Each month, I write an article displaying my passive earnings and life objective progress. Since this if the primary article of the yr, it’s my first change to state these targets whereas giving my progress for January.
January was a troublesome month within the Lazy Man family. If you happen to’ve caught the information over the previous couple of weeks, there’s A LOT happening within the authorities. With my spouse being a army pharmacist, there’s been drama virtually day-after-day.
With all that’s happening, I made a decision to not “nag” her for the totals from her financial institution and retirement accounts. Prior to now, I’ve been in a position to estimate her numbers utilizing the final market progress. It’ll should be adequate for this month.
Usually, this private replace would have a recap of all of the superior stuff our household did. This text is already large, so we’ll skip it.
Setting Targets for 2025
I put all my targets in a spreadsheet that I stole borrowed from Retire By 40. Right here’s what it appears to be like like for this yr. I’ll clarify what each is on this article and provides the outcomes for January.
(Click on it, and it’ll open in a brand new tab.)
Steal this concept and make it yours. I make an absurd variety of targets I do know I’ll by no means full. It offers me the pliability to fail on some issues so long as I’m making progress on others. Most individuals would do the alternative, deal with fewer targets, and goal to get all of them executed. It’s a lot much less overwhelming.
Passive Earnings
I’ve three aspect hustles with a passive element: a dog-sitting enterprise, this weblog, and I handle an internet site for a non-profit. All of them require some lively work. Nevertheless, I can receives a commission by all three even whereas working a full-time job. I do another hourly work that isn’t passive earnings. That isn’t included right here, in fact.
Prior to now, I’ve written a complete month-to-month article on this passive earnings. I’m chopping out the fluff to provide the numbers. If this space appears off or complicated, maybe the final full article will make extra sense.
Canine, Weblog, and Internet Earnings
As a result of that is the primary article of the yr, I have to give you a objective for the yr’s earnings on this space. Canine sitting has been very regular over the previous couple of years. The most important variable is how a lot we journey we do. I can’t board canines whereas I’m away. Weblog earnings has shrunk to virtually nothing. I’ve the same article to the one outlined for this yr. Lastly, I make a little or no bit of cash by working an internet site for a non-profit. I get a set quantity each month, and most months, I don’t should do an excessive amount of.
All of those require some work, however quite a lot of it’s pretty passive. I can work at one other job from residence whereas I’m boarding a canine. I make a little or no bit of cash in my sleep from running a blog and easily being obtainable to do the web site work. I take into account earnings from these areas as half passive earnings.
My objective for the yr is to make $25,000 in passive earnings. That’s $50,000 in actual earnings from these sources. Final yr, I made $28,368 in passive earnings. I’m decreasing my objective to replicate the dying running a blog enterprise.
January’s Canine/weblog/internet Actual Earnings: $3,268.40
January could be a gradual month for canine boarding. Folks bought all their journey out in December. Some are saving their trip days for February faculty holidays. January simply has the lengthy weekend for Martin Luther King, Jr. That is very a lot on par with what I’d anticipate.
Rental Property Earnings
We’ve two rental properties. We nonetheless have mortgages on them, so the rental earnings is round $700/mo. We are going to repay one mortgage in 2027. The opposite one is a small mortgage, however it has one other 15 years on it. In the event that they have been each mortgage-free, we’d make round $25,000 a yr.
For the aim of this report, I calculate their earnings utilizing the next formulation:
(Rents After Estimated Bills) * (Fairness Share Owned) = Earnings)
Estimated bills are insurance coverage, property taxes, condominium charges, and estimated condominium upkeep. Fairness Share Owned (EPO) is our whole fairness divided by the property worth in Zillow. (Zillow could be very correct for our condos.)
The objective for the yr is for this quantity to be $21,000. Final yr, we completed with $19,006. This quantity often doesn’t go up very quick. Usually, the one two methods it will possibly improve considerably is that if the rents/estimated change or if the market jumps and Zillow estimates our properties as price extra money.
In January, Zillow estimated our properties have been price a pair thousand extra {dollars}. We paid off one other thousand in mortgage principal. That meant that our EPO went from proudly owning 82.00% of our properties to 82.23% of the properties. The rents after bills are $2,218/month. Utilizing the equation above, our earnings from this space could be $2,185.
Managing rental properties requires some work – a couple of days a yr. Because of this, I solely depend 80% of this quantity as passive earnings.
Dividend Earnings
My spouse and I’ve been practically maxing out our retirement accounts for a few a long time. The markets have executed very effectively over that point. Total, we have now a pleasant retirement nest egg.
I don’t observe dividends from all of the accounts. I’m doing effectively to get my spouse to log into her TSP (authorities’s model of a 401k) account and provides me the totals. I simply assume we may make investments the cash into an ETF that pays a 2.5% dividend. For instance, HDV at present yields 3.7%
I even have profit-sharing earnings with a personal firm by which I personal a small stake. I get a test every month that behaves like a dividend – it’s simply taxed just a little in another way.
Final yr, we made an estimated $57,304 in dividends. I’m setting a objective for $63,000 this yr. It’s trending in the direction of $65,000, however I feel the markets are costly, and there may very well be a major crash.
The markets have been doing very effectively. There have been a few short-term hiccups because of DeepSeek and tariffs, however these blips have pale away.
In December, we made an estimated $5,045 in dividends. In January, that jumped to $5,146. That’s some stable progress. I can’t do an excessive amount of to manage this space apart from keep on with my asset allocation. Time’s arrow marches ahead.
In contrast to the earlier two sections, this earnings is 100% passive. Because of this, I don’t have to regulate the numbers.
Complete Passive Earnings
Canine/Blogs: $3,100.58 – Adjusted to $1,550.29
Leases: $2,185 – Adjusted to $1,748.00
Dividends: $5,146 – Stays at $5,146
Canines/Blogs Blue Line
Rental – Purple Line
Dividend – Yellow Line
Complete Adjusted Passive Earnings: $8,444.29
Right here’s a graph of the adjusted passive earnings since 2017, after I began protecting observe:
The blue line represents the month-to-month whole adjusted passive earnings. The Purple Line represents the 12-month common. This removes among the seasonality of canine boarding. I’m largely centered on that purple line. Nevertheless, it hasn’t grown a lot within the final couple of years. That’s as a result of I’ve executed much less canine boarding, and my weblog earnings has gone down. Luckily, actual property and shares proceed to understand to steadiness it out.
My spouse continues to work as effectively. She has 26 years within the army and shall be getting a pension that will double all this passive earnings. I additionally earn some earnings that falls exterior of the areas listed above. It’s not passive, so I don’t point out it right here.
I can’t consider anyplace else to place this info, however our web price grew 1.11% final month. We’re just a bit behind our all-time excessive set a few months in the past.
Enterprise and Different Cash Targets
Private Earnings ($80,000)
Three years in the past, I remodeled $98,000 in aspect hustles. Two years in the past, I made $88,000. Final yr, I made just a little greater than $81,000.
I see a pattern.
This yr, I’m going to goal for $75,000. I feel incomes earnings is mostly going to go down for some time. That’s okay; our passive earnings goes up, so we’ll come out forward.
In January, I made round $5,000, and I’m on a $60,000 tempo. That’s not going to chop it for getting me to $75,000, however January is often one in every of my worst months. It’s early in February, however it’s wanting like I’ll acquire floor on the hunt for $75,000.
Full Property Planning
Final yr, I made an enormous effort to get an property plan collectively. I bought it about 95% executed. In January, we despatched the test to the lawyer to attract it up. This ought to be very straightforward to do that yr.
Child Wealth (Objective: 50,000 Web page Views)
For the fourth yr, I hope to get to 50,000 web page views on Child Wealth.
In 2022, I launched Child Wealth and wrote quite a lot of articles. It had 4,200 web page views that yr. In 2023, I bought concerned in different tasks, however I tripled site visitors to 13,708. Final yr, site visitors continued to develop to 16,352, despite the fact that I solely wrote a few articles. We’re heading in the right direction to get to 50,000 web page views in the direction of the tip of the yr.
In some unspecified time in the future, it could be nice if it made some cash. I’m unsure the best way to monetize it. Maybe it’s higher if I don’t.
Skilled Enhancements
I really feel like I would like to hunt out some new earnings alternatives. I ought to put a few of my tech expertise to make use of. They’re too rusty for the final job market, however I would be capable of use them for different tasks.
One concrete objective could be to get an internet site displaying off a portfolio of what I’ve executed previously.
I’ll be the primary to confess that this objective isn’t well-defined in any respect.
Well being
I’m placing such an enormous emphasis on well being today that I wrote a separate article about it. My well being targets for 2025 are right here.
Weight and Physique Fats (Objective: 164lbs / 19% BF)
For January, my common weight was 173.8lbs, and my physique fats was 22.2%. My common for all of final yr was 181.1 and 23.8%. I’m loving the progress. Semaglutide appears to be the miracle that counter-attacks the evils of the trendy meals and work atmosphere.
Physique and Mind Factors (300 and 200 respectively)
I rating myself from 1 (poor) to five (nice) every week for eating regimen and train. I then add them up for the month. I bought 26 factors for January, which places me on tempo for round 300 factors. Many of the factors got here from eating regimen. I wasn’t motivated to train as a result of it was so chilly.
I measure mind factors on the identical scale. They’re primarily based on doing the workout routines that I gave you on the prime of the Well being part. For January, I averaged 15 mind factors. I have to perform a little extra, or I’ll fall shy of 200.
Blood Strain (Objective: 115/75)
I’ve a household historical past of hypertension. I had just a little medical scare within the first couple of days of the yr. I began taking my blood stress and graphing it for my main care doctor. My blood stress for the month averaged 138/92. My physician noticed the outcomes and determined to place me on lisinopril 5mg.
I’ve additionally began to eat a banana a day. I requested ChatGPT for some recommendations on how the potassium in bananas could assist. It’s low-lying fruit – LOL.
We’ll see how blood stress goes within the subsequent replace.
Physician Appointments
I had a enamel cleansing with the dentist on the finish of January. The dentist shamed me for not flossing sufficient. (Regardless of how a lot well being stuff you attempt to do, there’s all the time extra!) I advised him that I didn’t know anybody who flosses in any respect, and he responded that he did. So, in case you didn’t know, dentists floss. Do you floss? Let me know within the feedback.
It upset me and I couldn’t sleep, so I purchased this water flosser (affiliate hyperlink) from Amazon at 2 AM. It was delivered at 6:15 AM. I used to be shocked. The water flosser is a lot simpler to make use of than common floss and makes it a lot much less of a chore. Let’s see the way it goes.
I additionally had the aforementioned physician’s appointment for my bodily.
Longevity Analysis
I watched Bryan Johnson’s Don’t Die on Netflix. He’s tremendous loopy about longevity. It appears to be like like each minute of day-after-day is spent on it. I’ll search for no matter is straightforward and is sensible. I’m not going to go too loopy.
Additionally, I’m a couple of months older than Bryan Johnson, however I feel I look a superb deal youthful. He’s bought me beat in each different well being class, although.
Hobbies
Enhance AI Expertise
Final yr, I wrote that I needed to turn out to be an excellent immediate engineer. Nevertheless, AI bought so good that I didn’t really feel it turned a really helpful talent for me to study. As a substitute, I made a decision to learn to use totally different AI instruments successfully. I’ve a ChatGPT Professional account and an Anthropic Claude Professional account. In hindsight, I don’t know if I wanted to pay for each. I most likely may simply use ChatGPT. I additionally began to make use of Google Pocket book LM, however I barely scratched the floor.
I need to discover creating AI human video avatars and different issues like that. I’ll write extra about this just a little later this yr.
I additionally need to discover coding utilizing AI. It appears that evidently’s the longer term, and it will possibly assist me refresh my rusty coding expertise.
3D Printing
I had this on my checklist all final yr as I’ve a 3D printer, however I haven’t been in a position to load the filament accurately. It looks like I ought to be capable of carve out a half hour and transfer ahead with this.
Journaling
I ought to be protecting a journal of some form. Lazy Man and Cash is my cash journal. The objective is a journal for all the pieces else.
Different concepts:
- Study to fly a flight simulator
- Play a contemporary track on a ukulele
- Rubik’s Dice
Final yr, I discovered to resolve the Rubik’s Dice and was in a position to do it in two minutes and 30 seconds. My 11-year-old can do it in 90 seconds as a result of he discovered a extra environment friendly algorithm. There are much more superior algorithms that may do it extraordinarily shortly, which is how some pace cubers can do it in underneath 10 seconds. I’m just a little focused on studying these to do it sooner, however I may also resolve that having the ability to remedy it’s adequate, so I’ll skip this one.
You might acknowledge the final two of those hobbies from my mind well being targets for 2025.
Household
Declutter and Set up Home
Yearly, we goal to declutter and set up higher than the yr earlier than. Stuff builds up over time. A lot of it comes from stuff from the youngsters. Admittedly, extra of it comes from me. I’ve problem eliminating “great things with worth” even when we don’t use it. It sounds straightforward sufficient to donate, however quite a lot of locations close to us gained’t take it.
My children’ outdated preschool instructor is now an expert organizer. We’ve employed her to assist with some small areas, and to date, so good. She’s superb with the “great things with worth” as a result of she says that she has a gaggle of organizations that can use it. I don’t assume she’s mendacity, however even when she was, it could be an excellent white lie.
Journey
My spouse must be “on name” each 5 months for deployment in case there’s any sort of catastrophe. This yr, her months are March and August, the 2 months when the youngsters have faculty holidays and no summer season camps that they like. We have been going to plan some worldwide journey, however now we’re grounded. We are able to nonetheless do some home journey as a result of it’s straightforward sufficient for my spouse to deploy from trip if obligatory.
We’re nonetheless attempting to determine the place we’re going, however to date I’ve:
- March – Orlando (however not Disney this yr) and an Icon of the Seas cruise (just a little dangerous with the deployment, however we have now permission as of now.
- June – Annual journey to Block Island. It’s cheaper throughout shoulder season, and we are able to get there by quick drive and ferry. I like to get away from expertise for a short time.
- August – We’ve simply began planning this, however it appears to be like like we’re taking a highway journey to Toronto and stopping on the sights alongside the way in which. None of us have ever been to Toronto, so it’s one thing new. We are able to cease by the Basketball Corridor of Fame, the Baseball Corridor of Fame, and Niagara Falls on the way in which. We are able to come again by way of Hershey, Pennsylvania, and American Dream in New Jersey, that are two of the youngsters’ favourite locations. It’s nonetheless straightforward sufficient for my spouse to deploy if obligatory.
- December – Perhaps we are able to return Aruba. We skipped it in 2024. We’ve began to focus extra on 2026 journey.
Youngsters
The youngsters proceed to do their elite personal faculty factor. It’s getting absurdly costly, however my spouse’s army low cost offers us an enormous break.
Outdoors of that, the largest issues are summer season camps and after-school actions.
After College Actions
They need to have earned their black belts in karate by now. Sadly, their faculty has had some unhealthy luck with administration – simply freak accidents and different problems. They’ve labored by way of quite a lot of it, and the ultimate coaching begins this month.
The 12-year-old simply achieved Tenderfoot rank in Scouts and is midway to Second Class. The 11-year-old crosses over from Cub Scouts subsequent month. Will probably be nice having them again in the identical group. It was laborious to handle one child in Cub Scouts and one child in Scouts. We needed to inform every of them that we have been simply going to do the naked minimal for some time.
The 12-year-old continues to be in any and each play. He simply completed It’s a Fantastic Life for the varsity in December and has Alice in Wonderland developing subsequent month. These have been straightforward as a result of they have been with the varsity, and everybody bought a component. Nevertheless, he often will get the perfect components for his age. He auditioned for Hi there Dolly within the native kids’s theater, which is extra aggressive. He bought a smaller function there, however it’s a superb begin.
The 12-year-old is swimming for a sport, and… he’s displaying enchancment. It’s higher than it sounds, however there are children who’ve been competitively swimming for years, and he’s largely seeking to meet the varsity’s sports activities necessities. My 11-year-old is enjoying basketball, however as a fifth grader, he doesn’t get within the video games when different groups have a gaggle of eighth graders. I hope the practices are going higher.
I need to discover some sort of artwork class for my 11-year-old. I really feel like he must have his issues, as his older brother has his performs.
We’ve executed some Lego robotics for the previous couple of years, however I’m unsure if we’re going to proceed it. I can’t appear to get these children focused on programming computer systems the way in which I used to be at their age. Really, could I do a house class for my 11-year-old? He appears to take pleasure in stuff like that.
Summer season Camps
With our June and August journey plans, we have now about eight weeks of camps to plan.
Each children are doing 5 weeks of the varsity’s theater camp. My 12-year-old is doing appearing, and my 11-year-old is doing set design. Prior to now, they hadn’t gotten alongside effectively, so we needed to separate them. Now, they’ll work collectively however select to do issues they’re well-suited for.
The 11-year-old has a crusing camp that runs for 2 weeks. That leaves him with one other week to determine. My spouse desires to ship him to in a single day Scout camp like his brother did final yr. His brother bought to go along with his Troop final yr, so he had some buddies round. This yr, the 11-year-old would have nobody he is aware of as a result of the Troop goes to the theater camp. If the Scout camp doesn’t work, there’s prone to be an artwork camp or a cooking camp that we are able to do.
The 12-year-old has extra flexibility as he doesn’t like crusing. He’s simply sufficiently old to take a cybersecurity camp, however it’s pretty aggressive. It additionally sometimes doesn’t get introduced till Might, when the opposite good camps have lengthy stuffed up. It’s an enormous gamble, however it looks like the one tech alternative in the entire state of Rhode Island.
We’ll most likely do at the very least yet one more cooking camp for the 12-year-old. I feel he’s aged out of the animal shelter camp that we’ve despatched him to for years. He will get extra work with a wide range of animals at our home.
Last Ideas
It looks like we’ve both A) hit a superb groove or B) are caught in a rut. Loads of these items is similar to the yr earlier than. After all, that’s just like the yr earlier than that.
I really feel like the reply is definitely: “C) a little bit of each and neither.” It’s the second week of February, and the article is actually my New Yr’s Resolutions put up. As you possibly can inform, I typically tackle a couple of too many issues and get just a little behind. In making these targets, I didn’t spend quite a lot of time considering how I needed the yr to unfold.
It’s a lot simpler to simply copy the template from final yr and make small modifications – evolutionary, not revolutionary. I’ve discovered that small modifications over time add as much as huge issues.
The opposite factor is that huge modifications typically discover you all year long. You by no means know what alternatives are going to open up or what alternatives are going to go away.
