300 million in assets and 7.51 million in annual dividends! A man who became a “billionaire” by investing all his retirement money talks about “The Realities After FIRE”.
Total assets of over 300 million yen and annual dividends of an astonishing 7.51 million yen. Mr. Pelikan, a master of dividend stock investment, has successfully achieved FIRE (Financial Independence), which every investor dreams of.
While wisely covering his daily dining and living expenses with countless shareholder gifts, he now says, “Money is only valuable when it is converted into memories and experiences that you can only have now. He is enjoying the real FIRE life, pursuing not only financial wealth but also “spiritual wealth,” such as traveling with his family and enjoying luxurious meals out without using special benefits.
How in the world did he manage to achieve such a dreamlike lifestyle?
In this issue, we interview Mr. Pelikan directly and cover everything from “how to use money without regret” that changed his life to how to find “treasured stocks” that continue to support his current stable lifestyle! We also talked with him about the “hot stocks” he is targeting in March, the month in which his company’s fiscal year ends.
Becoming a “Millionaire” by Investing All of His Retirement Funds
In 1919, Mr. Pelikan retired from his job. At that time, he had no intention of becoming a FIRE or a full-time investor, but unfortunately, the “COVID-19 crisis” occurred immediately after his retirement.
He said, “I had dividend income of about 2 million yen a year, and the preferential products kept my living expenses pretty much afloat. With unemployment benefits, I should be able to make a living for about six months, so I thought that during that time I could think about whether I could change jobs or start some kind of business, but no, the world has changed forever because of Corona. There was no time to talk about changing jobs or a business.
So, when I saw the stock price plummet due to the Corona shock, I was hungry to eat from the dividends. I bought as many stocks of banks and trading companies as I could with cash on hand, retirement funds, and whatever else I could find. As a result, my assets increased as the stock market recovered, and I became a billionaire in 2008.
Pelikan’s decision to buy stocks at the height of the Corona Shock was not something that anyone could have done, and he was able to make full use of his experience with the IT bubble burst, the Lehman Shock, and other historic crashes.
He was also surprised to find that the events that would normally shake the foundations of his life, such as the Nintendo stock purchase debacle and the Corona Shock after he retired, have all turned out to be life-changing events.
300 million in assets! Money you won’t regret spending
His current financial assets exceed 300 million yen, and he owns more than 400 stocks. The annual dividend for 2013 was 7.51 million yen, and the expected annual dividend for 2014 is about 8.5 million yen. What kind of life does he lead now as a full-time investor?
My family receives a lot of shareholder special gifts, so we are quite fortunate with groceries and daily necessities. There are also quite a few meal coupons, and we often eat out as a family, but we tend to go to the same restaurants more often than not, and my family complained about it (laughs).
(Laughs.) But while I was still going out, I was influenced by a book called Die With Zero, which changed the way I spent my money.
The book is written by Bill Perkins, an American businessman, and is a bestseller in Japan. The title of the book means “Die with Zero,” and the main theme of the book is how to spend money. It is a book about the pursuit of a truly rich life, not just financial wealth.
In the past, I used to put all my money into investments, thinking first of saving, but recently I have decided to spend my money on “experiences that are only possible now. While my children are in elementary school, I go on trips with them and eat delicious food.
I also go out to eat what I want to eat without using special offers (laughs). I have come to believe that money is valuable not only when it is saved, but also when it is used in the world.
A New Index for Detecting Dividend Increases, the “Remaining Power Index
Mr. Pelikan’s investment in high-dividend stocks is characterized by the fact that while he uses dividend yields and shareholder benefits as a factor in investment decisions, he also emphasizes continuity: “Is it possible to continue providing dividends and benefits in a stable manner? This is because they assume that they will be held for a long period of time.
Recently, they have introduced an index called the “Residual Strength Index. This index is calculated by subtracting DOE (dividend on equity ratio) from ROE (return on equity), and is said to indicate a company’s “room for dividend increases” in the future. The daily prosperity of people’s lives is supported by the selection of stocks based on these reliable indicators.
▼Pelican: I started investing in stocks in the late 1990s, when I was just starting out as a working adult. After going through a number of historic crashes, he quit his job in 1919 and became a full-time investor, living off the dividends from stocks. Annual dividend income in ’25 was 7.51 million yen, and expected dividend income in ’26 is 8.5 million yen. Current total assets are over 300 million yen. He is the author of “Hajimete no Hi-Dividend Stocks” and is scheduled to publish his second book in March, which will show the latest screening techniques using AI.
Mr. Pelikan has successfully achieved FIRE by reversing the adversity of the Corona Shock. His “investment techniques to lead a truly affluent life” and his method of utilizing the “Residual Strength Index,” a new indicator for steadily increasing assets, are filled with hints that we can imitate.
So, specifically, which stocks should we “buy now”?
In the paid edition of “FRIDAY Subscription,” we have published, under our own names, “3 stocks to target this March” that will enrich your daily dining and car life, and that can be expected to pay higher dividends in the future!
With the month of March approaching, check out these “treasure stocks” carefully selected by professionals now to avoid missing out on the dividend wave.
Interview and text： Kenji Matsuoka
After working as a money writer, financial planner, and market analyst for a securities company, Mr. Matsuoka became independent in 1996. He writes articles on finance and asset management mainly for business and economic magazines. Author of "Textbook for the First Year of Robo-Advisor Investing" and "Understanding with Rich Illustrations! The book is entitled "Cashless Payments: How to Benefit from Cashless Payments". X (former Twitter)→@1847mattsuu