Dear Readers,
Welcome to Financial Samurai! My name is Sam Dogen (doh-gun), the founder and main writer for this site. Financial Samurai is one of the leading personal finance sites in the world with roughly one million organic visitors a month. Everything is written based off firsthand experience because money is too important to be left up to pontification.
Since this site was founded in 2009, more than 100 million visitors have stopped by Financial Samurai to learn, share, and grow. Financial Samurai consistently is ranked one of the top personal finance sites in the world due to its expertise, relevancy, and real-life storytelling.
Join 70,000+ others and sign up for my free weekly newsletter to get smarter, build more wealth, and never miss the most important financial happenings. You can also receive my post in your inbox every time I publish three times a week. My aim is to help you achieve financial freedom sooner, rather than later.
Finally, you can subscribe to my podcast on Apple or Spotify. I interview investors, authors, entrepreneurs, educators, freelancers, and anybody interesting that can help you live a better life.
Most of the products mentioned in this post are affiliates of Financial Samurai. I carefully review all affiliate products in order to highlight the best ones that will add the most value to readers and listeners.
Here is my media press kit if you are a company interested in working together or a journalist looking for some insights for your article.
Video Introduction Of Financial Samurai
Financial Samurai Was Born Out Of The Global Financial Crisis
In 2009, the world was falling apart, and my net worth was taking a beating. I thought it would be a good idea to start a personal finance site to help myself and others make sense of chaos.
After all, I had spent 10 years working at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse (RIP), studied economics at William & Mary, got my MBA from UC Berkeley, saved aggressively, diversified my investments, and still got financially rocked!
After the global financial crisis, I promised to not make the same mistakes and help others minimize financial regret as well.
I decided to start writing about my journal to financial independence and retiring early in 2009, thereby kickstarting the modern-day FIRE movement. Two years nine months later in 2012, I successfully negotiated a severance package and retired at age 34.
For those with over $250,000 in investable assets who want a free financial checkup, you can schedule an appointment with anEmpower financial advisor here. If you complete your two video calls with the advisor before October 31, 2024, you'll receive afree $100 Visa gift card.
With stock market volatility returning and a potential recession on the horizon, it’s wise to get a second opinion from a professional. Illuminate financial blindspots you don't know you have and better optimize your finances. The last thing you want is to be misallocated relative to your financial goals and risk tolerance.When you lose money, you ultimately lose precious time.
A year after I retired in 2012, I had a free financial checkup with Empower. At the time, 52% of my taxable portfolio was in cash because I believed I needed to invest conservatively, like a traditional retiree at 65. The Empower financial advisor helped me realize that I still had a lot of life and financial opportunities ahead of me and encouraged me to put that capital to work. It turned out to be a great move, especially with the bull market that followed.
The statement is provided to you by Financial Samurai (“Promoter”) who has entered into a written referral agreement with Empower Advisory Group, LLC (“EAG”).Clickhereto learn more.
Wrote Two Bestselling Books
After writing over 2,500 personal finance articles and spending 28 years in finance, I've used my knowledge to write an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller entitled, Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom. The book is your secret weapon to getting ahead in this hyper-competitive world.
You can buy a hardcopy on Amazon or everywhere that sells books. By the time you finish BTNT you will gain at least 100X more value than its cost. I'm certain Buy This, Not That will help you build way more wealth than the average person. Click on the book image below to view the latest reviews and purchase it on Amazon.
FinancialSamurai.com is an Amazon Associate. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your readership and support.
In addition, I also wrote a one-of-a-kind bestseller, How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune By Saying Goodbye. The ebook teaches you how to negotiate a severance from a job you no longer enjoy to be free. If you want to retire early with potentially a financial gift, this is your book.
Receiving a severance package in 2012 was my #1 catalyst for leaving my multiple-six-figure investment banking job. My severance package paid for over five years of normal living expenses. As a result, I could travel, relax, and take my time building Financial Samurai into a viable lifestyle business. A severance changed my life for the better, forever!
Never quit your job, get laid off with a severance! Add the promo code “savefive” to save $5 off my newly revised 6th edition for 2024 and beyond at checkout. The book has 50 more pages of severance negotiation advice and strategies for a post-pandemic world.
Why Read Financial Samurai?
Financial Samurai delves deeper into investing, real estate, retirement planning, career strategies, and more, so we can all achieve financial independence sooner, rather than later. In other words, I write about day-to-day real life issues many of us will face.
As one of the modern-day pioneers of the FIRE movement since 2009, I want to help you achieve your financial goals so you can do more of what you want. I left work behind in 2012 at the age of 34 and it's been a dream to be free ever since. I want you to have the freedom to do what you want when you want as well, thanks to having financial security.
Every article is written based off firsthand experience to provide the most helpful insights possible. I believe money matters are too important to be left up to pontification. With experience, I try and elucidate as many blind spots and landmines as possible to help readers and listers build wealth.
Financial Samurai has been highlighted in major publications such as Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal Online, The Consumerist, The Sydney Herald, The Chicago Tribune, Inc, Yahoo Finance, and The Los Angeles Times. I have also done interviews with AARP, Newstalk Radio 910AM (KKSF San Francisco)and Bloomberg.
Ways To Subscribe To Financial Samurai
You can get my content via e-mailthree times a week. You can also join 70,000+ others and sign up for my free private weekly newsletter. It has more nuanced content to help you achieve financial freedom sooner rather than later.
Finally, you can subscribe to The Financial Samurai podcast via Apple and Spotify. A new episode comes out every week. The podcast is one of the highest-rated financial podcasts today that talks about real life. Your shares and reviews mean a lot.
If you are looking to get an honest and in-depth review of the best financial products to help you achieve financial independence, take a look at my Top Financial Products page.
I've literally spent hundreds of hours researching, analyzing, and using these products to make sure I only highlight the best products for my users. I've cut through the clutter so you don't have to.
About Sam, A Financial Samurai
Afterthirteenyears of working in Corporate America, moneyceased to bea major driving factor. Instead, living absolutely free became my biggest motivation. I fantasizedaboutwhat it would be like to just write, spend time with family, and travel,with littlefinancial worries. Three years after starting this site in 2009I took the leap of faith.
Leavinga healthy paycheck was not easy, butI knew if I didn't take the risk then, I would probably never leave. I actually planted the seeds for my early exit at the very beginning of my career.
Starting with my first job at Goldman Sachsout of college in NYC, I saved over 50% of my after tax income every year because I knew I wouldn't be able to last a lifetime working 70+ hours a week.
I used my savings to buy rental properties, stocks, bonds, and CDs in order to buildpassive income streams so I might one day be more free. Here are my current estimated passive income streams. I've been building them since 2000.
After taking advantage of real estate weakness by buying a forever home in 4Q2023 by selling stocks and bonds, my passive income took a ~$110,000 hit. I now estimate my passive income to come out at roughly $275,000.
If you want to one day be free, it's imperative to save and invest regularly to build enough passive income to cover your basic living expenses. The other key is to have better control of your desires and expenses.
The 2008 Global Financial Crisis Changed Everything
Things were going well until the 2008 financial crisis hit, wiping away ~35% of my net worth in just 12 months. Financial Samurai began as a cathartic way to make sense of all the carnage and ease the pain.
By the time I decided to leave Corporate Americain 2012, I was generating about $80,000 in passive income, while Financial Samurai had grown to provide an additional source of income as well. Starting a blog changed my life for the betterand I recommend everybody do the same to at least build yourbrand online.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine not having to work a day job after age 34 due tothis site and my investing efforts.
I've been a stay at home dad since our son was born in 2017. With my daugher, born in 2019, attending school full-time starting in Fall 2024, I'm considering going back to work or do some part-time consulting with my free time. There are so many exciting startups in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'd like to get involved!
Life speed accelerates because the older we get, the less time we have left to live.Getting our financial lives in order early allows us time tofully live our dreams.
This site sharesmy strategies for achieving financial freedom as soon as possible. I also sharemyideas for building wealth throughreal estate, stocksand bonds, private equity, andonline entrepreneurship.
I truly believe there is unlimited upside to building wealth. The key is to adopt an abundance mentality!
Personal Philosophy
“You will regret more of the things you don't do, than the things you try,‘ said my friend just days before he got laid off at the age of 56. He was the mailman at my old place of employment who lamented about not taking enough risks in his life.
Any time you can combine generating real value with having fun, you’ve hit a grand slam. I write because I enjoy the experience. Readers and your comments are what make running this site a blast.Dialog matters; themorewecommunicatewith others, the more complete we becomeourselves.
It's important to never fail due to a lack of effort because effort requires no skill. I can fail because my competition is too good or there was some unforeseen event that knocked me off my feet. But if I fail due to a lack of effort, I will be filled with regret as an old man.
Sushi(surprise, surprise)is one of my favorite foods,and I can watch college football all day long. I was once an avid USTA 5.0-ranked tennis player who would play five days a week if my knees didn't break down. Today, I'm a pickleball fanatic as its easier on my body.
To try and make a difference in some kids lives and help out the community, I began coaching high school tennis and being a foster kid mentee in 2017. After three years, my high school ended up winning back-to-back Northern California Section championships, a first in the schools history.
I've made and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate and the stock market. As a result,I’ve learned the hard way thatrebalancing and having a proper asset allocation of stocks and bonds is important to make sure that my risk exposure is not too great.
Keep Track Of Your Finances
I now keep track of all my finances using the free online wealth manager fromEmpower. Empower has been fantastic for helping me monitor my net worth, manage my expenses, and cut down on exorbitant mutual fund fees in my 401K. I've been using them since 2012.
Empower also has the best Retirement Planning Calculator because they use your real data to calculate what your retirement cash flow will be like.
If you have over $250,000 in investable assets, Empower is also offering free financial consultations with one of their financial advisors. Sign up here to uncover how you can optimize your finances. Conduct two video calls with them before October 31, 2024, and you'll also get a free $100 Visa gift card. There's no obligation to use Empower's financial services after your call.
For an even more powerful retirement planning tool, you may want to check out NewRetirement. NewRetirement was built specifically for pre-and-post retirement planning.
Better To Be Rich Than Poor
If all I could ever earn was $80,000(gross)a year, I'd be content; I really don’t need a whole lot to be happy. Without debt it doesn't take much to live a comfortable life. After all,there are only so many things one can buyand experience.
While all this may be true, however, I still make the argument that $200,000 a yearper individual and $350,000 per household is the ideal income for maximum happiness. Studies showthatthe poor and rich are equally happy,sowhy notstrive to be rich?
Education is absolutely the key to freedom. The more you learn, the more you can earn!
When I graduated from The College of William & Mary in 1999, I swore I'd never go back to school again. Two years after working in finance, the dotcom meltdown happened and things weren't so funany more.
Under those sobering circ*mstances I changed my mind about school and proceeded to earnmy MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business in 2006.
And I discovered something funny: school actually becomes enjoyable when you focus on the learning and stop worrying about grades. Work is also more fun if you don't need the money!
Big Fan Of Real Estate
Since 2016, I've been deploying capital more surgically in lower valuation, higher yielding real estate in the heartland of America. The global pandemic and lockdowns have accelerated the work from home and remote work trend I've been talking about since 2016.
Coastal city real estate has become too expensive, so I decided to sell a San Francisco rental house in June 2017 for 30X its annual gross rent. The property taxes for the rental house alone were $23,000 a year. With the birth of my son in 2017, I no longer wanted to waste time dealing with PITA tenants.
The most attractive multi-decade investment opportunities are in the Sunbelt throughreal estate investing platforms like Fundrise and CrowdStreet. Valuations are cheaper and net rental yields are higher in the Sunbelt region.
Fundrise was founded in 2012 and is my favorite real estate investing platform today. It offers private diversified real estate funds with only a $10 minimum. I invested $143,000 in Fundrise's Flagship Fund and became an affiliate partner because I like their platform so much.
Fundrise created diversified funds to enable all investors to gain commercial real estate exposure. It currently manages over $3.3 billion in assets for over 500,000 investors.
In total, I've invested $954,000 in real estate crowdfunding since late 2016, $275,000 of which is invested with Fundrise. Private real estate investments account for over $100,000 of my annual recurring passive income and distributions.
It feels good to earn money 100% passively compared to actively managing a rental with maintenance and tenant issues. With a soft real estate market currently due to high mortgage rates, I'm happily dollar-cost averaging at lower prices.
Investing In Artificial Intelligence For The Next Decade
In addition to investing in Sunbelt residential and industrial real estate, I'm also investing in artificial intelligence. AI is clearly in a boom phase and should continue to grow over the next decade.
In 20 years, I don't want my kids asking me why I didn't work in or invest in AI. As a result, I'm building a $500,000 position in AI through various private funds.
The Fundrise venture capital product has roughly 65% of its portfolio in AI companies. In addition, it is an open-ended product available to everyone, with a minimum investment of only $10. The other venture capital funds I'm invested in are through relationships with a minimum investment amount of $100,000.
You can listen to my hour-long conversation about venture capital with Ben Miller, Founder of Fundrise, by clicking the player below. In 20 years I don't want my kids asking me why I didn't invest in or work in AI!
Fundrise is a long-time sponsor of Financial Samurai and Financial Samurai has over $280,000 invested in Fundrise products.
About Financial Samurai – The Short Version
* Worked 13-years at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Semi-retired in 2012 at age 34 with roughly $80,000 a year in passive income. Came out of retirement a year later because early retirement life was too boring.
* Have written over 2,500 personal finance articles since Financial Samurai began in 2009.
* Got my undergrad degree at The College of William & Mary studying Economics and Mandarin in 1999. Got my MBA from UC Berkeley in 2006.
* On July 19, 2022, published a Wall Street Journal best-selling book with Penguin Random House called, Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom. Due to the success of the book, I signed another to book deal with Penguin. My second book is coming out in the spring of 2025.
* I will never fail due to a lack of effort because effort requires no skill.
*If askedto define “happiness” in one word, I would choose the word “progress.” Progress in our relationshipswith loved ones, progress in our occupations, and progress in our spirituality all create happiness.
* Loved writing in high school and was the teacher's pet in AP English. Sadly, I never took another writing course again.
* Have lived in seven different countries and been to roughly 60 countries.
* Used to speak three languages pretty well. Now I only speak Mandarin and English. My Spanish is horrible, despite eight years of learning.
* Overcame severe asthma as a kid and can now play three hours of tennis at a time. Yet, I still can't run five miles straight without hacking up a lung.
* Was a 16 handicapper in golf for years until I made it a goal to break 10 one year. I'm currently sitting at 9.8.
* Was a USTA 5.0 ranked player since 2016 years (top 1%) and finally got self-rated down to 4.5 in 2022. Won the SF city championship at the 4.5 level in 2022 and went 8-1 in 2024.
*Entrepreneurship fascinates me. But I turned down a golden opportunity in China upon graduation to work for a golden opportunity in NYC. 25 years after graduation, I've now come full circle and have built a lifestyle business with Financial Samurai. Not a day goes by where I'm not thankful for starting Financial Samurai in 2009.
* Happily functions on about 6 hours of sleep per day because I'm so excited to wake up and see what happened in the world while I dreamt. Love to take 30-minute naps after lunch.
* Achieved my goal of making $200,000 a year from various passive income investments in 2017. Now my steady state goal is to earn $350,000 in gross passive income to support my family of four.
*Fiercely loyal and will always take care of the people who helped out.
* First-time dad in 2017 to a son. Second-time dad to a daughter in 2019. My family is the absolute greatest blessing in my life. Nothing comes close. My main purpose for having and making money is to spend as much time with my kids as possible before they leave the house.
* Have author pages on CNBC, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, and Penguin Random House. Have also been featured in The New York Times on Fat FIRE. Here’s my media kit if you want to learn more.
* Wrote and composed a new lullaby for all parents out there called Cutie Baby.
* Wrote a 245-page book in its 6th edition for 2024 entitled, How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune By Saying Goodbye. The book empowers employees with their legal rights and provides a framework for how to negotiate a healthy severance package. Never quit, get laid off instead.
* Have a bi-weekly Financial Samurai Podcast where I provide more nuance to my articles. The FS podcast is on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Financial Samurai Site Statistics
* ~35,000 pageviews a day on average.
* ~1,000,000 organic pageviews a month.
* Reader demographics: Majority are ages 25-45, college educated, top 20% income earners, 30% with net worth of over $500,000. Roughly 30% are accredited investors. Here's a comprehensive post highlighting the Financial Samurai Reader Demographicbased off over 80 surveys conducted since 2012.
* Started in July, 2009. Everything is written based off firsthand experience because Money is too important to be left up to pontification.
General e-mail address: financialsamurai AT gmail DOT com
E-mail address for product purchases: sales AT financialsamurai DOT com
Mailing address: Financial Samurai, 2309 Noriega Street #82, San Francisco, CA 94122
Twitter: @FinancialSamura
Facebook: FinancialSamurai
Feel free to contact me for radio, podcast or written interviews. I'm always happy to help a reporter or broadcaster out. I've conducted hundreds of podcast and written interviews over the years.
For advertising opportunities, check out my media kit. Also, check out my FS Reader Demographics post. Financial Samurai readers are part of the mass affluent / aspirational class.
Regards,
Sam Dogen – “Slicing Through Money's Mysteries”
Please sign up for updates viaE-mail (get my posts in your inbox ~3X a week) and/or my free private weekly newsletter(new content not publicly published).
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