February Net Worth Review

I'd like to introduce RLS!!!!

 

Isn't he the cutest thing EVER!!  It's amazing how awesome he is!  I feel so lucky to have him and my wife in my life!

 

That being said - I should probably get down to the reason we are all here - the February Net Worth Review!!!  (crowd goes wild)

 

February was an interesting month.  Obviously, we have our son, which led to some changes within our financial spectrum.  First, the Professor went on Maternity leave.  So, she received pay for the first 4 days she worked this month and one disability benefit payment.  Also, we are hermits now.  RLS isn't vaccinated, so that means we are spending our nights at home just enjoying him.  It's awesome - plus, everyone (mostly grandparents) have been super kind and made some very delicious dinners for us to enjoy.  Lastly, I filed our Federal Income Tax Return for a refund of $1,447!!  It's less than last year, but still a nice pay back (See post from last year on getting a refund!)

For the breakdown:

Cash - $21,341 ($11,755)

Investments - $103,831 (+$893)
Home Value - $197,000 ($0)
Personal Assets - $50,823 ($0)
Less: Liabilities - $184,654 ($-1,290)


Assets -

Cash - I thought we changed this to avoid these crazy swings!!  We did.  However, we received a Life Insurance policy from grandpa Prof that has a cash surrender value of $11,918!  So, we had to add that to the breakdown - which encompassed the entire gain in February.  Otherwise, things were pretty good considering Prof didn't get her usual pay this month.  Plus, our balances actually grew, but we're putting most of the money aside for tuition.

Investments - It was actually a very wild month for the markets.  The Sequester begins March 1, and everyone is afraid of the impact it will have on the economy.  Therefore, the markets were constantly in a state of flux based upon latest governmental headline.  We are still investing in retirement and saving for the next house - but I'm keeping that money more liquid right now until uncertainty eases.

Personal Assets - No changes here.  Mostly because I haven't had the time to review the car values.  I feel like every other month is adequate time period to jot down depreciation - especially since we probably only put 100 miles on the car this entire month!  On the other hand, we did have a realtor come through our house to get an idea of the market and what our house would sell for.  She gave us a listing price of $225k with idea that it sell for $215k.  I'm not boosting our value herein though.  I believe her, but just don't want to get false sense of security yet.

Liabilities -
Mortgage - $131,491 - Another mortgage payment.....
Student Loans - $31,052 - Another modest decrease here - although we had a lot noise from these accounts.  Since I'm only taking 3 credits this semester with the baby - my loans went into repayment/grace mode based upon losing my half-time status.   Not that big a deal since I'll gain the status back in Summer - but it does mean I had to pay $69 toward undergrad loans now.  Actually, it turns out my payments based upon loans now would be $394 - just a tad more than I'm paying now.  I still plan on making my payments and using excess cash to reduce high interest loans, but I was glad to hear the payment terms aren't outrageous.

Acura Loan - $21,693.  Another payment.  I'll probably make larger payments on this as well.  No benefit from this guy (unlike tax benefit from student loan interest).

Total Joint Net Worth - $188,341

Not too shabby!  This gain was mostly due to CSV on Life Policy, but we still had modest gains in February elsewhere.  Also, RLS's Savings account is not included within this calculation - which is awesome to see the little guy making money!!!