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 

Check in: Net worth $580,000

Here we go!

Current net worth: $539,000 or $385,000 CHF 

Well, a year ago I was at $480k, and now I am at $539k. That is only an increase of $59k. This is kind of what I expected, but that is not as high as I wanted. At least over the next year I expect this to increase quite a bit (more below). 

I managed to re-negotiate my contract with my current employer to increase my income from $450/day to $789/day. That has been built mainly on my longstanding very good relationship with my boss (over a decade of knowing him and working with him). I'm really thankful for that. 

Upcoming expenses till 1 July 2021: 

Monthly living expenses will go down. from $3350/month in Bern to $2443 x 9 months = $21987 
We are moving to Nigeria for two years for my husband's work! Daycare expenses are going down, but rent and other house staff costs go up. 

Daycare $800/month

Nanny $250/month

Cook $250/month

Driver $250/month 

Subtotal = $1550/month 

My half of the above =  $775/month 

Food and others yet unknown, budgeting $500/month 

Rent (my half)- $928

Health insurance (my half) - $240

Trip to Canada (to see grandparents): $3000
Two trips to Switzerland (to see grandparents): $6000

Total: $30987

Upcoming income (till 1 July 2021): 

Job 1: $90000 About $10k/month working 3-4 days a week. 

Job 2: $10000 Gotta keep my license going. 

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

Other one-time income: 

$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. 

$50000 from house sale - I am selling the house of my grandmother's that I inherited, and splitting the proceeds with family. It won't be life changing (and I don't expect it to be) but it is substantial. We haven't finalized the split, but I am anticipating to receive after all is said and done about 30% of the value of the house. 

Total: $166,000 

Total increase in NW = $135013 CHF or 195898 CAD

Expected net worth July 1, 2021: around $520,000 CHF or $754,000 home currency 

Still doing well overall on my net worth projections. $754k CAD at age 34 is fine with me; hoping to get to $1m CAD, or $1m CHF as a stretch goal ($1.4m CAD) by the time I am 40. And then to ramp this up, through investing and earnings, to $8m over then next 25 years with at least $2-3m in retirement savings (I don't intend to retire early). Come on compound interest! 

Money wise, I still do have a big chunk of cash sitting in a bank account right now. This should definitely change. However it's not clear what I can do with this while we are abroad; I will not have residency status anywhere for a few years so I don't think I can open any new investment accounts in Switzerland. I will need to "get on top of this" again and find somewhere to keep this. 

The goal is still to keep being able to bank $100k/year CHF. As a consultant abroad with these expenses and no taxes, this might actually be possible. As a person back in Switzerland it will be more difficult, but potentially doable again if I can get back into a good job. 

The strategy is the same as last year: 
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

I have firmly shifted to believing that money is secondary to career. (I guess I always thought that but was stressing over money for a long time). Actually - scratch that. Money and career are secondary to balanced, principled living. That is the focus. This, and growth, and family. 

Check-in: Net worth $490,000

Hey it's been a few years, but here we go. So much has happened since the last post. I now have a baby, have switched to working as a contractor, and am managing 3 temporary or locum jobs.

Current net worth: $490,000 

Oh man. So this is beyond my wildest dreams right now, especially considering I don't have full-time employment right now. I left the last job because I wanted to diversify my skill set, and landed on a very nice consultancy job (in terms of content. Pay is ok, but not to the level of what I was earning before). I'm working quite a lot, but at least I'm also putting money in the bank!

About 2.5 years ago my net worth was only at $180k. 2.5 years later, it's $310k higher!

So... what happened?

Well, I bought an apartment that subsequently went up in value by $120k the month I bought it.
I also got a severance package from my former employer. Talk about a soft landing.
And I've kept working. This new employer is fantastic from the technical side - amazing boss, really interesting content. I am re-negotiating the contract right now to see if I can get paid more.

Upcoming expenses: 

Monthly living expenses $3350 x 3 months = $10,050 
With childcare, our expenses are definitely not low. But at least our rent now is not expensive. 

Trip to Canada (to see grandparents): $3000
Trip to Portugal: $500
Yep, we have to buy a plane seat now for baby - talk about increased expenses!  

Total: $13,550

Upcoming income (till Dec): 

Job 1: $30000 

Job 2: $10000 Oh the beauty of tax returns. 

Job 3: $1300 There will be a little bit of extra income. Hooray!

Total: $40,300 

Expected net worth Dec 2019: around $510,000 

So, I've been hitting (or exceeding) my net worth projections, despite having left full-time employment in Jan 2019. I must admit I didn't expect this at all - back in Jan, sitting at $400k, I thought optimistically that I could increase it to $450k by the end of the year. This is therefore incredible.

One big thing coming up is figuring out what I am going to do about savings and investment now that we have moved, likely permanently, to Switzerland. Yeah, $100k of this $510k is sitting around doing nothing. I absolutely do not need this cushion as I can find work in a day (I am not joking)... so I need to get that money working for me too. I don't think my emergency fund needs to be higher than about $5k given the work situation right now.

The goal is to keep increasing net worth by ideally $100k a year. And to switch these projections to CHF, so a very reach goal - this will take a while - is to save $10k CHF a month. My three possible paths to get there are:

1. Better investing - consider buying a property/real estate funds, make sure all my money goes into index funds now, possibly other investing such as personal lending.
2. Find a full-time job in public health - UN agency, consultancy, or university
3. (back-up) learn German, then work as a doctor

But honestly, this blog should be more about my career goals than financial goals. Because although money is important, it distracts from the real goals of life - to lead a meaningful, full life where you have a great deal of positive impact on your family and through your work. I hope to get there a lot more than I hope to have money, which is really just an enabling factor. I think I lost track of this a bit in the last decade (being in serious debt does that to you!) but I am getting perspective back, and I think that is very healthy.

Shopping guide

So we just moved to a place where we have TONS of good shops around. This is super dangerous. With having a baby and working full time, I haven't shopped for ages so I need to "re-train" my shopping vigilance again. I just bought a $250 trench coat, and then found out I didn't like it but can't return it. Who doesn't allow returns?! So I just learned a few (expensive) shopping lessons again:

1) don't shop on a Saturday when you're tired and don't make good decisions;

2) make sure you know the return policy, in addition to: washability, where it comes from, what it's made of, and how it will look after 3 months, 6 months;

3) just because it looks good on the rack/model doesn't mean it looks good on you, and vice versa;

4) Stop trying to make COS and Comptoir des Cotonniers work for you, it just won't happen.

That's like $60 per lesson. Ouch. 

Really minimalist maternity wear - business casual edition

I work in an office in the United Nations. It is competitive and you are expected to look good. 

So what's a girl to do when pregnant, a working professional, but really minimalist? How on earth do you cover that growing bump while drawing minimal attention to it, but also accentuating the curves you've got?

Here's what I would do in terms of a pregnancy wardrobe, if I were making a new one from scratch, ranked from most to least important. 

1. One functional tailored blazer. 

This is going to be your go-to. Get it tailored if you can. Dark grey is best but light can also work. You are going to throw this baby over EVERYTHING and it will make it all look professional. Chances are you already have this in your wardrobe - so you can check it off your list. (Forget the accompanying pants - you can kiss those goodbye after 15-20 weeks). 

2. 3-5 simple jersey dresses, e.g. from H&M (below). 

These are what you are going to throw your blazer over. These simple dresses are only $15-20 each and can easily accommodate - and hide - a growing bump. Again you probably already have a few of these in your closet. 

3. So. Many. Tights. 

I would get at least 2 weeks's worth in case you can't do laundry one weekend. You are going to wear these every day so just get used to it. 

4. 1 pair stylish flats, and (optional) 1 pair high heels. I have written elsewhere about the benefits of wearing heels during pregnancy. Again you probably already have these. 

Seriously ladies, that's it. Everything else is external to this basic uniform, which works in every standard business situation. Jazz it up with a nice necklace and some earrings. People will be complimenting you for the whole pregnancy. 

What I have bought as maternity wear

Pregnancy for me doesn't really involve spending more money. It's really just about the expanding waistline and how you deal with it.

Here is everything I have spent so far on pregnancy.
I would like to note that everything I have bought so far can also be worn after the pregnancy. They are just stretchy/flowy items that also work for a bump. 

$165- Michael Kors ribbed midi skirt. Functionality-wise this is perfect - stretchy enough to cover my bump, long enough that it doesn't ride up past my knees when I am sitting. It looks great with heels too. But it doesn't hold its shape - after a few wears it already has a few places where it doesn't go back to its original shape. And GOD does it get itchy! The quality of the material (viscose, nylon) also really leaves a lot to be desired. Not sure I would buy this again, it's not worth it.

$60 - & Other Stories beige A-line dress. 
I wear this at least once a week to work and get lots of compliments. As I am not 6 ft 2 like the model it goes down to my knees. It even has pockets!!

TOTAL: $225 

What I still plan to get maternity wear wise: 

- A pair of kickass heels: when I was in medical school I found that the best thing to prevent leg swelling, besides compression stockings, was high heels. They keep your legs contracted and so prevent fluid pooling in your legs. They also make you look great because you also have these awesome  pregnancy curves. I wear 3.5 inch stilettos at work a lot and they are great, but I need a new pair. 

- Maybe a nursing bra, although I am undecided 

What I decided against 

- Bella Band: a friend recommended me the Bella Band to keep your pants up during the first trimester. I don't know, to be honest a sturdy hair band through the belt loop can do the same trick and you don't have to spend $30. When I went to the Michael Kors store the sales rep was also 4 months pregnant and showed me that trick, and I was so impressed :)

- Maternity jeans/pants: Although I have an office dress code, I am fine just wearing dresses/skirts to the office. Maternity pants are just not necessary for me.

What I got from friends (that I use)

- Noppies maternity dress: A friend lent me a lovely maternity dress - it's by a Dutch brand called Noppies. It is very flattering and work-appropriate. Mine has a black and white polka dot top. I also wear this once a week or so to work.

The rest of the time, I just wear some dresses with a simple tailored dark grey blazer. It's not that hard. The one piece we did get which I am thankful for is a big maternity pillow, which has done wonders for my sleep and prevents me from snoring.

Check-in: Net worth $143,000, NO DEBT

Here we go again! Not much to say except we have had a long way going, with a Real Job Now that can help me save a lot more money.

Current net worth: $143,000 

So there's been a lot happening since last time... income from work has been fantastic, I got a great lump sum relocation fee that is allowing me to save a lot (although again this is only a one time thing). We had a wedding which cost quite a bit, and I paid for two trips back home to visit family. But overall I'm managing to put away something around $6000 a month which is great for now. I still need to find ways to increase my income as ideally I'm putting away at least $9000-$10000 a month.

Eh, but there is something to be said for being patient! I don't think I would quit my job right now to go back and do something else, because ... I'm now pregnant and we get a GREAT maternity benefit package of full pay for 6 months. If I will quit I will consider it after the mat leave. :P 

Upcoming expenses: 

Monthly living expenses $3350 x 4 months = $10,050 
Looking back I can't believe my living expenses were $1500/month living in Toronto. Switzerland really is expensive in comparison. And BF thinks I'm being frugal!! hahaha.

Pre-baby road trip: $2500
Trip to Latvia: $500
We are trying to do a little travelling pre-baby. 

Total: $13,050

Upcoming income (till July): 

Main job: $46000 

Tax refund: $3000 Oh the beauty of tax returns. 

Side work: $1300 There will be a little bit of extra income. If I can go back to Canada I can push this up a lot more (where work would be around $100/hr). Here though, while I am not on leave, this is the best I can do.

Total: $50,300 

Expected net worth July 2017: $180,250 

This is fantastic.
Seriously one of the major gains this year has been the index fund markets, driven largely by US growth. I must say I disagree with a lot of Trump's policies, and there are a lot of long-term issues with what he's saying, but at least in the short term I am happy with how things are going. I've gained about $5000 in stock in a year and a half (around a 5% return). 

Checking in again, hopefully sooner rather than later!