My main goal* was to build an investment and cash portfolio of $1,120,000* in 1500 days**, starting from 1/1/2013 and ending in February of 2017. I made my goal in 2016, my 1500 Days are over, and I’ve left my job. In the interest of openness, I’ll continue to share my numbers.
Random Crap Edition!
Sometimes, you just can’t think of anything clever to write about. You look through your notes and:
Nothing.
You go for a walk and:
Nothing.
You drink a couple beers and:
Less than nothing.
And then…
**Hold on a minute, I have to pee.**
**OK, better. Let’s move on.**
You come back in a couple days, thinking that inspiration will come later. But still, nothing.
So, you get the Random Crap Edition! You say:
What is the Random Crap Edition?
It’s pretty much a bunch of unrelated nonsense with no recurring theme. Fun! Not really.
To escape this drivel now, click on one of these smiley faces! —>>> 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hey, at least I’m not setting you up for disappointment! Let’s get on with the crappy randomness!
Investments Update
I recently posted about how Mrs. 1500 and I were considering buying an Airbnb condo and/or another trailer park elevated home park (EHP). In the post, I had pretty much written off the idea of the condo, but we were still considering the EHP. We decided to do neither:
- We bailed on the condo because we don’t have the bandwidth to deal with it right now.
- We bailed on the EHP because it would have left our self-directed solo 401(k) empty and we may need the money for something else. More on that something else soon…
Yard Update
I finally finished my yard projects. Look! Here are the planter boxes on one side of the yard:
The main goal of the planter boxes and the front yard project was to get rid of the lawn. There is no need to have silly grass here in the high desert of Colorado. The yard is now filled with rocks and water friendly plants:
Travel Update
Mrs. 1500 and I just got back from Cuba:
Cuba deserves its own post, so I’ll save that for next week.
This Saturday, we depart on a road trip to California. On the way there, we’ll stop in Las Vegas to see family. In California, we’ll visit with the Wafflers, Tonya from Budget and the Beach and maybe the Crispy Doc. On the way back, we’ll stop in Southern Utah for a family reunion.
Life Update
One of the main determiners of happiness is the quality of our relationships. Mrs. 1500 and I had some pretty great friends just down the street. They have a daughter who was friends with our children:
If one couple needed a babysitter for a date or to run errands, we knew we could count on the other for child watch duties. We camped together and had dinner in each others’ backyards. Our friends were down to earth, good people. And a couple weeks ago, they told us that they’re moving across the country.
BOOM!
Mrs. 1500 cried.
Our daughters were devastated.
And we reconsidered our situation.
We had never thought about moving from our quiet little street because of the great people around us. But now, our friends are leaving. Another family with kids similar in age moved away a couple years ago. Our street is starting to feel empty. That in itself isn’t reason enough to move.
Home prices have gone bonkers in our part of town. Our modest little ranch home that we bought just 5 years ago for $175,000 is now worth around $550,000 (some of this is because of the $100,000 and hard work we put into it).
So now, we find ourselves living on a very pricey street with little reason to stay. It’s time to cash out and move on which is probably what we’ll do next year. We’ll stay in the same town, but move to an area where prices are calmer, a place where the beer flows like wine, where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano…
Performance Update: May!
May was a great month. Our net worth started the month at $2,078,532 and ended at $2,129,970 for a gain of $51,438:
2018 (as of 6/1/2018)
- Days elapsed: 152
- Investment portfolio gains: $87,269 (including 401(k) contributions**** of $20,301)
- Net worth gains: $137,269 (investment portfolio gain of $87,269 + home appreciation of $50,000)
Since the start (1/1/2013)
- Days elapsed: 1976
- Investment portfolio and cash: $1,614,970
- Gains since 1/1/2013: $1,028,927
- Needed to quit work ($1,120,000 in investments): Mission accomplished!
Net worth: $2,129,970. This includes:
- Investment portfolio and cash: $1,614,970
- Home equity: $450,000
- Silly toy car: $45,000
- Other cars, bikes, dinosaurs: $20,000
Portfolio Breakdown
We have a diverse portfolio that includes real estate:
- Elevated home park
- private loan (only one outstanding)
- syndication deals
And stock market holdings:
- individual stocks (old thinking)
- index funds (most money goes here now)
Here is the breakdown:
- Stock market: $862,243
- Monthly gain: $45,144
- 2018 gain: $72,457
- Real estate: $732,727
- Monthly gain: $1,792
- 2018 gain: $14,812
- Cash reserve: $20,000
My stock portfolio is absolutely killing it. My holdings are tech-heavy and this sector is on fire (purple line is the S&P):
My three biggest tech holdings are all walloping the S&P 500 (purple line):
- Amazon: This is my best performer in 2018. It’s up 38.06% and I have $111,106 in the company.
- Facebook: I own way too much Facebook: $292,523!! The stock is up 6.54%.
- Google: This is my favorite stock. I own $84,529 and it’s up 6.98%.
The S&P 500 is up 1.89% through the end of May.
I’m an index investor now and am slowly getting rid of my stocks to avoid capital gains. In the meantime, I’ll take the increases!
Pinch Me Baby One More Time
I’ll finish with one crazy thought I had the other day. It is this:
None of this has sunk in yet. Pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming.
It feels good to be financially stable. Really good. Purchases in my life used to be a race to the bottom. At the grocery store, I’d find the cheapest version and throw it in the cart. Expiration dates be damned!
Except for toilet paper. Everyone has their line and that’s always been mine.
Anyway, about a month ago, the store was having a promotion on this ice cream:
Since it was the same price as all of the cheap crap, I went for it. And HOLY SHIT, it was awesome!!!!
Fast forward to Sunday night. I was sent on a mission by Mrs. 1500 to buy more ice cream which I gladly accepted. The Moose Tracks was now $5 while the store brand was on sale for half the price. After a couple of minutes of deliberation and some tense pacing, I decided to pay the extra $2.50 for the Moose Tracks.
Baby steps…
And it was sooooo worth it.
Pinch me baby one more time.
*My goal wasn’t to have $1,120,000 at the end of 1500 days, but at any time before the day count was up. Why? It all goes back to the 4% Rule. Remember that our little friend, Mr. 4%, is nothing more than the most conservative safe withdrawal rate. So, if I were to quit my job now, I could spend about $60,000 in my first year of retirement.
**My original goal was $1,000,000 and no debt, I later raised the goal by $120,000 to $1,120,000 because I will have debt in the form of a mortgage and I firmly believe in not paying it off. My compromise is to have enough money put away to cover the mortgage at the time of retirement. So, to retire today, I would need about $1,120,000.
***This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, the blog (me) makes some cold, hard, beautiful, cash. Personal Capital is a totally free and awesome way to keep watch over your investments. It’s worth it for the fee analyzer alone. I would never recommend anything that I don’t personally use and completely believe in, so give it a try. If you’ve already signed up through the link, please know that you are a fine person of above-average intelligence.
****My 401(k) contributions include my own, Mrs. 15oo’s, and the contributions from my corporation. Self-employment with a solo 401(k) is a very powerful savings tool. I should have done this years ago.
i just wrote a rant last week on ice cream quality! we’re willing to pony up for the quality of good ice cream. it’s not like we’re inflating our lifestyle with a bentley over a used honda. it’s just 2 bucks more. you gonna move those planter boxes when you go?
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I was right there with you, reading your latest post. The cardboard half-gallon Breyers bricks of my youth were great; when the container went from a hinged flap to a removable lid, everything went to hell. You can have my 1998 Canadian-made Sorel boots when you pry them from my cold dead toes. And I’m still trying to find jeans with adequate fit and material. Ugh.
If you’re gonna put something unhealthy into your mouth whether it be ice cream or beer, it should taste good. Quality >>> quantity.
That’s why I make my own. (I recently caved to temptation and bought some Breyers butter pecan – most of the pecans were rancid! That’s what I get.)
A home ice cream churner is ~$45 and it is definitely worth it. My previous one died last year after about 10 years and I immediately bought a new one. Cheesecake ice cream (with strawberry sauce!), sour cherry frozen yogurt, dark chocolate-chile ice cream, fig syrup swirled into vanilla – any flavor you can dream of you can make.
I also make ice pops/paletas/popsicles for when I come in from the heat and want to cool down. Currently finishing up a batch of key lime pie popsicles; last batch was pure rhubarb fruit pops. You can’t get that at the store!
Cheesecake ice cream? Holy cow! Sour cherry!!!! #awesome
What is your ice cream maker… I mean what are you doing tonight! It’s HOT here! Your ice cream maker… I mean you are welcome anytime! 🙂
Sounds fishy that salmon flock to Capistrano. Maybe they’ve gone to the birds.
Haha!
I love the elevated front yard. That’s the way to go for low maintenance. I hated the lawn when we lived in a house. They require so much maintenance and doesn’t add anything. Nice job.
Moving to a more affordable area sounds good. It’ll give you a chance to build home equity again. Hopefully, the kids don’t have to change school. That will be a major change.
Cuba, planter boxes, and moving oh my! That is a random smattering of stuff, but honestly sometimes that is just what our life is. Sometimes our lives don’t fit neatly into a nice box (perhaps a planter box) and that’s ok. Can’t wait to see you guys, really looking forward to it! Maybe we’ll treat you to our new favorite dessert, vanilla ice cream and a scoop of peanut butter. Nothing fancy, but so dang good!
We can’t wait either! You should see the epic stash of fremented goods we’re bringing along. It is not going to suck.
And ice cream and peanut butter? Sign me up!
The yard looks great! AND Moose Tracks is Lindsay’s most favorite ice cream.
Lindsay has very fine taste! 🙂
Neighbors are everything. EVERYTHING. We’ve got friends across the street who are moving out for four months this summer so their entire house can be renovated, and the attic expanded into a master suite, because they love this block too much to move someplace larger for their family. We’re likely to do the same in a few years; two bathrooms will be really nice. I hope you find a place that suits you for many years to come!
…and our latest vice of choice is vanilla chai Talenti gelato. Wrap the thick rubber band from a bunch of broccoli around the lid for friction if it won’t twist off easily. So good.
“Neighbors are everything. EVERYTHING.”
Truer words have never been said. The people we have in our daily lives define us and our happiness.
Hey, I want to hear more about this trailer park (EHP). How about some more technical details? Cashflow numbers etc? Maybe even a picture?
You might not be able to think of anything to write about, but your audience definitely has things they’re curious about!
Mr. Tako recently posted…Investing Ideas: June 2018
The planter boxes look awesome. We just make a big circle in our yard and planted stuff in the ground rather than making planter boxes.
I should have listened to you and bought some Amazon when the stock price was below $800. Oh well. 🙂
I went to Cuba back in 2001 as part of a high school trip (I was in a jazz band and we toured around Cuba and visited music/arts schools). It was an amazing experience. I wonder how much Cuba has changed since then. Looking forward to reading your post.
Tawcan! Yeah, I’m pretty happy with the way the boxes turned out. Best of all, with the watering system, there is no maintenance.
Cuba has probably changed some since you were there, but I expect it to change a lot more in the near future.
Actually curious how you went to Cuba? Did you have to apply for some type of temp visa? I tried to go earlier this year, but with the changes in rules again wasn’t sure how to go about it.
Definitely killing it on the numbers front. Kudos!
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Yep, you can get a temporary visa to go to Cuba. Super easy and painless.
Congratulations on getting rid of your lawn. I’m sure your lower back and siatica are happy!
I know, right? Good riddance grass!!
I like the cutting grass oddly enough =\
I do too. It just doesn’t make sense for us to waste all of the water on it though. South facing grass with full exposure to sun needed a load of water.
Nice planter boxes!
and yes indeed – life is too short to eat bad ice cream
If you’re going to spend the calories (the heck with the $$), it had better be worth it!
Thanks! I’m really happy about the planter boxes! You’ll have to swing by sometime and see them in person!
Private Selection IS the store brand. It’s the high end store brand, with “Krogers” being the mid-range store brand and P$$$t being the low end store brand. Try the Private Selection Amaretto Cherry Cordial, it will change your life.
Ooops, no idea! Oh well, still good. Go Kroger!
And I LOVE cherry ice cream! Thank you for the recommendation!
Congratulations on getting rid of your lawn.Nice pictures.
Thanks!!!
Until we reached Udaipur, that is. Sometimes called the “Venice of the East,” there were moments I felt flashbacks to our time in Santorini and the Greek Islands.
Sounds positively lovely!
Don’t you just hate those awesome neighbours that move across country? We had similar very nice folks that decided to move a ridiculous distance away from us (twice!), such a shame! Should be outlawed 🙂
A dumb and dumber quote and a link to real ultimate power? You are really speaking my language here, Mr. 1500!
Andy, I didn’t know you were a ninja! That shouldn’t surprise me though. Part of being a ninja is not telling everyone that you’re a ninja!
We return day after tomorrow on a loooooong flight, but our budget for daily food had equaled our budget for daily gelato while abroad. Frugal by nature, but spending where it matters!
I tried to contact you via your “contact us” web site interface. Would love to see you. Hike with Mr. WoW?
Give me a direct holler at crispydocblog (at) gmail do we can hang.
Fondly,
CD
It’s been a while since I’ve visited your site. What a great post. I’m so happy that you stuck to your plan and achieved it. Kudos to you and your family.
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Love the garden…
Excited to read your post on Cuba. As far as your current house goes, that is a pretty awesome problem to have (market wise), however, I understand wanting simpler and more family friendly. Hope you find something you like just as much.
Ninjas and dumb and dumber in the same article? I’m going to have to tweet this one!
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Carl how are your Private Equity and Crowdfund RE investments preforming vs your physical mobile home investments?
The mobile home park (Elevated Home Park to the easily offended) has brought in 0 dollars so far. Well, it’s brought in money, but we’re pouring it back into the park. We knew when we bought it that we were buying a project and I’m fine with that. Long-term baby, long term.
The superstar or my real estate investments are my private loans. These have paid either 8% or 10% depending on the loan. Unfortunately, all but 1 is now paid off.