Sam Harley

@GBInvestor1990 For me I think 12 months can really put your mind at ease

How big should your emergency fund actually be? 3 months, 6 months, or more? I keep 3 months in an easy access ISA. Feels safer than being forced to sell investments at the wrong time. What's your number?

£2m in property. £500k in pensions. rejected for a mortgage. most lenders only care what hits your bank account every month. but there are lenders who'll assess your assets, not just your income. the difference is knowing where to look.

£100/month into an index fund from age 25. by 65, that's likely north of £200k. a client earning £95k told me they were "waiting until they had more money" before they started investing. they'd been saying that for 4 years. we sat down, found £400/month they didn't even notice leaving their account, and put it to work. they wish they'd started sooner.

your ability to earn is your biggest asset. not your house. not your pension. if you couldn't work for 6 months, how long before everything else starts falling apart? income protection isn't glamorous. it's the one policy that actually keeps your life together.

@daytonmills you did good!

At 27 I finally own a home and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. My family always rented and we moved around every year. We got evicted a lot, lived in motels, and lost everything in unpaid storage units several times. When I started making money I just kept renting because you know “it’s better to keep your money in the market.” I decided to do the opposite and left my overpriced SF victorian rental and bought a house 90 minutes out in the country. All cash. The psychological relief I feel knowing I never owe anyone rent or a mortgage payment ever again is immeasurable. Banks and boomers can kiss my ass. I can finally buy furniture without thinking about what it will cost to move to the next apartment. My wife painted her room pink. I stopped checking my portfolio because I’m living in it. We’ve been cooking more, cleaning has become enjoyable, and we are planting a garden knowing it will never be uprooted. I just love this sense of permanence. I’ve never felt this before, it’s so peaceful.

I asked a client what they'd do if they couldn't work for 6 months tomorrow. long pause. most people assume they'd figure it out. sick pay, savings, family. but when you actually map it out, the gap is bigger than they expect. income protection exists for exactly this reason. and it's cheaper than most people think.

@harukaawake japan is greatly admired by british

🇯🇵 Something I'm noticing more and more on X. When we were young, we were told that the Western world looked down on us. But almost all of the anti-Japanese posts come here from developing countries. I have to say that being on X has made me much more pro-Western.

living overseas doesn't just change your tax position. it changes what you're charged. platform fees, FX charges, adviser fees, fund costs. most expats have no idea how much they're quietly losing to fees on financial products they were sold.

@JHWealthSystems Good systems take away the need to rely on willpower . Well done!

My May payslip just landed. Before I spend a penny, £3,250 is already gone. → £650 → ESPP → £500 → S&S ISA → £1,000 → Pension → £1,100 → Mortgage I don't rely on willpower. I don't wait to "see what's left." The money moves automatically, on payday, every month. That's £39,000 a year building wealth without me thinking about it. Systems beat discipline every time.

a client came to me convinced they needed a stocks and shares ISA, a LISA, a SIPP, and a GIA. they'd been watching youtube. we stripped it back. for where they were in life, they needed two accounts. that's it. more accounts doesn't mean better planning. it usually means more confusion.

@DrHenryinvestor Absoluteley. I can happily live in a modest small house

@samhfinance Don't buy toooo much house and tie up all your net worth in an illiquid asset.

the bank says you can borrow £500k. that doesn't mean you should. what matters is what your life looks like after the mortgage payment, not before it.

@UK_Compounder Thats pretty sensible!

We had the ability to borrow an extra £140k on our last move and stretch to a bigger place. We were already taking on a big mortgage, about to start a family, and rates weren't going to stay at 1% forever... So, we didn't max ourselves out to what the bank said, and instead just did some simple calcs ourselves to make sure we could afford the mortgage if it went up to 5%, amongst other contingencies. Best decision we could have taken!

a client had £80k sitting in an old workplace pension they'd completely forgotten about. it had been in a default fund for 9 years. no contributions going in, just sitting there. we moved it into something that actually matched where they are in life. same pot, but now it's working properly.

@EllardKing For me would depend how long i have left until I want to stop full time work

Let's say you had £150,000 in the bank. But you also had a £150,000 mortgage at 4.5% interest. Would you pay it off or invest it?

@DrHenryinvestor yes checking if porting is available on your deal is key.

@samhfinance Maybe to look at porting the mortgage then if moving early ? Life happens sometimes...Moving will always cost money.

fixed rate mortgages feel safe. but if you're planning to move, overpay, or sell within 2-3 years, that early repayment charge might cost you more than the certainty saved you.

@MorganLBrennan have to agree here

Japanese Kit Kats are the best

@mistressdivy thats good 'the market doesnt care who your parents are'

“the stock market is just for rich people” is something poor people say to feel better about not starting. I said it too. at 19. broke and convinced the market wasn’t for me. then I put in $50. then $50 more. I’m not retiring off that. but I understood something nobody taught me in school: the market doesn’t care who your parents are. it only cares that you showed up. what was your excuse for not starting sooner? be honest

@Audrey7866 so true, one night of bad sleep really gets to me these days

You can’t build a high-income life with low energy. Your health sets the ceiling for your success. Train your body like your income depends on it.