AUG25 Net Worth $1,736,991 (+$82,246)

by Aussie Firebug | Sep 1, 2025 | Net Worth

I share these net worth updates to stay accountable, seek feedback on our strategy, and prove that achieving financial independence in Australia is feasible without relying on extraordinary luck or wealth. The table below tracks our journey from $36K in debt to reaching our goals. 🔥

August honestly felt like Groundhog Day.

Family, work, BJJ training, the weekend, and repeat.

We’re finally starting to find a bit of a rhythm with the baby, but any time outside of those core activities is pretty much nonexistent at the moment.

Luckily, I don’t mind routine. I actually enjoy doing the same things week in and week out.

But… I definitely missed our annual Bali trip this year.

There’s just something about escaping the middle of winter, spending most of the day in the sun, and completely unplugging from the grind. I’m already looking forward to next year’s trip. I always come back from Bali feeling recharged and ready to dive into some interesting problems at work.

I’ve always said I love Victoria’s seasons, but the last month of winter really drags. Throw kids into the mix, and it gets even harder. Everything takes more effort when it’s wet and cold outside.

Spring can’t come soon enough 🌄

Net Worth Update

Another monster month.

Shares and Super had a good run in August, but it was the business that really moved the needle. Things are picking up, and it’ll be interesting to see where we land by the end of the year.

We’ve been steadily building multi-year contracts over the last couple of years, but now I’m ready to take things up a level. I held off on marketing while we were preparing for our second baby, but she’s here now, and life’s starting to settle.

The team’s really starting to come together, too. I’ve got two guys with me now, and I’m aiming to add a third by year’s end.

It’s go time.

I’ve told the team we’re going hard after new business in Q3 and Q4, with the goal of setting up a huge 2026.

Since starting the business in 2022, I’ve taken things slow on purpose. Bootstrapping it myself meant no investor pressure, no bosses, no rushing just to tick boxes. I’ve had the time to figure things out properly and build with intention.

In my old jobs, so much work felt rushed and half-baked because the incentives were wrong. When your boss only cares that something gets done, you naturally do the bare minimum. I was guilty of it, too.

Running my own business flips that. Everything I build, every process, and every line of code must align with the bigger picture. If I cut corners now, I’m only making life harder for future Matt.

That’s why I’ve liked growing slowly. It gives me time to make better long-term decisions. Not everything needs to be perfect, but some calls are painful to undo if you get them wrong.

Morgan Housel summed it up perfectly in this piece:
Investing: The Greatest Show On Earth

To summarise:
“Trees that grow too quickly in open sunlight develop soft, weak wood and often don’t last. Without the slow, steady growth needed to build density and strength, they become fragile and vulnerable to disease and a shorter lifespan.

Trees that grow slowly in the shade, on the other hand, develop strong, dense wood over time. That steady pace gives them resilience, allowing them to thrive and stand tall for decades.

Companies are no different. Rapid growth can feel exciting, but if you don’t take the time to build strength and stability, you end up exposed to risks that are hard to recover from. Sustainable growth takes patience, discipline, and a long-term mindset“

We’ve spent enough time growing in the shade. Now it’s time to rise above the canopy and make our mark on the industry!

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*Expenses include everything we spend money on to maintain our lifestyle. We do not include paying down our PPoR loan as an expense, only the interest
*Investment income is simply 4% of our FIRE portfolio divided by 12

Our FIRE portfolio has hit a new milestone: over $4K per month in passive income, nearly $50K a year! That is crazy!

Shares

The above graph was created by Sharesight

We didn’t buy any shares this month.

Networth

JUL25 Net Worth $1,654,745 (+$147,872)

by Aussie Firebug | Aug 7, 2025 | Net Worth

I share these net worth updates to stay accountable, seek feedback on our strategy, and prove that achieving financial independence in Australia is feasible without relying on extraordinary luck or wealth. The table below tracks our journey from $36K in debt to reaching our goals. 🔥

July was still very much about the baby bubble, with not much happening on the personal front.

Baby Bug #2 is teasing us with the occasional stretch of solid sleep, but we’re still waiting for the full night to land.

I’m starting to really get why people used to say that coming into work felt like a holiday from the chaos of home life. When you’re working on projects you enjoy, in an environment that energises you, it hits differently.

Even though I’m home helping out a couple of days a week, it’s been nice to duck into the co-space for a few hours, throw on the noise-cancelling headphones, and get into a zen state with a fun problem.

What’s everyone listening to lately? On my current Spotify rotation:

• Don’t Tap the Glass – Tyler, the Creator

• Let God Sort ’Em Out – Clipse

• SWAG – Justin Bieber (don’t judge, it actually slaps)

Net Worth Update

Yuuuuuuge increase this month.

In fact, July just clocked in as the biggest monthly increase in AFB history.

The surge came from a combo of a few big invoices hitting the account for the business, plus a revaluation of our PPoR after switching lenders.

Add a strong month for shares and BTC, and we’re looking at nearly a $150K increase 🤯.

To put that in perspective, it took me four years to go from $36K in HECS debt in 2011 to $164K in net worth by July 2015.

Four bloody years of hardcore saving and investing.

Now we’ve added the same amount in a single month, and I’m working far less than I was back then.

This is the power of investing. If there are any youngins out there paying attention, lock this in.

The first 5 to 7 years of your investing journey can feel like a slog. But eventually, compounding takes over, and it starts to feel like money is working harder than you ever could. If you’ve set things up properly, you’ll be making serious gains with far less effort.

I had to double-check the numbers this month. I knew it was looking good, but damn. I owe my younger self a beer for the life I’m living now. It’s all been built on the foundation he started 15 years ago.

Feeling extra blessed this month.

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*Expenses include everything we spend money on to maintain our lifestyle. We do not include paying down our PPoR loan as an expense, only the interest
*Investment income is simply 4% of our FIRE portfolio divided by 12

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Shares

The above graph was created by Sharesight

We didn’t buy any shares this month.

Networth