September 2020 update ($583,327 -$22,778 or -%3.8)

 ↑ Financial independence savings for last month $2,000
Grand total additions: $2,000 USD

↓ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is down by $2,717 or -2.0%
↓ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is down by $3,519 or -2.8%
↓ US 500 Stock Index Fund is down by $6,165 or -4.0%
↓ Global Small Cap Index is down by $3,038 or -2.6%
↓ Fidelity Growth Fund is down by $411 or -0.7%
↓ EUR is down to USD by 2.4% or $6,392 for my portfolio
↓ GBP is down to USD by 4.5% or $2,535 for my portfolio
Grand total losses: $24,778

Observations:

I still consider the market quite steady, considering everything what is going on with the pandemic and the warmongering.  Western European markets continue to surprise and disappoint me. It is not that dollar is strong but EUR and GBP are weak.

 There is also very significant corruption and stealing of the public money is ongoing. As a specific but not an isolated example is furlough scheme in the UK.  The scheme was designed to mask mass layoffs.  The scheme allowed private companies to place the employees on leave and the government would pay 80% of their salary (capped at $3,200 a month).  Head of the UK tax department (so-called HMRC) stated that as much as $5 billion has been stolen from the public purse through fraudulent claims on the taxpayer-funded furlough scheme. This is only tip of iceberg.

Of course, this is not free. The government is likely to increase income taxes to get the money back. Ordinary people will have to pay for the intentional lack of control.

 Despite all of this the government still failed to avert the recession and likely it will be double dipped. This is also great opportunity for a hard divorce from European Union, as no man will be able to separate consequences of hard BrExit from the pandemic.

 European Union mutual fund has demonstrated ZERO growth since 2017. If you consider inflation, it actually lost the money.   

You can come to any office in EU states and ask a question: “How many people work there?” There is correct universal answer is: “Half of them”. Exception is the government offices, as no people are working there in EU.