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Articles about wealth building, investing, and saving

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 its IPO on an AI-memory boom. But that's a low-to-high theoretical number — your real return depends on entry, exit, and size. Here's why this index investor doesn't chase it.

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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 brushes the high ¥59M range, then slides back to ¥58M without ever crossing ¥60M. Here's the math on why a bigger portfolio moves $4,000+ a day, and why I didn't change a single thing.

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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 until financial freedom. Here's 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 just made $20K on Micron. Social media is full of people comparing index funds to AI funds over four-week windows. Here's why I'm not changing a thing.

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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)

Final installment of my FP cert series. I failed the FP2 written exam once (passed the practical), then passed on retake. Bigger story: every major financial judgment I'd made over 8 years — keeping a mortgage, holding unhedged USD funds — was written into the FP2 textbook as the correct answer.

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I Got Japan's FP3 Cert in 6 Weeks — and Realized 'Can Invest' Doesn't Mean 'Knows Money' (Series Part 2)
Mindset

I Got Japan's FP3 Cert in 6 Weeks — and Realized 'Can Invest' Doesn't Mean 'Knows Money' (Series Part 2)

Eight years of index investing got me to ~$260K. Six weeks of FP3 study showed me that real estate and inheritance tax were total blindspots. Also: Japan's inheritance tax scares people who don't actually need to worry.

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I'm 46 with a $330K Portfolio — and My Wife Just Told Me to Go Get a Certification (Japan FP Series, Part 1)
Mindset

I'm 46 with a $330K Portfolio — and My Wife Just Told Me to Go Get a Certification (Japan FP Series, Part 1)

I was waking up at 4am to play games. My wife noticed and suggested I take a financial certification instead. I started studying for Japan's FP cert that day. Here's why a contrarian view of 'experience vs credentials' kicked in immediately.

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Holding $260K in Unhedged Dollar-Denominated Funds in Japan: Why I Never Used Currency Hedging
Investing Practice

Holding $260K in Unhedged Dollar-Denominated Funds in Japan: Why I Never Used Currency Hedging

A Japan-resident investor's case for unhedged USD funds: why I chose unhedged over hedged versions (fees + DCA fit), what ¥159 USD/JPY means for my ~$260K portfolio, and why I won't sell or stop contributions even if the yen strengthens.

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Side FIRE / Barista FIRE at 50 with $330K Assets in Japan: A Full 3.5-Year Plan
The Journey

Side FIRE / Barista FIRE at 50 with $330K Assets in Japan: A Full 3.5-Year Plan

Can you Side FIRE or Barista FIRE at 50 with $330K in assets? A 46-year-old Japanese salaryman runs every number — asset trajectory, contract income, education costs, pension bridge, drawdown to age 90 — and builds a real, math-backed 3.5-year plan.

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