Hello everyone! 2025 will be over soon. Are you ready for the holidays? This year will be a little different for us. RB40 Ms. is going to California for 6 weeks. She was moving her father into an assisted living facility and had a lot to do. We will be flying down to spend the Christmas holidays with her. We hoped her dad would stay in his home for another three years, but that didn't happen. He needs more help now. Regardless, the RB40 ladies will likely spend about 50% of their time in California next year. This is going to be hard on our son. He loves having his mom around. Everything goes more smoothly when she's home.
We had a pretty good month on the personal finance front. Our net worth reached new highs. The stock market has done very well this year. No one knows what next year will bring, though. I'm nervous about the whole AI bubble, but you have to keep investing. Last month, our cash flow was pretty good. We draw down our savings to plug some holes, but that's what retirement is about. I'm used to the exit phase of retirement.
Well, I’m going to share how my New Year’s resolutions came to fruition. Then I'll review our net worth and cash flow. let's go!
2025 goals
Here is my 2025 goals spreadsheet. This is helpful. If you can't achieve your New Year's resolutions, give this a try. The key is to review the spreadsheet each month to track your progress. This way, you can understand which goals require extra attention and work toward them.
Well, 2025 is ripe for the taking. I’ll be a little more relaxed in December. Some goals won't be accomplished 100%, and that's okay. Overall, I'm doing pretty well.
financial goals
Apartments for sale and rent
This is my main goal for 2025. The previous tenant moved out of our rental apartment in January. I fixed it up and put it up for sale. Unfortunately, the apartment market in Portland is terrible. We have only watched it once in 4 months! I think buyers are scared. That's why I decided to rent out the apartment temporarily. Next year we will put it on the market again. If the interest rate is lower, I hope it can be sold.
Duplex ready for sale
Likewise, I want to sell our duplex in 2029 after RB40Jr graduates from high school*. We wanted to move to Southern California to be closer to family. Ms. RB40’s parents are getting older and they need more help. My dad lives in Thailand and he needs more help too.
*We live in one unit and rent the other.
This year I plan to repaint the exterior. However, plans were changed to a kitchen remodel. Our kitchen is completely outdated. We resurfaced the cabinets, new countertops, and new flooring. The kitchen is much better now and should be a good selling point. I call this done.
Maximizing my Roth IRA
A Roth IRA is the best investment account you can have. When you withdraw money, you don't pay taxes on the gains. This is huge. If you start young and maximize your Roth IRA each year, it will become a valuable resource in retirement.
I have maxed out my Roth IRA contributions for over 20 years. But that streak may end this year. My income is decreasing rapidly. After 11 months, I made $6,408. Unfortunately, I don't think I will break $8,000. Maybe it's time to transition into full retirement.
Track net worth and hope for +10%
I have been tracking our net worth since 2006. It's great to see the progress. This year, I hope to go up 10%. At this point, it all depends on the stock market and there's nothing I can do to influence that goal. I will track it and pray. This is a stretch goal.
Since the beginning of the year, our net worth has increased by 10.3%! Wow, this is crazy. The stock market is unstoppable. I'm going to enjoy this euphoria while it lasts.
health goals
Exercise more than last year
Last year, I set a goal of exercising 3 times a week. However, my elbow hurt and I had to cut back a bit. As a result, I worked out 120 times in 2024. That's not bad, but I want to work out more this year.
I worked out 5 times in November. That's terrible. I'm done for this year and next year I need to develop a new exercise regimen.
win claim denied
Last year, RB40Jr received a cochlear implant to improve his hearing. He has 30%-60% hearing in his left ear. He tried hearing aids for several years, but the results were not noticeable. He can hear some sounds in his left ear, but cannot understand speech in his left ear.
Recently, the FDA approved cochlear implants for children. At first, I thought we could wait until RB40Jr came of age. Then he can decide for himself. However, our audiologist says the sooner the implant is placed, the better. If you wait too long, your brain may not adapt.
Anyway, he got the implant last year. But the insurance company denied the claim. They say cochlear implants are experimental and do not improve overall health. This is ridiculous. The device has been used to improve lives since the 1980s. We are fighting this denial. I think health insurance companies are denying as many claims as possible to boost profits. Many people are too sick to fight denial. No wonder everyone hates health insurance companies.
Latest Update – Denial is final. However, our team of audiologists called on the hospital to write off much of the cost of the surgery. Success! The hospital wrote off most of the surgery costs and we only had to bear the anesthesia fees. We are so grateful to the hospital and audiology teams. They are awesome.
interesting goals
Selling my ceramic projects
I took some ceramics classes at the community center and had a great time. My project is not yet on a professional level, but I will try to sell some items at an art auction at the community center this year.
I sold about $190 at the spring art sale! This is incredible. I didn't expect to sell so many pieces. The community center takes a 35% commission. That's totally fine. I'm happy to support them.
This is my table at the holiday craft sale. I hope to sell about 30 pieces. We don’t have room in our house for all this stuff.
More dates with Mrs.
This year, I want to hang out with Mrs. RB40 more. If you're a parent, you know how difficult this can be. Luckily our son is now a teenager. We can go out whenever we want. However, I need to overcome my reluctance to go out at night. We parked on the street and it was difficult to find parking at night. Ah! I would rather stay at home than go to a restaurant.
I'll go on a lunch date with the RB40 lady. It's much easier this way. Who wants to leave the house after dark?
In November, we went out twice.
Happiness>8
I'm a naturally happy person so this should be easy. Life has been good the past few years.
I had a great November. Everything went smoothly. No big deal.
Net worth (+10.3%)
I have been tracking our net worth since 2006. It's very encouraging to see our progress. The power of compound interest is incredible. Our investment returns far exceeded last year's revenue.
2025 is crazy. The stock market has performed much better than I expected. The artificial intelligence revolution continues to drive markets higher. It's hard to work now, but at least investors are doing well.
***Important*** If you're young (under 50), my best advice is to stay the course. Don't stop investing. Whether the stock market is rising or falling, you should continue to invest. You may think the stock is too expensive, but ten years from now it will look cheap. Keep investing and one day you will achieve financial independence. Don't try to time the market. If you are retired, you need to be more conservative and diversified.
Here is a chart of Empower's net worth. Sign up for a free account with Empower to help manage your net worth and investment accounts. They offer great free tools for DIY investors.
November 2025 fire cash flow
This FIRE cash flow statement includes my online income, side hustle income, and taxable passive income.
November 2025 fire revenue: $3,031
- Real estate crowdfunding: $0.
- dividend income: $1,209.
- Rental income: -$1. We bought a new refrigerator to replace the old one that was covered in frost.
- Online income: $87. Blogging income is quickly approaching zero. It might be time to move on to other things.
- Odd jobs: $241. I'm cutting back on my food delivery job. I'm trying to minimize driving when the weather is bad.
- to reimburse: $1,494. RB40 Ms.’s father reimbursed.
Cost: $5,034
- housing: $2,135. This includes mortgages, utilities, furnishings, repairs and maintenance. Our monthly housing costs are low because we live in a duplex. We share many of the costs with our tenants. However, since we are slowly paying off the kitchen remodel, the price will be higher than usual in two years. Home Depot has 0% interest for 24 months.
- transportation: $243. Gas, parking and insurance.
- entertainment: $0.
- groceries: $480.
- healthy: $162.
- child: $880. Wow, teens are expensive. We paid for the orthodontist, jiu jitsu, racquetball club, some gear, haircuts and medical bills.
- personal consumption: $501. My clay, donations, meals out, two new pans, and various other personal items.
- travel: $547. Ms. RB40 visited her parents and charged a lot of money to our credit card. Much of it would soon be repaid by her father.
retirement savings: –$2,003
November 2025 Summary
November is a good month for RB40 families. Ms. RB40 traveled to California again, but only stayed for two weeks. We can deal with this problem. However, her next trip will last six weeks. That would be tough. We would survive, but when she came back the house would be a mess. In December we take a breather and relax. Have a great holiday!
That’s it for November. How are you doing this month?
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