February saw a lot pressure on markets. High inflation, looming interest rate hikes and Russia invading Ukraine were some of the causes that led to a down stock market this month. The world is full of uncertainty right now. I hope for a quick and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Europe. One thing I am certain of is that I will keep investing. Let’s look at how the month of February played out for me.
Spending/Savings
Spending this month was kept inline with the budget. The emergency fund is at about two months of expenses. For the year so far, my savings rate is at 26.7% which is above my goal of a 25% savings rate.
Dividends/Options/Interest
This month a total of $337.30 in dividends was received. This is an increase of $8.68 over February 2021. Year over year, this is about a 2.6% increase. For the year, I have received $590.91 in dividends. This is 14.77% toward my goal of $4,000 in dividends this year.
The total amount of options premium received this month was $472.65. This is up considerably from February 2021 when I received $338.70 in options premium. So far this year I have collected $1,243.13 in options premium. This puts me at 20.72% toward my goal of $6,000 in options premium this year.
Income from interest this month totaled $6.15. For the year, I have received $13.81 in interest.
The total amount of dividends, options premium and interest I received this month was $816.10. This is up compared to February 2021 when I received $677.65 combined. For the year, I have received $1,847.45 in combined income.
Debt
This month my total debt went down by $765.16. This puts me at about 8.97% of the way to reaching my goal of having less than $100,000 of debt by the end of the year. This is well behind the pace needed to reach my goal.
Traditional IRA
The Traditional IRA finished the month at about $121,224. This is down $1,252 from the previous month. Year over year, the account is up about $16,450 from February 2021. My projected annual dividend income (PADI) is $3,903.36. This is down about $7 from last month, but I believe that is due to the method of tracking. I canceled my subscription to qualtrim.com. The service has a lot to offer but I could not justify paying $10 a month for it since I was only really using it once a month for this report. I also noticed a flaw in dividend calculations. It had counted a dividend payout for one of my positions twice. Going forward, I will be using the PADI shown on my Fidelity accounts.
Roth IRA
The Roth IRA finished the month at about $2,522. This is up $256 from the previous month. This includes contributions made this month of $345. Year over year, the account is up $2,263 from February 2021. The PADI is up to $114.91. This is up almost $3 over last month, but again, I was using a different method of tracking PADI last month.
401k
The 401k finished the month at about $11,039. This is up $355 from the previous month but is actually down once contributions are factored in. Year over year, this account is up $5,038 from February 2021.
Taxable Brokerage Account
The taxable brokerage account finished the month at about $338. This is up $1 from the previous month. When the $25 monthly contribution is factored in, this account was down for the month. Year over year, this account is up $185 from February 2021.
Cryptocurrency
The little bit of bitcoin that I own finished the month at about $20. This is up about $2 from the previous month.
Total Investments
The total amount invested is now about $135,143. This is down $638 from the previous month. Year over year, the total amount invested is up $23,956 from February 2021. All of the positions in my portfolio can be seen by clicking “Portfolios” in the menu above.
Net Worth
My net worth is now about $76,381. This is down $39 from the previous month. Year over year, my net worth is up by $52,098 since February 2021.
Conclusion
During these uncertain times in the world there are much bigger issues than my accounts being down. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who impacted by the events in Europe. As far as my investing goes, I remain focused on my plan. Cash flow was down this month in the accounts from last month but remains up year over year. The long term goal is to create enough cash flow to live off when I retire in less than 9 years. The fluctuations in the account values are insignificant as long as I keep growing the cash flow. That’s it for this month. Thanks for following along!
On a side note, I have added a Recommended Resources in the menu. It currently is a work in progress. It will contain blogs and YouTube channels that I enjoy as well as some sites that I use. I hope you take the time to check it out.
*Disclaimer – I am not a financial professional. The information shared here should not be considered financial advice. I am just a factory worker sharing my experience as I strive to achieve financial freedom. Before investing or making any financial decision do your own research and due diligence or consider seeking the advice of a financial and/or tax professional.
Here are some of the businesses that I use that I thought some of you might be interested in.
Lolli has a variety of stores that it is affiliated with and offers rewards for shopping at these stores. I use Lolli when I shop on Chewy and I get bitcoin as a reward. Who doesn’t want free bitcoin! If you are interested in Lolli and want to help support the blog here is my referral link: https://www.lolli.com/share/XP7gxDgqC4
I use M1 Finance for my taxable growth account. M1 Finance offers promotions for signing up. At the time of writing this post, the promotion is for $50. These promotions vary from time to time but is usually a $10 bonus. If you are interested in M1 Finance and want to support the blog here is my referral link: https://m1.finance/ktIiFeOI5zDr
Varo Bank is one of the banks that I use. From time to time the bank will run promotions. Currently, you can earn up to 3% on your savings with Varo, if you meet certain requirements. If you are interested in checking it out, here is my referral link: https://bank.varomoney.com/signup?r=William360
If you use the referral links listed above I could receive compensation. Please take the time to read the terms and conditions before signing up.
Se you are using the new Fidelity performance view. I like the new look and feature they rolled out.
I too, like the new look and features on Fidelity. Overall, I am a fan of Fidelity.