PayPay Bank offers 2% interest on yen and dollar deposits (TV Asahi Network (ANN)) - Yahoo! News
I thought, 'A 2% deposit interest rate!?', but immediately thought, 'There must be some trick' and investigated.
In conclusion, I will not use it.
The 2% interest rate on yen deposits applies when the balance of dollar deposits reaches the limit.
The key point is here.
In this scheme, I think it's better to hold US dollar-denominated bonds.
$U.S. 10-Year Treasury Notes Yield (US10Y.BD)$
At this point, I think it's a waste to take a 2% annual interest rate for exchange rate risk.
When considering whether to hold assets in US dollars, I don't think there are many cases where it becomes a definite 'YES'.
I think it's good to wait for a convenient exchange rate timing, like 'switching to yen during a weak yen period'.
$USD/JPY (USDJPY.FX)$
Or if you have plans to use US dollars.
I have multiple US dollar-denominated bonds, but this is not just for asset allocation diversification.
Before the pandemic, I splurged and went to Hawaii with my family, but I want to go again.
When my eldest son graduates from high school in 10 years...

As the year-end approaches, you will begin to see articles on 'What will happen next fiscal year.'
Because of my not-so-great personality, I want to see how last year's forecasts by various companies actually turned out, and be like 'None of them were even close to being right lol.'
So, I will be doing a very popular year-end project (in my opinion).
Now, I have brought the article from the Nikkei newspaper on December 6, 2023.
The market outlook for 2024 is a slightly stronger yen, with resistance around 120 yen. The narrowing of the Japan-US interest rate spread and the potential easing adjustment are also noteworthy - Nikkei Business Daily.
It turns out that Goldman Sachs, which had the most bearish forecast for the yen, was the closest to the actual outcome.
The current USD/JPY exchange rate is here.
$USD/JPY (USDJPY.FX)$
Financial Estimates for 2025 from Nikkei newspaper on December 11, 2024 can be seen here.
The future of the market in 2025 (mid-year) is leaning towards the range of 140-150 yen against the dollar. Domestic and foreign financial institutions are predicting at the end of next year that the interest rate spread will be difficult to narrow due to sluggish rate cuts in the U.S. - Nikkei Asian Review.
I am looking forward to reviewing the answers for next year.
For long-term investors like me, it doesn't particularly matter what happens to the exchange rates.
Even if you try to read things that professionals can't read...

"iDeCo" contributions increased, with the monthly limit raised to 7,000 yen - Government and ruling party: Jiji.com
As soon as I became a corporate manager from a sole proprietor, the contribution limit dropped from 68,000 yen to 23,000 yen. It was a trap.
If the limit is raised, maybe I'll return it to 0.03 million yen.

Moneyforward ME has started offering a new feature "Point Accumulating Household Account Book".
The UX is really the worst.
The "Points" are always displayed in the lower right corner of the app screen and cannot be turned off.
It's a useless and unnecessary feature.
There are too few actions to accumulate points, and it's too trivial like "1 point when launching the app (up to 5 points per month)". In the first place, there is never a moment when you want to refer to these points during app usage.
Adding crappy features really frustrates me and undermines user convenience.
I checked the settings screen and the FAQ, but there is no option to hide it.
Seriously underestimating the users.
I sent a request as a suggestion, "It's a deterioration. Please make it possible to hide."
I'll tolerate it if it's free, but I'm paying, so I really want this kind of thing to stop.
$Money Forward (3994.JP)$

"Interest rate of 18% in reality" causing buzz, unable to access Yamada's RSP page - Future plans and inquiries to the company (ITmedia NEWS) - Yahoo! News
It has become quite a topic, so I did some light information gathering.
In conclusion, I have decided not to get involved, but since it's quite interesting, I will write about the research findings.
I cannot guarantee the accuracy.
- If someone changes one character in the URL of the Yamada Denki website, they may discover a page with campaign information that is not listed in the campaign list.
- There seems to be something like a 'Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation SBI Net Bank Yamada Denki Branch' that is in partnership with Yamada Denki and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation SBI Net Bank, where you can open an account and create a 'Yamada Denki RSP'.
- Originally, if you save money for one year, 5% of the total amount saved will be returned as Yamada Points, but according to the campaign page, it seems that this will increase to 10%.
No entry is required.
As the upper limit is not specified, there are people like 'depositing 10 million yen to be covered by bank deposit protection' or 'putting in 100 million yen to achieve financial independence'.
When trying to set up rsp from the app screen, the upper limit is 0.05 million yen.
- ...

I thought a lot about money last year and made various adjustments and started, but I chose Sumitomo Mitsui SBI Net Bank as my main bank.
My securities account is with SBI Securities.
There are many good things about Sumitomo Mitsui SBI Net Bank, but the normal deposit interest rate is 0.1%, which is not different from the mega banks.
Since most of my funds are invested, my deposit balance is not that significant, but I wanted to deposit the part that I don't touch in a bank with a good interest rate.
With a 0.3% interest rate, depositing one million yen would yield around 2400 yen in annual interest.
It may be modest, but with a 0.1% interest rate, it would be 800 yen, so an extra 1600 yen is a bit pleasing.
One of the conditions to get a 0.3% interest rate is to be in the "Diamond Stage", but I couldn't meet the criteria by using a hybrid deposit at Sumitomo Mitsui SBI Net Bank.
This time, the lock has been released, so I was able to achieve the diamond stage and realize 0.3%.
SBI Securities offers a 0.30% annual interest rate (pre-tax) on yen regular deposits to account holders - with a simple procedure, providing top-tier stage preferential services to everyone | SBI Sumishin Net Bank
So, I created an account with SBI Sumishin Net Bank...

- YouTube
The video featuring Mr. Mayai Yamada, an accountant, was very easy to understand, including the intentions of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. It is recommended.
Resolving the issue of 'restraint in the work of part-time employees and students' is important, but increasing the basic deduction will increase the take-home pay of many citizens, so I really hope this will be realized.
Last year's spot fixed amount tax reduction was very disappointing as it significantly increased the administrative costs for corporate labor and accounting personnel, tax accountants, and tax office, but the effects were not so satisfactory.
The increase in the basic deduction will become permanent, and I think it is a very good tax reduction measure as it does not directly increase administrative costs.
On the other hand, as mentioned in the video, the wall of social insurance is causing headaches for both individuals and companies as both administrative costs and expenses are increasing.
However, at the individual level, the impact is limited to part-time employees, students, and their families.
Personally, regarding the revision of social insurance, there is no impact, and I can benefit from the increase in basic deduction resulting in a decrease in income tax and resident tax.
The wife of a company employee is also the same.
Assuming an increase of 0.75 million yen, only I will be affected by the income tax...

- YouTube
There are many things I don't know, and it was a learning experience.
But the chart and explanation about the early retirement rate that appear in the middle are incorrect...
Deferred receipt increases by 0.7% per month (8.4% per year), while advanced receipt decreases by 0.4% per month (4.8% per year), yet the decrease rate is also assumed to be 0.7%.
When important things that even someone like me knows are explained incorrectly, it also raises doubts about the accuracy of other explanations.
- YouTube
This video also provides a quite realistic calculation of pension amounts, which is helpful as a reference.
I think it's a good idea to try it out because you can calculate in more detail on the pension net.
Although it is a calculation based on the current system, it will be much more accurate than thinking in terms of impressions or averages.
As a result of calculating the annual income and expenditure forecast, including pensions, in a spreadsheet, my financial anxiety for retirement has been greatly reduced.
Life doesn't always go as planned in simulations, and it may be difficult to continue working energetically and earning the expected income, but that's just life.
As a sole proprietor, I am more likely to be unstable than a company employee, and there is also retirement money I can get from the company...