We wrapped up 2024 and dove headlong into 2025… and the most expensive month of my life, so far.
You can check the latest and greatest info on the Track Our Progress page.
First, the numbers:
Net Worth:
- End of Quarter4 Balance: $1,702,865 Up $63,577 from Quarter 3.
- Year to Date (YTD): Up $371,027 (27.9%)
- Since January 2018 (this is when I started tracking our net worth): Up $1,397,865
Portfolio:
- End of Quarter 4 Balance: $1,388,139 Up $45,854 from Quarter 3.
- YTD: Up $350,953 (33.8%)*
- Since January 2018: Up $1,148,139*
*This is total value as opposed to an internal rate of return.
Stashing Cash and Moving Targets
I’ve mentioned in past posts that I was invited to become a shareholder of my company. An exciting opportunity to be sure. But one with some lofty financial requirements, since they, apparently, don’t just give away ownership shares. Anyways, when the company outlined their plan they provided a rough idea of what the purchase price would be, with the caveat that numbers would be updated closer to the end of the year. With this target in mind, we set a monthly savings goal and automated it with recurring transfers into our savings account.
Lo and behold, when Q4 came around and the updated numbers came out, the share price had increased a fair amount. So… we had to take a much closer look at the numbers and cram what additional funds we could into the account. Thankfully, that effort and my end of year bonus was juuuussst enough to get the job done.
I always have to make things interesting. Speaking of which, there’s been a few developments to kick off the new year, so I figured I’d use the rest of this post to start to cover them.
2025 Q1 So Far…
The Most Expensive Month of My Life So Far…
Right after the new year, I purchased the company shares. This happened two days after one of the more significant snowstorms in our area in several years. It was a bizarre feeling to be one of the few vehicles on the road, carrying a large check to close the deal. But I made it on time and now I’m trying to settle in as a minority owner of my company… which seems even more bizarre. It’s going to take some getting used to for sure.
But this wasn’t even the biggest transaction of the month.
Back in April of last year, my parents sold out the acreage that they had jointly owned with a few other family members. The place was awesome and I had countless fun times up there hunting, fishing, and just messing around. It was a great place to get away from it all and relax. But with so many people in the ownership group, it was bound to get really messing when it came to inheritance issues and some of the owners wanted out now.
Even before the sale ultimately went through, I’d been looking for some property. The sale just lit a bigger fire under me. I had a chat with my wife and parents and we agreed that if the right property came up, we could consider splitting it. But property values seemed sky high and we had a fairly long list of “must haves” or “really like to haves” that had me thinking that it just wasn’t going to happen for a long time. Numerous times I told myself to let it go. That maybe someday a few years from now there would be an opportunity. But no sooner than I could get the thought out of my head, it would spring right back in there. It just wouldn’t die.
And then, a real estate agent forwarded me a listing and claimed that he knew the area and it was worth a look. I scanned the listing for a bit and then discounted it out of hand. They were asking too much and the amount of acreage was at the lower end of what I was looking for. A few weeks later I saw it was still there and took a closer look. It seemed to check a few more boxes than I originally thought. After inquiring with the agent about utilities, it seemed reasonable that I could get water and electric to the site without breaking the bank. The property was also located a short drive from one of our favorite places to visit, Hermann, MO. Things started clicking into place, but still I was doubtful.
But I needed to scratch the itch, so I toured the property with my parents. I figured that would cure my curiosity… but shortly after arriving, I started getting a feeling. A feeling that… this just might work.
We (my parents, wife and I) discussed whether to make an offer over the next week. The only way this was going to work was if the seller came WAY down. Thankfully, our agent’s comps suggested that there should be a lot of room in their price… it was listed sky high. We decided to give a low all cash offer… and the seller didn’t respond. That’s the end of it, right?
Wrong! After the offer expired, the selling agent reached back out to say the sellers would be countering back. Weird, but welcome! Several rounds of back and forth ensured and ultimately we settled on the price we had targeted from the onset. We had a deal!
So, later in January, I strolled into the bank and requested the largest cashier’s check I’ve ever needed (much larger than for purchasing the company shares, mind you). The bank attendant laughed when I stated the amount! We closed without incident (a remarkable feat in and of itself given our prior real estate transactions) and now we are joint owners of 47 acres of mid-Missouri real estate!
But, like… Why?
Record scratch. I can hear you thinking: “Hasn’t this WHOLE blog been about saving and investing?” “Aren’t you trying to retire early?” “This doesn’t track!” “Why is he so late with all his posts?” “Have I been abducted by aliens?”
Money is just a means to an end. We have one life to live. No Regerts (sic).
When I think about the life I want to live, I have always had a piece of ground in my plans. The opportunities I’ve had at my parents’ old place have given me tons of memories that I cherish. I want that to continue. I want that for my family and friends. I don’t want to regret missing a chance to realize this dream. My parents are getting older and so are my kids. I want to share this with them. Maybe I took Bill Perkins book “Die with Zero” a little too much to heart. But here we are and I’ve shot my shot.
I’m so excited and energized. Also: Very conflicted as I’ve spent years saving and investing only to sell off some investments to afford the property. In the end, I ran A LOT of numbers, and still felt comfortable that we could reach our retirement goals. We can always try to save/invest more, but the window of time to share this experience with family and friends is finite and shrinking faster than anyone wants to acknowledge.
Executing the sale in Vanguard was disturbingly easy. I felt like there should have been alarms sounding, oaths sworn, and affidavits filed. Nope. Just Click. Click. Wait a few days.
While the property purchase was for personal reasons, I can’t overlook the financial aspects. Yes, we’ve tied up a lot of money into an illiquid investment. But unless you are on a volcanic island, they aren’t making more land. I’ve got no idea how the stock market will fare, but I am very confident the property value will continue rise over time. That is unless things go very wrong. In that case, we’d probably end up living on it. Ha!
There are lots of costs associated with the property. Many up front improvements to be made. But I suspect the financial ROI will be there if we want it.
In the end though, it’s the ROI to our quality of life that I’m most excited about.
Thanks for reading!
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