Hey, everyone! January is a busy month for me. We have a rent vacant and I have been preparing for sale. Mrs. RB40 and I also had some health problems last month. It’s more stressful here than usual.
We had a tough month when it comes to personal finance. Repair and maintenance of rental apartments are not cheap. Spend 3 days and 4 trips to the hardware store to replace the bathroom faucet. 20 years later, it’s very good. Also, in the case of vacancy, we will have about $1,000 in rental income loss per month. Our cash flow will be very ugly until the location is sold. On the positive side, our net worth has reached a new high. Stocks performed well last month. However, I am not very optimistic about 2025. I think the stock market is too expensive now. Sometime this year, we may see callbacks.
Well, I’ll share my New Year’s goals. I will then browse our net worth and cash flow. let’s go!
2025 Target
This is my 2025 target spreadsheet. It works fine. If you can’t keep up with your New Year’s goals, give it a try. The key is to check the spreadsheet monthly to keep track of your progress. This way, you can achieve goals that require additional attention.
Financial goals
Rental apartments for sale
This is my main goal for 2025. Our tenant moved out of our rental apartment in January. I’ve almost fixed it and I’ll list it for sale next week. At first, I planned to change the carpet, but there were too many obstacles. I need to get approval from the HOA and deal with all sorts of hassle. Anyway, I changed the carpet. I will continue to research new carpets, but it will take at least 3-4 weeks.
Anyway, I don’t want to be a landlord anymore. It’s time to sell.
Duplex for sale
When the RB40JR completes high school in 2029, we plan to move to Southern California to get closer to the family. Mrs. RB40’s parents are getting older and need help. I have time to prepare for duplex for sale, but the whole place needs updates. It will be a long process.
This year, I want to meet with our real estate agents and figure out what we need to fix. The first on the list is siding repair and exterior repainting. I would be happy if I could at least do so much this year. I plan to hire this. These days, I try to avoid ladders as much as possible. I also want to remodel the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.
This is on the burner at the back until the rental apartment is sold.
The biggest Ross Ella
Roth IRA is the best investment account you can have. When you exit, you do not have to pay taxes on your gains. This is very big. If you start young every year and issue a Roth IRA to the greatest extent possible, it will be a great resource for retirement.
I have made the most of Roth IRA contributions of over 20 years. But sooner or later, this stripe will end. The reason is simple. You can only contribute to the Roth IRA that earns income. My positive income has dropped like a rock and I may not have enough income this year. In 2025, if you are over 50, the Roth IRA’s contribution limit is $8,000. We’ll see if I can make enough money to make the most of it.
So far, I’ve made $671. not good.
*If your spouse receives income, you can contribute to the Roth IRA. Mrs. RB40 has earned income, but I prefer to use my income to contribute to my Roth IRA.
Track net worth and hope +10%
I have been tracking our net worth since 2006. It’s great to see the progress. This year, I hope to see a 10% return. (I’m not very hopeful.) At this point, it’s all up to the stock market, and I can’t do anything to influence this goal. I’ll track it and keep my fingers crossed.
January is a good month for the stock market. We rose 2.2%.
Health Goals
Exercise more than last year
Last year, I set a goal of exercising 3 times a week. However, I developed elbow pain and had to shrink a little. Results – I exercised 120 times. That’s not bad, but I want to do more this year.
I started very slowly in January. I’m sick and I have to fix the rental apartment. I only went to the gym 6 times. Hopefully next month will be better.
Win a claim deny
Last year, RB40JR obtained a cochlear implant to improve his hearing. His left ear has 50%-80% hearing. He tried hearing aids for several years, but that didn’t help much. He could hear some sounds in his left ear, but he couldn’t understand the speech over there.
Recently, the FDA approved cochlear implants in children. At first, I thought we could wait until the RB40JR was adult. Then he can decide for himself. But, our audiologists say the sooner you get the implant, the earlier you get it. If you wait too long, your brain may not be able to adapt to cochlear implants.
Anyway, he got the implant last year. However, the insurance rejected the claim. They claim that cochlear implants are experimental and do not improve overall health. This is ridiculous. Since the 1980s, the device has been used to improve life. I’m fighting this denial. I think health insurance companies are denying as many claims as possible to boost profits. Many people are sick and cannot fight against denial. No wonder everyone hates health insurance companies.
I appealed with the hospital. Now, we are waiting for the reply.
Interesting goals
For sale my ceramic project
Last year, I took 2 ceramic classes at the community center and it exploded. My project is not professional yet, but I will try to sell some items this summer. The Community Center will have several art sales this year. I will put my name on the list and hopefully get the best. My ceramic project may not be for sale, though. My aesthetic is unusual…most of my stuff is Wabi Sabi style.
Would you buy any of these bowls? My price is $19.99 per person. hehe…
More date
This year, I want to go out with Mrs. RB40 often. If you are a parent, you will know how difficult it is. Fortunately, our son is now a teenager. We can go out anytime, anywhere. However, I need to overcome the reluctance to leave the house at night. We stopped on the street and it was painful to find a place at night. Ah! I prefer to be clumsy at home than to go to a restaurant at night. Lunch was better for me. Who wants to leave home after dark?
In January, we offer it for 2 lunch dates. We both have health issues, so we were lucky to do a lot.
Happiness Level > 8
I’m a natural happy person, so this should be easy. Life has been great for the past few years.
January has been a tough month for me. I feel stressed about renting an apartment. The carpet has caused me a lot of headaches. I’m too old because of this $*%t! I’ve lived an easy life for too long. I can’t handle any pressure.
Net assets (+2.2%)
I have been tracking our net worth since 2006. It is very motivated to see our progress. The power of compounding is incredible. Last year, our investment income exceeded our income.
2025 begins. Our net worth increased by 2.2%. One month is amazing. However, I don’t think this will increase. I plan to continue investing. In the long run, it will work.
*** Important*** My best advice is to keep the course. Don’t stop investing. Should you continue to invest in the stock market going up or down. You might think that stocks are too expensive, but they look cheap in 10 years. Keep investing and one day you will achieve financial independence. Don’t try to time the market.
Here is a chart of our net worth from Empower. Sign up for a free account on Empower to help manage your net worth and investment accounts. I often log in to check our net worth and use their free tools. This is a great website for DIY investors.
Fire Cash Flow in January 2025
This fire cash flow chart includes my online income, side shows and taxable passive income. Mrs. RB40’s income is not here because she plans to retire soon.
Our cash flow will look bad before selling the rental apartment.
Fire Income in January 2025: $1,729
Yes, I’m transitioning to full retirement. My positive income these days is very low. We may use our savings more often.
- Real estate crowdfunding: $447. You can read more on Re crowdfunding’s Passive Income page.
- Dividend Income: $571. This is a good month for a good month.
- Rental income: – $542. We will get negative rental income until the apartment disappears.
- Blog revenue: $487.
- Odd number work: $184. I only worked for a few hours last month.
- other: $ 0
- interest: $40.
Expenditure: $3,851
Here are some details.
- housing: $1,316. This includes mortgages, utilities, furniture, repairs and maintenance. Our housing costs are low because we live in duplex. We allocate many fees to our tenants.
- transportation: $265. Gasoline and insurance.
- entertainment: $303. This is mainly about dining out and ordering food.
- groceries: $480. The Grocery Act is about average.
- healthy: $350.
- child: $532. Unfortunately, as the RB40JR ages, so are the costs associated with children. We are paying for his orthodontics and international school trips.
- Personal: $183. Clothes and household items.
- travel: $385. RB40JR and I renewed my passport.
Savings: –$2,664
January 2025 Summary
OK, January flies by. I don’t like it very much because there are so many problems. I almost finished the rent, so February should be easier. Hopefully the apartment will be sold quickly. After that, I can focus on fixing duplex. I also stress the economy and layoffs of the federal government’s workforce. The economy will react adversely to the new tariffs. There is a lot of uncertainty this year.
It’s from January. Do you have a good month?
Passive income is the key to early retirement. These days, I’m investing in commercial properties crowd. They have many projects throughout the United States. Go and check it out!
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Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects all over the United States, so check it out!
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