With trade wars, massive federal government employee cuts, fallout with Ukraine, and worsening relationships with European countries, the Trump administration is kicking off with significant uncertainty and chaos.

I spoke with Ben Miller, co-founder and CEO of Fundrise, about how this turbulence could impact the real estate market. In essence, chaos can be good for real estate, and he believes real estate will outperform stocks in 2025 and potentially 2026.

Read the post with charts: Chaos, Uncertainty, Fear: Wonderful For Real Estate Investors

Join 60,000+ others and sign up for the free Financial Samurai newsletter here. Financial Samurai is the leading independently-owned personal finance site in the world with over 1 million organic pageviews a month. It was started in 2009 and everything is wirtten and spoken based off firsthand experience and knowledge. 

With stock market volatility returning and the potential for an economic slowdown ahead, I can’t help but feel grateful for the incredible gains we’ve made in 2023 and 2024. This reflection led me to record why I believe those who actively manage their finances are among the luckiest people on earth.

With our million-dollar mindsets (post), we’re not just accumulating wealth—we’re creating happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives than those who neglect their finances.

Since 2020, those of us who prioritize financial growth have seen our investments soar, making life significantly easier. My hope is that more people embrace this mindset—because with greater financial security comes more freedom, love, and opportunity for all.

Time To Take Action

If you’re ready to take control of your finances and unlock new possibilities, pre-order Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps to Seven Figures. This book will guide you toward financial freedom, helping you design life on your own terms.

Order your copy on Amazon or wherever you buy books. Your future self will thank you.

Join 60,000+ others and sign up for the free weekly Financial Samurai newsletter as well. I keep you engaged and thinking about personal finances so you can keep on building wealth for you and your family. 

I speak with Dr. Jordan Grumet about building purpose for a happier and more meaningful life. If you're feeling stuck, as many of us so inevitably do at some point, Dr. Grumet has a new book out called The Purpose Code (Amazon) to help you find your way. 

You can learn more about Dr. Grumet's book and his podcast, Earn & Invest, at Jordangrumet.com. 

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd appreciate a share, rate and review. Each podcast takes hours to record and produce and your reviews keep me going. 

If you want to stay on top of everything I write on Financial Samurai, you can subscribe to my free weekly newsletter here (www.financialsamurai.com/news).

In part 2 of my discussion with Ben Miller, CEO of Fundrise, and sponsor of Financial Samurai, I ask him about how an open-ended venture capital fund works. 

If I’m going to build a $500,000+ position in an open-ended fund to gain more exposure to private AI companies, I want to fully understand how the fund operates.

Here are some of the questions I asked during our discussion:

• What happens to a private company that successfully goes public, and how does this impact the fund?
• Is it harder to identify a promising company or to actually invest in that company?
• How does Fundrise and other venture capital firms compete to gain access to invest in private companies?
• How does Fundrise approach risk management in its investments?
• What’s the process for writing checks to invest in companies?
• If you don’t have cash on hand, how do you secure a line of credit to invest in a company?
• How do you provide liquidity to investors in the Innovation Fund?
• How do you determine the size of a fund you want to run?

Related post: Why I'm Only Investing In Open-Ended Venture Capital Funds Going Forward

Join 60,000+ readers and subscribe to my free weekly newsletter here. My goal is to help you reach financial freedom sooner, rather than later. 

In this episode, I speak to Ben Miller, co-founder and CEO of Fundrise about his outlook for commercial real estate in 2025. Despite high mortgage rates, he's taken a positive view and he shares the main reasons why. 

Investing in stocks and bonds in your 401(k) or IRA are classic staples for retirement investing. However, I also suggest diversifying into real estate—an investment that combines the income stability of bonds with greater upside potential.

I’ve personally invested over $300,000 with Fundrise, and they’ve been a trusted partner and long-time sponsor of Financial Samurai. With a $10 investment minimum, diversifying your portfolio has never been easier.

Fundrise enables you to 100% passively invest in residential and industrial real estate without the headache of maintenance or tenants. With about $3 billion in private real estate assets under management, Fundrise focuses on properties in the Sunbelt region, where valuations are lower, and yields tend to be higher. 

Subscribe To Financial Samurai

Listen and subscribe to The Financial Samurai podcast on Apple or Spotify. I interview experts in their respective fields and discuss some of the most interesting topics on this site. Your shares, ratings, and reviews are appreciated.

To expedite your journey to financial freedom, join over 60,000 others and subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter.

Financial Samurai is among the largest independently-owned personal finance websites, established in 2009. Everything is written based on firsthand experience and expertise because money is too important to be left up to pontification. 

One of the biggest reasons I was against contributing to a Roth IRA is my belief that most people won’t make more money in retirement than while working. As a result, they’re unlikely to pay a higher tax rate in retirement than during their working years.

While most Americans earn less in retirement, you aren’t most people. You subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter and are obsessed about money and living an incredible life!

Readers of personal finance sites like this one are likely saving far more and investing more strategically than the average individual. We're a nerdy bunch who care immensely about our financial future.

Thanks to the power of compounding, decades of disciplined saving and investing could result in you earning far more in retirement than you ever anticipated.

And perhaps equally as important is understanding how 401(k) and IRA withdrawals are taxed. They are considered deferred income and will be taxed as income, not capital gains. 

You can read more and discuss on my post: Why You May Make More In Retirement Than While Working. There's an example too. 

If you’re serious about building wealth and retiring comfortably, consider signing up for Boldin’s powerful retirement planning tools. They offer a free version and a PlannerPlus version for just $120/year—an affordable alternative to hiring a financial advisor. For the paid version, there's a free 14-days trial.

Boldin was specifically designed for retirement planning, providing a holistic approach to financial management. It goes beyond managing your stock and bond portfolio by integrating real estate investments, guiding Roth conversions to minimize taxes, helping with college savings, and addressing other real-life financial scenarios we all face.

As I approach the traditional retirement age, I’ve found Boldin’s tools particularly helpful in deciding how much to convert to a Roth IRA. The ability to model various “what if” scenarios has been invaluable for planning my future, especially for when I’m older and less able to manage my finances.

To Your Financial Freedom,

Sam

Thanks for rating, sharing, and subscribing to my podcast. Every review means a lot. 

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re enjoying the time off and doing some reflecting. I’ve returned to San Francisco after eight days of being in Oahu and am ready to relax some more!

Here are some quick thoughts about what to expect in 2025 for the stock market, real estate market, and Financial Samurai. 

Mentioned posts:

2025 Wall Street S&P 500 Forecasts Are All Bullish – Uh Oh!

2025 Housing Price Forecasts: Continued Strong Gains

2025 Goals And Resolutions: Back To Simple Retirement Living

2024 Year In Review: A Year Of Transition And Luck

The Best Of Financial Samurai 2024: Favorite Posts And Popular Reads

30/30/3 Home Buying Rule To Follow

Join 60,000+ other readers achieving financial sooner by subscribing to my free weekly newsletter here. 

I speak to high school principal, John Durante, about his latest book, Straight From The Admissions Office. We also talk in depth about how high school students can boost their chances of getting into a top college. 

John has interviewed hundreds of college admissions officers on his podcast, The College Admissions Process Podcast, and plans to interview hundreds more!

If you have any questions you’d like John  to cover on future episodes, or any comments you’d like to share, please email him at: [email protected] And don’t forget to visit his website at www.collegeadmissionstalk.com

More resources:

Monica Romero Matthews - Facebook Group:

Scholarship Help & College Talk for Parents 

https://how2winscholarships.com

I recently spoke with Steve Chen, founder of Boldin (formerly NewRetirement), about common concerns retirees face. Boldin stands out as the most comprehensive DIY financial planning software I’ve encountered. It goes beyond analyzing stocks and bonds, incorporating other investments to optimize your net worth. Boldin also helps address key financial goals like buying a house, saving for college, planning for retirement, and more.

You can start with Boldin’s Basic Planner for free—it’s far more detailed than a typical retirement calculator.

For just $120 a year, you can upgrade to PlannerPlus, unlocking its full potential. It’s a fraction of the cost of hiring a financial advisor, and you can access it anytime without additional fees. Most importantly, PlannerPlus provides peace of mind, actionable insights, and the tools to grow your wealth far beyond the cost of the software.

For more information, see my post on Financial Samurai: Boldin Financial Planner Review: A Game-Changer For Financial Independence

I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Bengen, creator of the "4% Rule" for retirement planning. Bill has been a reader of Financial Samurai for many years and has always been courteous in the comments section when I write about safe withdrawal rates. So, I figured it was time we had a chat to clear up some misconceptions.

For those unfamiliar, the 4% Rule, developed by Bill in the 1990s, suggests that traditional retirees (around age 65) can safely withdraw 4% of their retirement portfolio in the first year—adjusted for inflation in subsequent years—without running out of money over a 30-year period.

Here’s what I learned from Bill that helped clarify the 4% Rule:

1. Not a Hard “Rule”: Bill considers the 4% Rule more of a guideline than a strict rule. He encourages flexibility with withdrawal rates, though it’s often treated as a rigid rule in the public eye.
2. 4% Isn’t Actually Aggressive: Contrary to popular belief, Bill’s data shows that 4% is actually conservative. In his study of 400 retirees since 1926, only one retiree (who retired in 1968) had to stick to a 4% rate to avoid running out of money. The rest withdrew an average of 7% without depleting their portfolios.
3. Adjusting for Inflation: The 4% Rule isn’t static; it adjusts with inflation. For instance, if you start with a $1 million portfolio and withdraw $40,000 one year, you would adjust that amount by inflation the next year to $44,000. This means your withdrawals fluctuate with your financial needs and economic conditions.

You can e-mail bill at [email protected] if you have any questions. 

Posts mentioned:

Misconceptions About The 4% Rule With Bill Bengen

The Proper Safe Withdrawal Rate

Finishing Rich In A Low Return Stock Market Environment

If you enjoyed this episode please rate, share, and susbscribe. Every review means a lot as every episode takes hours to record, edit, and produce. Thank you!

To expedite your journey to financial freedom, join over 60,000 others and subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter. Financial Samurai is among the largest independently-owned personal finance websites, established in 2009.