As we approach 2024, it is time to focus on Financial Samurai’s best contributions this 12 months. When I began Financial Samurai in July 2009, my goal was to publish three posts every week for ten years. I reached this milestone in July 2019, but very similar to Forrest Gump, I kept going.
Writing has all the time been my creative outlet and has brought me joy and meaning. Now, as a father of two young children (5 and seven.5), my goal is to proceed writing until they turn 18 in 2037. I hope that by demonstrating discipline and focus through my work, they will probably be inspired to take their academic achievements seriously. Life will give us setbacks and excuses will all the time be easy to search out, but when we keep going, it’s hard to fail.
Since 2009, my North Star has been helping as many individuals as possible to realize financial freedom more quickly. Financial confidence not only results in happier and kinder people, but in addition strengthens families and improves society as a complete. Hearing from readers who’ve been positively impacted by Financial Samurai is all the time incredibly rewarding and motivates me to proceed this work.
The 12 Most Popular Financial Samurai Posts for 2024
I like writing about real-world problems and challenges. Everything I write is predicated on first-hand experience, with the hope of uncovering blind spots and solving problems. I also wish to share surprising money insights that it’s possible you’ll not have considered before. Ultimately, writing for Financial Samurai is fun if you engage in polite debate and hearken to readers’ perspectives.
Of the 152 posts I wrote in 2024, these are a few of my favorites in no particular order. Financial Samurai received over 12 million page views in 2024 and was featured in almost every major media outlet. If you have not read a few of these posts yet, I hope you’ll and let me know your thoughts. There is all the time something recent to learn!
1) Blown up my passive income and am not financially independent
This post defined the tone and direction of Financial Samurai in 2024. I showed that based on my definition: passive income to cover desired living expenses, we aren’t any longer financially independent. While some readers prefer to make use of the definitions “25x expenses” or “20x gross income,” I even have stuck with this definition since 2009.
Adapting the definition of FIRE to your financial progress will be dangerous. It breeds complacency and might result in poor financial decisions. For example, following Coast FIRE will be misleading if you happen to are unaware of its limitations. Stay disciplined and avoid self-deception.
2) Why retiring early is clearly higher than retiring wealthy
Since 2009, one in every of my goals has been to assist readers construct wealth while avoiding the trap of endlessly striving for more. It’s a difficult balance, especially after years of ingrained savings and investment habits. “One more year syndrome” can affect one of the best of us!
If your job not appeals to you, consider retiring early. The extra cash it’s possible you’ll accumulate is usually not definitely worth the opportunity cost of lost time. Retiring early doesn’t suggest bankruptcy – it gives you the liberty to pursue other passions or just take a much-needed break.
3) The minimum investment amount at which work becomes optional
To answer the age-old query: “How much is enough?” I introduced the minimum investment threshold formula. This formula calculates the reciprocal of the historical return in your assets and multiplies it by your gross annual income.
Reaching this threshold means your investments have a high likelihood of generating returns equal to or greater than your salary, supplying you with time to explore other options, take a break, or retire early.
4) Carefully surrender your profession to remain at home
As a stay-at-home parent for over seven years, I would like to supply some advice to those considering the identical path. It’s easy to prioritize your child over your profession, nevertheless it’s not all the time one of the best decision for everybody.
In this post, you will learn the best way to discover a balance between fulfilling your parenting role and maintaining your personal goals. Every family is different, but I advocate a balanced approach and never extremes.
5) went back to work and will only last 4 months
Since my daughter began school full-time in September 2024, I made a decision to return to work part-time at the top of 2023. My goal was to assist construct a fintech startup while maintaining a meaningful 20-hour work week. I expected to have more free time together with her in school and saw this as a possibility to fill any gap. I also desired to rebuild my liquidity after purchasing a brand new home.
However, the truth didn’t meet my expectations. The part-time position quickly became scarce for my daughter, who had Tuesdays and Thursdays off. This imbalance felt improper and in March 2024 I made the choice to step down.
6) A Guide to Holiday Spending: The true cost is higher than you think that
As I spoke with other parents, I noticed that many do not follow the identical personal finance principles we discuss here. For example, one family spent an incredible sum of money on a Hawaiian vacation.
This inspired me to create a vacation spending guide that balances fun with financial responsibility. It is a framework that can assist you to enjoy your vacation without risking financial burdens afterwards.
7) The financial doom you read and see might be not real
Doom and gloom dominates the financial media because negativity sells. But if you go searching—crowded restaurants, busy streets—it’s clear that U.S. consumers are doing well.
This post, written in June 2024, is meant to remind you to deal with what is definitely happening around you and never be influenced by constant pessimistic predictions. Embracing the concept that the world is ending isn’t the appropriate option to construct wealth.
8) The right house-to-car ratio for financial freedom
I like easy financial metrics, and this one combines my automotive and residential buying rules into one easy guideline for those on the lookout for financial freedom. It builds on my 1/10 rule for automotive buying and my 30/30/3 rule for home buying.
Following these metrics can assist you to balance two major expenses—housing and transportation—while maintaining financial stability. Given that the vast majority of people drive and everybody needs a spot to live, the house-to-car ratio would be the most relevant ratio of all.
9) It’s easier than ever to realize a top 1 percent net value
Knight Frank’s report showed that the web value of the highest 1% is surprisingly lower than a lot of us expected. This post is about the concept that wealth is not all the time about numbers, but somewhat about feeling financially secure and with the ability to live the life you would like.
10) Climbed to the highest of the property ladder and felt no happier
Be careful about getting what you would like. If you do not meet your expectations, it’s possible you’ll be disillusioned. After 20 years of climbing the actual estate ladder, I purchased what I assumed was my dream home. It had the whole lot I wanted: a view, an oversized lot, and an important location.
However, I wasn’t any happier after purchasing it. Instead, I apprehensive about my reduced liquidity and experienced a “rock bottom of sadness” after achieving this long-term goal. This post is about finding balance and avoiding the trap of all the time striving for more.
11) A net value of $20 million ought to be enough to live happily and freely
This was a fun exploration of assorted households with a net value of over $20 million – a sum that could seem overwhelming to some. But with enough time, compound interest, and a little bit of luck, it’s possible to realize a net value of $20 million.
You might assume that anyone with greater than $20 million would feel completely happy and free, but as this text shows, that is not all the time the case. No matter how much wealth we accumulate, all of us face constant challenges in life.
12) Lowering the normal retirement age from 65 to 55 is working
The traditional retirement age has been 65 for many years. However, after my conversation with Bill Bengen, the daddy of the 4% rule, I got here to the conclusion that America could lower the normal retirement age by!
Saving 10 years of labor for over 100 million Americans can be a monumental change. If everyone believed this was achievable, it could turn out to be one in every of the best creators of happiness and meaning in our nation’s history. Read the post and hearken to our conversation to choose for yourself.
More popular Financial Samurai posts for 2024
As all the time, thanks for reading and supporting Financial Samurai! I hope you found these posts educational and entertaining. Ultimately, I only want to jot down what I would like to read.
Remember that there isn’t any single right option to handle personal funds. There are some ways to get to your goals. Stay open-minded to different ideas and ideas as you proceed your journey to financial independence.
If you’ve gotten any Suggestions for brand new contribution topics for 2025I’m all the time open to recent ideas!
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Check out mine Top financial products Page where I highlight all of the tools and investments I take advantage of to construct greater financial security. If you might be recent to Financial Samurai, please read my Um Page. I worked in investment banking for 13 years, accomplished my MBA in 2006, and commenced this website in July 2009 to grasp the worldwide financial crisis.
