Dear Financial Samurai, Happy Valentine’s Day and long weekend! There is not much financial love in the air as markets wobble and industries digest the rapid advancement of AI. First it came for writers like me, and many shrugged because they were not writers. Then it came for software engineers, and others shrugged because they […]
Newsletter for Feb 14, 2026: No Love In The Markets Read More »
After Fundrise announced it plans to list its venture product on the NYSE, I decided to do some more research on how different funds actually trade and why float matters more than most investors realize. My main goal was to get a better idea of how the fund may trade compared to its Net Asset
How ETFs, Open End Mutual Funds, and Closed End Funds Actually Trade Read More »
There’s an endless debate over whether real estate or stocks are the better asset class. Although I’m a fan of both, I just realized the feel-good wealth effect adds another feather to real estate’s cap. In my post about avoiding the real estate frenzy zone if you want to get the best deal, I highlighted
Why the Feel-Good Wealth Effect From Real Estate Beats Stocks Read More »
I have wanted to lose 10 pounds (~6% of body weight) ever since I started Financial Samurai in 2009. I have come close, dropping five to six pounds in some years, but never quite hitting the double digit goal. As a result, for more than 16 years, I failed to accomplish something that should have
Lose Weight By Embracing Your Inner Economist and PF Nerd Read More »
I recently realized something that completely reframed how I think about income in America: a $200,000 household income is no longer middle class. Instead, under increasing college financial aid formulas, earning up to $200,000 now qualifies as low income or even poor. Being labeled “poor” or “low income” doesn’t sound great. But if $200,000 is the new poor according to
$200,000 Is Now Considered Low Income Or Poor For Families Read More »
Unlike most people, I love ARMs, or adjustable-rate mortgages. Adjustable-rate mortgages have helped me save over $300,000 in mortgage interest expense since 2005 compared to if I had taken out 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. Despite all the fear, uncertainty, and doubt surrounding ARMs, they have been one of the most powerful wealth-building tools in my financial
Why Letting an ARM Reset Can Be Smarter Than Refinancing Read More »
San Francisco real estate has always moved in cycles. Boom, bust, recovery, and reinvention are part of the city’s DNA. As we head deeper into 2026 and beyond , it is becoming increasingly clear that we are entering another reinvestment phase. It’s one driven not by social media, ride-sharing, or mobile apps, but by artificial
Best Neighborhoods To Buy Real Estate In San Francisco 2026 Read More »
If you are a FIRE adherent, then you have likely mastered the art of saving and investing aggressively. While your neighbors and colleagues splurge on new cars, fancy vacations, and clothes, you are quietly deploying your excess cash flow into index funds, private investments, and real estate. You buy every dip. You dollar cost average
Having Kids Is The Best Way To Decumulate Wealth When FIRE Read More »
If you want to achieve financial independence, every investment we make serves one purpose: to buy back our time. Time is infinitely more valuable than any object, experience, or luxury. Given how short our lives are, we should use our money not just to accumulate more, but to buy freedom. Once you have freedom, you can
Practice Converting Annual Investment Returns Into Time Saved Read More »
Roughly 40% of my net worth is in real estate, my favorite asset class to build long term wealth for the average person. Real estate was my primary reason for being able to generate enough passive investment income to leave work in 2012. It has also been responsible for two of my largest capital gains
2026 Real Estate Outlook: Better Times Ahead For Investors Read More »
