June 2026 update ($1,460,466 +$10,584 or +0.7%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $1,443 or +0.6%
↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $11,345 or +4.6% 
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $4,316 or +1.9%
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
Total gains: $19,604

↓ Standard and Poor’s 500 Index Fund is down by $2,404 or -0.4% 
↓ Growth fund is down by $575 or -0.5%
↓ EUR to USD is down by 0.9% or for my portfolio $4,322
↓ GBP to USD is down by 1.5% or for my portfolio $1,719
Total losses: 9,020    

  

May 2026 update ($1,449,882 +$75,719 or +5.5%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $22,568 or +10.4%
↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $10,072 or +4.2% 
↑ Standard and Poor’s 500 Index Fund is up by $25,257 or +4.6% 
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $7,876 or +3.6%
↑ Growth fund is up $7,445 or +6.8%
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
Total gains: $75,719

Buying vs investing and renting a house

 Ten years ago, I bought a house with a twenty-year mortgage.  It has been an emotional decision and, as I am about to become mortgage free, I would like to share some considerations and costs.

 

I will look at it as an investment and compare it with other investment opportunities.

 

House bought in 2016 for 475,000. House cost in 2026: 600,000

 

Total money paid:

• Initial deposit: 150,000
• Legal cost and tax: 14,500 (1,500 + 13,000)
• Three one off over payments over years: 34,000
• Monthly payments over ten years: 211,000
• Total paid to the bank:  395,000 plus initial cost 15,000

 

Still owe: 130,000 to the bank. Interest paid: 50,000

 

My preference was to lock the mortgage as fixed interest.  First five years the mortgage interest was 2.7%, the last five years 1.4%. I have also maintained monthly payments the same from the beginning, even with all over payments. Last year I was overpaying 400 a month.  The house grew in value 125,000 over ten years or 2.3% a year. 

 

We bought it emotionally and the sellers’ agent used our feelings to full extend – we overpaid 25,000 over sticker price. This is despite that we had no ongoing chain – the seller got their money straight away, without any waiting.

 

Opportunity cost.

April 2026 update ($1,376,128 +$121,364 or +9.7%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $23,606 or +12.2%
↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $14,248 or +6.3%
↑ Standard and Poor’s 500 Index Fund is up by $53,368 or +10.8%
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $18,930 or +9.3%
↑ Growth fund is up $6,286 or +6.3%
↑ GBP is up to USD by 2.3% or $2,486 for my portfolio
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
Total gains: $121,364

March 2026 update ($1,254,764 -$98,905 or -7.3%)

↑ Additional investment savings $2,500

Total gains: $2,500

 

↓ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is down by $23,464 or -10.7%

↓ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is down by $20,506 or -8.2%

↓ Standard and Poor’s 500 Index Fund is down by $26,194 or -5.0%

↓ Global Small Cap is down by $16,483 or -7.5%

↓ Growth fund is up down $5,266 or -4.9%

↓ EUR is down to USD by 1.7% or $7,208 for my portfolio

↓ GBP is down to USD by 2.2% or $2,283 for my portfolio

Total loses: $101,405

 

February 2026 update ($1,353,669 +$25,338 or +1.9%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $12,959 or +6.2%
↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $8,408 or +3.5% 
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $8,217 or +3.9%
↑ Growth fund is up by $2,345 or +2.2%
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
Total gains: $34,429

↓ Standard and Poor’s 500 Index Fund is down by $3,818 or -0.7% 
↓ EUR is down to USD by 0.8% or $3,977 for my portfolio
↓ GBP is down to USD by 0.7% or $1,600 for my portfolio
Total loses: $9,395

January 2026 update ($1,328,281 +$47,727 or +3.7%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $14,293 or +6.5%
↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $6,532 or +2.5% 
↑ Standard and Poor’s 500 Index Fund is up by $7,089 or +1.4% 
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $10,939 or +5.5%
↑ Growth fund is up by $236 or +0.2%
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
↑ EUR is up to USD by 0.8% or $3,797 for my portfolio
↑ GBP is up to USD by 2.2% or $2,341 for my portfolio
Total gains: $47,727

December 2025 update ($1,280,554 +$25,597 or +2.0%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $3,257 or +1.8%
↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $5,307 or +2.4% 
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $1,817 or +0.9%
↑ Growth fund is up by $297 or +0.3%
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
↑ EUR is up to USD by 2.6% or $10,862 for my portfolio
↑ GBP is up to USD by 1.5% or $1,557 for my portfolio
Total gains: $25,597

November 2025 update ($1,254,956 -$51,259 or -3.9%)

↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $146 or +0.1%
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $3,825 or +2%
↑ GBP is up to USD by 0.8% or $776 for my portfolio
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
Total gains: $7,247

↓ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is down by $6,090 or -3.2%
↓ US 500 Stock Index Fund is down by $47,819 or -8.4%
↓ Growth fund is down by $1,051 or -1.0%
↓ EUR is down to USD by 0.9% or $3,546 for my portfolio
Total losses: $58,506

Family Budget 2011-2025

 I kept logging my expenses without sharing them for the past three years. It’s time to catch up! Here how our family expenses look like over the past 14 years: 

October 2025 update ($1,306,215 +$86,934 or +7.1%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $11,653 or +6.4%
↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $8,396 or +3.8%
↑ US 500 Stock Index Fund is up by $63,640 or +12.7%
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $1,693 or +0.9%
↑ Growth fund is up by $5,786 or +5.8%
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
Total gains: $93,669

↓ EUR is down to USD by 0.9% or $3,426 for my portfolio
↓ GBP is down to USD by 3.0% or $2,966 for my portfolio
Total losses: $6,392

September 2025 update ($1,219,281 +$36,901 or +3.1%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $11,037 or +6.4%

↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $3,641 or +1.7%

↑ US 500 Stock Index Fund is up by $14,574 or +3.0%

↑ Global Small Cap is up by $1,968 or +1.0%

↑ Growth fund is up by $3,182 or +3.3%

↑ Additional investment savings $2,500

Total gains: $36,901

 

August 2025 update ($1,182,380 +$25,393 or +18.6%)

↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $833 or +0.4%

↑ US 500 Stock Index Fund is up by $9,482 or +2.0%

↑ Global Small Cap is up by $9,428 or +5.2%

↑ Additional investment savings $2,500

↑ EUR is up to USD by 0.9% or $3,301 for my portfolio

↑ GBP is up to USD by 1.5% or $1,436 for my portfolio

Total gains: $26,980

 

↓ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is down by $1,353 or -0.8%

↓ Growth fund is down by $234 or -0.2%

Total losses: $1,587

 

July 2025 update ($1,156,987 +$21,632 or +1.9%)

 ↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $7,709 or +4.6%

↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $2,103 or +1.0%

↑ US 500 Stock Index Fund is up by $10,330 or +2.2%

↑ Global Small Cap is up by $2,126 or +1.2%

↑ Growth fund is up by $6,353 or +6.9%

↑ Additional investment savings $2,500

Total gains: $31,121

 

↓ EUR is down to USD by 1.7% or $6,610 for my portfolio

↓ GBP is up to USD by 2.9% or $2,879 for my portfolio

Total losses: $9,489

 

June 2025 update ($1,135,355 +$55,695 or +5.2%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $3,929 or +2.5%
↑ US 500 Stock Index Fund is up by $22,486 or +5.0%
↑ Global Small Cap is up by $8,066 or +4.7%
↑ Growth fund is up by $1,706 or +1.9%
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
↑ EUR is up to USD by 4.4% or $16,110 for my portfolio
↑ GBP is up to USD by 3.0% or $2,693 for my portfolio
Total gains: $57,491

↓ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is down by $1,796 or -0.9%
Total losses: $1,796

May 2025 update ($1,079,660 +$59,737 or +5.9%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $6,461 or +4.3%

↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $11,651 or +6.0%

↑ US 500 Stock Index Fund is up by $26,196 or +6.2%

↑ Global Small Cap is up by $9,393 or +5.8%

↑ Growth fund is up by $3,535 or +4.2%

↑ Additional investment savings $2,500

Total gains: $59,737

 

April 2025 update ($1,019,923 +$12,505 or +1.2%)

↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $361 or +0.2%

↑ Global Small Cap is up by $1,108 or +0.7%

↑ Growth fund is up by $173 or +0.2%

↑ EUR is up to USD by 4.6% or $15,214 for my portfolio

↑ GBP is up to USD by 2.3% or $1,902 for my portfolio

↑ Additional investment savings $2,500

Total gains: $18,758

 

↓ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is down by $5,725 or -3.9%

↓ US 500 Stock Index Fund is down by $3,027 or -0.7%

↓ Growth fund is down by $5,100 or -6.0%

Total losses: $8,752

 

March 2025 update ($1,007,418 -$29,854 or -2.9%)

↑ EUR is up to USD by 3.8% or $12,370 for my portfolio
↑ GBP is up to USD by 3.2% or $2,530 for my portfolio
↑ Additional investment savings $2,500
Total gains: $17,400

↓ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is down by $4,735 or -3.2%
↓ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is down by $5,713 or -3.1%
↓ US 500 Stock Index Fund is down by $25,374 or -5.7%
↓ Global Small Cap is down by $6,331 or -3.8%
↓ Growth fund is down by $5,100 or -6.0%
Total losses: $47,254

February 2025 update ($1,037,272 -$533 or -0.1%)

↑ Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $1,176 or +0.8%

↑ Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $6,628 or +3.7%

↑ GBP is up to USD by 1.6% or $1,346 for my portfolio

↑ Additional investment savings $2,500

Total gains: $11,650

 

↓ US 500 Stock Index Fund is down by $3,755 or -0.8%

↓ Global Small Cap is down by $6,451 or -3.7%

↓Growth fund is down by $1,978 or -2.3%

Total losses: $12,183

 

January 2025 update ($1,037,805 +$31,655 or +3.2%)

↑Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund is up by $1,759 or +1.2%

↑Eurozone Stock Index Fund is up by $11,699 or +7.3%

↑US 500 Stock Index Fund is up by $9,770 or +2.2%

↑Global Small Cap is up by $6,500 or +3.9%

↑Growth fund is up by $1,927 or +2.8%

Total gains: $31,655