What have I been up to?
These past three months have flown by. I had to go back through my calendar to even remember what I’ve done.
We got together with family on occasions like Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas. It was great to see family and visit in person.
Our boys had a birthday party with bouncy castles and invited some of their school friends.
We had some family pictures taken, which always turn out great. This is one of my favorites (I have lots of them)!
Other than that, I feel I’ve been living Groundhog Day. Busy with work during the day, and busy with kids and family in the evenings. I’ve been using my free time to unwind, relaxing with my wife or playing video games. Not much else.
Blog Update
Fun news…I was a guest on the Explore FI Canada podcast in December! This was my first time being on a podcast and I was a bit nervous to start. Chrissy and Money Mechanic made it a great experience and I’m thankful for the opportunity.
I also managed to write one whole post! How to Pick and Online Brokerage, which is a complementary post to How to Start DIY Investing in Canada where I ask what type of DIY investor do you want to be.
Do you want to be a Robo-Investor, an All-in-One ETF investor, a Model Portfolio investor, or a Dividend/Stock investor.
Check out my posts below…
Q4 Net Worth: +$47,729
Our net worth increased $47,729 this quarter. This was due to the markets, and I also updated some investment numbers that I only get once a year.
The big milestone is that our net worth increased over $100K this year ($103,749)! A six-digit increase is amazing. We’re getting to the point where compounding is starting to pick up speed.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Worth Increase | +$7,351 | +$29,935 | +$18,734 | +$47,729 | +$103,749 |
Q4 Savings Rate: +25.03%
Our family savings rate was decent at 25.03%. As expected, this was our lowest quarter of the year as we slowed down our savings to focus on getting ready for Christmas.
We met my goal of hitting a 40% savings rate for 2021 as we came in just over at 41.49%.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family | 52.57% | 33.03% | 51.92% | 25.03% | 41.49% |
Podcasts
I like to highlight some of my favorite podcasts in my updates. As always, Explore Fi Canada and FI Garage are included.
FI Garage
- FI Garage Ep. 060 – Money Mechanic shares his FIRE story (Heidi from Hardbacon does the interview)
- FI Garage Ep. 062 – Are you Ready to Become A Landlord?
Explore FI Canada
- Explore FI Canada Ep. 063 – Alternative Investments Path to FI with Liquid
- Explore FI Canada Ep. 065 – FI School Lesson 4 | Income
- Explore FI Canada Ep. 066 – Mental Health Challenges and Finding Balance (This one is me!!!)
Skeptics Guide to the Universe
Here are my favorite podcast episodes I listened to and the segments I found the most interesting.
- SGU Ep. 851 – Conspiracies and Covid
- SGU Ep. 852 – Organic Fail
- SGU Ep. 856 – Assholes More Likely to be Wrong | Vaccine Detox
- SGU Ep. 857 – Treating the Unvaccinated | MLM Exploiting Women
Reading/Audiobooks
I’ve read or listened to two (2) finance related books plus others related to my current interests.
Predicably Irrational
Critical Thinking | Psychology
This is a MUST READ.
This is a brilliant book to add to your personal finance reading list. It identifies common irrational patterns that can help you make better decisions.
Highly Recommended!
This book will show you how your decision making is flawed, how often you repeat those mistakes, and teach you how to avoid some of them.
The Geometry of Wealth – Brian Portnoy
Personal Finance
I was interested in this book because it speaks a lot about life, happiness, and meaning and not just about the math.
I thought the author had some great insight at the start of the book, but after listening to it, I found I couldn’t tell you what it said. The circle, triangle, and square are supposed to mean something. I know those shapes were explained, but I can’t remember it for the life of me.
In short, it was good, but it wasn’t memorable.
Health and Wellness
I haven’t been on top of my exercise and eating as I was in the first half of the year. This is disappointing, but on the bright side, I’ve decided I’m going to get help with my eating habits. It’s possible I have an addictive-type relationship with food and stress. I want to understand it more.
Mental Health
My last update I said that “mental health has been the best it has been in 3+ years. I’m connecting more socially, expanding my circle of friends, meeting with new people I want to get to know better. I’ve added a few more Money Buddy’s to the list as well!”
That is still true, I feel I’m making progress while at the same time still struggling with certain things. There have been some lows in the past few months which I will treat as learning experiences and keep working on myself.
I’ve been very focused on work (which I’m enjoying) but that has caused me to stop focusing on my self-care. Taking breaks throughout the day, going for walks, and exercising more regularly.
That’s a good reminder that when things are going well, you still need to put effort into the small things, or you may slip back into old habits. This is my focus for 2022 – be consistent with my self-care.
Final Thoughts
These past three months have had their ups and down. Financially, we’ve done well. Physically, I have room for improvement and for mental health; I need to work on my self-care.
How has your year been? Have you been working on yourself? What are your goals (or systems*) you want to work on for 2022?
* I don’t set goals for the year. I prefer to work on habits and systems that will benefit me. As James Clear puts it. “Eventually, I began to realize that my results had very little to do with the goals I set and nearly everything to do with the systems I followed.”
Great post Sterling! We will semi-fix your stress over a few beers man.
Thanks Kris! I look forward to those beers. Let’s do that soon!
Hi Sterling—you had a fantastic Q4! Nice work on the money front. I love the new family photo. What a lovely (and silly) family you have. 🙂
Thanks for mentioning Explore FI Canada. It’s my greatest joy to chat with Canadians like you. That’s a huge part of what makes it all worth it.
All the best to you and your family for 2022! May you see continued success in every area of your life.
Thanks Chrissy! I had a great time on the podcast with you. I’m looking forward to connecting with you again this year.
All the best to you in 2022 – your first full FIRE year!