In July 2009, I started Financial Samurai to make sense of the financial destruction unfolding at the time. I had been toying with the idea since 2006, when I graduated part time from UC Berkeley’s business school, but kept kicking the can down the road. After losing around 40 percent of my net worth in just six months, losses that took a decade to build, I realized it was now or never.
I promised myself I would publish three times a week for 10 years. When I reached that goal in July 2019, I simply kept going. There are too many interesting developments in the world and too many thoughts in my head to stop.
In 2025, I published 156 posts and 52 free weekly newsletters. Financial Samurai now has more than 2,500 articles and has now been read by over 100 million people. Below are some of my favorite and most impactful posts from 2025, organized by topic.
For background, I earned my degree in economics from the College of William & Mary before Berkeley. I then spent 13 years working in equities at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse before retiring from finance in 2012 at age 34. Because of my parents’ work in the U.S. Foreign Service, I grew up in the Philippines, Zambia, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia before coming to the United States for high school in 1995. I've been based on San Francisco since 2001.
The Best Investing Posts On Financial Samurai 2025
As an active investor, 2025 felt like a constant battle between protecting my wealth and going on the offensive. In my quest to outperform the markets and maximize every dollar I have, I burned out. I’m no longer sure my portfolio’s outperformance was worth it.
It Feels Like 1999 Again: Time To Party Without Blacking Out – Valuations are stretched and FOMO is running to the max. Some thoughts on how to participate in the upside without losing everything when things turn sour.
The Sad Need For Investing Big Money To Make Life-Changing Money – Even if your bullish call is correct and you invest, if you don't invest a significant amount, nothing really changes.
The Richest People Are Not Index Fund Fanatics, Why Are You? – Everybody loves index funds and ETFs, so do I. But instead of viewing index funds as a way to get rich, the wealthy view index funds more as a way to preserve capital.
Buying The Dip: How To Overcome Fear During A Correction And Prosper – When the next dip comes, will you take advantage or sit on the sidelines in fear? In the history of the stock market, buying the dip and then holding for 10 years has made you money.
Safeguarding Your Future From AI: The Existential Crisis Playbook – It is obvious to me that our children will find a more difficult time finding knowledge-work employment after high school and college. Further, existing workers should be nervous that AI will eventually eliminate their jobs.
The Best FIRE Posts On Financial Samurai 2025
In 2009, I helped kickstart the modern-day FIRE movement by writing about my journey to make enough passive income to escape corporate America for good. Since then, FIRE has grown into a world-wide phenomena as more people try and save and invest aggressively to break free sooner.
The Third Rule Of Financial Independence Could Also Be Your Biggest Regret – If you don't follow this rule, you will not be able to retire early without constantly worrying about money.
FIRE May Make Building Multi-Generational Wealth Impossible – If your goal is to ensure your grandchildren are taken care of, it will be hard to do if you retire early.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Impact On FIRE Seekers – There are some significant financial changes that should help you save and build more wealth in 2026 and beyond.
The Early Retiree's Guide To Funding Retirement Accounts – If you're determined to retire early, then here's a logical guide on how to fund your various portfolios.
The Precarious Life Of Dual Unemployed Parents – If you think FIREing without kids is hard, it is far harder for both parents to stay retired with kids. This is why you often see one person who is FIRE have a working spouse to provide healthcare, income, and retirement benefits.
Having Kids Might Not Hurt Your Ideal FIRE Lifestyle After All – Having kids will suck up all your free time if you let them. However, after both kids started school, I was pleasantly surprised by how much vacation time they have a year plus summer, winter, and spring holidays.
The Best Real Estate Posts On Financial Samurai 2025
For the first 15 years out of college, real estate was my favorite asset class for building wealth. However, the asset class has been stuck in neutral, or reverse, since inflation surged and the Fed aggressively jacked up interest rates starting in 2022.
Why Housing Affordability Could Be At An All-Time High – It baffles me why nobody is discussing this point of view. If I wasn't in my late 40s, I'd be buying up as many prime properties as possible.
In Defense Of Owning A Big Beautiful Home Over A Small One – Personal finance nerds love to be frugal in order to maximize their gap between income and expenses. But here's a seldom discussed take on why having an amazing house could be worth it.
A Paid Off Home Is A Great Shield Against Fear And Uncertainty – Although many argue that paying off your mortgage is bad, I found the situation gave me the courage to aggressively buy the dip in March and April. Having no mortgage may encourage you to take more risks to make more money as well.
Deciding Between Accepting A Preemptive Offer Or Listing On The Open Market – I had to decide between the two when I tried to sell my house in 2025. Here are some guidelines to help you determine the right path for you.
A 50-Year Mortgage Is Fantastic For Homeowners And Investors – The knee-jerk reaction by many is that a 50-year mortgage is negative. But if you dig into the numbers, I think you'll change your mind.
The Best Family Finances Posts On Financial Samurai 2025
Since my son was born in 2017 and my daughter was born in 2019, I’ve shifted my focus to being a stay at home dad. My kids are my main motivators to keep grinding when I don't want to.
The Main Way To Save Your Children From AI Is To Invest In AI – This is the biggest no-brainer solution if you are worried about AI destroying your children's job prospects and preventing them from becoming independent adults.
I initiated a new $197,100 Fundrise Venture position in August, earmarked for my children over the next 10-12 years. This is in addition to my corporate account. My goal is to contribute another $100,000 over the next year if cash flow allows. Fundrise is a long-time sponsor of Financial Samurai as our investment philosophies are aligned.
Mommies, Nannies, Au Pairs And Me: The End Of Being A SAHD – If you're thinking of giving up your career to be a stay at home dad, here are some reflections on what to expect. This post is for moms too.
Rich Bank Of Mom & Dads Are Everywhere – Accept And Adapt – You can either rail against the unfairness of adult children getting tremendous help from their parents, or you can figure out how to do the same. There is no equal playing field in life. Parents will rationally do whatever it takes to ensure their children launch.
The Income Limit To Qualify For College Scholarships And Grants – I've met a lot of people who think they simply make too much to receive free money for college. This article might surprise you, as plenty of multi-six-figure earners get grants.
How to Make Your Children Millionaires Before They Leave Home – If you believe the world won’t give your children a fair shake after they graduate, then you should make them financially independent so they never have to rely on gatekeepers to determine their future. I worked with ProjectionLab, a fantastic financial planning tool to produce this article.
The Best Culture & Society Posts On Financial Samurai 2025
Be An American Nerd, Not The Cool Kid If You Want To Survive – Being cool provides for a better social life. But being a nerd will improve your chances of building far more wealth. And as far as I can tell, all the nerds I've met are married, so don't fear being unwanted if you're out of shape, don't play sports, and have minimal other talents. Money attracts.
Millionaire Early Retirees Probably Shouldn't Get Healthcare Subsidies – You can have a up to a ~$3.5 million net worth, and spending on how much income it generates, you can earn receive tremendous healthcare subsidies.
Identity Diversification May Be As Important As Investment Diversification – Given we went through a period where your identity became an important deciding factor in whether you got into school or landed a job, it's worth looking into your cultural heritage.
How Cultural Differences Can Hurt Your Chances In The Workplace – If you're part of the majority or were born and raised in America, you might never have to deal with such sticky situations.
The Best Wealth Management Posts On Financial Samurai 2025
In May 2025, I published my USA TODAY national bestseller, Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps to Seven Figures. My mission was to write an actionable, punchy book that helps readers build more wealth and break free sooner. As a result, I found myself thinking about millionaire topics far more frequently throughout the year.
Poor versus Rich Millionaire: Liquidity Is The Main Difference – You can feel poor no matter your net worth if you don't have enough liquidity.
Not Regularly Checking Your Net Worth Has Some Great Benefits – If you're a personal finance enthusiast, you probably check your net worth multiple times a week. However, just like how spending too much time on social media is bad for your health, so may checking your net worth too frequently.
How You'll Feel Reaching Various Millionaire Milestones Between $1 – $20 Million – Here's some fascinating insights into people who've achieved various millionaire levels. You'd think after maybe $5 or $10 million, you'll no longer have money worries, but you'd be wrong.
The Hidden Dangers Of Earning Risk-Free Passive Income – This is an important post because I found myself getting lulled into complacency with 4% – 5% risk-free Treasury bond yields. I remember making a similar mistake buying too much Treasury bonds during and right after the financial crisis. So I didn't want to make the same mistake again.
Writing Is a Wonderful Form of Intentional Thinking
I know long-form reading and writing are going out of style thanks to social media and short-form videos. Still, if you can muster the endurance to read a deep-dive article, I think you’ll get far more out of the experience.
If you ever want to solve a problem, try writing a paper with a clear thesis, body, and conclusion. I promise you’ll surprise yourself with new perspectives and become a better thinker in the process. You might even take action that changes your life for the better.
Thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting my work all year. If you know someone going through a situation I’ve written about, I think they’d appreciate receiving the article. Everything I write is based on firsthand experience, whether it’s a problem I’m trying to solve or an unexpected outcome you may not be aware of.
If you have any favorite posts, I’d love to hear them.
You can receive new articles in your inbox as soon as they’re published by signing up here. You can also subscribe to my free weekly newsletter here, where I recap the most important financial news of the week and share what I’m doing with my own money.
To Your Financial Freedom,
Sam
