by It’s that time again, friends! Welcome to our monthly check-in on our journey to financial independence. As we near the end of 2016, I find myself reflecting on the nature of progress—how it’s not always visible, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
The Numbers: Steady as She Goes
Our Freedom Fund remains at 91% of our goal, unchanged from last month. If we were to retire today, our investments could cover $32,035 in annual expenses. We’re tantalizingly close to our $35,000 annual income goal—just $2,965 short!
At first glance, it might seem like we’re stuck. But let me tell you a story that’s been on my mind lately.
The Panama Canal: A Lesson in Perseverance
Picture this: it’s the early 1900s, and thousands of workers are toiling away in the sweltering heat of Panama. They’re building what will become one of the world’s most crucial shipping routes—the Panama Canal.
This massive project took about ten years and, tragically, over 22,000 lives to complete. Workers faced countless setbacks: disease outbreaks, equipment failures, and treacherous terrain. On many days, I imagine it felt like they weren’t making any progress at all.
But here’s the thing: every shovelful of dirt, every brick laid, every obstacle overcome was progress. It just wasn’t always visible in the moment.
Our Own Canal: The Final 10%
I feel like we’re in a similar situation with our Freedom Fund. We’re in that final stretch—the last 10%—and it can feel like we’re not moving forward. The market’s in a holding pattern, which is affecting our investments. But just like those canal workers, we’re making progress every single day.
We’re sticking to our tried-and-true investment formula. We’re maintaining our saving and spending habits. And even though the progress isn’t reflected in our percentage right now, we’re slowly but surely inching towards our goal.
Celebrating the Small Wins
Here’s something our progress chart doesn’t show: October was our second-lowest spending month of the year at $3,006.66! We cut back on travel, didn’t spend on alcohol, and barely ate out. These small decisions are moving us forward, even if the big number isn’t changing yet.
Looking Ahead
As we move into the holiday season, I’m reminding myself to celebrate these invisible victories. Every dollar saved, every smart financial decision, is progress—even if it doesn’t show up on our chart right away.
Those are some awesome figures! congrats on the great progress. Your progress isn’t going to jump off the paper (or spreadsheet) every month. That’s just not how it works in the investing world. Some months the market soars and you don’t invest. Some months prices tank and you see your market value decrease. If you want a true picture on your progress, I think you have to expand your lookback period. Compare your current progress to the same period last year. You will then see how much you were able to accomplish over and extended period of time, one that includes both months of progress and setbacks.
Thanks for the summary!
Bert
Hi Bert –
Thanks!
Looking back to compare our current progress to our past progress it’s a great tip. It’s definitely what keeps up investing on a regular basis regardless of what the market is doing. The only thing that I do is check our asset allocation to see where we should invest new money. Is our REITs allocation low? Then maybe it’s time to buy some more. Did the stocks gain too much causing our bonds to be lower? Than maybe we should buy more bonds.
Thanks for dropping by!