His last day at work will be this December 31.  Truly the end of an era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od3jjn7sAPU

Bonus topic, because I don't think it's worth making a separate entry for it:  I noticed how a lot of people are calling luxuries "Billionaire's ... [insert luxury item name here]".  I totally understand why most people don't think the term "millionaire" has the same shock value as before, but what if someone has $999 million?  They are still technically a millionaire, but that's a lot of millions.

I have a male friend who is recently going through divorce.  Basically, from now on, he will not have Christmas with his kids or ex-wife anymore.  (He will have the kids on Christmas Eve though.)  For a man who is very family-orientated, this is a huge blow to him, and it will take time for him to adjust.

I myself have gone through that as well, where from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day, it's just an emotional slog that I have to get through, year after year, with varying degrees of success....  Because I understand what a man has to go through, ever since last year anyway, I have made it a point to check up on this friend of mine, and see if he wants me to come over and visit during Christmas.  He said yes.

Walking into his apartment reminded me of an all-too-familiar haunted look into my own past made present.  His tree with the colorful lights are still up, and below that tree are signs of presents that was once there, not too long ago.  All around, you see children's toys and clothing littered all over (his kids are still young so this is normal).

And yet, despite all the obvious hints of life and holiday cheer, said actual holiday sights and sounds were nowhere to be found.  There were no smiles and laughter running around, nor anyone causing a ruckus.  There were no cheap cons trying to trick the wife into walking under that mistletoe you hid just to net that giggly smooch.  No sounds of mugs of hot chocolate or even egg nog being toasted.  There were no present swapping, and then mentally strategizing how you will return that silly item she bought you without getting caught by her.  All that was there, when I walked in, was a house with that familiar piercing silence that my buddy was sitting in, alone, on Christmas day.

I know that divorces are not easy for women either.  I completely acknowledge that.  However, I wonder how many realize that it is also not easy for good men either.  Because they won't be out at bars trying to get a cheap one-night stands.  They are not always out with family or even at work either, because perhaps the emotional toll is just too great for now, because they valued their time with family so highly.  I also can not help but wonder if he is also perhaps trying to punish himself for what he sees is a failure somehow....

To end on a more upbeat note, we went and enjoyed a Chinese buffet that was pretty good for what was available and open on Christmas.  We distracted ourselves with great conversations and had a great time overall for what it is.

I don't know if this is going to turn into a weird Christmas tradition between us.  I hope not, or at least not for too long.  It's better if he finds someone decent, and is able to enjoy Christmas again like the way he used to, or at the very least, be distracted by work on the holidays and get paid well for it.  Either way, and to end on a more financial note, I felt my gift of Christmas Chinese buffet to him was totally worth the money, and he enjoyed it as well.

While I may not always check my net worth monthly, I still at least do it annually.

Part of the reason I didn't look too often this year is because things were not exactly all that rosy for me.  For example, my investment portfolio's Year to Date performance fell by roughly $40k compared to January's high.

To be fair, January's stock market was unusually high, so when we fell off of that (*cough* Tariffs *cough*) I'm just kind of glad that it recovered enough that it's "only" $40k short now....

At the same time, the value of my (paid-off) house fluctuated a bit throughout the year, but ultimately landed at roughly $5k less compared to January's listing.

The real estate market remains pretty red hot where I am, and losing only a mere $5k on an otherwise already highly-valued piece of property is definitely no sweat off my back.

The bottom line is a net-loss of $45k for me this year.  It's never fun looking at losses, but at least it's not affecting my daily life or anything.

There's something I've been ruminating recently, and while it is financially-related, I think it's also something even more fundamental than that.

Do you know why men are generally not savers?  Asking a genuine question here, because I've known and spoken with a lot of smart men before, and yet, most of them struggle financially.

Sure, you could say it's simply not in their interest to do so, because it runs contrary to whatever it is they want out of life.  Whether it's fishing, off-roading, or even just wanting that large screen TV to watch the sports of their choice, it's what they are most interested in, as opposed to not scratching that itch and building up a financial nest egg....

But why though?  Why these things?  Why anything at all?  A lot of men love to say how they can't spend their money once they are dead, so might as well spend it now, but unless you're a hardcore believer in the Egyptian afterlife, neither can you take your large screen TV or fishing boat with you.  So what's really going on here?

For us men anyway, I find that... many of us struggle with a sense of self-identity or self-worth.  I think we want to be of value to our peers, even to society in general, and ideally in our preferred field of interests.  Even if it's hobbies such as fishing, off-roading, or just watching the game on TV and being highly knowledgeable in sports teams....  That and the majority of us men tie our identity and worth to our jobs and careers as well....

But not in Saving though.  To be clear, I am not suggesting saving is a bad idea.  Quite the contrary, but I also think... most men are not savers because they don't tie their self-identity and self-worth to saving and investing money.  Not all men, of course, as there are plenty of male accountants, investors, and day traders.  Still, even then... it's not Saving exactly.

On the flip side, I wonder, is this also why most regulars on SavingAdvice here DO become so financially successful?  Dear readers, would you go so far as to say that your self-identity and self-worth is at least partially tied to being a proud Saver and investor?

And while I am here, how does it work for women?  Since there are several readers who are female here, I am curious, what do women typically base their own sense of self-identity and self-worth to?  What is something you wish your significant other (real or hypothetical) should understand that's important to you, that makes you who you are, and is perhaps even considered sacred that he or she should understand and help nurture?

Does any of that make sense?  Am I talking crazy?  I'm starting to confuse even myself, so I'll stop here.

Just found out my FICO score went down 10 points because they decided that I don't have enough... what did they call it, Paid Accounts?

Basically, I have no debts of any kind, and currently have only one credit card active.  Why?  Because I'm a lazy simpleton *COUGH* er I mean Thoreauvian who enjoys the peace and tranquility of the simple life.  Uh yes.

In any case, I say this is a good problem to have because I'd rather be this than have massive debts that are spiraling out of control.  I also know it very likely won't stay like this forever, with expenses that will have to be incurred into the future.  Also, there are some things I would like to do eventually, I think, though they are more wants than needs, so they are not a priority or anything.

In the meantime, does anybody have any fun or creative suggestions for tackling this peculiar issue of "lacking in Paid Accounts"?

That arctic cold front has finally arrived and coming down like a hammer!  The rush hour traffic is made even worse from all the icing on the road, resulting in quite a few car accidents.

Also, the wind chill makes it feel even worse.  Interestingly enough, the wind was strong enough to rip my back door open, setting off my motion sensors, and sending me a stream of false alarms to my phone.  I can't have that.  Luckily, the fix won't be expensive at all, I just have to get around to it soon.

As I mentioned earlier, I hope Mother Nature decides to bless us with a bit of snow.  Where I am, we don't typically get snow, but if it's going to get cold enough to ice everything up, She might as well go all the way with a White Christmas!