June is a mere two days away. In terms of finances, I had an unexpected vet visit after taking my dog to a friend’s house. Sparing unnecessary details she had a stomach issue and needed some medication to help address it. Her eye inflammation thing also came back so they had to do a test for that. $243 later. It’s like if I don’t constantly watch what she’s eating she will eat whatever she possibly can…

In terms of quality of life… My current approach is to behave like I’m taking myself out on a date. Even though I am very much single. I would see acquaintances of mine go on trips together, or even have parties without me or even mentioning an invite. If that’s how it’s going to be, why wait for them at all. Do my own shit with people I like spending time with, or do it alone.

I was in a bit of a dark place earlier in the month. The shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY. Then the tragedy in Uvalde TX at an elementary school. One of my friends is from the area and he’s wanting to do some type of charity for the victim’s families. More recently there was a shooting 3 miles from me at an apartment complex where 2 people were dead and one injured. Late last year the 23 yo son of a lady I worked with was hanging with the wrong crowd and someone shot at the group through the garage and he was shot and killed.

The gun violence in America is out of control, the leaders in states like Texas are making it easier to get guns. I think our governor was supposed to be show up for an NRA meeting just a few days after.. On top of that, If you’re a minority, you’re at a much higher risk of being pulled over and shot by a police officer or being subjected to other types of police brutality. Then I thought about the church shootings, and Pulse nightclub… It’s so easy to go down that rabbit hole. I honestly had to take a break from the news, it’s so damn depressing. It triggered anger, anxiety, helplessness, and PTSD all at once. I couldn’t focus on my daily routine. I’m doing better now, but it wasn’t easy to try and pivot.

One group I played on a sports team with this season. The last 3 games we had to forfeit due to a lack of players. When we did play morale was low because we never won any games, no one would show up for practice. Then I’d see the captain and a few players get together to play a different sport just a few days later (after a supposed injury) and talk about how amazing it was. Kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Plus a few other things I’ll leave out on here. Moral of the story is sometimes it’s better to coordinate with strangers vs people you know who are sketchy.

Beside that, last week Monday was 18 years since my father passed away, later in the week was my mom’s birthday, and mom / stepdad’s 17 year anniversary was just a few days later. I haven’t been back home since 2018 and still feel bad about that, especially when I see people who see their family every weekend or once a month. New York is such an expensive state to live in, I don’t think I could easily make the numbers work and aggressively contribute to retirement even on my current salary.

I also found out that my boss is leaving whom I’ve worked with on and off going back to 2013. Kind of not sure what the future holds. I’m in good standing with my other boss and overall, just a big adjustment in management styles. They’re looking to backfill his position but who knows how long that will take…

Aside from that let’s talk about what’s currently going on with finances. The market has been all over the place.

I completely sold all of my crypto. I thought I would be a HODLer but didn’t feel lke losing the last $900 in my portfolio. I think I lost close to 60% of what I invested, a couple of days before LUNA crashed (I didn’t own any). Everything I held just kept dropping and dropping, and dropping some more. It was an experiment, there was a time when I planned to invest significantly more but didn’t have the appetite for it. In hindsight that was a smart decision. I’ll get a tax benefit come year end as a capital loss. The above gain is a little bit deceiving since I have been contributing close to $2,600/mo in my investments including matching. Compared to June 2021 I was at $151k, so still up roughly 21% up

My HSA finally hit the $2k mark meaning everything above is also now going into and S&P 500 index fund. It’s a milestone I’m hitting for the first time ever so that’s a good thing. It doesn’t seem like that long ago where I didn’t even have enough extra money to put into an HSA.

This memorial day I went on a little retreat to a park in Little Elm. Nice break from sitting in the apartment staring at screens all day. I didn’t get in the water but I walked on the boardwalk and through the nature trail. Even when there are some bad times, it’s important to resync, be present and focus on ourselves / a few close people. The weight of the world’s problems shouldn’t fall on me.

Thinking about splurging on a few things. Yesterday I dropped about $220 on clothes and a pair of shoes at Nordstrom Rack. The shoes they replaced I bought in 2019 and threw out because the foam was coming out of the heel. Thinking about getting the fancy 5k Apple Studio Display, there’s nothing equivalent on the market but it’s also missing some features I want. Also these gas prices have me thinking about something more fuel efficient. 23mpg with 4.70/gallon premium.. 10k miles a year, that’s a little over $2k for just gas. In 5 years assuming prices are the same that’s $10k assuming gas prices don’t go up even higher. By then the car will be 11 years old and resale will be pretty low compared to the $20k I can get today. Decisions….

I’m thankful for what I do have even if it’s not quite the way I want it to be yet. I’ll be working again in less than 9 hours. I aim to be an efficient problem solver, it can be hit or miss. Ok that’s where I’m at now. Sometimes it feels like no progress when I look at just the numbers but I’m buying ownership of companies at a discount.

Trying to avoid the 40-life crisis, but I’m reading stories of people in their 40s / 50s and thinking yeah I’m going to try to do better. I’m going to have some money in retirement, I’m not going to rack up unnecessary debt, I’m not going to wait until I’m old to enjoy travelling. I’m going to find love. I’m not going to neglect my health or let regrets and fear hold me back. I’m not going to buy a mcmansion and buy things to impress people I don’t even talk to. These are just thoughts.. Ok bed time.

Shoutout to my friend Stacey who was recently featured on the Podcast Next in Queue – Stacey Pryce.

Back in the olden days when Debt Free Alpha was just a young lad, I worked at two supermarkets. The first was in 1999 at this store called Met Foodmarkets. I would ride my Raleigh M-20 mountain bike about about a mile to work and park my bike in the back of the store. I made a whopping $5.15 per hour, no benefits, and worked the registers. I learned a lot from that experience about how not to be an effective boss and how I was yearning for more in life.

Fast forward to 2001 I worked at a different supermarket, which I quit once then got rehired after a few weeks of my rapidly dwindling savings. During my employment there I met a friendly, but insecure young lady by the name of Stacey. She rode her bike to work, worked in the Bakery, and was afraid to learn how to drive. We became friends and over the years I’ve seen her blossom into a confident, passionate person.

I still can’t believe she’s rocking the 2010 MacBook Pro. I remember when she was shopping around for different laptops and couldn’t decide which one to get. Stacey if you’re reading this, it’s 2022. The 2021 Apple Silicon MacBook Pros are pretty dang amazing. 😉

A common theme of this particular episode is getting out of your comfort zone and not selling yourself short. Looking back over the course of my life and career making those changes are what allowed me to grow and hit salary and investment goals I didn’t think would be attainable before the time I hit 40.

Check out her Link.tree and podcasts. <3.

Lastly I’m trying to avoid burnout and it’s close to midnight but I hope you are all doing well. The last two days have pulled at my emotions but I’m staying focused on what I as an individual do have the power to control. Deep breaths, meditation, one step at a time. Tomorrow I have meetings for the entire day from 8:30-5:30, then meeting friends after that. wish me luck.

I consider myself middle class though based on this 2020 tool by the Pew Research Center I am within the Upper income tier along with 21% of others in the area.

I don’t feel like I’m Upper Class, more like middle class. As a single person I don’t own a home, travel very frugally when I do, don’t spend too extravagantly. Then inflation, inflation, inflation. Speaking of, my rent is expected to go up $180/mo from $955/mo to $1,135. That’s an 18.8% increase from where I was

What are the pros living here? It’s relatively quiet, my neighbors stay out of my business, neither the dog or I have to walk up a long flight of stairs, parking is decent and they don’t tow cars if someone stays here for a few hours / days. It’s still cheap relative to both my income and in terms of what other people pay. One of my friends in Frisco has a Ring camera and has had packages stolen or knocked around, drunk young guys ring his bell at all hours of the night. I haven’t had to experience any of that.

The Cons? I’ve been here since Dec 2014, the complex was built the year I was born, the inside is a bit lacking of frills, the stove is pretty old, there isn’t a bunch of natural lighting, I have only one friend who lives within a 5 mile radius and that’s someone I used to date so we don’t really hangout. For any company I do have over, the place isn’t that impressive. The fixtures, the flooring, the paint on the walls. The worst is the bathroom, the glaze is flaking off the tub, the ceiling has spots of mildew that just gets painted over. Since the flood last year, pieces of tile either have glue that doesn’t adhere to floor, or the grout between the tiles has a slight water damaged look upon close inspection. My neighbors were smoking in their unit for a while and the smell would come under the door into mine almost daily. I had to complain multiple times about it. They’ve since stopped but I smell whatever meat they cook in my unit too and it is not a very appealing aroma. Nothing is walkable apart from a little convenience store, barbershop, and taqueria that opened up. Desirability to me of these places is fairly low.

I haven’t signed the renewal paperwork yet but I am starting to look at other alternatives that would be at $1200/mo or a bit above that.

Option 1 – MacArthur Ridge Apartments – $1294/mo – $200 Pet fee, $20/mo pet rent, $75 application fee, $75 admin fee. Built in 1991 so not that much newer. 4 stories. Read reviews about the lower levels being moldy. 2 years ago someone wrote about them increasing rent by 18% more from year 1 to year 2. People complain about the walls being thin, parking situation is not good.

Option 2 – Summerbend – $1,311 /mo – $250 pet fee, $20/mo pet rent All 6 reviews on page 1 of apartments.com basically said it was the worst place they lived and to stay away. People said there were issues with the foundation, cracks in the floors, roaches. Sounds like a shitshow.

Option 3 – Hyde Park at Valley Ranch – $1,340/mo for a renovated unit a comparable size to where I’m at now. $150 pet deposit, $150/mo pet fee. Read reviews about water being turned off. Bad parking, poor management, people talk about having to wait month to get the a/c fixed. Even worse than the other ones. It was built in 1986. Sounds like a hard pass.

Option 4 – Avalon 8801 – $1,404 / mo – The inside looks great, it would be about 50 sq/ft more than what I am in now. The floors are a wood laminate which also would be an upgrade. However the pricing increase is pretty high at 47% more than what I pay today or 23% after the increase. 2 months ago someone posted that the place was infested with German roaches. I saw 4 different pictures of roach traps that were full of roaches. No, no no. Also built in 1986. No because my quality of life sounds like it would go down and not up.

Option 5 – Villas at Beaver Creek – $1,175 / mo – Looks nice inside, relatively modern. $300/mo pet deposit. $10/mo pet rent. $80/mo to park in a garage. $30 for covered parking, $100/admin fee, $40/application fee. Built in 1993. People mentioned issues with the a/c 10 times and roaches 16 times. That doesn’t sound like an improvement at all.

Option 6 – The Lyndon – $1,401/mo. $300 one time pet fee, $100 pet deposit, $20/mo pet rent. Management is poor, maintenance seems very slow to respond to various requests tenants have had. The floors / walls are thin from what people have written. Built in 1998. Would it be an improvement? No.

Option 7 – MAA Addison Circle – $1,460/mo for something comparable to what I’m in now. $425 dog fee, $20/mo pet rent. One of my friends used to live here when it was owned by Post. Now it goes by a different name. Tenants complain about the call box not being functional, same with the elevator, slow maintenance. One said there was a 30% increase for their rent renewal. They talk about trash in the hallways and dog poop in the stairs. Also pool area being dirty.

I have 2 weeks to decide whether to stay or leave. I’ll keep looking but it all doesn’t look very promising right now. Not to mention moving would probably be about $900 depending on the location, how many boxes are needed, setting up new utilities and all that stuff. Factoring in the pet and processing fees too. I don’t know if it’s worth it especially with some of the reviews I’ve been reading.

Choosing to be happy is something I try to make a daily goal of mine. That can mean taking breaks from dating apps, going out for a walk in nature, taking pictures, karaoking it up, binging on some Netflix, cudding with my dog on the couch, and viewing content from some of favorite YouTubers. It also can be coming to terms with the past, journaling how I feel about different situations and then getting it off of my mind. Or repeating the serenity prayer. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

There is so much going on in the world and with people who are either friends, acquaintances I care deeply about. It’s a balancing act between showing empathy, but also trying not to let their circumstances, or their trauma affect my mental health. Then being happy for once close friends who leave without saying goodbye. That’s part of life though, trying to be the best version of yourself and spending the most precious resource available (your time and energy) wisely.

Is it a bummer my net worth went down 8% in a month with me still contributing a total of about $2,700/mo into my investments? Yes. Do I think this will be temporary in nature? In the grand scheme of things yes, but the rest of 2022 might be a rocky year. I did receive a $228 dividend on FSKAX on 4/8. Individual stocks in my M1 account have taken such a beating. AMZN is down 49%, MSFT is down 17%, TSMC down 24%, Google down 25%, Disney down 49%. My Vanguard index fund VTI is only down 1.29%.

My go-forward strategy is to keep on going with dollar cost averaging and not lock in my losses. I think the market is overreacting. Worst case is I lower my contributions

I got Covid a little over 2 weeks ago while on vacation of all places. My Emergency Fund declined since I had a bunch of unexpected expenses on my trip. That includes 2 nights at a Best Western, super expensive food deliveries in the Boston area (one meal for 3 people was close to $85, another for myself at the hotel was $40). Having insurance is nice since my urgent care visit didn’t have any out of pocket expenses.

As far as health is concerned I still have a bit of a residual cough that comes and goes but I’m mostly back to my old self.

The vacation was a hit otherwise and aside from getting sick it was nurturing to my soul to get away from Dallas for a bit and be close to home.

No matter the obstacles we face, keep on going.

4/1/2022:
401K $162,197
Roth IRA $21,773
M1 Acct $5,419
Crypto $1,701
Buffer Fund $1,626
HSA $1,415
Total $194,130

401K: $152,603
Roth IRA: $20,324
M1 Acct: $4,859
Crypto $1,397
Buffer Fund: $1,375
HSA: $1,409
Total $181,967

All in all I’m up 7%, or $12,163 for the month. Crypto has gone up 22% without me making any contibutions for the year. I deleted my personal finance channel (DebtFree Alpha and later Awkward F.I.R.E) for the second time. My heart wasn’t in it after 69 videos I only had 17 subs. Also wasn’t able to monetize at all. When you make an effort with a project and it doesn’t work out, it’s okay to call it quits. Work has been keeping me quite busy and putting together quality videos people didn’t enjoy wasn’t a good use of my time.

That said life is going well for the most part. Going on a vacation next week. Finishing up cornhole for the season soon. Spent $40 to get my headlight reglazed due to the factory coating fading away. Also got my transmission flushed for $200, also spent some coin getting an oil change. I got another nail in my tire but the road hazard warranty covered it. Just hit 70k on my car after 6 years of ownership. It’s had little issues here and there but nothing major. Definitely didn’t get the value yet from the $2500 warranty I bought years back. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one. I’m digging the design of the new Acura Integra though it’s low on power. If I get $20k on my trade, financing $10-15k really wouldn’t be bad. Really not sure about keeping the same car for a decade+. I’m already getting a bit bored.

No big life updates. The extra salary from my new position has been really helpful when dealing with unexpected repairs and literally anything. I’m not struggling while maxing out retirement accounts so that’s really big for me. Have a date Saturday I’m looking forward to. I feel thankful cute guys still are interested in me.

Will April be the month I break $200k? Right on the cusp, it’s been long enough, I’m ready for it… hahaha

Woah… How the heck is it March 2022 already?!!!

• Oil is at historic high prices
• Russia is currently at war with Ukraine – Many are watching anxiously wondering what this is going to mean for international relations. Hoping it isn’t a precursor to WW3..
• There are still lots of issues in the supply chain related to Covid and there may be some new ones related to exports that come out of Ukraine, such as Neon and the global semiconductor industry.
• I recently got promoted at my job and got a raise to go with it. I’m excited for both.
• Had a cavity and got my filling redone. The bill was pretty cheap thanks to my dental coverage, I think $35.
• Down about 7 pounds thanks to some experimenting I’ve had with Intermittent Fasting and consuming a bit less calories than I used to.
• My stepdad recently turned 70. I didn’t get to celebrate with him and my mom in person but I wished him well and ordered some dessert.
• My friend’s father passed away on Monday. I met him once in July spoke briefly. He was in poor health but still friendly to me.
• One of the bartenders at Round-Up a local bar here in Dallas passed away in a car accident on his way back from Oklahoma. I will miss seeing his friendly face around. I saw him less than a week before he died. R.I.P. Lee (https://dallasvoice.com/round-up-employee-lee-williams-killed-in-wreck/)

3/1/22:
401K $152,603.32
Roth IRA $20,323.80
M1 Acct $4,859.06
Crypto $1,397.33
Buffer Fund $1,375.27
HSA $1,408.55
Total $181,967.33

1/29/22:
401K $157,097.16
Roth IRA $20,788.63
M1 Acct $4,690.51
Crypto $1,360.29
Buffer Fund $1,000.27
HSA $1,408.55
Total $186,345.41

My overall net worth is down, but but but… It’s only down $4,378 or 2.3% Month-Over-Month. Including matching, $2,700 per month to that total. At the current rate I’ll hit $1M in 11 years or before I hit 50. Some upcoming larger expenses will be my portion of a rental in April, vet expenses, car maintenance (though I’m tempted to buy a new one you have no idea), starting to save for a wedding trip in August.

Here’s to the good life!

Trying to excel in everyway possible and lot let myself down. Funny how much people freak out over what happens daily but today the market is up again 1.86% and AAPL is up 2.06%. Last night I watched a classic video by Mr. Money Mustache about staying the course. Perfect reminder to make decisions based on what will bring me the most happiness and thinking long term. Ok I better hurry up before I’m late to meet up with friends. 😀 How are you all doing?

I fixed my last posting, apologies for the formatting getting all janky…

Happy to report there have been some recent positive developments for me professionally. After several years of trying to get ahead I finally got a promotion!
Random thoughts:

• Money isn’t everything but it helps when you’re trying to retire early or reach some major financial-related milestones in life.
• I was poor for many, many years. From my first job in 1999 all the way up to Sept. 30, 2016 when my last student loan was paid off. Looking back over the years I could’ve been a lot more aggressive about growing my salary but I didn’t want to choose money over my happiness. On some level I thought the two would be mutually exclusive.
• My salary since I entered this industry many years ago is up several times. I was happy in the early stages since I knew this was a growing industry with potential. What a huge difference from working in banking as a head teller.
• In terms of the numbers, my salary still doesn’t put me in the top 1%, or even the top 10% for that matter. However my cost of living is a lot lower than a lot of the more liberal cities my friends live in. SF, Boston, Chicago, NYC just to name a few. Everyone I talk to is in shock/envy when I tell them my rent is only $965/mo for a 1br. Yes it is but their place is new construction, recently remodeled and doesn’t feel like 1983 inside. If you want to look at annual rent as a % of overall net worth we’re talking like 6%. Recently rent.com said the average was $1700 for a 1bedroom in the DFW market.
• Am I in the hood? Not quite, the area is working class. I see the occasional luxury vehicle. There aren’t people walking up and down the street selling drugs, homeless people sleeping outside my door, or loud music playing at all hours of the night or window security bars on every home. I still want more modern, and more natural light.
• Taxes are inevitable. Going to max out my HSA contributions to help lessen my burden. Still on the way to maximizing my 401k and the Roth IRA of course.
• I saw some really interesting stats related to income for Texas (and other states) here – https://statisticalatlas.com/state/Texas/Household-Income
• Over the years I feel less and less connected to people with massive student loan or other debts. I still empathize and have offered advice when people ask. I guess like anything else if you haven’t had to deal with that situation in years, you kind of gravitate toward it and instead focus on the growth part.
  I am a PAW (Prodigious Accumulator of Wealth). -$50k to basically $200k in 10 years. Will the next 10 years put me at $400k? Assuming non-compounding 8% return a year that’s $16k x 10 or $160k. Then add the 401k / Roth IRA max for 10 years. That’s $25,500 x 10 or $255k. If my math is right we’re looking around $655k in 2032. I could do that and move into somewhere nicer with money to spare and upgrade to a nicer car at some point. Or tough it out a bit longer and hit my overall financial freedom number a lot more quickly.
• I’m valuing my health more than money. My friend Ryan passed away one year ago due to Covid-19 complications. Losing him has made me a lot more aware of where I’m at right now in life. A reminder that tomorrow isn’t always guaranteed.

Well it’s late again and I should be sleeping. Cheers.

My portfolio was down at the end of the month due to the market fluctuations. Dropped $9,841 or 5%. No big deal though. A year ago my net worth was $126k, so still up 48% more than before. I also have my rent saved up for the next month, all $965 of it.

1/29/2022:
401K $157,097.16
Roth IRA $20,788.63
M1 Acct $4,690.51
Crypto $1,360.29
Buffer Fund $1,000.27
HSA $1,408.55
Total $186,345.41

12/31/2021:
401K $166,506.19
Roth IRA $21,327.59
M1 Acct $4,532.81
Crypto $2,070.36
Buffer Fund $250.16
HSA $1,499.50
Total $196,186.61

2/2/2021 Update:
401K $114,241
Roth IRA $9,447
M1 Acct $1,498
Crypto $168
HSA $687
Total Investments $126,041

Writing this one up in a rush. The market has been all over the place. Between what’s happening in the Ukraine, concerns about Omicron and a new varient, company earnings, crypto taking a big dump. Seems like no matter what the month is there is some type of catalysmic event causing uncertainty. Over the years i’ve learned ot play the game for the long term. Short term plays are nice and can give a quick dopamine hit but I’ve got targets to hit.

Similar to my post a year ago Texas Y’all Winter Cometh, we got more snow in the lonestar state. It was more ice and it’s still melting.

I’m working at getting promoted at my job, but I’m not sure what is going to happen. I look at the market rates for the title I’m looking at and that would be a huge jump from where I’m at now. I don’t think realistically they would offer me that. Likely half of the difference. I see others who have worked with me who got promoted and within months jumped ship. Or they stayed a year and went elsewhere for a promotion. My fear of change can seriously hold me back. Money isn’t everything but my adjusted gross income (after taxes, retirement, and other deductions) the last 3 years has been almost the same. Much love, I’m off to meet friends for lunch. Stay healthy, financially wise, and happy out there. 🙂

A blog post will be coming but I’m too tired to type right now at 12:30 AM. Cheers!

Quick little video to see where I think I’ll end up for 2022.