August was a busy month. It felt like we spent the whole month packing, moving, cleaning, and doing various house projects. I somehow thought that this move wouldn’t be as bad as last time because we could bring some things more gradually due to having a month overlap between our closing date and when our lease ended. Turns out that it was just as stressful. I really hate moving, which is ironic for someone who spent many years traveling and moving often. Maybe that’s why I hate it now or maybe it has to do with how much more is involved with moving an entire house vs just going to a new area for a few months with the essentials. Either way, we got it done and we love our new house. The new place fits us so much better than where we were prior. Being five minutes away or less from everything we need on a day to day basis makes little errands much easier. We’re also at the end of a really quiet cul-de-sac which has been wonderful. This won’t be our “forever home” but I hope to stay here at least long enough to forget how much I dislike moving, and when we do move again in the future it will most likely be pretty close by but just to a bigger house.
Part-time PT clinic work continues to go well. I’ve really enjoyed helping patients again, and I work so infrequently that I don’t dread going to work at all like in the past. My coworkers are great and the patients have all been laid back, which makes for minimal stress especially when only working 4-5 hours/day two days per week. Having to get up and out of the house early a couple of days a week has been great for me. It’s also given Whitney and Aria a good time to have more 1:1 time together and for play dates and meet ups with friends.
Income
Income from our business (FifthWheelPT and Travel Therapy Mentor) for August was down about 30% from July, making it one of our lowest earning months of the year so far, with only March being lower. Much of this was due to being so busy with the move and having repairs/updates/projects at the new house going on. When we have a lot of stuff going on in our personal lives, it’s pretty easy for the business to be on the back burner, which is both good and bad. It’s good that we have the flexibility to dial things back when needed, but bad that because it’s so flexible there are few real deadlines and we take advantage of it more often than would be otherwise prudent. Overall it’s hard to complain though. The business is still thriving and bringing in much more profit than our expenses each month, while we spend much less time on it than in the past.
Expenses
My expenses for August were really high. We had the new house painted on the inside before we moved in, had it deep cleaned including all of the carpets, and also hired an electrician for some small improvements we wanted in the basement. We also paid movers to help us with boxes and furniture on the moving day. That’s all in addition to still having to pay one more month of rent and utilities at our prior place.
My savings rate for the month was about 40% when all was said and done.
Investments
The S&P 500 was up by 2.6% in August. That puts it back at all time highs surpassing the previous highs from June. The market continues to look strong despite rising bond yields, leading to continued inflation fears and the ongoing war. It’s been really amazing to see the resiliency despite so much going on which is, again, another reminder of why trying to time the market is so difficult. I don’t think anyone would have believed that the indices would be at all time highs a year ago if you told them all that was going to happen.
Bitcoin was up by about 25.1% in August! This was a huge monthly move and the breakout I’ve been waiting for. Historically a big jump in price like this always happens at the end of a bear market when everyone is waiting for prices to go lower. I also thought it was possible the price would still go lower into Q4 but am now humble enough to realize that timing the bottom never works out which is why I’ve been buying heavily since February at these depressed prices no matter if the bottom was in or not. Whether the bear market is actually over or not, I still think that Bitcoin below $100,000 is a very attractive time to accumulate right now and that price will likely be much higher in a couple of years. I’ve never been more optimistic on the long term trajectory of Bitcoin especially with the rise of AI.
Financial Independence Progress
My net assets increased by 11.3% in August! That’s one of the biggest monthly increases I’ve ever had on a percentage basis and the highest ever on an absolute dollar amount basis. It’s really nice to have the positive momentum lately and hopefully it continues throughout the rest of 2026.
My assets are now equal to approximately 34.6 times my average annual expenses!
In case you missed it, check out this post for an update on why I adjusted my spending assumptions.
Next Month
In September, we’ll be unpacking and continuing to do lots of little house projects (hanging mirrors, blinds, curtains, and getting the nursery set up for the new baby) along with other small miscellaneous things turning this house into a home. We’re really excited for some cooler weather to get outside more and hopefully even get some hiking in before the baby comes.
How was August for you financially? Let me know in the comments!
