It's time to start digging up those Squirrelled Nuts!!!!

shinytop

Bravepants said:

shinytop said:

atush said:

Sea_Shell said:

Back from a lovely trip away.   Lots of fresh air and walking, taking in the views.   So nice to have a different view out the window after all these months!!!

We did fully self-cater in the end, it was just easier, and the lodge was fully spec'd up with all you need.     We'll take a view in a couple of weeks time as to whether we go anywhere else this year.

As for the finances....all I seemed to get whilst away was e-mails from our various providers telling us that our interest rates are reducing....again.   NS&I, TSB, Marcus....bang bang bang, one after the other.    Cheers.

So will have another look at the books at the end of the month and see where we are with everything.   

We took a 4 day trip to Devon, went out for lunch each day but self catered the rest. 4 days in Ludlow the same but ate dinner out once.

Perhaps i shoud have been more cautious ie eating out, but we've been stuck on our tiny isle w/o covid for 120 days or so, so thought i'd take a chance.  given i was an epidemiologist and knwo how to protect myself i was right as i tested negative on my return.

How did you manage to get a test - did you have symptoms?  As carers for elderly parents we would like to get tested just in case but I didn't think you could do that.  

The problem with being tested "just in case" is similar to the problem of car MOTs, you could be fine at the time of the test, and thus show negative, but an hour later contract the virus!

Testing "just in case" is pointless and wastes valuable time and resources. Only get a test if you have symptoms is the advice.

Thanks but I know what the current advice is, which is why I asked the question to the previous poster. 
Asymptomatic testing is not a waste of time and pointless. It is lower priority than testing those with symptoms and therefore not currently advised for people like me given the current lack of testing capacity. If I were tested regularly it would reduce the risk of my passing CV-19 to my parents.  There are plenty of other people who are currently  tested "just in case" but they are higher priority than me and that's fine.

Anyway let's not turn this thread into a CV-19 debate like a lot of others (even though I started it) 

Audaxer

While I am also concerned about the fall in interest rates, I see that inflation is now down to only 0.2%, so maybe we shouldn't be too worried by the reduced interest rates as we can still get more than that in interest from the likes of Marcus?

Stubod

Audaxer said:

While I am also concerned about the fall in interest rates, I see that inflation is now down to only 0.2%, so maybe we shouldn't be too worried by the reduced interest rates as we can still get more than that in interest from the likes of Marcus?

...yep should not forget the ratio between interest and inflation. Personally I would rather have low inflation and low interest rates than the other way around!

atush

shinytop said:

atush said:

Sea_Shell said:

Back from a lovely trip away.   Lots of fresh air and walking, taking in the views.   So nice to have a different view out the window after all these months!!!

We did fully self-cater in the end, it was just easier, and the lodge was fully spec'd up with all you need.     We'll take a view in a couple of weeks time as to whether we go anywhere else this year.

As for the finances....all I seemed to get whilst away was e-mails from our various providers telling us that our interest rates are reducing....again.   NS&I, TSB, Marcus....bang bang bang, one after the other.    Cheers.

So will have another look at the books at the end of the month and see where we are with everything.   

We took a 4 day trip to Devon, went out for lunch each day but self catered the rest. 4 days in Ludlow the same but ate dinner out once.

Perhaps i shoud have been more cautious ie eating out, but we've been stuck on our tiny isle w/o covid for 120 days or so, so thought i'd take a chance.  given i was an epidemiologist and knwo how to protect myself i was right as i tested negative on my return.

How did you manage to get a test - did you have symptoms?  As carers for elderly parents we would like to get tested just in case but I didn't think you could do that.  

isle of Man has an automatic quarantine on return from the UK of 14 days, which is shortened if you take a test- which I had to pay for.  Testing aftre 7/8 days quarantine should not show a false negative

enthusiasticsaver

Sea_Shell said:

Back from a lovely trip away.   Lots of fresh air and walking, taking in the views.   So nice to have a different view out the window after all these months!!!

We did fully self-cater in the end, it was just easier, and the lodge was fully spec'd up with all you need.     We'll take a view in a couple of weeks time as to whether we go anywhere else this year.

As for the finances....all I seemed to get whilst away was e-mails from our various providers telling us that our interest rates are reducing....again.   NS&I, TSB, Marcus....bang bang bang, one after the other.    Cheers.

So will have another look at the books at the end of the month and see where we are with everything.   

We too have had the emails with interest rates reducing. I think the government wants us to spend but given our holiday of a lifetime to Canada has been delayed until September 2021 maybe even later we have just bunged a load of money in our SIPPs and S and S ISAs. We have done a few trips away in our little area of the country so more than some. Absolutely no inclination to get on a plane. 

Sea_Shell

Just been updating the end of month figures on my spreadsheets, and we have gross annual growth across the whole pot of 5.03%, which is good news.   Net growth, after spends, is 3.02%

I've updated the OP with the current numbers.

shinytop

Sea_Shell said:

Just been updating the end of month figures on my spreadsheets, and we have gross annual growth across the whole pot of 5.03%, which is good news.   Net growth, after spends, is 3.02%

I've updated the OP with the current numbers.

So your buried nuts are multiplying quicker than you're digging them up. 

Sea_Shell

shinytop said:

Sea_Shell said:

Just been updating the end of month figures on my spreadsheets, and we have gross annual growth across the whole pot of 5.03%, which is good news.   Net growth, after spends, is 3.02%

I've updated the OP with the current numbers.

So your buried nuts are multiplying quicker than you're digging them up. 

I keep worrying that I've made some glaring mathematical error somewhere! 😲😉.

It's making more than I used to earn!

tigerspill

Sea_Shell said:

shinytop said:

Sea_Shell said:

Just been updating the end of month figures on my spreadsheets, and we have gross annual growth across the whole pot of 5.03%, which is good news.   Net growth, after spends, is 3.02%

I've updated the OP with the current numbers.

So your buried nuts are multiplying quicker than you're digging them up. 

I keep worrying that I've made some glaring mathematical error somewhere! 😲😉.

It's making more than I used to earn!

To me this is the killer.  I am in a similar situation and seems illogical.  Think it will take a bit more time for me to really start decumulating.

Anonymous101

Sea_Shell said:

shinytop said:

Sea_Shell said:

Just been updating the end of month figures on my spreadsheets, and we have gross annual growth across the whole pot of 5.03%, which is good news.   Net growth, after spends, is 3.02%

I've updated the OP with the current numbers.

So your buried nuts are multiplying quicker than you're digging them up. 

I keep worrying that I've made some glaring mathematical error somewhere! 😲😉.

It's making more than I used to earn!

Was this not the case prior to your retirement?
Were you monitoring investment growth at that point as closely?

I had it in my mind that as I neared FI that my investments would certainly be in excess of my spending (as that's the FI threshold) on good years I'd expect investment growth to be significantly more than I was earning.
Certainly now I'd saving hard even though I'm some way to becoming FI my investment returns plus my contributions are as much as I earn gross. I save over 50% of my income so that does slant things somewhat.