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About Me:

Dido

Former academic turned CPA/CFP®

My philosophy
Invest wisely and for the long term. Invest in yourself and not just in the market. While sometimes you need to be frugal to save funds to invest, at other times, spending more money in the short term will yield more valuable long-term results. Think about major decisions, THEN make saving for them automatic. Creating good financial habits and systems is key to success. The goal is not to die with the most money, but to live a full, meaningful, and satisfying life!

Goals
Word of the decade = Simplify and key areas of focus = health, wealth, and systems, habits, & routines.

1. Health: Maintain/regain health gains from 2021-2023 (things fell apart after my Buffy cat died in May 2023). 150-300 "zone minutes" per week. Keep up the running and run the Turkey Trot next November in under an hour. Add in "micro workout" resistance training weekdays. Target more outdoor activities for next spring - kayaking, hiking.

2. Wealth: Pay off remaining debt (emphasis from 2006-2025) and build up savings, particularly in a taxable brokerage account (emphasis starting in 2026).

Goal for Jan 2026: Debt total under $20k, just mortgage + CCs to be paid off monthly. DONE.

Goal is to be debt free by January 2028, unless I am forced to buy a new car or make major home repairs before then, in which case I may take out a short-term car loan or use the HELOC I opened in 2025 for that purpose.

PRE-RETIREMENT GOALS set 2024:
-Retirement accounts over 7 figures goal = ATTAINED in MAY 2026. Now planning to have 1.2 to 1.5 million in my portfolio before retiring sometime between 2028 and 2030.
-Pay off consumer debt - goal = January 2026, DONE.
-Pay off mortgage goal = Jan 2028
-Built up at least one years' basic living expenses in savings
by Jan 2028

3. Systems, habits, and routines: Improve workflow to get tasks completed earlier. At home, add some time weekly and monthly to maintain my filing system, and bring in a professional help to declutter in 2026 & 2027 (going price in 2025 is $80-90/hour).

Home Improvement Projects for the next several years..not sure about order
2018: landscaping (some)
2019: decluttering (some); main roof coated (10-year warrenty)
2020: replaced front & rear porch roofs
2021: replaced water heater; washing machine, A/C, bed; plumbing upgrades; decluttering;
2022: nada
2023: replaced refrigerator
2024: new scupper; plumbing repairs
2025: replace front stairs - DONE!
2026: declutter phase 1 (living areas); have electrical system reviewed/home inspection; replace external doors
2027: declutter phase 2 (basement); replace oven and dryer
2028-2031: roof again; external painting; window updates; update kitchen & bath; internal painting, landscaping, and floors
2032-2035: sell and move to a home (CCRC) more suitable for retirement.

Archive for June, 2026

Site Admin, Please help!

June 7th, 2026 at 10:58 pm

People are posting entries, but only the front-page blurb is readable to anyone but the post-er. CB in the City noted this as well in her blog, so now I know it's not just my computer or connection. Please fix, thank you!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Fiscal Fitness

On a journey to improve health and wealth!

Archive for June, 2026

Site Admin, Please help!