Before launching Modest Millionaires as a coaching practice, this blog began as a way to track our personal journey to financial independence. In those early years, we were sharing detailed numbers about our investment growth, spending, and long-term planning goals.
We’re no longer actively updating this page — but we’ve kept it live as a reference for readers interested in what our journey looked like in real time.
This post is part of our earlier blogging journey and is no longer updated. It has been republished as a legacy resource for transparency and context.
This post is part of our earlier blogging journey and is no longer updated. It has been republished as a legacy resource for transparency and context.
Our original plan was to reach financial independence by 2025, based on covering our expenses with a 4% safe withdrawal rate. We calculated a target FI number and tracked our investment growth as a percentage of that goal.
| Month/Year | Objective (% of FI#) | Actual (% of FI#) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 2015 | 19% | 21% | |
| Jan. 2016 | 24% | 23% | |
| Jan. 2017 | 36% | 34% | Paid off our mortgage |
| July 2017 | 39% | 28% | House fully paid |
| Jan. 2018 | 42% | 36% | |
| Jan. 2019 | 49% | 39% | |
| July 2019 | 52% | 51% | |
| Jan. 2020 | 56% | 61% | |
| July 2020 | 60% | 70% | |
| Jan. 2021 | 64.5% | 81.4% |
Note: We never included the value of our home in our investment assets when tracking FI progress.
When I (Mel) began a sabbatical in early 2021 to test out a Coast FI lifestyle, we started tracking our portfolios individually to reflect our evolving roles and priorities.
| Month/Year | Mel (% of FI#) | Mr. Mod (% of FI#) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 2021 | 68.2% | 88.3% | Mr. Mod had a head start |
| Aug. 2021 | 74.8% | 105.5% | Mr. Mod reached full FIRE! |
| Nov. 2021 | 76.5% | 111.9% | Last recorded update |
We originally aimed to keep our annual spending around $45,000–$60,000 CAD depending on the year and life circumstances.
| Year | Spending Objective | Actual Spending | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $45,000 | $44,321 | |
| 2016 | $45,000 | $49,463 | |
| 2017 | $45,000 | $55,959 | |
| 2018 | $45,000 | $55,119 | |
| 2019 | $48,000 | $56,654 | |
| 2020 | $60,000 | $64,572 | Included 10K travel + 6K renovations |
As Modest Millionaires evolved into a coaching business — and we shifted away from anonymity — it no longer made sense to publish detailed updates about our household’s finances. We still believe in transparency, but we now choose to share lessons, tools, and stories that support others directly.
If you’re curious about the context and advantages that helped us on this journey, you can read more in our Transparency Story.
To those who’ve followed our journey from the early days — thank you. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and are even more excited to help others design a financial life that reflects what matters most to them.
Ready to take your next step toward clarity and calm in your finances?
