“What happened to your friend who bought Tesla stock on margin,” a reader asked. He likely lost a lot of money, but I haven’t asked for details. That would be rude.

On March 31, 2021, I published a post entitled, Buying Stocks On Margin Is A Bad Idea: You Could Lose Big. I wrote the post because I was alarmed by my softball friend’s excessive risk-taking.

When compared to what he was earning as an educator, his position was a huge red flag. Given he also wanted to start a family, I tried to encourage him to be more conservative during 2021’s stock mania.

I learned my lesson during the 1999 – 2001 dotcom bubble collapse while working at Goldman Sachs. Fortunes are easily made and lost, which is why I encourage readers to regularly convert funny money into real assets. This way, you increase your chances of protecting your

Having $2,000 to $3,000 to invest is a good feeling, but how you allocate those funds can impact your finances more than you might realize. Where investing your small nest egg and adding to it regularly can lead to significant returns over time, stuffing $2,000 to $3,000 in cash under your mattress can mean losing money to inflation over time.

Before you decide where to invest $2,000 to $3,000, think about when you’ll need the money. While some options are designed to keep your money safe in the short term, taking on more risk can yield better results over the long run.

To help you figure out what to do, here are 17 of the best strategies for investing $2000 to $3000.

Best Short-Term Investments for $2,000 to $3,000

While investing $2,000 to $3,000 can help you make progress towards any number of financial goals, there are situations where you

Unless you’re one of the few people who knows exactly what they want to do with their life, choosing your future career can be challenging.

With a high job satisfaction rate and a healthy real estate market, more people are turning to the real estate industry.

Within the industry, it is estimated that Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) supported 3.2 million jobs in 2021, according to a study commissioned by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit).

The market continues to expand, creating more opportunities for career growth in various property management and development positions.

In this article, I’ll share the best-paying jobs in real estate investment trusts and related information you’ll want to know to make an informed decision about your career.

Happy New Year everyone! I’ve made goals publicly for over ten years because it helps keep me accountable. Making goals also makes the year more exciting and challenging. Hence, here are my goals for 2023.

Once again, I’ve divided the goals into five categories: Health, Wealth, Family, Financial Samurai, and X-Factor. My goal is to achieve 70% of my goals.

Health Goals For 2023: Maintenance Mode

1) Stay the same weight

Instead of a weight loss goal, my goal is to play tennis or pickleball four times a week on average all year. Better fitness and mental health will naturally come with regular activity.

I will stay the same weight of between 167-168 pounds all of 2023. The ideal weight chart says I should be between 151 – 163 pounds at 5’10”. But screw that! I’m not a teenager any longer.

2) Stay injury free

At 45, my mind is

You can only work so many hours per day, so if you want to build wealth, you will need to make money while you sleep. For this to happen, you must find ways to generate passive income. Unfortunately, earning passive income can seem overwhelming as it often requires a lot of money or effort upfront to see any returns. 

Thankfully, there are many passive income apps you can use to create new sources of income on top of your nine-to-five, so you can have money coming in even when you’re not working. 

While many side hustles can feel like a second job, here are 22 passive income apps for those who want to make extra money without using up all their free time. 

1. Fundrise

We all know real estate investing is a decent way to earn an extra income, but the reality is that becoming a landlord is a

According to a recent Gallup poll, more than half of American adults (58%) have money invested in the stock market. Although the median holdings (amounts invested) vary based on age, income, and other demographic factors, it’s clear that Americans see the value of investing — even if their exposure is limited to a workplace 401(k).

If you have a fully-funded emergency fund and have an extra $1,000 that you don’t immediately need, you have a lot of options. Unfortunately, the sheer number of investment options to choose from can be overwhelming and downright confusing.

That’s why I wanted to share some of my favorite ways to invest $1,000. Whatever decision you make, you should be proud of yourself for taking the time to be thoughtful with your money.

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If you are a beginner stock trader or

Opening a Roth IRA can be a smart move if you want to invest for retirement and save money on taxes later in life. However, there are strict rules when it comes to how much you can contribute to your Roth IRA. 

Contributions to a Roth IRA are made with after-tax dollars, which means your money can grow tax-free. When you’re ready to take distributions from your Roth IRA in retirement (or after age 59 ½), you won’t pay income taxes on your distributions, either.

If you want to start contributing to a Roth IRA as part of your retirement strategy, keep in mind there are some limits. For example, if you’re under the age of 49 you can contribute a maximum of $6,500 for the 2023 tax season. 

Interested in learning more about the specifics of the Roth IRA? Here’s everything you need to know.

How Much Can

In 2022, I published 156 posts on Financial Samurai. Every post is written based on firsthand experience because money is too important to be left up to pontification.

For background, I worked in finance from 1999 – 2012. Along the way, I got my MBA part-time in 2006 and started Financial Samurai in 2009. Since 2009, I’ve written over 2,100 personal finance articles.

Check out my About page for more details. You can also subscribe to my free weekly newsletter where I discuss all things personal finance.

I still haven’t hired a staff writer to help with the workload. But I might in 2023 if I can find a great storyteller who can tackle different personal finance perspectives from firsthand experience.

Given I’m a man, finding a woman, preferably with a finance background is a logical choice. Hit me up if this sounds like you. Hmmm, maybe I can convince

I’m a big fan of the Roth IRA and investors that understand it’s massive tax-free benefits are also.

Recently a reader sent in this question about it:

Thanks for your questions Debbie! Before we answer your question, let’s do a quick refresher on the Roth IRA rules.

What is a Roth IRA?

A Roth IRA is a type of individual retirement account (IRA) that allows you to contribute after-tax money and withdraw it tax-free in retirement. It is named after Senator William Roth, who sponsored

Do you have $30,000 burning a hole in your pocket? You’ll be rewarded if you can invest it for the long haul. As this compound interest calculator demonstrates, investing $30,000 at a return of 8% for 20 years will leave you with $138,828. If you can secure a return of 10% over that time, you’ll end the 20 years with $201,825.

But where should you invest your $30,000? There are many options, but your top priority should be choosing an investment that aligns well with your goals and risk tolerance.

With that in mind, I wanted to review some of my top suggestions for investing $30,000 in 2023. Most of these options are passive in nature, and remember that you can spread your initial investment across more than one option if you prefer.

16 Best Ways to Invest $30,000 in 2023

1. Index Funds 
2. Invest in ETFs
3. Invest in Fractional Shares