How a Former Firefighter Retired at 49 on High-Dividend Stocks

Individual investor Kanchi, who reached FIRE at 49, explains the high-dividend and shareholder-perk stock strategy behind his ¥1 billion portfolio generating ¥24 million in annual dividends.

• Selection criteria: dividend yield ≥4%, PBR ≤15×, consecutive revenue/profit/dividend growth
• Currently holds 600 positions: roughly 50% high-dividend, 30% shareholder-perk stocks, 20% growth stocks
• During the Lehman shock, he deployed his entire savings into stocks yielding over 20%—that move built his FIRE nest egg
• Today his 4% screen returns 200+ names; he views the current investment environment as still favorable
• Red flag: if the Bank of Japan accelerates rate hikes to 2–3 per year and real interest rates turn positive
• On drawdowns: staged buying in proportion to the drop—30% of planned allocation at −10%, 50% at −15%, and so on
• For beginners: start with global equity index funds (all-country or S&P 500), study up, then move into individual stocks

2026-04-25 · Watch on YouTube

Japanese page: 元消防士が語る高配当株FIRE術