Update 2023 - After a small break of 12 months..

It is never the intention that the crap should hit the fan, even if one plans for exactly that when buffers and other financial safety nets are put in place. But the idea is that if it turns out that the crap hits the fan anyway, the insomnia at night should not depend on how the economy will turn out in the coming months.

In the past year, I have had the dubious pleasure of mildly stress testing one of my scenarios that the buffer was put in place to secure: long-term sick leave. And now it's starting to feel like my mojo is getting back enough to look back and evaluate how it went. I will report in detail below but as a sneak peak for those who are impatient: There were no problems. And yet the year has offered rather large whimsical purchases, a roof change and a new-to-us car. I feel very secure with my financial planning. Because I'm married.

In October of last year, I quickly fell ill after a longer period of deterioration in my body. I was on full-time sick leave and after the acute phase of the illness had calmed down, I was basically incapacitated and bedridden for quite a few weeks. That I could get sick was one of my more likely scenarios in the shit-meets-the-fan calculations because I have a chronic illness and this is about the third time in 10 years that I've gotten this bad. Now I was on sick leave for a total of 10 months. About half the time I worked 50% and then 75%. Now I am back full-time for some time now.

So.. did my calculations hold for buffer etc? Was it necessary to cut back on expenses to make ends meet?

Let's see.

This is what my calculation for long-term sick leave looked like once upon a time. I want to remember that the numbers are from 2020:

This is all in Swedish and SEK

What I saw then was that yes, it will be tight being on long-term sick leave, but it is manageable. I updated with new numbers for fun ahead of this 2023 update:

All in Swedish and SEK

And lo and behold, the calculation looks better even though the expenses are higher because the income has also increased. When I check the calculation against the truth during the sick leave, it matches surprisingly well. I have even been able to maintain some savings and invest every month.

And what does the status of the budget accounts look like then?

Yes, the goals I set once upon a time looked like this:

The goals that were set in 2020. They are very fuzzy now against -23...

With the exception of reaching an average annual savings rate of 50% from 2022, it is actually ticking all the boxes so far. Both my private buffer and our shared house/car/children buffer are at their target levels. I have been able to save and invest. If I look ahead, I see that I am not in line with reaching a capital of 1 million SEK at the end of next year, given the reduced income and thus the savings ratio. BUT! After all, I've actually reached about 60% of the million and it's damn good. Way to go, me!

Why is the economy so incredibly good, even though I've been on sick leave full-time and part-time for almost a year?

I think of 4 things spontaneously.

1. I am awesome.

2. I am married to a partner who works full time with good salary who can bear his share of expenses and more if needed.

3. I have a well-paid job (above average but below state tax) with an employer who is benevolent and prepared to adapt my duties to my health.

4. Also, I am awesome.