Welcoming a $464,986.66 net worth

Curiously, the TSX has performed quite well. We closed the day at a solid 25,281.63 points. It came as a surprise, but hey, I won’t complain. I really thought that the return of Donald Trump would have had an immediate negative impact on the TSX. The "contrarian" concept is quite real when it comes to the stock market. I’ve lost count of the number of times my opinion turned out to be completely wrong or when the TSX performed better than I expected—or worse. Anyway, I’m certainly not unhappy when the TSX plays in my favor. My net worth closed the day at $464,986.66. I started 2025 with a net worth of $459,983.13. So far, January 2025 has been a good month. I’m experiencing a $5,000 gain, and the month isn’t even over yet.

Now that Donald Trump is back in office, I take it one day at a time without many expectations, but I sincerely hope for the best. It’s not all doom and gloom, but Trump brings serious economic anxiety to Canadians and beyond. There’s a sense of heaviness surrounding his leadership and everything he does. It’s quite terrible. We are in for a very long, very painful four years with Donald Trump!

One good thing that’s here to stay is the fact that some awesome Canadian businesses have increased their dividend distributions! Recently, several of my dividend payers announced increases. ATCO (ACO.X) raised its dividend by 3%. Canadian Utilities (CU) raised its dividend by 1%. Maple Leaf Foods (MFI) raised its dividend by 9%. When you hold so many stocks like I do, it’s easy to miss some great news. For that reason, I enjoy consulting 5i Research’s Dividend Updates page from time to time. You can check it out here: https://www.5iresearch.ca/dividend-updates.

I previously posted about my monthly budget and what it might look like once I get back to Montreal: http://www.myfirst50000.com/2025/01/a-peek-at-my-monthly-budget-for-2024.html. I’ve been living in New Brunswick since October, and while staying here, my expenses are lower by a few hundred dollars. It’s quite easy to save money around here.

Recently, Netflix announced an increase in their subscription rates. I was happy with their $6.89 standard plan with ads. I’m not sure if taxes are included in that amount, but it’s what I’ve been paying monthly. I sincerely thought it was a good deal. Starting now, the Netflix standard plan with ads will cost $7.99. I probably need to add taxes to that amount as well.

Netflix’s increase is the least of my worries. What I do worry about is my Montreal rent. Rents in Montreal are expected to increase by 5% this year. I’m anticipating a hike, but I hope it won’t be that high. For now, I can still afford living in Montreal. I’ve been in my current place for a very long time, and I wouldn’t like to leave.

To end this blog post on a positive note, in terms of savings, I might close January with $4,000 in savings! I owe this to some generous dividend distributions.