Ok ok, I’m only 4 weeks in and I’ve already skipped a week since I started doing the WEEKLY FIRE REPORT. That said, last week WAS a whirlwind of activity!
Looking back at my calendar it actually wasn’t *that* bad. I don’t know what prevented me from posting last week. I think I was just mentally overwhelmed from trying to stay focused on FIRE, and needed a bit of a break. On the bright side, I got some additional FIRE activities completed (hurray!) Let’s get to it then.
Over the past week, I did the following activities to move me closer to FIRE:
- Finally met with my financial adviser! Overall, I’d say the meeting went well. I expressed my concerns about 1. High fees, and 2. Not-so-hot returns on some of my funds. He provided me with some good feedback regarding the lack of good returns in some areas, in that my risk tolerance was set lower than it should be…this is a carryover from when I opened an account with him in 2013. Unfortunately I did not know then what I know now about investing (which is still not that much, but hey! Every day is an education). He suggested we increase my risk tolerance, and he’ll focus on finding me funds with lower fees.
I was pleased that he was willing to help and clearly interested in doing what he can to keep me as a client. I consider this a positive step in the direction of becoming an independent investor…I’m just not there yet. (The next step is to fund my account with Questrade, and start dabbling in ETFs to get my feet wet).
- Had a frugal Valentine’s evening with Hubs as per last weekly report. It was great.
- Sort of followed my “get healthy” plan. Also got Hubs on board, which is AWESOME. I’m making some solid improvements to my staying power this week. I mean, it’s only Monday, but I’m confident at least.
- Moved my Emergency fund to my new high interest savings account with EQ bank. This goes along with my new mantra – “Make my dollars work harder“. I think maybe my allowance is going there too. TBD.
- One Tweak a Week – increased debt payments by 1% (actually a bit more, I didn’t do the math!!)
- For the other one tweak a week, I wrote my “Why.” In fewer than 100 words, describe why I’m motivated to improve my financial life. Here is what I wrote:
More time with Friends and Family
Freedom from 9-5 job
Travel the world
Enjoy being artistic
Enjoy learning new things
Have choice in what *I* want to do
Only 29 words! Maybe I should add some more stuff. Anyway, keepin’ it brief.
Things I didn’t do, but said I would.
This list just keeps getting longer…may have to stop adding new things soon until I clean up my messes.
- Put some time into getting my new side hustle off the ground.
- Post 1 eBay item for sale.
- Take my broken boot to George, my boot guy, to see if he can repair it. I hope this is possible, and less expensive than a new pair of boots.
New Things to Do
- This week’s Tweak from the Afford Anything one tweak a week challenge – research your salary! My assignment is to check at least 3 websites to find out average compensation for Project Managers in my area to ensure I’m receiving adequate compensation, and prepare myself for next time I need to negotiate. Not a bad idea!
- Improve my adherence to my Get Healthy Plan
- Try to finish “Your Money or your Life” by Vicki Robin.
Please leave a comment to let me know what you did to get to better your financial situation over the past week, or what you are planning for this week. Byeeeeeeeeeee!
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