What have I been up to?
Hi all, happy summer!
I’ve been silent on the blog recently as I’ve been enjoying my time in meatspace. These past few months have been full of kids’ activities (hockey, soccer, and swimming) and many enjoyable times with family and friends.
Here are some great family pictures taken by Jocelyn @ DeMo Photography who’s been part of our family since we got married.
Enjoyable Moments
- Myself and a few buddies have implemented a movie night where we get together for drinks, hit the theatre, and chat about the movies afterwards. Everybody has different tastes, so it’s pretty hilarious and a great time. Recently we’ve seen The Batman, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Top Gun: Maverick, which have all been great (but it depends who you ask).
- I completed my 39th year of life and have reached my 40th birthday!
- I’ve been out golfing with my wife and several times with friends.
- Spent time at Fishing Lake with some great friends.
- Went to White Swan Lake with an incredible group of guys for our yearly windup.
Work and Volunteer Related
I’ve been really enjoying the work projects I’m on as I get to work with great people on an interesting and exciting new initiative for our company. The work is challenging and provides me the autonomy, mastery, and purpose that drives us.
Also, I was privileged to be recognized and included in a leadership assessment. Overall, the results are were positive but also humbling to see areas for development. Unsurprisingly, how I respond to stressful situations is something I’m working on in both my personal and professional life.
On the volunteer front, I completed my first year as treasurer for my service club. It was a big learning year and I feel the second year will be a breeze in comparison. We’re now off for the summer and I’m looking forward to seeing the group again this fall.
Blog Update
Nothing to report here, unfortunately. I didn’t get around to publishing anything, but I’m still taking notes of blog post ideas.
Q2 Net Worth: -$40,304
A net worth change of -$40K this quarter. To put this into perspective, this “erases” less than 40% of my net worth gain from 2021. And since I haven’t sold a single share, it didn’t technically erase anything – things just went on sale.
This drop is easy to explain – the markets have taken a tumble, inflation is high, and interest rates are being jacked up. There is a lot going on in the world and I’m just happy to be along for the ride in a fairly stable position with no consumer debt and a nice cash cushion.
I don’t have any plans to change my investment strategy even though stocks and bonds (and crypto) have all been dropping together. DCA into index ETFs – I’m in it for the long game.
This is the second time I’ve had a substantial loss since I’ve started closely tracking my net worth in 2014 and the first time since I started blogging about it.
| 2022 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Worth | +$22,419 | -$40,304 | – | – | -$17,885 |
This should be a good lesson to invest for the long term. This will be a blip on an investment chart someday. I need not worry about it right now and stick to my plan.
Check out my Q1 2022 Net Worth Update here.
Q2 Savings Rate: +31.87%
I had a quarterly savings rate of around 32% bringing my YTD savings rate over 42%.
Just a reminder that I only count long-term invested money. I don’t include cash put aside into my EQ savings account, as that is a short-term sinking fund to cover future expenses.
| 2022 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savings Rate | 49.15% | 31.87% | – | – | 42.61% |
Podcasts
Check out the podcasts I’ve listened to lately. I like to include my favorite segments I found most interesting.
Spotify links to everything.
Choose FI
- Episode 382 – Name Your Fear, Control Your Risk
- Segment [0:02:01]: The Tale End – This blog post is incredible. Please check it out. The perspective it gives that your life is a set of boxes, some already checked off, and an undetermined amount remaining. It paints the picture of why you should live in the moment and enjoy life now!
FI Garage
- Episode 070 Welcome to 2022 – In this episode, I provide a round for the boys.
- Episode 071 Fire Life Update from Kevin
- Episode 072 The Boys are Back
The Rational Reminder
- Episode 194 – Bill Janeway – Investing in Innovation Economy
- Segment [0:45:38]: Cryptocurrencies and their place in innovation.
- Segment [0:51:36]: Investment in crypto from big firms; separating the ‘adults’ from the crooks.
Skeptics Guide to the Universe
- Episode 873 Segment: Homeopathy Trials and Publication Bias
- Episode 874 Segment: Fake News
- Episode 876 Segment: Facilitated Communication is Still Pseudoscience
- Episode 877 Segment: Energy Psychology
- Episode 879 Segment: Trolling Science Journalism
- Episode 880 Segment: Gullible Acupuncture Article
- Episode 881 Segment: Linear Bias
- Episode 883 Segment: Science of Gun Regulation
Reading/Audiobooks
One finance related book in the mix plus others related to personal development.
Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing – Jacob Goldstein
Finance | Money | Economics
I enjoyed this book. It gives a great background on how money has developed through history. From the introduction and moving away from the gold standard to why central banks are useful.
It was an easy listen. It pleasantly surprised me, as I had little for expectations for this book. I wasn’t expecting to find it as interesting as I did.
Goodreads link here.
Self-Compassion – Kristen Neff
Personal Development | Psychology
Highly Recommended.
How to foster self-compassion. Meditation, mindfulness, and other things to think about.
As someone who is highly critical of themselves, I found this helped me start to understand the source of my self-criticism and it gave me ways to short-circuit and ease the sting of those thoughts.
Neff has a Ph.D and has done wonderful research to explain how self-compassion affects our everyday lives.
Goodreads link here.
Compound Effect – Darren Hardy
Personal Development
Highly Recommended.
The compound effect is full of significant points and useful takeaways. I recommend this along with James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
Small choices + consistency + time = significant results.
Goodreads link here.
Wait, What? – James E. Ryan
Personal Development
The author is upfront – this is a commencement speech turned into a book. A short and easy read.
“I wonder . . . ?” is at the heart of all curiosity.
“Couldn’t we at least . . . ?” is the beginning of all progress.
“How can I help?” is at the base of all good relationships.
“What truly matters?” helps get you to the heart of life.
If you dont know what to do, just ask !
Goodreads link here.
Health and Wellness
In my last update, I had started another slim-down challenge and was down 10 lbs. The rest of this spring, I successfully maintained my weight while still enjoying social events and some binge weekends. That’s a success.
I’ve still been getting out for walks and the occasional walk with a buddy of mine. I look forward to those the most. It is easy to see how physical and mental health play a combined role in how good you feel.
Mental Health
No big breakthroughs or aha moments this quarter. I’m just trying to put in the work.
Taking feedback from my leadership assessment, I continue to look for ways to improve and be more conscience of my triggers that cause me to react poorly in certain situations.
Self-Compassion has helped give me tools and has allowed myself some freedom from beating myself up when I suffer, fail, or feel inadequate.
This is an area I will continue to explore and continuous improvement will always be a focus.
My focus on self-improvement and relationships
Final Thoughts
How has your spring and start of summer been? I hope you’ve been well.
Please reach out as I would love to hear how you’ve been doing and if you have any input or feedback on the blog.
My best to you.
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