Begin – to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Welcome to the FI Explorer blog – I appreciate you stopping by to read!
I am a 40 something guy living in Australia interested in sharing what I learn along the journey to financial independence, and connecting with people who are either on or considering the same path.
Financial independence is the concept of building a portfolio of assets that provide sufficient passive income to meet future expenses.
The start of the journey
This blog started with this first entry at the beginning of 2017 as a way of:
- Tracking what I hope will be my journey to financial independence, and finding out if the transition I can see as a theoretical possibility can be achieved
- Recording and sharing what I learnt in case it was valuable to others on the same journey
- Keeping a record of my impressions and reasons for individual and overall portfolio investment decisions
When I commenced my journey I found that many financial independence blogs are aimed at either getting the absolute basics of achieving financial independence right (such as getting out of debt, tracking expenses and saving), documenting the start of the journey, or describing the rewarding lifestyles many have achieved after reaching their goals.
Relatively few that I have found so far seek to offer the perspective of that “in between” time when the goal of financial independence is in sight, even if a little distant.
To read the start of the journey, click here, and for a list of all posts click here. I also discuss the early parts of my journey in the posts Early Navigations and Waypoints of the Passage. These reflect the fact that my personal financial independence journey started before the blog.
The FI Explorer blog as profiled in Money Magazine (April 2018)
For more information on the concepts of financial independence there are many sources, but these posts from US blogger Mr Money Moustache are an excellent introduction.
What you can expect
You can expect to see regular monthly updates on my goal to achieve my financial independence objectives, including portfolio income and investment updates.
Each monthly update also usually includes reflections on what I have learnt, and discussion of academic evidence about investment issues and different ways to invest.
My primary financial independence objective is to maintain a portfolio of at least $2,870,000 which is capable of providing a passive income of around $99,000 (in 2023 dollars). A secondary objective is to reach an equity portfolio of $2,300,000.
This goal was updated at the start of 2024 in this post This post also discusses the target portfolio allocation and assumptions around the passive income estimate.
Each Monthly Portfolio Update post tracks progress towards the goal, and discusses new investments made, the reasons for them, as well as possible future investments. Typically, each month I also mention and link to relevant data and finance studies that I have come across of relevance to FI and investing.
Twice a year – in January and July – I measure and chart portfolio income, as another check of progress towards financial independence. An example of the most recent detailed portfolio income update is here and a summary of progress is here.
Outside of these regular updates, I also occasionally write summary pieces of longer-term trends in passive income and expenses, such as Reviewing the Log and Wind in the Sails. A popular longer piece has been an analysis of the claims around investing in Listed Investment Companies called Sounding the Depths – A Skeptical View of Listed Investment Company Investing. I also sometimes explore the portfolio composition in more detail, such as equities here, and bonds here, or trends in other measures of portfolio progress, such as taxable investment income received.
Bitcoin has been a significant part of my portfolio, after an early exploratory purchase. The role it currently plays in the portfolio is discussed here and the allocation choices around it are discussed further here.
There is also a page of Frequently Asked Questions which provides some further details on issues readers have previously asked about.
If you are interested in following this journey, seeing its outcome, and are curious about exactly how many nautical terms can be tortured prior to its completion, please take a look around and subscribe below.
Thank you for joining the voyage and reading!
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Disclaimer
This blog is a record of my journey and decisions, based on my circumstances.
The specific portfolio allocation and approach described in it has been determined solely based on my personal circumstances, objectives, assessments and risk tolerances.
It is provided for general information and entertainment purposes only. It is not personal financial advice, or a recommendation to invest in any particular investment product, security or asset, or adopt any specific strategy, and investors considering these issues should undertake their own detailed research or seek professional advice.