The Financial Samurai Podcast

Getting ahead is very competitive in America. Thanks to living in a capitalist society, we're driven by money, fame, and success. As a result, not everybody can win.  Based on my experiences as a high school tennis coach for the past three years, I realized one of the best life hacks for Americans is to take advantage of Canada. If you have children and want to retire early, this episode is for you.  Read the episode here. 

America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The top 1% have gotten really rich, but the middle class have fallen seriously behind. Let's look at the data from the latest Survey of Consumer Finances by the Federal Reserve and see where we're at.  To read the post and check out all the great graphs see: The Median Net Worth Of Americans Today To subscribe to my Feedly RSS feed click here.

Here's my method to always get the lowest mortgage rate possible, no matter the interest rate environment. I've refinanced multiple mortgages multiple times in the past 10 years. During this time, I've probably saved over $100,000 in interest expense. To read the post, click here. 

The yield curve has officially inverted in 3Q2019. The 10-year bond yield is now lower than the 2-year bond yield. Let me explain from different perspectives why an inverted yield curve as an ominous sign and what we should all do to make sure we stay financially safe. Please read: The Yield Curve: A Prescient Economic Indicator for more charts and analysis. 

As a parent, you want the best for your kids. However, there's a risk parents over-protect their kids from harm's way. It is through difficulty and conflict that we learn the most. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of raising our son in Virginia, where he'd be a minority, versus in Hawaii, where he'd be a majority. I, Sam, grew up in Virginia and the conflict help give me a lot of motivation and grit.  To read the post, click here. 

A college degree is depreciating in value, yet tuition is at all-time highs. For those parents and students looking to attend a private university like Harvard, I'm not sure whether the cost, stress, and all the work to get in is worth it. The reputation of private schools and private school grads are getting sullied due to the college bribery scandal.  Read the post here. 

Retiring early is a dream come true for many. However, there are some not so obvious reasons why people want to leave work early, and they aren't very flattering at all. Secretly, some early retirees are pretty miserable. Let's explore why.  To read the post, click here.  

Being the sole income earner can be brutally difficult and stressful. Money strains can jeopardize a marriage and can create a tremendous amount of resentment in the household. Here are some ways to cope to save your relationship and your children.  To read the article, click here. 

The average wedding cost is over $30,000. That's a ridiculous sum of money given the median household income is only about $62,000 before tax. Here are the new wedding spending rules to follow so you don't end up broke and alone.  To read the post, click here. 

At last! After 10 years, we've finally got our first Fed rate cut. Here's some logical analysis as to why we should all spend a little less, save a little more, and invest more cautiously over the next 12-18 months. If we are indeed at the beginning of a multiple rate cut cycle, history has not been kind to investors. To read the article and check out the charts, click here.

Since publishing my book, How To Engineer Your Layoff, in 2012, I've had a number of people tell me that engineering your layoff is morally or ethically wrong. But I'm here to argue that quitting your job is the morally and ethically wrong thing to do because you leave so many people in the lurch. Creating a win-win scenario and giving your colleagues time to find your replacement is a much better way to go. My book is now in its 3rd edition for 2019 and beyond. 

The old three-legged stool for retirement consisted of: 1) Pension (Company), 2) Social Security (Government), and 3) Personal Savings (You). The NEW three-legged stool for retirement consists of: 1) You, 2) You, and 3) You. It's time to get serious about your finances! To read the post for more details click here. 

Being able to retire early is great, but there are a number of downsides to content with. After leaving work for good in 2012, I'd like to share some surprising things that I went through. I'm sorry to say that early retirement will not automatically make you much happier.  You can read the original post here. 

Without a doubt, being a stay at home parent is harder than any day job out there. For those of you who are considering giving up your day job to spend those precious first years of life with your newborn, you'll find this episode useful in helping you make your decision. If you're a new father, you will especially appreciate this episode.  Original post here. I love you son very much!

Everybody wants to be a millionaire! Alas, only about 12 million households, or 3% of the U.S. population are millionaires. Here's a deep dive look into your chances of becoming a millionaire by age, race, and education. I firmly believe every Financial Samurai listener will be a millionaire in their lifetimes. See this post for detailed charts and graphs. 

As more people look to retire early before 60, more people are looking for shortcuts in order to get to early retirement quicker. What I've noticed is that more people are willing to live in abject poverty or near poverty just to do so. I've crunched the numbers in this episode and post to show you how large of an investment portfolio you need to live poorly. The numbers are based off the official Federal Poverty Limit. 

A lot of people want to retire early, but more than 80% of Americans retire after the age of 60. Let's look at some of the details. Don't get too much FOMO about the early retirement movement. It's not the majority by any means. Read more and view charts here.

There's no point making money if you don't use it to improve the quality of your life. Almost every asset class is going bonkers right now. It feels like we're making free money. Nothing feels better than converting free money into something tangible or creating a wonderful experience.  Check out the post with more charts here. 

This podcast is for someone who is wondering: Whether they have the proper asset allocation How to reduce investment stress while still benefitting from returns How to quantify their risk tolerance How to continue moving forward on their path to financial freedom despite all the uncertainty You can read more and view charts here.

I think money counts for at most 40% of our happiness equation, but we're spending the majority of our time thinking about how to get more money, more power, and more prestige and not on the other 60%. As a result, we are not as happy as we could be. This episode discusses ways to try and increase your happiness. See the post here: Solving The Happiness Conundrum