September 2026 · Net Worth Update
All updates
16 posts-
September 2026 Net Worth Update: $9.3K Spent, Still Contributing
September spending was $9,322, including $2,685 in gifts. I feel good about it. My October 1 net worth estimate is $2.32M, and I keep contributing.
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August 2026 Net Worth Update: Back Above My Old Peak at $2.33M
Last month I paid off the car loan. This month, nothing happened — and net worth quietly hit a new high of $2.33M, up $66.7K, finally clearing the peak I set in…
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July 2026 Net Worth Update: I Paid Off the Car Loan I Took On Six Weeks Ago
Last month I bolted a $99K car loan onto a clean balance sheet, on purpose. I said I'd probably kill it early and go back to being boring. Turns out "probably" meant "one paycheck…
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June 2026 Net Worth Update: I Broke My Own Rule and Bought a $138K Sports Car
Last month I bragged about a clean balance sheet. One number, one loan, the mortgage — fixed. This month I bolted a $99K car loan onto it. On purpose. I bought a used sports car…
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May 2026 Net Worth Update: $2.27M — M1 Cleared, Cash Deployed
Last month I called the $235K money market position "probably the most expensive non-decision I'm making." May is where I stopped making that argument. M1 margin loan: cleared to…
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April 2026 Net Worth Update: $2.24M — Up $43K Despite $11K Month
YNAB says I spent ~$11.7K in April. ProjectionLab says my net worth went up $43K. Both are right. That gap is what I want to walk through. Most of the ~$11.7K is travel I'd…
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March 2026 Net Worth Update: $2.2M, a $10K Tax Refund, and Small-Business Arbitrage
Filed my 2025 taxes a couple weeks ago. Got about $10K back in federal refund. Not because I got unlucky with withholding. Because owning a small business lets me legally deduct…
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February 2026 Net Worth Update: $54K Growth and a Bonus Well Spent
So my annual bonus hit. $54k gross. Now — I could've let that sit in checking and feel like a baller for a couple weeks. But nah. $4,884 went straight into the 401k, another…
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January 2026 Net Worth Update: I Spent More Than I Made (On Purpose)
This month, I technically spent more than I made. My checking account saw $3,802 in deposits. My spending was $6,007. In a normal world, that's a problem. In my world, that's the…
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My 2026 One-Page Financial Plan
Everyone warns you that the first million is the hardest. They’re right about the math, but they’re wrong about the psychology. The hardest part isn’t the beginning. It’s the…
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November 2025 Net Worth Update: The Boring Middle is Where the Magic Happens
November saw no major changes. My primary goal was simply to keep expenses under control while continuing to max out my retirement and benefit accounts. It was a month of…
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Healthcare in Early Retirement: How to Plan When You’re Too Young for Medicare
Most people stay in their jobs for "One More Year" solely because of health insurance. It's a constraint that feels impossible to unlock. The fear is rational. The "sticker shock"…
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Max Contribution to 401k and Mega Backdoor Roth in 2026
My coworkers are constantly chasing the latest spending trend. Tesla accessories, Peloton subscriptions, every streaming app imaginable—you name it. I just sit there, quiet. They…
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Modeling My Path to $5M: A Projection Lab Deep Dive
For the longest time, I had an abstract number in my head: $2 million. That was it. The magic figure that meant I could retire. But reality, as it turns out, is a little more…
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October 2025 Net Worth Update: Crossing the $2M Threshold
A brief personal update about the month. October was a month of milestones and contradictions. For the first time, my net worth crossed the $2,000,000 mark—a goal that felt…
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Welcome to My Chubby FIRE Quest: Why I'm Chasing $5M
My name is Steven. Two years ago, I hit a net worth of $1 million. Last month, I crossed $2 million. And I still feel trapped. On paper, I’ve made it. I’m in my late 30s, holding…
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