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October 2026 End of Month
Crossed the $5,000 mark in annual dividends despite taking a $10,000 hit in share value—here’s the full October portfolio recap, income grinding breakdown, and our game plan for pivoting into debt payoff once my wife’s IRA is capped.
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October Debt
Down another $4,038 in true debt this month! Here’s the breakdown on our reduced $500 envelope budget, why I’m keeping my 401k contributions untouched despite the 9.5% loan, and the exact date we finish maxing my wife’s IRA.
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September 2026 End of Month: Lots of Overspending
September was the expensive kind of quiet. The fair, a trip home, surgery, a wedding hotel, and a pile of “we knew we wouldn’t leave the house” dinners all hit the card, plus the usual suspects: an Ocarina of Time pre-order, WoW Forever, an electric ocarina, the Legion Go still riding the card, and Hyundai’s…
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New Project Idea
Exploring the world of virtual card-ripping apps and testing whether bonus deposit promos are worth the risk. Plus, an updated breakdown of the Atlas Earth monthly subscription math and return on investment.
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September 2026: Debt Update – Rough on the Pocketbooks
Juggling a daily stock purchase challenge, IRA funding goals, and debt paydowns leads to a frustrating monthly update. Here is the full September debt breakdown—including credit cards, interest drag, and why net progress is still progress.
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Still Shocked by CoastFIRE Math
Does tax planning make aggressive retirement funding worth it once you hit your CoastFIRE number? We run the 2026 tax numbers for a family with three dependents to find the zero-tax breakpoint.
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August 2026: Debt Progress
Life threw a few very expected summer expenses our way this month—between a $1,200 van maintenance, $400+ electric bills, and a 6-month auto insurance premium. Despite those speedbumps, we still knocked out over $2,700 in total debt reduction while navigating a credit card fee waiver and prepping for our upcoming 2026 HSA strategy.
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July 2026 End of Month Update: Minor Side Hustle Income
July turned out to be a massive month for side hustles and passive income. By optimizing our FreeCash funnel, managing covered calls, and capturing extra dividend income, we pushed our year-to-date side hustle total past $11,000—while maintaining a 78% profit margin on mobile game offers.
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To Dividend Reinvest or Not: That is the Question
Instead of letting every fund buy more of itself, directing dividends straight toward share goals in ARR and AGNC slashes my snowball timeline down to 29 months. Here is how optimizing dividend allocation gets the portfolio to $750/month in passive income much faster.
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Six Month Snowball Fund Review: High Octane Became Ashes
My journey to $1,000 a month in passive income just got a major reality check. From realizing the true cost of weekly NAV decay to mapping out a safer $108,000 portfolio strategy, here is how I’m restructuring my dividend snowball for actual, long-term growth.
Mini Thoughts
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