Introduction 2023 was the first full year that we spent in the USA, our hopeful forever home. We saved the most that we have ever saved with a high income and working remotely in a low cost of living area. We explored many mountains, swam in many lakes, and we started to feel at home. The year ended with the shattering news of being laid off and learning that we would have to leave the USA and return the UK....
Introduction 2022 has been a a hallmark year for us. After living in Sweden for 2 years, we set our sights on the USA. We decided that we wanted the USA to be our home, got business approval, went through the Visa process, and relocated to the USA; all within 6 months. 2022 was the year that we started to pursue “settling down” with our sights set on a post-FIRE life in a forever home; getting to The Land of the Free bought us one step closer....
I’m ending this year with both a high and a low. The high being that my financial independence target of £300k was reached in December 2021 , and the low is that during Christmas both myself and my wife caught COVID. We’ve lasted for over a year in a mask-free state in Sweden, commuting to work, going out for drinks, and we never caught the virus. We go back to the UK for Christmas and then when we arrive back in Sweden we’re positive; what a plague-ridden country the UK has become!...
2020 has been a very weird year. It’s been so weird that I even have to check myself to see if I’m not actually experiencing a very strange lucid dream. The year started out relatively normal. I was excited for the year to begin after hitting my long awaited £100k invested goal. I was rested after having a nice Christmas break at the in-laws house. I wrote about how good I was feeling, how everything was ‘coming together,’ my parents were hoping to retire to Spain before 2021 after a stressful 50 years of working, I had vowed to study and apply for a dream job; I was raring to go....
It’s that time of year again where I create the charts, review the data, analyse, and seek to improve. Looking back at 2018 reviewed I’m aghast at how much I’ve forgotten and shocked at the amount that can get accomplished in a single year. That’s why these posts are so important; not just for personal finance but for all of your goals. The clarity that journaling gives you means that you can achieve anything that you set out to do as you’ll have time to reflect, analyse and get incrementally better!...