September was another rough month for investors in what has been a very tough year. This month seen the stock market hit new lows for the year. Instead of spending time worrying about what the stock market is doing or going to do, I focus on the things that I can control. This includes how much I save and invest, increasing my projected annual dividend income and paying down debt. Let’s check out my financial update for September.
Savings
Even with inflation taking a toll on my budget, I have been able to keep my spending in check. Spending was up a little more this month than last month but I was able to continue saving and investing. My savings rate is at 27.46% which is well ahead of my goal of 25% for the year but down from last month when it was just over 28%.
Dividends
September was a good month for dividends in which I received a total of $479.56 in dividend payments. Compared to September 2021 the dividends received increased by $97.87. Year over year, this is a 25.64% increase. For the year I have received $3,097.06 in dividends. This puts me at 77.4% towards my goal of receiving $4,000 in dividends this year. October is generally a slow month for dividends but with the amount I expect to receive in November and December I should be able to reach my goal for the year. Since I started investing in 2020, I have collected $8,627.66 in dividends.
Options
September was not a very good month for collecting options premium for me. For the month, I collected a total of $134.17 in options premium. This is down considerably for September 2021 when I collected $209.55 in options premium. For the year, I have collected $4,316.98 in options premium. As a result, I am 71.95% towards my goal of collecting $6,000 in options premium this year. In order to reach my goal I will need to really pick up the pace in the last quarter of the year. Since I started trading options in 2020 I have collected a total of $10,468.69 in options premium.
Interest
Income from interest this month totaled $27.91. This is up $1.21 over the previous month. For the year, I have received $132.94 in interest income.
Income from Investing
The total amount of income from dividends, options premium and interest totaled $641.64 this month. Even though the income was down considerably from last month it was still up by $45.07 when compared to September 2021. For the year, the combined income is up to $7,647.61. This works out to $849.73 per month, $196.09 a week or $4.90 an hour based on a 40 hour work week.
Debt
The total amount of debt went down by $2,485.08 this month. This puts me at 56.67% toward my goal of having less than $100,000 in debt by the end of the year. I have made good progress the past couple of months but still have a long way to go in order to reach my goal.
Investing
Traditional IRA
The Traditional IRA finished the month at $100,870.97. As a result, the account value decreased by -$11,048.99 over last month. Year over year, the account value is down by -$14,265.03. While the account value is down significantly, the projected annual dividend income (PADI) is up to $4,227.73. Over last month, the PADI increased by $323.12.
Roth IRA
The Roth IRA finished the month at $5,061.83. As a result, the account value increased by $419.43 over last month. Year over year, the account value has increased by $4,180.97. The PADI is now at $340.59 which is an increase of $65.15 over last month.
401k
The 401k finished the month at $12,840.35. As a result, the account value decreased by -$657.35 from the previous month. Year over year, this account has grown by $3,915.47.
Taxable Brokerage
The taxable brokerage account finished the month at $381.43. As a result, this account is down -$19.27 from the previous month. Year over year, this account is up by $54.78. The PADI for this account is $1.65.
Cryptocurrency
The little bit of bitcoin that I own finished the month at $12.63. This is down -$0.53 from the previous month.
Total Investments
The total amount invested is now at $119,167.21. Month over month, the total amount invested is down by -$11,306.71. Year over year, the total amount invested is down by -$6,101.18. All of the positions I invest in can be seen by clicking “Overall Portfolio” in the menu above.
Net Worth
This month seen my net worth drop to $75,183. This is a decrease of -$8,283 from last month. Year over year, my net worth has increased by $21,071.
Recap
Seeing my total amount invested and net worth drop is not fun, but I have limited control over those metrics. I continue to focus on the things I can control. Even with inflation running rampant I have been able to maintain my desired savings rate. I continue to invest on a dollar cost average schedule and add additional money when I can. My PADI continues to grow. Eventually, I don’t when, but eventually the stock market will turn around from this bear market to a bull market. When it does, I feel I will be much better off because I stuck with my plan even during tough times. That’s all for this month’s financial update. Thanks for following along!
*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.
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