Sunday, January 20, 2019

Opportunity Cost

I had a recent opportunity to return to the USA on a business trip.  While doing some light shopping online I encountered my 2008 order.  For X-mass we agreed with the wife to order our wish list to read.
Two of them on the financial subject have not been read.

This re-enforced my thinking about Zero Based approach to life. Past years have been big for me. My kids were born. We moved to a new city. I had two exciting and well-paid jobs between 2010 and 2016.
I think in new millennia era one separates between “experiencing self” and “remembering self”. Remembering is about kids, new jobs, new city. Experiencing self for was a lot about the internet and my phone.
I start spending a significant amount of time interacting on the internet and my phone than with the family.  Initially, the phone was no more than a player which I can use to make phone calls.  I start picking my phone, tablets much more often that you pick up a knife and fork, pending far longer reading emails, reports, emerging in data than reading books.


The applications on my phone and tablet are enormously powerful and allow me to do a lot on a move, but I am not happy with the role internet plays in my life. I have no problem with disconnecting from the network during vacation or otherwise. It is not about addiction but substitution.  I need to re-think how my time is spent and how to spend it otherwise.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

2019 Financial Independence Goals


Financial goals.
- Save 20% on the income. I would like to follow financial advice on an index card and save 20% of your money (Currently this is around 12%.  I will try to save any extra bonuses I receive and trim some of our expenses.
How am I going to save 20%:
- Accumulate $10 K a year (tax deferred contribution) in the private pension fund – equivalent of 401(k) , $10K to the tax efficient account.
- Accumulate $4 K of them towards long term house maintenance and make two additional monthly payments on the mortgage.

Portfolio
 – No changes. Keep investing in the pension/retirement fund.
- Develop additional income source in full, potential reward about $2,000 a year. Target sites to be developed in full this year.

Blog:
- Regular monthly updates.
- To cover 6 themes on financial independence, including mortgage one.
 
Educational:
- Read 12 books from the list.
- Publish the books reviews.
- Corporate finances to study in detail.

Family Budget:
- As long as the savings goal is made I do not mind the rest. Aim to stay under previous year budget.
- Be happy.  Run 1,000 miles during the year. BMI at 26.3 by December. Loose 2.5 pounds a month.
What are your goals for this year?  








Sunday, January 13, 2019

2018 Financial Independence Goals - Review

Financial goals.
- Accumulate $10 K a year, with $4k of them towards long term house maintenance.Complete.
- Portfolio – no changes. Keep investing in the pension/retirement fund – Complete. Invested $19K (this is 2018 and 2018 cash).
- Develop additional income source in full, potential reward about $2,000 a year. Target sites to be developed in full this year. – This is not achieved.

Blog:
- Regular monthly updates.- Complete. Although sometimes I was loosing will to do it.
- To cover 6 themes on financial independence, including  30 year forecast scenario. – Partially complete. I covered four themes – Financial Advice on a Card, Return on Loft Insulation, Family Budget for the past 10 years, 10 years Networth Change.
 
Educational:
- Read 12 books from the list. – This is not achieved.
- Publish the books reviews. – Complete, although not a lot of reading happened.
- Corporate finances to study in detail. - This is not achieved

Family Budget:
-          As long as the savings goal is made I do not mind the rest. Aim to stay under previous year budget. – Complete. The savings goal is complete but I was unable to send under previous year budget.
-          Be happy.  Run 1,000 miles during the year. BMI at 26.3 by December. Loose 2.5 pounds a month. – This is not achieved. Only ran 400 miles. As the result BMI is not achieved.

Overall the year was a good one but I wish I would do more progress on educating myself and developing more skills in Financial Independence, looking after my health.
I spent too much time at work and although this resulted in extra $3K as a bonus I am not sure that it worth it.

How was your year? What do you think was the most impactful for you?

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Financial Independence change in the Net Worth over the past 6 years analysis


This is how my financial performance looked like over the course of the last 6 years and benchmarking my investment decisions against global stock markets:
Year
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
End of the Year, $ K USD
298,429
288,608
295,536
387,831
482,266
432,089
Money invested (Do nothing)
298,429
318,105
332,356
413,899
508,617
528,940
Inflation adjusted U.S.*
299,282
322,877
337,740
418,038
519,298
540,048
S&P 500 benchmark**
394,553
470,275
491,211
640,340
895,521
869,044
DAX (Germany)**
374,528
404,848
459,332
578,196
724,056
608,157
FTSE (the UK)**
354,235
376,529
385,699
556,486
729,349
689,698
* If I invested in inflation protected US treasury bills
** Total return (market change and dividends reinvestment)

This is how my networth change last 9 years:
Financial Independence Net Worth



Tuesday, January 1, 2019

December 2018 update ($432,089 -$38,755 or -8.2%)


↑ EUR is slightly up to USD by $1,885 or 1.0%
Grand total additions: $1,885

↓ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is down by $5,270 or -4.5%
↓ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is down by $6,648 or -6.1%
↓ US 500 Stock Index Fund is down by $14,594 or -12.4%
↓ Global Small Cap Index is down by $13,006 or -12.1%
↓ Vanguard FTSE U.K. All Share Index is down  by $961 or -4.8%
↓ GBP to USD is slightly down by $153 or -1%
Grand total losses: $40,737
Road to Financial Independence - December 2018  How To