Fire Bull UK

Fire Bull UK – Blogging My Journey to Financial Independence

Author: admin

  • Mid Year Update

    Mid Year Update

    Its been a while since I’ve done a post and I’ve forgotten half of what’s gone on in that time. I will cover the things currently swirling around my head. I’ll touch base on the end of 2025, the initial struggles settling into Sydney life and my assets during this time.

    End of 2025

    The final 2 months of the year were also our first in Australia, starting with a week in Perth before starting a road trip to Melbourne, before heading to Sydney in time for Christmas.

    We stayed in Spinners Hostel. Holly’s first experience being in a mixed dorm and it’s probably safe to say it’ll be her last. The excitement wore off after finding out she was the only girl in the room and the constant bombardment of snoring and farts throughout the night. Little did she know the majority were probably coming from myself. Apologies Fred for shifting the blame to you!

    Perth was a chilled week settling in, sorting out some admin before exploring the area. The highlights besides catching up with some old faces were Freemantle, Rottnest Island and a trip to Mullalloo Beach. Perth is a remote city and doesn’t have a big buzz, but has some beautiful places in the region.

    One thing that really took us by surprise was the wind and the relentless nature of the flies. They see any swat as a challenge and might even bring a mate along for the next one. Laughably persistent.

    Mullalloo Beach at Sunset

    I’d be here all day talking about the Roadtrip so what I will say whilst it was amazing, it’s isolating and a really strong way to test out your relationship. A large amount of silence at times with running out of things to say and if there are any pet peeves either of you possess, you’ll find out.

    I’m sure I had plenty of my own bad habits, but nothing that really stuck out that Holly had. Maybe just her constantly banging her head, better than banging her elbow though as we discovered…..

    Ah G’day Mate!
    Crossing the Nullabor
    Umpherston Sinkhole

    Sydney: Rocky Start

    The first month or so in Sydney was a dream. Catching up with old faces from my last time here, making new friends and experiencing the best of Sydney’s city, beaches and national parks.

    After Australia day it was down to the business of trying to find longer term accommodation and work. Both of these turned out to be a lot harder than expected. I was ignorant to how busy Sydney would be with new arrivals also starting their lives here and the competition for housing was ridiculous. We ended up in a 3 month houseshare paying for more than we expected, with housemates and landlords that weren’t exactly what you would call our people.

    Whilst being a FIRE Blog and having the dream to retire early, I’m not in that position yet and whilst haemorrhaging funds not doing a whole lot, the volume of job rejections and the duration this stretched out over was brutal.

    I had a real identity and confidence crisis in this time, becoming a bit of a shell of myself. Holly was able to get a job pretty quicky and she was brilliant in that time, whilst to be honest, I wasn’t the greatest person to be around. I’m highly grateful to her for that.

    However, in the words of an internet legend Demi Demi “Tough times never last….. WEUHVUOWBEWBNFEWWDKHDD!” We was able to find a lease with our friends and I managed to get a job in accounting. Whilst the job isn’t perfect, it’s paying the bills and helping me build up some funds in order to enjoy more of this wonderful country at a later time.

    Remember the sacred words of Demi Demi in tough times

    Finance Update

    Prior to leaving the UK, I built a decent level of cash to fund this trip. The main financial aim when coming out was to not have to withdraw any further money from my investments during my time here. That was very close to happening!

    The cost of the campervan was paid off before we got here, so our overall costs during that trip were relatively low. By the time Sydney come round, a lot of nights out meant a big outflow during this time. It only continued with the high rent and then going on to signing a lease that needed to be furnished. Now winter is here I’m just starting to recover some of that damage to the cash position.

    I haven’t really looked at my investments the whole time I’ve been here and it’s been nice. It seems to have been on an unsurprising ride in the time with everything going on in the world currently. At the time of writing, the investments have gone up by £12k since starting our travels. Summary as per below.

  • October 2025 Net Worth

    Goodbyes 

    October was the month where I and my partner said goodbye to work, friends and family before setting off on our trip to Australia. 

    Work gave me a lovely little send off with some Aussie themed desk decorations and lunch. Will miss a lot of the finance team and look forward to catching up when finally returning. Obviously getting a game of darts in. 

    We had a leaving doo which was frighteningly heavy going, causing a 2 day hangover, as well as eating out with different family members and friends almost every night over the last 2 weeks in the UK. Operation 12 stone for 2025 is well and truly dead with project 14 stone on the horizon, at the time of writing! 

    The hardest goodbye was with the family dog. I got in as many good walks and treats as I could but the sad eyes at the end was like he knew I was going, and didn’t know when I was coming back. He’s got me through some of my worst times and leaving him hurts. At least he’s off on holiday to wales in November so he’ll be loving life. 

    An early morning start for the airport and waving off from the parents, we were on our way! 4 days and Singapore to start the trip. 

    Singapore

    We used Singapore Airlines for our first flight after having an excellent experience with them on our travels to Bali. Again they didn’t disappoint. The food was decent, the service was friendly, and one of the best things of flying with them on a Saturday was they showed the live Premier league matches. 

    We landed at 5:30 am and even this early in the morning the humidity hit like a ton of bricks. Not being able to check in for another 6 hours or so once we got to the hotel wasn’t a pleasant thought after a long flight. After a coke in the air conned lobby we left our bags with reception and went on to Fort Canning for a walk around before returning a couple of hours before check in, luckily the reception staff had mercilessly got our room cleaned early so we could get in to shower and nap. 

    I will go into more detail of our Singapore travels in another post but over the 4 days we had a brilliant time seeing the sights, soaking in the tranquil feel and eating our way round this beautiful country. A place I’d happily go back to and would even consider living there in the future. 

    Australia

    After a 5 hour flight from Singapore we landed in Perth late on the 30th. After almost eight years I was back in the country I’d had some of my best times in and Fire Heffers first time after her uni semester here was cancelled due to covid. We got through passport control and was off to the hostel. 

    After checking in we had a little walk in the city centre. There were people bouncing about in their Halloween costumes outside the city’s bars, but all we wanted was some food. After settling for some tacos and quesadillas we headed back to the hostel and had an early one before doing some life admin on the final day of the month before really cracking on with our time in Aus in November. 

    Liquid Assets Update October

    In October I was lucky enough to get some going away money from work and some family which went towards a camera and a new phone before the trip. 

    My final paycheck was slightly prorated due to leaving work on the 22nd with all my holiday being used also. 

    So far I’ve been unable to get into my investments whilst away, so I have only been able to update cash for the months figures. Ready for the steady decline to proceed over the next few months :’)

  • September 2025 Update – I Quit!

    September 2025 Update – I Quit!

    The month started off with me being best man at one of my best mates from school’s wedding. A few beers the night before preceded the big day that started off with torrential downpours. As any bride rightly would be, she was worried about the outdoor ceremony being spoilt/moved indoors, but thankfully the skies managed to do a 180 by the time of the ceremony which was overseen by bright sunshine. The only stumbling block was the groom’s emotions, who couldn’t stop himself being a blubbery mess. He’s always said he wears his heart on his sleeve, proved throughout the day.

    The whole day went smoothly. The entrées and Pimm’s were delightful, speeches were received in good humour without anyone being offended. Even the groom nailed the dance after 10 pints of Guinness which was a shock to all there!

    Change is Upon Us

    Later in the month, my biggest personal event (besides Charlton Millwall) was resigning from a company I have been at for 3 and a half years to start my working holiday next month. When telling my boss I was leaving, there were mixed emotions.

    Obviously there is the excitement of going back to Australia, a country I’ve longed to head again since leaving in 2018, but things change, and I was pretty happy and comfortable where I was in my job, slightly upset to be leaving. I started my first real accounting role as an assistant management account after years of toiling away in accounts related positions, invisible to the hierarchies above. In this company I have worked my way up with 2 promotions, had decent relationships with management and gained my chartership in the process.

    I have grown and the environment here, whilst not being perfect, was suited to my needs and wants from an office in my local area Providing a professional enough environment to work effectively and learn, whilst also not having to be too corporate, allowing a social environment that was neither hamstrung by politics nor that of a rowdy boys club.

    Whilst I have learnt at the company, it had also gotten to a point where I became too comfortable with the tasks, and the saying goes comfort breeds contempt. I was able to meet the tasks of my position with ease. Staying in the role would hamper my development with no more opportunities to go further up the food chain; not where you want to be as a newly qualified accountant. Bearing this in mind, going to Australia, into a city environment and role where continued growth and learning could occur will be best for my career.

    Finance Update

    The end of September marks the 5 year anniversary since I first started logging my liquid assets and documenting my progress going forwards. Fitting, my liquid assets assets have now increased by over £100k for the first time since documenting my progress.

    With the trip coming up in October, I have sold some ISA shares for the first time since investing. There was a small internal debate as to whether I should keep them in, allow them the chance to grow further and only take some out if necessary. However, not knowing the costing of the upcoming trip too well and for peace of mind, withdrawing less than 5% of my ISA value for peace of mind, knowing I’d be more disappointed having to withdraw money at a later point, if the shares do finally experience a longer drop in price, as per many forum expectations since the beginning of the year.

  • August 2025 Net Worth

    August was over in a flash which is a big shame with the nights drawing in and the end of the summer.

    I finally had the splint removed from my finger in August and 2 weeks on , it’s hasn’t healed anywhere near as much as I would’ve liked. There’s still plenty of scar tissue, with the strength and flexibility no where near where I would’ve expected 2 months on from injuring the finger. I might have to go back to the hospital if there isn’t further progress during September.

    Despite this I did return to sports, playing in a charity football tournament and one game of cricket. The tournament and the return of the football league has reignited my interested in football somewhat, but no regrets for not playing the start of the season before heading to Aus. The cricket game confirmed I am nowhere near the level to play anymore of the season with only a few games left.

    There has been no further updates since the acquisition. It looks like there will not be any more until after I will hand in my notice. No redundancy incoming 🙁

    August 2025 Financial Position

    It was another month of not investing any of my pay check and building my cash position. I needed a new mattress as well as my Mum’s birthday taking place, so not as big a surplus as I would’ve liked in the month, but my cash position has hit over £10K for the first time since April 2021!

  • July 2025 Net Worth

    July 2025 Net Worth

    The month started with a stag to Dublin. It was a small group with a few of the boys not knowing each other, but it didn’t take long to click at all with the stag’s outfits to break the ice and our shared love for Guinness, apart from James!

    As cliché as it is, the Guinness factory was most of the boy’s highlight from the trip. The bar there included traditional Irish Dancing (the dancers made a few jaws drop in the crowd), a live band whose rendition of foggy dew will never be beaten in my mind, and some interactive drum bashing. Even James enjoyed it there, despite gagging on a freebie!

    It’s incredible how many excellent pubs and bars there are within a small area, particularly when thinking about all the pubs that have closed down in my local area in recent years. The Dubliners were all welcoming and happy to have a natter. It probably helped that the Stag was wearing an electric dog collar, so maybe they all went on the charm offensive to get hold of the remote and give him a good zapping, which happened quite frequently.

    Even with the number of pubs and bars, it was a nightmare getting into places. We didn’t know at the time of booking, but it was the Hurling Semi finals on the Saturday and Sunday. The whole of Cork out in full force on the Saturday night after they demolished Dublin on the day. The sea of red gave me flashbacks of the Addicks faithful around Wembley in May. When we finally got into Devitt’s top floor on Camden Street, the first song that greeted us on our arrival was “Up The RA”. Upon hearing that, we had our Guinness and fucked off quicker than the time it took to get in there.

    Temple Bar - Of course we went in!
    Of course we went in!

    The Finger is still in it’s splint after breaking in June, so I haven’t been able to play cricket. Even though it’s just one measly finger, It’s been hard doing any sort of exercise as I can’t grip onto any weighted items with my left hand and the splint slides off the finger when sweating, so even running has been difficult. Walking to dog has been the one form of exercise that hasn’t been inhibited, so he’s been happy at least.

    Whilst not playing cricket, I did get to day 2 of the England v India test Match at Lords. Lords is known as the home of cricket, which is the perfect description of the ground with all of the history and tradition on display around the ground. Just a warm and fuzzy feeling from being there. My writing doesn’t do it justice.

    Highlights from the day included Joe Root reaching his hundred from the first ball of the day, Bumrah’s peach of a delivery to Stokes and the return of Jofra Archer sending down thunderbolts in test cricket, including a wicket in his first over. A non cricketing highlight from the day was my mate trying his best to avoid the sun as much as possible, given his pasty complexion. As you can see there wasn’t much cloud cover, so he didn’t stand much of a chance. Wrapping himself with newspaper was quite humourous at least….

    Whilst these were decent highlights, the real action of the test started on day 3, with all of the drama around the time wasting at the end of day spicing the match up. This was followed by 2 of the best days of cricket on days 4 and 5. Spare a thought for Jadeja running out of batting partners. Ben Stokes is some guy too eh. Nothing beats test cricket at it’s best!

    The Home of Cricket – Peach of a day

    July 2025 Financial Position

    My financial independence portfolio saw some different movements this month. An increased cash position in the build up to Australia, not investing in July and selling some old workplace and Tesla shares, all without exceeding the capital gains tax threshold.

    It felt a bit sad getting rid of most of my old work shares as I’ve had them for almost 10 years now, weirdly having some sentimental value to them. The Tesla shares not so much. I suppose I still have plenty in my index funds.

    I paid for my flight to Singapore in July, which pushed the cash down, just missing out from having £10k. It likely won’t go up higher, if at all before going Australia, with other things to buy in preparation for that.

    Gains in the ISA in July eased the thought of not paying into it. The price has gone up around 10/15% from the drop in April, when I threw in a bit more than usual, I missed out slightly compared to how much I could’ve put in. Trump’s liberation day has since meant shares have gone down again at the beginning of August. What a ride!

  • June 2025 Net Worth

    June 2025 Net Worth

    A busy June and July has seen this post come late, but due to the lack of activity on the UK Lean Fire Reddit weekly updates thread, I thought why not engage in some productivity and throw something on there myself.

    June’s spending was pretty crazy, including a wild night after a great T20 cricket game between Kent and Surrey, as well as a last minute trip away.

    With planning to be out of Europe next summer, my diminishing youth and FOMO, I booked a 4 day trip to Split. Flights and the Hostel were cheap enough, but I was shocked at the price of pretty much everything in Split (excuse my ignorance). It is a lovely place with some amazing architecture, food, beaches and weather (got some great burn lines whilst there), but the frugal in me was beaten and defeat was accepted.

    The Gravitas hostel was lovely with some nice people staying there. Big Brisbane Lad Chris (sporting an incredible farmers tan) being my 3 day bestie. Hoping to meet him down under when I’m there. At the hostel I even got told how I look much younger than my age, so shout out to you Daria, even though you’ll never read this!

    The highlights of my trip were the tubing on the River Cetina and the boat trip around the Islands. Tubing was a fun day lazily heading down the river, with a stop off point to cliff jump and slide down little waterfalls. Only downside was that the only other people on the tour were families. Third wheeling at it’s worst!


    The boat trip started off a bit iffy, with me and Chris being on different boats, with the other people on my boat being with a bunch of couples (continuing the third wheel theme of the trip). However, after a few lethal blue lagoon drinks at the first stop (reunited with Chris), we got chatting to this lovely couple on my boat and we ended up staying with them on every stop, then heading out for drinks with them later on. Sadly I got no photos from these activities. Instead are some poorly taken ones of the city and a nice bar!

    The waiter was happier than he looks here… Promise!

    In other news the cricket season has hit a speed bump due to breaking a finger. I managed to take a catch but the ball clipped the top of my middle finger in the process, taking off the tendon and part of the bone with it. Not sure when I’ll be back.

    2025 Goals

    At the beginning of the year I made myself some financial and non financial goals. With it being halfway through the year, it’s a decent time to look at the progress of these:

    Non Financial Goals

    • Do 5 sessions of Portuguese a week in the lead up to my Brazil trip – This one I was roughly there or there abouts for my Brazil trip, making some small conversation when out there: Will say this was a success
    • Score 10 goals for the season – This definitely didn’t happen with a change of position and missing a fair amount of games. A fail
    • Get 10 wickets in the few games I play in the summer – Only 4 Wickets in 4 games at the minute, so 6 to get in 6 or so games. Wasn’t particularly happy with how I was bowling before the injury if I’m honest. Fingers crossed
    • Read 1 autobiography of an interesting life – Not yet
    • Get back to Australia in some capacity – Holiday Visa Obtained and likely to go later in the year

    Financial Goals:

    • Sell down my GIA investments within the capital gains allowance (£3K profit)– I haven’t done this yet. Stocks are looking good at the minute so might do this in July
    • Increase my Easy Access Savings Amount to £11,500, roughly in line with tax-free interest allowance (£500 for the tax year) – Interest rate went down and a dip in the market meant I invested a bit more, so savings account amount has actually lowered
    • Continue to invest into my ISA where possible, without setting a target deposit value which I would unlikely hit – Not really a goal is it if I’m being honest. Sorry

    Looking back I’m pretty happy with how I’m fairing upon reflection – Must get more wickets!

    June 2025 Financial Position

    Stocks went up a little bit in June, now being back to a similar position as I was in January before the little blip in the market. As mentioned briefly above, this might the month I cash in on my GIA Investments to build up some cash in preparation for Australia.

  • May 2025 Net Worth Update

    May 2025 Net Worth Update

    April was followed up by another great month in May. Whilst there were no holidays away, the 2 bank holidays meant that there was enough fun to be had. 

    Football

    As usual I will start off on the football front, but this will not be the case going forward! 

    I managed to get back for my final game of the season after my holiday. We lost (who cares by this point) but it was nice to have our final night out with the boys before I pack it up. 

    Ironically my final match of the season was against a lot of my teammates on a Saturday. Bragging rights were up for grab and maybe more needle in the game than was expected. Love the boys but there are one or two who believe they’re too good for our team on Saturday, so there was no way I wanted to allow that ego to extend any further by allowing them to lay a smackdown on us. Thankfully age overcome beauty with the Brexit tactics on top of some good football being played. Up the old boys! 

    Onto the professional football, the best part of the season is definitely the playoffs! After the blistering form in 2025, Charlton had their semi final legs against Wycombe. If you haven’t seen it I’d suggest not bothering viewing any highlights over 5 minutes in total as they were 2 truly dreadful games. Despite this the atmosphere was amazing and we were on our way to Wembley, meeting fellow Londoners Leyton Orient after the impressively knocked out Stockport. 

    Despite my lack of moderation when it comes to alcohol at times, I’ve never actually one to enjoy getting drunk for a football match. Losing your voice and not remembering the match has never appealed to me. That especially for this game as going to Wembley with your club is a truly special moment. With all that said, there was only really the goal to remember from the match, with it being another defensive masterclass from the Addicks, sending us back to the CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! 

    I went to the Sunderland Play Off in 2019 and whilst this game didn’t have the dramatic end like in 2019, the afterparty was brilliant. We ended up in Boxpark where the Charlton fans and players were both celebrating to the feelgood tunes of Shakira et al (Waka Waka still blaring in the head). 

    Shout out to Alex Gilbert as he was loving life, despite being a loan player. By the looks of it you wouldn’t want to have a drinking competition with Alex Mitchell either, unless you’re a top LAD like myself…. 

    2nd Leg of the Play Off Semi Final vs Wycombe (picture doesn’t do it justice)
    Boxpark Celebrating Promotion

    Life Updates

    Other goings on in May was a lovely weekend in Canterbury, birthdays, catch ups, a return to cricket and the biggest news from the month, my Working Holiday Visa to Australia has been approved! 

    I’ve been wanting to go much almost immediately since I landed back in the UK over 7 year ago now. Blimey that’s gone quick. However, the ‘need‘ to go back has waned with the improvement in my career, personal life and finances over the last 2ish years, so now I’m not escaping anything. I’m still looking forward to it and have the excitement, it’s just knowing how I’ve changed as a person and understanding it will be a different experience to when I was there in my early 20s. 

    It will be interesting to see how the financial independence journey goes during this Working Holiday. In a way the delay has helped my finances as I’ve been holding off moving and buying a car waiting for the time to come and get out there again. Last time I blew through my savings and if it was to occur again to would hit harder now being in my 30s. 

    Then there has been an internal debate regarding have I just wasted some of my best years waiting to go back only to find out it’s not what I actually wanted: Time will tell. 

    More Goslings by the office
    Canterbury Punting

    Finance Update

    With the markets picking back up in May, my investments have gone back in an upwards direction. Although, the weak USD is holding back the level of gains.  

    Cash is low this month after paying out on my visa, 2 bank holidays and paying for some stag stuff in July. The interest on my savings account has gone down by an entire 100 basis points since November, so not missing a whole lot in interest from the lack of cash. Will be looking to find a new provider soon. Whilst the bank rate has gone down by 50 basis points, the extra 50 reduction is an absolute libertyyyyyy. Hang your head in shame Vanquis! 

    Figures

  • April 2025 – Bring on Summer

    April 2025 – Bring on Summer

    April 2025

    This was a month I was looking forward to and it exceeded expectations: Brazil, Rome and a cup final for my Sunday team made it a memorable month. There was one that ended in disappointment though (no prizes for guessing which one!)

    Brazil is massive so whilst we only visited a small part of the country, it was truly beautiful. You hear the stories about safety and whilst we was cautious, booking taxis and not using our phone when out in public, we didn’t have any real issues with the Brazilian people and they came across as friendly, inviting people.

    It was great seeing some of my old friends from my days back in Australia after 7 years. After that time away from eachother, I was a little anxious to see how we would all get on but it was like we’d never been away. With them being Irish they were as happy as ever with no awkward silences had, apart from when waiting on them to turn up. Timekeeping was never a strength of theirs but as imperfections go there are a lot worse 🙂 

     The wedding was beautiful and the switches between English and Portuguese in the ceremony were almost seamless. How much the Brazilian contingent got of the best man speech I’m not sure, but likely more of what we understood of the bride’s side speeches. 

    After the Wedding there was a night in Sao Paulo so didn’t get to experience the city with the rest of the time being spent between Rio and Ilha Grande before finishing the trip in Rome. Football, hiking, beaches, sightseeing, quality food, quality people and DOGS!

    The perfect holiday to get over winter blues and rubbish back home, coming back with a change in headspace. Would love to be able to getaway and clear the head more often and this is a ‘why’ for striving towards financial independence. 

    One of my goals was to learn a bit of Portuguese to help get by when we got there, and immediately was required checking in to the first hotel and their English was as good as my Portuguese! Between us we made it work, which was pretty rewarding. Will continue to carry on with Portuguese for the meantime and see how I can enhance it further. 

    Doesn’t need any introduction….
    The Wedding Venue
    The Infamous Maracana
    A lovely Caipirinha on the beach
    One of Many Beautiful Beaches on Ilha Grande
    Are you not entertained?! (By my substandard blog)

    Liquid Assets

    Midway through the month it was looking very gloomy for the assets, with my ISA value even being under £90K, but the recovery at the end of the month limited the damage, albeit still down again this month. Lumped a bit into the ISA in April but sadly not at the time the value was at it’s lowest. 

    I must go to waste some more money on alcohol, with it being the bank holiday this weekend (but I do need to write a post on this as it is the worst spending habit I need to address). Hope everyone has a great one! 

  • March 2025 – Biggest Losses So Far

    March 2025 – Biggest Losses So Far

    Sigh! 

    Before we go into the finance side of the month, I’ll start with a little rant about how my Saturday football has gone in the month, culminating in multiple head losses, a 3 match ban and a hefty fine for the month. Football truly is the beautiful game but has been completely poisoned by the attitudes of people within the game. Even getting to a final with my Sunday team hasn’t sweetened the bitter taste. 

    This obviously isn’t aimed at everyone in these positions as a disclaimer (for any refs reading lol). The governance from the top is poor at best/corrupt at the worst, Referees don’t understand the game with an ever increasing level of arrogance, Manager’s who have watched too many punditry shows think they’re geniuses and the players; I can’t believe how many big timers and cheats there are at amateur level. 

    Rant over and I’m looking forward to a fun April, travelling to Brazil then stopping over in Rome for a few days on the way back. The break from work (and football!) is needed, with the batteries needing a recharge before year end and Audit.

    Liquid Assets

    With all the uncertainty coming out from the US in March it was a bad month for the USD and Shares. This made March my worst ever month since tracker my finances. In fairness it’s not really life changing money and it’s all on paper, but seeing my S&S ISA go back down to 5 figures is slightly annoying, but buying at a lower price beats that slight emotional attachment to 6 digits. Inconveniently, the price of the shares when I purchased in the month had a little spike meaning I missed in on a bit of a discount, but such is life. Paid into my vanguard account at payday, which I imagine is similar to a lot of people, although not sure this is the reason for that little spike. Time in beats timing blah blah blah 😀 

    Sorry this isn’t the greatest post ever, just trying to get this out quickly.

  • 2025 Goals and January Monthly Update

    2025 Goals and January Monthly Update

    It’s been a busy start to 2025 which is part of the reason for not getting this out earlier (Sorry Joe!). A wet and gloomy start to the year has meant there hasn’t been much going on in terms of football and other outdoor activities. However, it still hasn’t been a cheap month with booked flights for a stag later in the year and Brazil in April. Flights are spenny!

    The Brazil trip is for a friends wedding I lived with in Australia and haven’t seen for 7 years, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing some familiar faces after such a long time. With the possibility of heading back to Australia in the summer, it’ll be nice to rebuild on these friendships and carry them on for when I get back out there. It’s a shame it’s been so long as when you live with people away from your family, it becomes a really strong bond and they become you’re family away from family. It just can’t be helped at times. I have also started trying to pick up a little Portuguese in preparation for my trip. Pimsleur is the app I’m using and from what little I have done so far I’m pretty impressed by it. 

    2025 Financial Goals

    The pot has been building nicely over the last 18 months and whilst it still needs my contributions to continue in the long term to create financial independence, this year I will looking to reduce my level of investment activity in the year and increase my cash allocation. With this, my goals for 2025 are as below:

    • Sell down my GIA investments within the capital gains allowance (£3K profit)
    • Increase my Easy Access Savings Amount to £11,500, roughly in line with tax-free interest allowance (£500 for the tax year) 
    • Continue to invest into my ISA where possible, without setting a target deposit value which I would unlikely hit. 

    No rabbits being pulled out the hat with these goals, and they are more concerned with the new tax years in April as to the 2025 calendar year, but if I am able to do these I will be happy with the action taken on my side, even if the markets aren’t favourable in 2025. 

    2025 Non Financial Goals

    • Do 5 sessions of Portuguese a week in the lead up to my Brazil trip (will do this on the journey to and from work)
    • Score 6 more goals until the end of the football season to get 10 for the season (managed 1 of these in January)
    • Get 10 wickets in the few games I play in the summer
    • Get down to 12 Stone at some point in the year (preferably before Brazil)
    • Read one autobiography of an interesting life
    • Get back to Australia in some capacity (holiday/working holiday)

    January Liquid Assets 

    Another good month for my investments, with a gain of over £2000 excluding my contributions in the month, though there’s been a few jitters in February already with everything that’s going on. Cash was down due to paying out for the flights and will continue to take a hit going forward with booking hotels, activities, travel etc.