My main goal* was to build an investment and cash portfolio of $1,120,000* ($1,000,000 to retire on and $120,000 to pay off the house) in 1500 days**, starting from 1/1/2013 and ending in February of 2017. I made my goal in 2016, my 1500 Days are over, and I’ve left my job. In the interest of openness, I’ll continue to share my numbers.
Summer is here which means adventure in the 1500 household. We just got back from Germany. In a couple of weeks, we’ll head to Camp FI Rocky Mountain (week 2). Before summer is up, we’ll spend time in Sunriver/Bend (Oregon) and Pismo Beach (California).
I’m not a huge fan of short-format travel (less than 2 weeks), but kids’ busy schedules mean that our travel must be short. We look forward to slow travel (at least a month in one location) after the children leave the nest.
About The Time We Spontaneously Bought Another House…
We bought another house! And it was somewhat spontaneous. We were walking around our neighborhood and noticed someone moving out. This happened:
- Me: Hey, it looks like you’re moving out?
- Homeowner: Yes, we plan to put it on the market in July.
- Me: Here’s my information. If you’d like to sell it to me, let me know.
1 month later:
We own another place.
And you guessed it; this one needs work. But, not a lot. We’ll redo some of the flooring, replace interior doors with conventional ones, and give the place a new kitchen.
This is a precarious time to be making deals. Very precarious. But:
- I’m a long-term investor. The value of this house could very well dive in the short-term, but I think in decades.
- I believe in Longmont and my little corner of the town.
- This will be a fun and easy project. Also, we get to film it for BiggerPockets. Fun!
I’ll have more to say including:
- More details on how we found the house
- How we funded the deal
- The rehab process
- What we intend to do with it
These are stories for another day.
For now, we’re going to enjoy summer. The home will be a crash pad for friends until the girls go back to school. No more missing out on life to swing a hammer.
May Performance (Maximum OOF!)
Mr. Market has been grumpy in 2022 and his poor mood is reflected in our portfolio. In May, our investments lost another $68,206:
2022 (as of 6/1/2022)
- Days elapsed: 150
- Net worth gains (actually losses): –$833,372
Since the Start of The Experiment (1/1/2013)
- Days elapsed: 3438
- Net worth gains: $3,423,227
Different?
I started this blog on January 1st of 2013 and this is the first time it feels “different.” By that, I mean:
- This drop is the biggest one yet. With COVID, the drop was quick, but the recovery was almost as quick. We may be in for some extended pain this time around.
- It happened very quickly. Six months ago, you could get a 30-year mortgage for around 3%. Now, you’re going to pay close to 6%! That’s crazy!
Our net worth is down a little over $1,000,000 from our all-time high. I don’t worry about myself. Sporadic downturns are the price you pay for all of that sweet-ass upside. Inflation and the war will end. Mr. Market will be happy again. In the meantime, I hope y’all are hanging in there.
More 1500 Days!!!
You can also find me (and the dinosaurs) at:
Mile High FI podcast:
Also here:
*My goal wasn’t to have $1,120,000 at the end of 1500 days, but at any time before the day count was up. Why? It all goes back to the 4% Rule. Remember that our little friend, Mr. 4%, is nothing more than the most conservative safe withdrawal rate. Since my investment portfolio now sits at $1,550,000, I can spend about $62,000 in my first year of retirement.
**My original goal was $1,000,000 and no debt, I later raised the goal by $120,000 to $1,120,000 because I will have debt in the form of a mortgage and I firmly believe in not paying it off (LOOK at the MONEY I’m MAKING!). My compromise was to have enough money put away to cover the mortgage at the time of retirement.
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