Happy New Year, Everyone!

Here’s a revised version of your blog post:

It’s been five years since I started this journey, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come despite the obstacles I’ve faced. Along the way, I’ve learned so much and grown in ways I never imagined.

There’s real power in documenting your progress, pushing your limits, and holding yourself accountable. Journaling truly feels like a life hack for anyone committed to personal growth.

Let me know if you’d like further edits!

2025 TGFG Net Worth

NET WORTH = ASSETS (WHAT YOU OWN) – LIABILITIES (WHAT YOU OWE).

We are a dual-income family with two wonderful kids and a dog. We live in the Capital District of New York. I have been tracking my income since 2020 and not the wife’s. I understand I can reach the 1 million dollar portfolio goal faster if I combine hers with mine, but I was challenged by the kids that I can’t reach it alone. I will prove them wrong.

One thing about me: I like accepting realistic challenges and using them as motivation. Ever since I took it upon myself to document the journey solo and prove to myself that I can and it will happen.

Not bad for a year when I decided to significantly slow down my investment contributions in my taxable account and paused contributions to my retirement accounts entirely to focus on paying off debt and building my savings.

I managed to pay down some of the debt, though not as much as I had originally planned. As for my savings? Honestly, I consider that part a failure. Does it ever feel like the moment you get close to reaching a goal, something unexpected swoops in to derail your progress?

Still, I don’t let it get to me, and you shouldn’t let it phase you either. With the right plan, discipline, and consistency, you’ll eventually find a solution.

Goals Results

2024-2025

Click here to see my new goals for the year 2025-2026

To all my fellow student loan payers, if you’re still holding out hope for federal loan forgiveness, it might be time for a reality check. Once repayments restarted, it became pretty clear that we were in for a rough ride.

What really gets to me is how quickly the interest piles up and how much of your payment goes straight to it. If you’re not paying aggressively, you’ll find yourself stuck paying mostly interest for the majority of the loan’s life. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but tackling it head-on is the best way to get it out of the way.

Student loan Balance: $4,941.48 I’m confident that I’ll pay it off for good if all goes well and as planned this year (fingers crossed!).

Backyard Farming. I never realized how challenging it could be, especially without extra hands to help. Last year, my goal was to prepare the ground and start a small garden. However, I quickly learned that the amount of TLC needed, like battling with overgrown weeds before seeing results, is much more than I anticipated.

I’m still debating what my first crop should be. Something that yields well and is worth the effort. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

Haitian Revolutionary Soup

Enjoying this Soup Joumou (Pumpkin Soup) every January 1st in honor of the ancestors that made the ultimate sacrifice and to those that collaborated someway or another.

What’s Next for the New Year?

Rebalancing my portfolio. This year, the maximum you can contribute to your Roth IRA is $7,000. If you’re 50 or older, it’s an extra $1,000. Cleaning up my portfolio by selling low-performing stocks to increase my cash balance before resuming contributions to my taxable investment account.

Portfolio Update: With tech dominating last year and AI growing so fast, I find it hard to pick individual overpriced tech stocks. So, why not have a portion of them all? I opened a small position with Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ).

Travel Plans: We plan to have one family trip and one trip with just my wife.

Health: I’ll continue going to the gym until it becomes a habit. It has already been three months; if I can do another 3 months going consistently, then I’ll officially call it a new habit of mine.

Happy New Year 2024!!!

Welcome to the fourth year of my financial journey. Every year, I take the time to reflect on my finances and life goals in a year-in-review. I believe more positive events occurred last year than negative ones, but I acknowledge that I still have a long journey ahead as I continue learning each day.

2023 Update: Net Worth

Empower sent me an email update this morning, informing me that my net worth has increased. While receiving these monthly updates might be considered a positive for many, given my investment approach, I prefer downturns in the market. They provide an opportunity to enhance my portfolio by adding positions at a discounted rate.

Here’s why you should approach the media and self-proclaimed financial experts with caution: Despite four years of predictions about an impending recession, it has not materialized. In fact, my portfolio has seen a substantial increase of more than 20%.

That being said, to adopt a more steady strategy, try automating your investments rather than letting the noise influence you; it works.

My investment strategy revolves around the long term, so short-term fluctuations don’t faze me. I acknowledge that my approach may shift as I approach retirement, but for now, I’ll make the most of the journey.

2023 Update: Family

Annually, our family embarks on a road trip or travels abroad. Last year, our focus shifted to saving money, but it didn’t hinder us from making the most of the year. A couple of years ago, my daughter played for our old town’s team but later regretted it. Following an unsuccessful attempt at volleyball, she took up track on the recommendation of a coach and continues to pursue it today.

In contrast, my son TGFGjr has been less active in sports lately, resulting in rapid weight gain. His doctor expressed concern about the significant and fast weight increase right before the school year began. Since then, we’ve prioritized adjusting his diet and encouraging more physical activity around the house, minimizing inactive time spent playing video games.

Although we’ve registered him with the town club, there are currently no available spots. We’ve been assured that we will be notified as soon as a spot becomes available. Raising teenagers presents challenges, but by providing honest guidance without sugarcoating, the sacrifices made today will yield dividends in the future.

2023 Update: Health (Ongoing)

Physical

One of my goals last year was to exercise more and be more active, which I achieved while working a part-time job. However, it’s been four months since I reached my daily walking goal, and I’m now experiencing a resurgence of knee pain. Recognizing the importance of exercise, especially while working from home, I’ve implemented a schedule to take walks either around my workplace or in my neighborhood. I prefer using the equipment I already have at home over a gym membership, and once my new office is ready, organizing my space will become a priority. Staying motivated and setting an example for my kids are my primary goals.

Mental

Over the years, I’ve pondered various life questions and sought answers outside of my parents’ limited perspective. While some questions have found clarity through books and digital resources, many remain unanswered. Despite differing beliefs among friends and family, I value mutual respect for diverse perspectives.

Since embarking on this journey, my life has evolved as I continue to explore and question societal conditioning. I’ve come to realize that stepping away from certain people or situations can be an act of self-love. I intend to share more about my findings and why embracing personal growth is crucial, not only financially but also in understanding one’s purpose on earth.

Goals

2022-2023

2023-2024

2023 has been a wonderful year

In summary, forecasts for 2023 show a healthy financial trend. The decision to prioritize long-term goals over short-term market fluctuations aligns with a steadfast investment strategy. The cautionary note about media and financial experts emphasizes the importance of discernment in navigating economic predictions.

Overall, these updates reflect a comprehensive commitment to financial stability, family well-being, and personal growth, embodying a resilient and purposeful journey into the year ahead.

$20,374 (Taxable account)

Happy New Year 2023!!!

Welcome to the third year of my financial journey. I can humbly say the holidays have been great to me because this time I spent exactly what I budgeted for. I didn’t have to add months to my credit card debt repayments this time.

Net worth

I don’t anticipate any healthy gains because of the market’s high volatility and the likelihood that we are approaching, if not already in, a recession. When you consider that things could have been worse, a 9% decline is actually not that horrible.

The decline honestly doesn’t bother me. It enables me to dollar-cost average and purchase more outstanding companies’ stocks at a lower price. Under no circumstances will I permit that slight stock market decline to influence the way I invest my money.

Emergency fund

We’ve made the decision to lower our emergency goal to $3,000 and transfer the remaining funds to a savings account for a down payment on a home.

Income stream

The year was excellent for earning some extra money. I’ll work a little harder this year and give up a few weekends to take care of things. With my side business, I hope to earn at least $5000 this year (fingers crossed).

Paid off Debt

So far, the only debt that is keeping me from being debt-free is my student loan. I don’t have any consumer debt anymore, and it feels wonderful. Until the government determines what to do with student loan forgiveness, I’ll keep contributing to our savings accounts.

Exercise Grade

I’ve had my part-time job for a year, and I can already tell the difference. It was difficult to maintain a strict exercise plan while spending hours online and attempting to be consistent. However, it is a requirement of my job as a freight associate at The Home Depot to stay motivated.

It’s Haitian Independence Soup day

On January 1st, you can find this delicious dish in every Haitian home. We call it ”soup joumou” (pumpkin soup). It serves as a means of commemorating our ancestors and our liberation from the French regime.

I didn’t think to take a picture until after I had finished my first bowl of soup. Lol!

$15,368.86

Happy New Year 2022!!!

Welcome to the second year of my financial adventure. While there have undoubtedly been ups and downs along the way, the most important lesson I’ve learned is to continue investing regardless of how unpredictable the market gets. Even with the investing pause I took to quickly pay off my obligations, I’m happy with the success of my taxable brokerage account.

Net worth YTD chart

2021-2022 Growth Goals accomplished or not?

I’ve accomplished 2 out of 3 Goals:

2022-2023 Growth Goals

Three Goals I’ll add this year:

+ Be debt free
+ Maximize my ROTH IRA
+ Purchase a property

Let’s Not Forget

The main goal of this journey is to reach a net worth of $1 million and stay away from bad debts. 

Every year, I plan to balance my contribution in the ratio of my revenue and expenses but my strategy will remain the same. 

It seems like I just posted my first Debt Overview post last week. I hope everyone is staying hydrated and enjoying the hottest month of the year. Little has changed on my end of the globe; I’m still working from home and spending time with the kids.

The idea, according to office gossip, was for everyone to return to work full-time in September, but things have changed for the better. Previously, telecommuting was only possible because of the epidemic, but now we can work from home at least five days per pay period, which is bi-weekly for the rest of the year. That’s perfectly OK to me.

Sadly, I didn’t travel this summer because I wanted to focus more on my agriculture startup business, but my wife and kids went to Disney World and had a great time. To me, that’s all that matters.

On the personal finance side, I’m pleased to report that I’ve made significant progress. It could’ve been a little better, but life is unpredictable. Nevertheless, I’m relieved that I won’t have to make any further payments on two out of the three credit cards.

SNAPSHOT

CREDIT SCORE DECREASE BY TWO POINTS

My credit score has dropped two points, according to Credit Karma. Last month, I used my Bank of America card, which has a large balance, to pay for car products and tools:

– New tire – $178.51

– Battery – $237.59

– Car Diagnostic Scan tool – $97.21

– Brakes – $50.48

– TGFGjr Football fee and gear – $187

I’m now using 76% of the credit limit on my Bank of America card. 

I know… I know… That’s more than double the recommended limit.

I’ll try to cut the balance in half by the end of the quarter and avoid using the card for the rest of the year. Anyways, you should know by now that I enjoy working in my cars if you’ve been following me. It’s not my cup of tea to pay a labor charge when I know I can do it myself – With the exception of the tire replacement component.

FINANCIAL GOALS

CreditCards/Loans – I can see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to paying off this last credit card. Why should I change anything now that I’ve been able to lower my debt to 64% in little over two and a half years? I’ve been using the snowball method to pay down my previous credit cards and will continue to do so. 

The only limitation is that if school repayments are reactivated by the government, I may need to readjust my payments. Aside from that, I’m sticking to my plan.

I should be able to pay it off in 11 months, according to the Credit Karma Debt Repayment Calculator.

Savings – Our emergency fund has increased just a bit for the past four months, with enough to pay our expenses. I could have used some of these funds to purchase the car components, but as The Wife once stated, these are not emergencies, but duties – You know, she’s right.

Side Hustle – In June, I established a new subscription side business. I’ve made $128 as of right now. I’m hoping for a slowdown in this pandemic since I miss doing photography and shooting weddings. I’m also working on two additional side hustle ideas, which I’ll keep you updated on once settled.

PERSONAL GOALS

House Hunting – The Wife and I have decided that it’s time for a bigger place because the kids are getting older and wanting a little more. So, assuming everything goes as planned, we’ll be looking at next summer. 

Kids Sport – The youngsters have decided to participate in some form of physical activity this year. My daughter will join her school’s volleyball team, whereas TGFGjr has already joined and is leading the community flag football squad. I’m a big believer in pursuing whatever sport you want as long as you’re physically active. I want to be there and cheer them on until they play their final game.

Gym – I went back to the gym after a long absence. I sure do miss it. Because I’m on a tight budget, I couldn’t join the gym that I desire, so I settled with Planet Fitness for $10 per month and a $47 yearly fee. I want to return to my old habits of going to the gym five times a week before starting the day.

CELEBRATE NO MATTER HOW MINOR IT IS

I haven’t eaten in a restaurant since the pandemic, but to celebrate, I took the family to a Mexican restaurant and had this AMAZING Jalapeno Tequilla drink!!!

DO August 2021 Final Thoughts

Nonetheless, The second quarter has been nothing short of fantastic. I continue to set aside $100 per pay cycle as my “spend anywhere” money. My routine hasn’t changed, and I don’t anticipate it to any time soon.

My intention for writing this post is to share the 5 reasons behind this blog and show you what motivates me.

MY KIDS

The spending care-free lifestyle was somewhat over for me when I welcomed my first child, my daughter. I reduced some of my bad spending habits and picked up some others along the way, will explain shortly.  

Five and half years later, I welcomed my son, that’s when all my priorities changed. The stuff that were important to me before his arrival is no longer

I still drive the same cars I had 7 years ago, same Playstation 4 console that now I have passed to my son, I no longer fall trap buying worthless things for myself as they all become liabilities.

Now, seeing them grow I will be doomed for not giving them a head start in life especially with all this personal finance information we have at our disposal. This is why I started a fund for each. I’m not a big fan of the 529 fund for many reasons but I consistently fund their custodial investment accounts with hope they will continue investing for their future and the generation after. 

THE CHALLENGES

We cannot grow as an individual without knowing what we are capable of. Every goal has its own challenges no matter if it is personal or financial. When I challenge myself I always feel there’s a purpose. If I can sacrifice something to reach a goal, I’m capable of solving any issues I may encounter.

I remember in 2016, I started a personal blog, two years later I lost the domain name due to the fact I didn’t like writing. That same year, I created another one – got discouraged and lost it the same way. I had the motivation but my niche focus wasn’t there.

In addition, I’m a photographer by trade, I don’t like simply taking pictures just to take pictures. For me there should be a reason and a story-telling behind my pictures. As a result, I study the work of those I connect with visually and artistically.

This is a way to tell you I don’t get much satisfaction out of tasks without some degree of challenge. This is why I started the 52-Week Challenge (2x) as my first TGFG challenge.

THE FLEXIBILITY

I want to be able to do as I please. Wake up and work anywhere I chose to without being committed and rely on an employer until I retire at age 65.

Let us say, it’s not always about the money for me, it’s the peace of mind. I’ve learned not to get attached to anything in life. I was willing to leave a high paid job in the city to relocate in the suburbs to avoid the commute stress and the “never have time to myself” life.

Now, I can spend more time with my family, workout more, do stuff I was never capable of doing like assisting my daughter play music at school events, dance ballet at The Egg and play in a basketball club.

THE LEARNING PHASE

All of us want to live comfortably financially. The only way for this to happen is to learn and understand how money works, how to manage debts, establish financial goals and stick to a budget.

No matter the learning path, learn from those that have done it before you. For instance, I’ve read many financial books and articles but I learn better as a visual person. I usually allocate some time in the day to watch a few youtube videos to learn about a specific subject.

In a way to show you there are many ways to learn. There should be no excuses for not educating yourself.

DOCUMENT MY JOURNEY

I’ve come to the conclusion it is all because I don’t hold myself accountable. I tend to respect my words if I tell a peer. This is why I chose to document my path and share with like-minded people seeking financial independence. It opens the door to a community. 

By documenting my journey, I want to be able to look back to my archives and reflect on my progression and how I was able to overcome them. The good and bad choices I’ve made along the way and maybe you can avoid them. As the saying goes, the best way to learn is to teach.

Also, it gives me a sense of creativity when I’m writing. Like there’s a purpose and continuous need for valuable content.

CONCLUSION

There’s at least a reason behind every goal. No matter the reason keep pushing. Understand, the ultimate here goal is to be in alignment with your life objective and hold yourself accountable. Knowing this, I will naturally be forced to be more disciplined in my journey.

Happy New Year 2021!!!

I started this journey in January 2020 right before the covid-19 pandemic. Woke up one morning, opened my journal, wrote down my plans for the year of 2020 such as lowering my debts, investing in the stock market, increasing my emergency funds and coming up with other income streams through side hustles.

No one ever expected 2020 to be such a rough roller coaster ride. As we all already know; nothing good ever comes from a pandemic. In every situation there’s an opportunity waiting to be discovered. If I had known the Do’s-and-Don’ts lessons I’ve learned last year, the year prior, my yearly report would’ve been different when it comes to my investment strategy and money allocation.

Let’s get started shall we!!

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH

I was so eager to start investing in the stock market I made the same mistake as any new investors would have done, relying on what the media says and the so-called-gurus.

On January 24, 2020, Exxon Mobil $XOM was the first stock I added to my portfolio from my taxable brokerage account at Robinhood. When they stated that ExxonMobil was a great buy, I bought my first 9 shares without any hesitation. I added even more while it was still in the downstream. Maybe it would’ve been a different outcome if I had done some research on what was affecting the stock prices. Twenty days later, the market crashed, and $XOM was trading for $31.45.

I quickly learned timing the market is the worst strategy to apply. It’s all about the amount of time you can stay in the market and watch your wealth grow.

Now I know from my research energy sector companies like Exxon Mobil is not about to disappear anytime soon. Lately, I’ve been applying the cost-average method at a very slow paste because $XOM already holds 20% of my portfolio as of today.

INVEST WHAT IS LEFT

My ways of allocating money when I started this journey has changed from the previous years. By the fourth quarter, I had to re-strategize to the point I had to stop investing completely due to some unexpected reasons. My strategy was not working for my own benefit. I used to make it a priority to pay everyone first; then throw what’s left on my brokerage accounts after filling up my gas tank.

Formerly, I was investing 20% of my bi-weekly income in the market. Pay bills with what’s left and barely anything on my emergency fund. I still don’t believe and keeping too much money in the bank but I had enough to cover for about two months of expenses but not the three to six as recommended by the FI community then the unexpected happened

After listening to a few financial independence podcasts and studying some of the most successful investors. I’ve noticed they all have one thing they preach in common is to “pay-yourself-first”. I’ve decided to go with that approach and made my contributions to my emergency funds automatically, set up billpay from my checking account and invest what’s left.

This gives me so much ease and pleasure knowing everything is working as designed without any extra leg work.

FOCUS ON THE LONG-TERM

Compulsively checking your brokerage account trying to beat the market is nothing but a waste of time. Since I’m in it for the long-term, I will stick with the basics and keep funding my portfolio no matter if it’s a bull or bear market.

As you can see from the screenshot below, even with the arrival of COVID, my portfolio YTD returns are 10.19% from January 2020. While the average 2020 return for the S&P 500 was 8.94%,

GOALS

> Get my emergency fund to cover at least three months of expenses by the summer.

> Be debt free by the end of the year.

> Focus more on funding my index fund and less individual stocks.

CONCLUSION

I’ll be the first to admit at the beginning of the journey I was not acting out of logic. I was more acting out of emotion. Nevertheless, I’m thankful for the trials and tribulations that 2020 gave and the strength to continue the journey to financial independence.

Stay the course my growth focused family.