2nd Anniversary of Free By 50

Today is the 2 year anniversary of Free By 50.

 My first post on March 11th 2008 was I want to be financially independent by age 50  and it had this short message:   "It is my stated goal that I plan to be financially independent by age fifty. I plan to chronicle and discuss my efforts towards that goal on this blog." Financial independence by age fifty is still my goal.


A lot has changed in two years but much has stayed the same.

When this blog started in March 2008, the unemployment rate was 5.1%.   It peaked at 10.1% in October last year and has now dropped to 9.7%

I was single and engaged two years ago and now I'm happily married.

I was eating out too much and spending around $900 a month, but since then we've cut back on our eating out and are now spending closer to $500 to $600.

I've got the same job but I got a pay grade promotion and a 14% raise in 2008.   In 2009 my company froze wages.

I live in the same house but we got the front yard landscaped and had the house air sealed and insulated which I figure has saved us about 40% on our heat this winter.

Our net worth grew by about $161k or about +34% from $467k to $628k.   A large chunk of that growth came from when my wife and I got married and combined finances so "my" net worth became "our" net worth.

On March 11 2008 the S&P 500 opened at 1,247.    It then climbed to a peak of 1,440 by May 2008.   Then it started to drop and around a year ago in March 2009 it had hit a low of 666.   Today it has recovered considerably and closed at 1,145.   If you had bought at the peak and sold at the low you'd have lost 54%.  If you'd bought at the low and held it until today you'd be up 71%.