Q1 2020 Review
This is my first quarterly review. It’s a reflection on my goals for the first quarter of 2020. I plan to conduct these quarterly reviews to track my progress on my ten year plan, which I published at the end of 2019 and suggest you read to get the most out of this article.
I’m posting this publicly as a way to hold myself accountable and so others have a framework to follow if they so choose.
Here we go.
Complete Successes
These are the goals I nailed.
Measure fitness benchmarks in January
I completed this goal on time and recorded it in this tweet as well as in a note on my phone. I spread the measurements out over the course of the month and typically took one measurement during the course of a normal workout. It was easy to accomplish because I chipped away at it gradually and because it didn’t require much action outside of an already established routine.
My initial plan was to measure once per year, but I might measure in July also - TBD.
Start VEMAX position
I wanted to decrease home bias in my investments and expand into emerging markets. I chose VEMAX because it has a low expense ratio (.14%) and is based in Asian markets, which I think are poised to explode based on population size.
I started my initial VEMAX position on February 28th and increased it by 50% on March 9th. I also set up biweekly automatic investments to take advantage of dollar cost averaging. The timing of my first two buys was to take advantage of the market dips. I bought at $33.80 and $31.11. Unfortunately as of this writing (4/1) the price is at $27.83. As the old saying goes, time in the market beats timing the market.
I’m glad I got the position started and have a system in place to continue adding to it.
One workout program analysis
After completing my fitness measurements in January, I decided to continue lifting 3 days per week and running 2-3 days per week. I shifted from lower rep ranges on major lifts (3-6) to higher rep ranges (6-12) for a change of pace and to reduce chance of injury.
My plan was to hit a low rep range once every four weeks. My plan was de-railed with the quarantine, so now I'm doing more body weight exercises, running, and circuits with available equipment. My goal for now is to maintain and resume with my regular workout plan when I can get back to the gym. I likely won't need to revise my plan in Q2, as best case is looking like I'll get two months in the gym.
One investment plan analysis
I reduced my 401k contribution to the company match as of January 1st because I want to accumulate more cash and investments outside retirement accounts. I also increased savings and bi weekly investments into VEMAX and VTSAX. My savings increase was almost identical to my annual pay increase, which I received in March. No lifestyle inflation here!
I also purchased individual stocks (AAPL, NKE, UAL, DAL, AAL) where I thought I was getting a deal due to the market down turn. In reality I bought too early, but I still think they will be good plays in the 1-3 year term. I'm happy with where my investment plan is currently and will re-evaluate at some point in Q2.
13 newsletters sent
This one is pretty straight forward. I sent all 13 newsletters - one each week. Some were better than others, but I got them all out.
Check out Issue 13 here and sign up if you like it.
Partial Successes
These are the goals I didn’t quite nail but I didn’t totally strike out either.
Publish four articles
I published three articles in Q1: Compulsory National Service: America's Path Forward, The Power of Writing in Public, and The Power of a Personal Monopoly. I also spent the entire quarter working on my 10,000 word national service essay which will be published in late April.
I'm happy with this outcome considering the amount of time I spent working on the Write of Passage Fellowship. Next quarter I'll publish more frequently.
Publish one curation piece
I didn't publish a curation piece, but I'm considering this a partial success because I did a lot of research for my next curation piece. This piece will have a lot of "share value" because I'm pulling resources from at least four well known people.
One podcast appearance
I didn't appear on a podcast, but I'm considering this a moderate success because I published seven of my own podcasts. This didn't do much in terms of growing my audience, but I'm starting to get well known guests, and I think it's laying a nice foundation for audience building. Additionally, as I narrow my writing focus, I should be able to target more podcasts on which I would like to be a guest.
Failures
These are the goals I didn’t accomplish. They serve as good lessons.
Designate Ally “risk” account
This was a simple thing I didn't do because I didn't feel the need to. My bigger goal is to build my cash position so I have funds available to deploy when a risky opportunity arises. I already have two savings accounts with Ally, so I don't think I need to separate my "risk" funds from my other savings. When I have a risky opportunity, I simply need to look at my savings and determine what dollar amount I'm willing to put in based on my liquidity and net worth (which I track on a monthly basis).
Risky investment conversation
Similar to the above point, I didn't deem this to be necessary. My cash position isn't high enough that I'm seeking risky investments at the moment, so it wasn't a priority. I'm going to remove this task from my next quarterly goals and instead focus more on building relationships with interesting people. I think this is more likely to open doors for investment opportunities than simply having conversations about risky investments.
One afternoon volunteering
I totally dropped the ball on this. No excuse. I need to do better next quarter. One afternoon is not too much to ask. I need to have something scheduled by the end of April so I don’t fail on this one again.
Conclusions
I'm happy with my overall performance in Q1 2020. I need to remain consistent with the things I succeeded in, do a little better with the moderate successes, and address the point of failure with which I'm not happy (volunteering).
As I stated, I need to schedule a volunteering opportunity before the end of April to make sure I follow through on it. Otherwise, I'm on pace to hit goals for Q2, which I'll list below.
Q2 2020 Goals
One workout program analysis.
One investment program analysis.
Send 13 newsletters.
One afternoon volunteering.
One podcast appearance.
Publish one curation piece.
Publish six articles.
ROMWOD every day.
Define my personal monopoly and post an info-graphic on my Start Here page.
Add one interesting person to my contacts who I speak with at least 1-2 times per month.
