December 2013 Net Worth Review

I'm really late on the New Year's review!  I'm sorry but it's been a crazy few weeks with finishing grad school, turning 30!!, and starting a new job!!  Did I mention that was all in the same week!

Regardless, the review should have been done and there are no excuses - so let's review and I'll fill you in on the details later!!

Here's to the Numbers!!

Cash - $33,160 ($6,034) 
Investments - $125,580 ($3,830)
Home Value - $366,000 ($0)
Personal Assets - $48,399 ($0)
Less: Liabilities - $332,304 (-$3,441)

Assets -

Cash - We saw a crazy influx of cash during the month and the major contributor to that was a $5,000 bonus for starting my job, a $3,000 birthday gift from my parents and a $1,000 christmas gift.  The other question is where did it all go - well, we stepped up our graduate school loan payback and will do additional paybacks next month.  So, I'm very happy with our cash position, but will not maintain such a high balance.  

Investments - A good month for the market place.  This was almost solely due to the markets as I have not started my 401(k) at my new work yet, so our contributions were limited.  Little Guy got a nice boost in his college fund from his godfather though!!!

Personal Assets - 

No change here.  Just lazy.

Liabilities -

Mortgage - $292,010 -   Small gains but still loving the house!

Student Loans - $24,076 - We made a big payment in December and have another ready in January.  Our high-interest loans should be around $16k by the end of January.  I'm proud of that considering they were once at $32k!!

Acura Loan - $16,218   Nothing unusual here.  Lower on the priority list but still making monthly progress.  The loan is actually structured so that we don't have to make another payment until August since we've "prepaid" so much already.
  

Total Joint Net Worth - $240,835.  A beautiful 10.3% improvement in December.  I'm pumped how well we are doing and our ability to progress going forward.  I can't expect the market to continue its crazy upward trend, but the debt reduction will definitely continue.  I just have to remember the immortal words of Ferris Buellers - "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop to look around every once in a while, you might miss it."

November 2013 Net Worth Review

No time for chit-chat.  November (and Thanksgiving) was great.  The Prof and I have so much to be thankful for!  We love our little boy and have already got the Christmas decorations up and ready for the 1st Christmas with the Little Guy.

Here's to the Numbers!!

Cash - $27,126 ($1,334) 
Investments - $121,750 ($6,157)
Home Value - $336,000 ($0)
Personal Assets - $48,399 ($0)
Less: Liabilities - $335,745 (-$1,601)

Assets -

 

Cash - I love 3 paycheck months!  We were able to make larger than normal student loan and car payments this month while building cash!  

Investments - Great month for the markets.  Other than usual retirement building, these gains are solely attributable to the equity markets.  and I LOVE IT!!!  Keep it coming!

Personal Assets - 

No change here.  We'll check the car values next month and the home price will stay at sale value for some time.

Liabilities -

Mortgage - $292,391 -   This is going to be fun...Small gains here now and in the future.

Student Loans - $26,627 - Still making payments here and Prof and I have talked about eliminating the Grad School Debts in 2014 as priority #1.  Those loans are at 6.8% as opposed to my undergrad loans of 1.26%.

Acura Loan - $16,727   A larger than normal payment of $750 led to slightly higher gains here.
  

Total Joint Net Worth - $227,529.  A very nice 4.2% improvement in November.  We met our goal of $224k and appear poised for more!  Real excited for the future!

Mud on the Mountain was Great!  I finished in around 2 hours and 15 minutes.  It was definitely rough and I was not a fun of my injured thumb for the next two weeks.  I would definitely do another Mud Run in the future if I can find teammates to run it with me.  I enjoyed the thrill of the run, but would have liked to have run with others.

October 2013 Net Worth Review

Wow.  That just happened!  Somehow it's been two months since I did a review and the whole Coach World went crazy!  Here's a quick recap of the last two months:
1.  We bought and sold a house!  NBD!  We moved to USC two weeks ago after six intense weeks of negotiating, estimating, planning and waiting.  It was a long road, but we made it through unscathed.
2.  I completed a whole High School Football Season.  The Prof hasn't killed me for not being around 8 days out of the week.
3.  Our Baby Boy has grown like a weed!  He's almost 9 months old, 23 lbs and fun as heck.

Here's to the Numbers!!

Cash - $25,795 ($8,523) 
Investments - $115,593 ($1,302)
Home Value - $336,000 ($169,000)
Personal Assets - $48,399 ($-3,462)
Less: Liabilities - $337,346 ($160,229)

Assets -

Cash - Obviously, with the sale and close of houses, we saw significant cash movement the past two months.  The total cash received from the sale of our old house was $76,055.81 after all costs considered.  We paid $87,319.54 for our new house.  So, for the exchange of homes we paid $11,263.73 out of cash.  In October, we've also received $959.75 related to the closing reimbursements and insurance exchange (we changed insurance companies).  In Sept., we closed an investment for $5,534 - also being an increase to cash.

Investments -As noted above, we closed one investment for the home buying process.  Otherwise, the markets were able to grow and make up that outflow (I know I lose opportunity for growth).  We also received a nice 529 increase for our Baby Boy.

Personal Assets - 

Obviously, the value of our home went up significantly.  I'm using the sale price of the home vs. Zillow estimate because Zillow was very wrong on our house.  The car value went down more than expected, but I can't complain about that ever.

Liabilities -
Mortgage - $292,800 -   Well, the old number is gone and it has been replaced by a monster!  I'm not thrilled by this new value....not one bit.  However, (allow me to rationalize real quick) we got a deal on the home and our interest rate is still decent with no points or anything.

Student Loans - $27,102- We made good progress here.  After the close, I used some excess cash to double up one a payment.  Prof and I have made this a priority the next two years as we don't want multiple kids with these hanging around our necks.

Acura Loan - $17,438.  Same as above.  Going to get aggressive.
  

Total Joint Net Worth - $218,441.  I should wait two months all the time!  A $15k (or 7%) jump since August 2013.  Close to our year-end goal of $224k!  The whole process of buying/selling a home was a whirlwind and something that I do not want to do again!  My stress levels were through the roof!  Right now, its time to concentrate on my family, friends and career.

Before I do - I'm going to one last stupid thing before turning 30.  Mud On the Mountain at Seven Springs tomorrow!  7.5 mile run with 24 obstacles scattered throughout the mountain.  It will be muddy, it will be exhausting and the Prof will be right that I am stupid.  And I CAN'T WAIT.  I don't get to push myself athletically or physically too often (or ever) anymore.  Work piles up and my football days are long gone.  Before I turn 30 and the best (physically) days are behind me - I figured I would this challenge.  Nervous but exciting.

July 2013 Net Worth Review

I'm still working out the kinks in the system, but I think we are all ready for a little look-back into the month that was!!! July was crazy. We completed our central air installation and wrote a few hefty checks. In addition, our property tax bills came due and some money went out the door. Lastly, my Speed Hustle was not as fruitful as I had hoped due to vacations and cancellations. All is not lost though - Little Guy continues to be amazing!!!

Here's to the Numbers!!

Cash - $17,272 $(4,323) ($0)
Investments - 114,291 (5,850)
Home Value - $197,000 ($0)
Personal Assets - $51,861 ($0)
Less: Liabilities - $177,117 ($1,331)

Assets -

Cash - Most of that decrease is for paying the last portion of Central Air. Otherwise, we actually saw an increase of cash of $500. That's not ideal considering we should see an increase of $1,500 to $2,000 based upon Prof salary, but I'll take increases.

Investments -Nicely done markets! No contributions other than retirement 401k and 403b, so I'm very happy to see the market doing work!
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Personal Assets - 

No change to house or assets. Still looking for the next house, but until we actually sell it, I'm going to let the valuation stay where it is. Also, I need to update the car values, but I got lazy, sue me.div>

Liabilities -
Mortgage - $129,603 -   Ho-hum. Just paying it down and earnign more back when we sell.

Student Loans - $28,402- Depressing to think I paid $96 in interest in July. That motivates me to stay the course and try to get rid of these darn graduate student loans FAST.

Acura Loan - $18,970.  Another $1k milestone achieved. Celebrate a little.
  

Total Joint Net Worth - $203,307.  A small $2,858 increase is awesome considering all these extraneous things that we did in July. Obviously, the markets have a profound impact on our overall movement, but every little payment helps and I love it. It's definitely been tough the past few weeks staying the course while also dreaming of what it will be like when there are no more payments. I'm tired of the rat race or feeling like I'm running up a mountain; I want freedom..

Summer Rants

New mid-month blog post everyone!  I'm going to try and new bulleted-style and see how I like it.  Here goes nothing! 

• We have Central AIR!!  (Hallelujah!) and just in time.  They finished the implementation of the system and two days later a crazy heat/humidity wave hit the area!  Although it was brutal outside, we were nice a cozy at 75 degrees inside!  I can't believe we waited three years for this
• However, no housing project on a 95 year home go smoothly.  Although the AC system is in place and working - our electrician informed us that that our electrical panel would need to be upgraded (for $1500) and that our old Knob-and-Tube wiring would need to be removed (at $2,000, but up to $10,000 if we were crazy).  Just what I want to hear after shelling out $8k.
• The Pirates are 19 games over .500 and right on the heels of the Cardinals for the division lead.  I remain skeptical that the current roster can play .600 baseball over 162 games, but I am loving the ride and hoping for the best every night.  My skepticism comes from years of let downs and the fact that the line-up has glaring holes (RF & 1B)
• Friday morning was like every other morning.  I woke up and spent some time with the Boy.  I got dressed for work and prepared to let our dog out so she could do her business.  Then, I noticed - The Water!!   The cold water hose to the washing machine had frayed and water was spraying all over my kitchen.  By spraying, I mean visiously dispensing water and soaking everything in its path - including the garage below it.  I felt like I was in a mad Three Stooges episode as I tried to turn the water off while getting hosed in the face!
• $15 for new hoses (steel this time) and unknown damage to the garage ceiling await. 
• The Summer Semester is coming to a close.  I have a final tonight and tomorrow and then I get 4 weeks off.  Only one semester remains until I consider myself a Master of Business Administration!  Not too shabby!!!  It's been a grind, but I've definitely enjoyed the experience and am happy I did it.  However, I am looking forward to bigger and better.
• When it rains, it pours.  Or leaks.  As in, my basement lets in water EVERY time it rains.  It comes from the cracks in the walls.  It comes from the floor!  (Have I mentioned I hate old homes)  I'm not sure how or why this problem has arisen all the sudden - but it could be an easy fix (waterproof the walls) or ugly fix (dig up foundation). 
• Have I mentioned how miserable homeownership can be?
• I'm signed up for Mud on the Mountain in November!  A 7.7 mile run with 26 obstacles in between.  What could be more exciting! It's going to be tough but I'm happy with the training workouts and the change of pace that it has provided.  Bench press was getting boring.
• My Referee Side Hustle is starting up.  I'm having meetings with my crew and already have 9 games lined up for the season.  I'm real excited to be working Friday nights this year!  It should be enjoyable and exciting venture this fall!

June 2013 Net Worth Review

This is very late.  We were on vacation in Hilton Head Island, SC over the first week of July and I was having connection issues at the office this past week.  So, I apologize for the tardy post, but the NW Review is here!!  Lots to discuss!!

 

Here's to the Numbers!!

Cash - $21,595 ($906)

Investments - $108,441 (-$5,838)
Home Value - $197,000 ($0)
Personal Assets - $51,861 ($0)
Less: Liabilities - $178,448 ($1,323)

Assets -

Cash - This is a little misleading.  The cash is inflated as the work done on the house was not completed yet and the money to pay the contractor sits in my checking account.  Also, our credit card bills have been higher than normal this summer - which I'm hopeful is just the Summer Blues!

Investments - The big change here is that traded $4,700 from our savings account in order to pay for home repairs.  What home repairs you ask?  CENTRAL AIR!  That's right.  Our home is now fully equipped with central air and the greatness and cool-ness that it provides.  Yes, it forced us to tap into our savings a little bit, but it cemented the return that we will be able to get when we sell it.

Also, June was a very up and down month in the market.  Just more worry that BBB (Big Bad Bernanke) will stop printing money and everything will slow down.  I'm not concerned.

Personal Assets - 

No change posted here.  We had a second realtor come through the house and confirm the $225k valuation.  However, for consistency, I'd rather keep the home value as is and just reap the rewards when we sell it.

Liabilities -
Mortgage - $129,985 - Below $130k!  Celebrate a little.

Student Loans - $28,771- A boring month compared to May.  I did get the Fed to recognize that I am a Part-Time Student again, which means that I won't be making payments on my 1.51% loans anymore, but I will snowball that payment into my 6.8% grad loan (the unsubsidized one).

Acura Loan - $19,474.  Boring...
  

Total Joint Net Worth - $200,449.  So our overall NW fell this past month, but in actuality, it rose.  Confusing, I know.  The summer spending has me a little worried, if only because Cash is a premium this month as several large bills (Real Estate Taxes and Fall Tuition) have come due.  They are all planned for, but it still creates a large hole in our savings account that will need to be replenished.

I'm still happy with the debt repayment schedule.  As much as I would like to cash in Life Insurance policies and deduct a big chunk, I'm more comfortable waiting until the house situation is resolved.  It's boring in the midst of the process, but necessary to be able to break through.  Stay the course.

May 2013 Net Worth Review

Wow....what a month!  Here's a quick review:

1.  The Professor went back to work.  Still not sure she will stick with teaching full-time but we both enjoyed getting back on a schedule and making some extra income this month.

2.  Logan went to his first full month of Day Care.  His "teachers", Elaine and Heather are very nice and his "friends" Henry, Nathan, Iyla, and Corinne make Logan a very happy boy and also very tired.

3.  We continued the house search.  We even almost put an offer on one.  The markets are kind of out of control and finding that "forever" home has been a challenge.  For the money, we want to get a "fixer-upper" but it's hard because there aren't that many houses with space in our price range.

4.  I decided to put my Graduate studies into over-drive.  By taking an extra class in June and one in the Fall, I will be eligible to graduate in December!!  I'm really excited to close out this chapter as it has been a major stressload and it is tough being away with the little guy! 

5.  The Pirates went 18-7 in May!  They are one of the best teams in baseball and continue to be a joy to watch!! Hopefully it can continue!!!

 

Here's to the Numbers!!

Cash - $20,689 ($2,589)

Investments - $114,279 (+$2,587)
Home Value - $197,000 ($0)
Personal Assets - $51,861 ($-251)
Less: Liabilities - $179,771 ($-1,221)

Assets -

Cash - We received three additional paychecks this month thanks to The Prof returning back to work!  Also, I reviewed the CSV on our Life Insurance policies and saw some incremental increases!  All in all, it was a good month although we had some larger expenses last month that needed to paid off and I made some extra payments on student loans (one interest only).

 

Investments - The markets were even for May.  Although we had some growth early, the markets fell during the last week as concerns about Bernanke's fiscal policy!  We continued to invest in our retirement accounts and saw growth within various accounts.  Slow and Steady wins the race in this game.

Personal Assets - 

No change here.  We are continuing to search for a new house, but no reason to alter the current valuation.  Also, basic depreciation holds steady for our cars.

 

Liabilities -
Mortgage - $130,354 - Another mortgage payment.....
Student Loans - $29,171- Lots of action, lot of action!!  First, we paid off a Student Loan!  One of our 6.8% graduate loans is paid down!  Boom!  Then, I made payments on the other graduate loans.  So, some payments had no interest attached and one $500 payment was interest only!  I guess that's what I get for waiting to make a payment.  Still on track to pay down all loans by July 2015!

Acura Loan - $19,978.  Below $20,000!!!!  Just another payment....

  

Total Joint Net Worth - $204,508!!  We crossed the $200k threshold!!! I'm so excited that I could do a little jig!!!!