Note: I pulled these numbers before “Liberation Day,” so I’m sure they’re much lower now. 

I’m going to do 5 more of these updates, and then let them go. So after this one, 4 more — and end it one year after the date I originally set, which was August 2024.

Instead, we’ll end in August 2025. Not bad, considering the current state of the world and atrocious stock market.

So did I do it? Did I reach my goal? Not quite yet. But I have enough on the way that it’s inevitable. I feel secure, like I will have enough and so will the kids.

And while losing a job or income source would sting, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. When I account for the things that are happening, my net worth is comfortably over $500,000, which was the goal all along. So while I’m not wanting to count the chicks before they hatch, there’s enough that it will all work out and all be OK.

All that to say, I’m marking the goal as “COMPLETE” in August 2025… and will update again when I hit $1M.

April 2025 Freedom update

• Link: Track your net worth with Empower Personal Dashboard
• Link: Join Points Hub — the ultimate points, miles, and travel rewards community — on Circle!

So what’s going on?

My grandmother put her house in a trust, with me as the sole trustee. And while I hope we have her for many more years, I’ll eventually have the house, which is worth around $150,000 right now. It’s currently being painted and getting the trees trimmed. Next, we’ll install gutters with leaf guards and get the exterior as complete as possible.

That way, when she passes, I’ll just need to do some updates inside to get it ready as a rental. Rents in the area are easily $1,600 a month, so I’ll have a cash flowing, paid off asset, plus all the equity. That alone would put my net worth at the $500,000 mark.

And then…

Tax sale rehab

I’m close to getting my first construction loan to rehab a house (that’s actually near my grandmother’s house). I paid $16,000 for it and will put about $100,000 worth of work into it. After it’s done, it should appraise for around $150,000. So, a $100K loan for a $150K house.

The payments I’m currently looking at would be around $800 per month, and it should rent for $1,200 to $1,300 per month — covering the loan and cash flowing a little extra. With this setup, I’ll have $50,000 in equity. Plus, all the appreciation that builds.

I get the deed in a month and have a contractor ready to go. Looking forward to this summer project.

But it’s not the only one…

Cabins?

While in Arkansas, I got to fully explore my 2.5 acre plot of land — and it’s gorgeous.

My plan is to take out a personal loan and build one or two little cabins on the property. It’s located in an area with plenty of tourism, and I’ve been in touch with the local offices about building permits and zoning.

There are a few other cabins in the area, but this location is truly superb. I really think — and even the contractor agrees — that I could build a little cash cow of a short-term rental out here. I need to get the water and electric pulled over and have a couple of areas cleared. Then put down some gravel for paths and one little cabin to start.

This project should start in about a month if all goes well. So, plenty of ideas.

This plot is currently worth around $15,000 but should appraise for much more once the cabins are built. And I’ll need to pay back the loan, but if I’m running my numbers even a little close to correct, I can easily cover it with just a 30% occupancy rate.

Y’all may remember I ran several Airbnb properties for several years. And as an added benefit, I can always clear the calendar when I want the cabin for a weekend.

Other stuff

Lord help me, I cannot leave well enough alone. There are a couple more opportunities that are still in the idea phase. They’re interesting and exciting and keeping me up doing research and connecting with people, so that’s all fantastic.

Between my grandmother’s house, the rehab, building cabins, and any other ideas that come my way, I am:

• Pivoting away from stocks and diversifying. Most of my current net worth is in stocks, so it’ll be good to have other assets that earn money in different ways (especially during downturns). Plus, I can’t keep fighting the tariffs and trade wars while I watch my net worth shrink.
• Adding real estate to my portfolio. It’s nice to have all the raw land, and even nicer to have a few structures generating funds. Tenants will be a fresh challenge, but I’m honestly not worried about it, because I’ll build systems that work for my own risk tolerance. As I do.
• Taking my net worth beyond $500,000. These projects are hard to quantify before they’re built, but also kinda not really. My grandmother’s house already has a value, the rehab has many comps in the area, and the cabin should cash flow enough to cover the loan plus more based on what’s already available.

So all this might feel tight for a while, but once it’s all done, I’ll be glad I did it. And the other stuff I’m pondering, if it works out, would be absolutely gravy.

My stocks lose more and more value every day, so instead of watching them bleed out, I’m gonna build other stuff — literally — until they recover (which I know could be years and years).

This month’s progress

During the last month I:

• Contributed $1,000 to my 401k via bi-weekly contributions.
• Put a house worth $150K into a trust for myself.
• Got a contractor and loan officer for a gut rehab on a future rental property.
• Decided to build one or two cabins on my land in Arkansas as short-term rental houses.
• Got a few other ideas that are still baking.

By the numbers

And now for the cold declines. As mentioned, most of my net worth is wrapped up in stocks, and with the ongoing stock losses, my investments aren’t looking so hot.

	Current	Last Month	Change	2025 Goal
ASSETS
Overall investments	$283,917	$305,672	-$21,755	As much as possible
Roth IRA total	$46,980	$50,719	-$3,739
Roth IRA 2025	$0	$0	xx	$7,000 (in new contributions)
Taxable brokerage + UTMAs	$4,128	$4,384	-$256	$25,000 (total invested)
Savings	$133	$55	+$78	$30,000
Investment property #1	$21,500	$16,000	+$5,500	$20,000 in equity
Raw land	$40,400	$40,400	xx	No goal, just including for completeness 🙂	Haven't gotten 2025 assessments yet
LIABILITIES
Car loan	$21,399	$22,098	-$699	As much as possible
Credit card #1	$0	$0	xx	$0	COMPLETE!
Credit card #2 (0% APR)	$10,282	$11,465	-$1,183	As much as possible
Net worth in Empower Personal Dashboard	$322,270	$360,024	-$33,754	$500,000 (overall goal)	Track your net worth with Personal Capital

Short- and long-term goals still include:

• Pay off credit cards.
• Work up to 15% in 401k contributions from my job.
• Save $7,000 this year in my Roth IRA.
• Build up cash reserves for savings and to buy more real estate.
• Renovate my first investment property.
• Develop my land for more opportunities.

April 2025 Freedom update bottom line

I started this draft a couple of days ago, when stock were low, and am publishing it now while stocks are down 5% for THE DAY. I’m not going to fight this. Instead, I’ll keep investing via my 401k contributions + company match and work on getting other long-term projects going.

It feels good to have an investment property or two in my back pocket and other income sources to keep me afloat. Though I’m currently at $322K, these projects will give me enough equity that I’ll be beyond my $500K goal. And honestly, if I’m just tracking my stock numbers, they’re just going to keep falling — especially if we enter into a recession.

So I’m going to end this tracking project in August 2025, knowing that I will inevitably reach my goal. I’ll soon have:

• A long-term rental unit
• A short-term rental unit (or two)
• Another long-term rental unit in a trust
• Other potential projects as they appear

With all of this — plus the over $300,000 I’ve already saved — I feel like me and the kids will be fine, and I’ll have plenty to pass on to them one day. I’m glad to be iterating and finding new ways to expand my wealth. My life is very rich indeed with family, friends, and time to enjoy them. That’s the real wealth.

As always, thank you for reading and following my journey. Hope everyone is doing well!

Stay safe and scrappy out there! ✨

-H.

* If you liked this post, consider signing up to receive free blog posts in an RSS reader and you’ll never miss an update!