Hey, everyone! Do you have a good month? March is a pretty good month in RB40 families. We visited my brother during spring break and had a great time. We are back in town now, spring is here! The weather gets better and longer daylight can greatly improve my mood. RB40JR is back with his Ultimate Frisbee team. He now has activities every day after school. We will be very busy this spring.
We haven’t had a good month in personal finance. Our rental apartment has not been sold yet, but this is expected. The real estate market is very slow in winter. Hopefully spring will bring more buyers to the table. Our net worth dropped a little in March, but that was before Free money from your portfolio festival. There are a lot more things going on now, but this will appear in the next update. March, we were pretty good. Due to renting an apartment, our cash flow is also negative. It will be rough until the apartment disappears.
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 see which goals require additional attention and work on them.
Financial goals
Rental apartments for sale
This is my main goal for 2025. Our tenant moved out of our rental apartment in January. I fixed it and sold it. Unfortunately, the housing market is terrible now. It may take a while to sell.
Anyway, I plan to travel more and don’t want to be a landlord anymore. I would rather invest in real estate crowdfunding. This is much easier.
Duplex for sale
Along the same line, I want to sell our duplex after the 2029 RB40JR completes high school. We need to move to Southern California to get closer to families. Mrs. RB40’s parents are getting older and they need help.
This year, I want to meet with our real estate agents and figure out what we need to fix. The first thing on the list is siding repairs and exterior repainting. I would be happy if we could at least do so much. I plan to hire this. These days, I try to avoid ladders as much as possible. If we have any money left, I would also like to remodel the kitchen and bathroom.
Currently, this is on the rear burner.
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 this streak will end sooner or later. The reason is very simple. You can only contribute to the Roth IRA that earns income. My 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 $2,077. not bad!
*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. At this point, it all depends on the stock market and I can’t do anything to affect that goal. I just tracked it and kept my fingers crossed.
At the end of March, our net worth was a little lower, but that was before Liberation Day. Stock markets plummeted after Comrade Trump announced the world’s trade war. Note: Russia has no tariffs. It takes a miracle to see a positive net worth harvest this year. Maybe Trump will back the tariffs after getting what he wants. Who knows?
At the end of March, our net assets fell by 0.7%.
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 reduce it a little. Results – I exercised 120 times in 2023. This is not bad, but I want to do more this year.
I exercised 10 times in March. That’s still very low. We were in town for a week so I couldn’t exercise. I’ll try to do more in the spring.
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 a little with 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.
Anyway, he got the implant last year. However, the insurance rejected the claim. They say cochlear implants are experimental and cannot 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 that good, 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.
Would you buy these? My price is $18 per person. hehe…
More dates
This year, I plan to go out with Mrs. RB40 more 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 would rather be clumsy at home than go to a restaurant.
I’ll have a date lunch with Mrs. RB40. It’s easy. Who wants to leave home after dark?
In March, we had 3 lunch dates. very good.
Happiness Level > 8
I’m a natural happy person, so this should be easy. Life has been great for the past few years.
I had a wonderful month. Spring break is great. It’s great to leave town and reset my mood. The weather has improved, which has helped a lot. Spring will be busy with the RB40JR sports and various school activities. This will help me pay less attention to the news and improve our sense of happiness.
Net assets (-0.7%)
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 looks bad. At the end of March, our net assets fell by 0.7%. Fortunately, I have diversified our investments earlier this year. Otherwise, our net worth will be hit harder. I’m not optimistic about the rest of the year.
*** 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 the stock is too expensive, but it looks like it will be 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 March 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 March 2025: $3,404
Well, it seems I’m transitioning to full retirement. My positive income is slowly disappearing. We will get it from our retirement savings as needed. We planned for this and we will be fine.
- Real estate crowdfunding: $0. You can read more on Re crowdfunding’s Passive Income page.
- Dividend Income: $2,715. A good month for dividends.
- Rental income: – $899. We will receive negative rental income until the apartment is sold.
- Blog revenue: $295. This is disappearing quickly.
- Odd number work: $381. I send out some catering orders every week. Currently, this is a simple show. I’m sure they’ll be lowering their wages soon. At that time, I would look for other things to do.
Expenditure: $4,109
Here are some details.
- housing: $1,351. 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: $182. Gasoline and insurance.
- entertainment: $186. This is mainly about dining out.
- groceries: $443. The grocery bill was below normal as we were on vacation for a week.
- healthy: $64.
- child: $532. Unfortunately, as the RB40JR ages, so are the costs associated with children. We are paying for his orthodontics, international school trips and various activities.
- Personal: $416. Clothes, household supplies and personal beauty.
- travel: $883. Spring Break!
Retirement savings: –$1,604
Summary of March 2025
March is a good month in person, but not very financially. I think this might be the way for a while. Fortunately, I’m ready for the recession and now we just need to hold it quickly. In the current asset allocation, I think I can tolerate a 50% decline in the stock market. It will be a difficult journey. Good luck to everyone.
It’s March. 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!
Joe also strongly recommends providing personal capital to DIY investors. They have many useful tools that can help you achieve financial independence.
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