-
Cash Flow In Retirement
I realized that I don't have a post on how I fund my expenses after retirement. So here is something to help you understand my cash flow. Most of the numbers shared here depend on my monthly expenses. So please keep the Rs. 50,000 per month expenses in your head while reading the post.
...continue reading -
Solar Panel Performance And Energy Savings
Alright, so I got my solar panels and solar management unit setup all done. Now for the results. According to the spec sheet of my solar panel, it should be able to generate peak output of 320 W. And it certainly did. In fact on some rare occasions it actually produced more than the rated capacity! I was really surprised that something can outperform a spec sheet. From the spec sheet, the panel is supposed to produce 320 W with an irradiance of 1000 W/m2 under standard test conditions (STC). Whatever that means.
...continue reading -
Market Euphoria And Relevant Trends
The number of new fund offers (NFO) in the recent past is giving me the jitters. Have you seen how many NFOs were offered? And investors are just lapping them up clean. And let us not even talk about the IPOs. I am not here to make predictions, but the market seems to be reaching euphoric phase. And you know what that means to the stock market once the excitement subsides.
...continue reading -
Optimal Tilt For Solar Panels
You might have noticed that in my DIY solar panel setup, the mounting structures were conspicuously missing. That was not a mistake. Actually I looked at many solar panel mounting structures, but most of them are not adjustable. The few ones I found were either too expensive or for smaller panels. So I decided to go find a local metal works fellow and get it built. However, thanks to COVID lockdown and such I decided to go with something simple -- jugaad style instead. More on that later. But first, why is the tilt so important?
...continue reading -
How Much To Invest To Accumulate 5 Crore By The Age Of 45
I read an interesting article where someone wanted to know how much they need to invest to accumulate Rs. 5 crores by the age of 45. It would be interesting to see how I would answer that question. I was also wondering if there are enough tools on my blog to be able to answer such questions.
...continue reading -
Wiring Solar Panels, Solar Management Unit and UPS
If you have been following my solar panel project story, you know what parts I needed to get started on the project. I ordered them from Amazon and they started arriving at my door step in due course. Once I had everything delivered, we carried the panel to the roof. I made some basic electrical measurements to make sure everything was in order. Next we ran the solar cables from the terrace to the ground floor. According to the manual, the wiring has to be done in a certain order. I will explain the connections in that order.
...continue reading -
Mid Year Portfolio Review
I don't normally do mid year portfolio review but this time I made a exception. There were a couple of reasons for this. First I made a mistake in the way I calculated my XIRR because of which my return numbers were skewed. Second, the markets have gone crazy and I thought I should share my portfolio when the going is good :).
...continue reading -
Three Years Into Early Retirement
It is now exactly three years into early retirement! I can't believe how time flies. I can now officially say that I have lived through retired life, although three years is still a short time. These years have been quite eventful to say the least. Stock market crash, a new virus that affects the whole world, lockdown for several months, raging bull market while in pandemic. I've seen things in a few years than I have never seen my whole life :).
...continue reading -
DIY Solar Panel Project - The Ingredients
As I mentioned in the previous post, I decided to go with a hybrid charge controller solution for my solar panel setup. What that basically means is that I will need to buy some solar panels and a hybrid charge controller, since I have a UPS and batteries. I will then have to connect them all together. I wanted to start with something simple, so I decided to just buy one solar panel. At the same time I was intending to build it in such a way that it can be extensible to 3 panels in the future. The goal has always been to have a 1 KW setup.
...continue reading -
Solar Panel Project - Do It Yourself
I was finally ready to install solar panels. After having made all the calculations, I arrived at the fact that I could get the return on investment in 5 years. But I had an even better idea. I decided do build it myself. What better way to learn about solar power except by doing it yourself! I always prefer to do things myself rather than letting some one else do the job for me. My work will be subpar at best, but it not only gives me a great opportunity to learn something new, but is also a lot of fun.
...continue reading
