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
When people consider the costs of having many children, they often focus solely on the financial burden. But the true cost of raising a large family goes beyond money. It includes the time, devotion, education, sacrifice, love, support, and attention that children need. When any of these elements are lacking, the consequences can be tragic.| Financial Samurai
There is a never-ending debate between real estate versus stocks as a better investment. Currently, ~50% of my net worth is in real estate while ~30% of my net worth is in stocks. Perhaps the main reason why is because I believe real estate is less risky than stocks. With real estate, you don't wake| Financial Samurai
If you want to get rich, it's probably wise to buy real estate as young as you can. Inflation is too powerful of a force to combat. The earlier you buy real estate, the more you can let your returns compound. In addition, buying real estate keeps you disciplined as a forced savings mechanism as| Financial Samurai
Zillow recently released an intriguing study that outlines the income needed to afford a 'typical home' in different cities. The study considers a 10% down payment and utilizes the Zillow Home Value Index to determine the median home price in each city. A 10% down payment is lower than my recommended 20% down payment based| Financial Samurai
Are you confusing your good fortune due to your own skill rather than due to luck? I'm here to argue that above average wealth is mostly due to luck. Therefore, stop deluding yourself into thinking you're so great! As President Obama said in a July 13, 2012 campaign election speech, 'If you've got a business,| Financial Samurai
Although being a millionaire sounds nice, it's not that impressive anymore thanks to inflation. In order to be a real millionaire, you will need to have a net worth of at least $3 million, not $1 million. A $1 million net worth provided a great lifestyle before 1990. Not so much today. If you retired| Financial Samurai
Coming up with a sizable down payment is one of the key barriers to affording a home. Learning how to invest your down payment if you're planning to buy a house is a whole other issue. On the one hand, you want to invest your down payment conservatively so that's it's available once you find| Financial Samurai
If there's one generation wealthier than ours, it's the 'Bank of Mom and Dad' generation. Given that our parents have had, on average, three decades longer to save and invest, it's natural that they have accumulated more wealth. For adult children in need of financial assistance, finding a tactful way to approach their parents for| Financial Samurai
Well folks, as anticipated, bidding wars are back with a vengeance, at least here in San Francisco. If I were a real estate agent, I would never encourage my clients to engage in a bidding war. Winning such a war often leads to what's known as the 'winner's curse.' This term signifies paying a price| 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
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
In the second half of 2023, I significantly impacted our passive income, causing our household to technically lose its financial independence. Prior to this, we had been financially independent since 2012, when I left my banking job. My goal now is to regain financial independence by December 31, 2027. To achieve this, I need to| 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
If you're aiming for more value and cost-efficiency, you might find it surprising that opting for a more expensive home over a median-priced one could be the way to go. While it may seem counterintuitive, let me explain. Since purchasing a pricier home in 2023, my family and I have been grappling with the budgetary| 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
After publishing my post on no longer being financially independent, several media outlets picked up the story and thousands of comments on their respective platforms ensued. The main criticism was that my expenses were way too high and that I am greedy. As a result, I thought it would be useful to discuss the impact| Financial Samurai
Everybody wants to become a millionaire. Unfortunately, not everybody's chances of becoming a millionaire are the same, partially because the playing field is not even. This article looks at historical data on your chances of becoming a millionaire by race, age, and education. Getting to at least one million dollars in net worth is a| Financial Samurai
