Does your number need to go up?
Do you even have a number? The future is both under and out of your control. Financial planning is just trying to surf on a wave of possibilities. There is no guarantee of success, but not trying means almost certain failure. I really enjoyed Martin’s latest blog post, Number go up. In it, he explored […]
The Monday Read: The load lifts
You don’t know how heavy your boots are until you take them off I’ve been sick for a couple of weeks now. Caught some kind of cold at the tail end of being in Shikoku, then had a sore throat, mild cough, and general achiness/listlessness for a couple of weeks. It hurt to swallow, and […]
The Monday Read: Finding Peace
Sometimes you just need a bit of a break Well, I am back at home and enjoying gettting back into my regular routine. It’s amazing how much difference a week or so off can make. The trip was great, I had a really good time in Shikoku and will certainly be going back again. Shodoshima […]
The Monday Read: Shikoku Calling
All work and no play makes Ben… It’s my 20-year wedding anniversary this year. We had a ridiculous trip to NYC and Iguazu Falls for our 10-year anniversary, and were planning an even bigger trip for this year but… life got in the way. Rather than a Star Alliance round the world ticket in business […]
The Monday Read: Full-time work and RetireJapan
There are only so many hours in the day Had my first week of full-time employment, and I drastically underestimated how exhausting and time-consuming that would be. Despite my best intentions, I was not able to publish a new blog post, nor upload a new YouTube video. Now, some of that was due to the […]
The Monday Read: happy new year
New year, new you? The new year in Japan starts in April. January to March is just the tail end of the previous year, so it doesn’t have to count. How is 2024年度 shaping up for you? Any exciting projects on the horizon? RetireJapan TV The next episode of RJTV will be on April 15th […]
Understanding price and value
Possibly the most important aspect of personal finance Price and value are at the heart of money and personal finance. Money is a store of value, and value is subjective Each person is going to have a different perception of value. How much are things worth to you? How much value you get from a […]
The Monday Read: Mission Accomplished
Finishing a big job We finished the latest cohort of our flagship course, Your First Ten Million Yen, today. Had a wonderful group of participants and the new flipped format of the course was really enjoyable to teach. I can’t believe it is over. (sign up for news about the next one here) I need […]
What do you *really* want?
Are your goals specific and concrete? Last week I finished reading a fantasy trilogy. The books were fine but nothing special. I enjoyed reading them, there was some interesting world building, but overall I would give them a B grade. But then I read the author’s afterword, and it made a huge impact on me. […]
Don’t pay your children’s university fees in Japan
Well, you can if you really want to. But read this first I talk to a lot of people about money, and there seems to be an unwritten assumption that parents should just pay for their children’s university fees in Japan. I’m not sure where this comes from. My wife and I did not pay […]