Part 271: New Year, New… something?

Hello and welcome back to Mortgage Advisor on FIRE.  This week I discuss the new year and provide some positive financial updates.  

Weekly Update

The world is finally returning to normal, at least in some ways.  Now that the new year has started we can get used to a normal weekly routine again.  Something incredible happened this week which has not happened to me in many years.  I had to sign and date a document, and I wrote the correct year at the first time of asking.  There was none of the usual nonsense when you write the old year and have to scribble it out or try and amend it.  First time, I tell you.  First time. 

Our New Year’s Eve was fairly standard for us.  We chilled out with some food and a movie and mooched around until the fireworks started going off.  Then, we stayed with Poppy to make sure she was ok, as sometimes the fireworks scare her.

Oppenheimer

We watched Oppenheimer with a free code we had from Amazon and shared a massive platter of cheeses, crackers, nuts, crisps, chocolate, sweets, and more.  The film itself was great, with the typical high production values I’ve come to expect from Christopher Nolan.  I’ve read a little about the development of the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project and from what I remember the film was quite faithful with just a few minor(ish) historical inaccuracies.  Some of these inaccuracies were probably present to help the narrative flow better.  Although, I’m not sure what purpose was served by having the wrong number of stars on the US flag.  Some have argued that it was to represent our memories which are never completely accurate.  I suspect it was a simple mistake that wasn’t picked up during editing.  

Next week and beyond…

From next week I will need to crack on with a few things I’ve been putting off.  I need to speak with my GP about picking up the issue with my right elbow.  I had an injection into the joint a few weeks ago but it’s still not right.  It’s been ongoing for over two years now and there has to be an explanation.  

Another job on my to-do list is to look at completing the transfer of my ISA, and working out if it’s best to leave my old work pension in place or move to another provider.  I also need to sell off my remaining shares in Lloyds Banking Group.  I sold the remaining ones from my ISA but I’ve got a few thousand shares left over from my employment.  Now, I have the option of keeping them, but I’d rather just get them sold and have the money.  Based on the current share price, it should provide enough income for a couple of months’ cost of living.  

Job Search

I’ve not had much more luck on the job front.  I’m having a call with a recruiter on Monday which I hope leads to something.  There don’t seem to be a lot of jobs available that meet my preferences.  I’m not in any massive rush and will wait for the right opportunity to come along.  I’ve already turned down a few offers which had some positives but the negatives were just too many or too major.

Within reason, I’m not that bothered about the salary; it’s not my main concern.  I want decent hours of work, and to be able to work remotely.  I don’t want to deal with office politics or a commute.  The world has changed and any job requiring full-time office work is just taking the piss.  The occasional day here and there is fine, but there’s no reasonable justification for full-time office work, and it feels like a power play from those demanding it.  

A Man of Wisdom

There are times when I think I’m perceptive, wise, and analytical.  Then, there were times like the other day when I wandered around the apartment trying to track down a dripping sound.  When I would stand still it would stop, but when I started walking I could hear the noise again.  It took me longer than I care to admit to realise that the sound was coming from the zipper on the side pocket of the trousers I was wearing.  When I moved, it would rattle against the metal zip.  

Monopoly

One thing Oana and I have been doing lately is playing lots of Monopoly.  It’s good fun and we get pretty competitive.  The most fun part, for me, is the trash-talking.  I can annoy anyone while playing this game.  It’s a real talent.  

Some people criticise the mechanics of the game, and to an extent, they have a point.  There’s not a huge amount of skill in the game with a large part of it being down to luck.  There are also many points in the game where you don’t do anything other than roll dice and move.  Much of the board is inactive when you think about it.  

There are 36 tiles on the board of which nothing happens on two; free parking and jail.  On the “go” square nothing happens other than the £200 salary.  If you’re playing a two-player game and the properties are split equally you will have 14 each.  This means that of the 36 squares nothing really happens to you on 17 of them; the three corner squares I mentioned above, and your own properties. 

Another, somewhat valid in my opinion, criticism of Monopoly is that it can be very difficult to recover from a poor start.  If your opponent races into an early lead there’s not much you can do to leverage skill or strategy; you just have to keep rolling the dice and hope for favourable results.  

All this being said, it’s still fun to play especially in a group.   

Bonus Post

In case you missed it, here is a link to my bonus midweek post where I discuss the importance of starting early when investing.

I’m hoping to have more content published during this period when I’m not employed, so please keep checking for updates.  Also, if you have any requests for specific topics to be discussed please leave a comment or get in touch.

What I’m Doing

Listening: Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis.

Watching: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

I’ve started a new series of books by Lindsay Ellis with the first one being Axiom’s End.  I’m about halfway through and it’s ok so far, but not exactly revolutionising the genre of alien contact.  I’ve read/listened to so many books about this and I’m desperate for something that approaches the idea from a new perspective.  Any recommendations would be welcomed.

We have almost finished season six of Deep Space Nine, and after several rewatches over the years I think season six is the strongest one.  Like many TNG-era shows, DS9’s first season is a bit rough and it takes time to find its feet.  There’s a very strong ending to the first season and I think from that point on each season improves on the previous one.  Season six is where the show peaks though, with season seven dropping in quality a little.  I’m not going to mention those reasons here as I know a few people who read this blog are watching DS9 for the first time.

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Financial Update

Assets

Premium Bonds: £30,000.00.

Stocks and Shares ISA: £90,217.15

Fuck It Fund: £13,052.13.

Pensions: £91,080.16.

Residential Property Value: £237,447.00. 

Total Assets: £461,796.44.

Debts

Residential Mortgage: £184,492.19. 

Total Debts: £184,492.19.

Total Wealth: £277,304.25.

My pension has hit a new record high, and my ISA is back above £90,000.  Unfortunately, I did not start the year with a Premium Bonds win but there’s always next month.  

I spoke with my mortgage lender this week to see if there are any other deals we can switch to.  As part of the terms of my redundancy, I can keep my current rates for a year before I have to switch to something else.  I can choose to switch before the deadline if something else comes up.  I need to wait for rates to drop below 4.25% for it to make sense, and when that happens I’ll jump on it.  As things stand, I can’t predict the market with any major confidence but I think rates will generally reduce over the next few months.  

If there’s one thing the last decade has shown us it’s that anything can happen.  Now, I’m not saying that David Bowie was holding together the space-time continuum but following his death in January 2016 the following things have happened, listed by year:

2016

Brexit Referendum  

The UK voted to leave the European Union, triggering years of negotiations.  If ever there was an example of it not being a good idea to give people a say over everything, this is it.  Sometimes people just don’t know enough about a subject to have a qualified opinion, and as a society, I think we need to learn to be comfortable admitting when we don’t know enough about something to have an opinion.  

“I am a Brexit negotiator, like my father before me.”

~ Luke Skywalker, possibly.

U.S. Presidential Election

Donald Trump was elected President, defeating Hillary Clinton.

“The future is bright.  The President is orange.”

~ David Scothern, and probably others.

Syrian Civil War Escalation

Aleppo faced intense bombings, becoming a symbol of the Syrian crisis.  

2017

Trump’s Inauguration 

Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States.  Tens, maybe even dozens, of people thought this was a good thing.

Catalan Independence Referendum  

Catalonia held a controversial referendum for independence from Spain.  Spain said no.

MeToo Movement

The movement against sexual harassment and assault gained global momentum.  I’m a supporter of the movement but it’s a sad reality that such a movement was necessary. It seems that when some men achieve some form of power they can’t help but abuse it.

2018

North Korea–U.S. Summit

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump met in Singapore.  Honestly, this is not the opening line to a joke.  If this was a film, the tagline would be; 

“Two Men.  One Brain.  No Hope.”

Global Climate Strikes 

Initiated by Greta Thunberg, youth-led climate strikes gained global attention.  Some people seem to have an irrational level of hate towards her, and I don’t get why.  Maybe it’s because she’s trying to do something and people don’t want to be reminded that the world is dying.

2019

Notre Dame Fire

The iconic cathedral in Paris was severely damaged by fire.  Although I’m not religious, these impressive buildings are part of our history and it would be a shame to see them lost.  

Hong Kong Protests

Massive pro-democracy protests erupted over proposed extradition laws.  If I remember right, a friend of mine was caught up in these protests whilst visiting family.  

COVID-19 Emergence

The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December.

2020

COVID-19 Pandemic

A global pandemic resulted in widespread lockdowns, economic disruption, and millions of deaths around the world.  There aren’t many positives to draw from the pandemic but I do think it has helped advance some science and technology.

George Floyd Protests

The killing of George Floyd sparked global protests against police brutality and systemic racism.  Even as millions of people came together to campaign against racism, some people just couldn’t grasp the concept and importance of Black Lives Matter and came out with arguments like “What about White Lives” and other bullshit.  Look at this way, I’m not likely to be pulled over by police and shot dead because I’m white.  That’s the point.  Never once have I been stopped by the police and thought “This is how I die.”

U.S. Presidential Election

Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in a contentious election.

2021

Capitol Insurrection 

Pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan 

The Taliban regained control following the U.S. withdrawal, in a move that absolutely no one could see coming.  It’s not as though anyone was aware that the Taliban could just melt back into the general population and bide its time until the U.S. decided to declare victory and go home.  All that death and destruction for very little, it seems.

COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

Mass vaccination campaigns were launched worldwide.  The UK, through the efforts of the NHS, was able to implement an impressive vaccination plan despite the Tory government continually trying to shoot its own foot.

2022

Russia-Ukraine War 

Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to significant global political and economic impacts.

Liz Truss Government

Do I need to elaborate?

2023

Artificial Intelligence Boom

Generative AI technologies like ChatGPT gained widespread attention.  AI is starting to become part of everyday life as we enter 2025.

Global Inflation Crisis

Many countries faced rising costs of living due to lingering pandemic effects and the war in Ukraine.

2024

Israel-Hamas Conflict Escalation 

Renewed violence between Israel and Hamas caused widespread humanitarian crises.

Global Wildfires 

Record-breaking wildfires affected Canada, Europe, and Australia due to climate change.  The air quality in some parts of Canada and the US was so dangerous people were instructed to remain indoors.  

Anyway, following on from that little tangent, I was saying that it’s difficult to predict anything in life.  Your life can be cruising along completely fine until someone on the other side of the world does something that turns everything upside down.  Your job, home, family, or friends can be lost in an instant.  This uncertainty is at the heart of what FI is.  FI is not simply about money; money is just a tool.  The real objectives of FI are freedom and security so that when major events occur you are insulated from them as much as possible. 

That’s all for this week.  Thank you for reading, and I hope you’re having a great start to 2025.  

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post, and other posts, whether you agree, disagree, or have your own unique perspective to share. Drop a comment below or connect with me on social media. Let’s keep the conversation going! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated with the latest insights on investing, mental health, and more. 

DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions in this blog are my own, and do not represent the views or opinions of my former, current, or future employers, nor should they be considered advice.

If you want personalised financial advice, seek an appropriate professional.  If you are in financial difficulty, seek advice via the resources below:

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