life hacks

Ask the Readers: What’s your Best Life Hack?

February 27, 2017 by Mr. 1500 Days 65 Comments

Hey Readers, I've been obsessed with optimizing my life lately. Truth be told, I've always been obsessed with it. This list could be 1,001 items long:I hate wasting energy at home: This leads to never ending spousal battles over thermostat settings and light switches. I hate wasting fuel: I plan car trips for maximum efficiency. I minimize my miles and left turns. If I … [Read more...] about Ask the Readers: What’s your Best Life Hack?

Ask the Readers: Drama in the 1500 Household!

October 31, 2016 by Mr. 1500 Days 53 Comments

Joe over at Retire by 40 recently wrote about a potential Financial Independence TV show: Last month, I had an opportunity to meet with a producer who was doing the groundwork for a reality show about financial independence. When I first heard about it, I immediately thought – this is going to be a snoozer… I love my life, but it is way too ordinary to watch on TV I'm not so … [Read more...] about Ask the Readers: Drama in the 1500 Household!

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 (primary home excluded)
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**
1/1/22 (9 Yrs Later): $4,762,642
1/1/23 (10 Yrs Later): $3,112,821

2023: Investments only
1/1: $3,112,821
2/1: $3,582,368
3/1: $3,716,852
4/1: $3,861,599
5/1: $3,694,445
6/1: $4,089,141
7/1: $4,384,858
8/1: $4,539,865
9/1: $4,468,622
10/1: $4,353,063
11/1: $4,027,929

Gains: $915,108

Overall
Gains since 1/1/2013: $3,441,886
Net worth***: $4,257,929

* 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. We have since sold it.

** Tesla.

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

Finally, we still have about $290,000 in mortgage debt (which I love!). No regrets about the debts!