March 2018 Fiscal Update

The stock market is starting to show signs of weakening. It fell in March. And my net worth would have dropped with it. But luckily my severance package came to the rescue. 😀

Job Update

As explained in my previous monthly update, I was laid off in February from my full time job. The company was restructuring and let go more than a quarter of its workforce. Fortunately I received a large severance package from the company worth about $10,500. 😮 Hurray! I deposited the money into my bank account in March and paid down some debts. Thanks to this major windfall my total monthly income was nearly $15K, higher than any previous month! 😀

After the lay off I accepted a new job offer at a different company and started receiving biweekly paychecks again. Here’s an example of my earnings from this new job. I’ve blacked out some private information for security reasons.

As good as this job may be I’ve decided to look for better opportunities elsewhere. So earlier in March I talked to my manager and gave my 2 weeks notice to resign from my position. I like the people there, and have gained a lot of useful experiences. But working there isn’t the best use of my time so I will be applying at other companies now. 🙂

Income Situation

Other than a full time wage I also earned income from my part time job and freelancing in March. In terms of passive income I received $510 from my solarshare bonds. This investment only pays twice a year, not monthly.

Here’s a look at my most recent TD bank transactions. I received $167.94 from my part time job, and $802.93 from my full time job – as presented earlier. I’ve blurred out both names of my employers. 

At the end of the month I transfered $700 to my CIBC bank account to help make my next mortgage payment. Overall March was a terrific month, mostly thanks to a huge payout from my ex-employer. I never thought losing my job could be so helpful for growing my net worth. 🙂 Maybe I should get laid off more often, lol. Just kidding. 😛

The first rule of financial sustainability is to make more money than you spend. My part time job and other side incomes bring in about $2,500 per month. This means I only need to make an additional $500 to $1,000 per month to break even with my budget. Going forward this can be done either by finding a full time job, or by working harder on my side hustles. In any case, my financial statement for March is below.

Liquid’s Financial Update

*Total Income: = $14,900

• Severance package from old job = $10,500
• New full time job = $1,300
• Ongoing part time job = $700
• Freelance = $600
• Dividends = $900
• Interest = $400
• Solarshare bond payment = $500

• Food = $400
• Housing = $1100
• Utilities = $100
• Miscellaneous = $500
• Additional Debt Interest = $1000

*Net Worth: (ΔMoM)

• Assets: = $1,174,100 total (+5,300)
• Cash = $6,600 (+5800)
• Canadian stocks = $168,300 (+300)
• U.S. stocks = $114,300 (-1300)
• U.K. stocks = $21,400 (+300)
• Retirement = $89,300 (+100)
• Mortgage Funds = $32,200 (-200)
• P2P Lending = $31,000 (+300)
• Home = $275,000
• Farms = $436,000

• Debts: = $448,600 total (-4,900)
• Mortgage = $179,400 (-400)
• Farm Loans = $184,300 (-500)
• Margin Loans = $53,100 (-2100)
• TD Line of Credit = $4,100  (+100)
• CIBC Line of Credit = $13,000 (-2000)
• HELOC = $14,700

*Total Net Worth = $725,500 (+$10,200 / +1.4%)
All numbers above are in $CDN. 

So far April is not looking good for my investments. The stock market is down and some analysts predict this is the beginning of a new bear market. Without a secure full time job my net worth could drop this month, which it hasn’t done in years. But I’m optimistic that things will work themselves out. 🙂 We shall see what happens.

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Random Useless Fact