In my post, “How You’ll Feel Achieving Various Millionaire Milestones,” a commenter named Joseph shared these thoughts: “I’m fascinated by someone worth $10M or $20M not feeling wealthy. Are they hanging out with nothing but billionaires? The only other explanation is a scarcity mindset. But I suppose that mindset got them to where they are. They need| Financial Samurai
In Spring 2025, I sold one of my properties and will successfully exclude $500,000 in capital gains, tax-free, thanks to the IRS Section 121 Exclusion. For those unfamiliar, this powerful rule allows homeowners to exclude up to $250,000 in capital gains if single, or $500,000 if married filing jointly, from the sale of a primary| Financial Samurai
We’re staying with our parents for five weeks in Honolulu, and I wanted to share a little revelation I’ve learned about making a home guest-ready. If you dream of owning a home where friends and family regularly visit—because you genuinely enjoy their company, this post is for you. Not all of us can afford mega-mansions| Financial Samurai
When my son was born in 2017, I decided to focus on being a stay-at-home dad (SAHD). Every early childhood development book I read emphasized that the first five years are the most critical for a child’s growth. So I figured, why not spend that time with him? It wasn’t a difficult decision since I| Financial Samurai
In March 2020, we pulled our son from preschool. We ended up homeschooling him until August 25, 2021, or for 18 months. He's now attending a language immersion preschool, which goes up to the 8th grade. Our experience has taught us that homeschooling can be incredibly beneficial. It is more efficient and can provided customized| Financial Samurai
After 12 years of FIRE (financial independence retire early), I went back to work. Unfortunately, I only lasted four months. Here's my story of what went wrong. I purposefully waited months to release this post to ensure I was thinking logically and not emotionally. From the end of November 2023 through March 2024, I re-entered| Financial Samurai
Practice stealth wealth if you know what's good for you. Showing off how much you make and how much you have is not the way of the Financial Samurai. You will be crucified by the public if you show of your outsized wealth. People will not give you credit for the risk you took and| Financial Samurai
Given our primary residence is likely one of our largest assets, buying responsibly is prudent. At the same time, living a better lifestyle by owning a nicer home as we get wealthier is also something many people desire. Therefore, let's try and figure out what our appropriate primary residence value should be as a percentage| Financial Samurai
After taking my family on a nine-day vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii, my plan to relocate there is back in the cards! Since 2014, two years after retiring from my finance job, I've been contemplating moving back to Honolulu to spend more time with my parents. However, actually making the move has been much harder than| Financial Samurai
Starting at age 45 in 2022, I consciously started focusing on decumulating wealth. I realized that my life was likely half over, and I needed to start spending more to prevent dying with too much money. If I died with too much money, it would mean that I had wasted a lot of time and| Financial Samurai
With the election over and Trump winning, the political mudslinging and dirt-digging has subsidies. But there was a time when being childless and loving cats was a big debate. Republican VP-elect JD Vance said this during a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson: 'It doesn't make any sense that we turned our country over to people| Financial Samurai
After publishing my post, 'When To Stop Contributing To A 529 Plan,' I felt a sense of emptiness. For years, I had been trying to find a logical way to decide when to stop saving for my children's college education. When I finally figured out the answer to my financial obligation, I lost some purpose.| 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
For those of you who are looking to upgrade homes, let me tell you a sad truth. I climbed to the top of the property ladder with my latest home purchase, and after five months, I felt no happier. Whenever someone would congratulate me about my home purchase, I felt nothing. What's there to celebrate| Financial Samurai