What have I been up to?
Hi all, another year in the books. I’ve been late with getting to my blog post updates so bear with me. I haven’t gone anywhere.
The few months have had some great moments and I’ve found myself super busy with work and volunteering so this will be short.
I’ve been struggling with stress and eating and so I went back to my doctor to see if there was anything we could do. We changed up my medication and I’ve been feeling MUCH better and balanced.
Enjoyable Moments
- Bought a couch that fits the whole family in super comfy style
- Extend-family get together
- Minor day-surgery
- Education and training for my job
- Christmas party with friends
- Christmas with wife’s family
- Christmas with my family – sledding,
Recent Blog Posts
I was featured in my companies pension plan magazine! We graced the cover which is super cool.
Q4 Net Worth: $41,825
A large rebound from the past two quarters finishes off the year strong and puts our net worth gain in the positive. I wish I had some insight as to what happened this year but that’s just how the markets go.
This is a great example of how real-life investing doesn’t match the projections. Ups and down, swings in either direction are comment.
Remember: Market downturns are an investment opportunity. This means the market is on sale and if you’re investing regularly, you should be able to pick up a few more shares each time.
| 2022 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Worth | +$22,419 | -$40,304 | -$11,906 | $41,825 | $12,034 |
Check out my Q3 2022 Net Worth Update here.
Check out my Q2 2022 Net Worth Update here.
Check out my Q1 2022 Net Worth Update here.
2022 Net Worth: $12,034
I have little commentary on how the financial markets went in 2022. That’s part of my plan; ignore the noise and focus on saving and investing consistently.
When I sat down to write this I would have liked very much to explain why my portfolio performed the way it did and how that contributed to a flat net worth for a year.
What does ChatGPT have to say?
[Disclaimer: This paragraph was generated with ChatGPT.]
The 2022 financial markets experienced volatility due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions. Despite the market downturn, experts advise that investing regularly is crucial for achieving long-term financial goals. Dollar-cost averaging, where a fixed amount of money is invested at regular intervals, can help mitigate the effects of market volatility. Additionally, diversification across different asset classes can help reduce overall portfolio risk. Ultimately, while the 2022 financial markets were challenging, those who maintained a disciplined approach to investing were better positioned to weather the storm and achieve better long-term results. [End]
Long story short – chat GPT doesn’t know either. 🙂
What factors contributed to its gains and losses? But honestly, I don’t know how it all pieces together. The financial markets are too complicated to explain.
- War
- Inflation
- Rising interest rates
- Housing prices fall
- Technology stocks take a hit
- Crypto crashes
If you want a quick recap, I suggest MoneySense’s 2022 Year in Review.
With that said, I kept up with what interest rates were doing, the inverted yield curve, and for entertainment only, the Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX collapse and contagion.
My investment portfolio is loosely modeled on the 80/20 split $VGRO which was down -11.21% in 2022.
Overall, a minor increase with a $12,034 net positive. So that means that even with my market losses, I was able to pay down debt and continue investing into the market.
Q4 Savings Rate: +45.84%
A huge success. I stayed above my goal of a 40% savings rate!
This includes any mortgage and loan paydowns and company pension matching programs.
| 2022 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savings Rate | 49.15% | 31.87% | 35.24 | 45.84% | 41.93% |
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
Lots of great insight and useful tips on how to focus yourself in a noisy world.
Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing – Jacob Goldstein
Finance | Money | Economics
Follow your passion isn’t good advice. Cal will help show you why and what do do instead.
Hint: It’s pick something you like and practice, practise, practise.
Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing – Jacob Goldstein
Finance | Money | Economics
A straightforward approach to improving your brand. I’m not a marketing person so I found this helpful.
Mental, Health and Wellness
As mentioned earlier, I went to see my doctor as I was struggling a bit. He helped change up my medication and I’ve been feeling a lot more level and balanced.
Don’t be afraid to seek help, you don’t need to tough everything out yourself. My wife really encouraged me to go see my doctor as she could tell I wasn’t me. I’m thankful she’s in my life.
Final Thoughts
In keeping with the up and down theme of the year…investments up and down but net positive; mental health had ups and downs as well as my health and eating habits. I still continue to take steps forward even with setbacks and that’s the important thing. Progress over perfection.
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