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Turn a Government Shutdown Into an Opportunity to Thrive - Financial Samurai
The government has shut down again, this time mostly over healthcare subsidies. We’ve seen shutdowns before, and we’ll see more in the future. As frustrating as they are, shutdowns remind us that uncertainty is the only constant. Instead of just surviving, I want to show you how to thrive during and after one. Out of
Identity Diversification: As Important As Investment Diversification - Financial Samurai
As long-time investors, we all understand the importance of diversification when it comes to growing wealth. Bear markets and corrections are inevitable, which is why putting everything into a single asset class is not wise. But what about applying that same principle to our identities? What if “Identity Diversification” could help grow not just our
The Ideal Length Of Time To Hold A Mortgage Until Paying It Off
Deciding whether to pay off a mortgage early—or how long to keep one—is ultimately a personal choice. In this post, I’ll share my perspective by drawing on both real-life experience and some numbers to frame the decision. In 2022, my wife and I finally paid off the mortgage on our Lake Tahoe vacation property. That
Being Truly FIRE Is Terrible For Entrepreneurship, But That's OK - Financial Samurai
In 2020, during the heart of the COVID pandemic, I remember listening to a FIRE-focused podcast hosted by two people who claimed to be financially independent and retired early. Even though it’s been over 16 years since I first started writing about FIRE, the topic still fascinates me. The journey toward financial independence is full
Purposefully Leaving A Rental Property Empty As A Luxury Move - Financial Samurai
If you own rental properties, this post may resonate with you. It’s about what to do with a property once a tenant gives notice: keep renting it out, sell and pay capital gains taxes, sell via a 1031 exchange to defer taxes, move back in to avoid taxes, or—most controversially—simply leave it empty. For most of
The Difficulty Of Donating Money When You're Unemployed - Financial Samurai
The other evening, my wife and I went to a school reception held for parents and alumni who donated at least a certain amount in the calendar school year. It was a warm, intimate gathering where we mingled with other parents, shared stories, and listened to the head of school and a couple of trustees
Invest In Monopolies To Profit And Win: Resistance Is Futile - Financial Samurai
Two decades ago, I learned an important lesson: if you can’t beat them, join them. And if you can’t find a job with the monopolies, then you might as well invest in them! Take what happened on September 1, 2025. I got an email from Apple saying my Apple TV+ monthly subscription was going up from
The Upside of Grindcore Culture: Work Hard, Profit Harder - Financial Samurai
The grindcore culture is back and grindier than ever. At least that’s what Are Kharazian, an economist at fintech startup Ramp, says. (Disclosure: I’m an investor in Ramp through the Innovation Fund.) For those unfamiliar, Ramp is a corporate card company that makes doing expenses easier. But here’s the fascinating part: according to Kharazian, usage of
The End Of The Commercial Real Estate Recession Is Finally Here - Financial Samurai
Since 2022, commercial real estate (CRE) investors have been slogging through a rough downturn. Mortgage rates spiked as inflation ripped higher, cap rates expanded, and asset values fell across the board. The rally cry became simple: “Survive until 2025.” Now that we’re in the back half of 2025, it seems like the worst is finally over.
How A Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust Can Reduce Estate Taxes - Financial Samurai
Lately, I’ve been thinking more about estate planning. Part of it is just getting older. Part of it is having young children I want to protect no matter what. And part of it is watching the unsettling rise in political violence, which is a stark reminder that life can be cut short unexpectedly. As I
Artificially Feeling Poor May Help You Grow Rich One Day - Financial Samurai
What if one of the best ways to get wealthy is to trick yourself into thinking you’re poor? It sounds counterintuitive, even ridiculous. But after decades of saving, investing, and observing how people behave around money, I’ve realized one thing: abundance often breeds complacency. When you feel flush, you spend more, work less, and get
Venture Capital Investment Terms To Know: MOIC, TVPI, & More - Financial Samurai
If you’re thinking about investing in venture capital or any private fund, you need to understand these five key terms: MOIC, TVPI, DPI, Loss Ratio, and IRR. Without them, it’s like walking into a poker game without knowing the rules. And in this game, the stakes—and potential payouts—are massive. I’ve been investing in venture capital
FIRE May Make Building Multi-Generational Wealth Impossible - Financial Samurai
If you want to FIRE, one of my regrets was pulling the ripcord too early at age 34 in 2012. Even though I started writing about FIRE in 2009 with the launch of Financial Samurai—trying to uncover as many blind spots as possible before taking the leap—I still feel like I made a mistake. In
Treasury Bonds Can Appreciate In Value Too - Don't Ignore Them - Financial Samurai
During a bull market, most investors get excited about chasing risk. Despite sky-high valuations, there’s a tendency to double down on even riskier bets in the hopes of making outsized gains. That’s human nature. Nobody wants to miss the boat, and everyone thinks they can outsmart the market. In the process, boring assets like risk-free
To Be A Successful Landlord, Setting Expectations Is A Must - Financial Samurai
The older I get, the more I dislike being a landlord. There’s too much potential for disappointment, misunderstanding, or outright unpleasant moments. When you’re dealing with people and one of your most valuable assets, the margin for frustration is high. If you want to be a successful landlord—and not get run over—you need to set
Owner-Occupancy Mortgage Fraud: Benefits, Risks, Workarounds - Financial Samurai
Embattled Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is facing accusations of mortgage fraud—specifically, owner-occupancy mortgage fraud. The claim is that she took out two mortgages in two states, within two weeks, while designating both properties as her “primary residence.” If true, it’s a terrible look for someone sitting on the Fed, the very institution tasked with
Not Regularly Checking Your Net Worth Has Some Great Benefits - Financial Samurai
I haven’t checked my net worth for four and a half months until recently. That wasn’t on purpose, because normally, since 2012, I check at least three times a week using Empower’s free app. The only reason I stopped was because I could no longer log in. One day, I was suddenly locked out of
20-Year Treasury Bonds At 5% Looks Attractive For Retirees - Financial Samurai
I recently had a zero-coupon Treasury Bill redeem in the amount of $102,000. This money is part of the 35% of my taxable brokerage portfolio that’s in bonds. Somewhere between a 60/40 and 70/30 equity/bond split is what I like to maintain at age 48, as a dual-unemployed parent alongside my wife. Given I enjoy
Daddy Day Camp: Worth Trying At Least Once As A FIRE Parent - Financial Samurai
If you decide to forsake making maximum money to become a FIRE parent or stay-at-home parent, then you had best spend more time with your kids. Otherwise, you might as well go back to the office and grind under fluorescent lights for 10 hours a day to make that sweet coin. One of the greatest
The Need For Investing Big Money To Make Life-Changing Money - Financial Samurai
This type of post only surfaces during a bull market, when greed tug at us the hardest, making satisfaction elusive. Ever since making my first public equity investment in 1996, I’ve been hooked, wrestling with the constant mental tug-of-war over how to be at peace with my investment decisions. Maybe you fight the same battles.
How To Eliminate That Intense Financial FOMO You're Feeling - Financial Samurai
Back in 2012, I thought I had finally conquered financial FOMO after walking away from a well-paying finance job. But after having children, I’ve noticed more and more relapses. If you’ve found yourself battling the desire for more money than you truly need, this post is for you. Ever since returning to San Francisco from
The Most Common Tax Planning Mistakes For High Earners - Financial Samurai
If my posts on the mistake of chasing value stocks or the need to invest big money to make life-changing money don’t resonate, consider hiring a financial professional to manage your portfolio. You may not be obsessed enough to consistently invest the amount needed to retire comfortably. Offloading the burden of investing frees up your
When Investing Is More Alluring Than Spending, Fight Back Hard! - Financial Samurai
In my post, “How You’ll Feel Achieving Various Millionaire Milestones,” a commenter named Joseph shared these thoughts: “I’m fascinated by someone worth $10M or $20M not feeling wealthy. Are they hanging out with nothing but billionaires? The only other explanation is a scarcity mindset. But I suppose that mindset got them to where they are. They need
Stop Investing In Value Stocks Over Growth If You Want To FIRE - Financial Samurai
Since writing about FIRE in 2009, I’ve favored investing in growth stocks over value stocks. As someone who wanted to retire early from finance, my goal was to build as large a capital base as quickly as possible. Once I retired, I could convert these gains into dividend-paying stocks or other income-generating assets to cover
Earning Passive Income Requires Optimization And Sacrifice - Financial Samurai
After a week of reviewing the tax-free exclusion rule for selling a rental property, I decided not to sell. I’d already used my $500,000 tax-free exclusion amount and would need to wait at least two more years before I could potentially use the full amount again. Most importantly, I’m on a mission to boost my
The Acceleration Of AI Growth With Ben Miller, CEO of Fundrise - Financial Samurai
On the latest episode of the Financial Samurai podcast, I sat down with Ben Miller, cofounder and CEO of Fundrise, for a deep dive into artificial intelligence, venture capital, and what it really takes to get into the best private company deals. Ben was in San Francisco this summer visiting various portfolio companies and trying to make
The Futility Of Chasing A Hot IPO And What To Do Instead - Financial Samurai
When I worked at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, we would occasionally bring a hot IPO deal to market. During the company roadshow, we’d take management around to meet one on one with our largest investors and clients. Sometimes the IPO was so in demand that many clients could not even get a one on
How To Use The Tax-Free Home Sale Exclusion Every Two Years - Financial Samurai
In Spring 2025, I sold one of my properties and successfully excluded $500,000 in capital gains, tax-free, thanks to the IRS Section 121 Exclusion. For those unfamiliar, this powerful rule allows homeowners to exclude up to $250,000 in capital gains if single, or $500,000 if married filing jointly, from the sale of a primary residence—as
The Shocking Power Of Getting A Different Perspective - Financial Samurai
Since starting Financial Samurai in 2009, I've encouraged folks to keep an open mind and embrace as many different perspectives as possible. So often, we get set in our ways and think our approach is the only right way to do things. But I can assure you, you're probably missing something—or could do something a
You Should Love The 529 Plan More After OBBBA Passed - Financial Samurai
As soon as both my children were born in 2017 and 2019, I superfunded their 529 plans equal to the five-year gift tax exemption. At the time, I was thrilled to do it given a parent's number one responsibility is to provide for their children. Finally, a tax-efficient way to shift some of my assets
The Cost To Remodel A Rundown Two-Bedroom In-Law Unit - Financial Samurai
After remodeling a fixer I bought in 2019 between 2019–2022, I swore I would never take on another remodeling project again. I hate remodeling with a passion, even though I'm always satisfied after the project is done. The delays, cost overruns, and people management completely bum me out. If you want to save your sanity
The Healing Power of Returning to Your Childhood Home - Financial Samurai
One of the main reasons I refused to spend a small fortune renting a vacation property in Honolulu was because I wanted to stay in my childhood home. The home was built in 1986, when I was nine years old, and I’ve been going back almost every year since. But staying there isn’t just about
What It Takes to Feel Wealthy Today Is Less Than Before - Financial Samurai
How much money do you need to feel financially comfortable or wealthy? The answer depends on where you live, your household size, and your lifestyle desires, of course. However, according to the 2025 Charles Schwab Wealth Survey, Americans say it now takes a net worth of $839,000 to feel financially comfortable—up from $778,000 in 2024. More surprisingly, the
The Step-Up In Cost Basis And The Estate Tax Threshold - Financial Samurai
Imagine spending your life building wealth, investing in real estate, stocks, or your business, with the hope of leaving a legacy for your children. Then one day, you find yourself wondering: Will the government take a massive chunk of it anyway? If your estate is well above the federal estate tax exemption threshold — $30 million
How Cultural Differences Can Hurt Your Chances In The Workplace - Financial Samurai
When I lived overseas, one of the most celebrated aspects of my international schools was cultural diversity. At the International School of Kuala Lumpur, Taipei American School, and Canadian Academy in Japan, I had classmates from all over the world. With such a diverse student body, there was a natural openness and acceptance of one
The Richest People Are Not Index Fund Fanatics - Why Are You? - Financial Samurai
I love index funds and ETFs for their low-cost nature and simplicity of ownership. However, if you want to build generational wealth before traditional retirement age, consider looking beyond just index funds and index ETFs. Since starting Financial Samurai in 2009, I’ve written extensively about investment strategies, financial independence, and retiring earlier to do what
In Defense Of Owning A Big Beautiful Home Over A Small One - Financial Samurai
The value of owning a big, beautiful home is underappreciated. Somewhere along the way, society began favoring minimalism and smaller living spaces, often dismissing larger homes as “McMansions.” But after spending five weeks living in a much smaller space again, I’ve gained a renewed appreciation for the comfort, privacy, and functionality that a larger home
Low US Household Leverage Bodes Well For The Economy - Financial Samurai
One of the things that gives me great comfort about the health of the U.S. economy is our historically low household leverage (liabilities to net worth). According to the Federal Reserve Board, household leverage is now at an 80-year low—a remarkable sign of financial discipline. So let me be the first to congratulate you for not loading up
The Cost of Supercommuting: Way More Than Just Gas Money - Financial Samurai
A typical supercommuter spends 90 minutes or more one way commuting to work or school. As the cost of living continues to outpace wage growth, supercommuting is growing in popularity. According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report, an estimated 5 million people are now supercommuters—up from roughly 3.42 million in 2012. I hate long commutes. Taking
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's (OBBBA) Impact On FIRE Seekers - Financial Samurai
On July 3, the House narrowly passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) with a 218–214 vote. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will add an estimated $3.3 trillion to the budget deficit over the next 10 years. Trump signed the bill the next day on July 4. To help pay for it, OBBBA