Finest Sherry ever: Regency Fine Old, Canadian Apera, Fortified Wine, 20% alc.: drink your life while you can

Sometimes in 2016, I will be turning 36.

(Off topic).

When its a cold -17°C outside, that Montreal sidewalks are on ice and that the TSX closed at less than 13 000 points, when all of those events happened on the same day, well, in such a day, you have the right to finish the day with a glass of sherry, or a beer if you don't have anything else, in front of your laptop. Its what I am doing right now. Not that I am trying to escape from the reality, but I am seeking for a consolation price. While the world is all falling apart, the worst is to follow it.

The year 2016 start the wrong way.  I didn't update my portfolio in a very long time but since April 2015, the TSX just kept going down. In the real life, the TSX is a hard place to be. It take good nerves. But its how it goes. In some years, the TSX is heaven, in other, hell, and in some other, you can only dream you would had never EVER invested a single penny out there.

(If you ever get tired of the present post, you can always tune to this one).

I do no longer update my portfolio online because in that fantastic month of April 2015, I was on top of my game. I was at my highest value ever registered. I did not update my portfolio because ever since, the value of it went down. I never again exceed that value, but I have a lifetime to recover.

In the meantime, following Christmas, the holidays, and my mother visit in Montreal for the New Year Eve, better watch out, Santa Close is out, but debts are in! Not exactly debt, but the credit card statement in coming and it need to be pad on January 11.

After surfing on a very difficult year on the stock market, trust me, it won't be very difficult for those who are extra serious investors to respect a very tight budget in order to pay debt, or inject fresh hot new money into a portfolio or to pay down an investment margin.

Currently, I am doing all right, I always said that I was feeling ok with a margin usage of 65k - but not everywhere exceeding it. And currently, I am at $64 512.17. And I also always said that I was feeling comfortable with a margin left-over of at least 13k. And my margin left-over is exceeding a bit 13k. Everything is awesome. But I want more money, I need a net worth of at least 200k to be happy. There's no magic trick. With an annual salary of something like 50k, choices need to be made. Never forget, life is a bitch and is hard. But who can you beat if its not yourself?

I came with this budget:

Monthly living budget:
Rent: $635
Internet: $48.50
Cell phone: $40.24
Coffees: $51
Grocery: $320
Entertainment: $76
Total: $1 170.74 x 12: $14 048.88

This is the budget for my basic covering needs - this doe not include: my Cuba trip sometime in February, my numerous visits to my hometown province, gifts, clothes, hair cut, coloration... Life is expensive, but only your personal choices will make of you a loser or a winner, not the market TSX ugliest bitch on earth.