At the end of June, my net worth went up by about 1.5%, to end at $279,023.00 which is an increase of over $4,100 from last month. The stock market was relatively flat this month and no major financial changes occurred.
Looking ahead to the end of July, I anticipate a decrease in net worth due to a major home improvement expense of $9,100, which will be paid for with cash.
See the Net Worth Tracker page.
At the end of May, my net worth went up by about 1.6%, to end at $274,914.81. Cash is starting to come down, which is a trend that will continue for the remainder of 2017 since I continue to put a significant amount of money towards investments. This will get me closer to having enough cash to cover an 8 month emergency fund, as opposed to a year’s worth which is what it’s at now.
Overall, while my net worth wasn’t a huge increase over the previous month due to a relatively flat stock market, it’s still in positive territory.
See the Net Worth Tracker page.
The current status of the goals are on the menu, or by clicking here. The goals are:
Invest at least 40% of net income (excl. 401k).
This goal help ensure that as income increases, a proportionate amount of money is put into my investment accounts. This is better than a fixed amount because it helps me stay diligent about investing income as it’s earned, as opposed to concentrating on a fixed amount. In addition, it provides flexibility to still meet a goal if income drops for any reason.
Contribute Federal Maximum into Roth IRA.
This is a carry-over goal from 2016, but makes sure I invest the maximum allowed to a Roth IRA ($5,500).
End the year with average 8 months expenses.
Since having an emergency fund remains important, and to help prevent me from “cheating” to meet the other goals at the cost of draining the bank accounts, this goal makes sure that I always maintain an emergency fund based upon actual expenses. Note that I have a number of exclusions because should income stop, there’s no way I’ll be spending in those categories, and thus should not count as a “normal” expense.
Stretch Goal – Invest at least 45% of net income (excl. 401k).
This is a stretch goal because the 45% of net income is difficult to attain. I want to eventually try to invest a minimum of 50% net income, so having stretch goals helps me get that target.
Stretch Goal – End the year with average 12 months expenses in bank accounts.
While some would argue that having 12 months in an emergency fund is crazy, I don’t think that’s true. While I would not care to have more than that amount in cash since it’s not making me any money, it sure comes in handy in case of a sudden job loss and cushion against unexpected expenses.
My Budget World 