Mortgage Costs

Why am I choosing to pay down extra on the mortgage right now? Honestly the main reason is to free up more cashflow and give myself breathing room. Let’s take a look at how my mortgage payments have changed over the past 2 years. Initial ratesInvestment Property – 3.8% – $1974/monthProperty 2 – 2.29% –

Solar Electricity Savings

Today I went back and looked at my electricity bills over the last few years, and I really am impressed by the savings from our solar system! We were lucky enough to already have panels installed when we purchased our property, so no initial outlay for the installation (though of course, it would have factored

Mortgage Amortisation

OK, so after my last post I really started to talk myself out of paying off my mortgage quickly. So I decided to sit down (for several hours!) with an excel spreadsheet and actually run the numbers. All the figures have been adjusted for an inflation rate of 3%, with a real return of 6%

Investing With a Mortgage

Disclaimer: This post is NOT financial advice or a recommendation about what you should be doing – merely an exploration of my thoughts on the topic. Does it make more sense to focus on paying off my mortgage(s) quickly, or to invest that money instead? Or is it best to do a bit of both

EV Savings Tracker!

Having bought a new car, for quite a hefty price tag, I am determined to earn back the value of the car over it’s lifetime! Since it was an EV, and I am able to claim part of my expenses as a tax deduction, I’m hoping that I will be able to recoup my upfront

How To Pay For A New Car

Disclaimer: This post is NOT financial advice or a recommendation about what you should be doing – merely an exploration of my thoughts on the topic. It sounds obvious right? Pay in cash outright, or if absolutely necessary, pay using a loan at the lowest possible interest rate. However, it’s not that simple. A higher

Update: February 2024

February net worth update! Some big changes over the past few months. As you can see, the cash buffer in my net worth is currently non existent. Why? I just bought a new car! I am not counting that car in my net worth given how quickly they depreciate, hence a sharp drop in my

Tax Effectiveness of Retirement

There are many tax advantages for people that have achieved FIRE and living off an investment portfolio, rather than employment income. Time to revisit my figures yet again! Some of the tax advantages that currently exist for investment income include – Tax deductibility of outgoings for investment properties – Tax-free withdrawal from superannuation after preservation