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“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”We’ve all heard that phrase, alongside the concept of having “the right tool for the job.”I submit that many people in the…
“If all you have i…
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”We’ve all heard that phrase, alongside the concept of having “the right tool for the job.”I submit that many people in the Retirement Planning community (especially online in DIYer circles) do not have the right tools or mental models for including long-term stock market returns in their financial plans.Example 1:I saw this question on Reddit this week:Howdy! Currently 26, I can FIRE at 45 if I get 8% returns. What percent returns for the stock market do you guys use planning for 20+ years out? The …
Jesse Cramer
November 9, 2024 
There are a few broad categories that trigger people to reach out to me.Retirement planning is biggest. Major life changes (marriage, divorce, having kids) is a common reason, too.Another one…
There are a few broa…
There are a few broad categories that trigger people to reach out to me.Retirement planning is biggest. Major life changes (marriage, divorce, having kids) is a common reason, too.Another one, albeit slightly more unique: “I have a good handle on our finances, but I want to get you involved because my spouse needs someone trustworthy. If I get hit by a bus, I want you already involved to fully take the reins.”But somewhere in the Top 5 most common reasons is the rationale for today’s article:“I received a BIG sum of Money…and I have no idea what to do next!”…
Jesse Cramer
October 30, 2024 Much ink has been spilled on the 4% rule, including here on The Best Interest.The short and sweet definition? The 4% rule is a retirement strategy that suggests withdrawing 4% of your portfolio…
Much ink has been sp…
Much ink has been spilled on the 4% rule, including here on The Best Interest.The short and sweet definition? The 4% rule is a retirement strategy that suggests withdrawing 4% of your portfolio’s value annually, adjusted for inflation, to ensure your savings last for a 30-year retirement.If you’d like to dive deeper on some nuance of the rule, read this: Updated Trinity Study and the 4% Rule.And if you’d like to avoid the common mistakes of using the 4% rule, read this: You’re Probably Using the 4% Rule All WrongToday, though, I want to show you some compelling data…
Jesse Cramer
October 24, 2024 
‘Twas the night before Christmas, etc. etc., and you’re jazzed. Christmas is great! Morning comes, you let the dog out to pee and fix yourself some coffee. Fresh cinnamon buns! Soon it’ll be tim…
‘Twas the night be…
‘Twas the night before Christmas, etc. etc., and you’re jazzed. Christmas is great! Morning comes, you let the dog out to pee and fix yourself some coffee. Fresh cinnamon buns! Soon it’ll be time to open presents.You bend down low by the Christmas tree, and there, behind the nicely wrapped boxes and doo-dads, you see…a plain bag full of puzzle pieces? …With YOUR name on it?!I think you’d immediately face three burning questions: The first and most obvious: What the hell?! Whose sick idea is this?Second, once you’ve accepted this strange reality: Are you s…
Jesse Cramer
October 15, 2024 
I started a great dialogue with “Carl” in August and immediately felt a kindred Lifestyle connection. Carl and his wife, “Colleen,” are about my age, with young children, and they earn a healt…
I started a great di…
I started a great dialogue with “Carl” in August and immediately felt a kindred lifestyle connection. Carl and his wife, “Colleen,” are about my age, with young children, and they earn a healthy-but-not-astronomical income ($160,000 pre-tax, which puts their family in the ~75th percentile). Carl reached out to share some exciting news: Their family surpassed $1M in net worth at age 35. They are millionaires. I prodded Carl and Colleen for the tips, tricks, hacks, and pitfalls on his path to millionaire status. Yes, he’s been reading and listening to The Best Interest for a …
Jesse Cramer
October 9, 2024 
Whether you’re a dedicated DIYer or prefer to lean on professional guidance, the truth is clear: smart financial planning can save you a lot of money over time.Below, I’ll share some recent e…
Whether you’re a d…
Whether you’re a dedicated DIYer or prefer to lean on professional guidance, the truth is clear: smart financial planning can save you a lot of money over time.Below, I’ll share some recent examples of tactical planning moves I participated in, including how much money was saved.COVID PanicIn March 2020, you could be forgiven for thinking: “the world is ending, and I want to sell everything.”But with proper perspective and an investment policy statement – both hallmarks of sound financial planning – many investors stayed the course.They rode the stock mark…
Jesse Cramer
September 22, 2024 
After a recent podcast episode, a listener asked me to expound on debt’s “silent assassination technique.” Debt is not a cobra that unexpectedly strikes from the undergrowth. It’s a python you…
After a recent podca…
After a recent podcast episode, a listener asked me to expound on debt’s “silent assassination technique.” Debt is not a cobra that unexpectedly strikes from the undergrowth. It’s a python you stupidly take out of the cage and allow to slither around your torso until you suddenly realize it’s squeezing harder than you can handle.In this post, you’ll find some simple math to show you how stifling debt interest can be.Of course, we need a disclaimer. Not all loans are the same. Some loans are perfectly acceptable to hold on your balance sheet. Namely, loans with low intere…
Jesse Cramer
September 16, 2024 
It can be fun to ponder the details of your specific portfolio allocation. Should it be 70% stocks? 75%? Maybe even 80%?! We had a terrific question from reader “Vince” about just this idea:…
It can be fun to pon…
It can be fun to ponder the details of your specific portfolio allocation. Should it be 70% stocks? 75%? Maybe even 80%?! We had a terrific question from reader “Vince” about just this idea:Winning the Game: Retiring at 57 with $4.2MThose conversations move the needle and are essential to an overall financial plan.But there are far more critical portfolio questions to ask yourself. FAR more important. Namely questions like…How would you have acted on September 12, 2001?How about during March and April of 2020?What about during the depths of 2007 & 2008?…
Jesse Cramer
September 13, 2024 
The bachelor party decided to go to the casino. I happily went along for the ride. The behavioral Finance nerd in me was ready to witness fascinating behavior. Gambling can certainly be entertaining, …
The bachelor party d…
The bachelor party decided to go to the casino. I happily went along for the ride. The behavioral finance nerd in me was ready to witness fascinating behavior. Gambling can certainly be entertaining, but it’s not financially savvy. As long as you know that, you’ll be ok – albeit a little lighter in the wallet.This particular casino had an engaging “loss leader.”* They offered $15 in free casino credit to new gamblers. The scheme, of course, is cynical. They hope those free bets hook you, knowing that a regular gambler will surely lose back more than the free $15 over a long peri…
Jesse Cramer
September 4, 2024 
In August 1979, Warren Buffett wrote an article for Forbes attacking the herd instinct of investors. The late 1970s were tough for the American Economy, and the stock market reacted harshly.B…
In August 1979, Warr…
In August 1979, Warren Buffett wrote an article for Forbes attacking the herd instinct of investors. The late 1970s were tough for the American economy, and the stock market reacted harshly.Buffett wrote,“…the future is never clear; you pay a very high price in the stock market for a cheery consensus. Uncertainty actually, is the friend of the buyer of long-term values.” Warren BuffettThe future is never clear. Let Buffett’s Wisdom sink in. Uncertainty surrounds us, like fog on the highway. Risk is omnipresent. Say it with me: risk is omnipresent. Only our perce…
Jesse Cramer
August 28, 2024 
Friend-of-the-blog Anthony is a personal friend who read my very first articles when I shared them on Facebook. He’s seen The Best Interest grow over time. A couple of years ago, I told him tha…
Friend-of-the-blog A…
Friend-of-the-blog Anthony is a personal friend who read my very first articles when I shared them on Facebook. He’s seen The Best Interest grow over time. A couple of years ago, I told him that The Best Interest wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I felt directionless at the time, and was considering hanging up my writing gloves for good. And, in fact, I did hang up my podcasting microphone for a couple years.He responded, “You know Jess…you can’t see the picture if you’re standing inside the frame. I’m outside the frame. So trust me when I say: You’ve got something sp…
Jesse Cramer
August 22, 2024 
One of Charlie Munger’s famous speeches is “How to Live a Life of Misery.” Rather than tell graduates how to live happily, he delivered the opposite message. Because if you avoid life’s surefi…
One of Charlie Munge…
One of Charlie Munger’s famous speeches is “How to Live a Life of Misery.” Rather than tell graduates how to live happily, he delivered the opposite message. Because if you avoid life’s surefire miseries, what’s left but happiness? Right!?Munger was famous for quoting famous mathematician Carl Gustav Jacobi (as in, “Jacobians” in vector calculus) who said,“Invert. Always invert.” JacobiSome math problems, quite simply, are easier to solve if you turn them inside-out.Today we’ll do the same, but for personal finance and Investing. What follows are my be…
Jesse Cramer
August 14, 2024 
I’m drafting this on August 5, 2024. The S&P 500 is down about 8.5% over the past three weeks. Headlines are screaming at us. CNBC is throwing a fit. Our bowling partner just posted an apocalyptic w…
I’m drafting this …
I’m drafting this on August 5, 2024. The S&P 500 is down about 8.5% over the past three weeks. Headlines are screaming at us. CNBC is throwing a fit. Our bowling partner just posted an apocalyptic warning on Facebook – stick to bowling, Frank!But the seasoned long-term investors remain cool as a cucumber. Or, as our critics would say, cool as a corpse. Are you guys really ignoring this one?!Yes, we are. We’re over here like Jules and “Pumpkin” in Pulp Fiction. There might be some chaos in the diner, but we’re imploring Honey Bunny to “stay cool.”And here’s…
Jesse Cramer
August 8, 2024 
Caleb writes in this week with a SPICY question. The answer surprised me. It might surprise you too.Jesse – I work for a small company that does not currently offer a 401(k) match. Do the numb…
Caleb writes in this…
Caleb writes in this week with a SPICY question. The answer surprised me. It might surprise you too.Jesse – I work for a small company that does not currently offer a 401(k) match. Do the numbers still suggest I should utilize it? CalebWhat Are We Comparing?We need a point of comparison. If Caleb doesn’t use his company 401(k), we’re going to assume he contributes money into a normal taxable brokerage.As you’ll see, I analyzed various “employer match” percentages (100%, 50%, 0%) and also looked at skipping the 401(k) to use a taxable brokerage.The Expectatio…
Jesse Cramer
July 31, 2024 
You need to understand your willingness, need, and ability to take portfolio risks. It’s an idea that straddles the line between personal preference and objective truth.Let’s break down each …
You need to understa…
You need to understand your willingness, need, and ability to take portfolio risks. It’s an idea that straddles the line between personal preference and objective truth.Let’s break down each of the three constituents, then put it all together with an example.NeedYour need to take risks relates to the amount of objective investment Growth required to meet your financial goals.Understanding need starts with a comprehensive financial plan showing your projected cash flow over the next 10 or 20 years. Money in, money out, and most pertinent to today’s topic, your projec…
Jesse Cramer
July 29, 2024 
Friend of the blog Matt sent in a great question this week:Hi Jesse – do you have any recommendations when it comes to life insurance? I know Term is the way to go, but that’s about all I go…
Friend of the blog M…
Friend of the blog Matt sent in a great question this week:Hi Jesse – do you have any recommendations when it comes to life insurance? I know Term is the way to go, but that’s about all I got…I scanned your blog posts and didn’t see anything too specific with it but if you have any guidelines for pricing or coverage recommendations, please let me know! MattMatt’s Right. We Want Term!Matt’s right. Term life insurance is the best option in 99.99% of cases.Other types of life insurance (Whole, Variable, Universal, etc.) are bloated products that are “pushed…
Jesse Cramer
July 23, 2024 
If you told and asked the average American, “The former President and current presidential candidate was shot in the ear on Saturday in an attempt on his life. What will the stock market do on Mond…
If you told and aske…
If you told and asked the average American, “The former President and current presidential candidate was shot in the ear on Saturday in an attempt on his life. What will the stock market do on Monday?“Doug Mills, The New York TimesI doubt many people would answer, “Ehhh – basically nothing. The market won’t care.” But the market had an unnoteworthy, “basically nothing” day on Monday, July 15. It was up 0.28%. Whoop-dee-doo.Why?Most people misunderstand what the market cares about. While individuals are undoubtedly concerned about how this assassinati…
Jesse Cramer
July 15, 2024 
It’s breakfast time, you’re hungry, and I’m offering you two options:A healthy, adult henTwo dozen eggsYour first thought is probably: “Seriously? It’s just breakfast. I don…
It’s breakfast tim…
It’s breakfast time, you’re hungry, and I’m offering you two options:A healthy, adult henTwo dozen eggsYour first thought is probably: “Seriously? It’s just breakfast. I don’t want a live chicken running around my house.”Forget that thought for now.If you’re like me, your mind next asks, “If I do choose the chicken, how many eggs can I expect over time? What’s the risk the chicken doesn’t get to two dozen eggs? Am I willing to wait for two dozen – or hopefully more – eggs to arrive?”When we know those answers, we can make a smart decisio…
Jesse Cramer
July 12, 2024 
