Hello World!

Helloooooooo out there!  

Guess it's been a long time since I had the opportunity to post anything.  It has been a long and toxic year for me.  But I have missed blogging and I feel I am ready to add this back into my life.  I am not sure if I have any readers out there but it is still good to type type type for little ole moi.  And it is good for me to see that I am moving forward inch by inch on my financial goals.  (Btw all is good on that front.)

Over the next two weekends, I am going to revisit this blog and post up some goals for 2018.  Nothing overly exciting I expect but it will still be good to stretch the blogging legs a bit next year.
:-)

For anyone celebrating Christmas, I hope you have a very merry holiday.  For everyone else, I hope you have Monday off and a nice long weekend!

Pru

Taxes done...taking a bit of a break...

Ahhhhh the sweet sound of hitting click and having my tax information be swirled through the internet space to our lovely governing treasury authorities.

Well it was more like the sound of my head hitting the back of the sofa at 1:30 a.m. on 4/15 followed by the sound of my laptop falling to the ground.  I failed miserably with getting my taxes done this year.  I usually have my accountant do them but life/work/ugh happened and I was scrambling at the last minute.  

To avoid filing an extension, I did them myself.  I think I did okay but time will tell.

One interesting lesson for me was reinforced this year since I did my own taxes and had to make a payment.  Although I do about the same amount of work as my accountant each year (I tend to study tax information as well as my forms and regularly visit the IRS' website each year...).  But some of the conversations that I have had numerous times with my accountant had not quite sunk in until this year.

First and foremost, my state (like most states) does not have the same deductions/credits as the federal government.  This sucks big time.  BIG Time.  And means that I usually pay something to my state (usually something small).

However, this past year was particularly unusual because I began investing a lot more than before when I was focused on either saving money for a home or paying off my mortgage early.  And all those nice investments and lovely dividends came rearing their pretty little heads in the form of additional taxes.

Definitely not happy about this.  But as they say it is a cost of doing business.  And we all know that Uncle Sam (and Aunt Samantha) like their share of the pie.

What this means for me is that I need to put a bit aside for next year's taxes since I will owe a little bit since I am still gonna be investing and earning dividends.  And I hate having to pay something without having the same amount sitting in the savings wings, ready to go on stage.

Taxes filed, and now I can say state taxes paid - Yes!  I'm good for another 10 months.  (Next year I will not be rushing to do my taxes at the last minute.)  All this means is that Pru was able to head out for a mini-break to get some much needed rest (still working on this!) and change of scenery. 

Hoping things are well with you, whoever you may be dear reader :-)

Oh and if you are experiencing great weather, like my state is, get out and enjoy it!

Pru

Housekeeping & A Catch-up- 3/31/2017

Hello!  Still here (barely!)

Lot going on in my life (both work and personal) but I'm still keeping on with the financial goals.  

Bit of a reorganization going on at my office so I'm dealing with that.  Not sure how that is going to work out as people are not very happy.  I'm not ecstatic either to be perfectly honest.  Needless to say things are bit rough at the office for my entire team and a few people have separately told me (late at night when no one is around) that they are planning to look for jobs in the coming months.  

I too would like to look for a job but I am in a financial catch-22.  I need my bonuses to pay down my mortgage quickly and invest monies.  I think I get my bonus sometime in may-end june.  With the craziness going on in politics and the uncertainty, I do not know how likely people are to be hiring.  This means I could be stuck at my current job.  (Yes woe is me...)  

On the flip side, if I get a wonderful bonus then (and I struggle with this internally), I should do the logical thing and stay with the current job for at least one more year to make another sizeable dent into the mortgage.

No easy decisions in life eh.

And then there are my taxes.  Still not done.  Need to be done.  In the next 2 weeks.  Double sigh.

So the next few weeks sees me working on getting my taxes filed (on time), adjusting to a new work environment, organizing a few things at home, reviewing my financial status (always good to do at tax time), and getting ready for the warmer weather.

There is a bit of a need to spend some money on clothes etc.  I am trying to minimize that need as much as possible and make do where I can.  But I am also being realistic - my orthotics shred my socks so new socks are being bought today also my sneakers have work thin on the soles so sneakers will also be bought (wear them every single day so a must!).

I haven't kept up with other people's blogs and I am very annoyed at this.  I do think about others (Jill!  Frugal Desperado!) and hope they are doing well.

Should be in a better position in 2 weeks (post-tax time) and will start catching up and blogging more.  Stay tuned!  Hopefully you will all still be here then :-)

Pages have all been updated through 3/31/2017 (except for the historical actual savings amounts):

Ultimate Goals

Brokerage Account Portfolio

Dividends

Actuals

Hope everyone has a good week!
Pru

My 2nd Home - Location! Location! Location!

Another thing that has been keeping me busy is focusing on my next home.  I have becoming more and more disillusioned with where I am living.  Part of it is because of how expensive my neighborhood is and how much more expensive I believe it will become.  

I am feeling squeezed.  Not literally.  Clearly I have excess funds to invest in savings and investments and overpay my mortgage.  But I have this feeling of not being able to breathe well.

My original plan was to buy another cheaper (much cheaper!) home in the same county.  This was important because it was still somewhat close to my job.  My commute would have worsened but I would still be close - especially on weekends when I used my car.  The town I was looking at was also a really nice low-to-middle middle class town which had a sense of community.

However, the more I thought about it, I have become more concerned about property taxes.  The proximity to a neighboring city means that this town will eventually be in demand and property taxes will go up.  A lot more people will also look to live there.

So I've started to look further away.  In fact, I have started looking as far as 90 minute drive away.  But a place that still has transportation so that I could get to my job.  I've recently done a scouting trip.  I am feeling good about this.  In addition to property taxes concerns, I also just want to ensure that my community is peaceful.  And I believe I will need to move far away to ensure that it remains peaceful.

As part of this plan, one idea that I have is actually moving sooner rather than later.  But I won't do it until I get my mortgage down to a certain reasonable level.  What is reasonable?  That is the question I still have not answered.  I believe the answer is an emotional one and I'll know it when the mortgage reaches that amount - I'll just be in a position to sleep better at night.  Hopefully by the end of this year I will reach my *reasonable* number.

Pru

Strategy change? Possibly...

This past election has proven to me that people do not uniformly and consistently act in their self-interest.  This leads me to question how rationale the market is.  It certainly isn't the first time I have questioned the basic tenets of economics :-)

The market cannot climb forever.  At least not if history has any say.  I continue to believe that we are on the cusp of a downturn.  The question is just how soon it will appear.  

Right now I believe there are a lot of speculators out there drunk on the idea that Trump is going to shred ALL THE REGULATION (and thereby *free* us all...where is the vomiting emoji?!). There are also some non-speculators (especially at the institutional level) that are probably hedging their bets.  

Now Twump is going to reduce some of the regulations.  That much is clear.  But that doesn't necessarily mean that it will translate into a wonderful thing.  There is also the issue of possible trade wars which would not be a good thing.  There is also the possibility that some of the regulations that are clawed back were some of the really good ones put in place to protect us (us being the average citizen) following the last downturn.  SAD!

All of the above, means that I'm just not sure what exactly to do.  Right now I am transferring a certain level of funds to my brokerage account each month.  I believe in a good market and a bad market, it is important to keep investing.  Consistency is everything.  

I am not investing all the money.  I am investing about half and keeping the remaining half in cash.  It's not a lot.  But I am not willing to put everything into the market right now.  The funds remain in my money market account and can be transferred back to my checking account if need be.  They can also be invested if I see something that I want to purchase.

I will continue to reevaluate this throughout the next year.

Pru

Still here, still plugging along

Hard to believe it has been a month!

The days have been running into each other and the weekends are barely non-existent.  Been dealing with *stuff* at home (ugh flatmate), at work (double ugh), in personal life (triple ugh).

And let's not even talk about what is going on in the U.S. right now.  Stress, lack of sleep, stress, panic and so on.  Yup definitely a conservative snowflake living at this blog who still thinks Trump supporters are morons and questions what will happen to the true values of this country (not to mention what will happen to our constitution).

So where am I?
Well I am definitely feeling like my apartment owns me and it likes to crack the whip and keep me up at night.  The sooner I pay off this place, the sooner I will feel free.

But I am still plugging along and still making progress on my financial goals.  I have made my transfers to savings accounts in January and February, overpaid my mortgage in both months, and made a few share purchases.  (Will update the blog pages next weekend (covering both January and February).)

What is this world coming to?  Pru still wonders....

Hope everyone is doing well!
Pru

When the dust settles

In 9 years when I wrap up this financial experiment, where will I be?

I have a plan and I have good intentions so all will be okay right?

Errrrr...no - not exactly.  

Each day, week, month I need to be moving towards my goals.  My actions need to reflect not only who I am (know thyself!) but also my desires and plans and hopes for the future.

I need to reflect on my actions, on my thoughts (buy! buy! buy!) as well as continuously tweak to do my very best to hit my goals.

None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes.  It is always easy to do with money.  But absent anything kray-kray, I'm pretty sure that at the end of these 9 years I can look back and be proud of what I have consistently tried to do.

How about you?  At the end of this year where will you stand?  Will you be proud of your accomplishments?  Will you be proud of your thoughts and actions?

It's an interesting question that is relevant to our finances, our goals and our lives.  Those who fuck up are usually vilified in some way and rightly so.  (Note:  Having to take a huge step down in retirement pretty much sucks and yes you will hate yourself when it happens.)

We all have the benefit of history and other people's mistakes or misdeeds (or evil deeds).  Facts about what has happened previously exist and are out there for a reason - to prevent people from screwing up.

Banning people based on religion sounds familiar because it is a form of targeting people based on religion (we should all know that this has happened before and it NEVER turns out well).

It leads to hatred and violence.  It leads to acceptance of hatred and violence by too many.  We need only look to the Muslims that were killed or hurt in the mosque attack in Canada.  This is very very reminiscent of the attack in the church in South Carolina.  Color of skin, religion...The timing of this horrible tragedy in Canada is not surprising.

I used to travel for work with a young man who was Muslim and whose parents were born in another country.  Several of us would be traveling typically but while we would usually be traveling on the same day, we would often be on different flights.  Still we were at the airport together often enough.

This young man was stopped every single time.  Not just stopped and searched but taken into another room.  Every single time.  He had a good attitude about the horribleness of it.  Me, not so much.  I would panic each time it happened.  All you needed is some *cowboy* from CBP that didn't want to follow instructions and who didn't care that you were respectful and here legally.  I cannot imagine what it was like to be him or to be his parents.  Every single trip I always made sure someone was on his flight - this way at least a co-worker could alert the company if he didn't get released in time for his flight.

And today I am observing two men at my office who have to work with each other but now can barely tolerate each other.  Let's call them Bill and Sam.  Bill voted for Twump; Sam voted for Hillary.  Bill kept his support quiet until Twump won and then it was all in your face.  Yes they most certainly did have a very loud confrontation.  

Today, however, Bill could hardly look at Sam.  Bill is white, in his late 50s, makes really good money (and has for about 15 years).  He is close to retiring and was not happy with how the market reacted while under Obama and felt that Trump could really energize things.  Bill's focus was entirely on himself.  For me this is not unusual as a lot of the men I work with are just like Bill and voted for Twump for similar reasons.  But you don't get to cherry pick only the supposed good stuff of candidates and today Bill was faced with having to see and work with Sam, a Muslim who was born in this country (like his parents).  Bill isn't anti-Muslim or racist.  Still he voted for Twump regardless of the campaign Twump ran.  I wonder how soon their next business trip is.

When the dust settles it will be very interesting to see which side people were on and are on.  

I know the majority of the U.S. will be on the right side.  But how large of a majority will we be.  How many of us will stand up and support American values which include diversity and acceptance that this nation includes (and is loved by) people of various races and religions and gender orientations and sexualities?

I hope there will be a lot of people who can look back in a year and be proud.  Sixty million people voted for Twump, a man who includes a fascist in his inner circle of advisors.  Sixty million people didn't care about this.  There is still the possibility that they will change their minds.  Conversely, they may look back when the dust settles and feel proud of their decision.

But as history has shown us at least once, future generations will not look kindly on those who have supported fascists and targeted people based on their religion or skin color.

Pru

Let's Get Real - Math, Money, Savings, Numbers

I'm gonna be honest here - nothing pisses me off like people who bullshit.  

[Side note:  I once told an interviewer that he was full of bullshit.  He laughed.  He was a salesman and considered it a compliment.  We had a nice conversation afterwards but I made it clear I didn't want the job.  In reality I didn't want to have to work with him.]

And a lot of politicians are FULL of bullshit.  So while this isn't an anti-Twump rant per se, it is a rant about what is going on in my sphere of the world which happens to include Twump headlines.

As a conservative, I honestly do not think the politicians that are in charge of Congress and the WH have the interests of all Americans at heart.  And by ALL I mean the minority that voted for Twump and the majority that didn't.

Who cares the most about your money?  Who cares the most about your future?

YOU DO!

So what are you doing about it?  If you are placing your hope in Uncle Sam, you shouldn't be.  Yes the government has a very important role and even more important tools in its toolkit that can and should help the millions of people in this country.

But do not just sit back and accept what is being told to you while you wait for the riches and jobs to come rolling in.

You too have a role to play and part of that role is to question, question, question and then question some more.  Now that does not just mean questioning the government, the politicians, the news you are reading but also yourself, what you believe and why you believe it, what actions you take and why you take them.

Learning to question is a very important skill.  It is one that is and can be taught in schools but it is not always one that is learned.

With questioning you must learn to decipher arguments and logic and lies.

There are no such things as alternative facts.  There are facts, there are feelings.  Just because you feel like you are worth a million bucks does not mean that you are.  There are facts and there are opinions.  Just because you believe that the U.S. is in a cycle of decline does not mean that it is.

Feelings and beliefs are often emotional.  Emotion is not logic.  Just because you *feel* safe, does that mean that logically you should keep your home and car unlocked?  Or better yet hand out copies of your keys?

Many reading this will say "of course not" - it sounds ridiculous.  And yet many still lead lives and make many decisions based on feelings and beliefs ignoring logic and facts.

It is very, very important to separate facts from everything else. 

If you sat next to someone and all they could do is talk about themselves, always turning the conversation back to themselves, what would you think?  Is this someone who thinks about you?  Cares about you?  Or is it someone who appears to be focused only on themselves?  
[This is something that Twump does consistently.]

If something goes up, must it come down? We are in a bull market (stock market) and for over 90 quarters the market has gone up.  This seems great.  Until we know the fact is that on average the market only goes up for 50-something quarters.  Does this mean that the market will not go up next quarter or for the one after that?  No.  But it does mean that there is a high probability that the market will go down (and soon).

A simpler question (and asked without judgment) - do you know what average means?  Do you know what high probability means?  Many people do but many also do not.  When we read or listen to the news, a lot of words and phrases are tossed about.  If you don't know what they mean, look them up.  You don't have to mention it to anyone if you are embarrassed.  A good online search will give you the definitions.  Or find a site you like and ask a question.  Ask anonymously if need be.

Now a comment about taxes on imports.  Twump supporters want to build a wall and Twump has the brilliant idea of taxing Mexican imports to find the funds to build that bloody wall.  So let's say Pru is located in Mexico and I want to sell something to you, an American.  The price of the item is $100.  We make a deal and are both happy.  Twump says hold up - that is gonna be an extra 20% import tax.  20% of $100 (100 x 0.20) = $20.  

What do you think I do?  Do you think Pru just nods and says okay sure I'll sell it for $100 and then give Twump $20 and lower my profit by $20?  

HELL NO!  I raise my damn prices.  I raise them high enough to cover the cost of the good, the profit that I want AND the import tax.

And who exactly ends up paying for that bloody wall?!  You do - the American consumer!

You can all say that you won't buy anything from Mexico then.  Hmmm....okay....personally I love fruits and vegetables and a shitload of those come from Mexico....meh!  Who needs fiber?

Or even better we'll just grow more ourselves.  California makes great fruit right?!  Yeah and they have a lot of foreign (ahem Mexican) labor too.  What does that mean?

The point is that every decision made, every action taken is going to have an impact and there is a good chance that impact will hurt people who don't have a huge amount in the bank.  (Question, question, question.)

Ask yourselves why someone who doesn't know you, wants to help you.  In other words - what is in it for them?  Most are looking to gain something for themselves even if it is just being noticed.  A few are kind enough to truly care.

If a mortal claims to be your savior - Seriously, seriously think before accepting such a thing.

Let us all send positive thoughts into the universe if Twump tries to force our intelligence and military personnel to use torture.  Because I don't even want to think of what will happen to our service men and women if they are captured.

Politicians throughout the world rely on the masses (that's you and I) not understanding, not questioning and believing regardless of the former.  It's the only way they believe that they can govern.  But that simply isn't true.

Read more!  Ask more questions!  Stop blindly accepting!

Remember who cares the most about your money and your future - YOU DO!  Play an active role and don't swallow just anything that is told to you. 


Pru

Happy Lunar New Year! Time to keep saving!

Super exhausting week and  weekend!  But here are some links for reading:

PF Wisdom from the Year of the Rooster

5 Steps to Take Right Now for a Financially Strong 2017

Funding 40 Years of Retirement
*can't imagine this but we must plan for it eh!

A Grumpy Old Man's Guide to 401(k) Investing

Happy Reading!
Pru

Well now...and so it starts

We knew it was going to happen and now it has.

The ignorant and scary Twump is now officially the President of the United States.  I still cannot believe the imbeciles and deplorables that voted for him. 

Twump and his cronies are now off to Make America White Again, couched however it is in various coded phrases.

Simply disgusting.

In an effort to protest, donations were made to the American Civil Liberties Union (on Friday - at 12:01 p.m. I clicked donate!) and to Planned Parenthood (on Saturday in honor of the women marching/gathering in DC) because both of those organizations have their work cut out for them.

[Pru raises a fist into the air!]

I did not join the march in DC as originally planned.  The person I was going with flaked as usual (didn't actually think she would flake on this to be honest) and I didn't want to travel down alone since I wasn't sure what to expect.

Small actions on my part but more will happen.  It's all a bit new so I'm exploring still.  Also looking locally - it is so important to either build a strong community or do what you can to maintain it so that no one is marginalized and all are helped.

The future is uncertain.  The deplorables of this country who claim to be "real" America have given the middle finger to all that is good about this country.  In his first speech as President, Twump gave the impression that this country is burning.  The country that is the world leader (currently) is not a country that is burning...yet.  

But we shall see.  His nominees for his cabinet and administration will be confirmed.  They lack the experience and the knowledge to do the job but will oversee billions of dollars.  Let's see what happens to healthcare (repeal the Affordable Act - let millions go without healthcare - do it!), or to education (no more public school education! yay!  parents who themselves are not that well educated can get vouchers to charter schools that do not have to meet any sort of standards - well that will make this country great! and all those schools can have guns in them to fight off the grizzlies!), to HUD (who needs housing? no one!).  Oh wait.  Did I forget about the Treasury - yup put someone in charge that foreclosed on deplorables and nondeplorables alike and ended up a billionaire (don't forget foreclosing on that 90-year old woman over a 27 cent discrepancy - yay!!!!).  

Muslim registries - so creative!  What will President Hitler Twump and Vice Hitler Twump think about next?!  Oh! Oh! Oh! I know!  Maybe they'll become obsessed with stars.  (And those who might wear a pink star can instead perhaps go through conversion therapy - then they can change the color of their star!)

Sigh.  I can't wait to see Make America White Again in real life - not just in the history books. 

Gonna be a *great* four years.  Save.  Invest.  Save some more.

Do without if it means you can save some more.  Vanguard's thoughts:

Vanguard's investment tips for 2017

Right now we have no idea what is around the corner.  While that is usually the case, it feels particularly poignant today.  Brexit, Twump, Le Pen leading in the French polls.  Focus on what you have to do to get your financial house in order and prepare for a rainy day is probably the best advice.

Today if someone offered me a seat on an arc, I'd probably accept.  Tomorrow, it's right back to being frugal and smart and thinking ahead.

And deplorables - remember you are not welcome here.  Find a troll (or frog) site where you will be in better company.

Pru

Looking ahead, making transfers and cut cut cut

Hopefully everyone's week is off to a good start!

I have spent this long weekend tackling my budget deficit and nearly succeeding.  I'll have to see my other January paycheck to know what I'm really working with so must wait for that.  This has largely consisted of me cutting down some of my variable expenses.  I will need to get smarter with food purchases and look for free/cheaper entertainment.  

Speaking of food it is amazing how much money you can save if you eat at home, consistently cook a lot from scratch (for most things), eat less meat, etc.  I have spent the past couple of days figuring out food for the week, trying to make certain things ahead of time that I can store in the freezer and thinking ahead for next week so that there is some coordination with my grocery shopping and cooking efforts.

It is not easy is always the conclusion I come to.  You need to be organized and just keep at it.  It is all about consistency.  (Hmmm...like most things in life...)

I also transferred some money to one account (2nd home) that should go through tomorrow me thinks.  Transferred some money to the brokerage account (about $400) and have written the check for the mortgage payment (and over-payment) so that will clear this week.

And with that I feel somewhat accomplished.  Now to relax for a couple of hours and then head back to work!

Good week all!

Pru

Frugal Friday...errr Fail?!

Okay folks today was not good. 

Well it was in the sense that it was Friday and I am facing a long weekend ahead of me - those two things are always good.

But today was also my first paycheck of the year.  And it was significantly below what I was expecting.  Like over $100.  That means I am likely facing a shortage of about $200 or so a month since I get paid twice a month.  Ugh!

This means my budget needs to be revisited and tweaked, tweaked, tweaked.  

Now I'll be honest, part of this is my own doing.  I am investing a lot via my work retirement plan.  Basically I am front loading it because I may leave my job in six months.  If need be, I can reduce those contributions.  But I would prefer not to.  

There are not too many areas for me to cut further since most of my paycheck (after paying the fixed expenses) goes towards savings for future known expenses.  But I will find places to cut.

This was already going to be the year to get creative.  Well for the next six months I might as well be an artist (a starving one most likely, lol!).

All I can say is this is life.  Figuring out how to work around challenges and just making it work.  Sometimes it's fun and sometimes it's not.  Still we move forward.

Have a good weekend!
Pru

Weekend Reading - The Wisdom Edition

Every now and again I know that I repost the same links.  Part of this is forgetfulness and the other part is because I reread the article and think that is great!  

All of these links definitely fall into the "that is great!" category :-)  New year, new us! 

Knight Kiplinger's 8 Keys to Financial Security

Financial Decisions That Will Haunt You Forever

Smart Retirement Strategies for Women

Happy reading!

Pru

Weekend Reading :-)

First weekend of 2017 - woot! woot!  Can someone just say weekend again :-)

Is it snowing where you are?  It is for me.  That means a nice cup of something hot, a warm blanket and some reading.  Here are some links to peruse this weekend:

I'm a Conservative Investor and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves
*This is a good one because investing is not easy - categorize it under "things to remember"

5 Things Fourth-Quarter Football Strategy Can Teach You About Retirement Planning
*Like!

My brokerage account is with Vanguard so of course this article caught my eye.  Remember one size usually doesn't fit all and you need to determine what is best for you but this article does remind you that you can keep it simple: 

6 Vanguard Index Funds to Buy and Hold Forever
*Remember you can buy and hold forever but don't buy and forget/never check in

4 Keys to Reaching Your Lifetime Financial Goals
*This is a good one!  And one that you can and should do on your own/with your partner/family etc.  Not all of us have financial advisors but we should all do this - even if you are not investing in the market just yet!  Remember to always tailor to your personal needs.

Happy reading!
Pru

Happy 2017! Let's Get Our Savings and Investing On!

A new day, a new year, new goals.

My 2017 Goals
1) Overpay my mortgage by 10%.  Swoon if I can meet or beat this goal.
2) Invest $10,000 in my brokerage account.  Major stretch goal.
3) Save $3,000 in my 2nd Home account.
4) Save $900 in my Rewire account.
5) Save $900 in my G2H-FU account.

The Ultimate Goals have not changed.  This year I am going to flex my frugal muscle as much as possible to meet some stretch goals.  How exactly this will happen will include the following:
- Extra monies (bonus, tax refund etc. these will help me reach #s 1 and 2 above)
- Using a cash back credit card
- Using up points/miles
- Reducing travel
- Being more proactive with regards to discounts, coupons
- Possibly a side gig (assuming I can find the time of course)
- Budgeting for treats and remembering they are treats!
- Using arbitrage for gift cards that can be used for normal expenses or treats
- And gasp! Going without because sometimes that is what you have to do.

Remember, we owe it to ourselves to do our best to achieve our goals.  Let's stay strong this year.

Assess, assess and assess!  Don't double down when you are wrong.  Make changes if you need to - no shame in doing so.

Got goals? Share :-)
Got a blog? Share :-)
Suggest a blog? Share :-)

Pru