Earning passive income is the holy grail of personal finance and achieving financial independence. With interest rates still elevated, it's become much easier to generate a larger amount of risk-free passive income. If you're not financially independent yet, this could be a suboptimal choice. Check out the post: The Hidden Dangers Of Earning Risk-Free Pasisve Income Suggestions Check out Fundrise Venture if you’re looking to gain exposure to some of the top private AI companies. You can view all...
Jun 26, 2025•18 min
Buying the stock market dip can be intimidating. As a result, many investors sit on cash, waiting for clear signs of a recovery. However, history has shown that those who bought during downturns and held on have often done well over time. With that in mind, I wanted to share a few strategies to help build the courage to buy the dip when the next opportunity arises. See post: How To Gain The Courage To Buy The Dip And Prosper Your shares, ratings, and reviews are appreciated! Every episode takes ...
Jun 17, 2025•17 min
In this episode, I reconnect with my old friend Joe Saul-Sehy from The Stacking Benjamins podcast to talk about creating your own life curriculum — because when you do, you may no longer be beholden to anyone. With AI eliminating jobs and making the path to financial independence even tougher, I wanted to sit down with another creator who forged his own way—building a business and income stream through podcasting. I firmly believe everyone should build an online brand and develop a side hustle. ...
Jun 05, 2025•41 min
After three years of writing, revising, and reflecting, I’m excited to share that Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps To Seven Figures is now available everywhere—in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook! In this special episode, my wife and I sit down to talk about the journey behind the book: why I wrote it, what readers can expect, and how it ties into over a decade of sharing free financial content on Financial Samurai. We also dive into the emotional side of writing—especially how the process im...
May 06, 2025•32 min
In this episode, I talk with Harry, a long-time Financial Samurai reader, about his journey to building a $4+ million home in the Los Angeles area. While most people buy move-in ready homes, Harry shares an insightful behind-the-scenes look at how it's done — from financing the project to the timeline it takes to build, and whether it's ultimately a good investment. Related posts: How To Survive The Most Dangerous Time After Buying A Home A Big Expensive How Can Ruin Your Path To Financial Freed...
Apr 29, 2025•56 min
I have the pleasure of speaking with Humphrey Yang , a personal finance content creator with over 1.6 million followers on YouTube and over 3.3 million followers on TikTok. Humphrey burst onto the scene in 2020 when COVID-19 began and has been growing steadily ever since. According to polls by YouGov and toy-maker Lego, being a YouTuber or TikToker consistently ranks as one of the top aspirations for teenagers and young adults today. Given this trend, I thought it would be insightful to chat wit...
Mar 26, 2025•44 min
With trade wars, massive federal government employee cuts, fallout with Ukraine, and worsening relationships with European countries, the Trump administration is kicking off with significant uncertainty and chaos. I spoke with Ben Miller, co-founder and CEO of Fundrise , about how this turbulence could impact the real estate market. In essence, chaos can be good for real estate, and he believes real estate will outperform stocks in 2025 and potentially 2026. Read the post with charts: Chaos, Unc...
Mar 05, 2025•32 min
With stock market volatility returning and the potential for an economic slowdown ahead, I can’t help but feel grateful for the incredible gains we’ve made in 2023 and 2024. This reflection led me to record why I believe those who actively manage their finances are among the luckiest people on earth. With our million-dollar mindsets (post), we’re not just accumulating wealth—we’re creating happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives than those who neglect their finances. Since 2020, those of u...
Feb 25, 2025•21 min
I speak with Dr. Jordan Grumet about building purpose for a happier and more meaningful life. If you're feeling stuck, as many of us so inevitably do at some point, Dr. Grumet has a new book out called The Purpose Code (Amazon) to help you find your way. You can learn more about Dr. Grumet's book and his podcast, Earn & Invest, at Jordangrumet.com. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd appreciate a share, rate and review. Each podcast takes hours to record and produce and your reviews keep me goi...
Feb 20, 2025•48 min
In part 2 of my discussion with Ben Miller, CEO of Fundrise , and sponsor of Financial Samurai, I ask him about how an open-ended venture capital fund works. If I’m going to build a $500,000+ position in an open-ended fund to gain more exposure to private AI companies , I want to fully understand how the fund operates. Here are some of the questions I asked during our discussion: What happens to a private company that successfully goes public, and how does this impact the fund? Is it harder to i...
Jan 29, 2025•22 min
In this episode, I speak to Ben Miller, co-founder and CEO of Fundrise about his outlook for commercial real estate in 2025. Despite high mortgage rates, he's taken a positive view and he shares the main reasons why. Investing in stocks and bonds in your 401(k) or IRA are classic staples for retirement investing. However, I also suggest diversifying into real estate—an investment that combines the income stability of bonds with greater upside potential. I’ve personally invested over $300,000 wit...
Jan 16, 2025•31 min
One of the biggest reasons I was against contributing to a Roth IRA is my belief that most people won’t make more money in retirement than while working. As a result, they’re unlikely to pay a higher tax rate in retirement than during their working years. While most Americans earn less in retirement, you aren’t most people . You subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter and are obsessed about money and living an incredible life! Readers of personal finance sites like this one are likely...
Jan 09, 2025•16 min
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re enjoying the time off and doing some reflecting. I’ve returned to San Francisco after eight days of being in Oahu and am ready to relax some more! Here are some quick thoughts about what to expect in 2025 for the stock market, real estate market, and Financial Samurai. Mentioned posts: 2025 Wall Street S&P 500 Forecasts Are All Bullish – Uh Oh! 2025 Housing Price Forecasts: Continued Strong Gains 2025 Goals And Resolutions: Back To Simple Retirement Liv...
Jan 04, 2025•14 min
I speak to high school principal, John Durante, about his latest book, Straight From The Admissions Office. We also talk in depth about how high school students can boost their chances of getting into a top college. John has interviewed hundreds of college admissions officers on his podcast, The College Admissions Process Podcast , and plans to interview hundreds more! If you have any questions you’d like John to cover on future episodes, or any comments you’d like to share, please email him at:...
Dec 16, 2024•48 min
I recently spoke with Steve Chen, founder of Boldin (formerly NewRetirement), about common concerns retirees face. Boldin stands out as the most comprehensive DIY financial planning software I’ve encountered. It goes beyond analyzing stocks and bonds, incorporating other investments to optimize your net worth. Boldin also helps address key financial goals like buying a house, saving for college, planning for retirement, and more. You can start with Boldin’s Basic Planner for free —it’s far more ...
Dec 06, 2024•33 min
I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Bengen, creator of the "4% Rule" for retirement planning. Bill has been a reader of Financial Samurai for many years and has always been courteous in the comments section when I write about safe withdrawal rates . So, I figured it was time we had a chat to clear up some misconceptions. For those unfamiliar, the 4% Rule, developed by Bill in the 1990s, suggests that traditional retirees (around age 65) can safely withdraw 4% of their retirement portfolio i...
Nov 15, 2024•47 min
Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States, this time with JD Vance as his Vice President. Let’s explore how this new Trump presidency might impact your finances. We’ll look at how Trump’s policies could affect stocks, real estate, bonds, venture capital, and even our careers. Overall, Trump's return is generally seen as positive for investors. However, since investing in risk assets always carries uncertainty, it's essential to align your investments with your personal goals a...
Nov 07, 2024•22 min
Investing in alternative assets has become an increasingly popular way to diversify beyond traditional stocks and bonds. Wine and whiskey, in particular, are gaining traction due to their potential for strong returns, resilience during economic downturns, and rising demand. In this episode, I speak to Anthony Zhang, CEO and Founder of Vinovest , a platform that enables individuals to invest in fine wine and whiskey. We'll talk about why wine and whiskey have performed well and why they are a gro...
Oct 25, 2024•38 min
If you have children, you likely want to provide them with the best education possible, which may include helping them get into a top college. Along the way, you may come across college consulting services and wonder how beneficial they really are. In today's episode, I speak with Alice Chen, Founder of BrightStory Admission Consulting, to find out more about the service. Alice is a daughter of immigrants and grew up in the Boston area. Alice’s father was a research scientist and her mother an a...
Oct 10, 2024•40 min
After four years, the Federal Reserve has finally cut the Fed Funds rate by 50 basis points, bringing the target range to 4.75% - 5%. Expectations point to another 50 basis points in cuts for 2024 and a total of 100 basis points by 2025. Fed Chair Powell remains optimistic, stating the economy is 'very solid' and sees no elevated risk of a downturn. In this episode, I'll break down what this rate cut means for real estate, stocks, and—most importantly—your retirement, focusing on the impact to y...
Sep 18, 2024•25 min
I speak to Ben Miller, CEO of Fundrise about investing in real estate during a multi-year rate cut environment. With the Federal Reserve finally cutting rates in September 2024 after raising them in 2022, real estate should have a nice tailwind for a couple of years. Main Theme: Interest rates are the most significant driver of real estate prices, surpassing operational improvements. Apartments are likely to benefit the most by the end of 2025. Diversify Your Real Estate Investments If you're co...
Sep 09, 2024•45 min
I speak with Khe Hy, who spent 15 years on Wall Street and became one of the youngest Managing Directors at BlackRock at just 31. He earned up to $2 million a year—then he quit! His journey mirrors mine in many ways, though he earned significantly more. I thought it would be fascinating to understand why he chose to walk away from such wealth. Could you give up $1-2 million a year in your mid-to-late 30s? I don't think I could. But then again, I sometimes forget just how miserable and unhealthy ...
Aug 29, 2024•52 min
After 15 years of experimenting with and living an early retirement lifestyle, I've developed my Minimum Investment Threshold Formula to help determine when you can finally break free from a suboptimal job. Once you reach this threshold, you'll have the option to find a more fulfilling job that pays less, take a sabbatical, go back to school, stay at home to raise your children, or even retire Related post: The Minimum Investment Threshold Where Work Becomes Optional Recommended Resources: Read ...
Aug 15, 2024•23 min
In this episode, I speak to Jo Piazza , bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance, podcaster, and award-winning journalist. We discuss tradwives and its financial and social implications. Given that Financial Samurai is about achieving financial freedom sooner, being financially dependent on someone as an adult is the exact opposite of what I want for readers. A tradwife typically denotes a woman who believes in and practices traditional gender roles and marriages. Some may choose to take o...
Aug 08, 2024•50 min
I've decided that my Home-To-Car Ratio guide is the most important pesonal finance guide for everyone to fall. After all, everybody needs a place to live, real estate is the best asset to build wealth for the average person, and America has a love affair with cars. My Home-To-Car Ratio guide helps personal finance enthusiasts reduce their car spending and maximize their house spending in a practical way. By following my guide, more people will build more wealth than those who don't! See: The Rig...
Jun 27, 2024•20 min
I catch up with Andre Nader, ex-Facebook employee about what he's been up to one year after leaving his day job. We talk about being a stay-at-home dad, the temptation of going back to work, buying property in San Francisco, and his FAANG FIRE newsletter he publishes twice a month. It is the only newsletter I've read that helps tech workers achieve financial independence. If you enjoy this episode please rate and review! It helps us grow. Please also share the episode to those who you think woul...
Jun 20, 2024•44 min
I spoke to my wife about how my saver's mindset naturally kicked in after purchasing our new house in October 2023. Our liquidity was tight, and we were literally living paycheck to paycheck for six months. This is when my frugal gene kicked in and made me lock down expenses. This experience taught me that experiencing financial difficulty often triggers a saver's mindset. The key is to maintain this saver's mindset at all times, not just when you're in a crunch. Articles Referenced: Embrace Liv...
Jun 06, 2024•25 min
Property bidding wars are back, despite persistently high mortgage rates, due to the strength of the economy and the stock market. This episode discusses why people are getting into bidding wars and the best time of the year to buy a house. Articles referenced: Understanding Why People Getting Into Property Bidding Wars Analyzing Housing Price Dynamics: Helping Buyers Buy At The Best Time Real estate is my favorite asset class for most people to build long-term wealth. If you'd like to invest in...
May 23, 2024•20 min
I talk to Emily Luk, Co-Founder and CEO of Plenty , a wealth platform for today's modern couples about her career path from VC, to joining a big startup, to creating her own startup. I wanted to now why she lifted a cushy job with good pay. If you're a couple interested in a great tool to manage your finances together, check out Plenty . They've got a great cash flow tool that enables individual, joint, and private money management. Plenty also offers Direct Indexing investment at a low cost. I'...
May 16, 2024•34 min
For the longest time, I've wondered the following about some men: Why claim to be retired while having a working spouse? Why work so many hours after having a newborn? Why leave your family when your children are still young and need fathers the most? Doing these things didn't make much sense to me until I had an epiphany: every person has a different inherent desire to provide thanks to biology. And given biology is innate, we cannot help the way we are! Read: A Provider's Clock For Men Is Simi...
May 02, 2024•23 min
