Star*Bucks ERE Journal

[Star*Bucks]

August 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $27,132
HSA: $24,852
IRA: $135,284
Roth IRA: $217,027
401k $5,352
Brokerage: $209,324
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,367

Prior Months Net Worth $688,577
Current Net Worth $699,604

Net Worth Increase of $11,027

Prior Months SWR 2.62%
Current SWR 2.573%

Dividends/Interest: $1,313

Life & Finance:
Dividend and interest earned this month is lower than prior months because I’ve jumped on the treasury bonds train. They only pay out at maturity so I expect the November and December summaries to have larger dividend and interest payouts.

During the big heat wave we had here in California; my air conditioning stopped working. I refuse to call for help immediately and always try to fix things myself to save some money. This time I was able to fix the problem which was a bad capacitor. Less than $20 and a hour of my time.

I have spreadsheets that I maintain about all of my accounts; balances, dividends, and stored rewards, etc. This process of going into each site/app on the first of each month is time consuming so I decided to minimize the number of accounts that I have. I have started that process by closing 2 bank accounts and by the end of the year when some CD’s mature I will close another 2.

Fitness/Health:
In regards to physical fitness I have only been walking.

Fun:
None


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

Goals for September:
-Continue to study Spanish
-Get new prescription glasses

[GreenMonsta]

I just binge read your journal and it’s remarkable!
From my observation, you have relied little on stock market gains. Your contributions have done some major heavy lifting of your NW.
Do you still plan to DCA into the market or have you grown to desire a more conservative approach with T-Bills and a corresponding conservative SWR? I look forward to following your journey going forward!

[Star*Bucks]

I just binge read your journal and it’s remarkable!
From my observation, you have relied little on stock market gains. Your contributions have done some major heavy lifting of your NW.
Do you still plan to DCA into the market or have you grown to desire a more conservative approach with T-Bills and a corresponding conservative SWR? I look forward to following your journey going forward!

Cheers GreenMonsta,

You are correct. I held firm to my belief that the stock market was/is overvalued due to stock buybacks and I did't go in. In hind sight I lost a lot of opportunity. At this point I plan to invest in T-Bills while the return is so favorable. During the next recession I plan to either buy a house if they get very cheap again (which is highly unlikely), or I will DCA into the market until I reach around 90% stock.

This was a long slog to get where I am at and I was running against the wind, getting little to no returns. Now with these T-Bills I feel like the wind is at my back helping to propel me forward. It's a good feeling. FINALLY...

[Star*Bucks]

September 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $25,956
HSA: $24,969
IRA: $135,827
Roth IRA: $217,805
401k $6,250
Brokerage: $215,961
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,504

Prior Months Net Worth $699,604
Current Net Worth $707,264

Net Worth Increase of $7,660

Prior Months SWR 2.573%
Current SWR 2.545%

Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $1,184
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $4,599

Life & Finance:

It was my mothers birthday so I sent her a check for $500 and a Happy Birthday card.

My 2015 MacBook Pro has been painfully slow lately. Eight years is a good run for any laptop. I was planning on buying a M2 Mac Mini during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, but if I can I will hold off for the M3 version that is coming out in the first half of 2024. The M3 version will likely still be sold at the same price as the M2 but will add a couple of extra years of usability and I like to keep my stuff as long as possible.

The Mac Mini doesn’t come with a monitor, mouse, or keyboard. I was considering buying a bluetooth Apple Keyboard with Touch ID so I wouldn’t have to type in my passcode anymore. Then after some research I found out I could unlock my computer with my Apple watch. I went into settings and now every time I wake my computer up and if I have my Apple Watch on, the log in happens automatically. So I just saved myself $200!!

I have several travel rewards credit cards and some came with great welcome bonuses. I have a new card that I got last month which requires 4k of spend in the first 3 months. I spend nearly $750 a month for medical insurance which I plan to put on the new card. I also plan on paying for my new prescription glasses and all of my monthly bills. Once I reach the 4k of spend which should easily be done before the end of October I will get the equivalent of $1,200 in travel rewards points added to my balance. I plan on getting at least 2 of these type cards each year and put my ordinary spend on them to help off set my travel spending. These cards have great perks as well like airport lounge access, hotel/airline status, global entry (which comes with TSA Pre), free authorized user (my mom) who also gets free lounge access, etc

Fitness/Health:
None other than walks at work

Fun:
None


Goals for September were:
-Continue to study Spanish
-Get new prescription glasses (Failed, earliest appointment I could get was for October 2nd)

Goals for October:
-Get New Prescription Glasses & Shades

[Star*Bucks]

Q3 2023:

July + $7,416
August: + $11,027
September + $7,660

Total Q3 Progress $26,103
Year to Date Progress $94,812

Current Net Worth $707,264

Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.545%

2021 was my best year with a $77,022 net worth increase and I have already beat that with the final quarter still left to go. It will be nice to have a 6 figure net worth increase this year.

The overtime has gone down a bit but there is a strong possibility of it shooting up way higher than it ever has been. A new company is hiring in the same city and they are looking to take a lot of talent from our company and they are offering a much higher pay rate. We will see what happens because the start date is November 1st. Hopefully a lot of people go there and enjoy the higher pay so I can do some massive overtime.

[delay]

Congratulations on your progress!

So with $707,264 net worth and Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.545%, you live on $18,000 a year, or $1,500 a month. That's 40 years of expenses in the bank. You could say you are already Financially Independent!

When you say "Year to Date Progress", do you include market fluctuations?

[Star*Bucks]

Congratulations on your progress!

So with $707,264 net worth and Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.545%, you live on $18,000 a year, or $1,500 a month. That's 40 years of expenses in the bank. You could say you are already Financially Independent!

When you say "Year to Date Progress", do you include market fluctuations?

Hey Delay,

The 18k per year is what I expect to spend when I retire. After I get rid of the house, car, and I leave the country to backpack the inexpensive parts of the world and check off my bucket list items. My current expenses are roughly 30-35k annually.

I pay nearly 750 a month for health insurance so that alone is 9k annually. I really want to maintain health insurance in the states when I retire just to be on the safe side. Since I will be making little income I hope to qualify for subsidies on the affordable care act.

There are no market fluctuations in my portfolio because I don’t have any money in the stock market. So every month I put all of my brokerage and bank balances into a spreadsheet and see what the net worth is. I then mark the difference from the month prior and I am happy to say that in all the years that I have been keeping track of my net worth I have only had one negative month. At least from what I remember.

Cheers…

[delay]

There are no market fluctuations in my portfolio because I don’t have any money in the stock market. So every month I put all of my brokerage and bank balances into a spreadsheet and see what the net worth is. I then mark the difference from the month prior and I am happy to say that in all the years that I have been keeping track of my net worth I have only had one negative month. At least from what I remember.

Thanks for clearing that up! I used to know several countries where life was really cheap, like Romania in the EU, but when I last visited prices seemed to be converging with The Netherlands where I live. Hopefully there are still inexpensive countries in South-East Asia.

If you don't invest in stocks, what are your brokerage accounts for?

[Star*Bucks]

Thanks for clearing that up! I used to know several countries where life was really cheap, like Romania in the EU, but when I last visited prices seemed to be converging with The Netherlands where I live. Hopefully there are still inexpensive countries in South-East Asia.

If you don't invest in stocks, what are your brokerage accounts for?

Yes! I initially set the goal of 18k annually or $1,500 per month years ago. Back before the inflation crisis hit the world. So the $1,500 per month I believe is still possible but won't be as easy as it was before the global inflation took place. On a positive note there are still many places I know I could easily live cheaply in South America, South East Asia, and Eastern Europe. Argentina is the big one right now that comes to mind due to their currency being so weak and the USD being so strong.

I have a couple of brokerage accounts and I use them to purchase my treasuries and brokered CD's. I also use the settlement fund at my main brokerage as an online bank account. It offers over 5% interest currently and allows me to move money to my other bank accounts. Very Convenient

[delay]

I have a couple of brokerage accounts and I use them to purchase my treasuries and brokered CD's. I also use the settlement fund at my main brokerage as an online bank account.

Interesting, looks like a brokered CD is a fixed year deposit via a broker instead of a bank. I wonder if there's something like that in Europe.

I've been doubting stocks myself, their value grows so fast, it seems unreal. Government debt seems out of control. How can the US pay of that much money? At 5% interest? A CD is a claim on a bank, or collection of banks, also offering hard to believe returns.

House prices are out of this world. 5% interest has made no dent in them... how is that possible? I was talking to a group of pensioners at the swimming pool. All normal people, plumbers, truck drivers, public servants. They all owned a 500k house outright. How can that be real?

We seem to be living in the "Everything Bubble".

[Star*Bucks]

Thanks for clearing that up! I used to know several countries where life was really cheap, like Romania in the EU, but when I last visited prices seemed to be converging with The Netherlands where I live. Hopefully there are still inexpensive countries in South-East Asia.

If you don't invest in stocks, what are your brokerage accounts for?

What part of the Netherlands do you live at Delay? I have relatives in Rotterdam, a close friend in the Hague, and I always wanted to visit Amsterdam. Pay a visit to one of those nice coffee shops From what I have read it is not a cheap place to visit but I may come by for a vacation while I am still working and earning money. Lots of things to tick off of my bucket list there.

[delay]

What part of the Netherlands do you live at Delay? I have relatives in Rotterdam, a close friend in the Hague, and I always wanted to visit Amsterdam. Pay a visit to one of those nice coffee shops From what I have read it is not a cheap place to visit but I may come by for a vacation while I am still working and earning money. Lots of things to tick off of my bucket list there.

That's close, I live between Rotterdam and The Hague.

Amsterdam has changed a lot, it's less real. It feels like McDonald's. Tourists walk around with headphones taking selfies. Much safer than it used to be. Where you saw cautious male backpackers in groups, now you see single female travelers in revealing clothes and expensive headphones. (Same all over Europe.)

Having relatives should help you visit cheaply.

[DutchGirl]

I'd recommend Leiden, Gouda and/or Haarlem for some nice picturesque views of canals (Leiden also has nice tour boats, I don't know about Haarlem or Gouda for that). Amsterdam is very crowded with tourists, especially in the nice months of the year. But of course, things like the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum, well, you have to go to Amsterdam to visit them.

[Star*Bucks]

I'd recommend Leiden, Gouda and/or Haarlem for some nice picturesque views of canals (Leiden also has nice tour boats, I don't know about Haarlem or Gouda for that). Amsterdam is very crowded with tourists, especially in the nice months of the year. But of course, things like the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum, well, you have to go to Amsterdam to visit them.

Thanks for the info. I’ll probably try to get in everything I want to do in Amsterdam in 3 days and get out of there.

[Star*Bucks]

October 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $25,953
HSA: $25,080
IRA: $136,353
Roth IRA: $218,630
401k $6,944
Brokerage: $222,044
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,515

Prior Months Net Worth $707,264
Current Net Worth $715,489

Net Worth Increase of $8,225

Prior Months SWR 2.545%
Current SWR 2.515%

Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $1,228
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $5,988

Life & Finance:
Finally got my new prescription glasses from Costco. Total spent was $470 for the optician appointment 2 pairs of Ray Ban prescription glasses with transition lenses. I thought this was a excellent deal especially since the frames alone on ray bans website go for $224 each. Then I watched a travel video in Vietnam were a girl got herself a pair of prescription glasses for $19 optician appointment included lol She said she got the upgraded frames otherwise it would have only been $10. When I get to SE Asia I’m going to buy a few back up prescription glasses.

I got 60k bonus points from my Chase Credit Card after spending 4k in 3 months. I basically paid my $750 monthly medical premiums and I pre paid several months of my normal bills like cell phone, electric, water, home internet, etc.

I was really trying to get vacation time approved before the end of the year but my boss told me we are too short handed. I don’t mind because the overtime is looking really good. Hopefully the exchange rate for the Japanese Yen will still be favorable when I finally get out there. This may work out for me also because hiking up Mt Fuji is high on my bucket list and this is not hiking season. Hopefully when I get the time off approved I can go hike up the mountain, spend the night, and record the sunrise at the top.

November is a 5 paycheck month (get paid weekly) and since I already pre paid most of my regular monthly bills I am hoping to finish the year off strong. Although I may still purchase some items on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. My old Intel based Macbook Pro from 2015 is so slow. The new M3 Macbook Pros were just announced and I may just go ahead and buy one.

Fitness/Health:
I’ve been eating healthy and doing my walks at work. Nothing else unfortunately.

Fun:
None.


Goals for October were:
-Get New Prescription Glasses & Shades DONE!!

Goals for November:
-5 Figure Net Worth Increase!

[C40]

I watched a travel video in Vietnam were a girl got herself a pair of prescription glasses for $19 optician appointment included lol She said she got the upgraded frames otherwise it would have only been $10. When I get to SE Asia I’m going to buy a few back up prescription glasses.

I went with my old gf when she got new glasses in Vietnam. I forget the price but it was pretty low. One thing that stood out is that it seemed the quality of glass used was low - they scratched easily. Those travel video people often go on and on about the price but don't ever point out when the quality is lower. It's still probably a far better deal to buy them in Vietnam, but remember it's not all other things equal.

If you're in the US (or wherever else they sell) check ZenniOptical.com. They have extremely low prices. The actual price will depend on your prescription and on whether you get special coatings and such.. My friends who have simple prescriptions get theirs with zero extra cost for the prescription glass - so they can buy glasses for $7,.. $15,.. etc. They bought a lot and just leave them in different places around the house. If you have a simple prescription, buying there is likely better deal than in Vietnam

I did buy some for my mom, after I saw how much she spent for some designer glasses in the US... She needs a strange setup for the lens so hers cost a lot more than my buddy's... but still way less than she was normally paying

[Star*Bucks]

I went with my old gf when she got new glasses in Vietnam. I forget the price but it was pretty low. One thing that stood out is that it seemed the quality of glass used was low - they scratched easily. Those travel video people often go on and on about the price but don't ever point out when the quality is lower. It's still probably a far better deal to buy them in Vietnam, but remember it's not all other things equal.

If you're in the US (or wherever else they sell) check ZenniOptical.com. They have extremely low prices. The actual price will depend on your prescription and on whether you get special coatings and such.. My friends who have simple prescriptions get theirs with zero extra cost for the prescription glass - so they can buy glasses for $7,.. $15,.. etc. They bought a lot and just leave them in different places around the house. If you have a simple prescription, buying there is likely better deal than in Vietnam

I did buy some for my mom, after I saw how much she spent for some designer glasses in the US... She needs a strange setup for the lens so hers cost a lot more than my buddy's... but still way less than she was normally paying

Yes! I have purchased from Zenni in the past (2017 if I remember correctly). Heard about Zenni on the Clark Howard show. When I got the glasses from Zenni for $22 with transition scratch proof lenses, they were of good quality I just didn’t like the way they looked on me. I also purchased a pair of prescription safety glasses which were cheap and I still use to this day. Zenni has a tool where you can cam up and virtually try on the glasses but I am a bit too picky.

I get a headache if the glasses are too heavy and weigh down on my nose. So I made the decision to just purchase glasses in person going forward so I can be sure they look and feel good on me. I wear glasses from when I wake up until I go to sleep. The whole freaking day! So I really want a pair I am happy with. I appreciate the heads up about the glasses in Vietnam. I’ll probably still get some glasses there just as back ups.

[fiby41]

Yes, $12 seems to be the minimum here.
The mother was quoted $24 to $36 for glasses she didn't like the frames of/weren't comfortable with.
Going to town, she got a better deal and of her choice for $12, bi-focal and with blue light filter for reading on-screen.
I had accompanied an aunt to a more-high end location in the town, and after justifying UV filter, eye protection etc. to me, she bought the branded pair that change colour when exposed to light on the outside for $60 but that was 5 years ago.
Sites like lenskart let you try on various frames as filters with your webcam and order.

[Star*Bucks]

November 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $28,434
HSA: $25,192
IRA: $136,874
Roth IRA: $219,475
401k $8,189
Brokerage: $228,938
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$1,618

Prior Months Net Worth $715,489
Current Net Worth $727,484

Net Worth Increase of $11,995

Prior Months SWR 2.515%
Current SWR 2.475%

Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $6,700
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $5,994

Life & Finance:
Although the numbers for November look good I was expecting much more. I had some treasury bills that matured and it was a 5 paycheck month. I didn’t spend much money either. I’m going to go through all of my accounts to make sure I didn’t miss something.

I got 2 new business cards. They come with great welcome offers. I basically need to spend 6k on each card within the first 3 months and I get the equivalent of $1,800 of travel reward points. The other terms are 0% interest for the first 12 months and there is no annual fee. So spending 12k total between both cards was going to be easy for me because I planned to pay the IRS 6-7k in December since I went exempt the first 3 months of the year. The IRS charges a fee to pay using a credit card of less than 2% but I planned to carry the balance on the card and collect over 5% on my money for the full duration of the 0% interest intro offer and that should more than cover the IRS Fee.

Now here is the curve ball the credit card company gave me. The available credit on each card is 3k smdh even though I have excellent credit. I think they knew what my plan was. So I already spent 1k on one of the cards I plan to pay that off. Then I will go ahead and pay the IRS 3k (minus the fee) on each card. Then I will pay enough to make room for my purchases and move forward like that until I reach the full spend to get the intro offer. Should be pretty easy since my medical premium is almost $750 a month, my car registration is coming up and well as my 6 month auto insurance payment. That being said December may not be that impressive of a month because of this big spend.

Fitness/Health:
None, other than walks at work

Fun:
I got Thanksgiving off and was able to spend the night and see my family. What a big recharge to my batteries. I really needed that.


Goals for November were:
-5 Figure Net Worth Increase! (DONE)

Goals for December:
-Roll over IRA & Roth IRA CD’s to Vanguard

[Star*Bucks]

December 2023 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash: $24,559
HSA: $25,303
IRA: $137,370
Roth IRA: $220,181
401k $9,188
Brokerage: $236,940
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$4,924

Prior Months Net Worth $727,484
Current Net Worth $730,617

Net Worth Increase of $3,133

Prior Months SWR 2.475%
Current SWR 2.464%

Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,352
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $6,316

Life & Finance:
I’m late updating this post. This is only the 2nd time this has happened. The first time was back in 2016 because I was on vacation in Thailand. This time there were two websites that were down. One came back up around 8pm on the first but the other one was down and I didn’t want to put up a post without my full numbers. I am writing this at 2am on January 3rd and I am finally able to log in and complete the number breakdown. This was a systemwide unforeseen outage whereas the first site was down for maintenance.

I spent nearly 10k in December between property taxes, payment to the IRS, and normal living costs. IRS payment was to ensure I get into the “Safe Harbor” I did purchase myself $100 worth of fragrances to add to my collection as a Christmas gift to myself.

Covered California raised the cost of the Platinum Plan I had from almost $750 a month to almost $850. That’s just too much! So I dropped down to a Bronze High Deductible Healthcare Plan which is just over $500 per month. Only plus side besides the small monthly savings is the fact I can contribute to my HSA again.

I’m excited starting year 2 with new updated Spreadsheet to keep track of my accounts every month. Since I closed down so many accounts and streamlined everything I should be more efficient collecting my numbers on the first of each month.

I set my 401k contribution rate to 50% which is the max that the provider allows. I was excited because the last time I had this provider the maximum was 25%.

Fitness/Health:
My new years resolution is to go vegan. I did it for 4 months in the past pretty easily. I plan to exercise as well in hopes to get off the blood pressure and cholesterol medications. I plan to travel full time when I retire and I don’t want to be concerned with lugging around prescription medications with me.



Fun:
I spent Christmas with my family. Really good to see everyone.


Goals for December were:
-Roll over IRA & Roth IRA CD’s to Vanguard (CD’s matured on 12/23 all paperwork has been submitted but the funds haven’t moved over yet)

Goals for January:
-Work as much overtime as possible