NET WORTH Tracking and My ACTUAL Numbers!

[@woodsparker7902]

Congratulations on closing in on the $1,000,000 Net Worth number! Watching your upward trend over the past several years is pretty amazing. Great work knocking out the mortgage prior to retirement! Happy New Year, Julie!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! Tracking your net worth is very motivating! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@FIRE_DrNinjaTurtle]

I love doubling my net worth. Time to double it again. I love quote. It is perfect for the new year.

[@HappyonMonday]

Me too! Happy New Year! 🥳

[@silentnot4812]

I’ve been tracking my net worth for 20 years now. That had the greatest effect of causing me to be mindful of spending and saving. It is a much bigger motivator than budgeting. My cars are old so I don’t track those and I live in an area where houses don’t go up significantly. That is why I have a mortgage. Why tie up your money making 2-3% on a house instead of 7-10% or more.

[@HappyonMonday]

I agree that tracking your net worth really motivates you! 😁

[@ryanclark6602]

Best of luck in the new year Julie! Another yr down for me and nine more to go til I can join you in retirement bliss :-)

[@daisymayzee]

Goooo Julie!🎉 Great job!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! ☺

[@BrittanyLinger]

Wow great job! I need to start tracking like this so I can see the growth easier. In 2025 my plan was to write it in a notebook at the beginning/end of the year so I can see the yearly growth but I think also doing it in a spreadsheet I’d be able to see it easier year to year. Good job and thanks for sharing your progress!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thanks! Yes, I love spreadsheets and I love seeing the growth year to year! You're welcome. ☺

[@CourtneyRobinson]

Getting so close to that $1,000,000 mark. It’s a great feeling. Congratulations for doing so well. I told a good friend of mine about your channel and she retired soon after watching you. She loves your channel as much as I do.

[@HappyonMonday]

It is a great feeling! That's so nice - thank you! ☺

[@tammy9964]

That’s a great way to start off the New Year. Congratulations!

[@HappyonMonday]

Yes it is! Thanks!! 😁

[@christinewallace9251]

You are doing great. Good job.

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! ☺

[@Brian-nb6fb]

We have similar paths to early retirement and I totally agree with paying off the mortgage and being debt free BEFORE retiring. My friends who still work ask for advice and I share the Ramsey method but I do use a credit card for the rebate and pay it off monthly. Life isnt perfect being retired but at least I dont have to deal with work anymore! Love the nay sayers who ask for my advice about retiring, then tell me I'm wrong. Of course they're still going to the office everyday, hope their plan works for them someday 😅 Happy New Year.🎉

[@HappyonMonday]

Love this! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@Bob-yh7ir]

It's an awesome feeling to have financial peace and security. Great job!!! You have this and are going to continue hitting it out of the park. I am running our year end nunbers too and looked at my wife with wide eyes as she nearly fainted when she saw the number. 2024 was another banner year. Cheers and happy new year!!

[@HappyonMonday]

It really is! Thank you!! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@tophatbanjo]

Hi, Julie! Great video! As you know, I was always a person to watch and track the income and outgo of my dollars very carefully, especially back in the days when not very much was coming in (and nearly all of it was going out). Now there's a lot more, but I find that I watch it just as carefully. The only concession I've made as my NW has gone up is to stop fumbling around with the decimal points and just round to the nearest dollar, like the IRS does, heh! My not-so-good years in the market were 2005, 2009, 2020, and of course 2022, but overall, it hasn't been terrible. Have a good day! 😊

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! Yes, 2020 and 2022 hit me hard. Back in 2005 and 2009 I wasn't really paying attention. 😆

[@tophatbanjo]

@@HappyonMonday Well, you had your hands full with other things. Live and learn, that's what I say!

[@backcountryFLcyclist]

Thank you! Have a happy new year to you as well!

[@HappyonMonday]

You're welcome!! Happy New Year! 🥳

[@theresaegbuniwe5808]

Great video!!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thanks! ☺

[@lost-south-lake-crafters]

Great quote! I still drive a 2007 model car. It still looks good, and I have no desire to spend money on another car. Hopefully, it lasts a lot longer.😊

[@HappyonMonday]

I love quotes! Me too. I hope my car will last for at least another 5 years! ☺

[@VTLovesSF]

I have a 2007 Corolla, got it painted recently, it's running strong, I'm hoping it runs for another 5 years.

[@lauriewilliams9220]

Congratulations Julie! Happy New Year!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@Izzy_Gtz]

Congratulations soon to bee millionaire!! 🥳 May the new year bring you happiness, stability and even more wealth. Happy new year!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@ericlee2931]

Even the experts say I am wrong but, I look at net worth as cash, income streams and investments only. My paid off house has a value if it is sold, but no value to my spendable moneys while I live in it. So, I call my house value zero. Same thing for my paid off car. The house and cars are items that I need to survive, can't sell them because I need them to survive. My family is welcome to sell them when I pass because I will not need them. On the other hand, if I owe $25,000 on the car and $100,000 on the house then I have $125,000 negative equities against my net worth.

[@HappyonMonday]

That's a good way to look at it!

[@bunnobear]

That’s how I do it too :)

[@marksweather]

Your house does have a value, once your older, if you run out of money, you can take out a reverse mortgage on it, and have your house pay you from it's value.

[@marksweather]

For us, we would rather enjoy life with the assets we put so much money into, while we are alive.

[@ericlee2931]

@@marksweather yes you can unlock the value of a portion of the of the home using a reverse mortgage. I would not do it unless I were forced to do it. There are some down sides to doing that.

[@bunnobear]

How awesome to double your net worth, I need to fill mine out for this year, we buy new cars and then keep them for well over 10 years. The last two we have passed them on to our kids, we know then that they have a safe and reliable car as we were the only owners. Best wishes for 2025, I have really enjoyed your channel, don’t under your US terms as I am an Aussie but that’s ok :) I am exited to have a bridging account to track in my net worth thanks to you 🎉

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! That's really nice that you give your cars to your kids! ☺

[@brians7419]

For business banking reasons, I did a personal financial statement annually for over 30 years. It was always interesting trying to grow this and now that I’m 7 years into retirement, my goal is to simply maintain my net worth. I must say, I’m really impressed with how you’ve done! You should be very proud of yourself! Good job! 👍😀

[@HappyonMonday]

That's great! Yes, in another year or so my goal will be to maintain too. Thank you! ☺

[@brookenigh]

Another wonderful video, Julie. Thanks for the transparent content and a huge CONGRATULATIONS on increasing your net worth so much. It's so inspiring to see! Best wishes for the rest of 2024, and much success for 2025. 🥂

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you so much! Best wishes and Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@MJL-3093]

Nice work!! Thanks for the inspiration. Happy New Year everyone!! 🎆🥳🎉💰💸

[@HappyonMonday]

Thanks and you're welcome! Happy New Year!! 🥳

[@dtovar2]

I enjoy your videos. Congratulations on your accomplishments. I wish you a happy and healthy new year!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@VTLovesSF]

Thank you for sharing Julie! You're doing great! Happy New Year!

[@HappyonMonday]

You're welcome! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@user-bg9em7ch6k]

Hi Julie, always love your videos and I’m so delighted to see your increasing net worth!!! I did want to mention that home prices don’t Always go up-as someone who owned a home that dropped in value by one third in 2008 I’m acutely aware of this. It ended up being fine, because we’d purchased it 10 years prior for less than the peak price, and because we didn’t need to sell it until 2017 when it had (more than) recovered its value. Sadly, however, we had friends who had purchased at the peak and lost their jobs when the economy tanked, and they lost their houses too. It’s true that the housing market trends up, but in shorter terms (even 8 years) it can definitely go down, so people need to be ready to be Very flexible (add roommates!!!) during lean times.😁

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! Yes, that's true about housing. I should have mentioned that! Thanks! ☺

[@411sponge72]

Happy New Year Julie and congrats on your current net worth! I'm with you, I'm still driving my 2010 car. However, I have almost 250,000 miles on mine! LOL

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you and Happy New Year to you too! 🥳 That gives me hope that I have a few more years with my car! 😄

[@constpegasus]

I’m happy you are making these videos for us.

[@HappyonMonday]

I'm glad! 😀

[@lisagardner9798]

Great accomplishment! Thank you for sharing these videos. Hope you have a great New Year! 🎉

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@teebirds7152]

Congrats on all your efforts! Very motivating

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you! ☺

[@TracyBrown-d9y]

Great video! Very inspiring! Happy New Year! 🎉

[@HappyonMonday]

Thanks!! Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@ListerBliss]

Happy New Year! Can’t wait to see what your book (your youtube video portfolio) looks like in 2025!

[@HappyonMonday]

Happy New Year! 🥳 Thanks!

[@danncorbit3623]

Suggestion: at your home site, put links to all of your spreadsheets and any other resources some people might need.

[@HappyonMonday]

That's a good idea! Thanks! 😀

[@austinburns4213]

Our two story suburban house has only gone up about 31% in 21 years. The increase has just broken even with the property taxes we’ve paid on the house over those same years. Nope - our suburban home in a major city was NOT the best financial investment we’ve made. Not by a long shot. However, it was a fantastic investment in terms of place to live and raise our children, with top rated public schools to send them to college.

[@HappyonMonday]

Wow that's surprising! But I'm glad it was a great place to live and raise your children. That's worth everything! ☺

[@70qq]

what city do you live in ? ... real estate prices in the country in the last 21 years have more than doubled , how could yours be only up 31% in a major city ? ... the U.S. average home price went from 140K to 340K from 2003 to 2023 (243% increase in value) .......... even standard inflation (which is way less than real estate) is up 71.46% in the last 21 years since 2003 when you bought

[@malaysia1911]

For the algorithm ... Happy Almost New Year!

[@HappyonMonday]

Happy New Year!! 🥳

[@ljosephdumas3113]

I could never keep my New Year's Resolutions so in the mid-1980s I made a Resolution to not make resolutions any more - and I've kept it! 🤣

[@HappyonMonday]

I love it! 😆

[@VTLovesSF]

LOL Joseph

[@sarahthompson5066]

That's the exact spreadsheet I use. Did you get that from Fritz Gilbert at the Retirement Manifesto?

[@HappyonMonday]

Yes I did! LOVE his stuff!! 😃

[@sarahthompson5066]

@@HappyonMonday I thought I recognized it. Yes, it's a great net worth sheet that separates the assets by taxable status and very easy (and useful) to use. I added a percentage calculation at the bottom of each section so i knew the percentage in each category (After tax, tax deferred and tax free) and could monitor changes in my percentages. I also added a column so I could see the $ change between months. I roll mine monthly.

[@HappyonMonday]

@@sarahthompson5066 That's awesome! 😀

[@rolandosouffrain7957]

I have started tracking my net worth this year. As of nov. I am around $880,000. I have 12 years until I retire. I will keep tracking every month. Can't wait to see how much it will go up in 2025.🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@HappyonMonday]

That's awesome! If you have 12 more years you have lots of room to grow!! 😃

[@JIMDAVIS-z2h]

It’s hard but it’s doable……it’s nice to see it go up every year. “That’s what SHE said ! “ 😂

[@michelled3867]

You have given me the motivation to try this tracking spreadsheet. I just calculate every month or more on a sheet of paper my accounts, but I never get to see the jumps. Do you mind me asking what do you invest your HSA in? I'm getting ready to do something like that. Fellow teacher who also retired this year, but much less than you did so I'm trying to figure things out the best I can. Thanks so much

[@HappyonMonday]

I'm so glad! My HRA just had options of "conservative," "moderate," or "aggressive," from what I remember. I picked conservative. It is different from a HSA. ☺

[@golt4576]

My bank sends me a break out of all my credit card expenses. I use my credit pretty much solely for points and tracking. I then do a NW ony brokerage accounts. My house due to being in a HCOL area is just crazy it goes up. My cars well they're old no value but no real expenses either.

[@HappyonMonday]

Nice!! Owning a home is a great way to increase your net worth! 🙂

[@buyerclub2]

Hi, and happy 2025. I am going to spend a little time on this comment, because I am pretty sure you will actually read it. Who knew that a teacher living frugally could become a millionaire? (LOL) Anyway congrats on that milestone that many still think is unachievable. In no particular order. Your keeping and maintaining the car. Aas long as you're comfortable with it, this makes great sense. If you can keep it running for under $5K a year, I think you should. But if something major goes on it, you have to consider if you are hitting the time when you are throwing good money after bad. You are right you dont have a lot of mileage on it, and if is some of the good makes a cars, (like a Toyota), it could easily go over 250K. But remember somethings in a car, like gaskets and seals, and belts, are just as impacted by time as mileage. Rubber and plastic can and will deteriorate. Change the oil at least every six monts. Even if you drive very little. But given what cars cost now, I would suggest if you need to buy another aim for a 3-5 Japanese or Korean), I would however do what you can to keep the existing one going! Second topic, Your comment about IRA CDs. There is really no big difference in a CD if it is held in retirement account or not. The only difference is that if you own it in a IRA the interest is tax deferred but in a regular account, it is taxed the year the interest is paid. Right now, to me, its kinda of hard to determine what rates will do in 2025. A few months ago the Fed seemed to be ready to drop rates by another whole point. But now it seems like it will only be about .5 in 2025. If I was going to suggest something, it is roll about half of that maturing CD into another 15 month or so, tht will likely yield 4.1% Make sure it is not callalble. (Which means the bank can terminate it early if rates go lower than they expected). The other half I would put in a money market. Today, these are still yielding 4.25-4.35% (Look at FIdelity, Schwab etc). So if my prediction is correct, and rates drop only .5 for the year. You can hold higher rates now, and keep more fullyl liquid. (But this money is not going to grow too much. Its just safe.) Last topic. Your comment on what you called your Roth account. It sounds like you held individual stocks there. I would suggest you might want to convert those into ETFs. As I am pretty sure you know, 2023 and 2024 had much better gains than the average year. And if the long term trend is around 9-10% were going to have years that are LOWER than that sometime, and IMO likely soon. Picking individual stocks is hard. And most who do can NOT beat the S&P500 Index. Even those that get paid the big bucks cant do it. I mainly do individual stocks more for trading than investing, and do ETFs and mutual funds for my investing. And I suspect you are less of a nerd than I and would prefer to do other things than follow the market and individual companies. So in conclusion, nothing wrong in selling stocks that you lare lloting money on. Might be able to do some tax loss harvesting in 2025, to offset some gains. I could write more, but maybe I should wait. When I first watched your videos, I think probably a year ago. I thought to myself, with when and how much she retired on, she is ‘cutting in close”. Now that I have watched more, and see a better picture of your portfolio and life syles. I now feel much more confident that you arte going to do just fine, and have a great second half of the yor life. To next time.

[@buyerclub2]

update on a comment. If I am right, those are individuial stocks in the Roth account. I would still sell those that are not growing, but unfortunately you can not tax loss harvest those. For each secuitry it that account, ask yoursel two questions. "would I buy that stock now if I didnt own it", and second "has the reason that I own its story changel>? if the the answer is no to either. Sell it.

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you so much for your kind and helpful comments! My car is a Mazda. I do get the oil changed a couple times a year. If it gets expensive to maintain I will definitlely sell it and get something else. I like the IRA CDs because they are safe. I will defintiely look into the rates and terms in February. The Roth account I will do some thinking on for sure. Thanks again for your thoughtful comments. ☺

[@buyerclub2]

@@HappyonMonday BTW I owned several Mazdas. I owned severak Mazda 3 hatch, my wife owned a larger one that I cant remember name of. Yes they are good cars, but even thouse have things that will fail over time.

[@louhmx1136]

Lookin good!

[@HappyonMonday]

Thanks! 😁

[@JuliesRichLife]

Cheers, Happy New Years indeed! Here's to a financially healthy 2025 for everyone.

[@HappyonMonday]

Happy New Year!! 🥳

[@roguered706]

Do you not consider your pension as part of your assets? Maybe I missed it- I saw a number of retirement account types. I currently consider my pension account and asset (while working) but I suppose once you retire it could be considered income instead. I am always confused on this.

[@HappyonMonday]

I don't put my pension or Social Security in my net worth. You could, but I just don't look at it as an asset I could sell or cash out. ☺

[@nncadi1]

Great video per usual. I'm surprised you put 100% stock in one of your IRAs instead of diversifying.

[@HappyonMonday]

Thanks! Yes, just my Roth. My other accounts are so conservative I guess that was my way of diversifying. ☺

[@marksweather]

Isn't education nice, I also have 704.00 sick hours right now, and I don't use them either. I'll have to come up with a plan for those in the next five years. If I don't use them, they only pay them out at 50% of the value. Some faculty take their last six months off paid, and just use those. I get 11 days a year that rollover year-to-year. Happy New Year, I went to bed at 8:00 p.m. last night.

[@HappyonMonday]

50% is better than we get! We only get 25%. I was pleased to find that it was paid at my current salary rate though. It adds up! But I know a lot of people that just use the days too. Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@marksweather]

@@HappyonMonday I'm on the negotiation team, we have a great team of 5 that works hard to keep the benefits we have :)

[@HappyonMonday]

@@marksweather That's awesome!

[@thegrimmperspective]

Personally, I would not let the market value of our home reflect how well I'm doing financially. Don't get me wrong, I do include our home in our net worth statement but I don't use market value but rather what we paid for it plus some of the major upgrades as the value to enter into our net worth statement.

[@HappyonMonday]

That's a good way to do it! I just followed the Retirement Manifesto's way of doing it. ☺

[@thegrimmperspective]

@@HappyonMonday using the amount paid is the way the Money Guys suggest.

[@jimmassey2120]

Wow! Congrats! Thank you for sharing your journey toward financial retirement satisfaction! One thing I have never tracked before that I am going to begin in 2025 is Asset Allocation - I think we are too weighted in stocks in all of our accounts.

[@HappyonMonday]

Thank you and you're welcome! Yes, I recently looked at my allocation and figured out that it was too conservative! 🙂