Net Worth Update: January, 2020

Our net worth increased from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26 in USD by 4.72% and in EUR by 5.48% to $62,387 and €56,561 respectively.

Some Changes to the Chart

This is the first time I've broken out the holdings in my taxable brokerage. I didn't do this by individual securities but instead by currency and cash amount. Since I have some securities based in euros in addition to dollars, I have split those up. You can see that reflected in the slightly higher euro assets.

Additionally, I'm using a ~10% margin position in euros. Namely, I sold euros to buy dollars some months ago, and I would like to have that debt acknowledged in my spreadsheet and chart. After long consideration paired with the low interest rates my broker charges for euros, I thought it a good idea to lever up a little bit. 10% is a very mild levered position, but it's still mildly unsettling: I am in debt, and I pay interest on that debt. It's worked out so far, but I want it to show, and you can see it in the sudden amount of euro liabilities.

I plan on going back and adjusting the previous months to show this change, but there's no set schedule for when I'll do that.

Major Factors in the MoM Change

I tried to be aggressive with our saving overall, and we saved around 37.5% of our blended income (post-tax for me pre-tax for her) this month. Some of income came after I finalized the spreadsheet: I got one of the refunds I've been expecting for my dental work, so it will be reflected in next month's net worth change.

In addition to that refund, I got some random income boosts. We both got some gift money: since we live abroad, those who wish to give us gifts often just send money. In addition, a colleague hired me for some extra work and sent that money straight into my bank account. That story deserves its own post.

The stock market performed reasonably well, though it wasn't a crazy positive month.

Possible Big Purchase in 2020

After thinking we wouldn't be buying anything large, my wife and I discussed 2020 money goals, and she mentioned a large purchase she's interested in: a piano. In my mind, this might eventually happen as an ongoing rental or a fixed upfront cost of 1000-4000€. I have some math to do!

We also haven't made fixed plans for the summer. The summer trip to see family is often our biggest outlay for the year, so that's a big wild card.

February Outlook

There's one final dental cost refund that I expect to happen in February, but otherwise, I don't expect any big cash infusions beyond our normal income. Our February budget right now is aiming for a 22.6% savings rate, so if the market holds still for a month, we're looking at a net worth change of ~€1000-€2000.