Net Worth Review: September 2009
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Well, here it is in all it's glory – our monthly numbers.
It's quite odd to see the numbers up. I'm not sure how thorough I should be explaining the categories, but I'll keep it as simple as I can.
Cash Savings and Emergency Funds
This category includes our checking and savings accounts. ING Direct may not have the highest rates of savings right now, but they have better than average interest rates and solid customer service.
We also enjoy these features from the bank:
- No fees – your money goes to work for you.
- No changing banks – the Orange Savings Account is linked directly to your checking account.
- 24-hour access to your account – you’re always ready for opportunities.
- FDIC-insured – your money is safe and secure.
Retirement Accounts
My husband has continued his contribution to get his company's match.
I've lowered my contributions to my Roth IRA and I'm directing money towards the joint savings account for the bigger emergency fund. Once we get the house, I'll contribute more again.
I just finished reading yesterday, My Money Blog's review of the recent preformance of the market.
If you haven’t noticed already through your portfolio statements – the stock markets are doing well in 2009.
The broad US stock market and the broad developed international markets are up 22% and 29%, respectively.
Some funds are doing especially well, such as the Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund (VEIEX) which is up +62.6% year-to-date.
After reviewing the tips from him and Vanguard, we are seriously looking at rebalancing our accounts this month.
Auto Property
In case you're wondering how I got the numbers, I've got the prices from Kelly Blue Book.
We no longer have car loans, so they are an asset. Every quarter I'll update them to account for depreciation.
Student Loans
These are my student loans and it's slowly being paid down. Not much to report, but I'm planning on consolidating the loans to lowering the interest rates.
Credit Cards
We pay off the balance on the card every month. I have a monthly subscription taken out on my card to keep it active.
We use the credit card for vacation and then pay it off when we come home.
Net Worth Thoughts
So we're in the positive with our net worth, which is great, considering we had just finished our car loan earlier this year.
I'm hoping we can get up to $10k in net worth by the end of the year. How about you? How have you've been doing with your finances this year?
