Make a plan and stick to it! (Or change it?!)

Make a plan and stick to it! (Or change it?!)

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In my Goals for 2020 I outlined my plan to boost my Total Balance in 2020, by diverting funds from my mortgage payments towards my Total Balance (investment account) instead.

Unfortunately, “The Universe” had another plan.

Sometimes it’s simply easier to “take the path of least resistance” (go with the flow?), than to “fight the system”.

In this case there were several reasons that ultimately made me change my mind, about using my mortgage as leverage to boost my Total Balance (and ultimately speed up the pace of making new investments). Allow me to explain:

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Monthly Update #17 (January 2020) – The Domino Effect

Monthly Update #17 (January 2020) – The Domino Effect

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The first month of 2020 is already over, guys – and thank God for that.

January is usually my least favorite month of the year (long and cold), and this year was no exception. There’s really no easy way to say it! What a shitty month. Lets wrap this one up quickly, so we can get back to February and hopefully enjoy the arrival of an early spring this year (thank you, global warming).

As we all know December spelled trouble in Crowdlending land, with the fall of Kuetzal. Next in line was then Envestio. Two of my best performing platforms turned out to be dubious (as it seems). That kinda put a damper on everyone’s excitement for the new year. The fall of these two platforms basically saw all my crowdlending earnings from last year vanish over night. I guess there’s always a silver lining though; At least I don’t have to worry about paying the taxes on my crowdlending income for 2019 (HAHA – the joke is on you, IRS!)…

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If it sounds too good to be true

If it sounds too good to be true

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It probably is (too good to be true)…

In case you missed the latest development in the Baltic crowdlending industry, let me give you a quick recap;

Two of my (previously) best performing platforms have turned out to be fraudulent (nothing is proven yet, but I think the writing on the wall is pretty clear).

In December it became apparent that Kuetzal was more than a little dodgy around the edges – and last week another bombshell dropped, when it became apparent that Envestio was also in fact a highly dubious operation. I am reluctant to use words like “scam” and “ponzi scheme” (oops, I just did) about Kuetzal and Envestio, as nothing has been proven yet. Although, in the case of Kuetzal it seems that the majority of their projects simply did not exist, and thus it would not be in-appropriate to use the word “SCAM” to describe Kuetzal…

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Lessons from the past (analyzing my returns from 2007-2019)

Lessons from the past (analyzing my returns from 2007-2019)

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As is the norm when we enter a new year, I like to look back at the returns of my (Pension) portfolio from the previous year(s).

Is it time to change my AA (again)? I was quite conservative with my AA last year when I opted to move a great portion of my portfolio OUT of the stock market. And Boy was I wrong to do that! The stock market hit an all-time high (again), gaining close to 30% in 2019, which ultimately left my portfolio returns in the dust in comparison.

You win some, and you lose some – I’m not regretting my decision to change my AA, but the events of last year has made me reconsider my overall strategy for my Pension portfolio (which is part of my 3 Pillars of Wealth).

I’ve actually said it many times before on this blog, but allow me to repeat myself: Don’t do what I do, kids! 😛

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The goals for 2020

The goals for 2020

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A year has gone by in what seems almost as a blink of an eye.

As per usual (I love saying that – this is only my 2nd goals-post ever), it’s thus time to look ahead into the coming year(s), and see what might be in store for the Total Balance household.

Last year I set myself a goal to reach a certain target Total Balance at the end of the year. I did this to adhere to my 13-year (lean)FIRE plan, to reach my Total Balance goal within those 13 years (preferably sooner). As I revealed in my latest Monthly update I managed to reach my yearly target – just barely 😉

As I crunched the numbers after my first year of blogging in September, it quickly became apparent that the current plan relies heavily on the income from Property #1, which is not due to start arriving until year 2023 (October 2023). As this is more than 3 years away, it’s clear that if I want to reach my goal sooner than currently projected (which I do), I’m gonna have to up my game! (Like get Property #2 on the roster – quickly)…

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Monthly Update #16 (December 2019) – Miracles & Obstacles

Monthly Update #16 (December 2019) – Miracles & Obstacles

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It’s 2020 already! Happy New year, everybody!

Time flies, when you’re counting pennies! It’s 2019 no more, and this is thus the final Monthly Update of 2019!

The month of December saw no records broken (besides maybe the one for how much sugar one guy can eat within 1 month – yikes!)

Christmas was indeed long and expensive, in many ways. Anyway, January is here and it’s thus time to get back in the saddle! (Literally and figuratively speaking!).

Let’s look at some numbers from the final month of the decade – did I reach my goal or what!?

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Boy, was I wrong!

Boy, was I wrong!

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2019 is drawing to a close, and as is the norm on the Total Balance blog (easy now hot shot, this is only the first full year of blogging!) it’s thus time to take a gander back at this years major events – good or bad!

My wife asked me yesterday, if I had a “highlight reel” ready for the year of 2019. I didn’t/don’t. I actually had to read through some of my old posts, just to remember WTF had actually happened this year – this is EXACTLY why I started blogging; To help me remember shit!

I fell over a post from December 2018 in which I highlight 3 events/problems that had occurred to me/us (because all bad things come in 3’s?!), and it dawned on me that all 3 “problems” actually resolved itself since! This just goes to show you that sometimes the best action you can take, is NO action!

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The Christmas paradox

The Christmas paradox

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When I was a kid, I used to love Christmas (which kid doesn’t?!).

My parents divorced when I was very little, so I’ve always had two Christmas eves! One with my dad and his family, and one with my mom and her family. Some times I would get presents for 3 days straight (23-24-25), because I also had “step-families” (my mom and dad both remarried a few years after their divorce). I’ve never actually seen their divorce as a misfortune. Because they both remarried I had two happy families – and 4 set of grandparents!

IMAGINE that, as a child at Christmas! – Yes, you guessed it; presents galore!

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Monthly Update #15 (November 2019) – The Pause

Monthly Update #15 (November 2019) – The Pause

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It’s December already! And this means it’s time to look at some numbers from the great month of November!

This monthly update is a bit delayed, as I’ve been on “Pause” since the end of November, where we went on a holiday to Egypt (again!?) to catch some sun and some much needed Vitamin D. Since we returned from our holiday, I’ve been a bit busy at work, and the Christmas month is always a busy month, right?! So I haven’t really had the time to work on the blog.

Anyway, the good thing about passive investments, is that they continue to earn money, even though you’re on a pause 😛

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A tribute to TEoW

A tribute to TEoW

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Behind every (great) man is a great woman (rolling her eyes)…

This is a tribute to my (eye rolling) wife. Because she doesn’t get enough credit for her hard work every day, taking care of our family. I figured it was only appropriate to use the voice of my alter ego to thank her properly. And because part of this journey is also being grateful for what you have.

You all know a lot about me and my Total Balance. The truth is, it’s really not MY Total Balance – it’s OUR Total Balance. It’s time you guys get to know the real mastermind behind this endeavor. I might be the one leading the pen, but make no mistake – my family is my muse.

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