Horse show season
What happened this last month?
After a month with IEA shows, this month had equestrian team meets. It was great to see everyone again and watch the team reconnect after a year being apart. While our team represents a specific high school, only 2 of the nine team members actually attend that high school. The rest come from up to an hour away to be on the team. The unique thing about the team is that they all act like they’ve known each other for years, and it’s all because of having one thing in common – they all ride horses.
Other than equestrian team related events, there really wasn’t a whole lot else going on, which is kind of nice honestly. We got off the waitlist for the EconoMe Conference. It felt like an appropriate time to go as we prepare for our future. Being around others who have either “retired early” or plan on it gives us an opportunity to learn something from them that could help us in the transition.
Separately from that we bought a MacBook Neo. My wife needed a laptop since our older MacBook Air is constantly being used for school, so we purchased the best alternative to a Chromebook I could think of. Honestly, I would do it again since Chromebooks don’t offer nearly the functionality for a similar price.
Where did we spend the most?
Our monthly expenses were down slightly compared to last last month. Annually, they’re flat from last October.
- $1103 EconoMe Conference
- $753 MacBook Neo
- ($848) eBay Phone
The Money Related Numbers
99.05% to target number (previously 99.73%)
This is our invested assets (401k, HSA, IRA, brokerage, etc.) divided by our target goal number.
21 months until original FI date (previously 22)
The number of months until my 45th birthday and our Financial Independence date.
0.70 months until calculated FI date (previously 0.20)
The number of expected months until we reach our target number. This is based on our current expected monthly contributions, assuming a 10% annual return.
The Expense Related Numbers
Completed! – 25.82 times annual spending (previously 26.04)
This is how many multiples of our annual spending we have saved up towards our goal. For example, if this value was 9.1 and we spent $10,000 annually, we would have $91,000 saved up.
Completed! – 103.30% to minimum FIRE (previously 104.15%)
The minimum number to achieve FIRE is 25 times our annual spending. This number shows how close we are to the absolute minimum.
26.07 times annual spending at goal number (previously 26.11)
We’d like to save 25 times our annual spending. This is how many times our annual spending we’ll have saved when we reach our goal number. If it’s 25 or greater, than our goal number will be enough to cover our expenses. If it’s lower than 25, we’ll need to either cut our expenses or increase our goal number.
How Much We Invested
-56.42% Month to Month Change In How Much Saved (previously -73.47%)
This number shows the change in what we saved in our investment accounts this month compared to the prior month.
-52.60% Month to Month Change in How Much Saved With Employer Contributions (previously -72.30%)
Same as the prior number, but with employer contributions counted.
-0.41% Month to Month Change in 12 Month Savings Average (previously 3.78%)
This number shows the change in our 12 month rolling average. This helps to smooth out months over time.
-0.47% of 12 Month Average Net Income Invested With Employer Contributions (previously 3.43%)
Same as the prior number, but with employer contributions counted.
How we track the numbers
I’ve been using Empower (referral link) to track our numbers. I put them into a spreadsheet that calculates the numbers you see above.