Use Your Excess Stock Market Gains to Actually Change Your Life
The S&P 500 has surged roughly 100% over the past 3½ years, far outpacing the historical 10% annual return. While stock ownership sits at a two‑decade high, the gains are heavily skewed toward the wealthiest— the top 1% hold about 50% of equities, roughly $29 trillion. The article shows how “free money” from the bull market can translate into substantial extra cash for investors, using scenarios from $50 k to $15 M portfolios. It urges readers to convert these excess returns into lifestyle upgrades rather than continuing to grind in unfulfilling jobs.
Grading Meta’s Severance Package Offer: Strong On The Surface
Meta announced a May layoff affecting roughly 8,000 U.S. employees and offered a severance package of 16 weeks base salary plus two weeks for each year of service, along with 18 months of fully‑covered COBRA health insurance. After accounting for...
Giving Up My Sports Club Membership Despite the Health Benefits
The author chose not to renew a Bay Club membership that cost about $2,500 for 13 months, citing recent car repairs and rising guest fees. Guest fees surged from $25 to $75 per person, making a typical Sunday swim session...
Investing More Than The Gift Tax Exclusion Limit Shouldn’t Be A Problem
The author contributed roughly $35,000 per child to custodial accounts in 2026, exceeding the $19,000 annual gift‑tax exclusion. The $16,000 overage per child is deducted from the $15 million lifetime exemption, meaning no immediate tax is due. He will file IRS...
A Financial Dilemma: Save Your Parents, Your Children, or Yourself
A personal finance piece highlights the staggering cost of eldercare—$230,000 per year per parent, potentially $3‑5 million for four parents over five years. The author outlines three allocation frameworks—practical, dutiful, and oxygen‑mask—to balance resources among children, self, and parents. He stresses...
FIRE Psychology During a Stock Market and Economic Downturn
The author, a longtime FIRE advocate who left full‑time work in 2012, argues that retiring in a bear market tests financial resilience and makes subsequent recovery easier. He outlines how a diversified portfolio—roughly 35% stocks—limits net‑worth loss, and stresses the...
I Fired Myself As Money Manager And It Feels Great
A relative left a Goldman Sachs advisory firm, paying roughly 1.5% management fees plus 1‑2% fund fees, and asked the author to manage her $2 million portfolio. By reallocating to low‑cost ETFs, the author saved about $30,000 in fees and achieved...
A Crashing Stock Market Is Great For Our Children’s Future
The author argues that stock market crashes are advantageous for building children’s wealth. By using the annual $19,000 gift‑tax exemption and a tiered dollar‑cost‑averaging strategy, parents can fund custodial accounts during corrections. The piece outlines three phases of parental financial...
The Pain Of Selling A Home Too Soon In A Rising Market
A San Francisco homeowner sold a 2,250 sq ft, four‑bedroom house for $3.5 million, exceeding the $2.925 million target but later felt regret as comparable homes continued to rise. The decision to sell was driven by rental‑management fatigue, over‑leveraging, looming wildfire risk, and a desire...
How Robinhood’s Venture Fund Listing Could Impact Fundrise Venture
Robinhood is launching Robinhood Venture Fund I (RVI) on the NYSE with an anticipated $25 share price, offering retail investors a closed‑end fund that mirrors private‑market exposure. The fund will charge a 2% annual management fee, reduced to 1% for...
The FIRE Movement Is So Back Thanks To AI Disruption
The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, born from the 2008‑2009 crisis, surged during COVID‑19 and then waned as remote work became mainstream. In 2024‑2025 large firms began re‑imposing in‑office mandates while pouring billions into AI, prompting massive productivity gains...
Why Pershing Square Holdings Trades At A Deep Discount To NAV
Pershing Square Holdings (PSH) trades about a 25 % discount to NAV, reflecting its closed‑end, London‑listed structure and a portfolio of public equities that investors can replicate. The lack of daily redemption limits arbitrage, while a 1.5 % management fee and 16 %...
How ETFs, Open End Mutual Funds, and Closed End Funds Actually Trade
Fundrise announced that its Innovation Fund will list on the NYSE as a closed‑end fund, shifting from an open‑end structure that trades at NAV to a fixed‑float vehicle. The article explains how ETFs, open‑end mutual funds, and closed‑end funds differ...