fire

This upcoming month, we’ll be gearing up for the birth of our second son! Last month was all about the baby shower and getting the nursery together (as much as possible – lol oof). I’ve been meaning to get this update out for the past few days. 🥵

June was a hard month for the stock market where we saw the potential bottom mid-month. And then, the last two weeks of July brought a scorching hot bear market rally.

Because of the gyrations, I keep hovering around the ~$240K mark and am currently level set from where I was a couple of months ago.

But it wasn’t without significant ups and downs, personal expenditures, and trying to keep up with all the transitions. I’m doing a lot of freelance work on the side to afford everything.

Next month, I’ll kick off four months of parental leave when the new baby is born. So for the next few weeks, we’re getting as prepared as possible.

I feel bad that I haven’t posted more travel-related content in so long. First there was Covid, now it’s nearly time for the new baby. It’ll be a while before I travel again, but I can’t wait to travel with our children. That’ll be a whole new adventure.

For now, I’m still working on financial goals that’ll allow that travel to happen down the road. After all, this journey is about having choices and freedom to do what I love most in this world: travel to new places.

August 2022 Freedom update

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What a month! The stock market had its worse first half since:

• 1970 for the S&P 500
• 1962 for the Dow
• Ever for the Nasdaq

It’s still firmly in bear market territory – and I believe it has farther to fall. There are real-world issues that need solving that no amount of interest rate hikes from the Fed can touch. Namely supply chain backups, geopolitical tension from the Russia-Ukraine invasion, and lower company earnings and forecasts from too many of the wrong products and a tight labor market.

Interest rate increases are affecting home sales, and certain sectors are seeing hiring slowdowns (particularly tech). So how’s it affect me, the average investor?

Well, I contributed $2,000 to my 401k last month, but my overall 401k balance is only up $146. That means my money is losing value in real-time. It also means I’m getting more stocks at a lower cost basis. Instead of lowering my contributions during this volatility, I opted to increase them.

And the accounts I don’t touch (my Roth IRA that’s maxed for the year and my traditional IRA) are negative since last month.

The average bear market lasts for under a year, but the average bull market lasts nearly three years and has much higher highs than the bear market’s lowest lows, percentage-wise.

So I’m staying the course, sticking to my plan – and I have huge news I’m finally ready to share! Ahhhhh!!!!

July 2022 Freedom update

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It’s been a scorching month. 🔥 I lost money to crypto, started an UTMA account for my son, and pulled the trigger on a brand new HVAC system – to the tune of $20K+.

Throw in some court appearances 😒 and continuing to get the house together, and it was more than enough to make the month fly by.

And then the travel! I drove to Dallas and flew to Austin for Tori Amos concerts, and flew to Knoxville for work. It was SO good to be on planes!

I was going to visit family in Memphis for a weekend, but that trip never happened. And I won’t be making any other trips for a while. I’ll share more about this in a few weeks. Between life and the pandemic, it seems I’m destined to be a travel blogger who doesn’t blog for a little while yet. I’ve got my points poised for several big trips and continue to accrue them.

To the update!

June 2022 Freedom update

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Last month was absolute murder for the stock market. Earnings season revealed, if anything, that we’re still dealing with fallout from Covid and navigating headwinds from:

• The war in Ukraine
• Interest rate hikes (with another one being announced tomorrow)
• Runaway inflation
• A “post”-Covid market that no longer cares about Netflix, online shopping, and delivery services – or can’t afford to

It was the worst start to a market year since 1939, the worst year for Nasdaq stocks since 2008, and the worst month overall since March 2020. So course my portfolio is down.

Mentally, I see this as an opportunity to buy more stocks at a lower cost basis. But seeing the drops in real-time is hard, especially with murmurs of “recession” and “bull market” everywhere you look.

This month, I also got interested in a new DeFi app with 15% APY that pays daily interest. More on that and the rest of my updates below!

May 2022 Freedom update

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🥳! It finally happened! With 876 days left to reach my $500,000 net worth goal, I’m officially at the halfway mark.

Currently at $254,041 with ~$212,000 of that invested in low-cost index funds (mostly FSKAX and VTI). The market’s been hemming and hawing, but it seems like things are on an upswing.

Historically, April is a good month for earnings. The last 15 out of 16 Aprils have had gains. And I have a feeling that Q1 earnings will reveal the positive effects of inflation.

It’s been a rough quarter, so I’m glad things are finally starting to shift. That losing streak was tough to get through, but I stuck to my plan: regular investing in index funds, automated every two weeks. I’m always amazed at how simple it is and how it just works. It hasn’t failed me yet.

April 2022 Freedom update

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I considered not posting this month. With the war crimes and attacks on Ukraine, talking about the impact to my 401k feels inconsequential compared to the loss of life and destruction of major cities.

The stock market has of course been extremely volatile, and I’m right around the same place I’ve been for the last few months – that $240K mark, give or take. I really want to get to $250K and it’s so close and yet…

But it’s also been a happy time. I took my son, Warren, on his first plane ride and he had his first swanky hotel stay at the Park Hyatt Washington, DC where the entire staff was amazing and treated him like mightily princely. He’s a natural traveler like his dad and it was a phenomenal experience. He’s already asked to get on another plane. We have a traveler on our hands!

I hadn’t been on a plane myself since March 2020 when I went to the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos. It was good to be back in the air. I even paid attention to the safety demonstration.

And with money stuff, I changed nothing about my strategy. My house appreciated, and I was able to sock $1,000 into savings. My net worth went up and down all month. But now, it’s at the same place as it was last month. Somehow things keep evening out despite everything happening in the world – and in my life.

March 2022 Freedom update

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January 2022 felt like the longest month in a while. As I write this, the stock market will close on a downswing, which means all the numbers I just changed from pluses to minuses are going further into negative territory later today. Such is the stock market roller coaster ride, especially lately.

On top of a volatile month, I had some cash outlays that I’ll get caught up this month. All around, it felt like the hits kept comin’.

But, life’s good and things are in the works, as they always are. I keep dancing around this midpoint in my FI journey – right around the $250K mark. When I cross it, there will be much celebration. I’ve been thisclose for a few months now.

This month, I’m down $8K. But we know how quickly things can change. Slow and steady. Except it’s really slow and feels shaky?

Unlike other months, I’m detached from the numbers and continuing to invest as I always have. I have 2.5 years left to reach my $500K goal.

February 2022 Freedom update

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With 965 days left to reach my goal, I think I’ll cruise past the halfway mark of $250,000 this month!

December was a doozy. The markets rallied, I had over a week off to rest, and had my first Christmas in my new house in Oklahoma.

I’m still reeling from November and feeling a little whiplash at dropping $24,000 and then bouncing back over $30,000 in the last month of the year.

On top of all that, I started adding money to savings again and on January 1, went ahead and maxed out my Roth IRA with a $6,000 contribution. 💥 I was waiting to let that settle before I posted this update.

In my January 2021 update, my net worth was $173K. This month, it’s $247K. If I can manage a $73K increase in one year, then I’ll shoot to have a $100K increase this year and be at $347K by January 2023. 😛

January 2022 Freedom update

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It’s getting real in Oklahoma City. What a month. I’m emotionally and spiritually depleted – and my finances took their expected dip.

Along with furnishing a down payment for a house, the markets also reacted because of Omicron fears. Moving and setup costs were more than anticipated.

But I’m here in Oklahoma City. I’ve been coughing and sickly since I moved in – and two days after I closed, my dad died.

So I drove all way the to Mississippi to get my stuff and go to his house, which went terribly. His wife was awful to me. I missed a lot of work and the following week was Thanksgiving.

Now there’s talk about a new Covid variant and I am still shell shocked. My nervous system is shot and I haven’t even begun to process everything that’s happened.

This month, I should find out who my new mortgage holder is (my lender is going to sell the mortgage) and be able to add my house and mortgage account to my net worth calculations.

I almost didn’t post this month. My finances are in flux and things haven’t settled yet from the move. But in the spirit of honestly documenting this journey, I’m here, raw as I am, dips and all.

I will say – the house is so, so sweet. Such a good energy. Once I catch my breath, I can’t wait to get it decorated and furnished and work in the yard.

But for now, I’m being extra extra gentle with myself. Losing a parent you weren’t really close with has so many complicated emotions.

December 2021 Freedom update

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Hi again from Upstate New York! I’ll be here a couple more weeks, then drive to Vermont and Delaware – then home to Memphis. From there, I’ll regroup and maybe do one more big loop around the Southwest this winter.

And then?

Well, you know I don’t plan that far out – but I’ve been looking at houses in Memphis and will hopefully snag one soon.

This Freedom update finds me with my highest-ever net worth, up over $13,000 since last month, and nearly halfway to my $500,000 goal.

When I leave here, it will have been two months in Upstate New York. By staying at a friend’s house, I’ve been able to save all my extra cash, complete my savings goal, and put the excess into my taxable brokerage account. My only expenses have been groceries and eating out, with the occasional splurge.

Professionally, it’s been great too. I started writing for NextAdvisor on Time.com and have built up a cadre of articles on Business Insider. I’ve also been killing it at my regular 9 to 5, and posted on social media every day in August 2021 as part of my trashy mystery witch school (which I’ve been doing for one year now).

You can follow me on Instagram for thoughts about divine masculinity, sexual awakening, daddy issues, travel and travel memories, investing, and random slice-of-life stuff. 🍉

Now for the money! 🤑

September 2021 Freedom update

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This August 2021 Freedom update finds your protagonist in beautiful Oak Hill, NY – upstate in the Catskill Mountains. It’s certainly welcome after July 2021, which was a doozy of a month. I went from West Virginia to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to upstate New York.

Not gonna lie, in Philly I started to get travel fatigue. I found the city overwhelming. Plus, it was really hot while I was there. Here are reviews of recent stays at the Kimpton Palomar and Hyatt Bellevue in Philadelphia. And here’s my West Virginia trip report.

But now I’m staying at a friend’s house for a month or so, which will help me save cash. In fact, I’ll meet my $30,000 savings goal this month, then switch to investing all my extra income (and soooo excited about that).

After all the short stays last month, I’m firmly a believer in staying put for at least three weeks. After a month, I start to feel froggy, but two weeks is too short, so I think that’s the sweet spot for me.

OK I have a lot of ideas to share so let’s hop to it.

August 2021 Freedom update

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Hi from wild and wonderful West Virginia! I’m stationed right outside New River Gorge National Park – our newest one. The Mountain State surely lives up to its name. I’ll spend the weekend hiking in the park and exploring the little towns up and down the 53-mile stretch of river the park occupies.

After this, it’s Pittsburgh for a week, Philadelphia for a week, and finishing the month in upstate New York in the Catskill Mountains.

In the background, I’ve stuck to my investment strategy and have been stashing away everything I can to build up savings. I’ve almost reached my savings goal and will shift into throwing every spare cent into my taxable brokerage account – something I’ve been looking forward to for a while.

Before that happens, I have a couple of expensive hotel stays to pay for. Asheville and Fayetteville (where I am now) were expensive tbh. That’s part of the danger with choosing the place instead of chasing the cheap deals, but I wanted to see them both.

After upstate New York, I’ll be more open to following cheap prices. And I’ll be able to complete my savings goal in the next month and switch to investing mode.

Despite everything, I’m still up almost $8,000 this month over last – and at 42% of my $500,000 goal. Let’s get into it.

July 2021 Freedom update

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