I first posted in March 2022 and, having appreciated some people's longitudinal updates, figured there might be value in a 'dispatch' (somebody else once used the word on here, and I liked it).  I think it will also help me take stock (pun intended), leave a memory / milestone marker, and get advice on what's ahead.

Since then, a lot has happened and it also feels muddy somehow.  I'm 36 now.  Still in VHCOL and single.

Highlights:

• Bought first primary residence
• Was promoted
• Spent a lot of time and a good amount of money on settling new residence
• Market downturn and recent rebound
• Economy evolved from booming to still booming but not for white collar
• I'm two years older (obviously) and a mild health concern last year has had me both more health conscious and more aware of the passage of time than before

Play-by-play, continuing with 2022 from my prior post:

2022 / 'Year 7': Hit 1M on March 29, 2022!  Far ahead of originally 'scheduled'. :)  After this, late spring / early summer, I deployed the cash I had built up to buy a primary residence.  This was a stressful and time-consuming effort, and continued to be for some time after the purchase.  I oscillate regularly between missing the ease and flexibility of renting, to appreciating owning something, the diversification of asset type, and having 'gotten in' at a now-low interest rate of 3.25%.  Compensation continued to grow.  There was a market pullback and I kept throwing in dollars and going sideways.  Comp: 510k; Spend: 75k-ish (picked up mortgage PITI halfway through the year furnishing looser on daily expenses); NW start: 970k; NW end: 1.07M.

2023 / 'Year 8': This was a hard year in various ways.  I was battling on multiple fronts: stressful work; confusing health changes; settling the new place; changing personally.  On paper everything seemed okay, but the experience of the year was not something I'd want to repeat.  As many know, this was also a time when macro-economic changes permeated white collar work, and that's also led to a different feeling than in years past.  Compensation fell for the first time.  Nevertheless, I continued the FI journey.  It has been a weird feeling to, on the one hand, feel the macro environment in the work setting, while on the other hand, see continued FI progress nevertheless.  I have to sometimes remind myself / show myself, that progress is still happening even if my experience of it is day-to-day 'struggle'.  Reached 1.1M in January 2023.  Then hit 1.2M, my original FI target set in 2016, in May.  Broke through both 1.3M and 1.4M in December.  Late-year market rally helped.  Comp: 450k; Spend: 90k-ish (full year mortgage PITI more furnishing looser on daily expenses); NW start: 1.07M; NW end: 1.42M.

2024: Realize in January that I may hit 1.5M as a milestone soon.  It snuck up in the same way that 500k and 600k snuck up during a rally.  Since I passed my 'original' FI number last year, the milestones now are less clear in my mind, feels like unknown territory, and so I find I recognize them less than before.  Try to keep things simple, focus on work, and hope for the best for the year after a personally tough 2023.  Hit 1.5M on February 15, 2024.  ~2 years since hitting 1M.  Even though I have 50% more than 2 years ago, which should feel like a lot, it somehow does not.  I think it felt like more, hitting 1M while still renting.  I wonder what I'd feel like if I was still renting now at 1.5M.  Probably freer, but perhaps also less secure, and perhaps with less motivation.

Milestone timelines:

• 1M > 1.1M: 10 months (plodding through the market downturn)
• 1.1M > 1.2M: 4 months
• 1.2M > 1.3M: 7 months
• 1.3M > 1.4M: 0 months (first time this has happened)
• 1.4M > 1.5M: 2 months

Balance sheet:

Cash: 35,000 (5-month e-fund)

Home equity: 290,000 (with 925,000 remaining mortgage, 3.25%)

Angel investment: 75,000

After-tax equities: 570,000

401k: 490,000

Roth IRA: 40,000

Total public equities across accounts: 1,100,000

Core monthly expenses (i.e., excludes non-essential one-offs):

PITI: $5,500 (of which ~$1,700 to principal, $500 re-captured from tax itemization, so $3,300 'out the door', similar to my prior rent)

Daily living: $1,500

Total: $7,000 cash flow (or, $4,800 'out the door' net of principal and tax benefit)

Other miscellaneous remarks:

• Have grown relationships, social life, in last couple of years, and am happy about that - new ones, mended ones, and stronger ones
• At the same time, feel a certain 'boredom' with life; not enough change is my guess, and recognizing that, I'm positioning myself as broadly open to change.  I also recognize that in ways, this 'boredom' has created space to focus on other elements of life
• I know it's all fungible dollars, but there is something nice about dividend flow; at over $1,000 monthly in the taxable account (just by virtue of prevailing yields), it starts to feel like that is nearly able to cover my non-housing expenses
• Nearly all public equities are simple 3-fund (large cap, small cap, international)  single digit percentages each in emerging markets and REITs
• I view the residential property as a long term holding, whether I continually live in it or rent it out at some point (would probably rent today for ~$4,500)
• I don't have a car, which is one flip side of HCOL; public transit and Ubers come in way below what car ownership would cost
• All compensation has been cash
• I'm carrying the property and the seed investment at 'book' value; property has come down some with rising rates, seed probably worth more as that business has grown

Questions I have:

• FI was clearer to calculate as a renter; now with a mortgage I struggle to wrap my mind around it, given part of the payment goes to principal, the principal and interest payments are not indefinite, most of the payment is fixed in nominal terms, and the tax benefit changes over time and with income.  This makes it harder to have a clear goal.  And I miss having a clear goal.  Curious how others think about this.
• What else can I optimize?  I'm maxing retirement accounts; keeping a steady e-fund; sweeping the rest to after-tax.  No more need to build a down payment as before.  Refocusing on expense reduction after being 'looser' the past 18 months.  I have encountered insurance products a few times that claim to help with tax optimization over time (e.g., the VUL).  Is this next?  I should probably also look into umbrella insurance.

I have been trying to focus on physical and mental health, and relationships, while keeping the FI train on the tracks.  I welcome any other advice or reflections.  Maybe see you all next at $2M?