Career & Employment

Rewarding Based on Merit Alone: Great in Theory, Tough in Reality

One of the reasons I left my job at Credit Suisse was that I no longer felt I was being paid based on merit. After the global financial crisis, the firm—like many others—faced tough times, and overall compensation steadily declined for years. As a top-three ranked producer, I expected to be compensated accordingly. But I

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Don’t Lose Financial Opportunities Due To A Lack Of Hard Work

The beauty of hard work is that any able-bodied person can do it. If you put in more hours honing your craft than the average person, chances are you’ll achieve far greater success than the average person. If you happen to be rich, well-connected, and blessed with movie-star looks, combining those advantages with relentless effort

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Federal Government Employees, Take The Severance Package

As someone who literally wrote the book on how to negotiate a severance package, I love severance case studies! The second rule of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) is simple: never quit your job—always try to negotiate a severance. If you’re planning to leave anyway, why not attempt to create a win-win scenario and walk

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Wealth vs. Morality: The Dilemma of Profiting From Sin

Sin—actions deemed morally wrong or harmful—can be difficult to resist, especially when money is involved. A hefty paycheck or a prestigious title can make it easier to overlook the potential harm our work may cause society. Moreover, unless you’re working for free, there’s often a moral trade-off involved—someone or something usually has to bear a cost

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Return On Effort (ROE) Is Your Key To Unlocking A Better Life

If you want to optimize your life, it’s essential to understand the concept of Return on Effort (ROE). The higher your ROE, the more you get out of your efforts, making it an invaluable framework for decision-making. ROE can also help you better utilize your time by prioritizing tasks and opportunities that yield the greatest

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Artificial Intelligence Put My Dad Out Of A Job And I’m Worried

For over 10 years, my father has been my primary editor on Financial Samurai. When my father isn’t available, my wife steps in. This system has allowed me to maintain a consistent publishing schedule of three quality posts a week. Typically, I spend 1.5–3 hours writing a post. Then, my father spends 1–1.5 hours editing

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Settling The Work From Home Debate Once And For All

One of the most significant developments to come out of the pandemic, if not the greatest, was the shift to remote work for millions of employees. Beginning in March 2020, businesses quickly adapted out of necessity, keeping their operations afloat with employees working in pajamas from their living rooms. However, this golden era of remote

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The Pointlessness of Working When Your Net Worth Is Declining

The latest stock market correction cost me about five times what I made consulting part-time for four months. If I were smarter, I would have sold 100% of my rollover IRA before stocks started to tumble, then bought back in several weeks later. Alas, I don’t possess such acumen. This experience got me thinking about

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Went Back To Work And Could Only Last Four Months: Here’s What Went Wrong

After 12 years of FIRE (financial independence retire early), I went back to work. Unfortunately, I only lasted four months. Here’s my story of what went wrong. I purposefully waited months to release this post to ensure I was thinking logically and not emotionally. From the end of November 2023 through March 2024, I re-entered

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