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In April 2017, I made a commitment to be a stay-at-home parent for the first five years of my son’s life. When my daughter was born in December 2019, I made the same commitment for the sake of equality. Research shows that the first five years are the most crucial for a child’s development. Supposedly, […]
Careful Giving Up Your Career To Be A Stay-At-Home Parent Read More »
If you’re a real estate investor with children, you may face two significant challenges. The first challenge is holding onto your rental property for as long as possible. You understand that the longer you own real estate and stocks, the more likely you are to build wealth. However, as you grow older and wealthier, your
Rental Property Maintenance With Your Kids Solves Two Problems Read More »
With elections approaching, let the political mudslinging and dirt-digging begin! This time, it’s regarding being childless and loving cats. Republican VP nominee JD Vance said this during a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson: “It doesn’t make any sense that we turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it.
The Economics Of Being A Childless Cat Lady Or Gentleman Read More »
After publishing my post, “When To Stop Contributing To A 529 Plan,” I felt a sense of emptiness. For years, I had been trying to find a logical way to decide when to stop saving for my children’s college education. When I finally figured out the answer to my financial obligation, I lost some purpose.
A Parent’s Existential Crisis: When All Financial Obligations Are Met Read More »
There’s a classic saying, “Youth is wasted on the young.” It’s meant to convey that those who are young lack the perspective to appreciate all the advantages of youth and thus take it for granted. After more than seven years of being a parent, it is clear to me that not having kids is a
Not Having Kids Is Your FIRE Super Power: Don’t Blow It! Read More »
When my son was born in April 2017, I promised to become a full-time father until he turned five. I was so serious about this commitment that I sold our largest rental property to free up time. This property was supposed to be our crown jewel for my wife and my retirement plans. However, something
From Part-Time To Full-Time Fatherhood: A Tricky Transition Read More »
Understanding the fundamentals of personal finance is pivotal for kids to successfully launch into the world of adulting. Money skills are necessary to navigate effectively through everything from life’s humdrum day-to-day tasks to its elaborate complexities. Yet what surprises me is that most schools are still not required to teach financial literacy to students. Due
Raising Money-Smart Kids: A Guide To Teaching Personal Finance Read More »
Unlike buying a primary residence, where I believe you should buy one as soon as you can afford to, purchasing a vacation property is a different matter. Nobody needs to buy a vacation property; it’s a luxury expense that everyone can do without. Chances are, you won’t use your vacation property enough times a year
Don’t Buy A Vacation Property Until After You Have Children Read More »
In 2007, I had a dream of taking my future family on a ski vacation. I was an avid snowboarder and my wife enjoyed the tranquility of Lake Tahoe. After receiving a good bonus, I bought a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo at Everline Resort in Palisades. Our son came ten years later, but we didn’t go
Family Ski Vacations: The Cost Could Break The Bank! Read More »
Lately, I’ve been pondering why I have less admiration for men who claim to be retired but have a working spouse. Is it fueled by envy? It’s possible, considering I wouldn’t mind if my wife were the breadwinner, easing some of the financial strain on me. The sentiment is akin to observing several of my
A Provider’s Clock For Men Is Like A Biological Clock For Women Read More »
After publishing my post on no longer being financially independent, several media outlets picked up the story and thousands of comments on their respective platforms ensued. The main criticism was that my expenses were way too high and that I am greedy. As a result, I thought it would be useful to discuss the impact
Inflation And Greed: The Biggest Wealth Destroyers For Families Read More »
In 2017 and 2019, I superfunded two 529 plans for my two children. Since then, my wife and my parents have also regularly contributed to the two college savings plans. You would think with all this aggressive saving, I would feel confident we’ll have enough saved to pay for college. But I’m still unsure. Given
A 529 Plan Is Not Enough To Pay For College, We Must Save More Read More »
When my kids were born, I made a promise to be a stay-at-home father for the first five years of each of their lives. Mission accomplished with my son in April 2022. But there’s still some time to go before my daughter starts full-time school in Fall 2024 and turns five. Anticipating the completion of
How Parents Can Fill The Void Once Kids Go To School Full-Time Read More »
One of the things I’ve tried to work on since middle school is being less judgmental about others. To function efficiently in society, I often have default assumptions about people which can sometimes backfire. I’m also certain that if more people got to know each other there would be less conflict. As a minority who
A Blind Spot About Private School Families: They Aren’t All Rich! Read More »
After successfully replacing her lost passport, my wife finally got to Tokyo, Japan to help her mother out with her mother’s sister’s estate issues. At times, it felt like mission impossible coordinating the trip, booking the hotels, going to the countryside to place the urn, and meeting with another country’s estate planning lawyers. Her mother
The Things We Learn After Being Apart For A While Read More »
During the summer, I like to work odd jobs to remind myself of the importance of hard work and determination. This way, it helps me not take for granted the things that I have today. Since starting Financial Samurai in 2009, I’ve been told countless times that I live in a bubble and I’m out
A Summer Job Landscaping A Rental Property With My Children Read More »
After every tennis match I lost in high school, my father would console me by saying, “You just weren’t good enough.” Those words stung each time I heard them. But they were true. Over time, my dad stopped coming to my matches because I told him the pressure of his gaze wasn’t helpful. With no
The Joy Of Low Expectations: When Nobody Believes In You Read More »
One of the fun things about giving up on retirement is preparing for upcoming job interviews. I probably gave over 300 interviews myself when I was working in banking from 1999 – 2012. One of my favorite interview questions is asking candidates about a blind spot of theirs they eventually realized and how? The question’s
Blind Spots For Fathers Who Think They Are Doing A Great Job Read More »
Now that COVID is over, my wife and I went to our son’s school fundraiser for teachers and low-income household families. I had never been to one of these types of events before and found it fascinating. The thing is, I almost didn’t go. I had been running around all day with the kids and
What It’s Like Attending A Fancy Private School Fundraiser Read More »
I realized something important after writing about the best reason to retire early. Money doesn’t buy everlasting happiness. However, having more money can reduce stress and anxiety. The goal of achieving perpetual happiness is not realistic. Happiness ebbs and flows. It’s more exciting to be an 8 out of 10 on the happiness scale because
Top 10 Financial Moves To Reduce Stress And Anxiety Read More »
