The monthly update.
August 3, 2021
Net-worth:
$501,000 (Up $17k)
Financial - Its arbitrary but we're officially half millionaires.
This doesn't even count my Spouse's cash savings which is used to purchase inventory. I also have a tax liability building up from all the profit taking this year so that is something I am tracking. Probably in the $12k-$15k range.
On the investing front, I now have a margin account. Like a kid in a candy store, I opened up 15 contracts for 21 DTE OTM puts to collect a quick $1.4k in premiums but aim to close at 50%. In just a few days, some of those contracts closed. I probably will again visit my word document and refine how I want to use this effectively.
Interestingly, my largest holding, AMD suddenly soared 15-20% or so in the past month ...but I had written covered calls. I traded away a lot of upside but my $97.5 September contract still has some time on it - I'm projecting a pull-back but if I am called away it will probably be about that time to take some cash out. I've been saving up cash with my after-tax savings.
Watchlist: Corsair Gaming - I've $30 Cash-Secured Puts on this one. They dipped today despite an excellent earnings report. Something to keep an eye on for a long-term LEAP Play.
Physical Health / Diet: A small weight loss of 1.4 pounds so now I am down to 176 pounds and 23.9 BMI. It took forever, but my right shoulder finally healed from the bike accident. My physical activity has increased from 1 game a week to 2 games a week of tennis, plus I added swimming on Sundays and occasional jogs on top of the normal calisthenics I do. Still dropping body fat percentage and I'm finally starting to look a bit more defined.
I feel great and in the best shape of my life. I have this very strange calling right now ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon
Mental Health: Mark Manson's book was a good read. He definitely makes a good point on what values we're prioritizing and how that effects our mood. I really liked his emphasis on the difference between fault vs responsibility and what creates an entitlement attitude / victim mentality. It was a good reminder on locus of control.
Job: Still sucks but finally some good news. Was told that my contract is up end of October and I'm free to get on a different project. So now I have this light at the end of the tunnel - I just need to survive for 3 more months. On the other hand, our employer is having a "big meeting" after labor day to discuss the future of our work from home status.
I said this in jest quite a bit - if they try to take me back to the office I'm out! This is becoming less of a joke the more I read about "the great resignation" and seeing all the open remote positions....
The only reason I haven't left my job at this point is comfortable misery.
Gardening: Last month I made my first self-watering containers. In a comparison of my watermelons that are planted in those vs just the regular pots, the former are growing MUCH better. Additionally, I rescued my squash from the blossom end rot using crushed egg shells + milk. We've harvest squash and corn in the past month. Tomatoes and bell-peppers are growing nicely. This is a good year for gardening. I don't have a huge yield but I have the process now...just need to scale up and do more long-term investments. For instance - I'm already building the soil up with cardboard and dead grass for next years planting.
Reading / Other: I am re-reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. This months rabbit hold is the history of the Roman Empire.
Goals: Continue with successful diet. Don't lose every tennis match this month lol. Don't blow up my account on margin and write out a good strategy. Continue to teach Son how to swim and ride a bike. For swimming, he has gone from scared to not having his feet touch the bottom to being in the swim lane with floaties...Bike riding is interesting and hard to teach ever since we crashed a few months ago.
I'm happy to say that lately I've a lot of life goals that are not centered around work and that has done wonders for my mood. Instead I have focused on my tennis game, physical health, and teaching my Son stuff rather than ruminating about my job.