Happy New Year 2026 everyone! With another year wrapped up, I thought I’d do a 2025 year in review so I can one day look back fondly as an old man. Overall, I give the year an A for effort, which is all I can really control. Unfortunately, the result didn’t match the effort, as […]
2025 Year In Review: A For Effort, B Minus For Results Read More »
In July 2009, I started Financial Samurai to make sense of the financial destruction unfolding at the time. I had been toying with the idea since 2006, when I graduated part time from UC Berkeley’s business school, but kept kicking the can down the road. After losing around 40 percent of my net worth in
The Best Of Financial Samurai 2025: Over 100 Million Readers Served Read More »
I’m back in Honolulu for the winter holidays, visiting my parents, and I’ve been looking forward to this trip for months. Especially after spending about $41,000 remodeling and furnishing a neglected two-bedroom in-law unit attached to their home. The goal was simple: test whether the in-law unit could comfortably house my wife, daughter, and son.
Almost Burned Down My Parent’s Home Twice In One Week Read More »
As I watched my kids tear through their Christmas presents, I felt an unexpected twinge of melancholy. I knew the thrill over that one toy they had wanted for so long would be fleeting. Soon enough, it would be replaced by the next obsession. Having kids has a way of pulling you backward in time,
Eliminated a Regret and Fulfilled a Childhood Dream for Free Read More »
Every year, as December rolls in and holiday lights start appearing on houses, a curious phenomenon shows up in the stock market: the Santa Claus rally. If you’re an investor, it’s the kind of quirky, seasonal pattern that’s worth understanding, both for context and for timing your year-end investment decisions. So what is it, exactly? The
Betting On The Santa Claus Rally To Finally Come Through Read More »
One thing I have always tried to get better at is anticipating the future. I do this as an investor and try to see what the world might look like five, ten, even twenty years from now. The earlier you can see the curves ahead, the better you can adjust before you crash into a
Being Unable To Spend The 529 Plan Money When The Time Comes Read More »
Beyond expensive valuations, with the S&P 500 trading at roughly 22 times estimated forward earnings, another concern for the stock market is quietly flashing red: U.S. households now have more net worth in stocks than in real estate. On the surface, this might not sound alarming. After all, the stock market has been ripping higher
Warning: Households Have More Wealth in Stocks Than Real Estate Read More »
After two years of living in a larger house and cleaning it ourselves, we’ve finally come to a point where we’d like to consider hiring cleaners. As a frugal person, I feel bad hiring people to do things I can do myself, especially since I don’t have a job. Therefore, I’ve always done my own
How Much To Spend On House Cleaning By Income and Net Worth Read More »
As someone who has been writing about financial independence and escaping corporate America since 2009, I’ve developed several rules that serve as the backbone for achieving FIRE and staying free. They are simple, but not easy. Ignoring any one of them can set you back years. Below are the first two rules as a reminder,
The Third Rule Of Financial Independence Could Also Be Your Biggest Regret Read More »
I’m in a cash crunch, and it doesn’t feel good. After buying my house in 2023 and living paycheck to paycheck for six months, I promised myself I would never return to this state. Yet here I am. Part of it is just bad luck, but part of it comes down to poor planning on
Investment Gains Shouldn’t Cancel Out Your Cash Flow Problems Read More »
