April 2023
cONSISTENCY IS EVERYTHING
Consistency is everything in Investing….
By MeTheMillennial
April 2023 – Net Worth Update
Hey everyone! It’s been a hot minute since I last posted and I’m back with a vengeance!
I’m excited to continue to share my personal finance journey with you all and provide some insights into how I’ve managed to grow my net worth to $363k as of today,April 14th, 2023 at the ripe old age of 32.
I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted but trust me, it’s been worth the wait!
In this post, I’ll be sharing some tips on how you can grow your net worth too and some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way (there have been plenty!).
So sit back, relax and let’s dive into the world of personal finance together!
If you’re wondering how I managed to grow my net worth, let’s just say that it involved a lot of ramen noodles and penny-pinching (but don’t worry, I won’t make you eat ramen too!).
Joking – It absolutely did not involve penny-pinching, although I do actually like ramen noodles!
So grab your favorite beverage and let’s get started on this journey together, or if you’ve been here for a while enjoy the latest update!
As always I’ll do my best to throw in some cringe worth jokes along the way too!
I hope this helps! Let me know if there’s anything else you need help with.
*As always, I am not an expert or financial advisor, so nothing on this website should be considered financial advice. These are just my opinions, everyone is different. Always do your own research and have your own independent thought process.
Life Update
Since my last post in January, I’ve been keeping busy with all sorts of adventures!
I went on a Bachelor party trip to Leavenworth in Washington with 15 of my closest friends where we drank endless amounts of wine, I feel like I shortened my life by about 6 months, but the fun made up for it! Who knew there was a whole German themed town in Washington of all places!
I’ve been spending more and more time ski’ing too, mainly at Cypress Mountain close to Vancouver but also to Whistler and my personal favourite Big White Mountain – I’m not exactly an expert skier, but I managed to stay upright for most of the trips! I’ve included some photos below.
One of the highlights of my year so far was a trip to Vancouver Island where I got to see an Orca on the ferry ride over – it was truly an unforgettable experience.
Of course, it hasn’t all been fun and games – I’ve also been spending a lot of time fretting over the market with inflation concerns and worrying about what Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve will do with next with interest rates.
Instead of worrying I should be just practicing what I preach which is consistently invest every month in the stock market, buying high and buying low.
But hey, that’s life and what makes us all human! You never know what’s going to happen next.
Speaking of which, let me tell you about my latest adventure – I decided to take up marathon running!
It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do but never had the spare time to try until now. Given that I quit my high paid job over a year ago now, and moved to lower paying but better work life balance… I know have the time to dedicate to it.
My first, the Vancouver Marathon, is now less than 4 weeks away and the training so far has been gruelling, but also exhilarating at the same time. There’s nothing quite like pushing your body to its limits and feeling that sense of accomplishment when you cross the finish line.
If you’ve any tips on marathon training, or skiing for that matter let me know in the comments.
Of course, not everything has gone according to plan this year – I’ve had my fair share of mishaps as well.
All in all, it’s been an eventful year so far and I’m excited to see what else is in store for me.
As always if you’re looking for some inspiration for your own personal finance journey or just want to read more about my experiences, be sure to check out my previous blog posts all here! With topics ranging from travel and adventure to finance and investing, there’s something for everyone. In particular if you haven’t already check out why I finally quit my 200k strategy consulting job.
And if you have any comments or questions about my adventures or anything else for that matter, feel free to leave them below!
My last net worth update was August, 2022, 6 months ago.
During 2022 my portfolio went through some big highs and many many lows. Lows that made me feel like I was sucker-punched in the gut by Mike Tyson.
But that’s just part of the process. If you keep a cool head and stay the course you will be rewarded.
My net worth dropped to $290k in June 2022 from a high of $347k December 2021. That is a nearly ~$60k drop, which for me is a lot of money!
So as of January, 2023 where am I sitting at?
April 2023, I AM NOW WORTH, FINANCIALLY AT LEAST ~$363K.
Which is an increase of $42k or 13% versus last Januarys update.
The S&P has increased roughly 7% since then, so I have outperformed the market including the monthly investment contributions I make to my portfolio every month. See below table for a complete breakdown.
But thankfully, we are back on track and on the way to $400k. Which is my goal for this year – I need only another 10% increase and I would hit that mark through either my stocks going up in value or from additional money being invested every month.
But secretly I have a stretch goal of $500K for December 2022, guess its not so secret anymore. Let’s see how close I get.
My goal for the end of the year is to get above $400k by December 2022 and even at a stretch break $500k. I need to to stay on track for my goal of early retirement by age 35.
My portfolio is definitely on the higher risk side given the size of my single stocks allocation, but I am comfortable with this given my age, responsibilities and goals. And I also believe there is a once in a decade opportunity to own great companies and huge discounts.
Asset Breakdown:
– Checking: $2k; As you now I don’t follow the very good advice of keeping a cash buffer, mainly because of my age and lack of a mortgage or kids. So I pretty much investing all disposable income as I earn it, something I would recommend for people in a similar circumstance.
– Brokerage: $260k (-$9k); Decrease of $9k since 6 months ago in August all while on average I have been contributing $3k a month (although Xmas at home took a large chunk out of this). Not great, but could be a lot worse.
You might be thinking, what the hell … you’ve contributed all of that money and you are still down on 6 months ago?? And I agree, I am asking myself the same question…..what the hell?!!
Well this is part of the process, I’ve got to keep my eye on the 5 or 10 year horizon and the corresponding growth that comes with this, as has always done throughout history.
I continued monthly contributions over the intervening months back into my normal index funds. I chose VCN, as I am a big believer in the Canadian stock market long term.
My brokerage is now made up of the following (approximate % allocations):
- Index Funds – 35%
- Individual Stocks – 62%,
- Gold – 3%
Regarding the above allocation, it constantly changes. But as I’ve mentioned before in 24-48 months time I want to reallocate my single stocks into Index Funds – my favourite Index/ETF funds are here.
I currently have large single stock holding in Tech and E-Commerce companies like META, PAYPAL, JD, etc… all of which I believe are completely oversold and I expect them to drastically outperform the market in 2023!
Watch this space!
You will notice I haven’t any exposure into Crypto’s. I have never been convinced and willing to take on that level of risk and thankfully I didn’t due to the recent implosion of FTX and the corresponding fallout. Never invest in something you don’t fully understand.
– RRSP (Pension) $63.5k (+$5k); My pension increased this month, given the monthly contributions and it being a much safer investment (no single stocks), up $5k. As mentioned in previous updates I opted for a mutual fund that is 100% US equities. And I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon.
Liability Breakdown:
– Car loan (bank) $2k (-$1k); Down to 2k already on the car loan. Should I include my car as an asset on my net worth? Let me know in the comments if you do.
– Rent, insurance and credit card $1k; No real change here.
