How’s it going folks? I’m your host Jonny F, and this is Late Twenties And Broke. Thanks for stopping by.
We’re 7 (seven!) days into 2024, so it’s high-time I do a start-of-the-year Net Worth Update.
I’m starting this year off magically. Much better than 2023. I have a wonderful partner, I’m debt-free, I have 30+ days of travel&vacation coming up, and I have pretty good employment. A totally different situation than when I started this blog, so thanks for coming along for the ride. But this train’s got no brakes baby. Let’s dig into some numbers.
Last Net Worth Update (December):
PLTR
$4,128.00(200 shares). $3,632. Well, PLTR has swung down again. Still making some income selling annual out-of-the-money calls though. Holding it 5ever.
KO
$1,8824.00(31.81 shares)$1,862 (31.81 shares) Dipped another twenty bucks, but there is a dividend pending so it’s all good.
DOW
$619.95(11.84 shares).$624.75 (11.99 shares) Same thing, share price went down but got a little DRIP.
VZ
$266.59 (7.35 shares). $279.82 (7.35 shares) No change since November, aside from $5.
MO
$1,226.48 (30.01 shares).$1,275.71 (30.01 shares) No real change from November, aside from $50.
TM
$400.84 (2.07 shares). $388.30 (2.07 shares). No new DRIP, but there is a dividend pending.
STRC
$68 (100 shares). $67.36 . This robotics company hasn’t released their Tony Stark Ironman suits yet, but a man can dream.
EDIT
$19.60 (2 shares). $22.20 This company still doesn’t have the capabilities to develop X-men or Marvel superheroes.
Bitcoin
$10,410.00 (0.274 BTC). $11,503 (0.274 BTC). Up another grand, which is awesome. But you know how BTC is, always swinging around.
BNB coin
$829.92 (3.373BNB). $774.51 (3.37 BNB). Little dip, but it’s crypto. I always assume the dip lol.
DOGE
$103.97(1601 coins). $143.40(1601 coins) Somehow I’m up $4 overall on this one? Nice. I’m used to being sixty dollars underwater.
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$25,456.04$27,596.94 I’m gonna be honest, I’m too lazy to look this one up so we’ll just pretend it’s the same.
RRSPs trapped in Canada
6,611.13USD6,671.13 USD. Pretty standard. This only grows when Tesla goes crazy.
Chequing
$926.11. $629.78
Savings
$6,463.80 $6,465.09 Chilling.
Savings Certificate
$519.86$721.69 Added $200 to this, since I don’t have a credit card to worry about anymore.
Total Assets
$59,388.90$62,039.30 Jeeeeez, I did not expect to have $62,000 in assets. That’s actually phenomenal.
Credit Card
-7,000.18-5669.99$-4,977.16.$4,033.64. –$1,087.45. New balance: $0.00
Credit Card #2
$0.
Credit Card #3
$0.
Total Debt
$–$1,087.45$0.00
August 2023 Total:
$60,951.85.$64, 657.68 Jeeeeez. Up another 3 and a half grand. In literally like, 2 weeks. I am so glad I paid off that damn credit card. Wow.
Officially in the 60K Club for the 2nd update in a row.
And now, Jan 2024’s numbers:
PLTR
$3,632.00(200 shares). $3,201. What a surprise, PLTR is down again haha. It is what it is. One of my calls is expiring on Jan 19th, so at least I can sell a out-of-the-money call again to squeeze some derivative juice out of this orange. If you don’t know what a derivative is, you need to read Rich Dad Poor Dad again.
KO
$1,862.00(31.81 shares)$1,914 (32.06 shares) The DRIP has added up to another share, bringing me past the 32 mark. Coke stock is just so damn reliable. And from all the Coke Zero I drink, I can see why their profits are so steady haha. Doesn’t matter what country I’m in – I can always find Coke Zero.
DOW
$624.75(11.99 shares).$666.37 (12.15 shares) Good day for the DRIP. Rolled from 11 shares over to 12.
VZ
$279.82 (7.35 shares). $296.21 (7.35 shares) $20 of growth? Shit, I’ll take it.
MO
$1,275.71 (30.01 shares).$1,245.39 (30.01 shares) There’s a pending dividend of $29, which is cool. I’ve actually had a limit sell posted for Altria (MO) for about a month now. I bought it because I used a lot of ON! Pouches, and Altria Group bought ON! from the original Swedish company. They also own Skoal and Copenhagen. But I don’t even use ON! anymore. I just feel like they’re gonna lose market share over a 10 or 20 year period.
TM
$388.30 (2.07 shares). $392.74 (2.09 shares). The December dividend was $3.46, nothing crazy but hey – free money.
STRC
$67.36 (100 shares). $68.47 . This robotics company was a lottery ticket for me. I have 100 shares so if it jumps, I can definitely sell some out-of-the-money calls. But that probably won’t be for 5 years, or they’ll just get delisted. We’ll see. I just want an Ironman suit or a cool cyborg hand.
EDIT
$22.20 (2 shares). $22.01(SOLD) I got in at $7/share, got out 2 months later at $11/share for 2 shares. I’m just tired of putting money into “exciting new” stocks and then getting stuck with a loss (*cough* Palantir *cough*). I’d rather put the money into solid dividend companies or real estate.
Bitcoin
$11,503.00 (0.274 BTC). $12,207 (0.274 BTC). Up another $700. I’m not selling til it hits at least 89 or 90,000/coin though. A 300% return would be pretty sweet.
BNB coin
$774.51 (3.373BNB). $1,043.77 (3.38 BNB). Got some stake action on this one. Not sure what my long term plan on this one is. Probably sell when it hits $600/coin again?
DOGE
$143.40(1601 coins). $132.05(1601 coins) Alright, this one is annoying. I’ve had a limit sell on this for a month, but Crypto.com is trash. I was finally up $15 so I wanted to get out of it, and despite chilling above my limit sell for hours at a time – it just wouldn’t execute. So the price ceiling of $0.09 must just be stacked with sell orders.
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$27,596.94$29,945.79 Up another 2.5Gs, ol’ reliable. And it’s definitely crossing the 30K mark like…next month. Shit’s wild.
RRSPs trapped in Canada
$6,671.13USD$6,778 USD. Pretty standard. This only grows when Tesla goes crazy.
Chequing
$629.78$104.97
Savings
$6,465.09$6,473 Chilling.
Savings Certificate
$721.69$1670 Been adding to this heavily now that I don’t have credit card debt to worry about. Plus there’s a 4% dividend, so why not? Basically a dividend stock without any risk.
Total Assets
$62,039.30$66,893.19 Bro what??
Credit Card
-7,000.18-5669.99$-4,977.16.$4,033.64. –$1,087.45. New balance: $0.00
Credit Card #2
$0.
Credit Card #3
$0.
Total Debt
$–$1,087.45$0.00
August 2023 Total:
$64,657.68.$66,839.19 With no debt to slow me down, I’m on a nice upswing. Up another 2 grand. “70K by summer” is sounding a lot more possible now.
Officially in the 60K Club for the 3rd update in a row.
There’s a saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. I’ve had so many mentors over the years. And so many peers (online or otherwise) to look up to, to see the road ahead and try to learn from their mistakes.
But it’s only when the student is ready, that the teacher appears. I’m going to start recommending certain books on here, that have helped me along the way. They helped when times were tough, and when times were good as well. But if you’re in a debt emergency, or stressed at all about your debt, the #1 book I can recommend is Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. He’s not the best voice when it comes to building wealth, but he definitely has a lot of expertise in helping folks fix their budget and get debt paid off fast. I’ll be posting a full review in the future, along with a guide to maximizing your credit score (I’m sitting at 813 right now).
Well hello folks, welcome back to Late Twenties and Broke. I’m your host Jonny F, and yes you read that correctly – my credit card is PAID OFF.
Yes, last update I chopped my credit card down from 4k to only $1,100.A pretty amazing feat for me in only 3 months. A couple weeks later, my next paycheck hit, and I paid that shit off. Zero, baby. And that’s it, I’m debt free.
With all that being said, let’s dig into the numbers and see how the overall picture looks now.
PLTR
$4,128.00(200 shares). $3,632. Well, PLTR has swung down again. Still making some income selling annual out-of-the-money calls though. Holding it 5ever.
KO
$1,8824.00(31.81 shares)$1,862 (31.81 shares) Dipped another twenty bucks, but there is a dividend pending so it’s all good.
DOW
$619.95(11.84 shares).$624.75 (11.99 shares) Same thing, share price went down but got a little DRIP.
VZ
$266.59 (7.35 shares). $279.82 (7.35 shares) No change since November, aside from $5.
MO
$1,226.48 (30.01 shares).$1,275.71 (30.01 shares) No real change from November, aside from $50.
TM
$400.84 (2.07 shares). $388.30 (2.07 shares). No new DRIP, but there is a dividend pending.
STRC
$68 (100 shares). $67.36 . This robotics company hasn’t released their Tony Stark Ironman suits yet, but a man can dream.
EDIT
$19.60 (2 shares). $22.20 This company still doesn’t have the capabilities to develop X-men or Marvel superheroes.
Bitcoin
$10,410.00 (0.274 BTC). $11,503 (0.274 BTC). Up another grand, which is awesome. But you know how BTC is, always swinging around.
BNB coin
$829.92 (3.373BNB). $774.51 (3.37 BNB). Little dip, but it’s crypto. I always assume the dip lol.
DOGE
$103.97(1601 coins). $143.40(1601 coins) Somehow I’m up $4 overall on this one? Nice. I’m used to being sixty dollars underwater.
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$25,456.04$27,596.94 I’m gonna be honest, I’m too lazy to look this one up so we’ll just pretend it’s the same.
RRSPs trapped in Canada
6,611.13USD6,671.13 USD. Pretty standard. This only grows when Tesla goes crazy.
Chequing
$926.11. $629.78
Savings
$6,463.80 $6,465.09 Chilling.
Savings Certificate
$519.86$721.69 Added $200 to this, since I don’t have a credit card to worry about anymore.
Total Assets
$59,388.90$62,039.30 Jeeeeez, I did not expect to have $62,000 in assets. That’s actually phenomenal.
Credit Card
-7,000.18-5669.99$-4,977.16.$4,033.64. –$1,087.45. New balance: $0.00
Credit Card #2
$0.
Credit Card #3
$0.
Total Debt
$–$1,087.45$0.00
August 2023 Total:
$60,951.85.$64, 657.68 Jeeeeez. Up another 3 and a half grand. In literally like, 2 weeks. I am so glad I paid off that damn credit card. Wow.
Officially in the 60K Club for the 2nd update in a row.
Wow, all I can say. From humble fuckin’ beginnings in California, I’ve like doubled my net worth since starting this blog. And become debt free. All while not making a cent off this website haha.
That’s enough rambling for me. Thanks for stopping by Late Twenties And Broke, and come back anytime.
Well hello folks, good to see ya. I’m your host Jonny F, and please enjoy this Net Worth Update here at Late Twenties And Broke.
I know my Bitcoin is up, and my credit card is ALMOST PAID THE FUCK OFF. Just sent them a thousand bucks, got like a thousand left. It’s on it’s last fucking legs. One more paycheck and they’re yelling timber.
But that’s next paycheque. Not today. Let’s take a quick look at how last update was…
PLTR
$1,710.00(200 shares). $2,910. This stinker finally swung back some, up $1200 from last update. Holding this stinker 5ever.
KO
$1,977.81(31.31 shares)$1,904.11. (31.55 shares) A little swing down but got 20% of a share for free.
DOW
$664.99(11.68 shares).$639.14 (11.84 shares) Same thing, share price went down but got a little DRIP.
VZ
$121.78 (3.1 shares). $107.25 (3.21 shares) Drip.
MO
$1,269.00 (28.19 shares).$1,282.37 (29.34 shares) One of the only stocks that went up this time. Plus a lil drip.
TM
$280.38 (2.04 shares). $340.84 (2.07 shares). Nice little jump to offset the others. And drip of course.
Bitcoin
$8,391.6 (0.27 BTC). $7,213.38 (0.274 BTC). A thousand-dollar “loss” and I couldn’t be happier with it.
BNB coin
$1,113.03 (3.32 BNB). $733.98 (3.356 BNB). Price dipped about $400, but I got some more from staking, so overall a win.
DOGE
$148.07(1601 coins). $102.33(1601 coins) Went down forty bucks. I do not stake this, so no gains there.
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$22,756.61$25,456.04 Another 2.5 grand in the bank. Consistency is key.
RRSPs trapped in Canada
5,957.87USD6,673.59 USD. I honestly forgot I had this. It went down a couple updates ago but it’s at its normal price now.
Chequing
$1,198.75. $1,082.76
Savings
$11,742.00$10,602.09 $8,428.80 I actually have no idea where this money is going. Note*
Savings Certificate
$507.04$514.31 Another $7 of growth on this rocket.
Total Assets
$50,757$58,699.02$59,388.90 Not as big of a jump as I was expected, but a lot of my stocks rolled backwards.
Credit Card
-7,000.18-5669.99$-4,977.16. $4,033.64. I shaved another grand off of this, so that’s good. I fucking hate this balance though and want it gone.
Credit Card #2
$0.
Credit Card #3
$0.
Total Debt
$-4,033.64
August 2023 Total:
$45,087$53,412.39 $55,355.26 A positive change of just under 2 grand in 3 months. That’s a healthy delta in my books.
Solidified my position in the 50K club. I see some challenges in the next 3 months though.
So that’s the old info. Got some nice dividend messages when I logged into Robinhood.
Alrighty. And without further ado, let’s get into this fricking update baby.
PLTR
$2,910.00(200 shares). $4,128. Swung up another $1100, still down like 3 grand though lolol. I’m patient though.
KO
$1,904.11(31.55 shares)$1,882 (31.81 shares) Dipped twenty bucks, got a quarter share for free. Same same.
DOW
$639.14(11.84 shares).$619.95 (11.84 shares) Same thing, share price went down but got a little DRIP.
VZ
$107.25 (3.21 shares). $266.59 (7.35 shares) Bought 4 more shares while it was cheap.
MO
$1,282.37 (29.34 shares).$1,226.48 (30.01 shares) Price is back down, but she staying drippy.
TM
$340.84 (2.07 shares). $400.84 (2.07 shares). No new DRIP, but it went up 60 bucks, not bad.
STRC
$68 (100 shares). Random addition in case this company can develop Tony Stark Ironman suits.
EDIT
$19.60 (2 shares). Random addition in case this company can develop X-men and Marvel superheroes.
Bitcoin
$7,213.38 (0.274 BTC). $10,410 (0.274 BTC). Up three grand, that’s what I’m talmbout! Lets see how she’s doing around…May 2025.
BNB coin
$733.98 (3.356BNB). $829.92 (3.37 BNB). Little bump and got more from staking. A win/win.
DOGE
$102.33(1601 coins). $130.97(1601 coins) I don’t stake this, so I don’t really care. Next crypto bubble I’m selling it probably.
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$25,456.04$27,596.94 Another 2 grand in the bank. Not bad at all.
RRSPs trapped in Canada
6,673.59USD6,611.13 USD. Pretty standard. This only grows when Tesla goes crazy.
Chequing
$1,082.76. $926.11
Savings
$8,428.80 $6,463.80 Unfortunately this keeps dipping while I’ve been in Japan. I gotta build it back up to $12,000 where it belongs.
Savings Certificate
$514.31$519.86 Another 5 bucks, this thing is unstoppable.
Total Assets
$59,388.90$62,039.30 Jeeeeez, I did not expect to have $62,000 in assets. That’s actually phenomenal.
Credit Card
-7,000.18-5669.99$-4,977.16.$4,033.64. –$1,087.45. I feel so peaceful seeing this thing get killed. My strategy is working.
Credit Card #2
$0.
Credit Card #3
$0.
Total Debt
$–$1,087.45
August 2023 Total:
$55,355.26 $60,951.85. Wow. Up another 5 grand, AND, my first entry into the 60K club. This is phenomenal.
My first time entering the 60K club. And my credit card is almost dead.
Wow, what an update. From the day I arrived in Japan to now, this short year and a half, my net worth is up 16 grand and I’m almost, almost, almost debt free. This place has been a pressure cooker and very challenging. But a lot of my strategies are paying off.
In January, I’ll say goodbye to Japan and do a lot of work-related travel. I’m actually going to live in 4 different countries during 2024. My biggest challenge will be living frugally and not blowing money on takeout. I already know, that will be my biggest challenge. If I can stick to frugal hotel meals like store-bought tuna, instant rice and ham sandwiches, haha, I can hit 70K for sure by the summer. 70K by summer. Let’s go.
My plan for Palantir is….I don’t have a good plan. My entry point was just so shitty. My plan was to hold it and just keep selling calls to make my money back, but all the heat left the stock so the “out of the money” calls are usually listed at $0. So I’ve been holding a loser, not getting any growth or dividends, and I haven’t been selling calls. Just 3 grand (what used to be 6 grand) sitting there not doing anything. It’s about 5% of my net worth, which is a good problem to have. I am very thankful that I have a “burden” of 3 grand that isn’t producing.
I just looked at the long term OTM calls for PLTR (I have 200 shares, so I’ve been boomeranging 2 calls about a year apart) and listed one for June 2025 at a $35 strike for $161.
What could I buy with that 161? Felt like looking at Motley Fool for some recommendations.
With that $161 I can buy: 5 shares of Boston Omaha (BOC) @ $16.56 5 shares of Refin (RDFN) @ $8.95 5 shares of Editas Medicine(EDIT) @ $8.77
Usually I just go to the big homie Dividend Pig and buy the same shit he bought earlier in the month. But he hasn’t posted since December 2022? I’m a little concerned. Usually that means a blogger is going through some personal shit. So, good luck and godspeed OG PIG. Hope you come out on the other side alright homie.
I will probably just use that money to increase my position on whatever dividend stock I have that is down the most lolol.
That’s enough about BTC and PLTR. Let’s talk about debt! I paid my credit card down another grand to the -$4,000 mark. Part of that was offsetting all my automatic and reoccurring purchases to other credit cards, and then having them autopay. Things like phone bills, amazon purchases, kindle purchases, etc.
After some digging, I found 2 things that are still being charged to my main credit card. Amazon Japan (purchases & prime) and Spotify.
I just switched my AmazonJP over to my other card. Spotify is a flat $9.99 fee, which is good to show a little activity on the card. I still have my two $500 monthly transfers set up (1st and 15th of the month), so if we just follow basic math…over the next 3 months that credit card balance should be dropping from 4K to 1K. That would be amazing.
Anyways guys, net worth is at an ATH of 55 grand, so I’m on the right track.
Hello hello! Welcome back to LateTwentiesAndBroke. I’m your host Jonny F. Today we’re gonna be doing a deep dive into my finances. I’ve accumulated a hearty amount of bitcoin – but I’ve only treaded water on my credit card debt. Credit card debt is so fricking annoying. Like Jesus. Feels like every month is the same month. Also I hate my living situation in Japan. But it is what it is. I should be able to fix it.
Alright, let’s pull up the numbers from December 2022 as a primer.
PLTR
$1,580. $1,388.00(200 shares) My poor baby continues to sink, oh well…See ya at the bottom kid.
KO
$1,930.81(30.63 shares)$1,955 (31.09 shares). The DRIP is working!
$287 (2.04 shares)$280.38 (2.04 shares) No change. Dividend is in May.
Bitcoin
$3,577 (0.205 BTC)$8,391.6 (0.27 BTC) Nice little change there.
BNB coin
$818.30 (3.299 coins) $1,113.03 (3.32 BNB). Lil bump.
DOGE
$125.71 (1,601 coins) $148.07(1601 coins) Mostly a joke but I’ll hold 5ever.
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$19,144.00$22,756.61 This is my consistent gainer every update (cuz I auto-contribute monthly, duh)
RRSPs trapped in Canada
$5159 USD5,957.87USD Tesla shares have been down but whatever.
Chequing
$2,081.00$1,198.75
Savings
$11,742.00$10,602.09 This should be stagnant, not going down…hmm…
Savings Certificate
$502.20$507.04 Another $5 gain on this rocket.
Total Assets
$50,757$58,699.02 Dang!!!
Credit Card
-7,000.18-5669.99$-4,977.16. Finally in the 4s.
Credit Card #2
$-24.65
Credit Card #3
$-284.82
Total Debt
$-5,286.63
April 2023 Total:
$45,087 $53,412.39!! Holy smokes.
First Time my Net Worth has ever been over $50,000. An $11,000 swing in 3 months.
Okay, so where the fuck did this $11,000 come from? Analysis time. -Bought/gained $4,600 in BTC. -Only $400 less credit card debt overall -About $2,600 added to employer 401K -About $700 gain on my 401K in Canada -Little over $300 gain on Palantir, $300 gain on BNB coin.
So this gain was a mix of steady contributions to BTC and my 401K, and then a moment of uptick in some of my stocks/crypto. I’m not gonna sell anything, so those numbers could swing the other way when it’s time for the next update. What I really need to do is focus on the fundamentals.
I stopped using my original credit card for most things. That’s why it didn’t jump up like it usually does. I have a second credit card that I actually use for everyday purchases (endless to-go meals while I work night shift) and a third credit card that is my primary card for my Apple account (apps, music, movies, et cetera).
I’ve been looking up “no spend” challenges this week, and it seems like a good idea. Obviously if you spend less money, you’ll keep more money. It’s pretty simple but for some reason I’m pretty stupid when it comes to spending.
Moving forward, I’m gonna be a cheap bastard. I’m gonna spend as little as possible this Spring/Summer/Fall and see where it gets me. Because I’ll have an opportunity to buy a house in the states in about a year, and I don’t want to waste it. If I’m financially healthy next April, I could acquire my first rental property. And that would be an amazing next step.
That’s all the rambling I’m gonna do for now.
Thanks for stopping by Late Twenties and Broke, keep your stick on the ice, and I’ll see ya next time.
Welcome back to Late Twenties and Broke.com, I’m your host Jonny F Namerson. Today I’m begged to ask the question: Am I still broke?
My last net worth update was August 2022, and here we are about 4 months later. I checked how much BTC I had yesterday for the first time in months, and it was looking pretty juicy. My strat was to set up an automatic purchase every week for $100 worth of BTC while prices were at $40,000/coin or lower, and oh boy, has it been stacking up.
Here are my numbers from August 2022 for reference….
PLTR
$1,580. (200 shares)
KO
$1,930.81 (30.63 shares)
DOW
$610.23 (11.21 shares)
VZ
$129.75 (3 shares)
MO
$1,242.51 (27.06 shares)
TM
$306.93 (2.02 shares)
Bitcoin
$2,592.14 (0.12845 BTC)
BNB coin
$917.01 (3.26 coins)
DOGE
$32.40 (502.46 coins)
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$17,391.66
RRSPs trapped in Canada
$9,562 CAD ($7,335 USD)
Chequing
$1,346.61$1,493.50
Savings
$12,732.83
Savings Certificate
$501.36
Total Assets
$51, 406.35
Credit Card
-7,000.18
August 2022 Total:
$44,406.17
Net worth: More stocks, more crypto, but overall…only up $50 in 3 months.
And now, the December 2022 net worth update….
PLTR
$1,580. $1,388.00(200 shares) My poor baby continues to sink, oh well…See ya at the bottom kid.
KO
$1,930.81(30.63 shares)$1,955 (31.09 shares). The DRIP is working!
$2,000 (Haven’t purchased any precious metals in Japan)
Employer 401K
$17,391.66 $19,144.00 Hell yeah, up 2 Gs. That’s from my monthly contribution right there.
RRSPs trapped in Canada
$9,562 CAD ($7,335 USD) $7,046 CAD ($5159 USD)Frickin down 2 Gs on this one…
Chequing
$1,493.50$2,081.00
Savings
$12,732.83$11,742.00
Savings Certificate
$501.36$502.20. Wow, what a jump!
Total Assets
$51, 406.35 $50,757
Credit Card
-7,000.18-5669.99!! Yes, I finally made some progress on this. Jesus.
Dec 2022 Total:
$44,406.17 $45,087. A whopping change of $681. Yay.
Not a ton of change, but at least it’s moving in the right direction.
4 months, and a change of only $681? I mean, it’s something. Not a lot, but something.
Pros:
-Credit card finally swung in the right direction, by about $1,300. -My drip-drip-drippy drop dividend strategy did net a little piece of a share in quite a few companies. Long term, that’s a good thing.
To be fair, I reduced debt. I added assets to my balance sheet. I contributed to my 401K. I did the right things. My Canadian portfolio dropped 2 grand, while I actually contributed 2 grand to my US 401K. So that was a wash. And I added $1,000 worth of BTC to my holdings. And I paid off about $1300 on my credit card. So, you know what, that’s decent.
Am I still broke? Kind of. Maybe. Not really. But my net worth is still under 50K, and that’s one of the goals on my list.
Kind of an anti-climatic update, but here’s hoping the next update in May is a bit juicier for ya.
Well, it’s been a long process preparing for my move to Japan. I put a lot of stuff in storage, shipped some stuff to Japan, and packed and unpacked my bags quite a few times.
(do I really need this tshirt? how much do these bags weigh??)
But I did it. I made it to all the different hotels, and airports, and terminals, and covid tests. And I did all the paperwork. I mean, there’s still more on my desk to do and more when I go to work in a couple days, but I’ve done everything required for right now.
This post won’t be very polished or concise, I just want to dump all my thoughts right now to keep the habit of blogging. This is my third or fourth website venture, and I’d like one that actually sticks around for once.
Luckily I did my taxes as soon as possible this year, so that is done and something I don’t have to worry about for another year. However, 2022’s taxes will be the first time that I (or many Americans) will pay capital gains on selling their personal vehicle! How crazy is that? For a decade I’ve read in books and articles and heard in podcasts, ad nauseum, that the car you drive is a depreciating liability and not an asset. It takes money out of your pockets. Mr.Money Mustache has beat stables of horses to death on that point.
I bought my car for $8,000 USD back in 2017, and at the start of the umbrella corp disease, it was realistically worth $4,000 to $6,000. However, due to the chip shortage and massive money printing and stimulus cheques and inflation, the US car market went insane. Luckily I had the car for about 4 years, so I will be only be paying long term capital gains and only on the profit. But I ended up selling my (realistically $6,000) car to CarMax for the ridiculous price of $12,500. That’s right, by ripping that car all around California and Nevada putting 30,000 miles on it and that West Coast sunshine abusing the paint and clearcoat, somehow, Iadded value.
I can’t stop using the word ridiculous to describe the situation. Please, do yourself a favour and don’t buy a car in this market. Don’t buy my sun-damaged car from CarMax.
Now that I’ve detailed my surprising cash windfall from CarMax, let’s get into my Net Worth Update for April 2022 from my new HQ in Japan. I’ll lead with my Oct 2021 numbers for reference.
Oct 2021:
PLTR
$5,068 (200 shares)
KO
$1,668 (30 shares)
DOW
$336 (6 shares)
Personal Automobile
$8,000
Silver Coins&Bars
$1,200
Employer 401K
$5,000
RRSPs trapped in Canada
$8,450 CAD ($6,837 USD)
Chequing
$210
Savings
$5,745
Total Assets
$34,064
Credit Card
-$4,187.45
October 2021 Total:
$29,876.55
April 2022:
PLTR
$5,068 (200 shares) (share price plummeted again, market value is $2,760 as of today)
KO
$1,668 (30 shares) $1,895.55 (Also received 0.22 shares as DRIP.)
DOW
$336 (6 shares) $394.47 (also received .14 shares as DRIP)
VZ
$52.04 (1 share)
TM
$360 (2 shares)
Bitcoin
$1792.98
BNB coin
$956.67
Personal Automobile
$8,000. (I don’t have it anymore!)
Silver Coins&Bars
$2,000 (I added $800 to my collection)
Employer 401K
$15,000 (I actually checked the balance, I was way off last update!)
RRSPs trapped in Canada
$8,450 CAD ($6,837 USD)
Chequing
$1,346.61
Savings
$16,838.50 (sold my car, parked the cash in savings for now)
Savings Certificate
$500.53 (new)
Total Assets
$50,734.35 (first time ever over 50K!!!)
Credit Card
-$6,374.19 ($2,186.74 worse)
April 2022 Total:
$29,876.55 $44,360.16
Net worth: ALMOST $50,000 USD. Almost.
So a lot of changes! My PLTR continued to tank, but I added some more dividend stocks like VZ and TM. I also received some DRIP from my initial purchase of Coke and Dow.
Another thing I added was dividend-like crypto, earning 4.5% on my BTC and 8% on my BNB from various exchanges. The math on that is only about $15 so not really worth noting, but the idea is there.
But obviously the big-big numbers were selling my car, and getting a real update on my 401K. I will realistically buy a car when I return to the USA eventually, so I don’t want to put that lump sum anywhere risky. But at the same time, the ROI in the various savings products my bank offers is a joke (0.5% while inflation in the USA is like 3-10%). So that will be on the backburner while I consider my options. If anyone has any ideas for it, go ahead and send me an email! Or reach out on twitch.
While I’m living in Japan, I won’t be buying any precious metals. So my fun investing will just be dividend stocks and crypto. It also lets me focus on paying down my dang credit card!! How it got back up to $6,000 range is so annoying. I hope as I do these updates it will get knocked down lower and lower until I’m debt free. That 50K mark will be a lot sweeter when I have zero debt.
Good morning World! Welcome to Late Twenties and Broke, I’m your host Jonny F. It’s October 28th, and with Halloween weekend coming up quick I think it’s time to get all of October’s events on paper while it’s fresh.
Since this is my first ever net worth post, I owe you some back story. A lot of back story.
-In 2013, At age 22, my job was working 36 hours a week as a security guard. I had to stay up all night from 6pm-6am Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. I made $11.15 CAD/hour, which was exactly $1 over minimum wage. I wasn’t allowed to bring Tablets or anything like that to work, so the only way to stay awake was drinking ample amounts of coffee and reading books. This is the stage of my life when I read damn near all of Robert Kiyosaki’s books including the Cashflow Quadrant and the infamous Rich Dad Poor Dad. I also read some books by Warren Buffett and the Wealthy Barber.
As I read those classic books, I took action. While I was working as a security guard, I was paying down my student loans (from a bachelor’s degree I never finished) and investing 10% of my puny income into my RRSP. I also bought one solitary share of Tesla for about $200, which has since experienced 1800% gains. Pretty dope. All those stocks I bought are stuck inside a plexiglass zoo exhibit though, until retirement age, due to double taxation laws, because…
-In November 2017, at age 26, I moved to the USA from my frozen homeland of Canada for better job prospects and the stronger buying power of the US Dollar. I came over with a solid job offer and the intent to stack cash and start a new life. I was living frugally and saving up with a purpose. I was pumping 20% into my company’s 401K program too.
-August 2018, I got married to my hometown sweetheart. Paid for the flights, hotel, wedding, and her immigration lawyer. 1st month’s rent on a new apartment and the security deposit. Did I lean on my credit cards? Yeah, a little. Dropped my 401K contribultions to 10%, then 5%. Then 1%. Also, when she got here, she was still waiting for her green card. So legally, she wasn’t allowed to work. Two people, one income. Did I lean on my credit cards? Yeah, til they were maxed out.
-December 2018, I file for divorce and a restraining order. Some things don’t work out. Did I lean on my credit cards? Yeah, luckily I got some new ones to max out.
2018-2020: My total credit card debt fluctuates from $4,000 to $1,000 to $0 and then up to $6,000 somehow.
Wait, how did it get to $6,000???
Well, you see. I’ve always operated on a very lean cash reserve, because I’d rather put my cash to work in the market or pay down debt. Sounds smart, right? I put all my personal expenses on my credit card (It’s the smart thing to do, I get 1% cashback rewards!), while putting my bank account to work constantly transferring cash to my Robinhood account. I didn’t even have a Robinhood account until Covid hit in March 2020. Then I BOUGHT. THAT. DIP!
I bought Norwegian Cruise Lines, Six Flags, Cedar Point (FUN), Dave and Busters (PLAY), and Alaska Airlines. And I did well! I unloaded the Norwegian and Six Flags as a miniscule gain when they weren’t really moving, and the constant headlines about their debt was giving me anxiety. I held most I sold those positions to double down on the good ones. I held them until January 2021, when I sold my FUN, ALK and PLAY for a pretty good return.
Following the “Covid-dip” plays, I got invited to a stock group on Discord. These guys were all about Calls and Puts, which I remembered from reading Rich Dad Poor Dad way back in the day, 8 years earlier. But now, I actually had the capital to to sell puts! I was heavy into Lordstown Motors (RIDE), and rode the wave from $18 to the low $30s. And selling out of the money calls the whole time. In one year, from March 2020 to March 2021, my portfolio was up 100%! Then I bought 200 share of Peter Thiel’s new startup, Palantir.
Does that name ring a bell? I got 100 shares at $39 a pop. Then it sank like a rock to $29 a share, just a dip, who cares. It’s going to the moon! I bought 100 more. Then it dropped to $24. And then my RIDE shares dropped like a rock from $31 to $15 with no signs of slowing. That $3,000 turned into $1,500 real fast. My account was getting bombarded with margin call warnings nonstop those two weeks and I couldn’t transfer money fast enough. I knew RIDE was a crap stock and the hype train was gone. I dumped my 100 shares for $1,543 and ate the $300 loss of capital (and $1300 in potential gains). I’m glad I did, because as I write this, RIDE is sitting at $4.80/share. I avoided another $1,000 loss by getting the heck out of that stock.
My 200 Palantir shares, which I got for $6,600, is down 24% ($1,600). But, I managed to sell some long term calls when the price tanked so I got $1,300 back upfront. I will hold these shares long term and just keep selling long term calls. No, how did your credit card get up to $6,000??
Oh. Yeah. So, after going being hit with those constant margin calls I realized 1) Margin is high-risk. At least for me. 2) I had nothing in my savings account and that was bad. 3) I would prefer the peace of mind of having $10,000 in savings before chasing stocks again. 4) It was time to bump my 401K contributions back to 10%.
So, instead of focusing on paying down my credit card, I started building my savings. Keep in mind I was starting at $0. At the end of September, my savings account and my credit card kissed at $5,700. At that point, I started paying down my credit card. I knocked it down to $4,200 so far while my savings account is still sitting pretty at $5,700.
Okay, did anyone read all that? Anybody? It’s time for, drumroll please…my October 2021 net worth update!
PLTR
$5,068 (200 shares)
KO
$1,668 (30 shares)
DOW
$336 (6 shares)
Personal Automobile
$8,000
Silver Coins&Bars
$1,200
Employer 401K
$5,000
RRSPs trapped in Canada
$8,450 CAD ($6,837 USD)
Chequing
$210
Savings
$5,745
Total Assets
$34,064
Credit Card
-$4,187.45
October 2021 Total:
$29,876.55
Late Twenties and Broke? I’m doing a lot better than I thought!
Yes, believe it or not, that table I just typed up is my first time calculating my net worth in a few years. Aside from some fuzzy math I’ve done in the shower here and there, wow. Should I change the name of this website? Kidding…
As a 29 year old man, I could be doing a hell of a lot worse, but overall I think I am pretty average or underperforming a bit. Especially by letting my credit card creep up like that.
That’s why I felt it was important for me to start this online journal. I’ve been following guys like Mr Money Moustache online for the past EIGHT years, but somehow my credit card crept up to -$6,000? No way man. I need some accountability, or at least online shame to get me back on track. And since I’ve bought this domain, I have been much more conscious of my spending. The idea of public accountability has been working wonders, even without posting anything.
There you go. My October 2021 net worth update. I only have 2 dividend stock positions right now, but lately I’ve been following the heck out of Dividend Pig. I really want to develop some big positions, but I really really need to stay on my goal of paying off my credit card. The faster I get rid of this credit card debt, the faster I can start dumping my paycheques into dividend stocks worry-free. That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it. (It’s on the internet, it’s gotta be true!)
Until next time, I’m Jonny F and this is Late Twenties and Broke.
