Hello and welcome back to Mortgage Advisor on F.I.R.E.
Weekly Update
Although I am feeling slightly better in myself following a few weeks of stress in my personal life, I’m not anything like back to normal. I’m feeling physically and mentally exhausted. In addition to working full time, I’m exercising, writing and studying for my first exam on the road to becoming a financial advisor. On top of that, there is the fact that some of the people in nearby apartments are not being particularly considerate when it comes to going on their balconies and shouting in the middle of the night.
We haven’t had any more success in finding a BTL, in part due to the pressures on my time mentioned above. Until I complete my first exam, everything else is of lesser importance. I completed a few mock exams on the modules I’ve covered so far and achieved a passing grade. Had I not mentally shut down for the last few weeks I’m sure I would be further ahead with my studying. Ideally, I would be better prepared at this stage but right now all that matters is passing the first exam, and then hopefully doing a better job of studying for the other five modules.
The property market is going to pass through a period of instability in the coming months, I think. With the furlough scheme coming to an end in October, and the ban on evictions ending at roughly the same time, I can see the market remaining steady until the end of 2020, possibly early 2021. However, as people see a drop in income and we potentially see a surge in unemployment, I can see a surge in people trying to sell. This will cause prices to drop and many investors with spare cash will start snapping properties up. The economic impact of Covid-19 is going to be felt for many years to come.
Health Update
Current Weight: 115.2kg (up 1.5kg from last update).
Current Body Fat: 36.6% (down 3.3% from last update).
BMI: 34.8 (up 0.5 from last update).
Weekly Goal: lose 0.75kg.
Ultimate Goal: 90kg.
Weekly Steps: 13,416.
A bad week, health wise. I’m not convinced that the weight gain is as significant as it could be part of the daily fluctuations that everyone experiences with their weight. It’s strange that my weight increased but my body fat percentage came down. I suspect that when I look back at this week, it will be something of an outlier. I haven’t had the best week in terms of diet; this week I did succumb to stress eating and the pressures of studying meant I could not go out for as many walks as I would have liked.
Financial Update
Premium Bonds: £17,250 (up £750.00 from last update).
Stocks and Shares ISA: £12,009.26 (up £340.01 from last update).
Fuck It Fund: £1,854.94 (up £100.00 from last update).
Property Value: £185,248 (no change from last update).
Total Assets: £216,362.20 (up £1,190.01 from last update).
Residential Mortgage: £143,886.47 (no change from last update).
Total Debts: £143,886.47 (no change from last update).
Total Wealth Figure: £72,475.73 (up £1,190.01 from last update).
Investment Income in 2020: £61.36 (up £4.92 from last update) (target £2,000).
A good set of figures for this week with my salary being paid on Friday. My monthly investment into the stock market will not take place until early July, so the gains in my ISA seen here are a result of general stock market increases.
I received a small dividend from one of my stocks in the past week, which increased my investment income for 2020. Had my other stocks not cancelled their dividends following Covid-19, I would be roughly 30%-40% of the way to hitting my target. It’s frustrating, but then I remember that I could have worse problems to contend with.
Ideally, to achieve a comfortable lifestyle in Romania I need £26,100 p/a from my investments. I’m a long way off that, but I still believe it can be achieved by the time I’m 40. Even if I don’t achieve it in time, the things I’m doing now will mean I’ll be in a much better financial position than if I simply gave up.
Interviews
Over the next few weeks I will be posting a number of interviews I’ve completed regarding finance and gambling addiction. I was hoping to post the first part this week, but life (and my exam prep) has gotten in the way. So, this week’s blog is much shorter than usual. However, next week will see normal service resumed.
Final Notes
Thank you for reading this week, and I hope you have a great week ahead. If you are following F.I.R.E. or would like to know more about it, please get in touch via Twitter (https://twitter.com/NowWeLive01) or leave a comment on this post.