index funds

Stock Picking Experiment: Year 3 Update

January 18, 2021 by Mr. 1500 Days 19 Comments

In December of 2017, Dividend Growth Investor (DGI) asked me if I'd like to duplicate the famous Warren Buffett bet. For those unfamiliar, in 2008 Buffett famously challenged the hedge fund industry:Can you beat the S&P 500 over a 10 year period?Only one hedge fund accepted the bet and didn't do well. Buffett, and more importantly index investors, won.But, I'm a … [Read more...] about Stock Picking Experiment: Year 3 Update

Money Withdrawal Strategies (Keeping The Tax Man Away)

September 21, 2020 by Mr. 1500 Days 43 Comments

Money is a precious resource that must not be wasted. It isn't easy to collect those dollars, so they should be saved, invested, and spent with maximum efficiency and thoughtfulness. Between investing and spending comes withdrawals. Since most of us have money tied up in multiple accounts, it makes sense to take money out strategically so your tax bill is minimized.UPDATE: … [Read more...] about Money Withdrawal Strategies (Keeping The Tax Man Away)

My goal was to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 by February of 2017; 1500 days from the birth of this blog (January 1, 2013). And hey look, I’ve since retired!

Investments only
1/1/13 (The Start): $586,043
1/1/14 (1 Yr Later): $869,635
1/1/15 (2 Yrs Later): $987,351
1/1/16 (3 Yrs Later): $1,057,961
1/1/17 (4 Yrs Later): $1,257,128
1/1/18 (5 Yrs Later): $1,527,701
1/1/19 (6 Yrs Later): $1,549,440
1/1/20 (7 Yrs Later): $2,035,040*
1/1/21 (8 Yrs Later): $3,379,746**

2021: Investments only
1/1: $3,379,746
2/1: $3,616,567
3/1: $3,532,156

Overall
2021 investment gains: $152,410
Investment gains since 1/1/2013: $2,946,113
Net worth***: $3,672,156

* The big jump between 2019 and 2020 was partly because we bought another home, but kept the previous (much more expensive) one as a rental, so now count it as an investment.

** Tesla.

*** Includes our primary home equity in addition to our investment portfolio.

Finally, we still have about $370,000 in mortgage debt (which I love!). No regrets about the debts!