We started November in Vietnam on the holiday of a lifetime.  It was also interesting because we went just before the now infamous budget was announced, and before the US election.  We would return to a potentially different world.   In the event, the budget had no impact on me personally (according to The Times’ calculator at least) but I’m sure the impact will be felt collectively through protests or whatever.  I’m convinced that the media is over hyping everything about this as it will affect the wealthy owners of these publications and their friends. Accordingly, they are sending out the message that we, … Continue reading November 2024 update – Vietnam and Trump

September was thankfully quite a quiet month.  I was into my third month at my new job.  My finances were coming under control once again.  We managed to do a few cool things.  We went to visit my mum in Scotland and also went to my sister’s 40th birthday.  That was cool.  It was a very small by fun affair.  We also attended the Open House festival.  This is a London event where buildings and homes which are normally closed to the public are opened up.  We very much enjoyed nosing around some lovely homes which people have done interesting things with.    We also celebrated Mrs Wealthster’s 10 … Continue reading September and half of October 2024

General stuff I have spent the last couple of months getting started and settling into my new job.  It’s been a change to be going in four days a week but one that I have, to my surprise, found to be good.  I’m now into the habit and really enjoy my Fridays at home.  Sure, the laundry bin gets a bit full as I have less opportunity to get household chores done but I think it forces me to be more efficient with my time.  That brings me to my break from X.  With the dramatic riots taking place in the UK, I found … Continue reading July and August 2024

Fun stuff This update has felt like a long time coming.  As I write, the new government is starting in the UK with Sir Keir Starmer taking over from Rishi Sunak.  I feel some relief as 14 years of Tory rule ends.  It’s … Continue reading May & June 2024 update – Financial ruin!

Fun stuff We ended March by travelling to the other side of the planet to Melbourne, an epic 24 hour journey via Abu Dhabi.  We got to enjoy a brief stop over in the beautiful new airport there which really is fantastic.  It was a relief to escape London and my work for a break.   It was autumn in Melbourne which meant that we could enjoy being there without baking in the summer heat which is what I’ve previously experienced.  We took a few days with the family to visit Wilson’s Prom which is a spectacular national park about 3 hours from Melbourne.  Staying … Continue reading March and April 2024 – A trip to Oz

It has been an exciting month in the markets this February.  The S&P500 has reached all-time highs and Bitcoin has been on a crazy upward trajectory.  I am only feeling FOMO on one of these though (Bitcoin) as my holdings in this are miniscule.  I have to remind myself that the last time i speculated on Bitcoin I end up down 80% and I have no doubt it will be the same this time. I might take a punt but let’s see. The benefit of investing through the bear market is now paying off.  We are up £18,412 in net worth in one month … Continue reading February 2024 update

January has felt like a non-event.  We returned from California on the 2nd January and returned to work the next day.  Jet lag bothered me for considerably longer than it normally does or at least I remember it doing.   I’m struggling to recall what we did.  We did some walks on Hampstead Heath with friends and had lunches in cosy pubs.  We did a trip to Cambridge for a friend’s 40th.  It was a low key month as it usually is.  Oh and we did a cool VR game at a place call Sandbox where Mrs Wealthster and I played virtual squid game. I also made a … Continue reading January 2024 – a non-event

Well here it is.  The big annual review.  I decided that seeing as I didn’t do much in the way of monthly updates, I should do an annual review of the previous 12 months.  I have done similar articles for previous years so you can check them out for 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019, and decide how I’ve done.  In this report i will look at the highlights, my financial progress and the lowlights, and set out some goals or strong suggestions for 2024. Highlights 2023 was a year filled with highlights.  I shall list them below:  We’ve had a great year and we … Continue reading Annual review of 2023

It has been several months since I graced this blog with an update.  Why have I not done this?  Simply, I’ve been very busy doing real life things.  That included working a lot, having friends break up, a health scare for my mum, having the in-laws visiting for 6 weeks, the death of a friend’s parent, going on adventures in my new car, and generally being lazy or tired when I did have time.  Life updates are I’m still sober and enjoying it.  It’s now been a full year since I gave up.  I didn’t intend to stay sober this long but here I am. … Continue reading 2023 second half update

June brought us some hot weather making it the hottest June on record.  We’ve had some glorious sunny evenings and weekends.   It was our first wedding anniversary, and to treat ourselves, we went for a “Banya” at a Russian Spa in … Continue reading June 2023 – Hot weather and booming markets