Creating a Life on Your Terms with Joe Saul-Sehy of The Stacking Benjamins Podcast
Release Date: 06/05/2025
Buying More House Than You Need: Was It Worth It Three Years Later?
The Financial Samurai Podcast
In 2023, we stretched to upgrade into a larger home we didn't need. Three years later, I sat down with my wife to talk through the whole experience and answer the question everyone keeps asking us: was it worth it? The short version is that we found a unicorn. A home on a large lot at a relatively low price point, fully remodeled and landscaped, with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. In 24 years of hunting for property in San Francisco, I'd never seen anything like it at that price. So we had to buy it, even though it meant selling a chunk of stocks and bonds and blowing up our passive income....
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Mezzi: The AI Investment Advisor That Saved Me Over $20,000
The Financial Samurai Podcast
This summer, my new AI wealth advisor, , discovered roughly $300,000 of Google exposure I didn't know I had. It sounds a little absurd, given the amount. But I've been investing in Google for over 15 years, and with a complicated net worth it's hard to track everything accurately when your mind anchors to old price points. Weeks after I trimmed the position, Google sold off about 10%. I sidestepped over $20,000 in losses. Then I did something I'd never done in 17 years of writing about money on Financial Samurai. I invested in the company. As an AI maximalist, I'm always hunting for new AI...
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Nobody Is Ever Truly Independent: Caring for Parents, Raising Kids, and the 37-Year-Olds Still Cashing Dad's Checks
The Financial Samurai Podcast
Being an adult is hard, and nobody is ever truly independent. In this episode, my wife and I talk about spending 30 days in Honolulu with my parents and what it's like to slowly shift from being cared for to being the caretaker. We also get into a bizarre encounter with two park rangers on an empty public tennis court while I was teaching my own kids, and a discussion about what a real adult actually is when a 37-year-old still depends on her father for money. Three generations, one uncomfortable question about who takes care of who. We also touch on how hard it was to spend our Summer YOLO...
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From Startup To Acquisition by Symantec: The Entrepreneur's Journey With Domingo Guerra
The Financial Samurai Podcast
In this episode, I sit down with my friend and fellow school dad to trace his entrepreneurial journey: from growing up in Mexico, to studying engineering at UT Austin, to co-founding the mobile cybersecurity company Appthority with my poker and softball buddy Kevin, to selling it to Symantec in 2018. Today, Domingo runs his own seed-stage venture fund focused on cybersecurity, called Chispa VC. It always fascinates me how people become entrepreneurs, given that most of us just go to college and get a job. I wanted to start a company myself for the longest time, but I chickened out after...
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Public Venture Capital Is Here: Why VCX Has Soared and What Fundrise Investors Should Do Now
The Financial Samurai Podcast
With Fundrise's successful listing of VCX on March 19, 2026, its venture capital product, I want to discuss what's potentially next for the fund and for investors. The listing has far surpassed my expectations, and the expectations of most investors. Anything can happen during the 6-month lock-up period, so it's important to keep expectations low and stay humble. Don't spend any paper profits until you actually have liquidity. Financial Samurai has been working with Fundrise as a corporate partner for over 10 years now. I'm proud of what Ben Miller and his team have accomplished in...
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Forget Learn To Code, Learn To Invest Instead To Survive
The Financial Samurai Podcast
For more than a decade, the mantra for boosting your career and income was simple: learn to code. Becoming a programmer or engineer was seen as the clearest path to job security and high pay. But with the rapid rise of AI, coding is no longer the protective moat it once was. As I revisited my own FIRE plans after leaving work in 2012, I realized the one financial buffer that has consistently stood the test of time: knowing how to invest well. Forget “learn to code.” Learn to invest. Becoming a competent investor may be the most important skill you develop to survive - and thrive - in the...
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The Wonderful Flexibility Of Coast FIRE with Andy Hill, Author of Own Your Time
The Financial Samurai Podcast
If you are a parent who is interested in FIRE, you should listen to Andy Hill's podcast, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. It's a great show that talks about all the financial and parenting issues all mothers and fathers face. Andy also came out with a new book called, . Go check it out, it's a great book for parents looking to achieve financial independence. On the podcast, talk about the merits of Coast FIRE, a type of FIRE that I've dubbed the . But the older and more tired I get, the more I've come to accept Coast FIRE's merits. It's certainly beter than...
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Being Happy In Spite Of Everything
The Financial Samurai Podcast
Happy New Year 2026, everyone. Despite a strong year in the stock market in 2025, I found myself feeling less happy due to some family health challenges. That contrast inspired me to reflect on what truly brings us greater happiness and gratitude. Related posts: Join 60,000+ others and sign up for my free weekly newsletter . My goal is to help you achieve financial freedom sooner, rather than later.You can receive my posts in your inbox immediately after they are first published without ads by signing up .
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Housing Security: The Underappreciated Benefit of Owning In A Rising Rent World
The Financial Samurai Podcast
The debate between owning and renting will go on forever — it all depends on your stage in life, finances, and lifestyle. But as you get older, one thing becomes clear: housing security matters more than ever. The last thing you want in retirement is to be forced out of your neighborhood because of rising rent. Yet as a renter, you have little control over how much your landlord raises prices, especially if you’re not in a rent-stabilized home. With housing inflation outpacing wage growth, it’s time to get neutral real estate by at least owning your primary residence. In this episode,...
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Permission To Live It Up In Retirement With Bill Bengen, Father Of The 4% Rule Going To 5%
The Financial Samurai Podcast
Bill Bengen, the father of the 4% Rule, is back with a new book titled . In it, he raises his SAFEMAX—or safe withdrawal rate—from 4% to 5%. This change has major implications: retirees can confidently spend more and enjoy life to the fullest, while those pursuing FIRE or traditional retirement may not need to save as aggressively or work as long to achieve financial freedom. See related Financial Samurai post: Free Financial Analysis Offer From Empower If you have over $100,000 in investable assets—whether in savings, taxable accounts, 401(k)s, or IRAs—you can get a free...
info_outlineIn this episode, I reconnect with my old friend Joe Saul-Sehy from The Stacking Benjamins podcast to talk about creating your own life curriculum — because when you do, you may no longer be beholden to anyone.
With AI eliminating jobs and making the path to financial independence even tougher, I wanted to sit down with another creator who forged his own way—building a business and income stream through podcasting.
I firmly believe everyone should build an online brand and develop a side hustle. The era of job security, pensions, and abundant opportunities is fading. You—and your children—need to learn how to create your own income streams.
Check out Joe's work at:
https://www.stackingbenjamins.com
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This episode is sponsored by Fundrise Venture, an innovative venture capital product that invests in private AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Anduril, Databricks, and more. The minimum investment to start is only $10, and I personally have invested over $185,000 in Fundrise Venture so far.