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$78,541 (Taxable Account)
Hey, another circle around the sun! Happy New Year, everyone!
The first week of the year is the best time to see where you stand with your finances. It’s a good moment to check your net worth and ask: have your assets increased and your debt decreased, as we all hope? The journey is different for everyone. The goal is to never stop, no matter what.
The year 2025 was a pleasing year overall, but it could have been better if I had stayed grounded during the second half. I have to admit that when it comes to family happiness and creating memories, time is more valuable than money. However, one should not completely lose control.
As I’ve matured, I’ve come to realize that no one really cares if you fail or go broke; not the government, not your friends, and not even your family as much as you might wish. You ultimately need to decide how to manage these internal struggles on your own.
2026 TGFG Net Worth: +10% YoY
My net worth increased by 10% from the year prior. Let’s see what this year will bring. It would be amazing to see the stock market keep the same pace. To pick up where I left off, I will focus more on consumer debt.
I will continue to invest biweekly and focus on small daily habits.
Goals Results
2025-2026
Now let’s see how I did on last year’s goals:
| Pay off Student loan debt | Failed |
| Exercise | Passed |
| Read 5 books | Failed |
| Family Vacation | Passed |
| Grow something | Passed |
Pay off Student loan debt
Student loan debt can feel like a plague that holds you back for decades—if not forever—when it is ignored. Starting in May, under the new Working Families Tax Cuts Act, there will be an implementation of wage garnishment, tax refund offsets, and Social Security garnishment, where applicable, so plan accordingly.
This is why whenever you get a break on interest, no matter what kind of loan it is, you should treat it as an opportunity to pay the balance down. Banks never say no to money; they have plenty of patience. The choice is yours, and it is important to make a realistic one.
On a brighter note, my student loan repayment will be a thing of the past in the next couple of months. The current balance is $2,978 that is about two bands ($2,000) down from last year (yay!)
Exercise
Last year, most of my mornings went straight to the gym, and it shows. I’ve made noticeable progress, even though it still feels like I have a long way to go. Staying consistent with training has completely shifted how I see the world and given me a much clearer understanding of my body.
For example, one myth that’s been completely flipped for me is the old idea that you “have to” eat three or four times a day. From what I’ve experienced, eating up to four times a day only really makes sense if you’re intentionally trying to put on a lot of muscle and need the extra fuel.
Otherwise, fasting in the morning and two solid, nourishing meals appear to be more than enough to feel good and perform well.
I’m just sharing what has genuinely worked for me.
Read 5 books
I think I lost the motivation to read and reach my goal last year and ended up investing everything in the gym instead. I only finished one book. To get back on track, I’ll start setting aside dedicated reading time throughout the day. Aim to read three books this year.
Family Vacation
This has been completed. We have yet to decide what to do this year; I wouldn’t mind a staycation to avoid extra expenses while getting ready for a college freshman, but we’ll see.
Grow something
This has also been completed. I’m looking forward to finishing the garden fence. I planted these four poles in late summer and haven’t poured any concrete yet to keep them sturdy. I hope they’ll be okay. Once completed, I’ll be able to increase my crop yield this year.
Haitian Pumpkin Soup
A quick pic of this year’s Soup joumou to commemorate Haiti’s independence and honor the ancestors who made it possible.
What’s Next for the New Year?
Not much. I don’t know what the new year has in store; hopefully something greater, like shedding some more pounds and hopefully hitting the thousand-dollar dividend mark.
For now, I can only think of working on the debt. We’re making some changes this year, which will allow me to start cutting down the balance. Otherwise, I’ll continue to keep it simple.
How was your 2025? Did you hit your financial goals? Let us know what worked or didn’t so we can all learn from each other.
Gio founded TheGrowthFocusedGuy in January 2020 because he was fed up with debt.
His mission is to document his journey to Financial Independence in order to motivate and inspire others to get out of debt and begin building generational wealth.
