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 »

September 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $171,982
HSA: $22,809
IRA: $44,653
Roth IRA: $209,796
401k/457/etc $57,711
After Tax Investments: $29
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$2,533

Prior Months Net Worth $581,432
Current Net Worth $586,447

Net Worth Increase of $5,015

Prior Months SWR 3.095%
Current SWR 3.069%

Life & Finance:
I wasn’t able to log into my old 401k account until today. I didn’t want to put in an update without all of my numbers so that’s why this update is a day late. I’m right on the edge of getting below a 3% SWR and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been working lots of overtime and it looks like there will probably be overtime for the remainder of the year.

It has come to my attention that I Bonds are paying 9.6% so I plan to max one out this month with 10k and in January I will max out another 10k for 2023. No state or local taxes are due from I Bonds, only Federal Taxes; so it sounds much better than any bank CD.

Also, I have just ripped out all of the carpets in my house and I’m cleaning up like crazy. I think the remaining smell that was in my house was stuck in that carpet. Any house I ever own in the future will immediately have carpets ripped out and some faux wood (or bamboo etc) put in. For the next week or so I will be cleaning up the floors vacuuming and making sure there is no mold anywhere. Then I will go down to either Home Depot or Lowes and order the new flooring and installation.

Fitness/Health:
Just the sweating I did while removing the carpet and carpet padding.

Fun:
None

Goals for September were:
-Work All the Overtime possible DONE

Goals for October:
-Work All The Overtime Possible
-Try to fix the house and make it feel like a home instead of just a piece of utility

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q3 2022:

Q3 Progress

July + $1,498
August + $4,466
September + $5,015

Total Q3 Progress $10,979


Current Net Worth $586,447

Current SWR 3.069%




As much as the market dropped I was still able to stay in positive territory. I plan to continue to work hard earn as much as possible and start buying index funds and the market slips. I’ve been waiting for this recession to come ever since 2009. I was broke back then and I couldn’t take advantage of the low home prices or the great deals in the stock market. Now I am ready to pounce.

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

October 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $177,783
HSA: $24,086
IRA: $44,765
Roth IRA: $209,983
401k/457/etc $58,181
After Tax Investments: $33
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$2,073

Prior Months Net Worth $586,447
Current Net Worth $594,758

Net Worth Increase of $8,311

Prior Months SWR 3.069%
Current SWR 3.026%

Life & Finance:
All the numbers here were taken on the first of the month like always but I didn’t get any chance to post this until now. Currently working 80 hours a week. My next check is going to have 80 regular hours and 82 overtime hours. First time I ever had more overtime than regular time on a check.

I have decided to sell my house in the next 6-8 months. I will have a mold testing company come out and test. I’m sure there still must be mold in there. I will pay for the test and removal and then I will have a contractor come in and do the floors, paint, and other things. I’m fed up and my clothes all end up with a musty smell from either having mold in the house or doing laundry with clothes that have the moldy smell stuck in them. I will sell or throw away everything I own because I don’t want any chance of taking that smell/mold with me. This may be the point at which I take a year off and see how I like the feeling of retiring early. I feel scared now just mentioning it. Obviously I’d be traveling and checking things off my bucket list. Most likely in SE Asia first because of the affordability and lots of things to do.

Fitness/Health:
None

Fun:
None

Goals for October were:
-Work All The Overtime Possible (DONE)
-Try to fix the house and make it feel like a home instead of just a piece of utility (Fail and am Giving Up On The House)

Goals for November:
-Work Lots of Overtime

classical_Liberal
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:05 am

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by classical_Liberal »

Congrats Mr rich dude! Enjoy the time off. In my experience plan on two years to unwind before the freedom itch has been scratched.

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

classical_Liberal wrote:
Sat Nov 05, 2022 7:48 pm
Congrats Mr rich dude! Enjoy the time off. In my experience plan on two years to unwind before the freedom itch has been scratched.
Thanks CL but I feel far from rich. Just as uneasy as when I was broke. Two years away sounds Amazing! :)

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

November 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $185,779
HSA: $25,258
IRA: $44,875
Roth IRA: $210,366
401k/457/etc $61,454
After Tax Investments: $4
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$2,521

Prior Months Net Worth $594,758
Current Net Worth $607,215

Net Worth Increase of $12,457

Prior Months SWR 3.026%
Current SWR 2.965%

Life & Finance:
My mother had to take a trip to Canada for a funeral and being as both my mother and father live on tiny social security checks, I sent her $1,000 to help with the costs of her trip. Feels good to be able to help. I wish of course my family was able to take care of themselves or better yet help us (their kids) but life didn’t work that way. I have friends who had all the nice clothes bikes skate boards and college tuition all paid for by their parents. That’s the complete opposite of my upbringing. If I had to estimate I’d say that I have given my parents more money directly and indirectly (for example paying for house repairs) than they spent on raising me.

I finally purchased a new iPhone 14 Pro Max with 256 gigs. It was so hard to find a store that had one in stock but luckily Best Buy had one last one remaining but it was in purple lol I took it anyways. My old iPhone 8Plus had a bad charging port that wouldn’t charge the phone so I could only slow charge it using the wireless charger. Plus the phone was old and only 4G so I had very slow internet and bad voice calls. All that is taken care of now with this new phone and I hope to keep this phone for a long time. The phone is the reason my credit card balance is high this month. I had to pay the full retail value of the phone, and they wouldn’t take my trade in because of the charging port problem.

I’ve gone under the 3% SWR and I feel pretty good but still not comfortable because most of my money is not invested. I am still waiting for the market to fall so I can get in at a better price or for the housing market to crash so I can get a good deal on a house. Next month will be expensive with Property Taxes due and Christmas as well. The healthy increase this month was a lot of overtime worked plus the help of the market jump yesterday so the little I do have invested increased in value.

Fitness/Health:
None

Fun:
None

Goals for November were:
-Work Lots of Overtime DONE


Goals for December:
-Continue to work lots of overtime to finish the year off strong

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

December 2022 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $188,580
HSA: $23,968
IRA: $45,001
Roth IRA: $210,761
401k/457/etc $62,299
After Tax Investments: $28
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$185

Prior Months Net Worth $607,215
Current Net Worth $612,452

Net Worth Increase of $5,237

Prior Months SWR 2.965%
Current SWR 2.94%

Life & Finance:
Medical insurance went up over 8% and now I’m paying over $700 a month out of pocket for healthcare. I was really hoping for a stronger finish to the year but I’ll take what I can get.

My net worth for January and February should be strong because I am putting 95% of my paycheck into the 401k. Hope to max it out by the end of February.

Fitness/Health:
I hit the gym yesterday, the last day of 2022 and it felt great. I’ve tried to keep a routine before in the past but I hope I can keep this one. Eating healthy and getting myself on track physically.

Fun:
I took Christmas Day off. It was my first day off since the first week of October. Was great to spend the day with my family.

Goals for December were:
-Continue to work lots of overtime to finish the year off strong (So-So)

Goals for January:
-Exercise, Work OT, and Find Happiness

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q4 2022 & Year End Review:

Q4 Progress

October + $8,311
November + $12,457
December + $5,237

Total Q4 Progress $26,005

Q1 Progress $17,897
Q2 Progress $15,225
Q3 Progress $10,979
Q4 Progress $26,005

Current Net Worth $612,452

Current SWR 2.94%

Historical Annual Progress
2014’s Net Worth Increase $24,786
2015’s Net Worth Increase $43,912
2016’s Net Worth Increase $76,342
2017’s Net Worth Increase $68,122
2018’s Net Worth Increase $70,282
2019’s Net Worth Increase $42,274
2020’s Net Worth Increase $31,296
2021’s Net Worth Increase $77,022
2022’s Net Worth Increase $70,106



December of 2020 I hit my initial goal of 450k. Last month November 2022 I went over 600k Net Worth. So, it took 23 months to add 150k to my net worth. From my current trajectory I feel I can do another 150k in 18 months since I am earning more hourly, getting tons of overtime, and I have a pile of money also kicking off dividends and interest.

I have secured several CD’s all earning between 4.4%-4.85% This is where all my retirement funds are. I am planning on moving my non-retirement cash into short term T-Bills so I can go from earning 3.4% in my high interest earning online account to something closer to 5%. The T-Bills are only federally taxed so I would be saving from state and local taxes.

thedollar
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:07 am

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by thedollar »

So consistent since '14. I think that's the hardest part for many around here.

It does also seem like you are low risk in terms of investing. Is a CD similar to a bond? Does the value fluctuate when the interest rate of the economy changes?

Why not add a little equity?

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

January 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $186,427
HSA: $24,234
IRA: $54,359
Roth IRA: $211,686
401k $67,625
After Tax Investments: $37
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$0

Prior Months Net Worth $612,452
Current Net Worth $626,368

Net Worth Increase of $13,916

Prior Months SWR 2.94%
Current SWR 2.874%

Life & Finance:
I contributed 97% of my pay to my 401k and barely paying any taxes in January was the big factor in such a big net worth increase. I should have my 401k maxed out with the first pay check of February and that feels great!

Expenses in January included vehicle smog & registration plus new wiper blades, 6 month auto insurance premium paid $630. Took my Prius into the dealership because it lost 70% of its power while driving and all the warning lights came on. A message appeared saying “Check Hybrid System” and to pull over when safe. I pulled over and googled what this could be and I decided to limp my way to the dealership which was less than 2 miles away. I got a call confirming what I googled was correct and the problem was the inverter. Toyota was sued over this issue and now has to give free replacement of these faulty inverters for 15 years unlimited mileage. They also cover rental car and towing fees incurred. I was so scared that my 2023 was gonna have an expensive start. The repair if I had to pay out of pocket would be between 4-5k.

Purchased a couple of short term T-Bills for my first time and I think it’s a great way to earn good interest and not have to pay State & Local taxes on those interest payments.

Fitness/Health:
I’ve been going to the gym regularly and really enjoying it. I’ve also been preparing my meals so I’m saving money and eating healthier.

Fun:
None

Goals for January were:
-Exercise, Work OT, and Find Happiness

Goals for February:
-Max out my 401k

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

February 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $190,255
HSA: $24,225
IRA: $54,541
Roth IRA: $212,370
401k $77,077
After Tax Investments: $38
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,425

Prior Months Net Worth $626,368
Current Net Worth $639,081

Net Worth Increase of $12,713

Prior Months SWR 2.874%
Current SWR 2.817%

Dividends/Interest: $1,315

Life & Finance:
I forgot to mention this in Januarys summary. 2022 was the first year I put together a spreadsheet to keep track of monthly balances across all of my accounts. The problem was it was just one large spreadsheet. I’d have to pull the calculator out and add the like kind accounts together so I could put together my monthly recap and that was an absolute headache.

In December 2022 I put together multiple spreadsheets for 2023. They are separated for all like kind accounts and I put a formula to add everything, so there is no need for me to pull out the calculator anymore. It felt really good and I got pretty good with Apple Numbers which is Apples version of M/S Excel. So I put together a spreadsheet to track my credit card reward points, credit card balances, summary balances, and I felt I was forgetting something and in mid February I figured it out.

I set up one more spreadsheet to track dividends and interest paid out to me each month. In January I earned $1,567 not counting my I-Bonds or my HSA. $1,500 a month was my goal and it was wonderful to see I earned more than my initial goal. I wasn’t able to calculate the HSA because I transferred from one institution to another. The process took 3 weeks and I couldn’t find any dividend/interest info from the former institutions website and I refuse to call their horrible customer service. I-Bonds also pay out interest every 6 months I believe and logging into their site is a big headache so I’m leaving it out. It’s only 20k invested so I don’t think it will change the numbers too much.

My dividends and interest paid out to me this month is less than last months because I invested a lot into short term T Bills. Being new to them I just figured out that I don’t get dividends. I actually purchase the T-Bills at a discounted rate (par value) and when they mature I get the full value which would include the interest. I plan to continue to purchase short term high yield T-Bills but only in my after tax account and for my retirement accounts I prefer short term high yield brokered cd’s. I will continue to invest in high yield short term government bonds and am just waiting for the market to get into a full recession so I can buy low. If that opportunity doesn’t present itself in the next couple of years then I will just lock in long term high yield government bonds and CD’s.

I made other spreadsheets as well to track countries I’ve visited including dates, books I have read or listened to via audiobooks, Unesco World Heritage sites I want to visit, my different id cards & memberships with expiration dates and more. These spreadsheets are all on the cloud and I can access them from anywhere. I wish I would have dived into spreadsheets earlier. The majority of times I heard/read about people discussing spreadsheets was to track expenses/spending and I have zero desire to track that. I am frugal and don’t spend on things I don’t need and I keep track of what was charged on my credit cards and that is enough for me.

It took the first 3.5 paychecks of this year to max out my 401k. Maxed out by mid February and that’s my personal record so far. Feels great!

My cousin passed away and my mother took a flight to spend time with her sister and attend the funeral. So, I sent my mother 1k to help her with her travel expenses. She hasn’t returned from her trip yet so she hasn’t cashed the check but the check will be cashed and taken from my account balance in March. March is a 3 paycheck month so I’m sure the 1k will not pull down my numbers much. In fact in the past when I would send money to my parents to help them out I would always think of all the things I could have bought myself with that money. Like the camera equipment that I’ve wanted to buy for years, or the trip I could have taken, etc. This time around I’m not sweating it at all and I am happy to be in a place to help.

Fitness/Health:
I broke out my juicer and started making Green juices again. Going to try to have one 32oz jar of juice a day.

Fun:
I finally listened to an audiobook “The Alchemist” by author Paulo Cuelho. I’ve been wanting to read this book for it feels like 20 years! I have no time to sit down and read but audiobooks are the perfect medium while I drive or via bluetooth when I go on walks during work breaks. I’m going to try to get through all the books I’ve been wanting to read via audiobooks.

Goals for February:
-Max out my 401k (DONE) maxed it out by mid February.

Goals for March:
-Get Tax Paperwork together. Since I don’t have a printer I will have to download all of the tax forms from all the institutions I use onto a thumb drive and go print it at Kinkos or the library.

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

March 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $153,280
HSA: $24,212
IRA: $54,748
Roth IRA: $212,994
401k $79,804
After Tax Investments: $60,084
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$2,163

Prior Months Net Worth $639,081
Current Net Worth $664,959

Net Worth Increase of $25,878

Prior Months SWR 2.817%
Current SWR 2.71%

Dividends/Interest: $1,216

Life & Finance:
March was a 3 paycheck month. Soon after I got the first paycheck of the month I decided to go exempt from state & federal taxes for the last 2 paychecks. I did that because I will have a new employer starting April 1st and with all the overtime plus vacation time that was going to be cashed out; I wanted to avoid all the taxes. To make up for this I will probably claim zero for the last 3 months of the year.

I am still doing the same work at the same location it’s just that I am a contractor and a new company is taking over the contract. My supervisor decided to stay with the other company and told me he may try to get me back with the old company in a couple months. He said it may come with a $5-$10 per hour increase. I look forward to that.

Only $1,200 in Dividends and Interest this month because of the brokered CD’s that I purchased. Some of them only pay at maturity.

Fitness/Health:
None. I’ve been working so much and eating out regularly.

Fun:
Not much other than catching up on some shows I like. Namely Mandelorian on Disney.

Goals for March were:
-Get Tax Paperwork together. Since I don’t have a printer I will have to download all of the tax forms from all the institutions I use onto a thumb drive and go print it at Kinkos or the library. DONE!!

Goals for April:
-Do my parents, brothers, and my taxes.
-Try to get back with my old company since the new company management is not treating me right already.

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q1 2023:

January + $13,916
February: + $12,713
March + $25,878

Total Q1 Progress $52,507

Current Net Worth $664,959

Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.71%

I am pretty sure some records have been broken this quarter. March I think is the highest net worth increase in a single month I have ever had. This quarter is also the highest earning quarter I have ever had. There have been entire years where I have made less money than what I made in the first 3 months of this year. 4 of the last nine years to be specific. Feels great to have the hard work pay off.

Historical Annual Progress
2014’s Net Worth Increase $24,786
2015’s Net Worth Increase $43,912
2016’s Net Worth Increase $76,342
2017’s Net Worth Increase $68,122
2018’s Net Worth Increase $70,282
2019’s Net Worth Increase $42,274
2020’s Net Worth Increase $31,296
2021’s Net Worth Increase $77,022
2022’s Net Worth Increase $70,106

A lot of the old management from the old company came on with the new company. Some managers are and have been jealous of me. All the overtime that I did would end up with me making way more money than they do. So, the schedules I have received so far with the new company have zero overtime. Jealousy is crazy! It’s not due to a lack of overtime being available because lots of other people have tons of scheduled overtime. I am planning to make the moves necessary to get back on with my old company and give myself a pay increase.

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

April 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $126,522
HSA: $24,190
IRA: $54,924
Roth IRA: $211,537
401k $81,027
After Tax Investments: $86,862
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$722

Prior Months Net Worth $664,959
Current Net Worth $666,340

Net Worth Increase of $1,381

Prior Months SWR 2.71%
Current SWR 2.71%

Dividends/Interest: $1,598

Life & Finance:
Pretty pitiful increase this month. I had to pay property taxes for my home and I helped my parents pay for some minor household goods. I got a new travel credit card which requires a minimum of 4k spend in the first few months in order to get the 75k sign up bonus. So I’ve over paid months worth of internet, electric, cell phone, water bills. I also pay almost $750 a month for my medical insurance so that’s also helped my spend.

I have invested in T-Bills & Brokered CD’s that pay interest at maturity. Seeing my monthly Dividends and Interest going up is motivating. If I had this money invested in monthly dividend paying products I’m sure I’d be over 2k a month.

My former boss called me and asked if I could come back and help out in a part time basis. I said yes and I should be starting there in a couple weeks. This will help since I’m not getting overtime like I use to. Also my prior employer will have some high paying contract work coming up soon and already being employed with them will make the transition that much easier into that higher paying gig.

Fitness/Health:
None

Fun:
Went to go see my family. I enjoyed my time there but to be honest I think living alone for so long has me set in my ways. There was too much noise and things going on for my liking. My mom on her phone, my niece & nephew on their devices which I’m sure the volume was close to full blast, my dad with the TV loud, and I tried to escape it by going to a bedroom but then the Warriors game came on and my niece and nephew started jumping around.

Goals for April were:
-Do my parents, brothers, and my taxes. DONE
-Try to get back with my old company since the new company management is not treating me right already. DONE

Goals for May:
-Try to get some exercise

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

May 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $27,854
HSA: $24,187
IRA: $128,252
Roth IRA: $214,599
401k $7,926
After Tax Investments: $190,613
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$330

Prior Months Net Worth $666,340
Current Net Worth $675,101

Net Worth Increase of $8,761

Prior Months SWR 2.71%
Current SWR 2.67%

Dividends/Interest: $1,769

Life & Finance:
Ever since the new company took over they have been trying to minimize overtime across the board. But in regards to me they are doing their best to give me none. Some of the management at the new company were taken from the old company and they were jealous that I made way more than they did due to me getting so much overtime. Unfortunately, the scheduler from the prior company did not move over.

That being said I am literally in a rush writing this so I can get ready to go take an exam 2 hours away from home for a new job which pays more, has excellent benefits, much better schedule (allows me to have a life again) and it’s closer to my family. Hope I get it! By the numbers I am ready to retire but I want to work a bit longer. This new job will allow me to travel a lot since they have their scheduling and personnel act together much better than where I work. If I get the job I will sell my house and get that off my back. I’ve already thrown out or given away most of my belongings so this transition shouldn’t be too bad.

I haven’t had a vacation since 2016 so I hope the new company will allow me to take one either before starting or soon after. I have tons of rewards points across several different travel rewards credit cards and I want to put those points to use. My next trip I do not plan to pay for airfare or hotels. Those rewards cards also gave me Global Entry, TSA Pre, and Airport Lounge Access all as perks and for free.

I consolidated a few accounts in May and I hope to do a bit more consolidating in June. This will make keeping track of everything much easier.

Fitness/Health:
I am eating right and exercising again since I’m not doing endless hours anymore. I am feeling good.

Fun:
Just the gym

Goals for May:
-Try to get some exercise Done!!

Goals for June:
-Consolidate accounts, finish rolling over 401k’s
-Continue pursuing this new job

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

June 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $26,352
HSA: $24,203
IRA: $134,249
Roth IRA: $215,261
401k $3,541
Brokerage: $196,418
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$963

Prior Months Net Worth $675,101
Current Net Worth $681,161

Net Worth Increase of $6,060

Prior Months SWR 2.67%
Current SWR 2.65%

Dividends/Interest: $2,217

Life & Finance:
Paid annual home owners insurance premium. Hopefully this will be the last time I pay for that. It was $900 which is a couple hundred more than what it use to be for the same coverage.

Fitness/Health:
I have been dialing in my diet. I’ve used an app called MyFitnessPal probably over 12 years ago and it was great then. Now they have switched most of their features behind a pay wall but the free version still does everything I need which is to track all the food I eat. That way I can be sure to get in enough protein and get all my micronutrients as well. I find it hard to get in enough iron in my diet so I may begin to supplement with beef liver pills to take care of that.

I go to the gym every other day. One day upper body and next gym session lower body. This split has been working out Great! I lost 6 pounds so far but I am not concerned so much about the weight loss. I am walking a tight rope trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. So the weight on the scale isn’t going down fast but my waist line is getting noticeably smaller and I feel great

Fun:
None


Goals for June were:
-Consolidate accounts, finish rolling over 401k’s Done!
-Continue pursuing this new job On Going

Goals for July:
-Study for the Comptia A+ Certification

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q2 2023:

April + $1,381
May: + $8,761
June + $6,060

Total Q2 Progress $16,202

Current Net Worth $681,161

Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.65%

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by DutchGirl »

So the new job option is still ongoing? Would that still be the job that is slightly closer to family, better schedule, etc? And how's your current work, is the environment still okay?

(Otherwise: pretty solid numbers, of course! Well done!)

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

DutchGirl wrote:
Sun Jul 02, 2023 5:15 am
So the new job option is still ongoing? Would that still be the job that is slightly closer to family, better schedule, etc? And how's your current work, is the environment still okay?

(Otherwise: pretty solid numbers, of course! Well done!)
Hey DutchGirl, the new job option has a somewhat long hiring process. They advised me last month that they would contact me in July to come in and do more paperwork and do a physical. The job is located in San Francisco which is so close to family and friends. I could move back in with my parents or siblings. The bad part is that the job is in San Francisco. The traffic just to get into the city is a nightmare and parking is a whole other story. I am starting to have second thoughts about this job even though it is a great gig other than the hurdles to get to work.

I have been considering getting into IT and hopefully landing a job that I can do remotely. That way I can travel and still earn a income. Even though I have reached FI for myself I still have a worry that my parents will need this or that and I am usually the one that comes through for them. So the remote job would solve everything. I could start to knock down the long travel bucket list I have while still earning money and helping out my parents.

Currently I am studying for the Comptia A+ Certification. Hopefully that can get me into even a entry level/junior position and I can grow from there.

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

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

July 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $26,283
HSA: $24,219
IRA: $134,768
Roth IRA: $216,172
401k $4,531
Brokerage: $202,719
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$2,115

Prior Months Net Worth $681,161
Current Net Worth $688,577

Net Worth Increase of $7,416

Prior Months SWR 2.65%
Current SWR 2.62%

Dividends/Interest: $1,625

Life & Finance:
Paid 6 month car insurance premium almost $800.

Fitness/Health:
Really slowed down on my gym visits due to the overtime. Going to try to get in the gym as much as possible. Also I’ve cut down on my meat consumption. Once all the meat I have at home is used up I doubt I will purchase more. I went from a meat eater to a vegan before and those are extremes. This time I’m going to take it easy on myself and just try to be a vegetarian. Seems like it should be easy because being vegan wasn’t all too hard.

Fun:
None


Goals for July were:
-Study for the Comptia A+ Certification ( Failed Due to Too Much Overtime, but I have been studying Spanish)

Goals for August:
-Continue to study Spanish
-Get in all the overtime offered.

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