As we wrap up 2024, it’s time to spotlight the perfect posts from Monetary Samurai this yr. Once I began Monetary Samurai in July 2009, my aim was to publish three posts every week for 10 years. I achieved that milestone in July 2019, however very like Forrest Gump, I stored on going.
Writing has all the time been my artistic outlet, bringing me pleasure and function. Now, as a father to 2 younger kids (5 and seven.5), my aim is to maintain writing till they flip 18 in 2037. I hope that by demonstrating self-discipline and focus by means of my work, they’ll be impressed to take their teachers critically. Life will throw setbacks our manner, and excuses will all the time be simple to seek out, but when we hold going, it is exhausting to fail.
Since 2009, my North Star has been serving to as many individuals as potential obtain monetary freedom sooner. Monetary confidence not solely results in happier and kinder people but in addition strengthens households and improves society as a complete. Listening to from readers who’ve been positively impacted by Monetary Samurai is all the time extremely rewarding and retains me motivated to proceed this work.
Subscribe without cost:You possibly can obtain my posts as quickly as they’re revealed by signing up right here. I additionally write a free weekly e-newsletter sharing my real-time ideas on the inventory market, actual property, financial system, and different monetary subjects of curiosity
12 Favourite Monetary Samurai Posts For 2024
I like writing about real-life points and challenges. All the pieces I write relies on firsthand experiences, with the hope of elucidating blind spots and fixing issues. I additionally take pleasure in sharing shocking realizations about cash that you simply won’t have considered earlier than. Lastly, partaking in courteous debates and listening to reader views makes writing for Monetary Samurai enjoyable.
Out of the 152 posts I’ve written in 2024, these are a few of my favorites in no explicit order. Monetary Samurai has acquired over 12 million web page views in 2024 and has been featured in nearly the entire main media retailers. If you have not learn a few of these posts earlier than, I hope you’ll and share your ideas. There’s all the time one thing new to be taught!
1) Blew Up My Passive Earnings and Am No Longer Financially Impartial
This publish outlined Monetary Samurai’s tone and path in 2024. I revealed that we’re now not financially unbiased based mostly on my definition: passive revenue protecting desired residing bills. Whereas some readers desire utilizing the 25X bills or 20X gross revenue definitions, I’ve stayed according to this definition since 2009.
Altering the definition of FIRE to suit your monetary progress may be harmful. It breeds complacency and will result in poor monetary selections. For example, following Coast FIRE may be deceptive when you’re not practical about its limitations. Keep disciplined and keep away from self-delusion.
2) Why Retiring Early Is Clearly Higher Than Retiring Wealthy
Since 2009, one among my objectives has been to assist readers construct wealth whereas avoiding the entice of endlessly chasing extra. It’s a troublesome stability, particularly after years of ingrained saving and investing habits. The “another yr syndrome” can get to the perfect of us!
In case your job now not excites you, contemplate retiring early. The additional cash you would possibly accumulate usually isn’t definitely worth the alternative value of time misplaced. Retiring early doesn’t imply monetary spoil—it offers you the liberty to discover different passions or just take a much-needed break.
3) The Minimal Funding Quantity The place Work Turns into Non-compulsory
To reply the age-old query, “How a lot is sufficient?” I launched the Minimal Funding Threshold Components. This method takes the inverse of the historic return in your belongings and multiplies it by your gross annual revenue.
Reaching this threshold means your investments have a excessive likelihood of producing returns equal to or higher than your wage, releasing you to discover different alternatives, take a sabbatical, or retire early.
4) Cautious Giving Up Your Profession to Be a Keep-at-Dwelling Dad or mum
As a stay-at-home father or mother for over seven years, I wished to share some recommendation for these contemplating the identical path. It’s simple to prioritize your baby over your profession, nevertheless it’s not all the time the perfect determination for everybody.
This publish explores the way to strike a stability between fulfilling your parental position and sustaining your private objectives. Each household is totally different, however I advocate for a balanced strategy quite than going to extremes.
5) Went Again to Work and Might Solely Final 4 Months
With my daughter beginning full-time college in September 2024, I made a decision to reenter the workforce part-time in late 2023. My aim was to contribute to constructing a fintech startup whereas sustaining a purposeful 20-hour workweek. I anticipated having extra free time together with her in class and noticed this as a chance to fill the eventual void. Plus, I wished to rebuild liquidity after buying a brand new residence.
Nevertheless, actuality didn’t align with my expectations. The part-time position shortly encroached on time with my daughter, who had Tuesdays and Thursdays off. This imbalance felt flawed, and by March 2024, I made the choice to step away.
6) A Trip Spending Information: The True Value Is Extra Than You Assume
Speaking to fellow dad and mom, I spotted many don’t observe the identical private finance ideas we focus on right here. For example, one household spent a staggering quantity on a Hawaiian trip.
This impressed me to create a information for trip spending that balances enjoyable with monetary accountability. It’s a framework that will help you take pleasure in holidays with out risking monetary pressure afterward.
7) The Monetary Doom You Learn and See Is In all probability Not Actual
Doom and gloom dominate the monetary media as a result of negativity sells. However when you go searching—packed eating places, bustling roads—it’s clear the U.S. shopper is doing effectively.
This publish, written in June 2024, is a reminder to give attention to what’s truly taking place round you and to keep away from being swayed by fixed bearish predictions. Getting gaslit into considering the world is coming to the top will not be the way in which to constructing wealth.
8) The Proper Home-to-Automobile Ratio for Monetary Freedom
I like easy monetary ratios, and this one blends my automobile and home-buying guidelines right into a easy guideline for monetary freedom seekers. It builds on my 1/tenth Rule for automobile purchases and my 30/30/3 Rule for residence shopping for.
Following these ratios may also help you stability two main bills—housing and transportation—whereas sustaining monetary stability. Given the vast majority of folks drive and all people wants a spot to reside, the house-to-car ratio could be the most pertinent ratio of all.
9) Acquiring a High 1% Internet Value Is Simpler Than Ever
Knight Frank’s report confirmed {that a} prime 1% web value is surprisingly decrease than many people anticipated. This publish explores the concept wealth isn’t all the time about numbers however about feeling financially safe and capable of reside the life you need.
10) Climbed to the High of the Property Ladder and Really feel No Happier
Watch out getting what you need. In the event you do not handle your expectations, chances are you’ll be dissatisfied. After 20 years of climbing the property ladder, I purchased what I believed was my dream residence. It had the whole lot I wished: a view, an outsized lot, and an ideal location.
But, I didn’t really feel happier after the acquisition. As an alternative, I felt anxious about my lowered liquidity and skilled a “trough of sorrow” after reaching this long-term aim. This publish is a mirrored image on discovering stability and avoiding the entice of all the time chasing extra.
11) A $20 Million Internet Value Ought to Be Sufficient To Reside Pleased And Free
This was a enjoyable exploration of varied households with over $20 million in web value—a sum that may appear mind-boggling to some. But, with sufficient time, compounding, and a little bit of luck, reaching a $20 million web value is feasible.
You would possibly assume everybody with $20+ million feels pleased and free, however as this text reveals, that’s not all the time the case. Regardless of how a lot wealth we accumulate, all of us face ongoing challenges in life.
12) Decreasing The Conventional Retirement Age From 65 To 55 Works
The normal retirement age has been 65 for many years. Nevertheless, after my dialog with Invoice Bengen, the daddy of the 4% Rule, I’ve concluded that America might scale back the standard retirement age to 55!
Saving 10 years of labor for over 100 million working Individuals could be a monumental shift. If everybody believed this was achievable, it might develop into one of many biggest drivers of happiness and function in our nation’s historical past. Learn the publish and hearken to our dialog to determine for your self.
Different In style Posts On Monetary Samurai For 2024
As all the time, thanks for studying and supporting Monetary Samurai! I hope you’ve got discovered these posts to be instructional and entertaining. On the finish of the day, I solely wish to write what I wish to learn.
Keep in mind, there isn’t a single proper strategy to strategy private finance. There are various methods to get to your objectives. Preserve an open thoughts about totally different concepts and ideas as you pursue your monetary independence journey.
You probably have any recommendations for brand spanking new publish subjects for 2025, I am all the time open to new concepts!
Subscribe To Monetary Samurai
You possibly can obtain my posts as quickly as they’re revealed by signing up right here. I additionally write a free weekly e-newsletter sharing my real-time ideas on the inventory market, actual property, financial system, and different monetary subjects of curiosity. I am assured that when you subscribe, you may keep engaged and obtain monetary independence sooner.
In the event you take pleasure in listening to podcasts, I produce a number of every month on Apple and Spotify. In these podcasts, you may hear extra nuanced insights on a few of my hottest subjects. I additionally interview specialists and attention-grabbing folks of their respective fields who share their knowledge.
Take a look at my High Monetary Merchandise web page, the place I spotlight all of the instruments and investments I take advantage of to construct higher monetary safety. In the event you’re new to Monetary Samurai, please learn my About web page. I spent 13 years working in funding banking, completed my MBA in 2006, and started this website in July 2009 as a strategy to make sense of the worldwide monetary disaster.
