Yup, it looks like our Net Worth just floats along now with “the market”. Which is totally fine with me at this point – it just means our stuff is finally on autopilot and all we have to do is keep doing our thing!
Now that we’ve got our budget down pat and a great system in place, the only thing that will really change these numbers around (besides the market) are random life events.
So GREAT for us, BORING for you – I’m sorry :( But ya never know, life can surely be crazy sometimes! Or even better, the housing market AND the stock market can go berzerk and start pumping up all these numers, eh?! HAH. Regardless, I shall continue posting up the numbers every month for you voyeurs out there ;) That, and so I can hold myself accountable and all too. Plus it’s always cool looking back a year earlier and comparing all the differences…ooooh, good idea (why thank you)!!! Yes, I shall jot down that little ditty for a future post. Good work, self. Now onto the stats!
Here’s how March’s Net Worth breaks down:
CASH SAVINGS (+$203): Not bad, not bad. Nothing too big happened this month, so we were able to sock away a little with some pretty good ease. Not as sexy as last month’s $13k discovery, but more money is more money right?
EMERGENCY FUND ($0): Our $10k is still sleeping away nicely in our Money Market account (it’s mixed in with other funds so I can’t determine exacty how much interest is accruing, but it is I promise) In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever blogged much about investing in general…I should change that.
ROTH IRAs (+$254): Score! My Roth finally helps this department! I’ve got a good $3k in a target mutual fund, and the Mrs. has hers in 6 month CDs. So whenever that market smiles nice and wide, I get to smile as well :)
401(k)s (+$2,855): Double Whammy, baby! Again, our biggest increases this month is due to “the market”. So whenever it goes up, the biggest part of our Net Worth goes up – my 401k! aww yeahhh….and, that’s without adding in a few deposits too. I can only image how excited I’ll be when I see those bad boys hit.
SAVINGS BONDS (+$0.40): A new month, a new 50 cent piece. Haven’t added anything here for almost a year now, but you can check out the breakdown of them all here.
AUTOS WORTH (kbb) (-$25): Now THIS makes more sense. Last month we had a weird increase of like $400 bucks w/ no explanation at all except that i probably f’d up somewhere.
* Pimpin’ a$$ caddy –> $3,595. Holding this value for at least 7 months now!
* Toyota Gas-Sipper –> $10,985. Down a minor $25 buckaroos, gotta love that.
HOME VALUE (Realtor) ($0): This will remain @ $300k (the price our realtor set it at) until I get more word from him in a few months. He has a fantastic eye in our particular neighborhood, and has been selling (and even lived at one point) in this area for 20+ years. Just for $hits and giggles i checked out Zillow.com and it says our place is now at $345k. hmmm…i love me som Zillow, but I have to give it a WTF on this round – there’s no way in hell I could get even close to this right now (although it would be nice).
I also check out Redfin.com after a recommendation from a fellow Budgetsaresexy reader, and $300k is starting to look a bit more accurate there as well. Redfin gives you 3 estimates from other sites (Zillow, Epraisal, and Cyber Homes) and our place ranged from $260k to $345k, so for now I still feel good about our valuation – even though that higher one IS from Zillow…
CREDIT CARD (car loans) ($0): ZEROOO!!!! Yup, the last time it was at zero was back in August when we paid off all 3 store credit cards. This newer (and now cleared away) debt was really just an “auto loan” that I happened to charge on my credit card – dropping a 5.5% interest rate down to around 3%. I don’t recommend this for everyone, but it can def. work well for those smaller loans if you have no outstanding debt.
MORTGAGES (+$9.61): This is just due to random timing of me checking the accounts – we didn’t pay anything extra against any of our mortgages this month. Our 1st is still @ $288,000 (30 year fixed, interest-only @ 6.875%), and our 2nd Mortgage @ around $62,800 (maxed out HELOC w/ 2.8% interest). I’m planning on throwing a $100 or two against it though starting this month.
That wraps it up for Amazing March. How did you all do? Hopefully just as nice considering the markets were full of life this month. But maybe you beat me by a mile?! That would be awesome. And if so, don’t forget about your boy over here and whisper me the secrets. ‘Till next month, J. Moneyyyyyyyyy Out! (yes, American Idol is playing in the background)
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*The sweet & sexy side bars have been updated.
*My budget has been updated too.
*And here are all the Net Worth Updates.
PS: If you’re just getting started in your journey, here are a few good resources to help track your money. Doesn’t matter which route you go, just that it ends up sticking!
- The "Budget/Net Worth" spreadsheet - the colorful Excel template I personally use.
- The "Money Snapshot" spreadsheet - a simple Excel template I created for my former $$$ clients
If you're not a spreadsheet guy like me and prefer something more automated (which is fine, whatever gets you to take action!), you can try your hand with a free Empower account instead (formerly Personal Capital)
Empower is a cool tool that connects with your bank & investment accounts to give you an automated way to track your net worth. You'll get a crystal clear picture of how your spending and investments affect your financial goals (early retirement?), and it's super easy to use.
It only takes a couple minutes to set up and you can grab your free account here. They also do a lot of other cool stuff as well which my early retired friend Justin covers in our full review of Empower - check it out here: Why I Use Empower Almost Every Single Day.
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