Five Years, Lord Willing

Where are you and where are you going?
Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

(1) Net Worth: Due to an overheated US stock market, our net worth increased $6,456.00 this past week. Fourth quarter 2016, I decided to start buying individual stocks, mainly dividend stocks, and they have done well, specifically IBM and Nike. We've had Apple for a while, so that helped. Also, Activision Blizzard popped $7.50 per share yesterday so we made over $600.00 on that. We are now at a new high of 370K in securities. Our overall is 423K - house minus f*cking car.

I need 500K in money and a paid off house. My feeling has always been that 400K will insulate us from future poverty. Obviously, this endeavor is as much about keeping the crocodiles at bay as it is about the size of the castle.

Based on my age, we are actually doing better than most in America, but that's reminiscent of my douchebag brother coming home in August and bragging about receiving an A in summer school. Hate to burst your bubble asshole, but when everyone else in the class is an idiot, what have you really accomplished. Anyways, enough of that shitheel.

To me, money is about dignity. I have had it and have had it not. Having it doesn't mean much, not having it means everything. That's why losses hurt more than gains satisfy. Being rich is overrated, being poor immeasurably sucks.

(2) Spending: Did not buy lunch this week. Made it myself everyday. Bought two DD coffees and a pack of Reese Peanut Butter cups. So, overall I should be saving close to $200.00 per month. But I want to go scorched earth on food/beverage. Seeing that shit on my bank statement now makes my blood boil.

Things still come up. We needed new drapes. I can't ask my wife to Laura Ingalls Wilder that shit. We needed a service guy to look at our stove. He looked like he was one of the Hells Angels who killed Rollings Stones fans at Altamont. Also, I bought a book shelf because books are my weakness. Yes, I can hypothetically build a bookshelf but the likelihood of it coming out even as about as great as finding a photograph with both Robin Leach and Jacob Lund Fisker in it.

(3) Wife's paycheck:

She gets paid twice a month approx 1,700 a month:

$100 went to extra mortgage payment
$250 went to Vanguard VFIAX (non- retirement)
$100 went to Charles Schwab (I use ETF's as purgatory for quarterly tax payments)
$100 to savings account #1(Serves as overdraft)
$200 to saving account #2 (emergency Fund which I tend to invest and replenish)
$386 car payment (makes me want to skullfuck Henry Ford) Can I say skullfuck here?
$91 to Rex Tillerson's golden parachute
$181 to ATT (make that skullfucking threesome with Henry Ford and Thomas Alva Edison)
$100 to car insurance (new car caused adjustment in insurance, see line above referencing my feelings on that matter)

I think that's enough. I don't know how to make charts and there is really nothing of interest to take a picture where I live. Sometimes there are wild turkeys in the area. Wild Turkeys are the derelicts of the bird community from my remedial observations. Like the T-Birds in Grease.

steveo73
Posts: 1733
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 6:52 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by steveo73 »

Here is one suggestion that you might be able to use. Get a kindle or other e-book and torrent your books. It takes up a lot less space and you get a lot to read and it's a lot cheaper.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I am not a luddite, obviously, as I am on a computer. But I find sustained reading on electronically devices to be quite draining on my eyes.

oldbeyond
Posts: 338
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:43 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by oldbeyond »

So if you include the extra payment on the mortgage you saved 150k post-tax on a pre-tax income of 250k? I'm amazed the byzantine tax system you guys have so I won't venture a guess on how much you pay in tax, but at that income I guess it's quite a bit? With a bit of optimization you should be able to save quite a bit even if your normal earnings are more like 150k, given your stated housing and transportation costs. It seems like a detailed breakdown of your recent spending might be worthwhile for you :P

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

(1) Taxes are approx. 33%;

(2) I created a budget and it appears we can live on 70K pre-tax which is my wife's salary, if there are no serious disruptions;

(3) If we gross 150K, I would hope to save minimum 50K;

I am too old and spoiled to make radical adjustments to my life i.e. moving, change of career etc. so its a matter of "tweaking" which there is much to do. This includes but is not limited to eating out, buying gifts, buying crap etc. I'm thinking that could account for 10K.

The biggest changes I can make are mental which would be include metamorphosing from glass half empty to half glass full, which of course is a transition of which I am skeptical.

What is essential is that my wife will retire in five years at which point she will receive a pension of approx. 33% of her salary. My goal is to be in a position to absorb that change.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Reading this forums has really gotten me to think about wiring and how much I can change at this point. I watched the Becoming Buffet documentary and realized, ok he's a genius and I'm obviously not, but he's wired in a way that can be analyzed and at least mimicked if not embodied. At his core, Buffet is compound interest incarnate. He is also IMHO the patron saint of ERE. The guy's office has wood panelling for christ sake.

Anyways, due to stock market and a few good pick (ATVI/CYNO) we are up to 373.5K, an 8K increase since I started here. At this rate, I am thinking maybe me and Trump can both call it a day in 2020. We both just need to continue to pretend we know what we're doing and from what I've learned here, avoid getting involved with South African women.

Biggest leak in the boat was lunch and I've been good with that one. I have saved $650 so far this month and hope to get it to 1k.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

One other thing on the Buffet documentary - geography. He's out there in Nebraska where its open and spacious and I thought it probably has to do with its conduciveness to expansive thinking. I think there's a correlation.

halfmoon
Posts: 697
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 10:19 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by halfmoon »

Jason wrote:I am not a luddite, obviously, as I am on a computer. But I find sustained reading on electronically devices to be quite draining on my eyes.
Have you tried an ereader (as opposed to tablet, computer or phone)? Completely different experience for the eyes. I use a very basic Nook, but I finally bought DH a Kindle Voyage because he reads for hours, and I kept catching him doing so in dim light on the unlighted Nook. This Kindle has a backlight that adapts to the ambient light, and it also has wonderful screen resolution. Worth looking at, but it will set back the peanut-butter cup budget a bit. Probably still less than buying books (we get them from the library) and bookshelves.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into it. I am sure capital cost will be recovered relatively quickly.

Warren Buffet has three McDonald's breakfast options every morning based on how prosperous he feels that day. I am taking his cue and will now do the same with regard to Reese's Peanut Butter: I will only go for the King Size when the market is up.

halfmoon
Posts: 697
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 10:19 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by halfmoon »

It's good to have boundaries. 8-)

I have three different breakfast options every morning based on how prosperous the scale feels that day: cabbage; cabbage and cheese; cabbage, cheese and noodles.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Strictly rolled oats here.

The bacon egg and cheese days are firmly in the past.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

My Mint net worth is now $426,600.33, up $3,276.93 this week primarily due to a few individual stock (ATVI popped/CYNO is being purchased). I would never debate John Bogel but I like individual stocks.

I still don't feel secure that we will never be poor again. I don't know if a specific number makes that go away or not. Maybe I'll find out some day, maybe I won't. Hopefully I just won't be poor again because that is no fun.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Its interesting to me that some people are predisposed to behavior and cognizance towards ERE without outside influence. I am not. This is an epic internal struggle. I am a house divided.

I was watching the TV show Gomorrah last night. I understand many of you don't own a TV. But for those who do, I recommend it.

A character on the show was smoking one of those stupid, annoying, pretentious e-cigs. Another character said at "least its good for your health" to which the smoker responded "I don't care about my health" to which the other character responded "Then why did you give up smoking?" The smoker responded "I give up one thing a year. A person who doesn't need anything is afraid of nothing." Not only is it debatable as to whether he gave something up but this was spoken by a mobster who lives in a multi-million dollar home (the rational/irrational dialect is the mother of the sacred/profane in mobster shows).

So I thought about that. What can I give up? These are some of the option:

- TV (never will happen, my wife is involved and I won't be able to write incredibly compelling posts like this one)s;
- Books - Highly possible but will take extreme psychological effort;
- Any food/beverage not emanating from mi casa. I am close on that one. Just a few new tweaks.
- Clothes - Not completely but very close;
- Jewelry for my wife - So far so good but impulse always there;

Cutting out on-going expenses is obviously key. So far I have only been working on reducing expenses. Ok, that's enough. There's a new episode of "Billions" I need to get to.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Following up on that blistering provocative, preceding post, I just had a cup of coffee with 1/2 and 1/2.

It made me think, why do I drink coffee, for function (caffeine) or pleasure (taste). Well, the answer is both But I can give up the 1/2 and 1/2 if I move to view coffee on strictly functional grounds, a move that has both economic (don't have to buy it) and health benefits (less fat).

It's about $36.00 to $50.00 a year. I'm not fat, but I can stand to lose a few pounds so that helps.

Ok. No more 1/2 and 1/2. Along with other dairy products and bread, that has to add up.

That leads to Mayonnaise which I put in my tuna. Tuna and rice is good but dry tuna sandwiches sucks big ol' donkey balls. So I have to think about that one in more detail.

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C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by C40 »

I haven't used done this but maybe adding some oils with good fats to the tuna would get rid of the dryness and also improve your omega 6:3 ratio or just get some other good fats. I mean oils like olive, fish, flaxseed, coconut, etc.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Thank you for the suggestion. Inspired by the array of Netflix documentaries on the food industry, we decided to go Vegan. After the first meal, I was hurling in the bathroom like a freshman after his/her first kegger.

I never put much thought into food but now I have to. Getting old for one and I realize how much one can save.

Wads
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 7:50 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Wads »

Jason wrote:Inspired by the array of Netflix documentaries on the food industry, we decided to go Vegan.
HA! Same here. Last March I attempted to make the switch and quickly found that cutting out dairy is no easy task. The meat was not an issue, but it took almost a full year (dairy free for 3 weeks now) before dairy was out of my diet. I feel so much better now I see no reason for going back!

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I have pretty much given up on maintaining a rigorous and thorough vegan diet. But I have cut dairy and chicken. Occasionally I have meat.

But for me, it also included other processed foods that I have rid myself of.

Its an aspiration but I don't think a reality for me in this lifetime.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Good News: Markel popped $16.52 yesterday. It is my highest cost per share stock: I bought 7 shares between $880-$900 last quarter. So yesterday I "made" $115.64 and spent $0 on stuff I shouldn't buy. I went food shopping and passed on the peanut butter cups. The stock is now at $981.00 so I've made over $500.00 which is good as income has tailed off. I've had a good run on picking individual stocks.

Bad New: Me. When it comes down to everything, that is the problem isn't it? The burdensome self. The mortal coil. The sinful flesh. My biggest problem is replaying past failures instead of learning from them. Or believing I could have "been" someone else. I am me, this is where I am and it aint pretty. I self-flagellate like Luther before he learned of grace. Its a bad habit. I need to stop.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Mint Report: $430,373.78. - up $3,773.78 this week. Stock market still over heating and condo assessment went up. I have managed to sock $2,200.00 in cash portion of investment accounts in order to purchase upon inevitable dip.

Have not purchased lunch this month. Have used spare change to buy DD coffee but what can you do. As stated before, we have a moratorium on book buying so that should help.

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