The $10,000 Test
JJ, host of The $10K Test

About

Hi, I'm JJ.

Money advice gets repeated everywhere and tested almost nowhere. "Buy the dip." "Take 8% a year." "Pay off your house first." I wanted to know what those rules would really have done with real money, so I started testing them, and I show the results whether the advice holds up or not.

How every test works

  1. One clear claim. We write the advice down exactly as it's usually said, and name who says it.
  2. Real history, every start year. We run the claim through about 30 years of real market data, starting in every year (or month) we have, not just the one that makes it look good or bad.
  3. Everything that matters to your money. Dividends are reinvested, inflation is counted, and we say plainly what's left out (usually fees and taxes).
  4. The answer in dollars. What $10,000 (or a retiree's $1,000,000) actually did, then a verdict: holds up, it depends, or busted.
Where the numbers come from. Stock market history: the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested (the SPY fund's total return) and other public market data. Inflation: the U.S. Consumer Price Index from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). Each video and email names the data it used and the dates it covers.

Our rules

  • No made-up numbers. Every number on screen and in the email comes from the test.
  • We show the failures. If the advice cost people money, you'll see exactly how much.
  • Nobody pays for a mention. No company pays to appear in a test, video or email.
  • Holdings disclosed. I say what I own that relates to each topic. I don't sell a stock I've mentioned for 30 days after mentioning it, or I tell you first.
  • Not personal advice. I'm not a licensed financial adviser, and this isn't advice about your situation. It's the same for everyone.

What I own

I invest my own money, mostly in individual stocks. I don't own an S&P 500 index fund. Holdings change, so each video and email states what I own that relates to its topic, as of that day.

How it's made

I'm on camera and every verdict is mine. Software, including AI tools, helps run the tests, draw the charts and edit the videos, and every number it touches is checked against the test data.

Get in touch

Reply to any email from The $10K Test, or leave a comment on a YouTube video. Tell me what money advice you want tested next.

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