Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Happy 2013!!!

Happy New Year Everyone! I am excited about what’s to come! 2012 was a better year than 2011 and I have super high hopes for 2013!

For 2012, my net worth improved $9,787 and I landed a new job at the bank that increased by salary from $82k to $100k. I am so thankful! I had just a $283 improvement in my net worth for 2011. So I am still in the negative at ($172,924) but I am going in the right direction. The law degree is finally starting to pay off. =)

The latter part of 2012 was challenging. I had two surgeries, car repairs and plumbing issues. I am still dealing with the plumbing issues in my condo. I have a major pipe leak and it’s likely they will have to go into the walls or the foundation to fix it. More to come but the result has been a three week ordeal and I’ve already incurred over $1,000 in expenses including a $700 water bill. Wowza!

So my February bonus which will be about $9,500 after taxes will primarily go to pay off $6,000 in medical bills, the car repairs and the water expenses incurred to date. Thank God for the annual bonus! I also received $10k in stock options but those don’t vest for a few years.

I am working on the budget for 2013 and I really want to get back to contributing to my company 401k. The company matches contributions 100% up to 5% of my salary so I am just passing up on free money. I just turned 35 last month so I know I need to get focused on my future.

I’ve struggled over the years with the “slow and steady wins the race” approach so I am going to really try to make an effort this year to work towards several goals including retirement, short-term savings and debt reduction. I am also considering going back to a financial advisor to really help me get a handle on my finances to assist me with trying to reach all of my goals.

Even if I don’t post anything here at the blog, I do update my networthiq account monthly. All you have to do is click on the graph in the upper right corner of the blog and that link will take you to my profile. There, you can check my progress from month to month. Thanks and wishing you a very abundant 2013!!!