In May, we had a pretty typical income month and expense month.
This month, our total net income was $12,863.57. In addition to my wife’s regular paychecks, we earned $73.57 in interest income from our savings account.
Our expenses this month totaled $13,772.53. Large, non-fixed expenses included $1,808.29 for medical/dental/prescriptions, $754.64 for vacation, $681.59 for personal care items.
Next month, my wife should receive a quarterly bonus of 13,025 gross.
Overall
May looked promising but ended as a down month our net worth. Our net worth decreased $30,835.22 from last month to a total of $2,443,853.43 (see spreadsheet screenshot).
Retirement Accounts
Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs. My Wife contributes 8% to her 401(k) and her company matches 4% and chips in an additional 6% (lump sum) every March. Her 401(k) contribution increases by 1% automatically in March. This month, she contributed $1,523.04 to her 401(k). I do not work and do not contribute to a retirement account any longer. The total balance of our retirement accounts decreased $10,718.46 from last month to a total of $1,209,378.41.
HSA Account
We plan to pull from this bucket for health related expenses once my Wife retires. Her company contributes $2,000 annually and we contribute $125 each paycheck. The total current value of the HSA accounts is $3, 582.99
Brokerage Account
Currently, our brokerage accounts consist of stocks and cryptocurrency (I prefer to track crypto in the “Brokerage Accounts” field rather than “Cash & Savings Accounts”). The total current value of our brokerage accounts is $451,858.91, down $31,424.09 from last month.
Cash & Savings Account
Cash and savings accounts consist of a small sum of cash at home, our online savings accounts balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month. Our savings decreased $1,396.77 this month to a total of $27,962.60.
College Savings Accounts
This month, we contributed $232 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $7,298.99 from last month to a total balance of $116,060.46. We contributed $232 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $5,348.16 from last month to a total balance of $84,033.21. Our total 2026 contributions so far are $3,132 for our son and $3,132 for our daughter (2026 goal is $4,750 in contributions for each child).
Children’s Roth IRAs
This month, we contributed $0 to our son’s Roth IRA and it decreased $84.72, to $1,130. 13. We contributed $0 to our daughter’s Roth IRA and it decreased $84.72, to $1,130.30. We will be the custodian until our kids turn 18 years old, then the accounts will be transferred into their names.
Home
For our home value, we use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016. Current comps in the area are ~$931K. We paid off our home in September 2021.
Vehicles
My wife drives a company vehicle and has a company gas card. I drive a 2017 SUV (~115K miles on odometer) that we own (no auto loan). My wife gets a new company car next month and it’s a nice one (she receives a better selection of vehicles after her promotion).
Credit Card Balance
All of our credit card debt is paid in full each month.
In April, we had another amazing income month and a reasonable expense month.
This month, our total net income was $36,092.93. In addition to my wife’s regular paychecks, she sold $22,101.87 of her company stock. She received $120 in company reimbursements this month, we received a $725.36 refund from Southwest Airlines, and we earned $72.60 in interest income from our savings account.
Our expenses this month totaled $17,594.64. Large, non-fixed expenses included $5223.01 for vacation, $1,047.43 for clothing, and $601.11 for medical expenses.
Next month, my wife’s paychecks will be larger because no social security will be deducted (hit max for year). This will be the case for the remainder of 2026 and should allow us to invest/save more money each month.
Overall
April was an incredible month our net worth. Our net worth increased $225,869.36 from last month to a total of $2,474,688.65 (see spreadsheet screenshot).
Retirement Accounts
Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs. My Wife contributes 8% to her 401(k) and her company matches 4% and chips in an additional 6% (lump sum) every March. Her 401(k) contribution increases by 1% automatically in March. This month, she contributed $1,523.04 to her 401(k). I do not work and do not contribute to a retirement account any longer. The total balance of our retirement accounts increased $131,296.41 from last month to a total of $1,220,096.87.
HSA Account
This is a new addition to our net worth tracking. We plan to pull from this bucket for health related expenses once my Wife retires. Her company contributes $2,000 annually and we contribute $125 each paycheck. The total current value of the HSA accounts is $3, 147.34.
Brokerage Account
Currently, our brokerage accounts consist of stocks and cryptocurrency (I prefer to track crypto in the “Brokerage Accounts” field rather than “Cash & Savings Accounts”). The total current value of our brokerage accounts is $483,283.00 up $70,254.53 from last month.
Cash & Savings Account
Cash and savings accounts consist of a small sum of cash at home, our online savings accounts balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month. Our savings increased $4,096.19 this month to a total of $29,059.37.
College Savings Accounts
Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard. This month, we contributed $1,000 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $11,078.79 from last month to a total balance of $108,761.47. We contributed $1,000 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $8,545.07 from last month to a total balance of $78,685.05. Our total 2026 contributions so far are $2,900 for our son and $2,900 for our daughter (2026 goal is $4,750 in contributions for each child).
Children’s Roth IRAs
We just opened Roth IRAs through Fidelity for our two kids. This month, we contributed $0 to our son’s Roth IRA and it increased to $1,214.85. We contributed $0 to our daughter’s Roth IRA and it increased to $1,215.02. We will be the custodian until our kids turn 18 years old, then the accounts will be transferred into their names.
Home
For our home value, we use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016. Current comps in the area are ~$927K. We paid off our home in September 2021.
Vehicles
My wife drives a company vehicle and has a company gas card. I drive a 2017 SUV (~115K miles on odometer) that we own (no auto loan). My wife gets a new company car next month and it’s a nice one (she receives a better selection of vehicles after her promotion).
Credit Card Balance
All of our credit card debt is paid in full each month.
In March, we had an amazing income month and a high, but relatively reasonable expense month compared to income.
This month, our total net income was $44,969.63. My Wife’s 4% raise went into affect this month. In addition to my wife’s regular paychecks, she received an incredible quarterly bonus of $60,509.13 gross ($32,817.19 net). Her company reimbursements were $158.89 this month and we earned $44.42 in interest income from our savings account.
This month, our expenses totaled $23,552.88. Large, non-fixed expenses includes $1,175.48 for pet care (our dog got sick), $1,097.33 for clothing, and $895.59 for vacation expenses.
Next month, my wife plans to sell some company stock that has vested. She didn’t sell it this month because of the stock market decline.
Overall
March was a positive month our net worth. Our net worth increased $38,737.10 from last month to a total of $2,248,819.29 (see spreadsheet screenshot).
Retirement Accounts
Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs. My Wife contributes 8% to her 401(k) and her company matches 4%, while also chipping in an additional 6% (lump sum) every March (the extra 6%, $19,014.22, was just deposited into her account). Her 401(k) contribution increases by 1% automatically in March every year (just increased from 7% to 8%). This month, she contributed $5119.64 to her 401(k). I do not work and do not contribute to a retirement account any longer. The total balance of our retirement accounts increased $9,513.64 from last month to a total of $1,088,800.46.
HSA Account
This is a new addition to our net worth tracking. We plan to pull from this bucket for health related expenses once my Wife retires. Her company contributes $2,000 annually and we contribute $125 each paycheck. The total current value of the HSA accounts is $2,667.64.
Brokerage Account
Currently, our brokerage accounts consist of stocks and cryptocurrency (I prefer to track crypto in the “Brokerage Accounts” field rather than “Cash & Savings Accounts”). The total current value of our brokerage accounts is $413,028.47 up $23,563.91 from last month.
Cash & Savings Account
Cash and savings accounts consist of a small sum of cash at home, our online savings accounts balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month. Our savings increased $11,399.56 this month to a total of $25,263.18.
College Savings Accounts
Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard. This month, we contributed $500 to our son’s 529 Plan and it decreased $4,619.03 from last month to a total balance of $97,682.68. We contributed $500 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it decreased $3,172.32 from last month to a total balance of $70,139.98. Our total 2026 contributions so far are $900 for our son and $900 for our daughter (2026 goal is $4,750 in contributions for each child).
Children’s Roth IRAs
We just opened Roth IRAs through Fidelity for our two kids. This month, we contributed $1,050 to our son’s Roth IRA and it decreased to $1,049.84. We contributed $1,050 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it decreased to $1,049.99. We will be custodian until our kids turn 18 years old, then the accounts will be transferred into their names.
Home
For our home value, we use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016. Current comps in the area are ~$922K. We paid off our home in September 2021.
Vehicles
My wife drives a company vehicle and has a company gas card. I drive a 2017 SUV (~115K miles on odometer) that we own (no auto loan). My wife gets a new company car next month and it’s a nice one (she receives a better selection of vehicles after her promotion).
Credit Card Balance
All of our credit card debt is paid in full each month.
In February, we had a great income month and a relatively reasonable expense month.
This month, our total net income was $18,124.05. We received a $5,560 state tax refund and a $4,987 federal tax refund (listed as credits in our expense report). In addition to my wife’s regular paychecks, she received her company’s highest award that provided a special bonus of $5,074.41 gross ($3,000 net). Her company reimbursements were $166.47 this month. We also received $3,119.82 in insurance reimbursements and earned $24.58 in interest income from our savings account.
This month, our expenses totaled $14,178.11. Large, non-fixed expenses included $3,910.36 in clothing/accessories ($3240.41 of which was my wife’s new handbag, a gift for her amazing work performance), $485.83 for personal care, and $463.40 for medical/dental/prescriptions.
Next month, my wife will receive a 4% raise bringing her annual salary to $228,448! She will also receive her quarterly bonus and will be able to sell company stock that has vested. She is very good (amazing) at her job!
Overall
February was another down month our net worth. Our net worth decreased $96,992.14 from last month to a total of $2,210,082.19 (see spreadsheet screenshot).
Retirement Accounts
Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs. My Wife contributes 7% (just went up 1% this month) to her 401(k) and her company matches 4% and chips in an additional 6% at the end of the year. Her 401(k) contribution increases by 1% automatically in March every year. This month, she contributed $1,281.36 to her 401(k). I do not work and do not contribute to a retirement account any longer. The total balance of our retirement accounts decreased $51,402.3 from last month to a total of $1,079,286.82.
HSA Account
This is a new addition to our net worth tracking. We plan to pull from this bucket for health related expenses once my Wife retires. Her company contributes $2,000 annually and we contribute $125 each paycheck. The total current value of the HSA accounts is $2,502.62.
Brokerage Account
Currently, our brokerage accounts consist of stocks and cryptocurrency (I prefer to track crypto in the “Brokerage Accounts” field rather than “Cash & Savings Accounts”). The total current value of our brokerage accounts is $389,464.56, down $50,988.81 from last month.
Cash & Savings Account
Cash and savings accounts consist of a small sum of cash at home, our online savings accounts balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month. Our savings increased $3,338.66 this month to a total of $13,863.62.
College Savings Accounts
Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard. This month, we contributed $300 to our son’s 529 Plan and it decreased $181.68 from last month to a total balance of $102,301.71. We contributed $300 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it decreased $45.14 from last month to a total balance of $73,312.30. Our total 2026 contributions so far are $400 for our son and $400 for our daughter.
Home
For our home value, we use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016. Current comps in the area are ~$910K. We paid off our home in September 2021.
Vehicles
My wife drives a company vehicle and has a company gas card. I drive a 2017 SUV (~115K miles on odometer) that we own (no auto loan). My wife gets a new company car next month and it’s a nice one (she receives a better selection of vehicles after her promotion).
Credit Card Balance
All of our credit card debt is paid in full each month.
In January, we had a pretty typical income month and a kinda high expense month.
This month, our total net income was $11,738.04. In addition to my wife’s regular paychecks, she received $104.99 in company reimbursements. We also earned $19.22 in Brand Club rewards and $25.25 in interest income from our savings account.
This month, our expenses totaled $16,098.34. Large, non-fixed expenses included $1,925.54 for medical/dental/prescriptions, $1,342.60 for gym memberships (annual renewals & monthly dues), and $596.59 for a car repair.
Next month, my wife will receive a $3,000 bonus from her company for winning a big award. We should also receive a $3,057 insurance refund and we have an appointment with our tax accountant to complete our 2025 filing.
Overall
January was a down month our net worth. Our net worth decreased $81,253.64 from last month to a total of $2,307,074.33 (see spreadsheet screenshot). Kinda a rocky start to the year, unfortunately.
Retirement Accounts
Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs. My Wife contributes 7% (just went up 1% this month) to her 401(k) and her company matches 4% and chips in an additional 6% at the end of the year. Her 401(k) contribution increases by 1% automatically in March every year. This month, she contributed $1,281.36 to her 401(k). I do not work and do not contribute to a retirement account any longer. The total balance of our retirement accounts decreased $66,230.75 from last month to a total of $1,130,688.95.
Brokerage Account
Currently, our brokerage accounts consist of stocks and cryptocurrency (I prefer to track crypto in the “Brokerage Accounts” field rather than “Cash & Savings Accounts”). The total current value of our brokerage accounts is $440,453.37, down $15,872.03 from last month.
Cash & Savings Account
Cash and savings accounts consist of a small sum of cash at home, our online savings accounts balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month. Our savings increased $170.91 this month to a total of $10,524.96.
College Savings Accounts
Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard. This month, we contributed $100 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $505.80 from last month to a total balance of $102,483.39. We contributed $100 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $390.27 from last month to a total balance of $73,357.44. Our total 2026 contributions so far are $100 for our son and $100 for our daughter.
Home
For our home value, we use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016. Current comps in the area are ~$905K. We paid off our home in September 2021.
Vehicles
My wife drives a company vehicle and has a company gas card. I drive a 2017 SUV (~110K miles on odometer) that we own (no auto loan).
Credit Card Balance
All of our credit card debt is paid in full each month.