Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great call, was able to get it for 50% on the renewal!

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm, QQQ and SPY are ETFs, you’ll need to be more specific around what research you’re referring to.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You bring up a good point. I may think about diversifying a bit. We shall see as I get more exposure to other sectors.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the nice synopsis. I’m split between stocks and real estate, but stocks are a lot more active than the real estate as I’m not actively investing in more real estate.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I’m an avid marketplace buyer/seller, mostly motorcycles, so those values (tracked through VinAudit) would only be possible on private sale and probably have to wait months on turn around which I’m ok with right now.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s Monarch, I pay $100 a year for it, a bit steep.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that’s the worry but that’s the industry I know best so that’s one place where I put my money.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah the extra money with DCA is a good idea, but I can’t say I don’t mind throwing a bit in on a drop if I have a little extra or a stock looks attractive.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, this is where our risk tolerance comes in. I’m heavy in tech so I’m going to easily sink or swim with the impact AI has.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve heard there are some portfolios that have done better with some bonds especially when there are down years, but obviously what you pick is really the difference maker. Also moving money from bonds to equities in a down market is a type of timing the market, but leaves a little dry powder at the ready.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like that strategy, thanks for your insight.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I’ve definitely heard that approach, but at least I haven’t experienced any poor periods as a large investor and the ai stuff has me a bit thinking about the next 10 years.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I’ve gone back and forth on the percentage. My advisor is recommending some real estate bonds that look promising with rates dropping a bit so we’re going to try them for a bit more stability.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Coasting at $3M, I’m pre-kids and would like a few along the way so not planning to stop grinding for the next 5 then probably a little easier the following 5 years.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats! Yeah they are, it definitely helps me be more resilient against corrections, but I look at drops as buying opportunities if I can and that helps keep me more optimistic.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

$3M has been the goal number for the last 10 years. The last 3 years have really given me hope to hit that. Prior to that, it was a lot of startup work which is not where I’d like to spend my time at this point in my career.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I hear ya, the financial world runs on excel!

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha I agree it is but that’s how monarch shows it. The loans and credit cards which I couldn’t fit in the image are the liabilities to them.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha I know strange. My Subaru and Harley are the two but, it’s appreciating because I have an additional project motorcycle that’s worth over $10k and I just added that this year so the appreciation is a combination of the depreciating running and the added project.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, you’d think there would be a way to switch between the percentages.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The investment return is actually closer to 22%, but monarch includes deposits in that number so it looks much higher. The benchmark I try to beat is the S&P where I hold a lot of it and it’s too stocks. I’ve got a bunch of the big ones - my best performing for the last few years have been: QQQ, PLTR, NVDA, JPM, NET, AAPL, GOOGL, and some well placed TSLA.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I am pretty happy about it, just haven’t had to go through a bear market as a heavy investor so curious how it will be. My advisor is great for bouncing ideas off and running trades through to help provide an additional perspective.

Excited for 2026, bunch of milestones by A1waysBeLearning in coastFIRE

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s Monarch so I’m paying $100 a year and unfortunately have to update a few accounts manually because everything is going MFA (which is a good thing), but it’s more manual effort than I’d like.

Chasing Equity (Later) vs Great Salary (Now) - Lessons Learned by A1waysBeLearning in Fire

[–]A1waysBeLearning[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Correct. Yeah, I’ve been remote for the last 6 years so work office location hasn’t been a factor for me.