It’s been almost a year and a half since I last wrote. I’m not so sure how I feel about it. I have mixed emotions ranging from excitement, fear, nervousness. So, what have I been up to as regards to goals I had set for myself.

I bought a house

I bought my home this year 2022 in March. I got an interest rate of 4% and the asking price was 456k and I managed to buy it for 460k. The house is definitely overpriced, it should be about 100k less. I decided that I was ready even though the market was not ideal for buyers. I figured I’d end up waiting forever. I did have to replace the windows, furnace and stain the deck. This was definitely an expensive affair. However, for now, I do not intend on ever selling the house. I prefer a buy, hold and rent approach. My plan is to rent out two bedrooms, which will cover the mortgage and HOA. I‘ll start off by renting one bedroom and see how that goes. 

I bought a one bedroom condo off-plan back in Kenya, my birth country. I’ve already paid half and will pay the remainder early 2024 once completed. I am excited as this has always been a dream of mine. It cost about $50k and is located in a great and safe area.

Online business

Nothing much to report here. I’m afraid to say that I have not made any considerable progress. Hopefully I can now begin to figure my way forward in this regard. 

Journey toward Financial Independence

At the moment, this will take longer as I used the money from my taxable account to put up the down payment. Last year, I was able to recoup my losses by selling my tech index fund when the prices went back up (after the onslaught I described in my last blog) and buying the total stock market index fund. I then later in the year converted a majority to a total stock market ETF (this process is not taxed) so I can sell them any time of day to fund my down payment, closing costs and emergency fund. I was lucky to sell when the market was high and got my profits before the market started to fall. I also sold all my individual stocks and cryptocurrencies (bitcoin, ether and dogecoin) when the markets were doing well. Though I did lose money on dogecoin as I bought it high.

Health and wellbeing

I’m thankful that I’m healthy except for the fact that I have gained weight. At my recent physical, I weigh about 30 lbs more from the same time last year. I have learned a lot about myself in the process to lose and maintain a healthy weight including gaining muscle. This time round I plan to lose slowly, be consistent and not pressure myself. 

Well, that’s it for now. Much success my friends.