1MansMoney

Insurance

2012-01-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

My wife did a great job getting insurance quotes from various companies and ended up saving us $1,113/year by switching from Farmers to Allstate. Here are the details:

$768 Farmer Auto
$664 Allstate Auto
$104 Savings

$1806 Farmer Home
$1043 Allstate Home
$763 Savings

$402 Farmer 20-Year Term
$284 Allstate 20-Year Term
$118 Savings

$528 Farmer 20-Year Term
$400 Allstate 20-Year Term
$128 Savings

Total savings per year: $1,113 - NICE WORK!!

2012 Financial Goals

2012-01-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

We were very happy with how we did on our 2011 financial goals. While it's unlikely the economy is going to dramatically improve anytime soon, that’s no reason not to shoot for the stars:) Here are our 2012 financial goals.

1) Increase net worth to $ 173,200
We are beginning 2012 with a great head start on our net worth goal, having passed our 2011 goal by $26,721.70. Based on my calculations, we should be able to reach our 2012 goal by September 2012.

2) Furnish our new home
We are moving from a 2 bed / 2 bath condo to a 5 bed / 3 bath house. As you can imagine, we are a bit short on furniture. Our wish list of items totals $25,000. Thanks to the $14,995 sale of our recreational 4x4, we can afford a good chuck of that wish list, however, there is another $10,000 worth of furnishings that we would like to get. I’m not sure we’ll be able to buy it all the first year, but we’ll give it a try.

3) Rebuild savings account balance to $15,000
We plan to use most of our $107,722.13 in savings ($52,696.37 + $51,000 pulled from retirement accounts) in savings for our down payment and to furnish our new home. So, we have set a goal of rebuilding our savings account balance to $15,000 by the end of the year. This will include emergency fund money and private adoption money.

4) Contribute $24,000 to retirement accounts
After cutting our retirement account balance in half for our home down payment, we intend to work hard to rebuild our retirement savings. We have averaged ~$15,000/year in contributions over the past 5 years. For 2012, our goal will be to contribute $24,000 to our retirement accounts. $18,569 of the $24,000 will be automatically deposited into our 401(k) accounts. The remaining $5,431 will be deposited into our Roth IRAs as we have the extra cash.

5) Increase son's 529 Plan to $6,000
We opened our baby boy’s 529 Plan with $3,000 in October 2011 and ended the year with $3,158.24 in the account. We hope to increase the balance, through contributions and market performance, to $6,000 by the end of 2012.

Review of 2011 Financial Goals:

2012-01-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

Below are the 5 goals that we set for ourselves 12 months ago and the results of our efforts to achieve them. Reaching 4 of our 5 goals in this economy feels great. The game changer for us in 2011 was my wife’s new job. She already had a good paying job, but was recruited away in April and given a $20,000 higher annual salary and an opportunity to make larger bonuses each quarter. I am so proud of the success she has enjoyed in her career and feel that her new position was pivotal in reaching our goals this year. I’ll be posting our 2012 goals shortly.

1) Increase net worth to $138,100 SUCCESS
Thanks to a good head start on our 2011 net worth goal (we passed our 2010 goal by $9,600.07), this was relatively easy. In fact, we passed our 2011 net worth goal in April and by July our net worth was over $150,000. Shortly after, however, the stock market began to fluctuate wildly and our net worth took a dive, but we still finished the year with a net worth of $164,821.70, $26,721.70 over our goal of $138,100.

2) Increase savings account balance to $20,000 SUCCESS
We started 2011 with $9,215.82 in savings, but we pulled $3,000 out to pay off our student loan and another $3,000 out to open a 529 Plan for my son. That being said, we still CRUSHED this goal, ending the year with $107,722.13 in savings ($52,696.37 + $51,000 pulled from retirement accounts). The biggest boost to our savings came from selling our recreational 4x4 for $14,995. While it was nice to hit this goal, we will be depleting most of our savings account in the next 30 days to fund our 20% home down payment and to purchase furniture.

3) $100,000 total balance in retirement accounts FAIL
In July 2011, we had over $95,000 in our retirement accounts and it looked like we would surely reach this goal by the end of the year. However, with the market correction, our balance dropped to ~$92,000 by the early December 2011. It was at this time that we raided our retirement accounts ($21,000 loan from 401k and $30,000 withdrawal from Roth IRAs) to help fund our 20% ($97,800) home down payment. So, we ended 2011 with retirement account balances totaling $41,944.70. We contributed $14,280.72 total to our retirement accounts in 2011.

4) Decrease debt by $1,000 SUCCESS
We started 2011 with only $3,041.81 in student loan debt. I’m happy to report that we ended the year with no debt ($0.00)! It is such a great feeling to finally be completely DEBT FREE.

5) Start a family SUCCESS
Accomplishing this goal was the biggest blessing of all. After dealing with some fertility issues, my wife and I were shocked to find out that she was pregnant. In September, after a challenging labor, our healthy baby boy was born and we couldn’t be more happy.

December 2011 Income Statement

2011-12-30T09:36:00.001-08:00

December was a big expense month and our largest income month EVER (click on spreadsheet below).

Our total income for December was $25,449.19, by far the best that we have ever had. Most of the money came from selling our recreational 4x4 for $14,995. Even if you subtract out the vehicle sale, we’re still at $10,454.19. With the birth of our baby and our home purchase, I changed my filing status from M1 to M3. As a result, my take home pay increased $59.51 per check. In addition to my two regular paychecks, my wife received $4,683.14 in Paid Family Leave (had a baby via C-section). We also received $131.13 from her PTO payout, $1,638 from selling items on craigslist, $220 in cash for our son’s 529 Plan, and $75 in credit card rewards. We earned $25.76 in interest income from our online savings account.

We spent a total of $7,394.91 in December. Some of the larger expenditures include $210 co-pay cord blood banking, $950 security camera system, $400 for home appraisal and $300 for a home inspection.

January is going to be a busy month as we prepare to move from our rental unit to our new home. There should be a huge spike in our expenses and we fill the home with furniture. In terms of income, January should be a pretty normal month as my wife goes back to work. With my wife heading back to work in January, we will be paying a nanny $900 a month to care for our baby.

Poaching Retirement Accounts For Down Payment

2011-12-29T16:04:00.000-08:00

We are currently in escrow on a beautiful 5 bed/3 bath home that should fit our needs for many, many years to come. To keep our monthly mortgage payment low and to avoid PMI, we have elected to raid our retirement accounts for some of the down payment. I know, I know, hear me out..

The 2 bedroom condo that we are renting is $1,550/month and, with our growing family, it is a tight squeeze. After finding our dream home, we quickly realized that the ~$47,000 in our savings was not enough for a 20% down payment. The home was $489,000, so 20% down is $97,800, meaning that we needed to come up with another $51,000.

We poached $51,000 from our almost $100,000 in retirement savings. $30,000 came from Roth IRA contributions and $21,000 was borrowed from my 401(k). You can withdraw Roth IRA contributions at any time without penalty or taxes. The 401(k) loan has a 5 year payment schedule at $179.44/check. If I were to leave my company for any reason before the loan is paid back, the balance would be due, or I would have to pay a 10% penalty and income tax on the money.

If the deal goes through, our interest rate will be 3.75%, resulting in a monthly mortgage payment of $1,811 on a mortgage of $391,200. Add $600/month for tax and insurance and we are up to $2,411/month. This is a very comfortable number for us, especially when you consider the tax benefits of owning a home.

Our gross annual income is $150,460, not including my wife’s quarterly bonuses. Using the rule of thumb to spend no more than 35% of our gross income on housing, we can “afford” $4,388/month. Frankly, we had no intentions of spending anywhere close to that. We simply want a nice home with payments that we can still afford if one of us lost our job.

December 2011 Net Worth Update (+$8,349.58)

2011-12-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

December was an exciting month for us. We have been renting a condo for 2+ years and have been looking for a home as we saved money. After a lot of searching and savings, we found a beautiful 5 bed/3 bath with a pool in a great part of town. Our offer of $489,000, with 3% back towards closing costs, was accepted and escrow is scheduled to close 1/23. Anyways, on to our net worth. We had another great net worth increase of $8,349.58 from last month, to a total of $164,821.70 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
We sold Car 3, our recreational 4x4, for $14,995 in order to provide an influx of cash to furnish our new home. For now this is going into savings, but it will start to flow out of savings once we move in to the new place in January. We were able to deposit $17,095 into savings, plus an addition to $51,000 from our retirement accounts for the down payment.

What Didn’t Work
We contributed a total of $893.96 our retirement accounts, but they decreased $49,649.99 because we raided our retirement accounts for $51,000 to help fund our 20% down payment ($97,800) on our new home.

Next Month
January will be a huge month for us. We’re scheduled to move into our new home and will be spending copious amounts of money to furnish and decorate it. My wife also goes back to work on January 2, so we will begin paying a nanny $225/week to care for our baby boy.

I will be posting a review of our 2011 Financial Goals in a few days.

Net Worth Milestone - $160,000

2011-12-22T14:43:00.000-08:00

Today we passed the $160,000 net worth milestone! Our net worth is currently $163,973.37.

With the market ups and downs, it took us longer than expected to reach this milestone. We passed our last milestone of $140K in July and thought that we would hit $160K in October. That being said, we’re still way ahead of our $138,100 net worth goal for 2011. Based on my forecasts, we should hit the next net worth milestone of $170K by March or April.

I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

November 2011 Income Statement

2011-12-02T08:42:00.001-08:00

November was a reasonable expense month and very, very good income month (click on spreadsheet below).

Our total income for November was $12,479.03; our 3rd highest income month since we began tracking our finances in 2007. I received my two regular paychecks and a 3rd “extra” paycheck. My wife received one regular paycheck and $2,404.85 from SDI (just had a baby via C-section). We also received a $50 gift from my parents (deposited to our baby’s 529 Plan), $71.38 in credit card rewards, $75 insurance reimbursement, $20 from a craigslist sale, $18.04 from a credit card settlement, and earned $28.23 in interest income from our online savings account.

We spent a total of $6,831.93 in December, not too bad considering that we earned nearly double that. Some of the larger expenditures include a(nother) $500 co-pay from the hospital for our baby’s delivery and $300.51 in gifts.

December should a decent income month as my wife shifts from SDI to PFL and my filing status is being changed from M1 to M3 to increase my paychecks. Since we completed most of our Christmas shopping done in November, our expenses in December should be very reasonable.

November 2011 Net Worth Update (+$8,068.61)

2011-12-01T09:25:00.001-08:00

With the ups and downs of the market, it was tough to tell where November would land. Thankfully, it landed up and our net worth increased $8,068.61 from last month, to a total of $156,472.12 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
The biggest impact to our net worth this month was a $3,425 gross ($2,701.37 net) bonus that my wife earned. On top of that, this was an “extra” check month for me. So, we were able to deposit $4,891.17 into savings.

What Didn’t Work
We also contributed a total of $1,834.88 to our retirement accounts. but they only increased $1,633.64.

Next Month
December may be a tricky month as my wife switches from SDI (not taxed) to PFL (taxed). That being said, I am changing my filing status from M1 to M3, which should help our cash flow. It is also obviously the end of the year, so I'll be reviewing our 2011 goals and posting our goals for 2012.

October 2011 Income Statement

2011-11-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

October was a reasonable expense month and an above average income month (click on spreadsheet below).

Our total income for October was $8,252.44. In addition to our regular paychecks, we received $1,050 for our new baby. We also sold some items on craigslist for $30, a $50 Chase credit card cash back reward, and earned $26.40 in interest income from our online savings account.

We spent a total of $7,346.87 in October. We actually spent close to budget, if you subtract out $1,845 for cord blood banking and a final $400 payment to our doula. After deducting these one-time expenses, our total expenses were only $5,101.87. This makes me feel a little better about keeping our regular expenses down in October.

November should be another good income month since I receive a 3rd “extra” paycheck. We’ll try to get most of our Christmas shopping done in November, which will inflate our expenses somewhat, but no other large expenses are planned in November.

October 2011 Net Worth Update (+$9,000.12)

2011-10-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

I’m posting this a few days early because I will be away on business. After a $6K+ drop in our net worth last month, I was happy to see it recover nicely this month. Our net worth increased $9,000.12 from last month, to a total of $148,403.51 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
My wife’s 10% 401(k) contributions began this month. We contributed a total of $1,428.38 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase a massive $8,477.30. We also opened a Vanguard 529 Plan for our baby, funding it with $3,000 from our savings.

What Didn’t Work
Our savings balance dropped, but only to fund our son’s new 529 Plan.

Next Month
November looks to be shaping up as another strong month. I receive a 3rd “extra” paycheck that we should be able to bank 100% of.

Upromise.com

2011-10-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

My wife and I spent a few minutes this morning registering our credit cards, debit card, and grocery story loyalty cards with Upromise.com. Upromise.com allows us to earn cash back on these cards to use towards our baby boy's education expenses. Upromise works with companies to provide this benefit (FREE cash) to parents at no cost. If you have kids, check it out!

September 2011 Income Statement

2011-10-03T10:38:00.001-07:00

The excitement of our first child’s birth in September overshadowed our pretty normal income and expense month (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our regular paychecks, my wife received a $25 reimbursement from her company for internet. We also sold some items on craigslist for $25 and earned $26.82 in interest income from our online savings account.

We ended up spending a total of $5,819.22 in September, including $500 for an insurance co-pay for the hospital and $156.69 for a tux rental. The $1,850 cord blood banking bill and $400 balance due to the doula were not paid this month, but will be paid in October.

I’m not sure what to expect in October. Our net income from my wife’s company will drop because her 10% 401(k) contribution begins in October; at same time we are adding our baby to her insurance, increasing the cost from $75/month to $325/month. My wife will be taking 1 week PTO and then 4 weeks short term disability (full pay). After that, she will need to take 1 week unpaid and then begin Paid Family Leave (55% of your highest gross quarter).

September 2011 Net Worth Update (-$6,074.95)

2011-10-01T11:26:00.001-07:00

It’s a BOY!!! Our son was born at the end of September, making this our best month EVER. Being new parents is a lot of work, but there is nothing that comes close to the amazing feeling. We the excitement of our new baby, I haven’t had a second thought about our net worth getting pummeled again this month. Our net worth decreased $6,074.95 from last month, to a total of $139,403.39 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
Our beautiful baby boy was born!

What Didn’t Work
We contributed $1,013.00 to our retirement accounts, but saw them decrease $7,716.19 to $81,483.75.

Next Month
Going forward, my wife’s net income will be reduced because of her new 401(k) contribution and we will be adding our baby to her insurance. We have elected to begin contributing 10% of my wife’s pay to her 401(k) plan during her first open enrollment in October (the company matches 6% with a 3 year vesting period). We will also be adding the baby to my wife’s insurance, increasing the cost from $75/month to $325/month.

August 2011 Income Statement

2011-09-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

August was another very good net income month (3rd in a row over $9K), but also a wild and crazy spending month (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our regular paychecks, my wife earned a Q2 2011 bonus $1,006.83 gross ($937.87 net)! These funds will go into savings for now, but are earmarked for a 529 plan for our son. She also received a $25 reimbursement from her company for internet. We earned $170 in credit card cash back rewards and sold a portable A/C unit for $175. My wife scored us a $50 target gift card for giving blood. We also earned $25.09 in interest income from our online savings account.

We gave in to some serious communism this month - $9,022.40 worth to be exact. Some of the bigger ticket items include a $2,715.30 watch for my wife (retails for $4,200), a $532.50 gun for me, a $250 shooting range membership for me, $147.72 for a friend’s wedding shower, $106.46 for a new safe, and much, much more. Hopefully, we got it out of our systems.

September will announce the arrival of our baby boy - we are so excited. With the birth comes a few costs: $400 balance due to doula and $1,850 for cord blood banking. We also need to add the baby to my wife’s insurance so that will increase from $75/month to $325/month. Once the baby is born, my wife will take 3 months off of work using a combination of PTO, short term disability (full pay), Paid Family Leave (55% of your highest gross quarter). As a result, our income will be a bit less until December.

August 2011 Net Worth Update (-$5,075.62)

2011-09-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

A market correction was bound to happen :). As a result, our net worth decreased $5,075.62 from last month, to a total of $145,478.34 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
With the huge drop in the stock market, everything went on “sale”. William Bernstein, author of The Four Pillars of Investing, has said that young savers should be praying for a bear market so they can accumulate shares cheaply before they retire. So, we contributed $1,513.00 to our retirement accounts, but saw them decrease $6,500.62 to $89,199.94. We were blessed with my wife earning a Q2 2011 bonus of $1,006.83 gross ($937.87 net).

What Didn’t Work
Our retirement accounts were down $15,000+ earlier in the month, but rebounded considerably, cutting out paper loss in half. Our spending was completely out of control this month. I will provide details in my income statement post in a couple of days.

Next Month
September it is going to be a great month because our first baby will be born. We have a couple of large bills in September: $1,845 for cord blood banking and $400 for balance due to doula. We will also be adding the baby to my wife’s insurance increasing the cost from $75/month to $325/month. Depending on the timing of the baby’s birth, my wife and I are also scheduled to be in our friend’s wedding, which will be roughly $200 for tux (my wife already bought a dress). With these bills hitting next month, we do not plan to save anything beyond my 401k contribution in September.

Bonus Time Baby

2011-08-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

My wife received her Q2 bonus (first bonus) at her new company! He earned a $1,006.83 bonus (gross). We plan to deposit this money into savings until our son is born and then it will be seed money for his 529 Plan. Go wifey!

July 2011 Income Statement

2011-08-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

We had another very good income month in July ($9,800.70 total), however, we also had a higher than average expense month ($6,975.51 total) (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our regular paychecks, my wife received a third “extra” check in July and a $25 reimbursement from her company for internet. We earned $25.00 in credit card cash back rewards. We also earned $23.04 in interest income from our online savings account.

Our expenses lower than June, but still high, totaling $6,975.51. This included a number of large bills: $400 for a 50% payment to our doula, $327 for a traffic ticket, $320 for 20 prepaid chiropractor visits, $233.50 for life insurance, $213.48 for clothing, and $185 for new brakes.

August should be a pretty standard income month, but may be an above average expense month because we have purchases for the baby, including possibly $1,800 after discount cord blood bank.

July 2011 Net Worth Update (+$3,714.78)

2011-07-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

We were blessed with another net worth increase this month. In July, our net worth increased $3,714.78 from June, to a total of $150,553.96 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
We passed the net worth milestone of $150,000 this month! We contributed $1,213.00 to our retirement accounts in July and saw them increase $1,841.10 to $95,700.56. We also continue to increase our savings account balance for a house down payment and private adoption. Of the $31,047.79 we have in savings, $23,425.66 is earmarked for a down payment and $7,622.13 for adoption. We still have a long way to go to reach our savings goal for both.

What Didn’t Work
N/A :)

Next Month
August is our last full month to prepare for the arrival of our first baby. As a result, we will need to purchase any necessary items that we didn’t receive at the baby showers. As a result, we will be contributing less money next month to retirement and savings.

Net Worth Milestone - $150,000

2011-07-07T15:29:00.001-07:00

Today we passed the $150,000 net worth milestone!

We passed our last milestone of $140K, in May. As you probably have noticed, our networth milestones are in $10,000 increments. Since January, we have passed a networth milestone 4 out of 7 months. Way ahead of our expectations. Based on my forecasts, we should hit the next net worth milestone of $160K by October.

I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

June 2011 Income Statement

2011-07-05T10:39:00.001-07:00

We had our best income month ever in June ($14,358.74 total), but ended up spending a good deal too (click on spreadsheet below).

We were shocked to receive a $4,470 class action settlement from my wife’s old company at the end of June. This was a windfall was a total blessing. In addition to our regular paychecks, I received a third “extra” check in June and my wife received a $25 reimbursement from her company for internet. We earned $125 in credit card & hotel rewards and made $90 selling items on craigslist. We also earned $21.11 in interest income from our savings.

Our expenses were high in June, totaling $8,633.86. This included: $1,464.90 for auto insurance (Cars 2 & 3), $376.82 for rental insurance, $447.59 for Cobra insurance, and of course, more baby items.

July will be another great income month (>$10K) thanks to a third “extra” paycheck that my wife will receive. It could also be a pretty reasonable expense month even though we have a few good size bills to pay: $233 for 6 months of life insurance premiums (Husband & Wife), $400 for a 50% prepayment to our doula, and a $327 traffic ticket.

June 2011 Net Worth Update (+$4,791.04)

2011-06-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

We were blessed with another net worth increase this month. Our net worth increased $4,791.04 from last month, to a total of $146,839.18 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
We received a huge windfall in the form of a $4,470 class action settlement from my wife’s old company (that she worked at for ~6 weeks). She was automatically included in the settlement, and frankly, we weren’t expecting much to come of it. Imagine our surprise when a check for $4,470 showed up. This helped us dramatically increase our savings account balance. One step closer to having a home downpayment.

What Didn’t Work
We contributed $1,419.50 to our retirement accounts in June and saw them decrease $970.28 to $93,859.46. Not a big deal.

Next Month
My Wife receives a third “extra” check in July, but we also have a few large bills including $233 for 6 months of life insurance premiums (Husband & Wife), $400 for a 50% prepayment to our doula, and a $327 traffic ticket. God willing, we hope to hit a net worth milestone of $150K in July.

May 2011 Income Statement

2011-06-02T09:04:00.001-07:00

May was a very good income month and an relatively low expense month (click on spreadsheet below).

This was my wife’s first full month at her new job. She takes home $2,142.21 (net) each bi-weekly check. That’s a total of $444.84 per check more than her previous company! In addition to our salaries, my wife received a $45 reimbursement from her company for internet. We earned $20 in credit card rewards, received a $100 gift from my parents, and sold an old GPS for $40. We also earned $19.34 in interest income from our savings.

Our expenses were pretty reasonable, at a total of $5,708.25. We have worked hard to spend less and save more and were very successful in May. It helped that both my wife and I were traveling on business part of the month. Some of the larger expenses in May were: $223.80 for cobra insurance, $285.49 in clothing, and $424.01 for a little vacation.

I wish I could say we will carry over our low expense level into June, however, we have some large bills due. We have to pay $1,464.90 for auto insurance (Cars 2 & 3), $376.82 in rental insurance, and $447.59 in Cobra insurance. Thankfully, I will be receiving a third “extra” check for $1,781.07 in June.

May 2011 Net Worth Update (+$3,263.10)

2011-06-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Since passing our 2011 net worth goal of $138,100 last month, any further increase helps with our 2012 net worth goal of $173,200. In May, our net worth increased $3,263.10 from last month, to a total of $142,048.14 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
Passing our 2011 net worth goal so early in the year is a major blessing. We contributed $1,063.00 to our retirement accounts in May and saw them increase $340.00 to $94,829.74. Remarkably, our traditional IRA balance did not change from the month prior. We were also able to sock away a nice chuck of change into savings.

What Didn’t Work
All accounts moved the right direction this month:)

Next Month
I’m hoping the good progress will continue next month. I receive a third “extra” check in June, which also includes an extra 401(K) contribution. However, we also have a few large insurance bills due in June for a total of $2,289.31.

Net Worth Milestone - $140,000

2011-05-03T18:13:00.001-07:00

Today we passed the $140,000 net worth milestone!

We passed our last milestone of $130K, in February. Based on my forecasts, we should hit the next net worth milestone of $150K by August.

I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

April 2011 Income Statement

2011-04-28T13:39:00.001-07:00

April, for how chaotic it was financially, ended up looking pretty benign on paper. Our bottom line income and expenses remained pretty typical (click on spreadsheet below).

This was a transition month, with my wife leaving one company to join another company for a higher paying position. Because of this, she only received one (much larger) paycheck in April. In addition to our salaries, my wife received $1,037.55 for her cashed out vacation, and a $75 reimbursement from her old company for her cell phone. We earned $100 in credit card rewards, sold a table for $50 and received a $2,325 tax refund ($2,155 Federal & $170 State). We also earned $16.63 in interest income from our savings.

Our expenses were much lower than the insane spending we had in March, but still high at a total of $6227.99. Some of the larger items were: $447.59 for cobra insurance, $763.50 in vet bills, and of course more baby stuff.

May should be an interesting month. It will be my wife’s first full month employed at her new company. We will also both be traveling for business in May, so hopefully our expenses will be lower than normal (living on the company dime).

April 2011 Net Worth Update (+$4,511.92)

2011-04-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

We passed our 2011 net worth goal of $138,100 in April! That gives us 8 months to made headway on our 2012 net worth goal of $173,200. Our net worth increased $4,511.92 from last month, to a total of $138,785.04 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
Passing our 2011 net worth goal so early in the year is a major blessing. Our $2,325 tax refund ($2,155 Federal & $170 State) helped put us over the top. We contributed $1,063.00 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase $2,787.01 to $94,489.74. We also continue to improve our savings account balance.

What Didn’t Work
All accounts moved the right direction this month :)

Next Month
Progress towards our 2012 net worth goal of $173,200 begins now. May will be my wife’s first full month of pay in her new position, at a much higher income. We’re going to try to bank as much of the extra income as possible before the baby arrives.

Already Passed our 2011 Net Worth Goal

2011-04-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Great news! We just passed our 2011 net worth goal of $138,100. That puts us 8 months ahead of schedule. This should allow us to gain some serious ground on our 2012 net worth goal of $173,200. I will update our net worth meter (on left) at the end of the month.

March 2011 Income Statement

2011-04-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

As expected, March was a “spendy” month and a relatively standard income (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our paychecks, my wife received two $75 company reimbursements (Feb & March) and we earned $125 in credit card rewards We also earned $15.47 in interest income from our savings.

Our expenses totaled a whopping $11,033.55! Some of the larger items were: $2,954.60 for paying off the student loan, $346 registration for cars, $205.40 flight to see family, $119.42 hotel, $523 pet care (vet), and a lot on “nesting” for our baby.

April should be a very good income month. In addition to my wife starting her new job, she also receives gets paid for her remaining vacation time (5 days). Plus, we will receive a combined Federal and State refund of $2,325. No large expenses are forecast for April.

March 2011 Net Worth Update (+$3,607.99)

2011-04-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

March was another solid month. Our net worth increased $3,607.99 from last month, to a total of $134,273.12 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked The big news this month is that we found out that our baby is a BOY! We are very excited. Financially, we were also hugely blessed because my wife accepted a new job that starts next month with a $20,000 higher annual salary (33% increase). She also has an opportunity to make a larger bonus each quarter. I am very proud of her. This is going to really help us reach our goals. To celebrate, we paid off the last of the $2,954.60 student loan. We are now completely DEBT FREE. We contributed $1,213.00 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase $2,020.07 to $91,702.73.

What Didn’t Work Not really a negative, but our savings account balance decreased because we paid off the student loans.

Next Month There is a good chance we will pass our 2011 net worth goal of $138,100 in April, 8 months ahead of schedule. My receives her final paycheck from her old company, gets paid for her remaining vacation time, and starts her new job. We also receive a combined Federal and State refund of $2,325.

February 2011 Income Statement

2011-03-02T06:44:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in our February Net Worth Update post, we were blessed to learn that my wife is pregnant. Our expenses are going to be higher than usual as we prepare for the new arrival (due in September). February was an outstanding income month and we did a pretty reasonable job managing our expenses (click on spreadsheet below).

Our total income in February was $10,614.56. In addition to our paychecks, my wife received a Q4 2010 bonus of $6,041.28 gross ($3,499.51 net). She received a $30.78 H.S.A. reimbursement and a $50 Chase credit card reward (her $75 company reimbursement for February will come next month). We also earned $15.11 in interest income.

Our total expenses were $5,394.78, not to much higher than our budget of $4,900. As first-time parents, we’ve been buying a few things for the baby’s room and also taking time to enjoy ourselves a little more while we have free time.

It’s hard to say what March may bring. My wife’s company may be doing raises in March, which would be icing on the cake for how well she is doing. We’ll be doing our taxes as well and I don’t have a clear picture at this time on what the outcome will be.

February 2011 Net Worth Update (+$10,191.88)

2011-03-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with our 2nd largest net worth increase month ever. Our net worth increased $10,191.88 from last month, to a total of $130,665.13 (click on spreadsheet below). Our largest net worth increase of $14,753.11 was in March 2010. But more importantly, my wife is pregnant! We are extremely excited and will be “nesting” from now until the baby is due in September.

What Worked
In addition to the great news that my wife is pregnant, we also passed the net worth milestone $130,000 in February. This is largely thanks to my wife's nice Q4 2010 bonus of $6,041.28 gross ($3,499.51 net). We contributed $813.00 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase $4,605.31 to $89,682.66. We also increased our savings account balance to $18,915.21.

What Didn’t Work
February was a perfect month.

Next Month
I don’t expect March to be able to compete with a month like we just had. The biggest unknown is our taxes. Last year we received a combines Federal and State refund of $4,111, but we have change a few things to reduce or possibly eliminate our refund. We will see…

Net Worth Milestone - $130,000

2011-02-27T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today we passed the $130,000 net worth milestone!

We passed our last milestone of $120K, in January. Based on my forecasts, we should hit the next net worth milestone of $140K around June.

I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

2010 Net Worth Recap

2011-02-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

I know I’m posting this a little late, but I wanted to take the time to review our 2010 net worth. Below is a table of our net worth data for each month in 2010 (click on table to enlarge). 2010 was a strong year for us, even though we had a couple of close calls with the economy in terms of our employment. Some highlights from 2010 include:

We increased our net worth from $68,437.63 to $115,300.07 ($46,862.44 increase), surpassing our net worth goal for the year by $9,600.07.
We contributed $17,288.45 to our retirement accounts. Our total retirement account balance grew from $54,620.37 to $83,594.59 ($28,974.22 increase).
We increased our savings from $2,492.73 to $9,215.82 ($6,723.09 increase).
We reduced our debt from $4,148.46 to $3,127.35 ($1,021.11 decrease).
In March my wife was laid off, but in April she found an even better new job.
I survived a large layoff at my company.
We paid cash for an “extra” vehicle, primarily for recreation.

We already a couple of months into 2011 and things are looking great. Hopefully there will be exciting highlights to review at the end of the year.

January 2011 Income Statement

2011-02-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, we made up some lost ground in January (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our paychecks, my wife also received $150 reimbursement from her company for cell phone for December and January. We earned a $175 Chase credit card reward and $50 from selling dog stuff on craigslist. As our savings account balance creeps up, we’re earning more interest income to the tune of $11.06 in January.

We worked hard in January to control our spending and it worked. After a HUGE expense month in December ($7,919.80), we righted the ship in January, only spending $5,591.83. Now we need to carry this momentum into February.

Next month is going to be a big income month. My wife is doing awesome in her job and, as a result, is receiving a Q4 bonus of $6,041.28 gross. Plus, we do not have any large expenses forecast for February.

January 2011Net Worth Update (+$5,173.19)

2011-01-31T13:13:00.001-08:00

We had a solid increase start to 2011 in terms of our new worth. Our net worth increased $5,173.19 from last month, to a total of $120,473.25 (click on spreadsheet below).

What WorkedWe contributed $813.00 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase $1,482.76 to $85,077.35. We also dramatically increased our savings account balance by substantially.

What Didn’t Work
Everything worked out great :)!

Next Month
February looks like it is shaping up to be a great month. The main reason being, my wife made 120% of her sales goal for Q4 and will be getting a large bonus check. We’re going to use this extra money to continue increasing our savings.

Net Worth Milestone - $120,000

2011-01-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

Today we passed the $120,000 net worth milestone!

We passed our last milestone of $110K, in December. Based on my forecasts, we should hit the next net worth milestone of $130K around May.

I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

2011 Financial Goals

2011-01-05T10:28:00.001-08:00

We did pretty well knocking down our 2010 financial goals. Now it's time to set the bar a little higher for our 2011 financial goals.

1) Increase net worth to $138,100
We have a good head start on our 2011 net worth goal because we passed our 2010 goal by $9,600.07. If we stick to our plan, this goal seems very doable.

2) Increase savings account balance to $20,000
We haven’t been able to hit $20,000 in savings as a goal the last two years. Let’s give it a try again in 2011. We are starting 2011 with $9,215.82 in savings, so we’re already ~1/2 way there. The challenge with this goal is that we will plan to start a family in 2011 and private adoption is very expensive.

3) $100,000 total balance in retirement accounts
We’re starting 2011 with $83,594.59 total balance in our retirement accounts. My forecast shows that we should end the year with less than $100,000 total balance in our retirement accounts. So, achieving this stretch goal will require extra effort and determination.

4) Decrease debt by $1,000
Our only remaining debt is $3,041.81 in student loan debt. We successfully reduced our debt by $1,000 in 2010, so we’ll try to knock it down another $1,000 in 2011. Cash flow may be tight in 2011, so this goal may be harder than it looks.

5) Start a family
We hope to start a family in 2011, whether naturally or through private adoption, or a combination of the two. While this isn't a financial goal in the traditional sense, it does have big financial commitments. The private adoption is ~$30K, so we need to plan, save, and make it happen.

Okay, now we wait 12 months to see our results.

Review of 2010 Financial Goals:

2011-01-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

We set five goals for ourselves 12 months ago. Here's how we did relative to each one:

1) Increase net worth to $105,700 SUCCESS
We blew right past this goal in November and didn’t look back. We finished 2010 at 109.08% of our goal with a net worth of $115,300.07, $9,600.07 over our net worth goal. This feels great after missing our net worth goals the past two years. We are 4 years in to our 21 year plan to retire early and so far, we’re on track.

2) Increase savings account balance to $20,000 FAIL
We would have probably achieved this goal, but in March we paid $12,000 cash for a vehicle. Even so, we were able to get our savings back up to a pretty respectable $9,215.82.

3) Contributing at least 15% of income to company 401(k) SUCCESS
I’m going to say we met this goal because we contributed 15% to both of our 401(k) accounts until my wife was laid off. We have continued to contribute 15% to my 401(k) account, but my wife’s new company does not have a 401(k) plan. To make up for this, we have contributed an additional $4,000 total (2K each) our Roth IRAs.

4) Decrease debt by $1,000 SUCCESS
We pulled this one off at the buzzer. We increased our student loan payments slightly at the end of the year so that the balance dropped to $3,127.35. That’s $1,021.11 less than what we owed last December.

5) Increase tithe $25/month SUCCESS
Thankfully, we were able to increase our tithe not just $25/month, but $35/month to $835/month. Taking this step in faith and giving back a portion of what we are blessed with has continued to reward us.

So, it looks like we reached 4 of our 5 goals. Not perfect, but not too shabby. I’ll be posting our 2011 goals shortly.

December 2010 Income Statement

2011-01-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

If I had to pick one word to describe our personal finance in December, it would be “excessive”. We had one of our best income months of the year, but ended up spending most of it (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our paychecks, I received a third “extra” paycheck for $1,775.43. My wife also received another special bonus of ~$500 gross ($280.10 net). We earned a $75 Chase credit card reward, a $25 HSBC credit card reward, sold a speaker for $40, and sold an old bond my wife had for $49. My wife’s $75 reimbursement from her company for cell phone won’t come in until January.

We were the perfect model of consumerism in December. We spent $7,919.80this month on everything ranging from $150 for my resume to $2,100 for a beautiful bracelet for my wife. We spent $361.12 on gifts (I thought we got most of our Christmas shopping done last month, guess not).

Next month should be a typical income month and, God willing, a low expense month. We need to do some catching up to ensure we start 2011 off strong.

December 2010 Net Worth Update (+$7,007.82)

2010-12-30T08:34:00.001-08:00

It’s hard to believe the end of 2010 is already here. We ended the year on a strong note, increasing our net worth $7,007.82 from last month, to a total of $115,300.07 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
We passed our 2010 net worth goal of $105,700 last month, so December gave us an opportunity to make terrific headway on our 2011 net worth goal of $138,100. In December, we contributed $1,219.50 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase $5,437.42 to $83,594.59. We also increased our savings account balance by a $1,715.00 to a total of $9,215.82.

What Didn’t Work
We spent a ton of money this month, but I’ll get into that when I do our December income statement post in a couple of days.

Next Month
In the next few days, we’ll be reviewing our 2010 financial goals and posting our 2011 financial goals.

Net Worth Milestone - $110,000

2010-12-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

We just passed the $110,000 net worth milestone! Yippee! I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

We passed our last milestone of $100K, in October. Based on my forecasts, we should hit the next net worth milestone of $120K around April.

November 2010 Income Statement

2010-12-01T09:31:00.001-08:00

We were doing so well being fugal most of November, but we broke the bank the last couple days of the month. Thankfully, we had a nice income month to support our overspending.

In addition to our paychecks, my wife received her Q3 bonus of $1,680 gross ($941.14 net)! She is doing amazing. We also received a $75 reimbursement from her company for internet and cell phone, $275 from selling our old tires, $100 gift from my parents, a $25 HSBC credit card reward, a $50 Chase credit card reward, and another $40 Chase credit card reward.

We spent $6,689.43 total in November, but here are my excuses: we bought new tires for both of our vehicles (one set was a “gift” to me) and completed most of our Christmas shopping. We also bought a new camera, a new suit for me, new shoes for the wife, etc. etc. Okay, Black Friday kicked our butts.

I’m so happy Christmas is almost here. God willing, will pass the net worth milestone of $110,000. I will receive an “extra” 3rd check in December and my wife should get another bonus of ~$500 gross. However, the spending will continue a bit more because we plan to buy a nice piece of jewelry for my wife as a combination Christmas/birthday/5 year anniversary gift.

Wife's Q3 Bonus Arrived

2010-11-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

My wife's Q3 bonus arrived a little early and is a larger amount than we expected: $1,680 gross ($941.14 net). She also has another $500 gross bonus that should come in next month. Go wife!

November 2010 Net Worth Update +($3,931.33)

2010-11-29T12:34:00.001-08:00

We had a solid increase to our new worth again this month. Our net worth increased $3,931.33 from last month, to a total of $108,292.25 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
We officially passed our 2010 net worth goal of $105,700 this month. Now we can get a head start on our 2011 net worth goal of $138,100. In November, we contributed $1,313 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase $2,333.99 to $78,157.17. We also increased our savings account balance by $1,757.15 to a total of $7,479.92. UPDATE: My wife received her Q3 bonus after I posted this yesterday so I wanted to include the details here. The bonus was for $1680 gross ($941.14 net)!

What Didn’t Work
We’ve falling behind in our retirement account contributions, but this is the result of a slight change in plans. We have decided to focus on growing our savings account balance over the next 12 months so that we can hopefully be in a position to put a down-payment on a house in 2012.

Next Month
December is going to be a great month. I look forward to Christmas every year: celebrating the birth of Jesus, the festive cheer, and delicious food! Financial we’ll have a lot of income in December to look forward to also. My wife receives her Q3 bonus (bonus arrived shortly after I posted this) and I receive a third “extra” paycheck ($1,775.43 net).

Passed our 2010 Net Worth Goal

2010-11-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

We passed our 2010 net worth goal of $105,700 today!

We're only over by a few hundred dollars, but we still have all of November and December left. God willing, we can use the next 60 days to make some headway on our 2011 goal of $138,100.

I will update our net worth meter (at left of webpage) at the end of the month.

October 2010 Income Statement

2010-10-30T19:02:00.001-07:00

October was a pretty typical income month and a much lower than normal expense month.

In addition to our paychecks, my wife received a $75 reimbursement from her company for internet and cell phone and a $50 Chase credit card reward. They had planned to pay out the Q3 bonus this month, but for various reasons, it has been delayed until December.

Our expenses have slowly crept up over time, so mid October, we decided to challenge ourselves to spend less. I’m happy to report that we did a great job watching each dollar. We spent a total of $4,881.01. Not too bad considering we’ve averaged ~$6,000/month the past six months.

November seems like it might be a pretty normal month. We hope to continue our re-found frugal ways

October 2010 Net Worth Update +($4,767.46)

2010-10-22T08:01:00.001-07:00

I'll be on a business trip next week, so I am posting our net worth update early.

We were blessed with another very good net worth increase month. Our net worth increased $4,767.46 from last month, to a total of $104,360.92 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked

Our biggest achievement this month was passing the $100,000 net worth milestone. What a great feeling. We contributed $1,313 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase $3,943.63 to $75,823.18. We also increased our savings account balance $990.98 to $5,722.77.

What Didn’t Work

Everything went great this month.

Next Month

November looks like it may be a fairly typical month, and I mean that in a good way. If things go as planned, we should pass our $105,700 2010 net worth goal a month early. That would then give us all of December to get a head start on our 2011 net worth goal of $138,100.

Net Worth Milestone - $100,000

2010-10-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

We passed a net worth milestone of $100,000. We hit our last net worth milestone, $90,000, back in April.

Psychologically, $100,000 represented a big hurdle that didn't seem obtainable when we started tracking our net worth in February 2007. At the time, we had a negative net worth of -$3,168.85. Setting a plan and trusting in God allowed us to reach this goal. And there are many more ahead...

Our spreadsheet suggests we will hit our next milestone of $110,000 around March. I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

September 2010 Income Statement

2010-10-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

September was a good month for our income and expenses (see spreadsheet below).

In addition to our paychecks, my wife received a $500 gross ($280.10 net) special bonus and $75 reimbursement from her company for internet and cell phone. We also received a $100 in cash back rewards from our credit cards and an $89.63 auto insurance refund. Not too shabby.

Expenses were more or less in-line with our budget. We each got $140 in extra fun money (we’ve been doing that a lot lately), my wife went on a trip with her friends / family, we bought a few things for the Jeep, and we’ve purchased ~$250 in items for a camping trip we are taking in October.

October seems like it might be a pretty normal month. No large bills are looming and our income should be average.

September 2010 Net Worth Update +($6,826.81)

2010-09-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

After taking a small step back in August, our net worth rose again in September. It increased $6,826.81from last month, to a total of $99,593.46 (click on spreadsheet below). Darn close to $100K and on our way to reaching our 2010 net worth goal of $105,700.

What Worked

We contributed $813 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase a whopping $5,891.03 to $71,979.55. We also increased our savings account by $1,116 to a total of $4,731.79.

What Didn’t Work

We’re still falling behind on our retirement account contributions, but may end up focusing on our savings account balance instead. I tried to sell back some vacation time to my company, but they asked me to wait a bit due to the economy.

Next Month

October may be our largest milestone yet because, God willing, our net worth will surpass $100,000.

Retirement Savings Just Passed $70,000

2010-09-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Our retirement accounts balance (401k, Roth IRA, and Traditional IRA) just passed $70,000! As of this morning, our total retirement savings is $70,169.27. Still a long way to go to early retirement, but we're on our way.

August 2010 Income Statement

2010-09-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

While we missed some of our investment goals in August, our income and expenses were on target.

In addition to our paychecks, my wife received a $75 reimbursement from her company for internet and cell phone and a $96.36 reimbursement from her company for a new phone. We also received a $100 rebate from Verizon for her new phone and $61.59 in reimbursements from her H.S.A. account.

Expenses were reasonable, even considering a mini vacation that we took to Malibu and new cell phones for both of us.

September may be an extra strong income month because my wife receives a $500 special bonus check from her company and I hope to sell 5 days of vacation back to my company. I will also be out of town for 1 week, hopefully reducing some of our expenses.

August 2010 Net Worth Update -($268.43)

2010-08-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

Our net worth slipped off a bit in August. It decreased $268.43 from last month, to a total of $92,766.65 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked

We increased our savings to $3,613.59. We plan to focus on getting our savings balance to a much higher level to provide some security in this uncertain economy.

What Didn’t Work

We contributed $813 to our retirement accounts and saw them decrease $1,186.75. So far this year, we’ve contributed $12,609.65 to our retirement accounts. Last year, we contributed a total of $19,437.41. Another $3,658.50 should be contributed to my 401(k) through automatic payroll deductions over the rest of 2010. That leaves $3,169.26 that we have to contribute to our Roth IRA’s in order to match last year’s total contribution. We need to get our act in gear to make this happen.

Next Month

I’m hoping good thoughts for our net worth in September, but whatever comes our way, we'll deal with.

July 2010 Income Statement

2010-08-02T09:51:00.001-07:00

July was nice and normal income month and a decent month in terms of keeping our spending in check.

In addition to our paychecks, my wife received a $75 reimbursement from her company for internet and cell phone and we earned a $50 cash back Citi credit card reward.

Not too much to say about our expenses. They were in line with our budget and no large unexpected bills came in. All and all, a good month.

August looks like it will shape up to be similar to July.

July 2010 Net Worth Update +($6,339.70)

2010-07-29T12:06:00.001-07:00

Wow, our July was a great month for the market. Our net worth increased $6,339.70 from last month, to a total of $93,035.08 (click on spreadsheet below). It feels good to be back up over $90K.

What Worked

We contributed $1,313 to our retirement accounts and saw them increase a whopping $6,251.46.

What Didn’t Work

We didn’t contributing $1,000 to our savings this month as planned. My wife and I gave ourselves some extra fun money instead. We’ll get back on track with the savings account contributions next month.

Next Month

Who knows? Hopefully the market keeps going up and the economy strengthens. Haha.

June 2010 Income Statement

2010-07-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

I simply don't have time to post much, but here is our income statement for June:

June 2010 Net Worth Update (-$1,240.46)

2010-07-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

I really have been neglecting this blog, but at least I'm still updating our net worth each month! Unfortunatley, our net worth decreased $1,240.46 from last month, to a total of $86,695.38 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked

$1,000 was also automatically deposited into savings account this month from my wife’s paychecks.

What Didn’t Work

We contributed $1,719.50 to our retirement accounts (401k & Roth IRAs), and saw them increase $2,015.01. We’re falling a little behind on our Roth IRA contributions. Since my Wife’s company does not have a 401(k) plan, our goal is to max out our Roth IRA’s. We’re half way through the year and have only contributed $1,250 each ($2,500 total) to our Roth IRAs. We need to pick up the pace to reach the $5,000 individual maximum contribution.

Next Month

The markets a little crazy right now, so I won’t even bother to guess at next month.

May 2010 Income Statement

2010-06-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

May was a strong income month and a reasonable expense month.

May was my Wife’s 1st full month at her new company and, thus, her 1st full months of paychecks at new new higher salary. We were also bless with my 2.5% salary increase kicking in at the beginning of May. In addition to our paychecks, my wife received a $1,884.50 gross ($1,055.71 net) bonus from her old company, a final $430 unemployment arrived, we received $100 in cash back credit card rewards, and $18.39 in rebates. Not too shabby.

Our expenses were pretty typical; we spent a total of $5,401.88. Auto, clothing, and gifts were higher than usual, but not too outrageous.

I’m not sure what to expect in June. I receive a 3rd “extra” check, but we also have a $1,906.90 in annual insurance premiums due at the end of June. Time will tell.

May Net Worth Update (-$4,254.95)

2010-05-28T16:54:00.001-07:00

We slide back quite a bit in May. Our net worth decreased $4,254.95 from last month, to a total of $86,660.75 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked

My Wife received a $1,884.50 gross ($1,055.71 net) quarterly bonus from old job. She also set-up $500/paycheck to be directly deposited into our savings account. So, our savings jumped $1,000 this month.

What Didn’t Work

Almost everything went down this month.

Next Month

I hate to be negative, but I’m forecasting another net worth decrease for us next month. I will be receiving an extra (3^rd) paycheck, but that will be used to pay $1,906.90 in annual insurance premiums (auto and rental) that are due by June 25^th. In addition, we have a number of smaller bills next month that add up to one big bill.

April 2010 Income Statement

2010-05-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

April was a surprisingly good income month and a reasonable expense month.

For my wife having been laid off at the end of March, April was a great income month. Of course her new job that she started mid-month really helped – her 1^st paycheck was prorated for 2 weeks and 32 extra hours. She received $905.00 in unemployment and a $1,457.99 severance check from her old job. In addition, we earned $88.98 in credit card cash back rewards.

Our expenses in April were a little more than we budget, but low compared to our huge expense total last month. Our expenses this month totaled $5,460.47. Large expenses included $366.59 for misc items for our new (used) 4x4 and $197.09 in “extra” gas for the new 4x4.

May should be a good month. It will be the first full month of paychecks from my wife’s new company, my 2.5% salary increase will kick in, and a final unemployment check for my wife should arrive.

April Net Worth Update (+$2,859.25)

2010-04-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

April was a pretty typical month, in a good way. Our net worth increased $2,859.25 from last month, to a total of $90,915.70 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
My wife began her new job mid month. She also received her 2 week severance check from her old job. We contributed a total of $792.70 to our retirement accounts (401k’s and Roth IRA’s) and saw them increase $3,019.25! Wife's 401(k) acct closed and transferred to IRA.

What Didn’t Work
As expected, we had a little catching up to do this month after paying $12,000 cash for our new (used) 4x4 last month and buying misc items for it.

Next Month
In addition to May being my wife’s first full month at her new job, my company informed us that they will be increasing our salaries back to the full amount beginning my first paycheck in May.

Salary Back To Even

2010-04-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Great news! My company announced today that they are returning us to our full salaries.

In February 2009, everyone in the company received a salary reduction to help us get through the tough economic times - my salary redution was 10%. My company has been slowly increasing our salaries in an effort to get us back to even. This last 2.5% increase represents $1,750/year and returns me to my annual salary of 70,460.

I feel very blessed to have kept my job while others in my company were let go. Hopefully the economy keeps getting stronger.

Wife's Great New Benefits

2010-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

My wife started her new job today and it's going great so far. She'll be spending most of her time the next couple of months on home study, but is excited to get out in the field.

Check out some of her benefits:

* $0/month out of our pocket for health and vision insurance for both of us
* Complete home office (laptop, printer, etc.)
* Reimbursing for internet and cell phone service
* Company car / gas card

I'm so proud of how she is doing in her career. She keeps upgrading from one great job to another.

Net Worth Milestone - $90,000

2010-04-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

We just passed the net worth milestone of $90,000. We hit our last net worth milestone, $80,000, just one month ago.

God willing, it looks like we'll hit a net worth milestone of $100,000 in July. That's a big milestone and would mean we're way ahead of schedule of making our 2010 net worth goal of $105,700 in December.

I will update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

March 2010 Income Statement

2010-04-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

As I stated in our Net Worth Update, March was a crazy month.

My wife was laid off mid month, but we still had a good income month. My wife received one final pay check, her company cashed out her vacation ($733.52), and will be giving two weeks of severance ($1,300+). We also received a $4,111 tax refund ($3,730 fed & $381 state) and sold 20 shares of BofA stock for small $48 gain. My wife received a $110 company reimbursement for internet and phone service, we earned $25 in credit card cash back rewards, and earned $2.30 in interest income.

Our expenses this month were off the chart, primariliy because with paid cash for a 3rd vehicle (4x4). Our expenses totaled $18,391.59, but if you pull out the $12,250 we paid for the 4x4, our expenses were $6,141.59. Still a bit high, but not so outrageous.

With the purchase of our 4x4, and my wife being out of work part of the month, we’ll be playing a little catch up in April.

Offer Letter

2010-04-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

My wife just received her offer letter and it’s a good one.

They offered her a $60,000 base, $4,500 more than her last job. Also included in the offer is a bonus structure for up to 25% of her base pay. She also gets a company car and a complete home office.

That is WAY more than I made when I was 26 years old. Come to think of it, with her bonus and company car, it’s more than I make now. Good thing I’m man enough to admit it.

March Net Worth Update (+$14,753.11)

2010-03-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

March was the craziest month we have had in quite awhile. Our net worth increased an amazing $14,753.11 from last month, to a total of $88,056.45 (click on spreadsheet below). This is a new record monthly increase for us.

What Worked

My wife’s company laid off the entire sales force this month, but within two days, she secured her 1^st interview and ended up getting a great new job that she starts mid April (more details to follow in another post). We had a major influx of cash this month including her $733.52 of cashed out vacation, a $4,111 tax refund ($3,730 fed & $381 state), and a check for two weeks of severance for my wife should be coming in any day. We also sold 20 shares of BofA stock for small $48 gain. We contributed a total of $1,883.01 to our retirement accounts (401k’s and Roth IRA’s) and saw them increase $4,947.42!

What Didn’t Work

We purchased a great used 4x4 for $12,250 cash. This purchase absorbed most of our savings and our influx of cash from this month. I’ll be using the 4x4 as a daily driver until my wife gets her new company car in a couple of months. After that, the 4x4 will be a fun toy for us to enjoy on the weekends. Now we have to get our savings built back up.

Next Month

We have a little catching up to do in April. Purchasing the 4x4 threw off our cash flow, so we’ll need most of April to recover.

Bought a 4x4

2010-03-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that we bought another vehicle. This vehicle, a 4x4, can be used as a daily driver if it takes awhile for my wife to get a job, or can be used as a fun weekend "toy". We got a great deal by paying cash, $12,250 to be exact.

My wife is on her final interview today with a great company. If she gets the job, she will have 5 weeks of home study before receiving her company car. So, the extra vehicle will come in very handy.

Net Worth Milestone - $80,000

2010-03-16T09:18:00.001-07:00

We just passed $80,000 net worth milestone! Thanks to our $4,111 tax refund and good performance in our retirement accounts, we currently at a net worth of $81,635.73. We passed the $70,000 net worth milestone in January, so it only took us 2 short months. God willing, we should hit our $90,000 net worth milestone in July.

I will provide further details and update our net worth meter (on the left side of the screen) at the end of the month.

Wife Laid Off

2010-03-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

My wife’s company has been struggling and finally decided on Friday to layoff the entire sales force off.

It’s unfortunate, but not a total surprise. She had already survived 2 rounds of layoffs with this company and there were rumors and signs things were coming to a head.

Where does that leave us? Not in too bad of shape, actually.

• She will receive 2 weeks severance
• Her vacation will be cashed out
• She’ll be bonused on any sales until 4/2
• She gets to keep her company car for 2 more weeks

With $475/week of unemployment and reducing some of our expenses, we shouldn't even have to dip into savings. Speaking of savings, with our tax return, our savings jumped from $4,327.37 to $9,320.43. We’ll likely need to use some of this to buy a used car, but the rest can act as a cushion. Plus, we should be able to continue to add a little bit into savings each month.

My wife is so on the ball, she’s already lined up a phone interview for tomorrow.

2010 Taxes

2010-03-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

We paid a total of $2,025 in federal and state taxes last year. This year, we wanted to get help with our taxes because we had to account for our condo short sale. Thanks to a referral from a trusted friend, we met with our new tax accountant today and, boy, was it was worth it.

While we had less mortgage interest to deduct this year, he helped us find other deductions that we didn't realize we were eligible for. We paid him $275 and he helped us receive a total refund (federal & state) of $4,111!

We should get the $4,111 refund via direct deposit in ~2 weeks. We plan to deposit the money into our savings account to build our emergency fund back up.

February 2010 Income Statement

2010-03-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my wife, February was strong income month and a low spending month (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our regular paychecks, my wife received a $3,000 ($1,217.53 net) quarterly bonus. My paycheck was also a bit higher because my company gave everyone another salary increase. My wife received a $110 company reimbursement for internet and phone service, we earned $75 in credit card cash back rewards, and we received a $50 rebate.

Our expenses this month were only $4,930.82, within $200 of our monthly budget. I was on business travel for 7 days, which probably helped save us some money.

March should be a pretty typical income month, but may be a large expense month, depending on how our taxes come out.

February Net Worth Update (+$5,529.60)

2010-02-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

After a small decrease in our net worth in January, it was nice to bounce back with a strong net worth increase in February. Our net worth increased $5,529.60 from last month, to a total of $73,303.34 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
My wife received a $3,000 ($1,217.53 net) quarterly bonus, so we were also able to increase our savings by $1,830.82. We contributed a total of $2,232.69 to our retirement accounts (401k’s and Roth IRA’s) and saw them increase $3,759.37. Good stuff!

What Didn’t Work
Everything went great this month.

Next Month
It’s hard to guesstimate how March will go. We’ll be doing our taxes and likely owe (we paid $2,024 last year), but I may be able to save some money on food and gas since I will be traveling for business for 7 days. We’ll have to see how it works out.

E*Trade Account Service Fee

2010-02-27T00:26:00.000-08:00

While reviewing our accounts, I happened to notice that E*Trade charged us a $40 Account Service Fee for our stock trading account since we have not made any trades in the last quarter.

It's my fault that I did not read the fine print, but a $40 fee on a ~$300 balance is ridiculous. I’ve put a sell limit order in for our remaining 20 shares of BofA stock for $17/share (we bought at $14/share). The stock is currently at $16.66/share. I hope it will sell next week so we can get this money in to savings and away from insane fees.

Getting Back To Even

2010-02-17T22:26:00.001-08:00

My company just increased everyone's salaries a bit more in an effort to get us back to our original salary levels before the reduction in February 2009.

My salary reduction was 10% last year and my company, through incremental increases, has raised it back 7.5%. So, I just have 2.5% to go before I'm back to my salary level before the reduction. Great news!

More Bonus Money

2010-02-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

My wife received a $3,308.00 gross ($1,217.53 net) quarterly bonus today! 15% of the gross, or $496.25, was automatically deposited into her 401(k). We plan to tithe 10% of the gross and deposit the balance into savings. What a blessing!

January 2010 Income Statement

2010-02-03T09:17:00.001-08:00

January was another strong income month and an okay spending month (click on spreadsheet below).

Our incomes dipped a bit in January with my 15% 401(k) contribution kicking in, reducing my paychecks from $1,818.76 to $1,668.40. We certainly felt the missing $300 this month, but the sacrifice is worth it and we’ll get used to it. In addition to my wife’s $110 company reimbursement for internet and cell phone, we earned a $50 Chase credit card cash back reward and $62.44 Citi credit card cash back reward.

Our expenses totaled $5,792.05, which isn't horrible. A couple of large expenses included: $455.48 traveling out of state and $233.50 for 6 months of life insurance. I was happy to learn that my new gym is allowing me to pay month-to-month, but giving me the 12 month prepayment rate. This kept us from having to pull a large chuck of change out of savings.

February looks like it may be a great income month and low expense month. My wife should be receiving her quarterly bonus that may be as much as $3,000 gross (~$1,500 net). I will be out of town on business for 1 week next month, hopefully saving us a few bucks on food and gasoline.

January Net Worth Update (-$663.89)

2010-01-31T12:02:00.001-08:00

January was a tough start to 2010. Our net worth in January decreased $663.89 from last month, to a total of $67,773.74 (click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked
My 401(k) contribution increase from 7% to 15% kicked in this month. My wife and I are both now contributing 15% to our 401(k)’s. We also increased our payments from $60/month to $100/month on the student loan. This is our last remaining debt, so we want to get it paid off.

What Didn’t Work
We contributed a total of $1,716.15 to our retirement accounts (401k’s and Roth IRA’s) this month, but saw our retirement accounts decrease a total of $616.45. We also weren’t able to put any money away into savings, and that is one of our main goals this year.

Next Month
February should be a strong month. My wife receives her quarterly bonus check, and believes it may be ~$3,000 gross (~$1,500 net). This will help us bloster our savings account balance. I will be traveling for work part of the month, so our expenses may be a bit less too.

Free Money Each Month

2010-01-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

My wife and I try to charge as many of our expenses as possible to our cash back reward credit cards. Not only do we get cash back, but charging expenses to our credit cards helps with our cash flow situation. Of course, we make sure we pay the credit cards off each month so that we don’t incur interest charges.

We each have our own cash back credit card that we use for business expenses as well as a joint cash back credit card that we use for household expenses. We earned a total of $646.36 in cash back rewards from these credit cards in 2009. That works out to an average of $53.86/month. This is truly free money since we pay off the credit cards each month. I love it!

Net Worth Milestone - $70,000

2010-01-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our retirement account contributions and market gains, we passed the net worth milestone of $70,000!

We hit our last net worth milestone of $60,000 in November and are on track to hit a net worth of $80,000 in April.

2009 Net Worth Recap

2010-01-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

As I’ve already indicated, 2009 was an up and down year, but ultimately, a good one for us. Below is a table of our net worth data for each month in 2009 (click on table to enlarge). Some highlights from 2009 include:

We increased our net worth from $42,083.69 to $68,437.63. We missed our net worth goal of $75,600 by $7,162.37, but still did pretty well, all things considered.
We contributed $10,000 total to our Roth IRAs.
We contributed $9,437.41 total to our 401(k) plans.
Our total retirement account balance grew from $23,506.87 to $54,620.37.
We reduced our debt from $347,279.48 to $4,148.46. Short selling our condo was the bulk of this reduction, but paying off our auto loan eliminated $15,943.59 in debt that we started 2009 with.

With 2010 underway, we’re working hard create new highlights to review in 12 months.

2010 Goals

2010-01-08T08:11:00.001-08:00

Below are our primary financial goals for 2010.

1) Increase net worth to $105,700
We finished 2009 with a net worth of $68,437.63, $7,162.37 short of our net worth goal. We’ve missed our net worth goal that past two years, so hopefully we can hit our 2010 goal of $105,700. We’re starting off a little behind the 8 ball because we didn’t hit our target this year, but based on my rudimentary forecast, this is a reasonable goal, and we should reach it if we stay focused.

2) Increase savings account balance to $20,000
We weren’t able to hit our savings goal in 2009 because we paid off our 6.5% auto loan instead. While we are starting 2010 with just a $2,492.73 balance in our savings account, I think we can reach $20,000 in savings if we make this a priority.

3) Contributing at least 15% of income to company 401(k)
This one is a gimme. My wife is already contributing 15% to her 401(k) and I’ve completed the paperwork to increase my 401(k) contribution from 8% to 15% in January. Now we just need to make sure we keep this up throughout the year.

4) Decrease debt by $1,000
After paying off our auto loan in 2009, the only debt we have left is $4,148.46 in student loans. We plan to pay $40/month extra to the student loan ($100/month total) so that we can reduce our debt by $1,000 in the next 12 months.

5) Increase tithe $25/month
We have been very blessed, especially since we began to be more faithful with our tithing, so we want in bump up our monthly tithe a bit. We consistently tithed $800/month in 2009 and plan to tithe $825/month in 2010.

It will be fun to look back in a year to see if we were successful in achieving these goals.

2009 Goals Review

2010-01-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

2009 gave us a wild ride and we feel very blessed to have had as great of a year as we did. Below is a table compiling our net worth data for 2009 (click on table to enlarge). We set some goals for ourselves this year and overall, did pretty well. Below are each of our goals and the progress we made.

1) Increase net worth to $75,600
This goal looked doable, but we had a couple of challenges that kept us from hitting this goal. First, we missed our 2008 net worth goal by $5,716.31, so we started 2009 a bit behind. Second, we did not take into account short selling our house. The costs of the short sale and getting a rental unit were set us back a couple of steps. In the end, we got within $7,162.37 of our 2009 net worth goal, with a total net worth of $68,437.63. God willing, we should hit a net worth of $75,600 by February.

2) Wife to get a new job
My wife absolutely nailed this goal. After being laid off, she quickly got a job in the same industry as her last job, and with an even better pay structure and benefits. She received a company car, laptop, monthly phone and internet reimbursements, stock options and 401(k). Go wife!

3) Increase savings account balance to $20,000
Our short sale and moving into a rental unit hurt our chances of hitting this goal, but it still would have be possible, but we decided to pay off our auto loan instead. Our savings account balance at the end of 2009 is $2,492.73, $17,507.27 off our target. Now that the auto loan is paid off, we have $450 extra each month we can put into savings or invest.

4) Max out Roth IRAs ($5,000 each)
I’m surprised we were able to achieve this goal. We made up a lot of ground the last couple of months and were able to get $10,000 total ($5K each) into our Roth IRAs. This is a great feeling.

5) Contributing at least 5% of income to company 401(k)
We blew way past this goal. My wife began contributing 5% in April and increased it to 15% in August. I started 2009 contributing 5% and increased it to 8% in July. Our total retirement contributions (401k & Roth IRA) was $19,437.41, or 15.87% of our gross income. This sets a new benchmark for us.

6) Decrease debt by $8,000
Overkill. If you remove our $326,675.82 mortgage loan (since we short sold), our debt in December 2008 was $20,603.66. Our debt in December 2009 is only $4,148.46, a $16,455.20 reduction. Paying off our auto loan (loan balance in January 2009 was $15,586.49) was the key to smashing this goal.

7) Draft wills
Not done. We’ve decided to hold off on this goal until we have kids.

I will be posting our 2010 goals very soon.

December 2009 Income Statement

2010-01-06T08:17:00.001-08:00

December was another strong income month and low spending month too (click on spreadsheet below).

In addition to our regular paychecks, I received a 3rd “extra” check and my wife received $330 in reimbursements from her company (3 months worth).

Our expenses totaled $5,174.03, a bit over our budget of $4,724.98/month, but not bad.

Not much else to report. The new year has begun and January looks like it may be an expensive month for us. We took a trip our of state from 12/30-1/2, we have payments due for our 6 months of life insurance, and I have a large 12 month gym membership bill due. We’re also going to see a bit of a drop because my 401(k) contribution increase from 7% to 15% begins in January.

December Net Worth Update (+$4,787.45)

2010-01-01T07:59:00.000-08:00

December was a strong end to 2009. Our net worth in December increased $4,787.45 from last month, to a total of $68,437.63 (click on spreadsheet below). We missed our 2009 net worth goal of $75,600 by $7,162.37, but I'll be reviewing that in another post.

What Worked

With the end of the year here, we were happy to be able to finish maxing out our Roth IRA contributions this month. With a final contribution of $800 to each of our Roth IRA’s, we hit the $5,000 per person maximum for the year. We contributed a total of $2,911.66 to our retirement accounts (401k & Roth IRAs) this month and saw our retirement accounts increase to a total of $4,854.55!

What Didn’t Work

Everything went perfect.

Next Month

January starts a new year and new goals. I’ll be reviewing how we did with our 2009 goals and outlining our new 2010 goals within the next week. Happy New Year!

Rebalanced 401(k)

2009-12-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

I just finished rebalancing my 401(k) to move our current asset allocation back in line to ouroriginally planned asset allocation.

The percentages weren't off by much, but I figure this is a good habit for us to get into at the end of each year. Here's what the 401(k) looked like:

Here's what it was rebalanced to:

My wife's 401(k) was opened mid way through the year and is a much smaller balance, so we're not going to bother rebalancing it this year.

Increased my 401(k) Contribution

2009-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

We've wanted to contribute at least 10% to each of our 401(k)'s for a while now. My wife just increased her 401(k) contribution to 15% in August, but mine was only at 8%. I'm happy to say that I've now increased my 401(k) contribution to 15%, effective my 1st paycheck in January.

If we're both able to keep our jobs throughout 2010, we’ll contribute a total of $18,366 to our 401(k) accounts from our regular paychecks. My wife also has 15% contributed from her quarterly bonus checks. God willing, we may be able to break $20K in total contributions to our 401(k)'s in 2010.

2009 Roth IRA's Fully Funded

2009-12-14T09:34:00.001-08:00

We have fully funded our 2009 Roth IRA's; $5,000 to my wife's Roth IRA & $5,000 to my Roth IRA!

It feels good to hit this goal, especially since we only contributed $3,125 to each of our Roth IRA's last year.

Once our planned 401(k) contributions go in this month, we'll have contributed a total of $19,437.41, or 15.87% of our gross income, to our retirement accounts (401k's & Roth IRA's) for 2009.

This Is Only Drill (at least for now)

2009-12-04T22:12:00.001-08:00

My wife found out yesterday at 30% of her company received an email that morning explaining they were laid off. We feel terrible for her coworkers that were laid off, especially right before Christmas.

Thankfully, my wife kept her job, but it was certainly a wake up call. So, I ran through the numbers to see how we would have been affected if she would have been part of the lay off.

The 1st negative impact would have been losing the $2,770/month income she takes home and her quarterly bonuses. Next, would be her company car and $110/month in cell phone and internet reimbursements. Finally, she'd lose her insurance and 401(k) plan (which she contributes 15% to).

We took a look back at what unemployment paid her before she found her current job. I was surprised it was a little over $400/week after taxes. That more than I remembered and supplements ~60% of her regular paychecks. Cutting back a bit on our retirement contributions and unnecessary spending would make up the difference. Losing the company car would be tough, but since we just paid off our $450/month auto loan, we're in a better position that ever to take on another (small) auto loan, if necessary. Health isurance is very important, and since my wife is young and healthy, she easily qualifies for good health insurance that only costs $80/month.

Working through this drill was reassuring. Should her company do another lay off in a few months, and if she is let go, we should be fine. One possible wrench is my job. Sales are starting to soften a bit at my company, but we're introducing innovative new products in February that should increase sales. Worst case scenario, I believe I'd be keep on until at least May. In the meantime, we'll start socking away cash for added security. And of course, say our prayers.

November 2009 Income Statement

2009-12-02T15:36:00.001-08:00

November was a strong income month and reasonable spending month (click on spreadsheet below).

Our expenses totaled $8,434.66, but $2,925.74 of that was to pay off our auto loan. That brings us down to $5,508.92 in other expenses. Not to shabby when you consider we purchased Christmas gifts, took a road trip to see my family, and went over budget in our “Goceries” and “Household Items”.

The big boost in income in November came from a $4,872 ($2,255.97 net) quarterly bonus my wife received. In other good news, my company increased my salary another 2.1%. We also earned $75.00 in credit card cash back rewards and $0.63 in interest income from our online savings account.

December is here already and it’s an “extra” check month for me. Plus, we’ll be receiving $330 worth of reimbursements that my wife is due. Our expenses should be pretty normal, with the exception of a trip out of state planned at the end of December.

November Net Worth Update (+$9,438.27)

2009-11-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

This was our best net worth increase month ever. Our net worth in November increased $9,438.27 from last month, to a total of $63,650.18 (click on spreadsheet below). Our previous record increase was September 2007 with an increase of $8,496.14.

What Worked
We got a lot done this month. Thanks to my wife’s $4,872 ($2,255.97 net) quarterly bonus, we paid off our 6.5% auto loan! Now we have an extra $450 to save/invest each month. We also contributed a total of $4,257.22 to our retirement accounts (401k & Roth IRAs), a large portion of which was contributed to our Roth IRAs in an effort to reach the $5,000 max contribution by the end of the year. We saw our retirement accounts increase to a total of $6,178.11! On top of all of that, we socked away $500 into our savings account.

What Didn’t Work
Nothing, everything went WAY better than we expected.

Next Month
God willing, December should be another strong month. We’ll likely miss our $75,600 net worth goal for the year by a good margin, but we've made great headway, all things considered. I’ll be posting a review of our 2009 goals next month.

Retirement Accounts Just Passed $50,000

2009-11-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

As a follow on to my post yesterday regarding our increased retirement contributions, I checked our retirement account balances this morning and we just broke the $50,000 mark. I'll provide the specifics when I post our net worth spreadsheet at the end of the month, but it feels great to be making solid progress. In December 2008, our retirement accounts totaled $23,506.87, so it's doubled in less than 1 year.

Step Up Our Retirement Contributions in 2009

2009-11-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

We’ve done a good job of increasing our retirement account contributions this year. Thus far, we’ve contributed $3,802.39 to my 401(k) and $3,976.48 to my wife’s 401(k) and a total of $8,400 ($4,200 each) to our Roth IRA’s. That puts us at $16,178.87 in total contributions to our retirement accounts so far for the year.

By the end of the year, another $617.91 will be contributed to my 401(k) and another $1,040.63 to my wife’s 401(k). We hope to contribute another $800 to each of our Roth IRAs to fully fund them for the year. If we’re able to do that, we’d have a total retirement account contribution of $19,437.41 (roughly $1,620/month) for 2009. That’s a huge increase over our $12,111.56 retirement contributions in 2008 and our $12,330.19 retirement contributions in 2007. We’re feel very blessed to be able to sock this kind of money away for early retirement.

Car Paid Off

2009-11-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

Both my parents and my wife’s have paid off their auto loans early to save a ton on interest. Now we get to join the club. Thanks to my wife’s $4,872 ($2,255.97 net) quarterly bonus and our accelerated payments, we just paid off the 6.5% auto loan on our 2006 car. The loan was originally scheduled to be paid off April, 2012 and at the beginning of 2009 our balance was $15,586.49. It feels great to have this paid off early. We now have $450 a month to save and/or invest.

Net Worth Milestone - $60,000

2009-11-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

We passed the net worth milestone of $60,000!

My wife's quarterly bonus help us reach this new net worth milestone. We hit our last net worth milestone of $50,000 in August. We've been blessed to have a strong second half of 2009. Based on my estimates, we may hit a net worth of $70,000 in February.

Bonus Time!

2009-11-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

My wife received her quarterly bonus today. She was 5th in the region in sales and received a $4,872 ($2,255.97 net) bonus! In addition, she received a special Teamwork award.

$730.80 of the $4,872 was deposited into her 401(k). The $2,255.97 check will be spent as follows:
$487.20 to tithe
$1175.74 to our auto loan
$593.03 to savings

My wife is doing awesome in her job and, at this rate, our goal of early retirement is all the more possible.

Earning More SkyMiles

2009-11-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

Quick update:

I just returned from a business trip, and earned another 6,180 Delta SkyMiles. I now have 57,135 Delta SkyMiles.

October 2009 Income Statement

2009-11-04T15:31:00.001-08:00

Our income in October was a bit above average and we did an good job keeping our expenses down (click on spreadsheet below).

For the 3rd month in a row, my company increased my salary 1%. In addition to our paychecks, my wife received her $110 company reimbursements, I sold my old gym membership for $480, and we earned $85.89 in credit card cash back rewards. We also earned $0.95 in interest income from our online savings account.

If you pull out the extra $1,150 we paid to our auto loan, our total expenses were only $5,266.53. That includes being dinged with a $342.50 towed bill. I was out of town 2-1/2 weeks of the month, so my wife gets credit for keeping expenses down.

Next month brings more good news. My wife may receive her quarterly bonus (early) and my company will be increasing my pay again.

October Net Worth Update (+$675.72)

2009-10-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

Our net worth in October increased $675.72 from last month, to a total of $54,211.91(click on spreadsheet below).

What Worked

I received another 1% increase to my salary (3^rd time in 3 months). We paid an extra $1,150 to our auto loan, bringing the balance down to $2,907.26.

What Didn’t Work

We pulled $1,393.43 out of savings to pay our credit card bill for the balance of our Hawaii vacation in September. This was planned so it actually should fall under the “What Worked” category. We contributed a total of $1,497.03 to our retirement accounts (401k & Roth IRAs), but only them increase to a total of $367.45.

Next Month

God willing, November should be another net worth increase month. We plan to continue our accelerated payments on the auto loan and invest another $1,500 in our retirement accounts. I will have a large gym membership bill due next month, a portion of which may come out of our savings.