Expenses
¥170K a Month on Food for Three. Here's Where Every Yen Goes.
A dual-income Japanese family of three breaks down their ¥170K monthly food costs and explains why they won't cut back despite April's price hikes
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Personal Finance Blog
Build wealth
quietly and steadily.
A Japanese salary worker's journey to 50 million yen (~$350K) in 8 years.
No flashy tricks, just steady wealth building strategies.
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Income
Japan's 5% Wage Hike Made Headlines. My Raise Was Zero.
A 40-something salaryman breaks down his ¥350K take-home pay and explains why he stopped caring about raises
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Tax & Systems
I Ran the Numbers on My iDeCo Exit Tax — Turns Out I Can Just Take It All at 60
¥10M retirement + ¥10M iDeCo. I simulated lump sum vs pension payout and the answer surprised me.
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Investing Practice
I Owe $170K on My Mortgage at 0.6% Interest. Here's Why I Won't Pay It Off Early
With a 0.6% variable-rate mortgage in Japan, should I prepay or keep investing in index funds? Eight years of real decisions, including getting rejected for mortgage insurance because of a therapy visit.
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Investing Practice
Gas Prices Jumped Overnight, My Portfolio Dropped $4,700 — Here's What I Actually Did
A Japanese index fund investor faces the Hormuz Strait blockade, surging gas prices, and a $4,700 portfolio loss. Why dollar-cost averaging proved its worth — and why he didn't change a thing.
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Investing Practice
I Invest $2,500/Month and Run a Deficit. Am I NISA-Broke?
62% investment rate, a deliberate $1,400/month deficit. I sat down and actually worked out whether I qualify as 'NISA-binbo' — turns out I don't.
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