STRENGTHS
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WEAKNESSES
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OPPORTUNITIES
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THREATS
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I'm pretty sure my dad was still alive, for I ceased thinking about my work schedule as a Strength once I had my mother available to watch my children.
STRENGTHS
Being financially prudent is my biggest strength. I've the will to say "no" to avoid racking up debts, but I married someone who had plenty of hidden debt. It will be vanquished, one day... maybe in 2020. I don't pay interest on it, so I have a hard time justifying paying off debt when I can earn interest on the money I'm hoarding by carrying debt. I'm able to juggle new debt, thus enjoy the time I have with my family.
WEAKNESSES
One of the biggest weaknesses was my being behind in terms of saving towards retirement. I have only been full-time a few years while I have been equally unemployed.
When I left Target in 2005, I had roughly $1,300-1,700 in my 401(K) which I rolled into my 401(k) at the hospital. When I was laid-off a year later, I had roughly double in my 401(k) when sat idle until I rolled roughly $8K from my next job's 401(k) into once I was subsequently fired after 4 years leaving me with roughly $12K saved at the age of 32. I worked at the car wash nearly 4 years and rolled an additional $5K upon leaving for FedEx. The account has fluctuated and currently sits at $19K. My FedEx 401(k) was roughly the same as my rollover account at the beginning of 2019, but should be over $41K by the time I start new job. $60K is not much to have saved at 41, but it's something which can grow significantly in 20 years without my meddling.
Jenn can retire when she turns 56, so my working until who knows how long isn't hateful given she'll need insurance through me.
OPPORTUNITIES
I will be able to be a father and husband during the week. Once I get myself organized, I should be able to knock out all of my to-do lists around the house that I can DIY and assess what I need to have someone else do.
I paid off my student loans, so I have started paying more towards the mortgage. We have half a year of car payments, which could go towards another car or the mortgage. Jenn's student loans are about to expire, so that too will free up money towards mortgage.
THREATS
Being a homeowner, there's always something that can break. We'll need a new dryer, water heater, range, lawnmower, etc sooner or later, but as a whole everything seems fine if you don't consider we have nothing saved for our kids' higher education. Jenn and I both came from such situations, so the prospect of having nothing for our children is not daunting. My kids are all smart, and we will have more money freed up to help them not lean completely on student loans.
