Wow, it seems like September really flew by. Maybe that's because I spent half of it in bed in a flu-like haze. One day my son will learn that his hand is not a good substitute for a tissue. Until then, I will suffer.
Some good news on the homefront though. We found a wonderful, bright, cheap office nearby for my wife to rent to start her private psychology practice. In the last few days we've put the finishing touches on her website, picked out business cards, and bought furniture to fill the office. It's fun, exciting, and a lot of sunk costs. But, as we all know those sunk costs are irrelevant! So, we'll just focus on the exciting and fun part and know that this a great investment for the long-term. The idea (because it's still just an idea) of going back to a dual income household for the first time since 2004 is just full of possibilities and will likely be key in shaping the family goals for next year.
For my job, there is little to report. The acquisition of my company is moving along as expected, and currently there's no sign of layoffs so I'll just sit back and keep my fingers crossed. Haha! And by that I mean get out there and keep networking my ass off! I've met a lot of cool people over the past month by dragging myself to networking and other events.
Considering we've spent about $1,500 on the private practice and the markets have been BRUTAL, I'm not too surprised to see that my net worth has fallen 4% over the past month. A do nothing Congress still doing nothing and high uncertainty abroad continue to take a toll, but I will just keep riding it out, dollar cost averaging through my 401k.
On the asset side, every account fell in value, especially those tied to the stock markets. Savings fell too, but that's more about paying off a large amount of business expenses for which I was fully reimbursed.
Liabilities have reduced in large part due to the credit card payoff and of course from paying extra on my student loans and mortgage. The guaranteed returns I've been getting by doing this feel pretty good compared to what I would've gotten had I put that extra money in the stock market. It's always good to diversify your investing. Hopefully, that way you always have at least one area you can be feeling good about.
Net Worth October 2011
| ASSETS | This Yr. | vs. Last Mth. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | ||||
| My Home (Zillow) | $377,700 | -1% | 0% | |
| Savings | ||||
| All Accounts | $37,318 | 0% | -7% | |
| Retirement | ||||
| All Accounts | $203,401 | 1% | -7% | |
| Investments | ||||
| 529 Plan | $11,019 | 16% | -7% | |
| Brokerage | $4,569 | -8% | -5% | |
| Total Assets | $634,007 | 0% | -3% | |
| LIABILITIES | ||||
| Credit Cards* | ||||
| All Accounts | $7,828 | |||
| Student Loans | ||||
| All Accounts (1.5% and 2.5%) | $63,837 | -9% | -1% | |
| Mortgage Loans | ||||
| My Home (4.3875%; 30 yr fixed) | $296,753 | -2% | 0% | |
| Total Liabilities | $368,418 | -2% | 0% | |
| NET WORTH | $265,589 | 4.8% | -3.8% |
* Credit cards paid in full every month every time.