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On August 7, 2023, I received an email from Amy X. Wang, the assistant editor at the New York Times Magazine, inquiring about the modern-day FIRE movement and its Fat FIRE offshoot. Amy is a self-proclaimed FIRE enthusiast who has worked side hustles to earn extra money and utilized rewards points to save. As one […]
Behind The Headlines: My Experience Working With The New York Times Read More »
My life has been filled with rejections, and I’ve finally come to embrace rejection as a natural part of life. To me, being rejected is akin to the urgent need to visit the bathroom after indulging in too much Taco Bell. The discomfort is undeniable at first as your stomach sours from the inside out.
Embrace Rejection! How Getting Denied Saves Us Over $50,000 Read More »
Happy new year everyone! For 2024, my theme of the year is, “One last year of intense focus.” This marks my 15th year running Financial Samurai, coinciding with both my children starting full-time school in September. Fatigue has set in, reminiscent of 2011 when I pondered leaving investment banking for good. That burnout prompted a
2024 Financial Samurai Goals: One Last Year Of Intense Focus Read More »
I’ve been writing year-in-review posts for over a decade now. It’s a rewarding way to document what went well and where I can improve. While 2023 brought more failures than wins, being alive and healthy fills me with gratitude. My theme for 2023 was “Back To Easy Living.” After an exhausting pandemic period, I aimed
2023 Financial Samurai Year In Review: More Fails Than Wins Read More »
At the end of every year, I highlight the best posts and podcasts on Financial Samurai. Determining the “best” of Financial Samurai is both objective and subjective. For those new here, I started this site in July 2009, at the depths of the global financial crisis. I had been considering launching the site since 2006,
The Best Of Financial Samurai 2023 – Posts And Podcasts Read More »
While watching some competitive 5.0 tennis, a top 1% level, I suddenly started to reflect on why the window of opportunity that many of us have is smaller than we think. From 2015 until 2021, I played at the 5.0 level. I lost 69.3% of my matches, but USTA’s computer algorithm wouldn’t drop me down
Your Window Of Opportunity Is Smaller Than You Think Read More »
Instead of sharing the usual things I’m thankful for (health, family, being Asian, etc.), I thought I’d share some unusual things I’m thankful for this year! 2023 was supposed to be a return to easy living. Alas, I don’t feel very relaxed. The combination of keeping Financial Samurai going and being a dad is grinding
Five Unusual Things I’m Thankful For, Despite All The Bad Read More »
If you want to succeed long-term, make sure you are working mostly for intrinsic rewards not extrinsic rewards. I believe the right balance for success is to have >70% intrinsic motivation and <30% extrinsic motivation. If most of the reason why you are doing something is due to extrinsic motivation, you will likely burn out
To Succeed, Intrinsic Rewards Must Dominate Extrinsic Rewards Read More »
Good fortune tends to come to those who save and invest over a long period of time. However, sometimes your good fortune goes beyond expectations. In such scenarios, you may experience money guilt. Money guilt arises when you don’t feel like you deserve your good fortune. With literally eight billion people in the world, why
Maybe You Don’t Deserve Good Fortune But Enjoy It Anyway Read More »
You know that panicky, sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize you’re in deep trouble or you made a mistake? You’re so SOL that you don’t know what to do. It’s Sam’s wife Sydney here, and I recently found myself in a bind. Right after I booked flights to Japan, I
When In Trouble, Remember FULL BENEFIT! A Passport Debacle 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 »
In one of my recent newsletters, I supposedly wrote something absurd. It didn’t occur to me I was being absurd until a reader called me out. Read for yourself the introduction before I got into stocks, the economy, and more. Happy Father’s Day to those of you who are fathers and still have fathers. And
Having Absurd Dreams Are OK Because Sometimes They Come True 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 »
One of the main reasons why I retired at age 34 was to hedge against an early death. When I was nine, my grandfather died from cancer and I clearly remember seeing my mother distraught for months. Then when I was 13, my 15-year-old friend died in a car accident. Here today, gone tomorrow is
The Pandemic Was An Experience In Hedging Your Life Read More »
F you money. FU money. F*ck you money. It’s all the same. F You Money is having enough money to tell others to F Off without fearing financial repercussions. I’m sure some of you have dreamt of telling your annoying micromanager to F Off. But you can’t because you still want that raise and promotion.
Once You Have F You Money, It’s Hard To Tell Others To F Off! Read More »
Getting ahead based on merit is the ideal scenario. Having success given to you based on anything else strips away the satisfaction of earning what you deserve. Since 2020, however, there seems to be a growing “war on merit.” The San Francisco School Board voted to end Lowell High School’s entrance exam so that every
How To Survive The War On Merit: When Hard Work Isn’t Enough Read More »
Happy New Year everyone! I’ve made goals publicly for over ten years because it helps keep me accountable. Making goals also makes the year more exciting and challenging. Hence, here are my goals for 2023. Once again, I’ve divided the goals into five categories: Health, Wealth, Family, Financial Samurai, and X-Factor. My goal is to achieve
2023 Financial Samurai Goals: Back To Easy Living Read More »
We made it! My goal for 2022 was to do less work and have more fun. 2020 and 2021 were difficult years thanks to the pandemic so I needed a break. Overall, I give 2022 a B+. The year was great from a family and health standpoint. But the year was piss poor from a
2022 Financial Samurai Year In Review: Family Over Money Read More »
Enjoy your life, no matter the economic situation. If you do, then you’ll always be winning. The key is to recognize reality and take appropriate action. If the Fed raises the Fed Funds rate to 4.5% and keeps it there while inflation and the stock market plummet, the world will be temporarily ruined. As the
How To Enjoy Your Life After The Fed Ruins The World Read More »
One of the main reasons why I wrote Buy This, Not That was to help readers feel less regret by making wiser choices. Regret is one of the worst feelings, especially if it is a type of regret that could have been prevented through knowledge. The easiest way to stop saying, “If I knew then
Conduct A Regret Minimization Exercise To Help You Move Forward Read More »
