After a week of reviewing the tax-free exclusion rule for selling a rental property, I decided not to sell. I’d already used my $500,000 tax-free exclusion amount and would need to wait at least two more years before I could potentially use the full amount again. Most importantly, I’m on a mission to boost my| Financial Samurai
During the recent stock market correction, I decided to buy the dip. But this time, I didn’t just buy my usual dip-buying amount of $25,000 to $100,000. I went much bigger. All told, I spent over $1 million buying the S&P 500 and various tech stocks like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon as I've been chronicling| Financial Samurai
Nobody enjoys a stock market downturn, especially those who rely more on returns to survive due to a lack of active income. But as parents, we can use these sell-offs as an opportunity to help turn our kids into future millionaires. Although I’m a perennial optimist, I believe our kids are kind of screwed. The| Financial Samurai
Since 1999, I've been climbing up the property ladder to find the perfect house in a big city. What I've realized is that there's no such thing as the perfect house. There's a good-enough house or an almost-perfect house, but there's always at least one or two things missing to make a house ideal. Additionally,| Financial Samurai
There's a classic saying, 'Youth is wasted on the young.' It's meant to convey that those who are young lack the perspective to appreciate all the advantages of youth and thus take it for granted. After more than seven years of being a parent, it is clear to me that not having kids is a| Financial Samurai
In 2023, my passive income took a significant $150,000 hit, representing a decrease of 39%, following the purchase of a new house we didn't really need. It was funded by proceeds from selling public stocks and bonds. The decision to buy the house with cash was agonizing, as we didn't need a nicer home. It| Financial Samurai
Recently, I received a capital distribution from a private real estate fund, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The experience brought me both joy and relief, prompting me to share it in the hope that it might inspire you to invest more for your future. After purchasing a new home in 2023,| Financial Samurai
In 2007, I had a dream of taking my future family on a ski vacation. I was an avid snowboarder and my wife enjoyed the tranquility of Lake Tahoe. After receiving a good bonus, I bought a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo at Everline Resort in Palisades. Our son came ten years later, but we didn't go| Financial Samurai
Living paycheck-to-paycheck is an unpleasant financial experience. Not only does it mean needing to spend everything you have to make ends meet, it may also create an ongoing feeling of despair. Never feeling like you’ll ever get out of the rat race and retire is demoralizing! You might even have to get into debt to| Financial Samurai