The Financial Samurai Podcast

Join 55,000+ subscribers and sign up for my free weekly newsletter. This way, you'll never miss a thing, and learn to build more wealth in a risk-appropriate manner.  Let's explore the second biggest financial mistake I see people make. It has to do with improper forecasting and entitlement. If you can avoid this financial mistake, you will likely build far more wealth than most people. Read the post here: The Second Biggest Financial Mistake To Avoid Making Recommendations This holiday season, give the gift of financial freedom by picking up a copy of Buy This, Not That. There's nothing better than having the knowledge and the money to do whatever you want. Track your net worth with Personal Capital, the best free wealth management app today. I've used Personal Capital since 2012.  Join 55,000+ others and sign up for my free weekly newsletter. 

I have a love hate relationship with owning rental property real estate. On the one hand, my rental properties are one of the main reason why I had the confidence to leave work behind. On the other hand, my rental properties are my main source of investment stress. Let me share some latest issues with being a landlord. Then I'll share why I love owning rental property as well. With the growth of private real estate, I've coming to love owning rental properties even more since I no longer have to manage them and deal with tenants! To invest in real estate 100% passively, check out Fundrise, my favorite vertically integrated real estate investment platform. Fundrise has been around since 2012 and now manages over $3.5 billion, mostly investing in Sunbelt/Heartland real estate. I believe in the long-term trend of investing in lower-cost areas with higher rental yields.  Posts mentioned: My Love Hate Relationship With Owning Rental Properties Never Ask To Borrow Money From Friends And Family Members Focus On Tren

Our lives get naturally more complicated as we get older. Therefore, it takes active effort to keep everything from getting out of hand. Here's a series of unfortunate events that makes me want to get back to minimalism. Minimalism and early retirement go perfectly together (post).  Posts Mentioned: Private Real Estate Investing: Key Takeaways After 5+ Years Of Investing Trophy Homes, Trophy Wives, And Now Trophy Children 10 Years Of Fake Retirement Later, Some Important Thoughts Resources For Greater Wealth Nothing is better than the gift of education. Pick up a hardcopy of Buy This, Not That, my instant Wall Street Journal bestseller. The book helps you make more optimal investing decisions to build more wealth and live better lives. Pick up a copy on sale at Amazon today!  For more nuanced personal finance content, join 55,000+ others and sign up for the free Financial Samurai newsletter and posts via e-mail. Financial Samurai is one of the largest independently-owned personal finance sites that started i

The New York Times strike demonstrates the elites have issues too. Despite having all the money, power, and access in the world, there's always a desire for MORE.  The reality is, none of us should want to be viewed as elite. If we are, then we are exclusionary, not inclusionary and that's no good. Posts mentioned: When The Elites Go On Strike, We Should Pay Attention Be Rich, Not Famous: The Joy Of Being A Nobody How To Negotiate A Severance And Be Free The Unhealth Desire For Prestige Is Ruining Your Life When To Play The Status Game Resources For Greater Wealth Nothing is better than the gift of education. Pick up a hardcopy of Buy This, Not That, my instant Wall Street Journal bestseller. The book helps you make more optimal investing decisions to build more wealth and live better lives. Pick up a copy on sale at Amazon today!  For more nuanced personal finance content, join 55,000+ others and sign up for the free Financial Samurai newsletter and posts via e-mail. Financial Samurai is one of the largest i

Let's discuss the 2023 Wall Street S&P 500 forecasts. The range is from 3,625 to 4,500, which means there is no consensus as to where the stock market is going. You can see more details about the various 16 forecasts in this post. Please also take a second to fill out the one-question survey on where you think the stock market will go in 2023.  Other posts mentioned: How I'd Invest $250,000 In Today's Bear Market How To Buy Treasury Bonds And Buying Strategies To Consider Personal Lessons Learned Since The 2008 Global Financial Crisis Resources For Greater Wealth Nothing is better than the gift of education. Pick up a hardcopy of Buy This, Not That, my instant Wall Street Journal bestseller. The book helps you make more optimal investing decisions to build more wealth and live better lives. Pick up a copy on sale at Amazon today!  CIT Bank is offering a 18-month CD at a market-leading 4.5%. Sign up here and take advantage of higher rates.  For more nuanced personal finance content, join 55,000+ others and

We are currently experiencing a tridemic: flu, RSV, and COVID-19. Many children are sick this winter and it reminds me of the importance of life insurance. Life insurance applications increased to record highs during the pandemic. But more concering is that life insurance payouts increased by 5X more than demand! To shop around for affordable life insurance, take a look at PolicyGenius. Both my wife and I have used PolicyGenius to save, double our coverage, and renew our policies. I've known the founder for 10 years.  Posts mentioned: Your Anxiety Of Death Can Be Quantified By Life Insurance Demand Data The Best Age To Get Life Insurance Based On Logic And Reasoning To never miss a thing, joing 55,000+ others and subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. You'll boost your personal finance knowledge and make better decisions. 

Thinking about retiring? Contrary to popular belief, the ideal age to retire is not ASAP! After 10 years of early retirement, or fake retirement as I like to call it, let me share the best age range to retire to minimize regret and maximize happiness. Post for more details and charts: The Ideal Age To Retire To Minimize Regret And Maximize Happiness  Great retirement products: Personal Capital - Favorite free wealth management app. I've been using the app since 2012. NewRetirement - A fantastic retirement speciality planner with more powerful features.  More Financial Samurai: Buy This, Not That - My WSJ bestselling book on helping you achieve financial freedom sooner, rather than later.  Financial Samurai Free Weekly Newsletter - Join 55,000+ others and never miss a thing. 

Recently, I came up with a thesis on November 1, 2022 that the 2.7% decline in the Series I Bond rate was the most bullish economic indicator I've seen all year. See: The Most Bullish Indicator Yet Nine days later, on November 10, 2022, the thesis was spot on as October inflation numbers came in below expectations. How did well-paid PhD economists & Wall Street strategists not recognize upcoming inflation figures will likely come in below EXPECTATIONS? Conversely, how did a tired, stay-at-home dad without a job since 2012 get it right? This episode is on how to make better investment forecasts to hopefully make more money. We won't be able to get investing right all the time, but we can do work to help increase our odds of making better decisions. To Support Financial Samurai: Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom (Instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller to help you build more wealth and make more optimal choices.) How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune By Saying Goodby

FTX, the second largest cryptocurrency exchange collapse overnight from over $16 billion to $0. A discussion on what happened and what we can learn as financial freedom seekers and small business owners to preserve our wealth. The developments are still ongoing.  See: Lessons Learned From The FTX Collapse Also, mass layoffs are heating up. I recommend preparing for a layoff before you are actually laid off. Because once you're laid off, you no longer have leverage. Please read How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune By Saying Goodbye. You can save $10 off the book by inputting "saveten" during check out.  Join 55,000+ others and sign up for my free weekly newsletter so you never miss a thing on Financial Samurai. Everything is written based off firsthand experience and knowledge. 

This week, the Treasury department announced Series I bonds will pay an annualized interest from November 1, 2022 through April 2023 of 6.89%, down from the 9.62% rate offered since May 2022. A 2.73% decline is massive.  Learn what it means for the economy, stocks, and real estate.  Key links: Post to read: It's Easier To Generate More Passive Income In A Bear Market Purchase a hard copy of my instant Wall Street Journal bestseller, Buy This, Not That. It will be the best personal finance book that you will ever read.  Join 60,000+ other subscribers and sign up for my free weekly newsletter here. I review all the week's key insights and posts.   

Although going through another bear market is a bummer, the positive is we can all generate more passive income! And given we can now generate more passive income we can also get that much closer to financial freedom! Mentioned posts: It's Easier To Generate More Passive Income In A Bear Market How To Have A Risk-Appropriate Asset Allocation When Investing Great Products: NewRetirement - An excellent retirement planning software Fundrise - My favorite way to invest in private real estate and diversify a portfolio for less volatility and more passive income Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your way To Wealth And Freedom - The best personal finance book  

Investing during a bear market can be a very emotional experience. Learn how to quantify your risk tolerance, have a more risk-appropriate asset allocation, and feel more calm in any market. Mentioned posts: How To Have A Risk-Appropriate Asset Allocation How To Quanity Your Risk Tolerance With FS SEER How To Enjoy Your Life As The Fed Ruins The World Sign up for free weekly newsletter here. Pick up a hard copy of Buy This, Not That if you want an unfair competitive advantage in building more wealth. 

Here's a deep dive into how I'm investing my cash stash in this bear market to make money, stay liquid, and take advantage of the current situation.  Post mentioned: How I'm Investing $250,000 In Today's Bear Market.This became a viral post that got picked up by Flipboard and Google.  To gain an unfair competitive advantage in building wealth, pick up a hard copy of Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom. I synthesize my 27 years of investing experience to help you grow your wealth and make better decisions.  Sign up for my free weekly newsletter here. Every week, I'll recap the most important posts and financial topics with my own spin so you never miss a thing.  Disclaimer: This episode is not investing advice for you since we have different financial situations and you are not my client. I have no clients. This is my own thought process on how I'm deploying my cash. Please do your own due diligence before making any investment. Your decisions are yours alone. 

This may be the most important episode you will listen to this month. With interest rates zooming higher, the interest in treasury bonds has also skyrocketed. Learn how to buy treasury bonds directly and on the secondary market. I'll also share my treasury bond buying strategies to help you make more informed decisions.  Mentioned post: How To Buy Treasury Bonds One of the main reasons why I wrote Buy This, Not That was to better protect people during downturns. There is simply too much wild Wild West nonsense in the investing space. The book is on sale at Amazon today.  Join 50,000+ others and sign up for my free weekly newsletter here. I highlight the latest events and share my candid thoughts on why they matter. 

Although the Fed still plans to aggressively hike the Fed Funds rate as inflation and the economy is slowing down, look at the positive. Short-term treasury bills are yielding 4%! Even though the yield curve is inverted, portending to a deeper recession, at least we can earn a higher rate on our risk-free money. If you are a homeowner with a mortgage rate of less than 4%, you can now live for free! HOORAY!  Actions Items Pick up a hardcopy of my new Wall Street Journal bestseller, Buy This, Not That. If you want an unfair competitive advantage to building more wealth, this book is it. Join 50,000+ others and sign up for my free weekly newsletter. I recap the week's main events and share my thoughts as a 28-year finance veteran. 

Unfortunately, August 2022 inflation data came in above expectations, resulting in rising bond yields and a collapse in the S&P 500. In this episode, I discuss three ways to perserve capital given stocks will likely struggle for the rest of the year. * High yield cash account Personal Capital Cash * 3-month treasury bills * Heartland real estate to capture strong rents with Fundrise I also share my thoughts on the best time to upgrade to your move-up property. One of the few silver linings of an aggressive Fed!

Ever wonder what the ideal income and net worth is for maximum happiness? Look no further than the income threshold the federal government decided for receiving student loan forgiveness! Check out the post here and leave a comment with your opinion. Here's a post if you want to learn how to convince people you are middle class when you're actually rich!  Finally, if you want an unfair competitive advantage in building more wealth and tackling some of life's biggest dilemmas, pick up a hard copy of my WSJ bestseller, Buy This, Not That. The book has the biggest sale on Amazon. 

You could view the Quiet Quitting Movement as just another weak excuse by the younger generation not to work as hard. Or, you could see it as a huge net positive for society to help alleviate constant stress and anxiety in a post-COVID world.  The boundary between work and personal life has completely blurred for millions of work-from-home folks in particular. As a result, more people are burning out.  Quiet Quitting is also wonderful for parents, whom I think suffered the most during the pandemic. Feel free to share your thoughts in my Quiet Quitting post. Support my work by picking up a hardcopy of my WSJ bestseller, Buy This, Not That. It is your unfair competitive advantage to building more wealth and making better decisions.  Finally, join 50,000+ others and sign up for my free weekly newsletter. I highly the major events of the week and my candid thoughts. 

I started investing in private real estate funds and syndication deals at the end of 2016. I'm now firmly in the window where distributions will start to be paid. Let me share with you my key lessons learned to help you make better private real estate investment decisions. If you want to go deeper into real estate, I discuss real estate over three chapters in my Wall Street Journal Bestselling book, Buy This, Not That. Amazon is having a great 31% off sale. Also, shoutout to Fundrise, my favorite real estate investing platform that focuses on single family and multi-family homes in the Sunbelt. Relocating to lower-cost areas of the country is a multi-decade trend I am investing in thanks to technology. 

My new book, Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom, is now LIVE! Order a hardcopy online today by clicking the link or call your local bookstore and order from them. After a long 2.5-year journey, my wife and I reflect on what it took to create this new bestseller. When in doubt, do hard things! I'm certain BTNT will help change your life for the better. You can purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or anywhere that sells books. It is a #1 bestseller on Amazon in Retirement Planning and is tracking to be a WSJ Bestseller. Thank you for your support and I'd appreciate a postiive 5-star review online if you enjoyed it.  -Sam, Financial Samurai