Putting Up A Paywall To Fight AI And Support My Family

Well, folks, after 16 years of diligently writing three free posts a week, I’ve finally decided to erect a paywall. Originally, starting in 2009, my goal was to provide free financial insights for 10 years to help people achieve financial independence sooner. Success! I’ve always believed that if you’re lucky enough to learn something valuable, you should share it and help as many people as possible.

But as a father of two young children in expensive San Francisco, I need to optimize my time better. I can’t keep spending ~20 hours a week writing for Financial Samurai without worthwhile compensation. I’m six years past my original 10-year commitment, and punishing college tuition looms large on the horizon.

Meanwhile, future inflation expectations are at their highest levels since 2022, thanks in part to renewed trade wars. Everything—food, clothing, cars, medical services—is getting more expensive. At the same time, the expected 10-year return for stocks is in the low single digits largely due to high valuations.

I’ve crunched the numbers, and the free model is no longer sustainable as the ads on this site barely cover my growing operating costs. I either need to charge for my content or dramatically cut back my writing and get a job.

For those of you who’ve enjoyed my work all these years, I apologize. But as a father, my priority now is providing for my family.

Before you angrily click away in disgust at the idea of a writer earning money from their work, stick around until the end. You might just find an unexpected surprise.

While debating this paywall move for over a year, I realized something ironic. Mom-and-pop publishers like me keep our content free, while major media outlets put up paywalls left and right. I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to read an article, only to be blocked unless I forked over $9.99 a month.

Eventually, I caved. I now pay Apple News+ just to read the same publications that used to be free! And yet here I am, giving away my content—based on firsthand experience and deep financial knowledge—for nothing.

Not only have my articles helped people build wealth, but they’ve also given readers the confidence to change their lives for the better. I even take the time to respond to reader comments. And yet, somehow, I’m the one working for free while billion-dollar corporations charge for access. That seems unbalanced.

A Paywall = Protection From AI Theft

Another reason for this shift? Artificial intelligence has been scraping freely available content for years without proper attribution. AI chatbots regurgitate my insights without linking back to Financial Samurai, and Google is prioritizing AI-generated summaries over original sources.

By putting my content behind a paywall, AI crawlers won’t be able to steal my work. I need to do what I can to safeguard my future and my children’s future from AI.

Remember, OpenAI began as a nonprofit with the mission of helping humanity. But after raising billions and generating even more in revenue, it shifted to a for-profit model. Employees remain silent about the bait-and-switch, afraid of losing their shares—and with them, generational wealth.

As a result, independent publishers are in a full-blown battle for survival. Fortunately, I’ve invested in private AI companies like OpenAI through an open-ended venture fund to benefit from their growth. Otherwise, I’d be even more outraged at AI companies profiting off writers and creators for free.

Invest In AI As A Hedge

We can either complain about AI or learn how to leverage its tools to become more productive. Since I know I can’t beat AI, I’ll continue to invest in AI as a hedge.

If you’re also concerned about AI taking away jobs from your children in the future, consider hedging by investing in AI itself. Fundrise’s venture capital product offers exposure to companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Anduril, Databricks, Canva, and more.

If AI does make most humans obsolete in 10 years, as Bill Gates predicts, your investments could benefit. And if AI turns out to be overhyped, at least your children will still have opportunities to secure well-paying jobs. Either way, you’ll be prepared.

I’ve personally invested $153,000 in Fundrise venture so far, with plans to get my exposure to $250,000 by the end of the year. Fundrise is a long-time sponsor of Financial Samurai as our investment philosophies are aligned. Thanks for helping by me keep the lights on!

College Tuition Won’t Pay Itself

No parent should assume their kids will earn scholarships or grants. Instead, we should all prepare to pay full tuition or take out loans at the most expensive private universities.

By 2040, four years at a top 50 private university could cost $750,000–$1,000,000. Can the average middle-class family afford that? Probably not—unless they take on massive debt or work for decades longer than planned.

Yes, elite schools like Harvard and MIT offer generous financial aid. But with acceptance rates under 5%, your kid probably isn’t getting in. Be realistic about your child’s college prospects and finances. Assume the worst, plan accordingly, and hope for the best.

Personally, I’m hoping my kids will have the practicality to attend community college for two years before transferring to a public university. But given that their frontal cortex won’t fully develop until around age 25, I can’t count on them making practical decisions.

The Paywall Plan: How Much Will It Cost?

Even though I spend 2–4 hours writing and editing each post, I understand that people prefer free content. Ironically, those same people wouldn’t work for free themselves. Can someone explain how why their belief doesn’t match up with their behavior?

I know most readers will leave once a paywall is up—that’s reality. The challenge is setting a price low enough to retain as many readers as possible while providing way more value. My best guess? A subscription between $1.99 to $4.99 per month. It would include access to my weekly newsletter, which includes real-time insights on investing.

Let’s say Financial Samurai gets 500,000 readers a month, and 98% refuse to pay. That leaves 10,000 loyal readers left. If they pay an average of $3.99 per month, that’s $39,900 in monthly revenue.

At that level, combined with my passive income, I’d finally be able to breathe easier as a father. No more worrying about college tuition, property tax payments, car maintenance, or food costs. Even at just $2 per subscriber a month, that’s still $20,000 a month—plenty to keep this site running and pay for some basic living expenses.

Thank You For Letting Me Help All These Years!

I do feel a sense of sadness at the thought of no longer providing free content. Having come to America at 14, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. One of my greatest joys has been helping people get their finances on track by sharing real stories and practical solutions.

But all good things must come to an end. As an independent publisher, I need to stand up against AI’s exploitation and do what’s necessary to protect and provide for my family.

Since our second child was born in December 2019, it hasn’t been easy financially for my wife and me to both remain stay-at-home parents. To keep FS free for readers, I even took on a part-time job at a startup, but that only lasted four months as I couldn’t stand all the meetings and directives.

At this point, I have no choice but to try to earn a living from my writing. Millions of people get paid for their work—so why shouldn’t I?

The economy isn’t looking great anymore, the stock market is faltering, and stagflation could be coming soon. Adaptation is key. So please enjoy this last free month of Financial Samurai—a subscription menu will be rolling out soon!

Reader Questions

Readers, what have been some of your favorite articles on Financial Samurai? Which ones have helped you the most in improving your finances?

Are there any other personal finance sites that regularly publish in-depth articles from experienced writers for free that we should check out?

Why do those who demand free content refuse to work for free themselves? Why not be consistent in their beliefs and actions? Do I deserve to earn a living from my writing?

Liberation Day Is Here!

Phew! Thanks for letting me get my thoughts out on this tough dilemma. Times are clearly challenging.

That said—Happy April Fool’s Day! I originally planned to publish this on April 1, Tuesday, but since I had just posted on Monday, I wanted to space things out.

I made a promise over a decade ago to keep Financial Samurai free, and I intend to keep that promise. To the kid at the library surfing the net because you don’t have internet at home—I see you.

The challenges I face—AI disruptions, search algorithms sidelining independent sites, raising a family in an expensive city—are all real. But they’re mine to bear, not anyone else’s.

Writing has never been an easy way to make money, and it’s even tougher today. There’s a reason terms like “starving writer” or “starving artist” exist. But I love the craft, and the rewarding feedback from readers like you keeps me going.

How To Support Financial Samurai

If my work since 2009 has brought you value—made you laugh, eased your worries, given you the courage to change your life, or helped you build more wealth than you thought possible—please up a copy of Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps To Seven Figures.

For far less than the cost of a typical yearly subscription, you’ll get one of the best guides to building wealth and achieving financial freedom. You can purchase a copy on Amazon or anywhere you like to buy books.

Thanks for your support! And if not, I appreciate you anyway. Remember, if the direction is correct, sooner or later you will get there.

To Your Financial Freedom,

Sam

Financial Samurai is one of the leading independently-owned personal finance site, founded in 2009. It attracts around 1 million organic pageviews per month, with every article based on firsthand experience—because money is too important to fake. You can also support my work by sharing my articles, subscribing to my free weekly newsletter and podcast on Apple or Spotify. Learn more on my About page.