Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q4 2021 & End Of Year Summary:

Q4 Progress

October + $11,832
November + $5,748
December + $7,003

Total Q4 Progress $24,583

Q1 Progress $17,287
Q2 Progress $18,279
Q3 Progress $16,873
Q4 Progress $24,583

2021 Net Worth Increase $77,022

Current Net Worth $533,949

Current SWR 3.37%

Historical Annual Progress
2014’s NetWorth Increase $24,786
2015’s NetWorth Increase $43,912
2016’s NetWorth Increase $76,342
2017’s NetWorth Increase $68,122
2018’s NetWorth Increase $70,282
2019’s NetWorth Increase $42,274
2020’s NetWorth Increase $31,296
2021’s NetWorth Increase $77,022

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic I was not able to execute my goal of backpacking around the world the way I had dreamed of. So I’ve decided to change my plan and here are the ways I plan to proceed.

Plan 1
I am in the process of getting hired onto a State job. It’s not high paying but because of the excellent benefits including a pension it would be worthwhile. I would need to do a minimum of 5 years to qualify for the pension. The more years the larger the pension payment. They also have a 403b and a 457 which I plan to maximize both. I still will keep my current job and work a lot of hours there as well. During a normal year I could average a net worth increase of about 70k but with these two job and being able to shelter so much money I think I could increase my net worth by 100k annually or close to it. Getting this job would save me the $650 per month that I’m currently paying out of pocket for my healthcare. Of course this is assuming I actually get hired on but I’m in the hiring process now and it looks to be a sure thing. The pension is a great way to have another guaranteed check to go with my social security check in retirement. So all of my savings will just be gravy.

In California there is a “double dipping” law (I forget the actual name) but it basically would lower your Social Security payment if you were also getting a pension payment. Luckily for me it does not apply because I have so many years of work under my belt that this law does not apply to me. I guess that’s one good thing I could say about getting a job right at 15 years old.

Although this job pays less than my current job the effective pay rate is actually very close. Once I take into account not having to pay $650 monthly for healthcare out of my pocket ($5 per hour increase there) also not paying State or Federal taxes on the bulk of my pay from that job. I don’t even know how to calculate the benefit of a pension which will last as long as I do.

If I get this job I may purchase a new vehicle since the value of my Prius went up by several thousand. I have 111,000 miles on my Prius now and if I’m going to be working 2 jobs going forward I really won’t have time to deal with fixing things if I have any sort of breakdown. Due to the chip shortage my car value shot up and if I can get a good deal on something bigger that gets good gas mileage I may do it.


Plan 2
If I do not get onto that particular state job then I will continue to work my current job while looking for a job that offers a 457 and a pension. Worst case scenario is I will just stay and work at this same job that I’ve been at for 10 years.

After 5-6 years I hope this pandemic will be completely sorted out and I’ll be able to backpack around the world as was my goal. During this time I will take trips to countries that are open for tourists and try to knock out a bunch of bucket list items.

I’m setting a goal to increase my net worth by 80k or more in 2022. That would be a personal best and I think it is attainable. My net worth increase for 2021 was 77k which is a personal best. Which is great especially taking into consideration all the expenses I had. 80-100k net worth increase for 2022 is the goal if I do not purchase a car.

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Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Ego »

Star*Bucks wrote:
Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:06 pm
. I’m waiting for a warm day to shampoo the carpets otherwise they will take forever to dry. I’m also going to purchase a pump sprayer soon to fill with bleach and water and I plan to spray all the drywall in my house. I have a feeling the smell is stuck in the drywall, carpets, and couches. If all of this stuff doesn’t work I will eventually go to Reno and get an Oxygen Generator to eat up all of this smell.
I find the ozone machines at the swap meet every so often and sell them on craliglist so you might try there. viewtopic.php?p=212045#p212045

Our company has one that we share whenever someone dies in an apartment.

An alternative to bleach is Sporicidin which contains phenol, the same active ingredient as (and same inventor as) Chloraseptic throat spray. That's what the pros use for mold and water intrusion. It works but the smell lingers for a little while. I would guess that spraying bleach is not very healthy.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Ego wrote:
Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:29 pm
I find the ozone machines at the swap meet every so often and sell them on craliglist so you might try there. viewtopic.php?p=212045#p212045

Our company has one that we share whenever someone dies in an apartment.

An alternative to bleach is Sporicidin which contains phenol, the same active ingredient as (and same inventor as) Chloraseptic throat spray. That's what the pros use for mold and water intrusion. It works but the smell lingers for a little while. I would guess that spraying bleach is not very healthy.
Hey Ego where should I go to buy the Sporicidin? I'm in the Sacramento area. Do stores carry them or do I need to go online?

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Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Ego »

I have never purchased it myself. The remediation company always brings it with them.
Amazon has it https://www.amazon.com/Sporicidin-Spray ... 00IS8HTRS/

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

January 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash $88,564
401k $38,595
IRA $43,786
Roth IRA $199,747
HSA $27,562
I.O.U. $60,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,893

Prior Months Net Worth $533,949
Current Net Worth $538,361

Net Worth Increase of $4,412

Prior Months SWR 3.37%
Current SWR 3.34%

Life & Finance:
Started working at the State job and so far so good. The amount I can put into retirement accounts is over 100k per year but because my pay rate is a lot less starting out I have decided to max out my 401k at my private sector job instead of the 403b at the State job. That way the State job pay can go to max out the other retirement accounts like the following:

$20,500 403b/401k + $5,500 Company Contribution
$20,500 457b
$3,600
$6,000 Traditional IRA
$7,500 Pension
$25,000 Estimated Backdoor Roth Contribution or more if I can work overtime.

The powerhouse in the above is the ability to put away up to $61,000 combined between the pension and Backdoor Roth. I don’t make enough to even get close to maxing that out after maxing out a 401k & 457 but hopefully with future pay increases and promotions I can get that done.

Hopefully the market crashes soon that way as I enter the market with these retirement accounts the prices I pay will be favorable. As of today I have no money in the market. I have bonds and several high interest earning CD’s that I locked in some time ago. CD’s are maturing in 2022 and one in 2023.

Another benefit of this job is tuition reimbursement. I may find out what I need to be able to work remotely and I’ll take those courses and move forward in my career. At least until this whole pandemic thing is over and I can go relax on a beach somewhere in the world where the USD conversion rate is strong.

Fitness/Health:
Working a new job really is difficult to eat well. Especially where I work the place is huge and not as convenient as my other job. I’ve been eating out each day and it has been very expensive. I plan to buy a backpack & a small lunchbox to go into the backpack. I will bring my lunch to work daily and the backpack will make it more convenient to go to/from work. The backpack also makes bringing my other things easy as well like a backup sweater whenever the building guys turn the AC too high or wall chargers, cords, microfiber towels, hand sanitizer, etc etc.

Fun:
Not much fun. It’s been work every single day and it’s hard to find the time to do anything. This post is just one example. I am always posting on the first day of the month with only one missed day in all the years I’ve been posting on here. There was a good excuse for that time, I was in Thailand!!

Goals for January were:
-Get all the info on the benefits offered from the new job (Done & Continuing because there are so many benefits)
-Spray all the drywall in my house & shampoo the carpets (Done but there is 1 bedroom and another section of the dining room I need to shampoo)
-Get back in the gym on a consistent basis (FAIL!)

Goals for February:
-Get a backpack lunchbox and start to get into a routine with the new job
-Get back in the gym
-Find a good Mac friendly spreadsheet to keep track of all my finances.

Autotroph
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:33 pm

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Autotroph »

Star*Bucks wrote:
Wed Feb 02, 2022 9:15 pm
January 2022 Update:

Fitness/Health:
Working a new job really is difficult to eat well. Especially where I work the place is huge and not as convenient as my other job. I’ve been eating out each day and it has been very expensive. I plan to buy a backpack & a small lunchbox to go into the backpack. I will bring my lunch to work daily and the backpack will make it more convenient to go to/from work. The backpack also makes bringing my other things easy as well like a backup sweater whenever the building guys turn the AC too high or wall chargers, cords, microfiber towels, hand sanitizer, etc etc.

-Get back in the gym on a consistent basis (FAIL!)
I had these problems too.

What I found that works for me is to make things as convenient and routine as possible. The foods I eat require minimal preparation/cooking, but provide me with all (or at least most) of the nutrients needed. At first, the idea of eating the same foods every day was a bit terrifying, but I do believe the body prefers this, as the gut knows what to expect and adapts to digest the food. In other words, I have no emergency bathroom trips, heartburn, etc. The bulk of my diet consists of sourdough bread (carbs and a little protein), extra virgin olive oil (fats -- the good kinds), and non-fat greek yogurt (protein source). This is the base -- I add fruits, vegetables, spices, etc., to add flavor and nutrients.

Daniel Liberman (a paleoanthropoligst) has convinced me that we have not evolved to exercise, and that is partly why it is so annoying. Our instincts drive us to conserve energy, as our environment was largely resource-scarce until recently. Therefore, it makes sense to make exercise as simple and convenient as possible. To that end, I have found bodyweight exercises to be valuable (https://www.self.com/gallery/bodyweight ... do-at-home). If I had my own space, I would get a cheap squat rack for squats, benches, and deadlifts.

Anyways hope that provides some inspiration -- curious to see your solution!

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Autotroph wrote:
Thu Feb 03, 2022 12:06 am
The bulk of my diet consists of sourdough bread (carbs and a little protein), extra virgin olive oil (fats -- the good kinds), and non-fat greek yogurt (protein source). This is the base -- I add fruits, vegetables, spices, etc., to add flavor and nutrients.
You had me at Sourdough 🤗 I’ll check it out. Last year when I went vegan for 4 months I was eating a lot of the same foods and my digestion at first was off (way more fiber than what I had been use to) but after the first few days I felt amazing. Not vegan anymore but I need some consistency and simplicity in the diet. I appreciate your input.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

February 2022 Update:

Edit March 12th: I never edit posts because I want to preserve my original thoughts but I need to simply correct the numbers below. The HSA custodian changed and I was not able to see a balance so I just used the last statement which closed December 2021. Unfortunately since then the fund went down 25% or 8k. The new custodian has the balance now for me to see. So the true numbers are as follows

Cash $80,145
IRA $43,885
Roth IRA $205,081
HSA $25,247
Pension, 401k, 457 etc $47,777
Non Retirement Brokerage $484
IOU $60,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Credit Card -$1,203

Prior Months Net Worth $538,361
Current Net Worth $543,416

Net Worth Increase of $5.055

Prior Months SWR 3.34%
Current SWR 3.31%


Current Assets:
Cash: $80,145
IRA: $43,885
Roth IRA: $205,081
HSA: $32,441
Pension 401k, 403b, 457: $47,777
After Tax Investment Account: $484
I.O.U. $60,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,203

Prior Months Net Worth $538,361
Current Net Worth $551,813

Net Worth Increase of $13,452

Prior Months SWR 3.34%
Current SWR 3.26%

Life & Finance:
The balance of my HSA is a guess because when I logged in; the site told me a new custodian will be taking over the account Spring of 2022. Until then I have no balance and can only access prior statement. Most recent statement was the quarter ending December 2021.

I’m surprised the net worth shot up so much this month since my investments went down a bit. But I guess that shows what barely paying any taxes can do for you. Most of my checks from both jobs are going to retirement accounts. It’s not been easy juggling both jobs but when things get tough I just think of the future and just walking around somewhere in this beautiful world where it’s sunny and I have shorts and a tank top on enjoying the beach and completely checked out of the rate race. I’m close now and over the course of the next few years I just hope the pandemic and this war in Ukraine will both be over. I wish I could have visited Ukraine like I always wanted to. It was high on the bucket list.

I’m trying to get a tight grip on my finances and I made my own spreadsheet. Not to track spending but to track all my accounts monthly. I wanted to make a nice graph from the spreadsheet but I will save that for next months post. I am already exhausted and need to rest. I’ve been thinking about my taxes and have been putting off doing them because I want to be sure I have all the documents. This is the first year in a very long time where I may actually be getting a refund.

I maxed out my 2021 Roth IRA.

Fitness/Health:
I actually walk a good amount at the new job. Other than that no exercise. My work shift is switching soon back to grave shifts and that will make everything settle down for me and I can find a routine.

Fun:
None. Other than flirting with a few girls at the new job. It’s a whole new world for me there. I’m use to working with a bunch of guys and the random 1 or 2 girls. The new job has tons of women and it is a pleasant change of pace. I never have and have no plans to date any women I work with but it’s definitely an ego boost when you catch a girl glaring at you multiple times throughout the day. I’m sure I’m nothing special I just happen to be the new guy around so they are posturing. They will probably be sick of me in a couple more weeks lol.

Goals for February were:
-Get a backpack lunchbox and start to get into a routine with the new job DONE This was very difficult. My first 8 choices for backpacks were unavailable. Probably due to supply chains. I ended up finding a NorthFace backpack which did the trick well enough but I’m not 100% happy with it. The straps are not very comfortable to carry. Osprey is my favorite backpack maker but such limited choices currently since the styles I want are not in stock.
-Get back in the gym FAILED
-Find a good Mac friendly spreadsheet to keep track of all my finances. DONE! Made my own

Goals for March:
-Find a routine Work, Gym, Life
-Drive to Reno and pick up an Ozone Generator to get rid of this smell in my house once n for all. I would have gone sooner but with the wet and snow possibilities and me driving a Prius just wasn’t a good idea to risk it. It is warming up now so the drive should be safe.
-Find a new doctor/hospital with the new insurance I have and get prescriptions filled.
-Continue to invest both retirement account money and some after tax money as well. Dollar cost average into the market. Hopefully as it goes down.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

March 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $77,783
HSA: $27,517
IRA: $43,996
Roth IRA: $207,392
401k/457/etc $56,399
After Tax Investments: $5,900
I.O.U. $60,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$744

Prior Months Net Worth $551,813
Current Net Worth $560,243

Net Worth Increase of $8,430

Prior Months SWR 3.26%
Current SWR 3.21%

Life & Finance:
I did my taxes yesterday and surprisingly enough I’m getting a refund from both State & Fed. First refund I’ll be receiving in probably 9-10 years! The refund should be just enough to cover my property tax bill. I will both owe property taxes and receive my income tax refund in April; so it will be a wash.

My boss at the job I’ve been at for over 10 years has been scheduling me only a few hours and outside of my availability. Basically making it impossible for me to get rest between both jobs. I finally put my foot down just 2 days ago via email and told him to schedule me only within the availability that I send to him each week. I had over 60 hours of availability this week and was scheduled only 28 hours all of which were outside of what I told him I was available. Seems like people like me who are flexible and want to help the most get the short end of the stick. Not anymore!

Fitness/Health:
Completely fell off the wagon on this one. Due to the bad scheduling by my supervisor I haven’t had the time to meal prep. I’ve gone a couple days without sleep, but I’m taking all necessary steps to put this BS to an end. Once I get this straightened out I will meal prep again and go to the gym.

Fun:
None.

Goals for March were:
-Find a routine Work, Gym, Life FAIL
-Drive to Reno and pick up an Ozone Generator to get rid of this smell in my house once n for all. I would have gone sooner but with the wet and snow possibilities and me driving a Prius just wasn’t a good idea to risk it. It is warming up now so the drive should be safe. FAIL
-Find a new doctor/hospital with the new insurance I have and get prescriptions filled. DONE
-Continue to invest both retirement account money and some after tax money as well. Dollar cost average into the market. Hopefully as it goes down. DONE

Goals for April:
-Get my schedule between both jobs dialed in and set a workout routine around it

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q1 2022:

Q1 Progress

January + $4,412
February + $5,055
March + $8,430

Total Q1 Progress $17,897


Current Net Worth $560,243

Current SWR 3.21%



Pretty normal quarter. If I can repeat this for the rest of the year I will have a regular net worth increase of just over 71k for the year.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

April 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $138,160
HSA: $25,492
IRA: $44,103
Roth IRA: $208,092
401k/457/etc $57,874
After Tax Investments: $5,428
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$573

Prior Months Net Worth $560,243
Current Net Worth $560,576

Net Worth Increase of $333

Prior Months SWR 3.21%
Current SWR 3.21%

Life & Finance:
My brother sold his home a couple months back and he paid me back the remaining 60k he owed me from the loan I gave to him. That’s nice to have back so that I can be ready to either upgrade to a bigger house if the market crashes and prices become more affordable or if the stock market crashes, I can jump in.

My boss was on his BS again. He kept scheduling me outside of my availability so I put my foot down the last week of March and told him I was not getting any sleep and feeling chest pains because he’s scheduling me outside of my availability. What does he do… Responds to me saying I’m off next weeks schedule until I can get a doctors note approving me to come back. So I went to the doctor and got him a note stating the EKG they ran was normal and to schedule me according to my availability. He didn’t like that so for the most of April I got zero hours. I turned in my notice at the State job because I can’t survive on that low pay alone. This last week I got some good hours in, finally.

This is the same supervisor who I helped out ridiculously over the past 10 years. Saved his ass on countless occasions and so I knew he would be happy to schedule me hours during all the off time I had but for whatever reason he chose not to. A friend of mine said all companies are the same. They will ride you until your back breaks; and then they will get another horse. So going forward I have been looking for work and also I will get back on my old site that I worked at. I will not save the supervisor any longer. From now on everything I do MUST benefit me (significantly) or else I’m not doing it. There were times I was telling myself to just sell everything and move to Thailand now! I can do it, I have the “F YOU Money” but I really do not. I want 2 to 2.5 years more work earning at the same or higher level. The 4% rule is based on money in the market and I have very little invested. So I need to wait for the market to crash which lots of economists and even our government says should happen by the end of this year or the first part of next year. As that happens I will dollar cost average in and over the next 2 years aggressively invest. I also need a strong surplus because I have been helping my parents out for many years. They live on very small Social Security checks. So when I’m in Thailand and they need something I can easily transfer the money into their account and it not ruin my hiatus.

The goal will be to leave in the first part of 2025. I still had a small net worth increase of $333 even though I had very few hours at my higher paying job and all of my investments went down in value. I guess not spending much money last month helped out with that.

Fitness/Health:
I’m out of shape again due to my boss scheduling me the opposite of my availability leading to me not being able to sleep and also gaining weight. If I don’t have time to sleep then I definitely don’t have time to prepare food and eat right. Then I was filled with stress from being given little to no hours.

Fun:
None.

Goals for April were:
-Get my schedule between both jobs dialed in and set a workout routine around it (FAIL)


Goals for May:
-Keep looking for other jobs. Lots of great positions but all of them are in the Bay Area which would require a move. I’m not against it but the job must be worth all of that effort.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

May 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $135,729
HSA: $25,518
IRA: $44,214
Roth IRA: $209,431
401k/457/etc $60,958
After Tax Investments: $11,990
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$203

Prior Months Net Worth $560,576
Current Net Worth $569,637

Net Worth Increase of $9,061

Prior Months SWR 3.21%
Current SWR 3.16%

Life & Finance:
Really nice to be back at 100% with my old job with lots of overtime and a substantial monthly net worth increase again.

I’ve updated my financial goals. My initial goal was to have a net worth of 450k in order to live off 4% or 18k per year. I reached that goal but very little of that money is invested. So going forward while the stock market is finally correcting as interest rates rise I would like to retire when I have 450k in Vanguard Index Funds/ETF’s and 150k in quality dividend stocks. I am planning to work for 2-3 more years which means I will easily surpass the 600k net worth but that extra time will be needed to dollar cost average into the market as it goes down and will give me more peace of mind. I do have a concern that with war in Europe maybe we will go into a recession or depression and I would hate to be overseas depending on my investments when they get hammered. I am also looking at Vanguards Dividend Funds which can serve the same purpose so long as I can get in at a good price going forward.

I am looking for an overseas contracting job like a few of my friends have had. Lots of advantages like no federal income taxes on roughly the first 110k. Also the work schedule is excellent 2-3 months working with 1 month off. That’s 3-4 months off each year! I could see myself doing this even after FI because I could still complete my bucket list travel destinations, experiences, foods etc while also earning money in a foreign country and experiencing that culture. I’d spend a lot more time and energy working on my health and fitness for sure. I’ve applied at these types of jobs before with zero response but over the next few months I may follow up with each company and hopefully get a recruiter on the line or a HR person to get things going.


Fitness/Health:
I’ve been eating better and doing intermittent fasting this last week. I’m down 3 pounds and I plan to continue this. Tried quinoa again and I’m really enjoying it.

Fun:
None.

Goals for May:
-Keep looking for other jobs. Lots of great positions but all of them are in the Bay Area which would require a move. I’m not against it but the job must be worth all of that effort. (Applied a lot and was offered a job in San Francisco with $5 a hour more than what I make now but I turned it down. The added costs of working in SF would eat up a lot more than that $5 extra and hour)

Goals for June:
-Take all overtime as it comes & spend very little.
-Go to Reno and get that Oxygen Generator so I can finally get rid of the smell in my house which I believe is in the HVAC system
-Keep eating healthy & intermittent fasting

MBBboy
Posts: 212
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2022 12:11 pm

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by MBBboy »

Glad to hear about the positive job and income changes. Good on you for recognizing cost of living differences between places, which a lot of people miss.

FWIW, we are likely already in a recession. Q1 GDP was negative and there are no reasons to believe Q2 is going to be better. Of course, the data to officially call a recession won't be available until late July / early August, and the government agency in charge of such things will obviously be pressured not to do so given the timing, but still. What this means for you and all of us is that you need to make sure you have an investing plan you are comfortable with and going to stick to. It sounds like you plan on dollar cost averaging starting nowish (as opposed to a lump sum). Think about job loss, family situations, etc and what you can stomach.

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unemployable
Posts: 1007
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:36 am
Location: Homeless

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by unemployable »

MBBboy wrote:
Thu Jun 02, 2022 9:50 am
FWIW, we are likely already in a recession. Q1 GDP was negative and there are no reasons to believe Q2 is going to be better. Of course, the data to officially call a recession won't be available until late July / early August, and the government agency in charge of such things will obviously be pressured not to do so given the timing, but still.
Recessions are "declared" by The Conference Board, which is a private entity, not the government. Usually it looks for, among other things, two straight quarters of negative GDP. Which we'll probably get. And its formal declaration of a recession is one of the most reliable buy signals out there. This is because it's usually a few months late and markets have long figured it out.

MBBboy
Posts: 212
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2022 12:11 pm

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by MBBboy »

unemployable wrote:
Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:04 pm
Recessions are "declared" by The Conference Board, which is a private entity, not the government. Usually it looks for, among other things, two straight quarters of negative GDP. Which we'll probably get. And its formal declaration of a recession is one of the most reliable buy signals out there. This is because it's usually a few months late and markets have long figured it out.
You sure? I thought it was NBER

ETA: Apparently NBER is a private org. Learned something new today

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

MBBboy wrote:
Thu Jun 02, 2022 9:50 am
Glad to hear about the positive job and income changes. Good on you for recognizing cost of living differences between places, which a lot of people miss.

FWIW, we are likely already in a recession. Q1 GDP was negative and there are no reasons to believe Q2 is going to be better. Of course, the data to officially call a recession won't be available until late July / early August, and the government agency in charge of such things will obviously be pressured not to do so given the timing, but still. What this means for you and all of us is that you need to make sure you have an investing plan you are comfortable with and going to stick to. It sounds like you plan on dollar cost averaging starting nowish (as opposed to a lump sum). Think about job loss, family situations, etc and what you can stomach.
Thanks for the advice :) I ended up selling all of my stock on June 24th went the market had a small rebound. I was checking stock prices everyday from when the market opened and all throughout the day. Being a individual stock holder is stressful and maybe not for me. I found Vanguard has a good high dividend etf which I may just push all excess money into. Yes, I always plan to have a large emergency fund because the 2008 recession beat up up really bad and I survived it (Barely) because I was a good saver. It took everything I saved to get me through it though including cashing out all my retirement accounts. That's why this time around I am super careful.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

June 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $158,052
HSA: $23,676
IRA: $44,322
Roth IRA: $209,510
401k/457/etc $58,052
After Tax Investments: $22
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$166

Prior Months Net Worth $569,637
Current Net Worth $575,468

Net Worth Increase of $5,831

Prior Months SWR 3.16%
Current SWR 3.1278%

Life & Finance:

So, I had to reduce my pension balance by almost $2,200. Found out the amount put in by the employer isn’t vested since I wasn’t there for 5 years. I have 4 accounts I need to roll over into Vanguard. A 457, Pension, Roth IRA at Fidelity, another Roth CD that matured.

I sold all my stocks in my brokerage accounts and in my Vanguard Roth account on June 24th. The market went up that day and I felt a little dumb because I started to jump into the stock market prematurely over the last couple months instead of waiting for the downturn like I had planned to do. I made money in some stocks and took losses in others. I took a loss overall of almost $400 which isn’t bad. At this point the market is continuing to go down and I will follow my plan to not invest until the market gets a lot more reasonable. Probably in Vanguard Funds and ETF's.

I went to Reno to pick up the Oxygen Generator. The instructions say to throw away whatever is the “cause” of the smell and to clean up before using the machine. I’ve thrown away so much stuff and I ran the machine while I was at work (set it to run for 1.5 hours) but when I came home the smell was terrible. It’s like the machine was only partly done pulling the smell out from wherever it was and left it lingering in the air. I opened up all the windows and ran a fan. Luckily the smell left. My plan now is to throw everything away. It was difficult when I started getting rid of perfectly good things that I spent money on, but now I am embracing it. I will go down to only having 3 pieces of furniture a small tv stand from Ikea, my bed, and a small table for my computer. I plan to throw everything else out from clothes, shoes, etc. Obviously, I will keep essentials like enough clothes for work, gym, etc, my tooth brushes, and other basic necessities.

Once everything is out of my house I will do another deep cleaning from shampooing carpets and wiping everything down. Then I’ll run that machine again. If that fails I will rip the carpets out. This would be much easier if I actually had regular time off from work. I had 1 day off last week and it was my first day off in 6 weeks! Once I finally get rid of this smell the only thing I plan to buy will be a couch. I threw away my old couch feels like a year ago. That was a great way to unwind to sit on a comfortable couch and watch a movie. I haven’t done that in so long and I refuse to watch a movie in this uncomfortable computer chair. On the bright side if I quit my job and go overseas like I plan to I will have very little to deal with in order to get out and go. Minimalism from here on out! I might even get rid of my bed if I get a comfortable enough couch with a pull out bed. We will see.


Fitness/Health:

I haven’t hit the gym but I have been intermittent fasting and I am down to 202 pounds. I will keep this up as well as go on my walks. Road to 180 pounds!

Fun:
None

Goals for June were:
-Take all overtime as it comes & spend very little DONE!
-Go to Reno and get that Oxygen Generator so I can finally get rid of that smell in my house which I believe is in the HVAC system DONE! but smell is still here
-Keep eating healthy and intermittent fasting. DONE!

Goals for July:
-Continue to throw stuff away and if it comes down to it, pull up the carpets
-Roll over accounts into Vanguard (Trustee to Trustee where possible)

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q2 2022:

Q2 Progress

April + $333
May + $9,061
June + $5,831

Total Q2 Progress $15,225


Current Net Worth $575,468

Current SWR 3.1278%

I am happy for any positive numbers but 15k is a lot lower than what I had hoped for. Just going to continue to grind and work more hours and try to spend less.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

July 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $155,623
HSA: $25,440
IRA: $44,433
Roth IRA: $209,686
401k/457/etc $60,813
After Tax Investments: $34
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,063

Prior Months Net Worth $575,468
Current Net Worth $576,966

Net Worth Increase of $1,498

Prior Months SWR 3.1278%
Current SWR 3.12%

Life & Finance:
Pretty weak net worth increase. I did pay my 6 month auto insurance premium of just under $700. I also gave my sister $500 to help her out with gas because she drives a SUV hauling her kids around and I know the increase in gas prices is causing a strain on her limited finances. Also, I gave my mother $100 to reimburse her for the gift given to my father for fathers day.

I had a HVAC company come to my house twice and they confirmed the smell in my house is not coming from the HVAC system. They said the system in very clean and clear of mold/mildew. I will continue to get rid of more things, donate a ton more clothes and blankets. Then it will be much easier for me to shampoo the carpets which I think may be where the smell is stuck. Eventually I may just pull all the carpets up myself.

I have began to study for the Comptia A+ certificate. I may be able to land a low paying entry level job with that cert and the job will be “remote” so I’d be able to earn the strong US dollar while overseas. I would be able to not touch my current savings and in fact I’d still be able to put away money every month. The job pays roughly 3k monthly.

I found out a close friend of mine passed away from colon cancer. If he would have gotten a colonoscopy done early on it would have been easy to cure but by the time they found it the cancer had already spread to his liver. I already emailed my doctors office about scheduling a colonoscopy since I have never done that before.


Fitness/Health:
None

Fun:
Went to Santa Cruz Beach with the family. It was a beautiful day but boy was the place crowded. I’ve never seen it like that before. If I ever plan a trip to Santa Cruz again I will go the night before and get a hotel close by. That way we can get up eat breakfast and enjoy the beach without all the hassle of fighting for parking.

Goals for July were:
-Continue to throw stuff away and if it comes down to it, pull up the carpets FAIL
-Roll over accounts into Vanguard (Trustee to Trustee where possible) FAIL I was too busy

Goals for August:
Transfer old retirement accounts into Vanguard
Donate/Throw away most of my belongings

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

August 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $161,454
HSA: $24,497
IRA: $44,545
Roth IRA: $209,759
401k/457/etc $60,080
After Tax Investments: $29
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$932

Prior Months Net Worth $576,966
Current Net Worth $581,432

Net Worth Increase of $4,466

Prior Months SWR 3.12%
Current SWR 3.095%

Life & Finance:
I worked so much overtime and got some of the biggest paychecks of my life this month but due to some of my investments losing value I only had a $4,466 net worth increase. On a positive note I have been putting my good credit to use and applied for 2 new travel/rewards credit cards. In early 2023 I may add another 3 to the mix. The rewards will help cover hotel and airfare when I finally retire. There are other perks like lounge access, higher hotel status, free insurances etc all acquired by using these cards for my expenses that I normally pay. My iPhone is over 5 years old and is showing its age so next month I will purchase a new iPhone 14 on these cards.

Fitness/Health:
None

Fun:
None

Goals for August were:
Transfer old retirement accounts into Vanguard FAIL, Didn’t have enough time
Donate/Throw away most of my belongings FAIL, Didn’t have enough time

Goals for September:
Work All the Overtime possible

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