Race to 100% FI

[JAYSLOL]

Finally hit 12%, was hovering just below since basically the beginning of the year

Well, back down to 11% flat with the market drop, but I own more shares.

Back up to 12%

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%


2022:

January: 65.63%
February: 63.20%
March: 66.57%
April: 60.29%
May: 60.33%


Just chugging along at the whims of the market.

[neo von retorch]

...
2021:
69.38%

2022:
May: 60.33%

Just chugging along at the whims of the market.

Yeah looks like mine, somewhat. Was as high as 60% but hanging on at 53% now... (before recording Q2 market activity...)

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%

2022	FIRE	Lean FIRE
January:	31.63%	39.54%
February:	32.22%	40.28%
March:	33.59%	41.99%
April:	32.38%	40.48%
May:	37.25%	46.56%
June:	38.12%	47.66%

Update:
I made the decision to stay at my current job. There are still some things that could happen that would push me out the door, but at the moment there is enough uncertainty and good changes happening that I think I'll stay for a bit and see how things play out. There is a lot of upside if we can fix what's not working, because the things that are working are working exceptionally well.

All to say, I am back to my original savings plan for the year, and....I've hit it! I've hit all my savings goals for 2022 in 6 months. Thanks entirely to the last big gamble I made 3 years ago on the business I'm sticking around for.

Now that that's mostly over, there are a lot of things in my life that have been on hold for the that last 60-90 days while I've tried to figure all of this out. Not everything is decided so there's still a bit of uncertainty, but I now have enough of a buffer that I can weather the storm. What this means is I put a pause on investments and such back in April and it's had the surprising benefit of allowing me to mostly ignore the market drops. Now that I'm buying again, everything is on sale! It's great! I both missed out on the emotional gut punch of watching my net worth drop by 30% and get the excitement of paying stocks at a deeply discounted price to what I was paying a few months ago. Maybe my opinion will change if the market loses another 20%, but for now, I'll stay focused on reality: the markets have always recovered and there is nothing new about what's going on now to suggest that it's any different.

That's it! My big saga is over. I'm staying with my current company, I've got quite a bit of extra money in my pocket, and now I'm back to plodding along month-over-month moving ever closer to FI. If all goes right, I'll still hit 100% by 2026. Maybe sooner.

[neo von retorch]

2021 Q4 Update

2015 (August): 16.3%
2015: 20.06%
2016: 13.15% (ah the difference of a mortgage)
2017: 14.4%
2018: 18.6%
2019: 23.9%
2020: 46.0% (sold rental)
2021 Q1: 52.8%
2021 Q2: 55.5%
2021 Q3: 56.7%
2021 Q4: 56.8% * corrected
2022 Q1: 50.8%
2022 Q2: 43.2%

Erm. Total trailing twelve month expenses are high. Investments... *cough*

We're down just a bit from a year ago, above May 2021. But with expenses rising, my progress has reversed. Ideal future will have lower expenses paired with a market recovery...

[oneday]

% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%

01/31/22 50.4%
02/28/22 50.0%
03/31/22 52.3%
04/30/22 48.7%
05/31/22 49.4%
06/30/22 45.9%

Accounts are almost exactly the same value they were on 9/30/21. Feeeeeeelings of May/early June have been processed and this month I am taking it in stride.

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%


2022:

January: 65.63%
February: 63.20%
March: 66.57%
April: 60.29%
May: 60.33%
June: 56.92

But with expenses rising, my progress has reversed. Ideal future will have lower expenses paired with a market recovery...

+1

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%

2022	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	31.63%	39.54%	n/a
February:	32.22%	40.28%	n/a
March:	33.59%	41.99%	n/a
April:	32.38%	40.48%	n/a
May:	37.25%	46.56%	n/a
June:	38.12%	47.66%	n/a
July:	38.56%	48.20%	31.33%

Update:
I've added a "Fat FIRE" goal that would give us a bit more flexibility and I have a shot of hitting in by my FIRE goal date of July 2026.

Beyond updates to the above, the markets are coming back up, at least for the month of July. Not sure if I think it'll hold or not. The value of the stock market is down, but people are still hiring, spending money, etc. It's hard to know what we're walking into. It's going to be an interesting second half of the year...

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%


2022:

January: 65.63%
February: 63.20%
March: 66.57%
April: 60.29%
May: 60.33%
June: 56.92%
July: 61.20%

Well, that was a nice little bonk at the end of the month. Who knows what will happen in the world but at least my spreadsheet looks better.

@alcon835 I really like your FIRE/Lean/Fat method. How do you get your columns so straight? I can never do that on the forums.

[alcon835]

@alcon835 I really like your FIRE/Lean/Fat method. How do you get your columns so straight? I can never do that on the forums.

@rockstache I add spaces at the end of certain fields until the column is large enough to properly align. Once I figure out the right number of spaces to add, everything after that just works. The trick is to add the spaces in the column headings with enough room for whatever you are going to add below and it just sort of works after that.

If you do a quote of my post, you'll see what I'm talking about. It took some trial and error the first time I did it (preview is a god send!), but after I got it right once I just keep copying and pasting that original setup to future tables and it keeps working. Every once in awhile I need to tweak things, like with the Fat FIRE column, my Lean FIRE column had too many spaces and it looked ugly so I had to rejigger it until the spacing looked good. Sounds like a lot of work but the whole thing took less than 2 minutes to get right. 

[rockstache]

If you do a quote of my post, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Ahhh that makes sense. Thanks! Maybe I will add that in next month.

[oneday]

% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%

01/31/22 50.4%
02/28/22 50.0%
03/31/22 52.3%
04/30/22 48.7%
05/31/22 49.4%
06/30/22 45.9%
07/31/22 50.1%

Last month's value was roughly equivalent to 9/30/21. This month is roughly equivalent to 2/28/22. I will take a 5 month leap forward in value, even though still below all time high! :)

@rockstache I use Courier font to get columns to line up. This font uses an equal amount of space for all characters, whereas Arial uses more horizontal space for wider charachters (like o) and less for narrow characters (like i). That makes it difficult to line up columns in Arial. But if you understand how the table works, that makes a very nice looking post in Arial.

[SwordGuy]

@alcon835 I really like your FIRE/Lean/Fat method. How do you get your columns so straight? I can never do that on the forums.

@rockstache I add spaces at the end of certain fields until the column is large enough to properly align. Once I figure out the right number of spaces to add, everything after that just works. The trick is to add the spaces in the column headings with enough room for whatever you are going to add below and it just sort of works after that.

If you do a quote of my post, you'll see what I'm talking about. It took some trial and error the first time I did it (preview is a god send!), but after I got it right once I just keep copying and pasting that original setup to future tables and it keeps working. Every once in awhile I need to tweak things, like with the Fat FIRE column, my Lean FIRE column had too many spaces and it looked ugly so I had to rejigger it until the spacing looked good. Sounds like a lot of work but the whole thing took less than 2 minutes to get right.

You can set the font on a selected set of text to be Courier.  All letters are the same width.   So you can count letters and make things line up.  (And edit it a few times if, like me, you goober that up a bit. :) )

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%

2022	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	31.63%	39.54%	n/a
February:	32.22%	40.28%	n/a
March:	33.59%	41.99%	n/a
April:	32.38%	40.48%	n/a
May:	37.25%	46.56%	n/a
June:	38.12%	47.66%	n/a
July:	38.56%	48.20%	31.33%
August:	38.86%	48.57%	31.57%

Update:
A flat month. I am quickly getting to the point where my contributions don't matter nearly as much as they use too...especially with how much the market has dropped this year. I'm down somewhere around 20% for the year in my investments, if it wasn't for that big injection of cash in June, I would be extremely down on my overall FIRE goals. Still, while it doesn't feel great, I'm several years from FIRE, so I'm not really worried about it beyond the fact that I was expecting 2022 to give me a nice little boost to my next net worth goal and now it's very, very unlikely that I'll hit it. In fact, I will probably miss it by about 100k, which is a lot considering I've contributed more than that to my investments this year. At a "standard" 7% uptick I would have blown past my goal by now.

Oh well. Some years are down and the plan remains the same, keep investing. Keep chugging along.

[oneday]

% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%

01/31/22 50.4%
02/28/22 50.0%
03/31/22 52.3%
04/30/22 48.7%
05/31/22 49.4%
06/30/22 45.9%
07/31/22 50.1%
08/31/22 48.8%

Last month's value was roughly equivalent to 2/28/22. This month is roughly equivalent to 4/30/22. Another 2 month leap forward in value (even though still below all time high) is welcome. And I seem to becoming insensitive to the fluctuations. This is good.

[TyGuy]

Goal 2021: 10%
Goal 2022: 18%; stretch goal 20%


*First % is without a mortgage payment, second % is with current mortgage payment (~13.5 years remaining at 1.75%)*
**4% withdrawal rate**


SEP 2021: 8.02%;  4.78%
OCT 2021: 8.19%;  4.88%
NOV 2021: 8.44%;  5.03%
DEC 2021: 8.38%;  4.99%
JAN 2022: 10.01%; 6.00%
FEB 2022: 10.27%; 6.12%
MAR 2022: 11.14%; 6.63%
APR 2022: 11.93%; 7.10%
MAY 2022: 11.30%; 6.73%
JUN 2022: 11.94%; 7.11%
SEP 2022: 12.39%; 7.37%


Did not update in July and August, but glad to see forward progress. I anticipate still making my goal for the year, as I will see a large, one time influx of money in October!

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%

2022	FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	65.63%	39.07%
February:	63.20%	37.62
March:	66.57%	39.63%
April:	60.29%	35.89%
May:	60.33%	35.91
June:	56.92%	33.88%
July:	61.20%	36.43%
August:	59.20%	35.24%

I played around a bit and made a table (actually I just copied alcon's). I decided to leave out Lean FIRE because it's not really relevant to my life at this point. Fire and Lean Fire are basically the same - the number I wouldn't leave work without reaching. I decided to make Fat Fire the number I couldn't really see working past, unless work was making deliriously happy somehow (ha!). The result is that the percentages  have a big gap between them, but the in between is basically where OMY lives, and I will just have to figure it out when I get there, depending on what our goals are at that point.   

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%

2022	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	31.63%	39.54%	n/a
February:	32.22%	40.28%	n/a
March:	33.59%	41.99%	n/a
April:	32.38%	40.48%	n/a
May:	37.25%	46.56%	n/a
June:	38.12%	47.66%	n/a
July:	38.56%	48.20%	31.33%
August:	38.86%	48.57%	31.57%
September:	38.23%	47.79%	31.06%

Update:
I realize I've been richly blessed this year, but this is the first month where I've really had my Net Worth drop below the previous month. So, that sucks. I've finally lost more in the market this year than I can earn in a month. Two reasons for this: (1) the market is pretty rough but also (2) my contributions have been significant this year, really boosting me above where I should be each month. I'll be curious to see where I end up over the last three months of the year. I don't have any reason to think the economy will turn around, but I hate to think it'll continue to drop at its current rate (there has to be a bottom somewhere, right?). If we'd been anything like the last few years, I would have blown past my conservative goals. As it stands, I am way behind where I'd hoped my net worth would be. Regardless, every bit of history tells me to keep contributing and even double and triple down. So that's what I'm doing!

Hope your month was a good one!

[SwordGuy]

I agree that it's emotionally disheartening to see balances drop and that you're also correct that continuing to invest is the wisest thing to do!

The market will recover and you'll end up ahead for it.   Or it won't matter because we've sunk to Mad Max times.

[alcon835]

I agree that it's emotionally disheartening to see balances drop and that you're also correct that continuing to invest is the wisest thing to do!

The market will recover and you'll end up ahead for it.   Or it won't matter because we've sunk to Mad Max times.

I've got my football pads and weird makeup ready!

[TyGuy]

Goal 2021: 10%
Goal 2022: 18%; stretch goal 20%


*First % is without a mortgage payment, second % is with current mortgage payment (~13.5 years remaining at 1.75%)*
**4% withdrawal rate**


SEP 2021: 8.02%;  4.78%
OCT 2021: 8.19%;  4.88%
NOV 2021: 8.44%;  5.03%
DEC 2021: 8.38%;  4.99%
JAN 2022: 10.01%; 6.00%
FEB 2022: 10.27%; 6.12%
MAR 2022: 11.14%; 6.63%
APR 2022: 11.93%; 7.10%
MAY 2022: 11.30%; 6.73%
JUN 2022: 11.94%; 7.11%
SEP 2022: 12.39%; 7.37%
OCT 2022: 11.49%; 6.84%


Still increasing my number of shares, and still enjoying the continued stock market sale!

[oneday]

I agree that it's emotionally disheartening to see balances drop and that you're also correct that continuing to invest is the wisest thing to do!

The market will recover and you'll end up ahead for it.   Or it won't matter because we've sunk to Mad Max times.

I've got my football pads and weird makeup ready!

You're auditioning for Twisted Sister? 😉



% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%

01/31/22 50.4%
02/28/22 50.0%
03/31/22 52.3%
04/30/22 48.7%
05/31/22 49.4%
06/30/22 45.9%
07/31/22 50.1%
08/31/22 48.8%
09/30/22 45.0%

Last month's value was roughly equivalent to 4/30/22. This month is a smidge below 6/30/22. Another 2 month leap forward in value (even though still below all time high). Honestly, the 10,000 foot view perspective on this: the needle hasn't significantly moved up or down all year. It's like this ancient truck I used to drive. Nothing on the dashboard worked like it should. The gas gauge was stuck on E. When you shifted, the indicator didn't move. And the speedometer wobbled like crazy. If you were driving a steady 25 mph, that needle would oscillate between 15 and 35. You never really knew how fast you were going. Just had to kind of average out the readings and say a little prayer. That's what my % to FI is doing this year. I'm just going for it and having faith it will all work out.

I never got a speeding ticket in the truck. That's gotta be some kind of good omen, right? ;)

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%

2022	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	31.63%	39.54%	n/a
February:	32.22%	40.28%	n/a
March:	33.59%	41.99%	n/a
April:	32.38%	40.48%	n/a
May:	37.25%	46.56%	n/a
June:	38.12%	47.66%	n/a
July:	38.56%	48.20%	31.33%
August:	38.86%	48.57%	31.57%
September:	38.23%	47.79%	31.06%
October:	38.15%	47.69%	30.99%

Update:
Turns out my tracking included a number being tracked twice (oops!) so even with the market recovery this month, I'm down month-over-month based on my tracking.

Remember in December of 2018 when the bottom fell out of the market after a good year? Let's do that but in reverse!

[TyGuy]

Goal 2021: 10%
Goal 2022: 18%; stretch goal 20%


*First % is without a mortgage payment, second % is with current mortgage payment (~13.0 years remaining at 1.75%)*
**4% withdrawal rate**


SEP 2021: 8.02%;  4.78%
OCT 2021: 8.19%;  4.88%
NOV 2021: 8.44%;  5.03%
DEC 2021: 8.38%;  4.99%
JAN 2022: 10.01%; 6.00%
FEB 2022: 10.27%; 6.12%
MAR 2022: 11.14%; 6.63%
APR 2022: 11.93%; 7.10%
MAY 2022: 11.30%; 6.73%
JUN 2022: 11.94%; 7.11%
SEP 2022: 12.39%; 7.37%
OCT 2022: 11.49%; 6.84%
NOV 2022: 12.46%; 7.42%



Unlikely that I will reach my goal for the year, but I am happy with my savings so far this year!

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%

2022	FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	65.63%	39.07%
February:	63.20%	37.62
March:	66.57%	39.63%
April:	60.29%	35.89%
May:	60.33%	35.91
June:	56.92%	33.88%
July:	61.20%	36.43%
August:	59.20%	35.24%
September:	53.92%	32.10%
October:	58.34%	34.73%

Updating two months at once because I missed last month.

We had a death in the family. It's so significant that it's hard to even discuss the finances because the emotional impact is so heavy. It was one of those, 'just throw money at it,' situations for most of October. Unfortunately the money won't bring him back, or we'd give it all up. Fortunately, the money wasn't a concern in the midst of the grief.

Stay well and hug the ones you love. This money thing is all pretend, in the end.

[oneday]

@rockstache I am so sorry. Death is hard and I'm glad you got yourself to a place where you didn't have to deal with money bs on top of that.


% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%

01/31/22 50.4%
02/28/22 50.0%
03/31/22 52.3%
04/30/22 48.7%
05/31/22 49.4%
06/30/22 45.9%
07/31/22 50.1%
08/31/22 48.8%
09/30/22 45.0%
10/31/22 48.7%


Last month's value was roughly equivalent to 6/30/22. This month is a smidge below 8/31/22. Another 2 month leap forward in value.

There is an tiny chance of being back to 50% by year end.

[alcon835]

We had a death in the family. It's so significant that it's hard to even discuss the finances because the emotional impact is so heavy. It was one of those, 'just throw money at it,' situations for most of October. Unfortunately the money won't bring him back, or we'd give it all up. Fortunately, the money wasn't a concern in the midst of the grief.

Stay well and hug the ones you love. This money thing is all pretend, in the end.

I am so, so sorry to hear about this rockstache. I have no words to offer, just my support for you and your family as you go through this.

[JAYSLOL]

Finally hit 12%, was hovering just below since basically the beginning of the year

Well, back down to 11% flat with the market drop, but I own more shares.

Back up to 12%

Crossed over 13% on Thursday, and sitting at 13.3% now. 

[JAYSLOL]

Finally hit 12%, was hovering just below since basically the beginning of the year

Well, back down to 11% flat with the market drop, but I own more shares.

Back up to 12%

Crossed over 13% on Thursday, and sitting at 13.3% now.

Just hit 14%

[TyGuy]

Goal 2021: 10%
Goal 2022: 18%; stretch goal 20%


*First % is without a mortgage payment, second % is with current mortgage payment (~13.0 years remaining at 1.75%)*
**4% withdrawal rate**


SEP 2021: 8.02%;  4.78%
OCT 2021: 8.19%;  4.88%
NOV 2021: 8.44%;  5.03%
DEC 2021: 8.38%;  4.99%
JAN 2022: 10.01%; 6.00%
FEB 2022: 10.27%; 6.12%
MAR 2022: 11.14%; 6.63%
APR 2022: 11.93%; 7.10%
MAY 2022: 11.30%; 6.73%
JUN 2022: 11.94%; 7.11%
SEP 2022: 12.39%; 7.37%
OCT 2022: 11.49%; 6.84%
NOV 2022: 12.46%; 7.42%
DEC 2022: 13.76%; 8.17%


Very unlikely to reach my yearly goal, but with the markets being down on the year, I'm happy with the progress and I have the potential to make significant progress forward in 2023!

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%

2022	FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	65.63%	39.07%
February:	63.20%	37.62
March:	66.57%	39.63%
April:	60.29%	35.89%
May:	60.33%	35.91
June:	56.92%	33.88%
July:	61.20%	36.43%
August:	59.20%	35.24%
September:	53.92%	32.10%
October:	58.34%	34.73%
November:	59.79%	35.59%

I'm glad to see the bump up even if it's temporary. Hopefully we can finish the year strong too.

Thanks all for the kind words.

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%

2022	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	31.63%	39.54%	n/a
February:	32.22%	40.28%	n/a
March:	33.59%	41.99%	n/a
April:	32.38%	40.48%	n/a
May:	37.25%	46.56%	n/a
June:	38.12%	47.66%	n/a
July:	38.56%	48.20%	31.33%
August:	38.86%	48.57%	31.57%
September:	38.23%	47.79%	31.06%
October:	38.15%	47.69%	30.99%
November:	38.98%	48.72%	31.67%

Update:
A small bump up in the right direction. November is by far the most expensive month of the year for me since its when I pay taxes, insurance, and fund Christmas. I didn't think I'd be up from October but the market was kinder than my budget.

[oneday]

% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%

01/31/22 50.4%
02/28/22 50.0%
03/31/22 52.3%
04/30/22 48.7%
05/31/22 49.4%
06/30/22 45.9%
07/31/22 50.1%
08/31/22 48.8%
09/30/22 45.0%
10/31/22 48.7%
11/30/22 51.9%


Almost back to 1 year ago valuation! With the volatility this year, who is to say what will happen by year end. Like rockstache, I am hoping for a strong finish.

[arcturus]

New to this thread, but its an interesting idea....so I went back and tried to reverse engineer my history to look at it through this lens.  And I, like @oneday have a divorce in the past that really set me back.

Here's my estimate -- subject to some refinement (all years represent June 30 -- closest quarter end to my birthday, so that's my "fiscal year"):

2015:  17.3%
2016:  25.9%
2017:  30.7%
2018:  31.1%  down payment on new home purchase, I exclude home equity from my calcs
2019:  47.1%  money back from sale of former home
2020:  51.4%
2021:  72.7%
2022:  67.1%

What stands out to me is 2021, just an incredible year....and in 2022 it caught up with me a bit.

[SwordGuy]

% of invested assets only


11/30/22 51.9%


Almost back to 1 year ago valuation! With the volatility this year, who is to say what will happen by year end. Like rockstache, I am hoping for a strong finish.

At where you are, a few years of stalled gains would enable you to purchase more shares at low prices.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. :)

Where I'm at, at 110+%, this year's drop is an annoyance and nothing more.

[SwordGuy]

I agree that the %FI is the single measure we can all race to.

Here are two threads for just that purpose!  :)

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/race-to-100-fi!/

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/race-to-100-fi-(only-if-below-median-household-income!!!)/

[oneday]

And I, like oneday have a divorce in the past that really set me back.

[snip]

What stands out to me is 2021, just an incredible year....and in 2022 it caught up with me a bit.

@arcturus you saved 50% in the last 7 years, despite the divorce , that's amazing.

In the long run, the divorce allowed me to pursue FIRE even more aggressively. No ragerts! I know it's not this way for everyone, so I hope that you've at least been able to make peace with your current life situation.

2021 was incredible, and I was happy to be employed and able to contribute to retirement & taxable funds. But happy for the same reason in 2022 for reasons @SwordGuy pointed out. My hope for a strong finish is emotional, but my accounting side knows he's right.

SwordGuy, I want sooooo much to move up to the next trance in your Race to 100% poll!

[arcturus]

And I, like oneday have a divorce in the past that really set me back.

[snip]

What stands out to me is 2021, just an incredible year....and in 2022 it caught up with me a bit.

@arcturus you saved 50% in the last 7 years, despite the divorce , that's amazing.

In the long run, the divorce allowed me to pursue FIRE even more aggressively. No ragerts! I know it's not this way for everyone, so I hope that you've at least been able to make peace with your current life situation.

2021 was incredible, and I was happy to be employed and able to contribute to retirement & taxable funds. But happy for the same reason in 2022 for reasons @SwordGuy pointed out. My hope for a strong finish is emotional, but my accounting side knows he's right.

SwordGuy, I want sooooo much to move up to the next trance in your Race to 100% poll!

Yeah....well in terms of the 50% gain over 7 years despite the divorce....here's a little explanation for that --- my divorce pre-dates all of those numbers :-).   But it definitely did set me back big time.  So maybe my performance is not quite as amazing with that little factoid out there, but still feels good to be in the ~two thirds of the way there category, particularly given the year we've had in 2022! 

I probably have some cushion in my numbers....so for me, getting into the 90%+ range would probably get me there.

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%
2022: 37.23%

2022	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	31.63%	39.54%	n/a
February:	32.22%	40.28%	n/a
March:	33.59%	41.99%	n/a
April:	32.38%	40.48%	n/a
May:	37.25%	46.56%	n/a
June:	38.12%	47.66%	n/a
July:	38.56%	48.20%	31.33%
August:	38.86%	48.57%	31.57%
September:	38.23%	47.79%	31.06%
October:	38.15%	47.69%	30.99%
November:	38.98%	48.72%	31.67%
December:	37.23%	47.25%	30.71%

Update:
Ended the year with a whimper. Things really stalled out for me in June even though I was adding significantly to my investments each month. I remember being told early in my time on the MMM Forums that when your net worth goes up, contributions have less and less of a noticeable impact and I am 100% in that camp. Admittedly this was a very down year. Still, my contributions were significant this year, and my net worth barely shows half of it. I am pretty far behind where I hoped to be at this point, net worth wise.

Still, it's not all bad. I had the best year of my life financially (for the 5th year in a row). I let go of a lot of difficult things in life and licked the wounds leftover from that pain. And I added a sizable amount to my overall nest egg for when the market finally recovers (hopefully in 2023?).

I end the year in a really strong place and I am very optimistic for the next. I'm not sure why, honestly. There's nothing especially exciting about the new year (and nothing terrible either). And yet, I find myself both happy and excited about what's to come. Here's to a successful 2023 for us all!

[oneday]

@arcturus you seem to be downplaying your accomplishment from my perspective. Happy New Year!

@alcon835 this year's market has been one for the history books, for sure. I for one am always optimistic at a new year/new beginning, so it does not seem odd to me. May your 2023 be more of what you want and less of what you don't.



% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%

01/31/22 50.4%
02/28/22 50.0%
03/31/22 52.3%
04/30/22 48.7%
05/31/22 49.4%
06/30/22 45.9%
07/31/22 50.1%
08/31/22 48.8%
09/30/22 45.0%
10/31/22 48.7%
11/30/22 51.9%
12/31/22 49.2%


While it is psychologically satisfying to see the number go up, I am trying to keep perspective. Despite throwing boatloads of money into the market this year, my NW is very similar to this time last year. AND YET, nw is about double where it was when I walked away from prior job with nothing lined up*, three years ago. Guys, gals and nonbinary pals: this is blowing my MIND.



* Gave notice in Nov 2019, last day in Jan 2020


Happy New Year to one and all!

[TyGuy]

Goal 2021: 10%
Goal 2022: 18%; stretch goal 20%


*First % is without a mortgage payment, second % is with current mortgage payment (~13.0 years remaining at 1.75%)*
**4% withdrawal rate**


SEP 2021: 8.02%;  4.78%
OCT 2021: 8.19%;  4.88%
NOV 2021: 8.44%;  5.03%
DEC 2021: 8.38%;  4.99%
JAN 2022: 10.01%; 6.00%
FEB 2022: 10.27%; 6.12%
MAR 2022: 11.14%; 6.63%
APR 2022: 11.93%; 7.10%
MAY 2022: 11.30%; 6.73%
JUN 2022: 11.94%; 7.11%
SEP 2022: 12.39%; 7.37%
OCT 2022: 11.49%; 6.84%
NOV 2022: 12.46%; 7.42%
DEC 2022: 13.76%; 8.17%
JAN 2023: 14.03%; 8.35%


I didn't reach my goal this year, but it wasn't for a lack of effort! I have significantly increased the number of shares I hold this year, and had a very high savings rate. I too, am optimistic for 2023. I have no planned major expenses, have some already paid for trips planned, and expect to have an even higher savings rate!

Goal for end of 2023: 24%; stretch goal of 28%

[oneday]

@TyGuy we're all in that boat. Throwing money into the market, increasing # of shares, but NW flat or down. It's about the long game.

And holy heck, I don't know if you've shared your mortgage interest rate here before, but I think it's the lowest I've ever seen or heard of. WOW!

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%
2022: 58.52%

2022	FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	65.63%	39.07%
February:	63.20%	37.62
March:	66.57%	39.63%
April:	60.29%	35.89%
May:	60.33%	35.91
June:	56.92%	33.88%
July:	61.20%	36.43%
August:	59.20%	35.24%
September:	53.92%	32.10%
October:	58.34%	34.73%
November:	59.79%	35.59%
December:	58.52%	34.83%

Down a bit but still here and kicking! A friend put it into perspective for me - we're down from 2021 but way way up from 5 or even 2 years ago. This stuff really works!

@TyGuy we're all in that boat. Throwing money into the market, increasing # of shares, but NW flat or down. It's about the long game.

And holy heck, I don't know if you've shared your mortgage interest rate here before, but I think it's the lowest I've ever seen or heard of. WOW!

+1! I thought I was doing ok at 2.25%, but you've blown me out of the water! I would never pay that sucker off!!

Nice job everyone! I can't wait to see what 2023 brings.

[TyGuy]

@oneday @rockstache

I really lucked out with the 1.75% rate, some of it was timing/luck, and some of it was having the right connection. I have a good friend who does loans, and he was watching the rates closely and we both decided it was the "right" time to refinance in January 2022. Turns out, there was never a better time. Every person involved in the process also had similar remarks in never see a rate as low as 1.75, it is unlikely I'll ever get a rate near this again. My friend also gave me a "free" point when doing the refinance that would have otherwise been a ~$3500 expense.

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%
2022: 37.23%

2023	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	40.41%	50.52%	32.84

Update:
January has been an exceptionally kind month. If this is a trend for 2023, then last year was more than worth it. The last time VTI was at these levels, my net worth was almost 10% less than it is right now - and we're not even back to pre-recession levels. Turns out, money in to a down market pays off down the road. Curious to see how all of this plays out in the coming months, but it's certainly a good start to the new year!

On top of that, the recent bump helped me hit another milestone. I have a few ongoing milestones I pay attention to for personal satisfaction and internal wins. They are mostly emotional wins, but they're important and help me gauge my overall financial well being. They are: (1) growing my net worth by 100K, (2) getting 10% closer to my FIRE goals, and (3) growing my investments by 100K. I got two out of three this month - my FIRE goal crossed 40% and my investments grew just barely above the next 100K threshold. The investments are especially satisfying as I was stuck in the previous 100k range for all of last year. Getting out of that 100k range is an exceptionally nice start to the year. If I hit my general financial goals for this year, my investments should grow by another 150-200k and my net worth should go even higher. Fingers crossed!

It also looks like January was good bonus-wise. I expect February's bonus checks to be very, very nice. That'll help me both get ahead on some savings goals for 2023, upgrade some appliances that are starting to die, and pay for a few vacations we've got planned for this year.

All in all, January was an extremely successful month financially. Here's to keeping the trend going for 2023!!

[TyGuy]

Goal 2021: 10%
Goal 2022: 18%; Stretch goal 20%
Goal 2023: 24%: Stretch goal 28%

*First % is without a mortgage payment, second % is with current mortgage payment (~13.0 years remaining at 1.75%)*
**4% withdrawal rate**


SEP 2021: 8.02%;  4.78%
OCT 2021: 8.19%;  4.88%
NOV 2021: 8.44%;  5.03%
DEC 2021: 8.38%;  4.99%
JAN 2022: 10.01%; 6.00%
FEB 2022: 10.27%; 6.12%
MAR 2022: 11.14%; 6.63%
APR 2022: 11.93%; 7.10%
MAY 2022: 11.30%; 6.73%
JUN 2022: 11.94%; 7.11%
SEP 2022: 12.39%; 7.37%
OCT 2022: 11.49%; 6.84%
NOV 2022: 12.46%; 7.42%
DEC 2022: 13.76%; 8.17%
JAN 2023: 14.03%; 8.35%
FEB 2023: 15.73%; 9.36%


Excellent month for me, if I can continue a month over month increase of at least 1%, I will likely reach my stretch goal for the year!

[oneday]

January has been an exceptionally kind month. If this is a trend for 2023, then last year was more than worth it.

I can't agree more! Although, selfishly, I kinda hoped the prices would stay down for a bit longer in order to maximize my buying power. In contrast, those who are living off their stash have a different perspective on it, I'm sure. Still, it was nice while it lasted.


% of invested assets only


01/01/98  0.0%
04/30/11  5.1%
12/31/15  9.9% Found MMM
12/31/16 11.9%
12/31/17 16.6%
12/31/18 17.7% Divorce
12/31/19 26.6%
12/31/20 33.4%
12/31/21 52.9%
12/31/22 49.3%

1/31/23 53.0%


Almost exactly in the same place as Dec 2021!  lol Recent history has been a master class (or trial by fire) in how comfortable the volatility is. Although I suspect it would be a different thing during drawdown, without contributions to cushion the downside.

[alcon835]

Tracking total Net Worth. Yearly numbers are from December 31st of that year. Monthly numbers are from the first of the next month.

2017: 3.75%
2018: 9.14%
2019: 11.77%
2020: 21.82%
2021: 31.92%
2022: 37.23%

2023	FIRE	Lean FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	40.41%	50.52%	32.84
February:	40.29%	50.37%	32.74

Update:
Flat in February, which isn't bad. I'm cutting back my investing for March & April to save up for a few vacations we have this year. Other than that, February was a pretty normal month without much to write home about.

[TyGuy]

Goal 2021: 10%
Goal 2022: 18%; Stretch goal 20%
Goal 2023: 24%: Stretch goal 28%

*First % is without a mortgage payment, second % is with current mortgage payment (~13.0 years remaining at 1.75%)*
**4% withdrawal rate**


SEP 2021: 8.02%;  4.78%
OCT 2021: 8.19%;  4.88%
NOV 2021: 8.44%;  5.03%
DEC 2021: 8.38%;  4.99%
JAN 2022: 10.01%; 6.00%
FEB 2022: 10.27%; 6.12%
MAR 2022: 11.14%; 6.63%
APR 2022: 11.93%; 7.10%
MAY 2022: 11.30%; 6.73%
JUN 2022: 11.94%; 7.11%
SEP 2022: 12.39%; 7.37%
OCT 2022: 11.49%; 6.84%
NOV 2022: 12.46%; 7.42%
DEC 2022: 13.76%; 8.17%
JAN 2023: 14.03%; 8.35%
FEB 2023: 15.73%; 9.36%
MAR 2023: 15.51%; 9.23%

Happy to continue buying stocks "on sale!"

[rockstache]

Found MMM/2013: 2.78%
2014: 4.91%
2015: 8.50%
2016: 14.06%
2017: 21.90%
2018: 25.97%
2019: 32.52%
2020: 52.40%
2021: 69.38%
2022: 58.52%

2023	FIRE	Fat FIRE
January:	61.58%	36.65%
February:	61.60%	36.67

Hmm, looks like I forgot to update January, so here's two for the price of one. :D