April is US tax month, and I owed a few hundred dollars due to my previously-mentioned slightly-too-large Roth conversion. I also surprisingly received a bonus from my company, which is the first time that’s happened since I’ve worked in Japan. All the more reason to like where I am!
This month, the yen fell even further, hitting 160 to the US dollar at one point. I’m pretty sure that the Japanese government did another intervention, as the yen has dropped below 155 this week, but unless Japan raises its interest rates or the US lowers its rates, I don’t see why it won’t continue creeping up over the near term.
Now is Golden Week in Japan, which is a period of several closely-spaced holidays at the end of April through the first week of May. I’ll be relaxing over the long weekend and then it’s back to work again.
Here’s a summary of my financial position this month:
| Description | 4/24 |
|---|---|
| Total Expenses | $3,315.31 |
| Gross Income | $7,111.76 |
| Taxes | $1,933.69 |
| Net Income | $5,178.07 |
| Savings | $1,862.76 |
| Savings Rate | 36.0% |
| Net Worth | $471,322.70 |
Projected time to FI (assuming 6% growth and 4% withdrawal rate): 8 years, 11 months.