So…2020. To say this year has been unusual, trying, or downright depressing at times would be…well…a start. On any given year, some of us will suffer. All of us will face tough times to some degree. This year, well, we all took one on the chin.
But with so much change, certainly there were some silver linings, no?
Today we reflect on a trying, yet eventful year. How does it feel to be living history in real time?
Normal is Normal
Media in all forms tends to over-exaggerate the exceptional—negative and positive. We see the best highlight reels of everyone’s life on social media. On the news, we see horrific acts of violence, political bickering, and the extremes of our fundamental differences. To take a break, we flip on a sporting event and watch some of the world’s best athletes compete.
En masse however, we all live fairly normal lives, hovering around the middle of the bell curve of humanity. For most individuals, the passing of another year isn’t always a reflection of huge achievements or noteworthy loss.
Well, 2020 will go down as one of those truly historic years where nearly all of humanity was tested.
Our 2020 Year In Review
To help refresh my memory, I pulled up my 2019 Year-In-Review post. Wow, didn’t see 2020 coming quite like I thought.
(Sort of) Quitting My Corporate Job
For sure, some things came out as planned. In that post, I heavily hinted at the fact that I was about to (sort of) quit my job. And I did. And it was great.
An International Trip
We were one of the lucky few in 2020 who were able to travel internationally. We spent the majority of February on the stunning Italian island of Sicily, chasing limestone, uncrowded beaches, and generally trying not to get ripped off big-time in street markets. Also, we might have contracted Covid. Aww, the salad days.
A Winter in Sicily, Part 1: San Vito Lo Capo
A Winter in Sicily, Part 2: The Big City Life
Sicily Part 3: Two People, Two Weeks, $1,300
Short-Lived Fun-employment
Then came three weeks of unemployed bliss. I did all those things that early retirees do and brag about on the internet. I went to the grocery store at noon on a weekday. While I normally would have been working, I was climbing at deserted crags. I took long walks at 9 am. Perhaps I even poached an egg for lunch, in my own kitchen. I felt super special.
And then three weeks later all you assholes were sleeping in and making poached eggs and baking sourdough and climbing on your home walls and grocery shopping at noon too!
Obviously, the circumstances were traumatic. We’d all been hearing whisperings of this virus in China since late 2019. However, I include myself among the masses who hardly paid attention to the headlines. And then upon our return from Italy—and the sudden and alarming outbreak there—it became real. A few weeks later and we were all at home.
Oh yeah, during this time I was nearly killed in a car wreck and then we learned some super-nifty tricks on how to get a new car deal (again).
The Lockdown
Much of the spring and early summer was spent like so many others: at home. With some guilt, I look back on these days fondly. I’m going to speculate that these days were enjoyable because so many of us were stuck in the same life mode together. The “fear of missing out” was gone.
We spend so much time comparing ourselves to the supposed wonderful lives of others—achievements, travel, relationships, etc. This might have been the first time in human history where most of us were doing nothing. It was a relief.
Related Post: What It’s Really Like to Not Have to Work on Monday
The 2020 Road Trip
After a lockdown-induced delay to our big adventure, in mid-June we decided to sell our house in Denver and hit the road. I’ve written a number of posts and updates along the way, and this is not the time for a final review. To get a sense of where/how/when, I’d recommend checking out these posts:
Selling Our House: On the Road, Pandemic Edition
Week 1: Lander, Wyoming: Working Out the Kinks
One Month on the Road: Getting a Groove
In Contrast: The Reality of Life on the Road
Three Months on the Road: Pacific Northwest
Four Months on the Road: Can This Really Last?
Tales from the Road: Two Cows and a Horse
A New Home
Just in time for the new year, we’re beginning a new life here in the multicolor desert region of St. George, Utah. We’re basically camping in a house, waiting to thread the needle between winter Rocky Mountain storms and get our stuff out of storage in Denver. For more on our journey back to home ownership and the decision-making process, check out these two posts:
Relocation: A Guide to Moving and Housing Affordability
And We’re Back to Home Ownership! But Why Now?
The Economy and Investing in 2020
Despite everything that’s happened this year, the S&P 500 started and ended the year at or near all-time highs (as of the time of publication). My last post of 2019, titled “You Know a Recession is Coming, Right?”, took a tongue-in-cheek look at the perpetual fear state of many investors. There’s always a line of thought like:
“This is the top”
or…
“it’s not a good time to invest.”
Although the post linked above was a subtle jab at this line of thinking, I wasn’t wrong. I hardly predicted an imminent recession, but I did say one would come…one day. And sure enough, by mid-February the stock market started to tumble like me on, well, really any boulder.
Related Post: Shocking Headlines of the 2008 Financial Crisis (And Why They Are So Important Now)
If you invested your life savings in early February, you probably shat a sizable brick by the end of March. However, if you did nothing and stayed the course—as we always recommend here at CC Enterprises—then you made a decent return by now! Year-to-date (as of 12/24/20), the S&P 500 has returned nearly 14%!
Mrs. CC and I watched our life savings fall by 30% in a month! Not to brag or boast, but for a sense of scale, we are talking about the erosion of hundreds of thousands of dollars in about three weeks. ¿Es muy malo, no? But now we’re back! (And most importantly, we planned for that kind of dip.)
Will it last? I don’t know.
Do you know? No, you don’t.
Do people on TV or the internet know, even if they are “Wall Street Professionals?” No, they don’t.
Does your financial advisor know? No, he or she does not know.
Pick an index fund and stay the course. Good things shall come in your future.
Clipping Chains: A Year in Review
September marked my two-year mark running this website. I’m growing into a nice little toddler. I waddle around the house, clothed only in a soiled diaper, drooling, and saying my favorite three words incessantly: Index fund, mommy.
Needless to say, you guys make this the best job I’ve ever had. Here are the posts that apparently you either liked, or they had really click-bait titles. For your sake, I hope it was both 😉.
WordPress says these are my most popular (non-interview) posts from 2020:
Shocking Headlines of the 2008 Financial Crisis (And Why They Are So Important Now)
Breaking: I (Sort of) Quit My Job
You Know a Recession is Coming, Right? (Posted late December 2019)
The Fallacy of Happiness and Meaningful Work
Contentment: The Greenest Grass of Them All
Chasing Your Dreams Is Probably a Bad Idea (Posted late December 2019)
This Just In: The Real Cost of Home Ownership
How to Destroy Your Finances in Your 20s and 30s
The Simple Systems to Kicking Monetary Ass
How to Get a Fantastic Deal on a New Car
Market Timing: Why It Still Doesn’t Work
There’s No Way I’m Investing in This Economy!
And We’re Back to Home Ownership! Buy Why Now?
2020 Interviews:
I want to offer a heartfelt thanks to all the kind folks who agreed to an interview in 2020. All of these are fascinating stories and worth a read. For many more 2018 and 2019 interviews, check out The Interview Series.
Hazel Findlay: Fear is Trainable
Mike Doyle: A Remote-Controlled Climbing Life
Lauren Abernathy: Finding the Balance
Nate Drolet: So You Want to be a Coach?
Bethany Macke: The Powerful Art of the Pivot
Neil Phillips: Money as a Means to an Incredible Journey
Becky Switzer: The Powerful Pragmatist
Mike Personick: Dirtbag Entrepreneur
Lee Cujes: Super Psyched on the Long Game
My Interviews
I also had the great joy of being interviewed several times this year. Here is where you can learn more about this project and my motivations:
The Nugget Climbing Podcast, Episode 20
Power Company Climbing Podcast, Episode 174: Mr. Clipping Chains, Financial Independence
Personal Finance Blogs: Know Your Blogger Series: Clipping Chains
Thank You Guys So Much!
This project continues to bring so much joy to my life. I’ve said it several times before, and I’ll say it again: writing these posts and engaging with all of you is infinitely more rewarding than my corporate world job ever was.
This weird corner of the internet now has far-reaching tentacles that I never could have imagined.
If the messages here at Clipping Chains resonate with you, do me a solid and forward some of these posts along to your friends and family members. The more freely we can discuss the money, the less we stumble in the dark.
As a parting note, I wanted to include this wonderful rendition of “Silent Night” by Steven Dimmitt (from his van!). Steven is the creator of The Nugget Climbing Podcast, and he does an exceptional job. You may recall our conversation here. Although this is generally considered a Christmas tune, let’s fit in one more time for the New Year.
And one final note: I’m going to take the next week or two off from this site. I need to move and I need some space to work on a little side project. Perhaps you’ll hear more on that in the future.
May you all find a moderately kick-ass and inoculated (word of the month) life in 2021!
Much love,
Mr. CC
December 2020
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Thanks guys, see you next week.