The courtier game

My current job requires basically no work but all politics. This is a totally different game where I am essentially a mid-level courtier in the court of the lord of the house and need to appease the Marshal of the house, or my current boss. 

The rules I need to focus on involve: 

1. Being a source of positive wonder and amazement - make them want to engage with you, want to open your emails, by being a constant positive source in the court. 

2. Do not bring bad news but instead bring news of how you solved a problem. 

3. Do not take credit - do everything to make your boss look good. 

4. Express modest admiration for the work of others - in this way you indirectly draw attention to your own good works. 

5. Do not aim to be friends with your boss - keep a respectful distance. 

6. Arrange to be visible and seen - even if you are not doing anything, being there and being seen allows others to keep you in mind. 

7. Do not be overly flattering or directly obsequious - flatter indirectly, by downplaying your own contributions to make your boss look better. 

8. Be nonchalant about your efforts - everything should seem easy and effortless. Don't be seen to be working too hard. 

All this for: 

- 40k value (32k real) in signing bonus 

- A salary around 10k CHF per month (around 220k value I guess) 

Let's see what is worth it and what is not. 

That's pretty substantial given the possibilities of going forward 

Update January 2026: I hate this and I am not sure if it was worth it. 

Check in: net worth 850k CHF (1.35M)

30k increase in 3 months despite very large expenditures, that’s extremely good. Also from Jan to June I will have no housing expenses really because it’s all saved in advance… so that means hopefully lots more savings, maybe as much as 25k in these months, nearing the annual goal right now of 30k. Maybe if I’m really lucky we will even manage to make it to 50k additional (700k investments) prior to the end of the year. I guess the ultimate goal is 1M in investments. 

Good money moves this year will probably include transferring more into CAD so I can pay down the mortgage a bit faster, like maybe 10k in the next few months. Also setting up automatic deposit from bank account into the investment account. 

Everything says that I can retire in about 5 years' time on an income of about 40k per year. 

I don't want to retire then because: 

1) I want intellectual stimulation and career recognition. And I really don't want to be a second-class citizen like most consultants are / I don't think I've gotten to a level of seniority, relationships and personal renown that I can comfortably rest on my laurels. 

2) I don't think being a full-time parent is something I really want to do, although some additional vacation time would be nice. 

3) I want a lifestyle where I work most of the time in a job that's not too stressful but has some level of impact, a title, health insurance, etc. Which is pretty close, I guess, to what I have now. I need to manage stress and burnout and get back to enjoying the job. 

If this means we are exhausted all the time so be it, this is the configuration, and we just need to bring in more help. 

Anyways, 5 years seems like it's quite close but it's also extremely far away. There is no need to try and talk about theoretical things then. Right now we can only plan about 6 months ahead at a time. 

Check in: net worth 1.317M (820k CHF)

This is a political post, kind of. At first I thought I would just be able to handle the change of political climate and I didn’t realize that I had to physically and emotionally process the election, physically by getting pneumonia and staying at home, emotionally by crying over every small thing like women’s rights being trampled and having a harder road ahead, and by not being able to travel to North Korea (looks like that one is still possible).

Anyways I am / my family is doing well financially right now at least. 

Liquid net worth (investment accounts, retirement accounts, investment real estate) is worth 630k CHF, with my income the highest it's ever been at 182,000 CHF post tax. (higher before the exchange rate calculations I guess). Overall things are going great. In 5 years I'll have probably 1M in retirement accounts which will be enough to live. 

At home things are also going well with family - two kids are thriving, husband is doing well at work, I'm surviving (barely). But trying to stay positive and realizing that being positive is the only way to keep going. 

Two possibilities at this point are: 1) trying to shift into pharma; or 2) doubling down and trying to keep going in my sinking industry and get to the point of having a steady income and steady retirement. I don't really know what would make more sense at this point. One or two more years in my current job at least, as long as I am able to do so. 

Check in: Net worth 1.18 M (around 760K CHF)

Interesting, how my values have changed. 

In my 20's, I thought all I needed was to have a net worth around 1.2M and I would be able to retire probably by 40. 

In my 30's, I knew I also needed a paid-off house, but thought I could still get there by saving 100k per year, and retire probably by 40. 

Now close to 40, I realize not only do I need investment accounts around 1.2M and a paid-off house; but I also won't be able to save 100k per year anymore because childcare expenses don't stop once your kid stops going to daycare (and in fact are almost equally expensive as daycare, by the hour - we pay around $1450 per month for after school care after E's kindergarten), and I now have 2 kids, which means the broader part of childcare expenses are still going to continue for about 5 years. 

At this rate, even if my investments grow, I will probably still have significant expenses (greater than retirement expenses) for the next 10 or close to 20 years, and probably need to work to make this happen. 

So now I understand why people are unable to retire until they are 55+. 

But I won't be able to survive 10 or 20 years in a job that I don't like, without a sense of purpose. 

How do I get that sense of purpose back? 

How do I stop looking at the numbers and start looking at having a wholesome life again? 

I would definitely counsel friends to work 4 days a week rather than 5 if possible, even if it means delaying retirement. 

So why is it so difficult for me to do it myself? 

Check in: net worth $1.15 M (740K CHF)

Now that I realize that net worth is relatively meaningless as a measure. I find it less necessary to keep up with these updates. 

But since the last update 3 months ago my net worth has increased by about 70k which I find incredible, which is considering that I have done nothing except just keep my money in the market, and work I guess. 

Why is net worth meaningless though? 

It doesn’t tell you about your relationship to the money. More important is where you have your money and what income you can generate. I can have it all tied up in a house and have a great deal of debt and be in a world of pain… or I can have a healthy and predictable cash flow and be happy. 

What I really need is to: 

Buy more income generating investments like stocks 

Do not buy unnecessary debt - eg buying less house 

Stay frugal or become more frugal except when it comes to education for kids 

Not much else. I have a downpayment already for a house. 

I need to adjust my measures in order not to include my primary residence in my calculations anymore. Or, just to calculate : 1) total net worth; and 2) investment portfolio which are two different things. 

My investment portfolio is currently about 540k, not counting my pension pot nor my downpayment for the primary residence. So... that's pretty good? This means I can retire, spending 40k per year, in 2031-2032 if I keep putting 40k a year into the retirement portfolio (above my spending and mortgage expenses). 

But is very early retirement what I want? Turning into a vegetable isn't really living my best life. I think I just really want a break, but I know work is extremely important for two things: 1) intellectual/social stimulation, and 2) having dental insurance for the kids!!... so I think that's something to consider. If I can hold out another 12 years or so there's also the advantage to pay for Emilia's university education, if she needs it. 

Looks like I'm in it for another decade, then. 

Dopamine and buying things

Most people get a dopamine hit when they buy something. It feels comforting to acquire something. 

I think we also get a dopamine hit when we think about something to buy. Usually my thought process goes like this: 

Think of something I am missing eg I am feeling tired and a coffee would help me feel better, or my ears are cold and I think I should buy ear muffs, or my breath is stinky and I think I should get some mints. 

Each time I think of the solution I get a little dopamine hit. But each of these things costs a lot of money and are more likely behaviourally-trained. 

But there are better, less convenience based ways of solving that problem that don’t involve the transfer of funds from me to other people to pay for the convenience. 

I have a hat at home. 

I can buy mints in bulk / I have lozenges at home. 

I can make a coffee at home or bring one with me. 

Same as financial independence. I think of the problem (financial pressure or work pressure), then I think of the solution (having a ton of money), then I feel better. 

But it doesn’t solve the convenience problem - I “pay” in lost productivity when I think about things along these lines. 

Being in control of your life involves recognising these circuits and stopping them when they are not useful, like when you are trying to save money, or when you need to be more productive and not distracted by social media. 

Money plans over next 6 months

 I am glad that our monthly childcare expenses won’t increase dramatically when I go back to work full time, because baby won’t be under 1 anymore so the daily cost goes down. So instead of $2201 for 4 days a week, per 4 weeks we will be only spending $2240, which is only a 1.2% increase. 

And for kid, there’s a chance we will stick to the current childcare plan of 1 full afternoon and three half afternoons, as I will take her to piano class (and maybe swim?), and she has a language teacher / babysitter one afternoon a week. So those costs will still run about $1000-1200 per month. 

So total fixed monthly expenses right now on childcare: 

$2500 baby care (adjusting for most months having slightly more than 4 weeks) 

$1200 after school care 

=$3700 on childcare (which we get 40% back, so cost is 2220). This is fixed for at least the next 4 years until baby is in school. But even then it will only go down by 15%. And kid’s expenses will not go down. If we get an au pair,  expenses would run about $1000/month also but we would be potentially more flexible. 

$1570 rent 

$500 transport 

$500-$1000 groceries 

=5290 total. Our take home income is around 15000 so this runs at 30% of that. It doesn’t feel like it but I guess this is the reality.

My reasons for a move would be: 

- trying to do work that is more interesting 

- potentially having more compensation 

I’m currently in a hybrid job where I can work 3-4 days a week remote and commute to the office the other 1-2 days. The workload is fine. It used to be very interesting but they brought on someone who is slightly more senior who has positioned himself between me and my former skip level and taken all the interesting work for himself. I am therefore left with pretty much the secretarial tasks (note taking) and shitty tasks (mediating between colleagues who are arguing). 

While this has reduced my workload substantially and that is great with 2 kids under 7 (I probably only work 15-20hrs per week really but get paid full time) I am worried about flatlining on my career. We also could use more money, who can’t. 

So I guess - job with no responsibilities and an annoying manager, or something where I could potentially make more but would probably have to work more. 

I guess the answer is clear - stay as long as the role stays like this, and get a certification/skill/degree in the meantime, or just spend time with the kids, and keep and develop good health habits like exercise and diet, for the majority of the next decade. I guess both should be fine and if I stay in this type of position it will at least be a wonderful financing of another programme. 

When I am 45 I guess I want to have raised 2 well adjusted kids and have a job that I can do for at least a decade longer. Maybe at that time I will do a PhD or some other degree. Pharma stuff is interesting to me and I guess I can try and position myself to go forward in this area. I guess you can never spend enough time with your family, nor spend enough time exercising. 

Can I stay in this position for another 2-4 years? Only time will tell… 

check in: net worth $1,050K ($698K)

I guess most of the growth in my income comes not from actual savings or anything important but from EXCHANGE RATE ISSUES - the growth of the Swiss franc in relation to the Canadian dollar. But it happens on both fronts between Canada and the US. 

It's crazy the differences and a little disheartening that over the last year and a half I've just barely managed to increase my Swiss net worth by 48k CHF. If you look at it in Canadian terms, though, it looks completely different - over this timeframe my net worth has increased by a pretty decent $168k CAD, and I've reached "millionaire status"; this happened back in April already, but you know my life has been pretty baby-dominated for the last 8 months. 

In terms of insights? Well, it looks like I can do better on savings, actually, although my numbers look good because of the exchange rate and because I'm measuring in Canadian dollars. I should probably keep moving cash into Canada given the current situation (which I expect to improve, given what I believe is the continued strong state of the Canadian and American economies).  

I will keep making updates. It's good to know that by end year I will have just over 700k Swiss francs almost regardless of whatever else happens. 

Baseline spending over last 3 months

Ok, here goes a total breakdown of all of my personal spending from November 2022 - Jan 2023, aka the last 3 months. 

As a parent with no time for other things I basically only spend money on two things: 

1) Groceries / Food 

2) Things for the kids including clothes, gifts for parties, etc. 

My transportation expenses are paid once per year - it's just a general subscription to the national transportation system. One-time payment of $2800 per year and I'm covered. 

All amounts in CHF. 

Spending	Nov 2022	Dec 2022	Jan 2023	Average
Total	845	1131	1202	1059
Total Food	626	776	1159	854
Total Other	219	355	43	205

Total spend: 1059 per month 

This is approximately equal to my budget, surprisingly. So I guess that's fine. But it doesn't account for vacation purchases or a few big Christmas gifts for husband, for kid, and for the broader family. 

Insights: 

1) Food spend is much higher (70%) than my anticipated 500/month. 

This does not include my many one-time expenses like vacations etc. If I do include those, the number will be even higher. So, the question is, we can try and cut down on the Food spend - less restaurants, less takeout at the train station. Or, I can budget for more and live with it as we don't really do much outside eating at all. 

2) Spending seems to be creeping up over the months. 

I'm not sure what's going on but it seems like my spending has been going up. This could be lifestyle inflation, or due to the gestational diabetes diet being more expensive (cheese, meat, almost no carbs). I can see what happens over the next few months once the diet normalizes a bit more. 

Either way, good to track this over the coming months. 

At it again... one month later :)

Well, look how long that PF ban lasted... just over a month. 

Part of it is that I just got a large infusion of $27,000 post tax (ok it's not that big, other people earn this in a normal month) and I am trying to figure out if this changes anything. Short answer, given the falling markets right now, it doesn't. 

I think around the time I hit 1m NW, I will change the way I do my accounting. 

As I started to spell out in my last post, I need to start thinking of things not just in terms of overall net worth, but in four chunks: 

1) Whether I have a primary residence paid off 

2) Whether I have enough retirement funds (separate from emergency funds) 

3) Enough emergency funds 

4) Continued savings for 2 children 

Whether I have a primary residence paid off 

This goal is going to take a long time, given I don't have a primary residence at all and have just most of a downpayment saved up. I estimate between 10-20 years. I do still believe that it is important to purchase a primary property, to help with wealth accumulation and financial security. 

This goal will probably require around $1 million in capital overall for my share (given a split with my husband). I have about $100k towards a downpayment. 

Whether I have enough retirement funds 

Given annual expenses around $40k in current terms, I will need $1.3 million at a conservative 3% withdrawal rate. I have about 500k towards this now if we count the rental apartment and pension. I should still try and put additional money into paying off the property when possible. 

Emergency funds 

Will need to cover a year's worth of living expenses, so around $40k. I currently don't have this separated from my regular accounts but have around 30k that I could immediately liquidate for living expenses. However my job is at least guaranteed till January 2024, so this is not the most essential part. 

Savings for two children

Should cover their university education expenses. If I keep working at my current job this will likely not go over $80k each (so $160k for both). I currently have $20k set aside for Kid 1 and she still has about 10 years to go, so about $6k per year into her account. 

In total, it means I should have $2.5 million minimum as net worth. It does look like I will only get there around age 55 or so barring any increase in fortune or otherwise. I will have shaved 10 years off my working life this way. 

I still have my BHAG of $20 million - but no plan to get there yet!!

ALSO - the huge point that my own finances cannot realistically be separated from that of my husband. We are a family unit now. 

Enough PF stuff for 2022!

Here's the annual "don't think about PF anymore" post. 

I am a LONG way from a (comfortable) retirement. I'm not socking away the around 200k per year I think I would need to get there. At my current savings rate, about half of that, I should be able to retire a "standard" early retirement of 57 or so but anything earlier than that is probably not going to work. So I need to stop fantasizing about leaving work in the next year or two because it's not going to happen. 

My house needs to be paid off to retire, and I must have enough money to cover substantial expenses during retirement. 

The better and more productive way would be: 

1. To figure out how to do a better job at work 

2. To figure out how to be more frugal 

3. To keep a regular exercise routine and keep flossing and brushing your teeth 

4. To figure out how to be a better parent... not to figure out ways to stop working 

And stop focusing on the numbers. 

check in: net worth $882K ($650K)

Hi, it's me again, doing a check in 5 months since the last one. 

Over time, I do see pretty substantial income and net worth growth - I've earned over 67k since the last update. I just don't see it over the day to day period so it feels a bit stagnant right now. 

The biggest drag on net worth growth has of course been the stock market, which has been on its downward trend since January (although with a nice uptick in the last few months, thank goodness I could not access Interactive Brokers during the very low period to see all the losses! It's very healthy not to access your investment accounts). I have learned my lesson about focusing too much on individual stocks, and will now return to the usual boring but stable program of Vanguard all world and all USA ETFs. 

The second biggest drag has been expenses, such as paying annual taxes, fees associated with the move, and apartment furnishings (something which can make its own separate post). 

I have refinanced my mortgage on my place and the interest rate is quite high (5.29%); however I wanted to lock in a rate now rather than see it continue to go up. So it will add another $500/month to my expenses which will come out to $30000 over 5 years going straight to the bank. But that can't be helped, and my apartment value (likely $50-100k) and equity (+$48000) will continue to grow over that time so it will offset the increased costs. The rent on our current place is so low ($1570/month) that it helps a lot with financial decisions. 

I also have big news that I am expecting child #2 early next year. I have fairly stable income of $10000/month post tax coming in over the next 10 months at least. This is great because it means I can grow net worth to hopefully close to $1M ($740k-750k) by this time next year, IF I can keep our lifestyle modest, and keep spending under control and not buy every high end thing on the market for baby. I don't think it's healthy to speculate beyond that but I have a big incentive to go back to the job soon - if I manage to return to the office and stay on the job another year I can see some fairly significant gains (around $100k) due to pension vesting, and therefore with some luck should reach $1.2M ($950k) around this time in 2 years. Of course, I have no idea what will happen at work with all the politics and senior management changes, but so far I enjoy my job and can see myself doing it for a few years more, and at least have a guarantee till the end of my maternity leave in a year. Then, I know people generally rather keep personnel on than let them go, so it should at least be ok for me to keep with the job for a bit longer. 

So, smooth sailing for now. 

check in: net worth $837K ($620K)

 I had to devalue the estimated price of my house. That, plus, stock market slumps, puts me at a net worth right now similar to what I was at 7 months ago. It is frustrating not to see progress but I think it's an honest account, plus it makes me think that I should not be going around obsessing over these numbers so much. 

Anyways this does not detail my plans.  

in general I think it's pretty insane what we have been able to make and save by being in this African country for the last two years. Income wise it's been crazy - making 280 chf take home combined in one year. I didn't expect that it would be so lucrative. Of course the inheritance helped. 

I'm going to reach 1m CAD in a year and a half (age 37 instead of 36). It's funny because I feel like reaching this milestone now does not impact my life in any way. Watching the numbers does not do anything for me now, except waste my time. 

Doing net worth calculations does not make me any happier because the pace of change is so glacial. 

Three years ago at this time I had less than $500k CAD. Now that I have $300k more, I feel absolutely nothing from the increase. I feel the same way that I did back when I had $500k CAD, or when I had $100k CAD. 

If you gave me $300k now, I'd be through the moon happy. I'd feel so rich. But if you fast forwarded another 6 months or so, I'd feel exactly the same way that I do now. The happiness would normalize. 

I'm chasing the happiness that comes from gaining money, or the relief from anxiety that comes from gaining money. But these feelings are temporary and don't solve any of your problems for the long term. So I don't think they are as useful as I think. 

It is very likely I will gain another $300k CAD in another 3 years, or more, which will put me squarely in the bona fide millionaire set. But I will feel the same as I do today. It will not increase my security, nor make me a better employee, nor increase my capacity to contribute to the world, nor make me a better partner nor parent. It will simply be. 

I think, "oh, but I would be happier if I got a $200k per year increase, not a $100k per year increase! Wow, wouldn't that be something. Then I would be happy." 

But when you think about it that's not true either. The happiness comes in the brief moment when you imagine this possibility and feel the hope of the change. When you actually experience it you will be in exactly the same level of happiness as you are now (with possibly a very very negligible or slight increase in your rated well being, but likely something you would not notice). 

Enough PF stuff for 2021

This is enough action, I'm going to stop looking at personal finance things and excel spreadsheets until 2022 and focus on my life. Everything is set now and any more planning will just be taking time away from actual productive activity or sleep. 

Check-in: net worth $834k ($609k), gain of $60k

An update to my accounting method, as half my assets are in one country and the other half in the other. It's too much work to report on this every month so I'm going to go back to quarterly, I think, since I ended up making a new sweet Excel sheet to track my net worth. 

This time I managed to look at my investment accounts and sweet Jesus everything is going well right now. It might look like I have sudden jumps this month but it's mostly because I've just done some accounting and am actually accounting for investment returns for the last 8 months. What a time to be alive. 

I plowed $145k into my retirement accounts this last month, 5k still sits in cash (don't know why - if I leave it I'm leaving gains on the table). I've informally decided that $20k of this belongs to E, given we don't have tax sheltered accounts where I could save for kids's education. I don't have a house yet but there is no way we can buy this in the next year anyways given our location, so I would rather not have cash sitting around and will use future earnings for a downpayment instead. 

I have also: 

1) Divested from my bonds and buy stocks instead. 100% stock portfolio for growth. I have cash reserves to last me 1 year, and "survivability" income technically forever or until I become paraplegic so the chances are pretty good that I don't need to cash out until I really decide to retire in 30+ years. 

2) Organized more clinical work on my plate for next month. Keep the license alive and get more income. 

3) Moved money back to Canada to take care of my expenses, using Transferwise. 

Given other planned expenses, I will not be able to take half of the year's working days off and will instead have to work 20 more days if I want to meet my savings goals (not total portfolio growth goals) of $100k CHF this year. First world problems. I hope my supervisor is ok with this. I'll bring it up sometime later in the summer. 

I will be able to reach $1m CAD, personally, at age 36, so I am on track at least to meet my first financial goal. The next goal, $1m CHF personally, sounds reachable by age 40. 

But again, this is still my bare minimum and I feel in the current climate that I can do better. Yay for perfectionist tendencies. So let's see how much I can hustle this year to improve this. 

Check-in: Net worth $774k (595k)

 Current net worth: $595,000 CHF or $774,000 CAD  

The increase from 582 to 595 ($13k in one month, or $17k CAD) comes entirely from income. I don't know if there were other investment gains and I don't check. 

Upcoming expenses till 1 July 2021: 

I pay my partner for my half of expenses, which is around $2600 

Taxes: $8000 (Property tax and general income tax)  

Total: $10600

Upcoming income (till 1 July 2021): 

Job 1: $34000 $18500 from the month's work, plus $15700 pending from TWO YEARS AGO. Don't ask. 

Job 2: $0 Still doing this other gig. Making some money but I'm just breaking even (or less). I don't think I want to ramp up work here because it will just cut into my other income.  

Job 3: $1500 Still pending from side work. 

Total: $35500  

Total increase in NW = $24,900 CHF or $33,767 CAD

Expected net worth July 1, 2021: $619,900 CHF or $840,838 CAD 

1-month forecast 

Income - ~$4000. I will probably only work a week next month. 

Expenses - ~$4000 (+1400). With increased expenses from travel I will just break even for next month. 

12-month forecast 

Income - around $110k: I've signed a contract for working half the days of the year, for just over $100k. Another $7k or so will come from the capital gain on paying down my mortgage. (I don't count potential capital gains from stock right now). This is good enough for me for now, as all the income is tax-free. I could work more to earn another $16k or so but I'm not sure if it's worth it - this way I can either work 4 days a week and take 3 months off, or I can work 5 days a week and take 6 months off. I'll also try to work more doing Job 2, where I need to fulfill some hours. But it is flexible, so if I want to work more later I can. 

Expenses - probably around $30,000: Expenses for next year might be slightly higher than prior because I do want to spend more time travelling with E. 

Total gain: around $80k (or 108k CAD). This will meet my minimum goals of annual gain of $100k CAD. If I work more and get an increase of $96k ($130k CAD) I can even push this more - and be close to $1m CAD ($960k)! Let's see how this goes. 

Again my long-term financial goals are to get to $1m CAD, or $1m CHF (stretch goal) by the time I am 40; and then up to $8m net worth by the time I retire with at least $2-3m in retirement savings. The best (and fastest) way to get there is to keep working hard - do as much as possible in my job, keep staying positive and bringing positive energy to work, which will help me to get a stable contract with all those sweet benefits, or get a better job in another organization. 

I'm really looking forward to being able to invest better while we're in Switzerland and Canada. By next month I will have over $100k that I want to put away in a "shopping spree" so looking forward to doing that.  

The strategy has not changed for increasing my wealth: 
1. Better investing - still haven't found a good way to keep doing this while abroad. 
2. Find a full-time job in public health - UN agency, consultancy, or university
3. (back-up) learn German, then work as a doctor 

Check in: Net worth $757k ($582k)

 Current net worth: $582,000 CHF or $757,000 CAD  

The increase from $457 to $582 (a $125k jump!) has come from: 

- Getting the money from the sale of the house I inherited - $50k

- Increased valuation of my apartment in Canada - $40k 

- Income from work - about $20k 

- Investment gains - about $15-20k 

Many of these things I did not take into full account last time I did this valuation. So I'm including it now. 

Upcoming expenses till 1 July 2021: 

My monthly living expenses are hovering at around $2600/month according to our finance split, but I expect this will go down as we get more efficient with our spending. $2600 (only one month left till July!) 

Trip to Canada (to see grandparents): $4500
I really wish we could have gone sooner. But COVID. It will only be me and E. Part of this plane cost will be subsidized by the travel subsidy we get, but I estimate we will be spending on other things (like car rental, travelling to see friends) so expecting that this amount will even out to roughly $2000. We will also need to pay for a hotel quarantine stay, which will be about $1300 for me and E. A COVID test to fly back will also cost $150. Other miscellaneous expenses will likely equal $1000. 

Trip to Switzerland: $3300
The flights are covered, baby! But this is still going to be an expensive trip. I'm booking one week in a hotel with points which helps, and we'll be staying with M's parents or with friends, so most of the accommodation costs are accounted for. We'll still likely spend money booking another hotel for about 4 nights ($800), there will also be train trips ($700). Other shopping, miscellaneous expenses can easily total $1500. COVID test costs will also equal about $300. 

Taxes: $8000 (Property tax and general income tax)  

Total: $19600

Upcoming income (till 1 July 2021): 

Job 1: $50000 I'm expecting an income adjustment of $15k, finally! Plus I'm expecting a lot of money coming in at the end of this contract. 

Job 2: $0 Although I'm working, the money will be offset by the costs to keep this job. Is it worth it? Apparently it is.  

Job 3: $1500 Doing some additional side work here and there. 

Total: $51,500  

Total increase in NW = $31,900 CHF or $42,837 CAD

Expected net worth July 1, 2021: $613,000 CHF or $799,000 CAD 

37% of this is in home equity, another 25% in pension accounts, and the rest is in liquid cash or ETFs. 

I've already reached 600k net worth (Or $800k in my home currency, CAD) before age 35; I'm happy with that. Again my long-term financial goals are to get to $1m CAD, or $1m CHF (stretch goal) by the time I am 40; and then up to $8m net worth by the time I retire with at least $2-3m in retirement savings. The best (and fastest) way to get there is to keep working hard - do as much as possible in my job, keep staying positive and bringing positive energy to work, which will help me to get a stable contract with all those sweet benefits, or get a better job in another organization. 

Next year, I can save about $80k or so give or take at the current pace. I'll be taking nearly 3 months off over the summer while expenses will hover at $31,200, or will even go down (Although, given I'm dying to go to a few countries in this region the travel budget for the rest of the year might be higher.) 

I'm really looking forward to being able to invest better while we're in Switzerland and Canada. By next month I will have over $100k that I want to put away in a "shopping spree" so looking forward to doing that.  

The strategy has not changed for increasing my wealth: 
1. Better investing - still haven't found a good way to keep doing this while abroad. 
2. Find a full-time job in public health - UN agency, consultancy, or university
3. (back-up) learn German, then work as a doctor 

Updated Makeup Essentials

 Time for me to do an update on what my makeup routine looks like. This is tried and true after like 5-6 years of the same routine. It is mom with young kids friendly (only takes me about 5 minutes to do the whole thing, which I sometimes find myself doing before the next videoconference).

This does not include skincare, which I am still working on perfecting! If anyone has any good ideas for skincare routines in high sun exposure areas hit me up. 

I don't believe in spending more than you need on makeup. If you have the basics, you're set. Sometimes spending $20 gets you the same results as spending $60 on a makeup kit. Sometimes it's even better. 

1. Eyeshadow palette with 3 colors: 1 dark shadow, one warm medium brown/almond, and 1 white/shiny highlight color. Should come with its own mirror and brush for maximum portability and durability. I don't like palettes with 8+ colors because who has time to decide on colors in the morning? You'll end up using 3-4 daily anyways. My palette was maybe $30 from MAC (MAC Look in a Box - All About Beige), I've used it for almost 7 years and it still has a year or two left in it.  One of my best purchases. Here it is below (it is no longer on sale unfortunately). 

I recently shopped for a replacement as it's getting really hard to get product out anymore (I "hit pan" a long time ago!). I found it surprisingly hard to find a palette with a) only 4 colors - because if you have more you won't use them, b) a mirror, and c) a useable brush. 

2. Foundation - $20-30. Right now I use a powder foundation from Everyday Minerals. I use this because I am in a hot climate. This is a more cost-effective version of Bare Minerals and works beautifully. Costs $17, with a $17 kabuki brush (so $32 total). I've used it now for 1 year and it looks like it still has another 5 years left.  

3. Concealer stick or liquid concealer, $15-20. Still looking for a good one with the right amount of cover. 

4. Occasionally, lipstick or tinted lip balm, $5. Lipstick is everywhere! I don't do more than natural lips so I don't need something more long-lasting, although if lipstick is your trademark you will probably be spending more here. 

I don't use an eyeliner anymore but I might start again. This would bump up the sum by another $20. Mascara just doesn't do it for me - I inevitably get the color transferred to my lower eyeline at some point and it becomes a pain to remove. 

Total: $85, or $105 with an optional eyeliner. 

Check in: Net worth, $612k ($457k)

 Current net worth: $457,000 CHF or $612,000 CAD  

6 months ago I was at $539k, now an increase of $73k (largely from house sale). 

Upcoming expenses till 1 July 2021: 

My monthly living expenses have really gone down. They are hovering at around $2000/month. $2000 x 3 months = $6000 
Our costs abroad: 

Daycare $800/month

Nanny $250/month

Cook $250/month

Driver $250/month 

Subtotal = $1550/month 

My half of the above =  $775/month 

Food and other things, $500/month 

Rent (my half)- $928

Health insurance (my half) - $240

Trip to Canada (to see grandparents): $3100
Trip to Switzerland (to see grandparents): $6000

Total: $15100 

Upcoming income (till 1 July 2021): 

Job 1: $64000 I'm currently working 5 days a week and a bit more. The work pace is fine and I have a good set up. I need to put more boundaries in place between work and home so I'm not sitting at my desk when I don't need to be. 

Job 2: $0 Probably not much, I don't see myself working very much and the licensing costs will eat up any money made.  

Job 3: $1000 Doing some additional side work here and there. 

Still waiting on: (I am leaving this out because I have no idea when this will come through)

$15000 from proof of tax return - my employer is inexplicably holding back $15k on proof of my final tax return. This is a very strange business model especially since I have already given them proof that I have to pay taxes as per many clear email conversations with the cantonal government. Anyways we managed to scratch this condition out of the new contract. 

Total: $65,000  

Total increase in NW = $49,900 CHF or $66,848 CAD

Expected net worth July 1, 2021: still around $520,000 CHF or $697,000 CAD 

If I can get that $15,000 owing to me this will be even higher, $530k. That is still fine with me. No change from prior, no news really. Still hoping to get to $1m CAD, or $1m CHF (stretch goal) by the time I am 40; and then up to $8m net worth by the time I retire with at least $2-3m in retirement savings. 

Right now less than 30% of this is in home equity / pension, the rest is in liquid cash or ETFs. 

This trajectory was boosted by the sale of a house. How much can I make next year? Well, I'll have about 150 days guaranteed, so $118,000 of income tax free. Expenses will hover at $34000. So I'll be able to save still maybe 80k or so, bringing net worth to 600k (or 800k CAD) by the time I am 36. I will really need to ramp this up if I want to hit $1m by 40. 

Investing while abroad and unable to access my accounts has been tricky; I need to do better at taking advantage of the times we go back to Canada. I did manage to thankfully open an investment account which allowed me to take advantage of some of the excellent stock market performance (a modest amount but still!). I just need to plow a lot more of the liquid I have into ETFs, maybe put another $70k in there when I go back (getting it up to $130k). 

The strategy has not changed:  
1. Better investing - get on top of this again. How do I do this while not in Switzerland? 
2. Find a full-time job in public health - UN agency, consultancy, or university
3. (back-up) learn German, then work as a doctor