Every quarter I like to hit pause on my normal posting schedule and provide an update on how things are going for me personally and my finances. I think it’s important to celebrate the wins both big and small, and focus on progress. I believe that small habits repeated over a period of time will ultimately lead to success, and that success is a journey not just a destination! Here is what’s going on in my life this summer!

Income

From an income standpoint, Mrs. Money made a big move this quarter, one that we’re both very excited about but also one that will affect our income. I’ve said that you learn a lot about your employer’s true colors during a time of crisis, and COVID in 2020 was quite the crisis. My full-time employer was absolutely great to me (and all the employees) in terms of working from home flexibility, home office stipends, extra emergency leave allocated, and keeping our bonuses the same. Mrs. Money’s on the other hand wasn’t so great and although her experience isn’t uncommon in the education space, it definitely wore on her. She also, with the arrival last quarter of SegundoMoneyFinance, was looking for a bit more flexibility in her role, whether more consistent working from home, better hours, or ideally, 4 days a week. She spent the last few months interviewing for a few positions and ultimately landed a solid 4 day / week job! The one downside is that it’s not full-time which means no benefits for her, which is ok as she’s currently on my insurance but it does mean that there’s no 401(k) for her.

Mrs. Money’s new job will be a bit of a pay decrease, but she does have another part-time coaching job that she’s picked up too. So it might be a bit choppy during the transition but I’m hopeful our budget will be able to look the same once she’s up and running with her new jobs!

For me my corporate job continues to go well and aside from some hiccups around the timing of my quarterly bonus (due to my paternity leave that I took for SegundoMoneyFinance), I’m happy and earning a nice paycheck!

The other big update is that we are no longer landlords! After 2.5 years of renting our rental house out, we’ve decided to sell the rental house. There are some tax considerations that drove that decision and also the real estate market is super hot and it seemed like a good time to sell. We did however get 6 months of rental income this year. Mrs. Money and I plan post-sale to look to get back into the rental game by purchasing another rental house, but we’re going to be patient and look to not overpay!

Expenses

2 kids are definitely more expensive than 1 kid. Even with BabyMoneyFinance out of diapers now, and SegundoMoneyFinance not quite in daycare yet, there just always seem to be lots of expenses. We are doing some work around our house (re-doing our backyard), and anything with contractors right now is expensive! I always try to remind myself that we are automatically investing 30% of my income right now (15% retirement, 15% ESPP) and so when we reach the end of the month and aren’t able to meet our monthly savings goals, I try not to be too hard on myself!

Saving/Investing

The stock market continues to do well, and so thankfully my retirement and general brokerage account is up for the year! I’ve focused more on attempting to fully take advantage of tax-benefited accounts, mainly the 401(k). I used to find myself saving some in my 401(k) and then some in a general brokerage account. I realized that didn’t necessarily make sense, as I might as well take advantage of the tax savings by putting it in a retirement account. I didn’t plan to need that money for other things in the future (i.e. I have a savings account for that), and so I thought it would be better put in a retirement account. This focus that I set for myself has been a bit complicated with Mrs. Money changing jobs, changing income levels and losing her ability to contribute to a 401(k) so my goal there is a bit on pause but I plan to figure it out in the coming months.

I am still dabbling a bit here and there in crypto and that continues to be an emotional roller coaster for me! Outside of that we continue to save in high yield savings accounts (although the interest rates aren’t that high anymore). I will say that I’m a bit worried about inflation and am looking more to ensure that my money isn’t just sitting in a savings account where the interest earned isn’t even keeping up with inflation.

Giving

Giving back financially has always been a focus for Mrs. Money and I, we believe it’s important to give back to our community and whether it’s our local church or some local non-profits whose mission we align with, we make giving a priority!

Overall

This quarter has definitely been a transitioning quarter for us, figuring out what it’s like to be parents of two children, figuring out what Mrs. Money’s job situation was going to be, and balancing some leave for Mrs. Money and myself. It has been amazing getting so much quality time with the family and we were even able to take a few small trips here and there to the beach and to visit family! Ultimately I know that I’m on the right path financially and have attempted to worry a bit less about the progress I’m making this quarter, and instead focus on other pressing family matters as we are growing into being a family of 4!

Blog

I always like to start this section by saying that I still enjoy running the blog! It’s been an 8 year labor of love but somehow week after week I still find stuff to write about and stuff that people want to read! Some big hits this quarter were: Why I now buy a $5 latte, the story of how we lost to a bully and sold our house, and the story of our experience attempting (unsuccessfully) to sell our house without a realtor. One that I was really proud of was How I think about investing, which was really helpful for me as I think through how I continue to grow and adapt my investing strategy. In terms of revenue, the blog continues to be profitable, with a few sponsored posts here and there each month. Thankfully I’m able to cover the hosting fees, along with treating the family to some takeout or other fun things each month!