding the next Google or Apple before going public can be a life-changing investment.
Check out the Fundrise Venture product, which invests in the following five sectors:
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
- Modern Data Infrastructure
- Development Operations (DevOps)
- Financial Technology (FinTech)
- Real Estate & Property Technology (PropTech)
Roughly 75% of the investments are in artificial intelligence, which I'm extremely bullish about. In 20 years, I don't want my kids wondering why I didn't invest in AI or work in AI!
The investment minimum is also only $10 while most venture capital funds have a $250,000+ minimum. You can see what Fundrise is holding before deciding to invest and how much.
I have personally invested $143,000 in Fundrise venture capital and Fundrise is a sponsor of Financial Samurai.
Related posts:
Net Worth Composition By Levels Of Wealth: Build A Business Already
The Top 10 Reasons To Start An Online Business Today
Reflections On Making Money Online Since 2009
Readers, what are some products out there you'd like Financial Samurai to review? Any particular genres you'd like me to focus on going forward? What is your why for doing what you're doing? What type of negatives have you turned into a positive to thoroughly change your life for the better?
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Sam, to me your conundrum is simple. You should not stop doing something in order to leave it, you should stop doing it when there’s something else more important to you and this thing is getting in the way. You didn’t quit your banking job and then look around at what to do next; you built this alternative track to the point where you wanted to do it full-time, and then you made that decision. Perhaps not an easy decision, but a natural one. If you pocket an 8-figure sum and retire to your hot-tub, then the infinite time that stretches ahead gives ample opportunity to ruminate and regret, like your friend who sold his gig in 2010. But if you have a new thing that you prefer, and it’s demanding more of your time and you want to give it more – then, the decision to sell comes naturally. You’re driving ^to^ the exciting new thing, not voluntarily driving ^away^ from your biggest achievement. And you don’t have time for regret either, you’re far too busy building the big new thing.
True. I can simply reduce my output as well. No need to publish 3X a week and 1 newsletter a week indefinitely.
I’ve also got a big book coming on this summer that I’m looking forward to market. That is something new and it will be a big challenge to make it a bestseller for sure. But it’ll be fun trying! I hope I can get your support.
Thankfully, our investments I’ve done well since I first wrote this post two years ago. So everything now feels like gravy.
Time to enjoy life more and decumulate!
Hey Sam,
Really love your post. Came across last Saturday while searching for inspiration on finance blogs and yours ranked the first. Just started my own site called financeandtoast.com and likewise, trying to write it in my style and not just for the “viewership”. Told myself that viewership will come once the style is defined. Would love for you to continue maintaining this site so that viewers like me can enjoy!
Cheers mate,
Vincent
I find it interesting that many, including yourself find that once a child goes to kindergarten, there will be more free time and one can devote into career once again. I used to think the same. Now that our daughter is 6, I found it even more important/ interesting to spend more time with her. Now that she is able to reason and have more language skill, this is the time to teach, play, interact more than ever. Having working fulltime through the exhausted years of my daughter and my sons infancy/toddlerhood, dealing w theirs or my own sickness for months in a row, I am seriously considering to be a stay at home mom now that my kids are older, totally opposite of what most would do.
That is an interesting perspective. It’s hard for me to spend time with my son when he is at school. I could do more volunteer work at preschool though, if that’s what you’re suggesting.
I would say it’s definitely harder to be a full-time parent than to have a full-time job. But if you also have to do all the parenting yourself after a full-time job, that can be rough.
I just discovered your website a few months ago and have appreciated your common sense in analyzing exactly what your financial needs are, clearly identifying how to obtain your goals and share the how to. As I also write a blog, I understand the challenge when there is none or limited response from your audience. Additionally it is challenging to build your audience since social media has changed its algorithms. Thank you for being real, and in whatever form please continue. Monetization is not a bad thing, it is a value for your time spent.
I love reading your posts. I’ve read your posts in the past but your site came back into the limelight recently when I was reading about financial freedom or FIRE. I’ve been binge reading your articles and love them.
Your post above inspired me to say something. I haven’t commented before but just wanted to let you know I’ve been admiring your site behind the curtains. I am pretty intrigued with your layout, articles and organization of your site. I read one article that mentioned that you used WordPress. I actually live in San Francisco too and can relate with a lot of your posts. I had a child end of 2015 and feel the need for an increase in savings because the prior calculations went out the window with the thought of preschool and potentially private education costs. I’m in real estate and lately I’ve been compelled to share knowledge about real estate topics and other personal experiences through facebook. I haven’t had the courage to provide as much personal experience to provide insight into what you are doing (my investment path). I admire you for that. I’d love to continue hearing about your personal experience and perhaps one day we will meet over coffee/snack or food to chat and exchange stories on my financial strategy. We may be able to learn from each other.
Looking forward to the new content layout. I always liked the product reviews.
Like you I have a toddler born in early 2017 and sometimes have to save your post and read them in my free time, whenever that is lol. But seriously I’ve been a devoted reader for the last 6 years and have learned so much about finances because of your site. I tell everyone I know about it, you helped me buy my first home, max out on my 401k , open up an Acorns and Stockpile account, the list can go on. I’ve been to a lot of sites out there and they can never compete. Keep going please and don’t sell at least not your voice because it’s what I love most, the authenticity and originality.
Congrats on your little one! And hang in there! Oh boy has it been a tough journey, parenthood.
Thank you for reading all these years and sharing the article I write. I hope you have been able to really build your wealth during this time period And get a great command on your finances!
We are lucky!
Sam, you might not have gotten many comments on that one article, but taken as a whole, I’d say that your ability to write engaging *and* informative articles that entice people to comment is on a completely different level than 99.99% of writers out there.
It’s easy to put words on a page, hard to write words that get people to act.
Congrats on building something great, and best of luck monetizing it in the way that works best for you and your family.
Thanks JT! Haven’t heard from you in a while.
But I do remember you smacking one of my article to bits around 8 years ago because it was so poorly written with lots of grammatical errors!
Hope all is well with you. What are you up to nowadays anyway?
At the onset of the blog post , you wonder if Sam D is actually going to sell FS. As well, I was a bit puzzled by Sam D’s disappointment that so few commented on the ten (10) year recap post.
FS is a person that left a finance world job with a super cool income, to jump into a blog of his own making with no guarantee it will actually work long term! That takes large pelotas that clank all day long. Who cares if a bunch of people don’t comment! Ten years gone (Zepp) – Why on earth would Sam D contemplate selling because of a small number of comments?
On top of that, 1.5 million and growing monthly page views, control over your work hours and content, living the dream!
By the comments FS has made he developed a passive income of around $243,000 from investments combined with a blog income of $350,000 to $500,000 yearly. By my math that is a total income of approximately $600,000 to $750,000 a year generated by your own cojones without an assclown in sight telling you what to do! It’s like an hourly rate of $600.00. In your pajamas! From home! Before coaching tennis! Or after margaritas! Are you insane man!
My interpretation at the time – no way on earth is Sam D selling. At best a company purchases at around 4x the income generated – $2,000,000. Whomever buys has to keep Sam D on as a consultant or resident Jedi Master. If you don’t keep Sam D, you lose the very thing that makes the blog worthwhile – Sam D. If you keep Sam D, he doesn’t have total control over the content or have ultimate decision making authority. The logic does not work. Does not compute.
Alas, it was a crazy Ivan! Congratulations to Sam D and family on the vaunted Financial Samurai juggernaut. There was never any doubt you would sell. May you enjoy many decades of fruitful labor and continued success in your pajamas while coaching tennis and drinking margaritas. One day your kid(s) will take over and continue the tradition of help, education and snappy posts you established.
PS will you ever have FS beer koozies? Asking for a friend.
Sam – I’ve been reading your posts for years, yet rarely respond. I like your viewpoints, opinions, and ideas. Some of your personal investments are not things that I would do, but we come from different backgrounds and influences. As others have said, you present a perspective that is one-of-a-kind, and worth consideration. I’m wondering if I will like this column/page as much if you sell and/or monetize it as you describe. We’ll see. Keep on writing.
Sam,
You know we love you and respect your decision making as it is always well planned, well though out and informed! Good luck and we wish you and the family only the best. I like your ideas and actually I can tell a few articles were different during the summer, but it was not distracting at all. We will always continue reading as long as you keep writing. Thank you for sharing!!!
– Quinton
Thanks for your writing. I have read for years but am not a commenter. I appreciate your perspective, regular content, and diverse topics. Many of my favourite bloggers retire then stop posting so please keep at it!
I have been reading for 7-8 years now and have been blogging for 5-6 years on 2 different sites. I feel the blog is dying a slow death to social media and just shut my last blog monkeyfreeme.com down to focus on Instagram posts. I get lots more interaction, comments, and they are shorter, more digestible posts that free up my time. I can also, post throughout the day if ideas pop in my head. I know it’s not the same as a blog, but I don’t do this for a living, so I feel I have more freedom to have fun and try new things. I just like to write.
I wouldn’t think too much about us readers, but do what is best for you and the kiddo. Also, if you moved out of your expensive area and got rid of the paying for preschool and moved to a good school district you can relax monetarily speaking.
Ugh. I guess all good things do come to an end. I love your blog because you write from a non white male immigrant perspective and that is so unique! You more than any other writer are willing to delve into topics that women and minorities would easily relate to. Your lack of white man privilege is what sent me to your site time and time again. I just hope the success of your blog will inspire others like you to lend their voice to the personal finance blogosphere. I wouldn’t feel apologetic about moving on. You’ve earned it. Even pioneers need to take a break. Good luck!
Thanks Astrid. I appreciate you pointing out the diversity of topics I write about. Thanks for the reminder to continue diversifying the topics. Growing up overseas and attending international schools for 13 years, then spend the next 13 years in the international equities business had a profound impact.
You write we all deserve a middle-class life style. You are wrong. We deserve nothing. We must earn it. Stand on a street corner and see what you deserve. Charles
Thanks for your uplifting comment!
Sounds exciting! Hope to see you continue writing for years to come!
Sam,
I don’t ever post but am compelled to after this article. I can’t begin to describe how you have inspired and comforted me through the past 5 years. I retired after 30 years in the Navy as an engineer. I come from a completely different place than your experiences and have little in common with you other than your strong sense of family. After doing the job I had always aspired to in the Navy, I was forced to retire and do something different. That was 5 five years ago, when I found your blog and it greatly helped me get my act together and start on a path of financial independence. I don’t miss an article and I even read every comment thoroughly. I don’t always agree, but all the information I have garnered has help shape my future outlook for the positive. Here are some of the benefits your blog has been responsible for:
– You helped me to decide what my future life purpose was to be and what I should do with the rest of my life.
– You gave me the confidence to handle my portfolio myself and avoid the sharks (OK, Bob Brinker helped with this too!)
– You gave me solid benchmarks to shoot for. All of your tables helped me realize how far behind the power curve I was as a money saver.
– And finally, your wisdom has given me a great topic to share with my children and their spouses and eventually my grandchildren as they begin to understand.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you have done for me and God Bless You. It matters not what your future decision is regarding the sight, sure I would miss it, but I would still be the better for what you have shared with me. I am truly better for having known you.
Wonderful to hear Steve! That makes me so happy that Financial Samurai has helped you on your path to financial freedom.
I hope nobody always agrees with what I say. It’s impossible because that’s the beauty of the market and choice. The more perspectives we have, the better.
Long time reader, first time comment. Just wanna let you know that I really appropriate you writing these great articles, I’ve learned a lot. :)
“Financial Samurai” without the Sam is just “Financial urai” and I doubt anyone will care about that.
You have something the world needs – please keep sharing it.
Thanks. That’s why I have to change this and make the site more diverse with different perspectives. To remove myself from the site is a strategically smart move for business so the site can live on without me.
But the reality is, most of the traffic comes from new users and from the search engines. So I’m less important than you think.
Sam, you are moving your target again eh? You are so relentless and nothing can stop you from doing what you want to achieve. I just want to say I appreciate your posts and you are an inspiration to me. I hope you will keep this site for years to come!
The graph on the CA home prices makes me feel for all you people living out there. It seems as if Cali residents have more of a homeowners burden than anywhere else in the country.
Sam…
We care more than you know! It is very sad to see you go but I am happy we will have the year still. I’ve learned a lot on this blog
(first time commenting)
Don´t do it!!!!
Hi Sam,
I think the lack of comments on your 10 year article relates more to our failures rather than your success. We are a society of instant gratification. We want likes and hearts instantly. For the majority of us waiting 10 years for success is unrelatable. Hell, half us don’t even put that much effort in our marriages let alone side hustles.
Your success and achievements are amazing. You’ve accomplished more than 99 percent of your peers. Thank you for all of the great content. If you do sell I hope you put the wood to the buyers!!
Best of luck, Bill
Hi Bill – Maybe. I definitely hear you on the instant gratification part. But there are all sorts of short-term instant gratifications on the way to longer term goals that should be enjoyed.
I would think that as we naturally get older, relating to 10 years becomes easier and easier b/c we’ve experienced more things in 10-year+ increments.
Thanks!
Even though I’ve carved my own path to financial independence, I’ve appreciated having the Fianancial Samurai as my virtual co-pilot. It has continually reassured me that what I’m doing isn’t crazy. I frequently refer my working wife to one of your articles to make my point. I’ve often thought how nice it would be to swap tales with you in person in SF.
I’m not a blogger, but I’ve written a few posts and understand the excruciating pain of producing something meaningful and perhaps under-appreciated. Many people don’t have the time to read or write comments or don’t want to be redundant. Perhaps you could add a “Like” button to measure the appreciation for a post.
We have a lot in common. I applaud your willingness to place your life and thoughts under public scrutiny with the goal of helping others. While like-minded, I don’t care to be in the public eye this way.
My wife and I share your drive to provide for the kids—it’s biological; I’ve learned to increasingly resist that drive. My kids are now in 5th and 6th grade. This is perhaps where your and my goals have become most divergent. Partially through your posts, I’ve decided the goal should not be to make more money. Comparing yourself to the average SF home owner is also not helpful. Only you can say what is enough but I guarantee you that is a state of mind and not driven by analytics and comparables. I’ve also decided that more money (even if it’s in the pursuit of financial security) will not yield better children. My wife and I spend a lot of time and effort on our kids, and I’m beginning to think even that is detrimental.
You and I grew up with comparatively limited parental involvement and money, yet we turned out fine. The hyper financial security we seek to provide for our children may ultimately hurt them more than it helps. The results may include sense of entitlement to lack of independence to lack of motivation. Nobody sets out to raise kids who are out of touch with the world, but through the bubbles parents create, I see it happening everywhere.
I’m almost always home, but I actually pretend to work more than I do just so my kids understand that being at their disposal 24/7 is not normal. How am I going to convey that working 70 hours per week was once “normal” for me if they don’t even think I work 40? They have no sense of the struggles of a “normal” working parent because my wife also works from home. Unless I plan to send them checks for the rest of their lives, at some point they will need to work a 40+ Hour job, possibly at an office, and certainly with a boss. That will be a rude awakening if I’m not vigilant about shaping their perceptions.
I’ve more to share, but comments can get too long just like articles.
Having a “Like” button is a no-brainer. Let me see if there’s a new comment system without losing all my old comments for the past 10 years. That would be a real bummer as that has happened before!
Thank you for understanding about the pain it came sometimes be to write a long post where nobody seems to care. The good thing about writing online is that you can get instant feedback and adapt.
Are we really so different though? I just want to make more money so I can ensure that I can be around my kids as much as possible until they don’t want to be with me. I like a challenge. And trying to mass another $100K in investment income is a large challenge at this stage in my life. It keeps me hungry. Remember, the alternative is to sell FS and get instant gratification to earn an extra $100K in investment income.
By continuing to operate FS, I hope to one day show my boy my work ethic. Let’s see if I can hold on!
I have never taken so much as one minute to thank you for your content, advise and wisdom.
THANK YOU! You are making a difference!
I am a loyal reader however I do admit that I skim over the content.