For almost 10 years, my father has been my editor-in-chief A financial samurai. If my father is not available, my wife steps in. This system has allowed me to maintain a consistent publishing schedule of three quality posts per week.
Usually, I spend 1.5-3 hours writing a post. Then, dad spends 1–1.5 hours arranging it. After that, I take another 30 minutes or so to add relevant links, photos, and share posts on social media. In total, each post can take up to five hours to produce, although it usually takes less than 10 minutes to read.
No wonder why it's so hard to stay online! Not only does it take a lot of effort to complete a post, everyone expects you to write for free. And if you can't find sponsors, the natural course is to quit.
Fortunately, I enjoy the writing process, spending about 10 hours a week on it. However, by 2022, artificial intelligence (AI) will become mainstream with OpenAI's ChatGPT. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it, as people used it just for conversations—like having a digital friend. Then I was disappointed at how the AI was just stealing everything from the publishers.
But at the beginning of 2024, I got a good situation to use ChatGPT after opening a free account in 2023. After writing each post, I'll just dump the entire post into the software to catch typos and make my writing clear. Not only did this speed up my writing process, but it also saved my father about five hours of work each week.
In other words, AI changed dad's job.
My Dad Was Really Happy AI Has Taken Over
After relying on our writing and editing routine for so long, I felt a little guilty for not sending my drafts back to him. So, one day, I asked him how he felt about it. To my surprise, he was not only negative about it, but he was actually happy!
In the past, she would occasionally complain about my tendency to write too much or talk too much. However, I didn't expect him to be I am happy that he no longer had to edit my posts.
Of course, I wasn't paying him much to plan—his “compensation” was being able to order Uber Eats on my credit card for whatever he and my mom wanted. My card is the default setting on her Uber Eats account. During the time of COVID, I set this up to help them avoid public places and unnecessary driving like seniors in their 70s.
They love to eat, so they really enjoy this arrangement. Although he no longer regularly edits my posts, he is still around A financial samurai meal plan, which I am happy to continue as a way to give back for the years he has helped me for free.
The Problem With AI Taking My Dad's Job
Here's the thing: I didn't just want my dad to be my editor for help—it was a way for us to meet. Since I published three posts a week, and a weekly newsletter, I called, emailed, or texted her at least three times a week. During these exchanges, we would talk about posts, business ideas, and talk about anything else going on in our lives.
Being my editor brought us closer. I had to put up with a lot of critical feedback that was sometimes stinging, but it was worth it. Now that he doesn't schedule regularly, our communication has dropped by 70%.
I still call him once or twice a week, but we don't talk often or in detail anymore. That's the biggest downside of AI replacing dad's work—the decline of our conversations. How sad.
When I started A financial samuraiI looked at it as a place where my parents could check every now and then to see what I was up to. I lived in SF and traveled frequently, while they were abroad or living in Honolulu. Now, I hope it can serve as a repository of my children's thoughts and memories.
Being Purposeful in Retirement Is So Important
Another concern I have about AI taking over dad's job is that it takes away one of his goals. Even though he says he's happy to no longer edit my posts, I wonder if he's really 100% okay with it.
Everyone needs a sense of purpose, especially in retirement. Without purpose, you risk spending your days doing nothing—sitting in front of the TV, letting your mind and body deteriorate.
By keeping the mind challenged, especially during retirement, we can prevent neurodegenerative disorders or at least delay them. If we don't use our minds and bodies, we tend to lose them.
I worry about this for my father because he suffered depression after he retired in 2012. I felt uncertain, anxious, and restless the first few years. I wrote about the downsides of early retirement to help others feel OK to share their concerns.
Writing to you A financial samurai you gave me purpose after I had no more clients to manage. Coming up with new ideas has also sharpened my mind.
Amazing Little Revelations Keep Coming
For example, just the other day, I was telling my wife how happy I was about a simple solution I came up with to the work-from-home debate: work for a company that lets you work from home for a better lifestyle, but invest in companies that require employees to be in the office for better returns. This way, you are at least fenced off.
I have focused on the issue of working from home from the perspective of the employee and the manager but I have not considered it from the perspective of the investor. I'm sure others have thought of this before, but I've never come across it mentioned succinctly as a solution.
Consulting a startup earlier this year, even if only for four months, reminded me how much harder startup employees work compared to those at established companies. Something is always happening and entry-level employees need to be able to multitask.
My recent consulting experience led me to invest heavily in venture capital fund focused on AI. Seeing smart, inspired people create is part of the magic of America. I felt like I was investing in private equity before, but now I have more.
Hopefully, constantly testing my brain with new ideas will keep it healthy for a long time.
Blind Spot: We're Just Two Different People
Maybe dad's retirement is just what he wants—good food, Apple TV+, the occasional exercise class, and quarterly poker nights with friends while we live in Hawaii. As I write this, his retirement sounds good!
After all, you are a traditional retiree in your 70s, while I retired early at 34 and am now 47. I probably have more energy to innovate just because I'm younger. Me too fascinated by doing as much as possible before I can't work. My father has been retired for over 20 years. So now, he knows for sure what makes him happy.
Maybe my fear is that I see so many active people in their late 60s and 70s playing pickleball, which surprises me. So, part of me dreams of that level of work, skill, and community of my father.
But I have come to realize—and accept—that we are just two different people with different levels of satisfaction. If he doesn't care, why should I care? Besides, it is difficult to change one's habits so late.
AI May Come to Your Job, Too
Fortunately, my father doesn't need an editorial job for a living. After decades of working abroad, he has a lifetime pension. But what I do know is that AI is coming with millions of jobs. My father's work was one of them, and yours may be the next.
AI has increased my productivity by about 35%, and I expect that to increase as I get better at using it. Some website owners are now producing hundreds of articles a month with AI, while I still stubbornly stick to 16.
I used to be skeptical about AI, but once I learned how to use it, I became a believer. This year, I have invested over $140,000 in private AI companies, with plans to invest as much as my money allows.
Learn How to Use AI to Your Advantage
You need to get comfortable with AI to improve your productivity at work. Learn all the tools and applications you can because if you don't, someone else will, and you'll be left behind.
I currently use ChatGPT for basic work: editing. But the more drafts I eat of it, the better it will be at learning my writing style. Finally, the AI can generate 80%+ optimized posts based on the topics and parameters I set. That can save three to six hours a week.
I could finally sit on the beach every day, sipping a margarita after a round of tennis. Such a life! Yes, I can do that now, but I don't do that because I enjoy being productive. There is something deeply rewarding about creating something out of nothing.
Writing is part of me mill—not only brings me joy but also helps me deal with problems, which gives me a deep sense of satisfaction. By writing this post, I have realized the futility of trying to change someone based on my desires and the importance of letting people be.
I'm not ready to let AI take away the joy of effort and creativity just yet.
Maybe I'll teach my dad how to use ChatGPT to edit my posts the next time I visit him. He's used Grammarly before, and since he's not that excited about editing my work, the AI can save him a lot of time. Who knows, maybe his interest will return as he adds his personal touch while keeping his mind sharp!
But then again, that might just be me playing. I will join him when he reads this post.
Student Questions
Has AI taken over your job yet? If not, are you worried that it will happen? How are you using AI to increase your productivity? I'd love to hear all the ways you've integrated AI into your work. Or, do you avoid AI altogether?
If you are interested in investing in AI companies like hedges, look Product of fundrise venture capital. It invests in the following sectors:
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
- Modern Data Infrastructure
- Development Activities (DevOps)
- Financial Technology (FinTech)
- Real Estate & Property Technology (PropTech)
About 65% of Fundrise venture capital is invested in artificial intelligence, which interests me. In 20 years, I don't want my kids to wonder why I didn't invest in AI or work in AI!
The minimum investment is also only $10 and I have invested $143,000 in Fundrise venture so far and Fundrise is a long time sponsor of Financial Samurai.
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