Confession. I only check my investments once a month on the very last day of the month. I keep better track of my checking/savings accounts, but my accounts with Vanguard and USAA only see me log on once per month. I never really know how the stock market has been doing until the last day of the month because I don't really keep track of the stock market either. Does that make me a bad PFer? Who knows...
By tracking my net worth on the last day of the month, I hope to keep the numbers more consistent based on the usual fluctuations of paying bills and stuff like that. And here's February!
Liquid Assets
Cash (checking, MMA, W2S): $39,293.14
GNMA: $15,401.97
Total Bond Index: $15,518.61
Total Stock Index: $28,547.92
Total Liquid: $98,761.64
Percent Change (from last month): 2.10%
Retirement Assets
Roth IRA (Target 2045): $6,438.05
403(b) (S&P 500 Index): $19,855.89
Total Retirement: $26,293.94
Percent Change (from last month): 4.98%
Total Networth: $125,055.58
Percent Change (from last month): 2.70%
How often do you check your investments? Daily? Monthly? Never? Somewhere in between?
And I think my goal for 2011 is a net worth of $175,000. It's a bit out of reach, but if the stock market keeps doing well...
Today I'm grateful for: Monday. Everyone else might hate them, but it's my day off.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Jewish Wisdom
“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” -Rabbi Hillel
Just a little reminder for today... in my haze of busy weeks and weekends, starting a new relationship (still cautiously optimistic), needing more sleep and more time for self-care than I have been getting, I must support myself, others and get a move on figuring out what's next. I know I can do it.
Shabbat Shalom.
Today I am grateful for: a great time in Dallas
Just a little reminder for today... in my haze of busy weeks and weekends, starting a new relationship (still cautiously optimistic), needing more sleep and more time for self-care than I have been getting, I must support myself, others and get a move on figuring out what's next. I know I can do it.
Shabbat Shalom.
Today I am grateful for: a great time in Dallas
Friday, February 18, 2011
Updates
(1) Thanks for your thoughts about giving money. An acquaintance send me an email asking for money for a run she's doing for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, so I donated $50 to her. $200 just seemed like too much to donate to someone I'm not particularly close with. I think I'm going to donate the additional $150 for January/February to Invisible Children. Then I'll worry about March when we get there. If you have any favorite charities, I'd love to hear about them.
(2) The boy I recently started dating surprised me with cupcakes for Valentine's Day. How cute, right? Way more thoughtful than flowers because I have such a sweet tooth. He's totally a keeper. We have the same sense of humor, gchat all day long and he is just so attentive. A total nice guy. And 2011 is my year for love, so...
(3) I'm leaving shortly for Dallas, Texas for the long weekend. I've never been and am superexcited. Everything is bigger there, right?
(4) I haven't joined Lending Club, yet. I will! I've just been a tad lazy. I also have to check to see if I can get $150 in free money instead of just the $50. Thanks Lost Goat who sent me a referral for $100! I've put a lot of thought into this, I just have to pull the trigger.
(5) Oh, and can someone motivate me to update my resume? I hate doing it, but I know I need to!
Today I'm grateful for: opportunities to travel new places
(2) The boy I recently started dating surprised me with cupcakes for Valentine's Day. How cute, right? Way more thoughtful than flowers because I have such a sweet tooth. He's totally a keeper. We have the same sense of humor, gchat all day long and he is just so attentive. A total nice guy. And 2011 is my year for love, so...
(3) I'm leaving shortly for Dallas, Texas for the long weekend. I've never been and am superexcited. Everything is bigger there, right?
(4) I haven't joined Lending Club, yet. I will! I've just been a tad lazy. I also have to check to see if I can get $150 in free money instead of just the $50. Thanks Lost Goat who sent me a referral for $100! I've put a lot of thought into this, I just have to pull the trigger.
(5) Oh, and can someone motivate me to update my resume? I hate doing it, but I know I need to!
Today I'm grateful for: opportunities to travel new places
Friday, February 11, 2011
Lending Clubbin'
So I put the word out on twitter and on the blog that I'm looking into peer to peer lending and boy did you guys deliver! And thanks to the power of social media, someone from Lending Club contacted me and offered me $50 to get started. Choice made. Lending Club it is. I think I'll start with their money and add $25-$50 of my own.
I also got some great advice about how to select borrower with less of a chance of defaulting. Yes, I'm fairly risk averse, but I'm also open to trying new things. I want to be a success story!
Here is the criteria I'm planning on using:
(1) Zero inquiries into their credit in the last 6 months
(2) Loan size is less than $20,000, the lower the better
(3) Employment greater than 4 years
(4) Approximately 5 open lines of credit
(5) Less than 70% credit utilization rate
(6) 3 year term
(7) Clear loan description with accurate spelling and grammar
Does that sound like good criteria? Would you add or change anything? Any other advice before I get started? I'm hoping to get started and sign up and everything this weekend. Expect some updates!
Today I'm grateful for: such a supportive and nurturing work environment. They know I'm leaving and I know how much they'll miss me.
I also got some great advice about how to select borrower with less of a chance of defaulting. Yes, I'm fairly risk averse, but I'm also open to trying new things. I want to be a success story!
Here is the criteria I'm planning on using:
(1) Zero inquiries into their credit in the last 6 months
(2) Loan size is less than $20,000, the lower the better
(3) Employment greater than 4 years
(4) Approximately 5 open lines of credit
(5) Less than 70% credit utilization rate
(6) 3 year term
(7) Clear loan description with accurate spelling and grammar
Does that sound like good criteria? Would you add or change anything? Any other advice before I get started? I'm hoping to get started and sign up and everything this weekend. Expect some updates!
Today I'm grateful for: such a supportive and nurturing work environment. They know I'm leaving and I know how much they'll miss me.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Peer to Peer Lending
I was intrigued by a few recent posts on peer to peer lending. Basically, this just means using a service like Prosper or Lending Club to facilitate lending money to ordinary people at a higher rate of return (an average of 10%). Certainly this rate for return comes with a higher level of risk, but it's another way to diversify my portfolio. I would never invest the entirety of my portfolio this way and even if (when?) I do this, I will spread my investment across multiple lenders to lessen the risk.
My feeling is that I'm so on auto-pilot with my finances that this is a new way to shake things up and maybe learn something new. I won't invest more than I'm willing to lose and it looks like I won't see any interest for 3-5 years. Right now I'm in the information collecting stage, so I'm wondering about your thoughts.
I have concerns about people defaulting and losing money. I also don't know what criteria to use to choose the people to lend the money to. Do any of you have experience with peer to peer lending sites? What is your opinion about them?
Today I'm grateful for: brunch date #2.
My feeling is that I'm so on auto-pilot with my finances that this is a new way to shake things up and maybe learn something new. I won't invest more than I'm willing to lose and it looks like I won't see any interest for 3-5 years. Right now I'm in the information collecting stage, so I'm wondering about your thoughts.
I have concerns about people defaulting and losing money. I also don't know what criteria to use to choose the people to lend the money to. Do any of you have experience with peer to peer lending sites? What is your opinion about them?
Today I'm grateful for: brunch date #2.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday Morning Inspiration: Leslie of 27 and Frugal
I'm bringing back my periodic Monday Morning Inspiration series. This Monday we'll get our inspiration from Leslie of 27 and Frugal, a blogger who inspires me with her recipes, her taste in movies and the fact that her situation is a lot like mine.
What inspired you to start your blog?
Trent from The Simple Dollar wrote an article about fun ways to save money. As much as I enjoy reading Trent, his suggestions were not all that fun and made me realize that many frugal writers are married or married with kids. Many money-saving suggestions do not involve going to happy hours, finding free cover discounts, or other activities that an average single 20-something would want to do. I decided to write to fill this niche.
What inspires you on your financial journey?
My family has provided me many lessons on what not to do but nothing inspires me more than my friends who openly discuss their finances and give great financial advice when asked. My friends who already own houses, especially, inspire me that financial stability is possible at any age.
What is a challenge you've overcame?
Growing up in a working-class environment and having to learn personal finance on my own, was one of my earliest and greatest challenges thus far. Being thrown in the deep-end gave me all the motivation I needed to learn how to budget. Being forced to learn everything on my own was a lesson I could not have learned any other way.
What is something you are working towards?
Paying off my student loan, saving money to practice my passions and hopefully buying a house someday.
Name one of each ... that inspires you:
Book: Travels by Crichton
Song: Let It Be by Superhic[k]
Place: My running trail
Blog: The Simple Dollar
Person: Am I allowed to say myself? Thinking back on all the challenges I have overcame makes me realize that I can do anything I am faced with.
Movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
What are you grateful for today?
My health
If you have any interest in being my Monday Morning Inspiration, shoot me an email and we can see if you'd be a good fit.
Today I'm grateful for: Leslie's inspiration
What inspired you to start your blog?
Trent from The Simple Dollar wrote an article about fun ways to save money. As much as I enjoy reading Trent, his suggestions were not all that fun and made me realize that many frugal writers are married or married with kids. Many money-saving suggestions do not involve going to happy hours, finding free cover discounts, or other activities that an average single 20-something would want to do. I decided to write to fill this niche.
What inspires you on your financial journey?
My family has provided me many lessons on what not to do but nothing inspires me more than my friends who openly discuss their finances and give great financial advice when asked. My friends who already own houses, especially, inspire me that financial stability is possible at any age.
What is a challenge you've overcame?
Growing up in a working-class environment and having to learn personal finance on my own, was one of my earliest and greatest challenges thus far. Being thrown in the deep-end gave me all the motivation I needed to learn how to budget. Being forced to learn everything on my own was a lesson I could not have learned any other way.
What is something you are working towards?
Paying off my student loan, saving money to practice my passions and hopefully buying a house someday.
Name one of each ... that inspires you:
Book: Travels by Crichton
Song: Let It Be by Superhic[k]
Place: My running trail
Blog: The Simple Dollar
Person: Am I allowed to say myself? Thinking back on all the challenges I have overcame makes me realize that I can do anything I am faced with.
Movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
What are you grateful for today?
My health
If you have any interest in being my Monday Morning Inspiration, shoot me an email and we can see if you'd be a good fit.
Today I'm grateful for: Leslie's inspiration
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Charity
I dropped the ball in January. I made it a goal to donate $100 a month to charity and it was an epic fail last month. I'm going to do better this month and donate $200 to make up for that silly $100 last month that I skipped. I think the reason why I didn't donate is that I was just confused and overwhelmed. There are so many wonderful organizations doing so many wonderful things, I just don't know which to choose. In the past I've donated to:
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America because my dad has Crohn's disease and I love him.
Friends of the Israeli Defense Force in honor of friends who have served in the IDF
Invisible Children because I've learned a lot about the cause and think it is worthwhile
Union for Reform Judaism Disaster Relief because I'm a proud Reform Jew and like the idea of money for charity coming from a Jewish source
Friends doing a variety of different runs, walks, trips, etc.
I don't know if I should give to one of these causes, choose a different cause, wait for someone to ask me for money... I'm still feeling overwhelmed! Do I donate to a local organization in my community? One that serves a global market? One that helps poor people? One that strives to make the world a greener place? One that has a Jewish background? Do I choose a different charity each month or select a single charity for the year?
Where do you donate? How did you decide?
Today I'm grateful for: homemade challah (2.0)
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America because my dad has Crohn's disease and I love him.
Friends of the Israeli Defense Force in honor of friends who have served in the IDF
Invisible Children because I've learned a lot about the cause and think it is worthwhile
Union for Reform Judaism Disaster Relief because I'm a proud Reform Jew and like the idea of money for charity coming from a Jewish source
Friends doing a variety of different runs, walks, trips, etc.
I don't know if I should give to one of these causes, choose a different cause, wait for someone to ask me for money... I'm still feeling overwhelmed! Do I donate to a local organization in my community? One that serves a global market? One that helps poor people? One that strives to make the world a greener place? One that has a Jewish background? Do I choose a different charity each month or select a single charity for the year?
Where do you donate? How did you decide?
Today I'm grateful for: homemade challah (2.0)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
2010 in Review (yes, a little late)
I'm tardy to the party for reviewing 2010. In my defense, I was waiting to get all of my final numbers in for December before I posted anything. It was a good year, finance-wise. Here are the highlights:
* I met my goal of earning an extra $3,000-$5,000--earning $3,742.85, plus another $5,600.00 in gifts (most of it was the $4,000 that my parents reimbursed me for classes).
* I broke the $100,000 barrier for my net worth.
* I earned an average of $3,447.15 a month, spent an average of $2,446.60 a month, and saved an average of $1,000.55 a month.
* My monthly wages averaged $2,557.22 and I earned an average of $311.90 extra a month through babysitting, blogging, rebates, and a plethora of other things.
* I saved $12,006.58 of my wages. My net worth increased by more than that due to retirement contributions (mine and my company's match) which I don't count in my wages and interest/dividends, which I also don't count in my wages.
SNAPSHOT
Total Income: $41,365.76
Total Expenses: $29,359.18
NET (Income - Expenses): $12,006.58
INCOME
Wages: $30,686.59
Medical Reimbursement: $1,336.32
Gifts Received: $5,600.00
Rebates/Sold items/Blog: $1,546.12
Babysitting/Catering/RS: $2,196.73
Yearly Total: $41,365.76
EXPENSES
HOME
Rent: $10,500.00
Renters Insurance: $224.00
Electricity: $283.72
Cell: $1,215.46
Cable/Internet: $1,286.32
Cleaning/Maintenance: $431.02
TRANSPORTATION
Car Insurance: $943.90
Gas: $686.21
Bus/Taxi/Metro/Toll Fare: $205.00 (I think this is a little off)
Maintenance/Upkeep/Tax: $491.09
DAILY LIVING
Grocery Store $1,022.20
Drug Store $248.89
Dining/Eating Out $1,465.95 $122.16
Dry Cleaning $25.00
Clothing $3,054.49
Ann Taylor/Loft $66.68
HEALTH Rx/OTC: $303.96
Co-pays: $414.00
Gym/Exercise Class: $958.30
ENTERTAINMENT
Newspaper/Subscriptions: $131.94
Netflix: $113.08
Movies/Music: $57.33
Concerts/Shows/Covers: $69.00
Gifts: $385.90
Vacation/Travel: $894.01
Salon/Beauty Supplies: $395.48
Education/Lessons: $2,860.00
Books/Magazines/Electronics: $97.23
MISCELLANEOUS
Cash: $316.00 (this is also probably low)
Uncatagorized: $45.12
Taxes: $167.90
Donations: $100.00 (I'm going to do better this year.)
Total Spent $29,359.18
Total Saved $12,006.58
Today I'm grateful for: success in my finances in 2010... and success in love in 2011.
* I met my goal of earning an extra $3,000-$5,000--earning $3,742.85, plus another $5,600.00 in gifts (most of it was the $4,000 that my parents reimbursed me for classes).
* I broke the $100,000 barrier for my net worth.
* I earned an average of $3,447.15 a month, spent an average of $2,446.60 a month, and saved an average of $1,000.55 a month.
* My monthly wages averaged $2,557.22 and I earned an average of $311.90 extra a month through babysitting, blogging, rebates, and a plethora of other things.
* I saved $12,006.58 of my wages. My net worth increased by more than that due to retirement contributions (mine and my company's match) which I don't count in my wages and interest/dividends, which I also don't count in my wages.
SNAPSHOT
Total Income: $41,365.76
Total Expenses: $29,359.18
NET (Income - Expenses): $12,006.58
INCOME
Wages: $30,686.59
Medical Reimbursement: $1,336.32
Gifts Received: $5,600.00
Rebates/Sold items/Blog: $1,546.12
Babysitting/Catering/RS: $2,196.73
Yearly Total: $41,365.76
EXPENSES
HOME
Rent: $10,500.00
Renters Insurance: $224.00
Electricity: $283.72
Cell: $1,215.46
Cable/Internet: $1,286.32
Cleaning/Maintenance: $431.02
TRANSPORTATION
Car Insurance: $943.90
Gas: $686.21
Bus/Taxi/Metro/Toll Fare: $205.00 (I think this is a little off)
Maintenance/Upkeep/Tax: $491.09
DAILY LIVING
Grocery Store $1,022.20
Drug Store $248.89
Dining/Eating Out $1,465.95 $122.16
Dry Cleaning $25.00
Clothing $3,054.49
Ann Taylor/Loft $66.68
HEALTH Rx/OTC: $303.96
Co-pays: $414.00
Gym/Exercise Class: $958.30
ENTERTAINMENT
Newspaper/Subscriptions: $131.94
Netflix: $113.08
Movies/Music: $57.33
Concerts/Shows/Covers: $69.00
Gifts: $385.90
Vacation/Travel: $894.01
Salon/Beauty Supplies: $395.48
Education/Lessons: $2,860.00
Books/Magazines/Electronics: $97.23
MISCELLANEOUS
Cash: $316.00 (this is also probably low)
Uncatagorized: $45.12
Taxes: $167.90
Donations: $100.00 (I'm going to do better this year.)
Total Spent $29,359.18
Total Saved $12,006.58
Today I'm grateful for: success in my finances in 2010... and success in love in 2011.
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