Financial Samurai

Well, here we are!  It’s been six month since the original challenge was announced and I want to congratulate all of you for making it this far!  The network has grown to be a powerful one and now it’s up to us to harness it for the greater good  This is where the 2nd challenge comes in, which officially starts on August 15th when Yakezie.com is launched.

The 2nd challenge is simply to use the power of the Yakezie network to help others through monetary means or donations of our expertise, while at the same time grow our online revenue by various rates (i.e. 25%, 50%, 100%).  The good thing about percentage increase targets is that we can all challenge ourselves whether we have a $100/month site or a $10,000/month site.  More will be explained once Yakezie.com is launched.  The first challenge of getting our Alexa rankings below 200,000, and now below 100,000 still stands.  As long as we are part of the network, we should strive for progress or at least a steady state of satisfaction.

Some of the most interesting types of posts around the web are voyeuristic posts about what goes on inside the mind of the blogger.  Part of the reason why DVDs are such a hit is because of the “special features” section where you can watch outtakes and behind the scenes featurettes.  Many have asked whether I had a grand plan all along for this group, and the simple answer is no.  It was because all of you that the group flourished.  I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts as The Yakezie grew.  Perhaps you’ll do the same and post your own write-up as well!

DECEMBER, 2009 – BEFORE THE YAKEZIE.  Alexa Ranking 94,000. Read more…

Thanks to the invention of blogs and social media, you can intimately feel the summer malaise upon us.  To participate in the change in moods, I’ll be lightening things up a little bit.  I’ve always been kind of a joker and all this structured writing with beginning, middle and end is oh so well….. structured!  Also, to invoke Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man from AP English class is going to the extreme of stiffness, right?  I’m not sure many really connected with the reference at all.

Who wants to read about the struggles of an African American man in the oppressive 1950s when everything is so hunky dory and harmonious nowadays.  I do, but I think most others don’t.  Does anybody even read the classics anymore?  A little Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut or Crime & Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky anybody?  Yeah, maybe 20 years ago, but not now.  Now, all we read are gossip magazines and blogs with bad punctuation (yours truly) that tickle our guts with spurts of information.

Hence, from now until the end of August I’ll be throwing a little wasabi on the teriyaki as they say in Japan.  I just made that up, but thought it sounded good.  You might read a little more rambling and a lot less structure as I attempt to change writing styles.  The Yakezie.com project is well underway and now is my time to goof around a little bit.

HIGHLIGHT POSTS OF THE WEEK Read more…

If I’ve learned anything in the work place, it’s that most people simply want recognition for a good day’s work.  Pay and promotion are secondary to a simple gesture of a pat on the back or a “well done.“  Yet, why is it that praise is so often lost in the shuffle?  When just saying “thank you” is so easy and cost effective, silence often replaces.

I remember going through a rough stage in my career where I felt invisible.  Like Ralph Ellison’s protagonist in the Invisible Man, even with 1,369 light bulbs shining brightly around his basement room, he still felt like nobody noticed.

“I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids – and I might even be said to possess a mind.  I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” This quote has stuck with me for well over two decades since first reading Mr. Ellison’s 1952 classic in high school.

THE MYSTERY Read more…

May retail sales drop 1.2% or the most in 8 months as more and more people turn to personal finance bloggers for frugality advice!  I’m pretty certain nobody has ever come up with this statement, but think about it for a little bit.  Why is it that the public should take personal finance advice from BusinessWeek, for example?  The articles are written by relatively well-paid writers who are on a mission to report the news.  They do a fine job at that, but perhaps not as fine a job making things visceral like the personal finance community.  What’s more personal than a real person like Jeff delivering pizzas to get out of debt?  Not much!

It’s very hard for the mass media to compete against a team of personal finance bloggers such as the Yakezie.  We’re real life people responding to comments and putting ourselves out there.  There’s a two-way street with us.  If I were Editor in Chief of any mass media publication, I’d go out and hire an bunch of influential personal finance bloggers and put them on my payroll.  $75,000 a year will do or perhaps $150,000 a year if you want us to write an article a month exclusively for you.  By doing so, the Editor will inject new life, new readers, and therefore a wealth of new advertising dollars to the publication.

As evidenced by May’s retail sales figures, we are creating the news with our frugal ways instead of just reporting the news.  There’s a movement underway, can you feel it?  Maybe we’ll band together and talk about how we should never buy new cars again, causing June’s new car sales to dip.  Or maybe we’ll discover how amazing one person’s unsung journey is to fight poverty in Uganda and direct millions of dollars their way.  That counts for something.  Let’s make a palatable difference with the words we write.  Someone is out there listening.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Regards,

Sam @ Financial Samurai – “Slicing Through Money’s Mysteries”

Follow on Twitter @FinancialSamura and subscribe to our RSS or E-mail feed.

Dear Readers,

It’s been a wonderful journey so far and I want to thank you for visiting my tiny slice of the matrix.  We may not always agree, but that’s the beauty of it all.  Through differences of opinion, we’re allowed to learn from each other and flourish mentally, and hopefully financially as well.  Besides, it’s not like I’m going to hold your puppy hostage or something if you challenge my opinion!  Hope you feel the same.

Sometimes it’s hard to to respond to all of your wonderful comments (7,100+ so far), yet I will always try.  I wish there was an easy way to tag all of the most interesting comments and show case them.  Perhaps I still will!  It’s so fun to visit other sites, comment, and interact, I want you to experience the same here.

Each blog has a different personality and tone to it.  I’d like to think that Financial Samurai is unique with a flavor that challenges conventional thinking.  We can go back to basics regarding budgeting, savings, and retirement planning.  Or, we can continue blazing new trails.  It’s really up to you frankly.  What would you like to read more of going forward?  Generally we should enjoy writing what we’d enjoy reading.

Finally, I thought it would be fun to dedicate this song to all the female readers who helped share their viewpoints.  Five String Serenade was composed by Mazzy Star in her 1993 album, So Tonight That I Might See.  The original plan when I learned Five String Serenade 12 years ago was to sing to a girl after an evening picnic on a beach somewhere.  I never got the chance until recently, and now it’s been recorded, in my own version for you.  Funny how things never turn out quite like you plan.

Here’s to another 200 posts!  Thank you again! Read more…

Samurai Nadal

Before every tennis match, I watch a short video on Youtube of a favorite tennis pro to get inspired.  All that goes through my mind are beautiful strokes and luscious sounding *thwacks* each time the ball leaves my strings.  I prepare my tennis bag with the right equipment: grip, Advil, Gatorade, a change of clothes, flip flops, hat, and sunglasses.  My outfit matches, down to my shoes and I say a little prayer.  Essentially, I go through a routine that any pro would go through, pretending to be one myself,  in order to get ready for battle.

Pretending you have arrived, so you can become is a way for us to get in the right frame of mind so we can tackle many of your challenges with full vigor.  If you are not mentally tough on the court, you will defeat yourself before even giving your opponent a chance to defeat you!  In essence, you are your own worst enemy if not properly trained.

Some may think that if you are a pretender, you have a risk of becoming delusional.  There’s no doubt we often over estimate our own abilities, however, I encourage all of us to increase the belief in ourselves.  If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will.

PRO BLOGGER Read more…

Young or old, amateur or veteran, know there are rocketships in your midst ready to be ridden.  The rocketship is someone who is going places, and hopefully, through his or her shear power, you can hop aboard and increase your own success as well.

Look around the office and see if you can identify the rocketship.  The person is likely a hard worker who is respected by almost everyone on the floor.  If you were to view each person like a stock, you would buy the rocketship because there’s just something about them that tells you they’re going places.  The higher they fly, the more likely they will promote you along the way.

The same thing goes with social media and the blogosphere community.  Don’t count out the little guys.  Instead interact with those with an unusual amount of dedication and creativity.  Sincerely get to know them and help them out.  One day they might be the next Pete Cashmore from Mashable, you never know.  Expect nothing in return because if your relationship is sincere, things will just come.

A lot of folks talk a big game.  Beware.  The more one needs to talk about their successes, the less likely they are the rocketship.  It’s likely they are insecure, craving constant reassurance to justify their own relevance.  Remember to watch what they do, rather than what they say.  There are too many empty promises that never get delivered.

Everybody likes to win.  But first, you must identify the likely winners.  Once you do, it’s only a matter of time before you’re surrounded and soaring towards the moon!

Readers, do you have enough fuel to be a rocketship?  Have you benefited from others through their own success and initiatives?

Regards,

Sam @ Financial Samurai – “Slicing Through Money’s Mysteries”

Follow on Twitter @FinancialSamura and subscribe to our RSS or E-mail feed.

The following is a guest post from Neal Frankle at Wealth Pilgrim.  Neal is a dedicated father, insightful financial adviser, and honorable Yakezie Challenger who always writes with a breath of fresh air.  You can join his 2,500+ followers on Twitter @NealFrankle.  Enjoy!

Failure is not only a necessary part of life, it can be a beautiful part of life.

This may sound like crazy talk.

After all, if you are a hardworking person, you work hard because you want to succeed, not fail.

And failure stings.

It hurts.

Man….it hurts.

That pain is real….but despite that temporary pain, those set backs are likely key ingredients to your future success. And the success I’m talking about dwarfs financial or career gains.

Let me explain by telling you about an experience I had several years ago.

BACK IN THE MOTHERLAND Read more…

The last month of the first quarter is upon us.  Now is as good a time as any to revisit our new year’s resolutions to make sure we’re on track.  I’m on pace to achieve 4 out of 8 so far: 1) meet 36 new people, 2) see the good in others, 3) stay consistent, but not obsessive over this site, and 4) save 50% of my gross income.  Regarding the other four goals, I’m not on pace to make a million bucks, haven’t won any tennis tournaments, nor have I been regularly practicing my acoustic guitar or cooking skills.  Better get cracking!

With 10 months left in the year, it’s time to really ramp up the creative juices and think up some back-end business to help create additional income.  Tennis season is starting up and I plan on doing everything possible to give myself at least a physical edge over the competition.  Finally, from now on at least one hour every weekend will be dedicated to guitar and cooking.

In terms of predictions for 2010 it’s still too early to tell, but 4 of 5 have held up so far: 1) inflation and interest rates remain low with the 10-yr yield still below 4%, 2) the USD dollar has strengthened, 3) the markets have not double dipped, and 4) The Samurai Fund is outperforming the S&P 500 by 2.64% as of Feb 28.  Regarding #5, it’s just a matter of time before Facebook goes public and Twitter gets bought out don’t you think?  We’ll revisit the predictions mid year and see if they still hold true!

Readers, how are you guys doing with your new year’s resolutions?  If you wrote any prediction for 2010, I’d love to see them so feel free to post your links below.

FINANCIAL SAMURAI ARTICLES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

* “Be A Sloth And Don’t ROTH – Why Converting to A ROTH Is A Mistake”

* “How To Get Your Super Motivated Boyfriend (SMB) To Marry You”

* “Do “C” Students Deserve “A” Lifestyles?”

* “Someone Always Farts In A Crowd – The Moral Hazard Of The World”

* “Let Freement Reign! Spending Paralysis, Material Lust and Obsession”

* “Where Americans Pay The Most To Live And Why”

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE: Read more…