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The Merritts | Money, Travel & Lifestyle Design

@workoptionalparents

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Mid 30s 👩🏾👨🏾 Dual Income 💰💰 2 kids 👶🏽👶🏽
📍FIRE Goal: $3.75M by 2035 at age 45
CoastFI: 72% | FI: 13%
Designing a life of freedom and flexibility

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Our December 2023 Net Worth is $753,284.76!!! We ended 2023 at our HIGHEST net worth to date and hit another milestone! We are now 3/4 of the way to millionaire status! 🙌🏾 God is so so good! Even with the loss of one income, He still provides!! 2023 was an amazing year for our finances. Although we know that 2024 will come with lots of uncertainty, we are trusting God for provision and will continue to be good stewards of what He has entrusted us with! Obedience >>> Sacrifice

#moneymanagement #travelhacking #lifestyledesign #designalifeyoulove #personalfinancepodcast #personalfinance #financialfreedom #firemovement #firejourney #journeytofi #financialindependence #financialindependenceretireearly #networthtracking #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #increasethegap #GodProvides #Obedience by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

For the third straight year, we have maxed out our 401K accounts! God is so good! The 401K contribution limit for 2023 is $22,500. With both accounts, the total amount invested was $45,000.

And it’s important to note, this does not include our employer matches. This is strictly what we contributed from our paychecks. Next up: completing our goal of investing $100,000 for the year. #JourneyToFI #FIRE #FinancialIndependence #RetireEarly by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Our November 2023 Net Worth is $732,359.31… WE BACK BABY!! 🙌🏾

After 3 months of decline, the stock market gained almost 9% in November. That helps boost our net worth tremendously. We’re finally back in the #700club. Almost 3/4 of the way to a million dollars!

We also don’t believe it’s a coincidence that our HIGHEST net worth month is the same month that Ashley got laid off from her full-time job. Although we don’t plan on touching most of this money, it’s simply a reminder that God can turn any situation around in an instant!

#moneymanagement #travelhacking #lifestyledesign #designalifeyoulove #personalfinancepodcast #personalfinance #financialfreedom #firemovement #firejourney #journeytofi #financialindependence #financialindependenceretireearly #networthtracking #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #increasethegap by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Our October 2023 Net Worth is $671,999.92. Similar to the market, our net worth declined for the 3rd consecutive month. We had a VERY large unexpected expense that didn’t help. We just keep reminding ourselves that this a marathon, not a sprint and that our consistency will pay off in the future.

#moneymanagement #travelhacking #lifestyledesign #designalifeyoulove #personalfinancepodcast #personalfinance #financialfreedom #firemovement #firejourney #journeytofi #financialindependence #financialindependenceretireearly #networthtracking #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #increasethegap by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Our September Net Worth is $698,429.94. We’re down another $16k this month 😩 almost right back to where we were in June. Although we understand that this is a marathon, not a sprint it’s still hard to see your numbers fluctuate like this. Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time. Most of the decrease is due to the market, but we’ve also had some one-time expenses, like life insurance, that were paid last month. And yes, we still have a Door Dash/Uber Eats/Instacart problem 😩😂

#moneymanagement #travelhacking #lifestyledesign #designalifeyoulove #personalfinancepodcast #personalfinance #financialfreedom #firemovement #firejourney #journeytofi #financialindependence #financialindependenceretireearly #networthtracking #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #increasethegap by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Our August Net Worth is $713,990.61. Although we’re still in the 700 club, it definitely went down pretty significantly this month. We attribute that to the market, as well as some big purchases (Usher tickets lol) and withdrawals from some of our sinking funds (daycare, car insurance). Although it can be a little scary to see your money fluctuate so much from month to month, we remind ourselves that this is just a part of the journey.

#moneymanagement #travelhacking #lifestyledesign #designalifeyoulove #personalfinancepodcast #personalfinance #financialfreedom #firemovement #firejourney #journeytofi #financialindependence #financialindependenceretireearly #networthtracking #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #increasethegap by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Our July 2023 Net Worth is $730,815.52. We reached another milestone last month and hope to keep the positive momentum going. The goal is to increase our investment contributions as we finish up the year. Onward and upward! #SowingSeason #GodIsAble #FIRE #FinancialIndependence #RetireEarly #WorkOptionalComingSoon by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Our June 2023 Net Worth is $696,717.38. We are finally caught up with net worth posts and noticed we’ve been miscalculating our assets the past few months.

Ashley has a pension with her employer that hadn’t been fully accounted for. Also, Carl didn’t account the 401K balance with his new employer.

These two numbers combined added up to approximately $30,000 in assets. And with the correction of the miscalculation, we are now closing in on another milestone. God is good! #FIRE #FinancialIndependence #RetireEarly #DebtFree #IncreaseTheGap by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Our May 2023 Net Worth is $632,737.86. A month behind with this post but the market is having a great year thus far. In May, we reached the $600K milestone for the first time. Hoping to keep this momentum going all 2023. #FIRE #FinancialIndependence #RetireEarly #DebtFree #IncreaseTheGap by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

Several months late but our April 2023 Net Worth is $578,700.24. Still investing early and still investing often. #FIRE #FinancialIndependence #RetireEarly #IncreaseTheGap by @workoptionalparents

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3 years ago

March 2023 was the hardest month of our lives. Ironically, it was also our highest net worth month. What we learned is that our most valuable asset is TIME, not money. Money provides us the option of freedom and flexibility to live life on our own terms, but we would easily trade it for more time.

#moneymanagement #travelhacking #lifestyledesign #designalifeyoulove #personalfinancepodcast #personalfinance #financialfreedom #firemovement #firejourney #journeytofi #financialindependence #financialindependenceretireearly #networthtracking #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity by @workoptionalparents

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4 years ago

A couple weeks ago, we shared a post of all our 2022 accomplishments. As we reflected on all of our wins from the last year, we couldn’t help but also think about some of the Ls we took. We believe it’s important to share both sides of the story for transparency and personal accountability.

Despite what our net worth says, most days we feel like we’re struggling financially. We constantly remind ourselves that this FIRE journey is a marathon not a sprint and that we should make sure we’re taking the steps to design a life we love and don’t need to retire from. With that, we also have to make sure we’re making decisions that truly align with what we really want. Some times those decisions, even if they are intentional, may result in financial or lifestyle setbacks. Documenting and sharing our setbacks, helps to bring awareness to things we may want to improve in the future.

#moneymanagement #travelhacking #lifestyledesign #designalifeyoulove #personalfinancepodcast #personalfinance #financialfreedom #firemovement #firejourney #journeytofi #financialindependence #financialindependenceretireearly #networthtracking #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity by @workoptionalparents

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4 years ago