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Net Worth

Net Worth | November 2021

Welcome to the November 2021 edition of our net worth tracker, where we’ll track our net worth month over month. I first started tracking our net worth at the time this blog was started, which was the beginning of September 2019. I started by creating the Net Worth Baseline report.

We have officially been tracking our net worth for a year!

You can view Previous Net Worth reports HERE.

We had a very warm November and the weather was great all month! It’s now the beginning of December and we have temperatures in the 70s! How crazy is that?

Financially, November was a lot worse than October. In fact, it was the worst month we have had this year. Our net worth went way down instead of up.

I’m not going to talk much about what I did this month because we continued to not do much. It was an overall calm and relaxing month and we got to watch our babies grow and learn more each day. It’s crazy how fast they learn.

Monthly Roundup

November 2021 Net Worth

Here’s how November compares to last month:

November 2021 Net Worth Summary

November Account Breakdown

Let’s take a quick look at what happened in November.

Cash (-$4,739.01)

Monthly Blurb: This is where our paychecks get deposited. All our income goes into this account, then gets transferred to the proper accounts as set by my budget. As usual, I do the net worth report before transferring money to the appropriate accounts.

Well, we just didn’t make as much money as last month. As I have mentioned before, my wife changed jobs, and now has irregular income.

My pay was pretty normal this month. My wife didn’t work nearly as much as last month, which resulted in a really low earning month as far as take-home pay goes.

Investment Cash ($8,375.05)

Monthly Blurb: All of our cash leftover at the end of the month is transferred here and is considered part of our savings rate.

All of our extra money is going towards investments this month. This is where our leftover income went from October.

Remaining Cash Accounts (Emergency and Sinking Funds) ($1,062.70)

Nothing exciting here. Just the usual. We are just saving up for our property tax bill and HOA fees for when they are due early next year.

Retirement Accounts

401(k)s (-$6,173.14)

November ended on a horrible note for the stock market. Our 401(k) slumped down this month after having a great month in October. The average decrease was about 4%.

The markets were back down this month, falling from their record highs, which slashed our overall net worth.

IRA (-$8,372.14)

This decrease is all due to market performance. We’re back in negative territory. Ugh! The decrease was about 3%.

College Fund (-$2,205.78)

Just like the other investments, the college savings dropped as well. About the same as the retirement accounts at around 3%.

Net Worth (-$10,905.02)

The market performance over the last few years has been incredible, hitting new highs on a regular basis. This month they started to fall from those highs.

In total, our net worth decreased by slightly over 1.5%.

Accessible Net Worth ($3,640.26)

Monthly Blurb: This is the money we are able to put away, not including the tax-advantaged retirement accounts.

Our income was below average and our expenses were above average this month. Our accessible net worth increased because we were still able to save more than we spent.

Liabilities

Status: (Other than the hospital bills.) None, as usual. They’re a burden, so I avoid them. The cars, the house, they’re all paid for. Student loans…never used them. Credit Card debt? I only use one, and it gets paid off every month, and often I’ll pay it off multiple times per month. Just depends on how many times I think about it.

Passive Income

September was a record month for dividend income. The lull until December is just about done. Stay tuned to see how exciting dividends end up being. I’m hoping for a new record month!

We’re about $5,500 away from passing what we made last year in dividends ($14,817.18). I don’t know if we’ll make a new record this year, but you never know! Last December’s dividends were a record for me.

My money is barely making any money sitting in that “high-yield” account earning 0.4%.

November 2021 Passive Income

Saving’s Rate

Monthly Blurb: I track my savings rate in order to help keep my feet to the fire, so later I can be Gone on FIRE. As a bonus, you get a glimpse into my cash flow by looking at the income and expense rows.

Our savings rate was absolutely horrible this month. That’s what happens when you don’t make as much money, and you spend more than normal.

Our Year-to-date savings rate is too far below 50% to make the goal this year. Our savings rate in December will be great, but not enough to offset the rest of the year.

Hitting that 50% savings rate target in December is going to happen because I plan to cash out the dependant care savings account. However, that will be too little, too late. I’ll aim for 50% again next year.

Here’s how we did this month.

November 2021 Savings Rate

Income ($7,962.48)

As promised, this is what a one-income month looks like for us. It’s not

In September, my wife brought home a little extra. I made the normal amount.

This is what a below-average month looks like for us. I don’t really know what an average month looks like for us yet since my wife changed jobs. It’s still going to take a few months into next year to get that figured out.

Expenses ($5,935.74)

Our expenses were well above average this month.

Here is a quick breakdown:

1) Home Escrow ($1,503.72)

The “new” normal amount we put aside every month.

I should really change this to just “Home” because it’s not just home escrow anymore. It includes the gardners, and cleaners when we have them come.

2) Giving ($1,619.66)

The usual 10% we give every month. Plus 1% that we recently added on top.

3) Cost of living ($3,703.00)

Previous Months: Oct: ($3,268.10), Sep: ($3,968.22), Aug: ($3,532.91), July ($2,394.24), June: ($4,283.01), May: ($3,726.16), Apr: ($3,857.24), Mar: ($2,962.72), Feb: ($2,632.65), Jan: ($4,757.43), Dec: (-$1,132.39), Nov: ($1,372.91), Oct: ($6,397.83)
Running Average: $3,274.92

This includes all our bills (Gas, Electric, Water, Internet, Phone), transportation, food, shopping, car insurance, and daycare. Home insurance is paid for out of our Home Escrow savings account. Like last year, we are going to drain our dependent care account at the end of the year in one lump sum. Doing it that way is less paperwork for us.

We have been driving more, so our gasoline bill is starting to climb. I have to be back in the office, so it’s like double the driving.

We hit a new peak in November as gasoline prices continue to rise, but started to see a drop at the end of the month.

November 2021 Vs October 2021 Expenses

October and November were pretty similar in terms of our expenses.

Hopefully, December stays fairly smooth and we don’t have any unforeseen expenses.

Goals Progress

November 2021 Goals Progress

Financial Goals

Aside from the Roth IRA contribution, most of the financial goals this year are year-long goals.

The Roth IRA contribution is done, and the money has been transferred to the proper accounts.

Aside from the 401k, which is on automatic contributions from my paycheck, I’m still not completely sure how the other goals are going to turn out, mostly the passive income goal.

In October, we met our goal to save over $50,000 for real estate investing!

Let’s see how much more we can put on top of that.

If dividends keep breaking records then I will meet the passive income goal. Right now, we’re at 64%. Currently, we’re on pace to meet the $15,000 goal for passive income.

We’ll see if that pace keeps up. I know it looks ugly now, but the remainder of the money comes in at the end of the year, in December. A little crazy that almost 40% comes in the last month!

The savings rate goal of 50% seems unobtainable after November. For most of the year, I thought it was a stretch goal. We’re below 50% right now, but a perfect December may be enough to pull us up to that goal. We’ll have to work a lot!

Blog Goal

For 2021, I want to create more content. My goal is at least one article a month. I failed to do that so far this year. I keep saying hopefully next month I’ll get an article posted, but life is just keeping me busy.

Honestly, I struggle to find time just to make these net worth reports, but it’s something I’m committed to doing.

Personal Goals

I’m doing a reading goal again this year, but half the number of books. I know 6 books aren’t much, but it felt like a lot. I think I can do 3.

So far I’ve read 1 book.

And then there is my physical health. I didn’t get to where I wanted in 2020, so we’ll try again this year.

I’ve been losing some weight this year, and I’ve been going to the gym again and running. That’s been helping. Just need to eat a little healthier.

November 2021 Roundup

The month of November was another good one. The weather was very enjoyable, and I got to spend a bunch of time with my family. Our net worth decreased a little, but that’s okay. We still have jobs, so that’s good news.

I’m excited for the rest of the year. November was good, so the rest of the year should be good too, right? I mean, it’s the Christmas season! Hopefully, cash flow becomes more positive, and our net worth goes up instead of down in December.

Stay tuned for next month’s New Worth update and end-of-the-year report. In the meantime, comment and let me know what stats you would like to see.

FIRE Away!

REMINDERS:
  • 2 big items not included in my net worth:
    • House & Cars – Their value will be added to my net worth if and when I sell them.
  • 2 accounts not included in net worth total (even though they’re listed):
    • 529 – This is my baby’s money. Consider it her net worth summary.
    • Home Escrow – This is Uncle Sam’s money. We don’t mess around with him.
  • Total income only includes our active income, which is currently our full-time jobs.