Happy New Year!

What happened this last month?

Last month ended down, but this month ended up significantly. Our final invested number was the second highest it’s ever been. The highest was back at the end of December 2021 when the markets were at their peak.

There are a few things to note about our current number. While it is the second highest, we’ve also been putting a lot in since December 2021. Also, the markets haven’t reached their peak again, so when they do, we should be significantly higher than where we were in December 2021.

We’ve decided on moving forward with our siding project and have met with them and paid a down payment. It’s tentatively scheduled to be done in April of this year. In the meantime, we’re saving up the rest for the project, along with some extra for any unforeseen things they may run into. That will make this year a very high expense year, similar to the year we remodeled the kitchen.

Overall though, I think this is going to be a great new year with new milestones reached. We’ve got a lot of vacations planned, many of which are mostly paid for already. As for future goals that we’ve got set at the moment:

• Siding the house
• Replacing our van – It’s currently about 12 years old and runs great, but we don’t need a vehicle this size anymore.
• Replacing the roof – This will probably become a project for next year or later this year at the absolute earliest.

If you’re wondering what I use to track our numbers monthly, we use both Mint and Personal Capital. I use Mint to grab the numbers each month because they do a great job of consistently pulling them. I use Empower (formerly Personal Capital) for their planning and forecasting tools.

Where did we spend the most?

Our monthly expenses were almost double compared to last month. There were also significantly higher compared to last January. Much of this was to pay for the rest of my wife’s Christmas gift and the down payment on our siding project.

• $4217 Europe Trip
• $3000 Siding Down Payment
• $1167 Property Taxes
• $360 Blue Man Group – Last minute decision to go since several members of the family had never seen them
• $201 Fair Campsite

Savings Highlight

We’ve been using US Mobile for quite some time now and have been very happy with their service. The customer service has been outstanding and it was super easy to switch. We’re on one of their original unlimited plans. You can choose to be on either the T-Mobile or Verizon network and you can mix and match between your lines which means you don’t have to be all on one network. You can build your own plans, but honestly, it’s easiest to go with one of their unlimited plans. The savings really adds up with the more lines you add. For example, choosing Unlimited Basic with 4 lines is $20/line plus tax. It even includes hotspot data for each line. We tried Mint Mobile, but being locked to the T-Mobile network was too limiting where we live.

If you’re interested in giving them a shot, you can use my promo code (JYEKLTO) to save up 50% on your first month, up to $10. (I also get the same thing, but honestly don’t care that much and would prefer you start saving some money today!)

The Money Related Numbers

59.06% to target number (previously 54.00%)

This is our invested assets/target number. Our invested assets span across a variety of investment vehicles such as 401k, HSA, IRA, Roth IRA, ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Program) and standard taxable mutual funds.

66 months (previously 67)

The number of months until my 45th birthday and our finish date.

29.32 months (previously 33.50)

The number of expected months until we reach our target number based on our current expected monthly contributions, assuming a 10% annual return.

The Expense Related Numbers

11.54 times annual spending (previously 11.33)

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.

46.16% to minimum FIRE (previously 45.30%)

The minimum number to achieve FIRE is 25 times our annual spending. This number shows how close we are to the absolute minimum.

19.54 times annual spending at goal number (previously 20.97)

We have a goal amount that we’d like to reach. Given our current annual spending, this is how many times our annual spending we’ll have saved when we reach our goal number.

How Much We Invested

14.52% Month to Month Change In How Much Saved (previously -11.25%)

This number shows the change in what we saved this month compared to the prior month in things like 401k, Roth IRA, taxable accounts, and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

22.88% Month to Month Change in How Much Saved With Employer Contributions (previously -11.72%)

Same as the prior number, but with employer contributions counted.

0.05% Month to Month Change in 12 Month Savings Average (previously -4.41%)

This number show the change in what we saved this month compared to the prior month, but on a 12 month rolling average. This helps to smooth out months over time and shows a more general trend.

0.42% of 12 Month Average Net Income Invested With Employer Contributions (previously -4.15%)

Same as the prior number, but with employer contributions counted.