The Financial Samurai Podcast

Being an adult is hard, and nobody is ever truly independent.
In this episode, my wife and I talk about spending 30 days in Honolulu with my parents and what it's like to slowly shift from being cared for to being the caretaker. We also get into a bizarre encounter with two park rangers on an empty public tennis court while I was teaching my own kids, and a discussion about what a real adult actually is when a 37-year-old still depends on her father for money.
Three generations, one uncomfortable question about who takes care of who.
We also touch on how hard it was to spend our Summer YOLO Fund. The full accounting comes in tomorrow's post.
Related posts:
Real Adults Are Not Financially Dependent On Their Parents (But That's OK): https://www.financialsamurai.com/real-adults-are-not-financially-dependent-on-parents/ 
 
How Much A Family Needs To Earn To Live Comfortably By City: SF #1!: https://www.financialsamurai.com/how-much-a-family-needs-to-earn-to-live-comfortably-by-city-sf-1/
 
You'll Never Be Free From The Government: Introducing The Leash Ratio: https://www.financialsamurai.com/leash-ratio/ 
 
A Tax Identification System For Determining Your Level Of Freedom: https://www.financialsamurai.com/backwards-tax-identification-system/
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In this episode, I sit down with my friend and fellow school dad Domingo Guerra to trace his entrepreneurial journey: from growing up in Mexico, to studying engineering at UT Austin, to co-founding the mobile cybersecurity company Appthority with my poker and softball buddy Kevin, to selling it to Symantec in 2018. Today, Domingo runs his own seed-stage venture fund focused on cybersecurity, called Chispa VC.
It always fascinates me how people become entrepreneurs, given that most of us just go to college and get a job. I wanted to start a company myself for the longest time, but I chickened out after Goldman Sachs offered me a job out of William & Mary. It took me until 2009 to finally stop waiting for permission and build something of my own. Domingo's story is the version where you take the leap much sooner, and it's a great one.
If you'd like to connect with Domingo, the easiest way is to reach out to him on LinkedIn.
Related posts:
Y Combinator Demo Day: The Quest To Invest In The Best Startups
The Startup Grind Will Make You An AI Maximalist
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With Fundrise's successful listing of VCX on March 19, 2026, its venture capital product, I want to discuss what's potentially next for the fund and for investors. The listing has far surpassed my expectations, and the expectations of most investors.
Anything can happen during the 6-month lock-up period, so it's important to keep expectations low and stay humble. Don't spend any paper profits until you actually have liquidity.
Financial Samurai has been working with Fundrise as a corporate partner for over 10 years now. I'm proud of what Ben Miller and his team have accomplished in democratizing access to venture capital through public venture capital. Let's see what the future holds!
Related posts:
After A Big Investment Win Stay Humble: Clean A Toilet
How ETFs, Open End Funds, and Closed End Funds Trade
Recommended Net Worth Asset Allocation By Age and Work Experience
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If you've benefited from my writing in any way, please pick up a copy of Millionaire Milestones and Buy This Not That, and leave a review on Amazon. These national bestselling books will help you make better financial decisions and reach financial independence sooner rather than later.
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Fundrise is a long-time sponsor of Financial Samurai and Financial Samurai is an investor in Fundrise products. Our investment philosophies are aligned. 

Best,


Sam

For more than a decade, the mantra for boosting your career and income was simple: learn to code. Becoming a programmer or engineer was seen as the clearest path to job security and high pay.
But with the rapid rise of AI, coding is no longer the protective moat it once was. As I revisited my own FIRE plans after leaving work in 2012, I realized the one financial buffer that has consistently stood the test of time: knowing how to invest well.
Forget "learn to code." Learn to invest. Becoming a competent investor may be the most important skill you develop to survive - and thrive - in the coming AI wave.
Posts mentioned:
Becoming A Competent Investor Is A Vital Skill To Master
Gain Financial Security By Creating Financial Buffers For Your Financial Buffers
The FIRE Movement Is So Back Due To AI Disruption
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Diversify Your Retirement Investments
Stocks and bonds are classic staples for retirement investing. However, I also suggest diversifying into real estate. It is an investment that combines the income stability of bonds with greater upside potential.
Consider Fundrise, a platform that allows you to 100% passively invest in residential and industrial real estate. With over $3.5 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. Residential commercial real estate is attract. Meanwhile, the Fed is set to cut rates further.
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To increase your chances of achieving financial independence, join 60,000+ readers and subscribe to my free Financial Samurai newsletter here. Financial Samurai began in 2009 and is the leading independently-owned personal finance site today.

If you are a parent who is interested in FIRE, you should listen to Andy Hill's podcast, Marriage, Kids, & Money on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. It's a great show that talks about all the financial and parenting issues all mothers and fathers face.
Andy also came out with a new book called, Own Your Time: 10 Financial Steps To Put Your Family First and Escape The Corporate Grind. Go check it out, it's a great book for parents looking to achieve financial independence. 
On the podcast, talk about the merits of Coast FIRE, a type of FIRE that I've dubbed the most dangerous early retirement strategy to follow. But the older and more tired I get, the more I've come to accept Coast FIRE's merits. It's certainly beter than aimlessly grinding away at a job you don't love forever. 
If you enjoy this podcast episode, please support my guest Andy, and please share the episode and leave a positive review. Every review means a lot as every podcast episode takes hours to produce.
If you want to achieve financial freedom, you can also sign up for my free weekly newsletter here.