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How Much Do You Need for Barista FIRE in Your 40s? ¥45M–¥75M — but the Split Matters More
The Journey

How Much Do You Need for Barista FIRE in Your 40s? ¥45M–¥75M — but the Split Matters More

A 47-year-old in Japan with ¥60.5M gives a range, not a number, and explains why ¥10M of it has to sit in cash. The math comes from the 2022 drawdown.

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I Dropped Back Below ¥60M ($382K) in Six Weeks — and Found the Hole in My Barista FIRE Plan
The Journey

I Dropped Back Below ¥60M ($382K) in Six Weeks — and Found the Hole in My Barista FIRE Plan

My portfolio fell from ¥60.3M to ¥58.5M while the Nikkei rose. What actually moved it, and the one thing my early-retirement plan never accounted for.

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What Pushed Me Past ¥60M ($387K) Wasn't 8 Years of Investing — It Was 3 Days in August
The Journey

What Pushed Me Past ¥60M ($387K) Wasn't 8 Years of Investing — It Was 3 Days in August

On Aug 3 my portfolio sat at ¥57.8M. On Aug 6 it hit ¥60.3M. What actually did it, and why I'm not moving my Barista FIRE date up.

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My Cash Ratio Went From 90% to 15% in 8 Years — Because I Stopped Tracking the Percentage
Investing Practice

My Cash Ratio Went From 90% to 15% in 8 Years — Because I Stopped Tracking the Percentage

I started at 90% cash with ¥20M ($133K). Eight years on I'm at 15%. Why I stopped chasing a ratio and started defending a fixed amount instead.

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A Japanese Chip Stock Went Up 75x. Almost Nobody Actually Made 75x
Investing Practice

A Japanese Chip Stock Went Up 75x. Almost Nobody Actually Made 75x

Kioxia ran roughly 75x from IPO on the AI-memory boom. But that's a low-to-high figure. Why entry, exit and size decide your real return, not the headline.

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I Keep Getting Within a Hair of ¥60M ($400K) — and Keep Getting Knocked Back to $387K
The Journey

I Keep Getting Within a Hair of ¥60M ($400K) — and Keep Getting Knocked Back to $387K

My portfolio touches ¥59M, then slides back to ¥58M without crossing ¥60M. Why a bigger portfolio moves $4,000+ a day, and why I changed nothing.

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I Built a FIRE Countdown App Because No Tool Could Tell Me "How Many Days Left"
Tools & Resources

I Built a FIRE Countdown App Because No Tool Could Tell Me "How Many Days Left"

A 46-year-old salaryman in Japan with ¥50M ($330K) built his own FIRE countdown app: real index data, five FIRE types, days to freedom. Why and how.

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When People Start Saying 'Index Funds Aren't Enough,' AI Stocks Are Probably Overheated
Investing Practice

When People Start Saying 'Index Funds Aren't Enough,' AI Stocks Are Probably Overheated

My friend made $20K on Micron. Social feeds compare index funds to AI funds over four-week windows. Here's why I'm not changing anything.

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I Sold 3 Japanese Stocks 15 Years Ago. They'd Now Be Worth $200K More — Here's What I Got Wrong
Investing Practice

I Sold 3 Japanese Stocks 15 Years Ago. They'd Now Be Worth $200K More — Here's What I Got Wrong

A 46-year-old Tokyo salaryman walks through three stock sales from 2011 that turned into a $200K opportunity cost — and what finally fixed the pattern.

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I Failed Japan's FP2 Cert Once, Then Passed — And It 'Answer-Keyed' My 8 Years of Investing (Series Part 3)
Mindset

I Failed Japan's FP2 Cert Once, Then Passed — And It 'Answer-Keyed' My 8 Years of Investing (Series Part 3)

I failed the FP2 written exam once, then passed. The bigger finding: every money call I'd made in 8 years was printed in the textbook as the right answer.

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