I would like to officially welcome my Net Worth to 2010. I have some ground rules for the NW for the remaining 11 months…GO UP!!!! It’s all about growth baby, not to be consfused with “growing babies” (baby ninja’s aren’t coming till 2050). Let’s see how I’ve done…
Checking Account(s): $1,877, -$2,483. My checking accounts (INGdirect and Chase) took a hit over the last month, but for good reason: I transferred a couple thousand dollars in to my online savings account. You’ll see that growth in the next category.
Savings Account: $21,065, +$3,340. I have officially broken $20,000 in my online savings and it feels good. If you are wondering why I haven’t just paid my student loan off it’s for a few reasons. 1) I’ve got a wedding pending and don’t know how much to plan for my wedding expenses (i.e. gifts, honeymoon, etc). 2) Girl Ninja and I have many unknowns ahead of us, and having extra cash on hand helps calm us mentally. 3) Because it’s my blog and I can do what I want 🙂
Roth IRA: $13,368 -$387. I don’t like it when the stock market goes down, but I guess it has to happen from time to time. Oh well, glad it was only a few hundred dollars of money I wont touch till I’m old anyways.
TSP (401K): $11,759, +$118. Five percent of each paycheck makes its way in to this account, which get’s fully matched. I invest in very similar funds in both my Roth IRA and 401K. I use to contribute 8%, but after some thought, I decided to reduce down to 5% this year.
Student Loan: -$16,003, +$190. Oh Sallie Mae, how much I loathe thee, yet I still keep you around. I find comfort knowing I could rid myself of you at any moment. Don’t get too comfortable, you won’t be sticking around that long.
That put’s me at a net worth of….drumroll please….. $30,234!!! I’m up $1,441 from last month, which means I have officially joined the $30,000 club (if such a club exists). I can’t wait for this month to be over, because I will be seeing a $12,000/yr raise coming my way in early March, it should work out to about $700 extra each month that will go straight towards increasing my NW. Thanks for poking in ya’ll and I’ll be seeing ya tomorrow!
If you have wondered why the blue bar (debt) in the graph sometimes increases, it’s because my credit card balance gets taken in to account each month. Even though I pay the balance in full it still appears as a “liability” in Quicken. I just deduct this from my checking account balance to give myself an accurate net worth reading. This is why my total increase, may not always necessarily match with the total of each category, but I promise the overall total is REAL. I choose not to include my car in my NW calculations, which would probably increase my worth by about $8K.
Congratulations Ninja. Your networth is definitely headed int he right direction. Keep up the good work!
Congrats! I think it's smart to keep the savings for the time being…lots of things that you may need extra money for.
"I don’t like it when the stock market goes down," writes Ninja. Nobody does. But may I suggest that this is nothing to worry about especially at your age. Stocks go up, stocks go down, but historically over the long haul they always have risen and always have proven the most successful vehicle for outpacing inflation. Just contribute regularly and otherwise let them alone. When you have a considerably larger balance and a real bear market starts, then it's time to *buy* stocks aggressively.
So you decided to stick with your current job? Good stuff!!
You are so lucky that your net worth went up this month! LOL. Maybe mine can copy yours for the next 11 months. OWW!
I noticed my stocks went down, too. 🙁
Congratulations for hitting the $30K club. Job well done! Like the nice savings account, too. So this sweet raise of yours…it is not due to obtaining the dream job is it??? 😉 BTW, ask my employer to give me a raise like that, but with less work. OK?
Ninja, Your NW chart doesn't seem to match the numbers.
Specifically, your student loan was -$16,193. You paid $190, which is 1.2% of the total. However, the amount your loans (blue bar) decreased from December to January appears to ber much greater than 1.2%. Maybe your software made a mistake…?
If you see the italicized writing at the end of the post, it explains why the blue bar may not neccessarily match with the numbers I post up. It's because Quicken takes my current credit card balance (which I pay in full every month) in to consideration. So depending on what my current balance is that month, the blue bar may increase or decrease disproportionately. My student loan is my only debt however.
Wow how lucky to expect a $12,000/yr raise in early March.
Good thing you're not expecting any "Lifestyle Creep" and have already earmarked your $700 extra each month into your NetWorth. Good job Ninja! Karate Kick. =) haaaaaaa
30K saved in one year? That's pretty damn awesome if you ask me 🙂