Tag: wealth

September 2022 Net Worth Update – $182k

September 3rd, 2022

September 1, 2022. Only 4 months left until the start of a new year. Last week I visited family for the first time since 2018. I don’t want to wait that long before seeing family and friends again. I start to notice how old people are getting and it is a wakeup call. My stepdad is 70, a cancer survivor, one of my uncles is 78 and his wife, my aunt passed away in 2021 at 72. I did get the pleasure of seeing one of my closest friends in New York get married out on eastern Long Island. I’m happy for them both and wish them many years of happiness together. I also know about the financial part and that makes me a bit uneasy. Sometimes though you can only wait so long for certain events to happen in life. Maybe the ideal time to get married or have a kid won’t happen. You just have to roll with it and hope for the best.

It was also a realization that I need to start taking trips more often. Seeing the lovely Sunken Meadow Beach in the summer is a whole vibe. Hearing the waves of the ocean and seagulls squawking, smelling burgers and seafood on the shore. Feeling the laid back vibe in general in a world of hustle and bustle. I just hate the bills at the end. Some friends want me to go to Disney but that’s easily a $1500 trip between the flight, airbnb rental, tickets to the park, food and beverages. Another group of friends wants to go to New Orleans but I don’t think I want to share a room for multiple days or get shitfaced drunk / eat crap. Guess that’s the difference between being turning 30 and 39 with high blood pressure and obesity…

I did rent a nice midsized SUV a GMC Terrain. It had a lot of power and shifted so smoothly. Loved the Apple CarPlay feature and used it on every ride. The start/stop tech was pretty cool. The fuel economy was still better than my car. My parents gave me $200 to use toward the rental which iirc was $413 for Wednesday through Saturday. Kinda pricey if you ask me but it served its purpose. Can’t do an Uber for an hour drive and another hour back. That would cost about half the price.

The markets haven’t been doing the best lately, there have been more and more talks about recession. Of particular concern is the current situation with real estate both in the states and in China, along with inflation, commodity prices, etc. There are lots of items outside my control. I’m still following the path of dollar cost averaging. Not looking at my portfolio multiple times a day comes a bit harder. I still wonder if at age 50 I’m going to say yeah I’m really glad I stayed the course at 39 or will I wish I had a more diversified investing strategy. I could switch to more dividend producing investments but those don’t necessarily have the projected or historical growth. I can buy REITs and get some of the benefits of real estate but if the sector is declining why should I buy it now? Would be better to wait. Some of the big name financial people on YouTube make Real Estate sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread. I’m not so sure.

Ok let’s talk numbers now. My 401k balance dropped 3.2%, Roth is down 2.6%, M1 account is up 2.8%, Emergency Fund is up 9%, HSA is up 3.6%. Overall I’m down about $5k which sucks, but it’s also a buying opportunity to buy when things are down. Total net worth is down $6k or 3.2%. I have a credit card balance I’m reporting out on since I’m now carrying a balance on the non 0% card ($1,199.25 balance on Apple Card). Projecting to have my card balance all paid off by the end of the month. 8/28/2021 a year ago my total investment portfolio was at $176,696.

September 2022 Net Worth Update

GMC Terrain rental

Some pics from my vacation

My Jos. A Bank suit for $161 including $24 expedited shipping

Some of the work issues I was concerned about a while back got better but still not sure if I’m getting a bonus. I still want a job that pays $120k+ / year that would help me hit some life goals a lot quicker. So the basic question is how do I do this in the next year since getting promoted again where I’m at is highly unlikely. Also what am I willing to sacrifice for this since everything has tradeoffs.

I bought some lottery tickets the other week and got $58 back. Kinda funny since I was at 7/11 around midnight thinking I’d only get $5 for getting that megaball number. That and a scratchoff I got $5 back on. It’s entertainment… 😀 Lastly I wasn’t impacted at all by the flooding last week thankfully nor did I get stuck dealing with flight delays like some of my friends were. Happy Labor Day Weekend. May you find something both fun and relaxing to do! ❤
YouTube – Crypto Update Sept 5, 2021

September 6th, 2021
Month 53: Why 1984 won’t be like 1984

September 4th, 2016

It is now 1984. It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers, initially welcoming IBM with open arms, now fear an IBM-dominated and controlled future. They are increasingly and desperately turning back to Apple as the only force that can ensure their future freedom.

Oh wait… Not that 1984, but $1,984. As in my student loan balance. That’s about what my computer, a MacBook Pro cost when I purchased it in early 2014. This is a moment to celebrate. Why? For the first time ever my student loan is below $2,000. Progress my friends, it’s all about progress.

What about Retirement? $18,223 in my 401k and $362 in my Betterment Roth IRA. So $18,585 total. Credit cards? Credit card balance is around $1400. Each paycheck I make a $700-800 payment toward that with plans to increase once student loans are gone.

Now what about the car??? Current payoff is $29,169.81 at 1.9%. That’s down from $1997.39 from $31,167.20. I have another payment coming up in a week which will drop it below $29k.

Not being content with where I am today, I started to do a little bit of job searching. Interviewed with a local employment agency for a contract gig. The position sounded interesting and I think would be a step forward in my career. However I don’t think they would be able to match my benefits aside from medical and dental. 160 hours of vacation, essentially unlimited sick time, paid holidays, 5% retirement matching… As a contractor, you need to plan for all of those things.

It’s important to look at the big picture when making big moves like working for another company. Can’t afford to leave money on the table. I’ve been following a little bit of Alex Becker‘s work, read his book 10 Pillars of Wealth where he talks a lot about working for yourself and the benefits of a cash flow business. I also am in the middle of Scott Alan Turner‘s 99 Minute Millionaire ebook along with The Procrastinator’s Handbook – Mastering the Art of Doing It Now by Rita Emmett.

My last point and this is a big one. Don’t stop. Live is a marathon, not a sprint. Just because you had a setback or 5 doesn’t mean you let that break you and give up. From 2009-2011 I went a year without a regular FT job, not qualifying for unemployment and over $42k in student loan debt. I was down, depressed and unsure my future. Today I am on more solid footing. Not balling by any means but I’m way better off than those dark days.

Applying my own advice to different areas of my life, learning from experts to save time, minimize frustration and see results.Hope to share more with you on that soon.
Death of a Friend

May 9th, 2016

No I’m not talking about Prince. Though his death was definitely a shock to me. I have listened to his music since the 1980s. Took me about a week to deal with it. Nor am I talking about my father who passed away at almost 11 years ago after 19 years of health problems related to kidney failure.

I’m talking about the death of someone else I knew. Someone I was really interested in dating. His name was Chris. He was only 29 years old. His birthday is two days before mine. Chris had his fair of struggles in life. He confided in me with a few of them. I really wished I was able to do more. We unfortunately lost touch with each other last June.

Yesterday I went to look him up on Facebook and found that he passed away just over a month ago. **One Month** I don’t know from what. I feel a sense of loss. I never met any of his family members. He wouldn’t let me get close enough to be a regular figure in his life. I tried a few different occasions. Work or other things going on his life got in the way. Wish I could hold him again and tell him to stay strong and that everything would be alright. He was a beautiful person inside and out, just wanted to see him at his true potential. Not working crazy hours at a hotel just to make ends meet. His family setup a gofundme page to help with burial expenses.

I’m just speechless. RIP Chris. You will be missed. Not just by me but by all the people you’ve touched. ❤