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Nothing fancy since taking out the SoFi Loan last month. The car insurance six-month premium triggered, plus I had expenses for tires and general maintenance on our van. Those expenses interrupted my plan to throw more money at the debt pile. I also forgot that one of my credit cards had a $95 annual fee. Lucky for me, I called to cancel the card –since Robinhood Gold is now giving me the same 3% — and they migrated me to a no-fee Chase card, and removed the $95 charge.
| 8/17/26 Real Total | Last Month Amount | Current Balance | Difference | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA 1.5% | $0 | $0 | $0.00 | Still has some Auto pay items, but keeping it down. |
| Gas CC (USAA): | $0 | $0 | $0.00 | Peaked close to $300 again. |
| Chase Cards x3: | $0 | $0 | $0.00 | Auto bills for max points. |
| Robinhood Gold: | $0.00 | $1,271.59 | $1271.59 | BTC Sold, but had Car maintenance and insurance. |
| Car Loan | $15,779.75 | $15,346.63 | – $433.12 | $500 payment. |
| 401k Loan | $31,969.97 | $31,044.92 | – $925.05 | $600 x2 payments, interest is paid to my 401k. |
| HELOC | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | No activity. |
| SoFi Loan | $40,000 (True $15,000) | $37,326.22 (True $12,326.22) | -$2,673.78 (True $12,326.22) | $1500 in extra payments, $1173.78 in autopay. |
| July Total: | $87,749.72 (True total ($62,749.72) | $84,989.36 (True $59,989.36) | -$2,760.36 | $25,000 isn’t real as it’s holding in savings for more interest than the loan. |
| Net Progress: | -$2,760.36 |
During the last month, I was able to free up that FreeCash Bitcoin mess, Which helped clear the Robinhood card. My tentative hope was to put a minimum of $2,000 in extra payments onto the SoFi loan on top of the autopay, but I couldn’t reach that goal with the summer $400+ electric bills, the $1,200 on the van, and the $690 six-month auto insurance premium.
I think that once I reach the share goals of EARN in my Vanguard account, I will likely allow the ARR and AGNC shares to DRIP into themselves, per the new plan. Then, the remaining $250 per month will be withdrawn to work on debt payments.
One of the biggest wrenches that could enter this plan is that I have a very small window of opportunity to fund a 2026 HSA starting October 1st. This will require $8,750 in order to save roughly $2,500 in taxes, on top of being investable inside the HSA container. Hopefully, this won’t cause me too many delays in my debt repayments.
~~Miniwing~~
Parent, Investor, Stoic
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