Retirement

Here’s something I’ve noticed: the loudest voices arguing against life insurance after financial independence almost always come from people who aren’t financially independent yet. They’re still grinding toward FIRE, optimizing every dollar, cutting costs to close the gap. Makes sense for them. But once you actually get there, the calculus changes. Every single person I

At a poker game recently, I heard one of the saddest things I’ve encountered in a while: “$10 million is not enough to retire early.” Mind you, we were all sitting in San Francisco, an expensive city, but also one of the cheapest international cities in the world. So I get it, context matters. But

I’ve been playing poker for over 25 years, and I still love the game. Every time I sit down at a table, it feels like a time warp. Three hours can pass in the blink of an eye. The cards, the psychology, the rhythm of betting, and the social interaction all combine into something that’s

The problem with writing about FIRE since 2009 is that I’ve become completely sold on the lifestyle. I know how good freedom feels, so I have a natural tendency to want everyone I care about to achieve it too. I’m also aware I can come across as annoying when I talk about FIRE, so I

As I approach 50 in mid-2027, I’ve been thinking a lot more about responsibility, legacy, and mortality. What I’ve realized is that responsible adulting is hard. One misstep and you or your loved ones could be screwed for life. Ultimately, life is a series of financial quests for survival before we die. If we don’t

The decade-long advice to “learn to code” is losing its edge. With tools like Claude Code handling the heavy lifting, a basic three-month online course may be all anyone needs to build what they can imagine. The more important skill is investing. If you learn to invest, you can build lasting wealth and bypass the gatekeepers

If you’re one of the 8,000 Meta employees getting laid off in May, the difference between a good and great outcome could be worth $50,000 or more. The main reason for the layoffs the company mentioned is to offset their massive AI CAPEX. I’ve spent 14 years helping people negotiate severance packages, including engineering my

For those who work in AI, let me share a cautionary tale based on history. You may be getting incredibly rich right now, but there’s little point in being rich if your safety is constantly at risk. Back in 2008, I was working in finance at Credit Suisse Group in San Francisco. There were constant

I must live in a bubble. Because in my circle, I don’t know anybody who has a car worth more than 1/10th of their annual gross income. I came up with the 1/10th rule for car buying over 15 years ago to help people achieve financial freedom sooner. Thousands have followed this standard rule since,

As someone who’s been writing about FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) since 2009 and actually leaving full-time work for good in 2012, it’s been quite an interesting ride. For the most part, I’ve been lucky because the stock market and real estate market have generally trended up, except for in 2018 and 2022. 12 good

Since I started Financial Samurai in 2009, I have been on a mission to help readers achieve financial freedom sooner rather than later. And one of the core strategies I keep coming back to is encouraging readers to get neutral on real estate by first buying a primary residence. Once you have secured your primary

One of the biggest fears workers have about retirement is losing their sense of purpose. That fear is not unfounded. It is one of the negatives of early retirement nobody likes talking about. For the first several months, maybe even a year, you may feel a little lost. The steady paycheck is gone. The camaraderie