There is about a month left on my 401K challenge and things are heating up. In a recent post I explained how I would be moving to Republic Wireless from AT&T and paying an early termination fee as well as buying a new phone. I’m currently unable to sell my iPhone unlocked because the jailbreaking community is waiting for Apple to release its latest iOS update (8.4). I paid about $300 for my new Android phone and will pay about $250 for the early termination fee while sitting on about $600 worth of iPhone potential. These unexpected expenses are making things a little tight.
And I did not help myself by increasing my 401K contribution from 55% of my salary to 60% – my paycheck this week was hilariously small. I should have enough money to pay rent on the day rent is due. Hopefully I will not have to dip into my funemployment money before then. I’m confident this will work out fine though. I’m leaving on vacation today and two days after I return my next paycheck comes in. Getting paid to vacation is the best. Let’s feel that burn and finish strong!
I’m half way through my “Maxing 401K in 6 Months” Challenge and I must admit I haven’t felt a difference. Despite my paychecks being half what they used to be I haven’t felt stressed or stretched. Saving in the current month for the next month’s rent has become routine. And the thrill I get seeing my 401K amount increase $1,500 every 2 weeks is something I can’t even describe. I’ve already saved $10,000 in my 401K and $11,000 overall this year and it’s the beginning of April. That’s 27.5% of my $40,000 savings a year goal which would double how much I saved last year.
Overall the tax code in this country, or more specifically the ways FI bloggers have presented the tax code of the US, seems pretty lovely. It understandably targets workers since that is a vast majority of the population and includes several complex ways that you can shelter money from taxes legally and then access it before standard retirement age. I’m still trying to make sure I understand how the tax code in this country works and how I can use it to my advantage. My favorite bloggers make it seem so simple, specifically the Mad Fientist, but when I go to IRS website my eyes still glaze over. It seems that everything has an exception and then an exception to that exception. 
I am loving watching my net worth grow. I loved it before saving money was my main goal. That’s one of the reasons I love Mint.com. I can go back and see my money grow from $5,000 when I left college (from hoarding $20 bills in high school and not spending basically anything in college) to a new milestone: $60,000 as of today. Not only is this intoxicating to watch and the reason I now look forward to pay days with a childlike glee, but the mere fact that I achieved $50,000 net worth in November and have increased my net worth 20% in 3 months is insane. And so exciting. It gives me a high I can’t describe. Maybe this is what shopaholics feel right after a purchase. I have no idea, but it’s a fantastic feeling. 
I’m still pretty baffled by tax code. In my most focused moments I can be found following links to read about tax opportunities that work best for the early retiree lifestyle. Luckily the authors and bloggers that direct me to these sites usually clearly explain the premise of the idea before I reach the IRS page so I am not overwhelmed by the jargon. But with my own W-2 soon to be posted I wanted to be prepared for my first tax season, which will be in some ways easier and in others more difficult than previous years. This year is easier in that it is the only one where I have paid taxes and held only one job at one company with no gaps or unemployment. It is more difficult because as a result of my Roth IRA mishap last spring I have a few hundred dollars of money in a taxable account. Since it is a Vanguard Target Retirement Fund it includes both stocks and bonds as well as domestic and international versions of both, which all create some added complexity. 
Today I arrived home after a full, but surprisingly stress free day at work to find a “not a bill” from my insurance company. This document which stated that it was “not a bill” on the front page said that I owed $361 and change for a procedure I had in November that the insurance company assured me was completely covered. This made me unreasonably angry and resulted in me calling the insurance company and emailing/texting several people for information. Apparently I can’t contest this document, its supposed charge and the multiple pieces of incorrect information it holds until I receive the “real” bill. In the grand scheme of things even if I was lied to and end up having to pay these charges this seemed to represent a larger problem that’s been in the back of my mind: unexpected costs. 
I just received my first paycheck of 2015. I was so excited to see it that I accidentally awakened at 5am to view the paystub that’s sent at 4am. I wasn’t excited to see all the money I could spend, but how much that would be left with after trying to max my 401K in 6 months and the challenge of living on the remainder. After I opened it I was excited to see how much was going into my 401K. It was over $1,500 in one pay period, which is about how much I would input into my IRA every few months. A few months of work done in two weeks because of the miracle of tax-advantaged accounts. I was so excited. 
I thought it would be good to create an annual State of the Union to remember what I did each year regarding my investments and why. This was a big year – the first year I really dove in and learned how to have my money make money of its own.