2017 Mid-Year Review...

Thanks to the person who left a comment about an update! So sorry I've been MIA. Our department at the office is short staffed due to turnover since March so I've been pulling double duty. Bad news is  that I'm super burned out. Good news is my hard work was recognized and I received a rare mid-year salary bump from $122k to $134k which was Huge! The increase brings me a bit more in line with market, although I'm still below market salary for my position. I also got invited to participate in a Sponsorship Program for people identified for Leadership Potential and Roles. It's a year long program so there could be more great opportunities on the horizon.

CJ and I are still going strong. 3 years in July when he first reached out to me. He's still in OH but is making his way to Chicago. I work a week there remotely every other month or once a month; it depends on what I have going on and the timing. Lately I've been preoccupied with my nephew's baseball season. ⚾️⚾️⚾️

My tenants want to stay another year and may want to buy the condo. It's a woman, her daughter and her parents living there now. Her parents were looking to downsize and sold their home faster than anticipated so they rented with her for a year. Worked out well since she was just wrapping up an unfortunate divorce from the prior tenant. Rent has always been paid on time and they're totally low maintenance. It's been a blessing.

Financially, I fell off a bit over the last couple months with being so busy and unfocused but I'm back in line. When I say I fell off, I overspent. But stayed on target and in line with my debt goals. My savings did take a hit. The raise and year end increase basically covers most of the car payment I picked up last year. Nice!

Thanks for reading my update! Below is snapshot of year to date and my net worth since I started tracking. I did go back and restate historic figures to add in my pension. The Bank stopped our pension plan this year in lieu of a 2% contribution to our 401k. So right now, I contribute 6% and the Bank contributes 7%. Not bad. I plan to increase my percentage contribution at year end to max out next year. Finally! 👍🏾

Sorry for any crazy formatting! I'm blogging from my phone on the train!

2016 Year End Review & Debt Repayment Journey...

Whew!!! 2016 was a long year but a good year! =)

2017 Bank Performance:

I had another successful year working at the Bank. I am now in year 17 and the time continues to fly by. I earned a Distinguished Performance Rating again which came with a 3% raise, a new $122k/annual salary, and $15k in Bank stock that vests in 3 years. It was a ton of work, extra projects, long hours and working weekends.

2016 gave me some perspective with my annual performance review. I am no longer going bust my butt for $3k in annual increases and $5k/year in stock (that doesn't pay out for 3-years). The reward doesn't match the effort. From now on, I will be content with a Solid/Satisfactory Rating which should still garner me eligible for a cost of living/merit increase since my salary still falls below the midpoint for my job grade. In essence, I am underpaid for my position so there is quite a bit of room for the Bank to make up anyway without me going above and beyond.

Hopefully, I can use the extra free time to do some legal pro bono work or paid legal work. I did some legal work in 2016 and it made me want to do more.

Net Worth



My Net Worth has improved drastically since moving home with my parents -- about 2 1/2 years ago. I am most proud that I stayed patient and didn't do my usual "all or nothing" in regards to either saving or paying down debt and ending up with...Nothing! And ending up sad. Instead, I've been attacking on both fronts, savings and paying down debt. I am also enjoying myself a little along the way.

The big change this year was the new car purchase. My 14-year old car died in July and this was the replacement. I plan to drive this one also until the wheels fall off. I love it!

I did a ton of traveling this year. My boyfriend CJ works in Sales is OH so my job is more flexible than his in terms of work location. So, I traveled quite a bit to OH in 2016, working out an arrangement at work where I can work remotely for a week at a time. I also took a solo trip to Cancun, Mexico in July by myself, and traveled to DC and NY to celebrate 40th Birthday's with friends. My 40th is coming up this December! Wowza!

The Plan

CJ is planning to move to Chicago this year. We are going to move back to the condo for a few years and then look to buy a house and/or relocate again to Maryand/DC area where his family lives. The majority of my debt will be paid off in three years, by December 2020. So, I am feeling a lot more flexible about moving and starting fresh somewhere else for a change. I never would have gotten to that place mentally were it not for the time I've been able to spend with my parents, living with them, having the quality time and being able to reduce my debt load.

2017 Debt Repayment

I was able to pay off a Grand Total of $32,797 in debt for 2017! That compares favorably to 2015 when I was able to pay off $34,556, but traveled less. It was a good year. I changed up my debt repayment strategy just a bit and paid off a Federal Loan vs. a Private Loan at year end. The Federal Loan carried a large $365/month payment and a higher interest rate. With the addition of the new car loan, repayment of this loan in particular along with my 3% increase, virtually made up a large portion of the car payment in the budget to even it out again for 2017. I am back to focusing on getting those private loans extinguished!

Debt Repayment Journey





I broke into the six figure salary range with an almost $20k increase in April 2012. That was really when I was able to stop living paycheck to paycheck and start paying down the debt. Tracking back to January 2013, I have been able to pay off almost $86k in debt with $67k of that progress happening in the last two years. This move home quite literally saved my life. The stress of debt is more than I can express here on a blog!

The plan for 2017 is to pay off both Private Loan #5 and Private Loan #6!

Net Worth

At the peak of my debt, my net worth stood at negative ($203k) in December 2009. At year-end 2016, it was almost breakeven! Today as I write, I have a positive net worth! I am so excited and proud! I am so THANKFUL to my parents! They did not have money to help me but they have a loving home and big hearts and they welcomed me into their home and they encourage me every single day! I am immensely blessed!

Thank you so much for reading and for hanging in there with me! 2017 is going to be AMAZING!!! Just watch and see!!!

November 2016...

October 2016...

September 2016...

September was a decent month. My net worth improved by almost $3M.



I have been able to pay off $14K year to date. I plan to have Private Loan #4 paid off by the end of November and Private Loan #5 by end of year with my annual bonus.

Shout out and Thanks to Dreamchaser for reading my blog and for leaving a comment. I am putting together another post that will give some detail on the debt journey since graduating from law school. =)

Daily Dollar App...

Found this cute app over the weekend called Spend Today and it's based on the daily dollar method. You get a certain amount of money for the month divided into days. If you spend less than the daily allotment, you have more to spend the next day, week, etc. If you overspend, then you're borrowing from the next day, week, etc. This was my warning message from yesterday evening. Needless to say, it persuaded me from spending any money today which wasn't too hard since I work from home on Mondays. 😂 Looks like I may be on leftovers for the week too! 😂

August 2016...

My Net Worth bounced back in August after the car purchase!

My 401k broke the six figure mark for the first time! Yeah! Progress! I continue to contribute 5% to my 401k for the company match. The Bank suspended our pension plan this year and will start to contribute an additional 2% to our 401k for a total of 7%. I enrolled in the 401k program that will automatically increase my personal contribution rate by 1% annually. So next year, I will contribute 6% and the company will contribute 7% for a total of 13% or approximately $16k annually in contributions.

I am still very focused. I also contribute 15% to the Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP) where I am able to buy company stock at a 15% discount. By the end of the year, Private Loan #4 and Private Loan #5 will be paid off and my goal is to have at least $30k in savings. What I report below is the stock value at cost but the market value will be close to $29k by the end of September with another quarter left in the year.

I am on track! Things are still up in the air on where I will be living next year. Will I move back to the condo,stay here with my parents or move to Ohio or even Maryland?!?! CJ just took on a sales position in OH and he is doing really well. I am also doing well in Chicago but there is so much violence happening in Chicago that I am more open than ever to relocating. So, we still have to figure out how to get to the same city. I am more flexible and have the ability to work remotely and a boss that is supportive. So, we'll see.

My tenant signed on for another year so I am good to go until August/September of next year. I am so thankful for a good tenant!

July 2016....

July was a really good but busy month. It started out with a solo trip to Mexico and followed immediately with a new car purchase. A few days after I returned from Cancun, my 14-year old car essentially said ENOUGH! I knew it was only a matter of time and I am thankful for the years my car rolled with me! Literally!

July was a decent month. The biggest change was in my Net Worth with the new car purchase. The value of the car drops immediately when you drive off the lot. I love my new car and it has already taken me to Ohio once for my family reunion and to visit CJ. I will be riding back to Ohio to work there for a week again in September. The increase in liabilities was partially offset by gains in my retirement account.

Overall, not a bad month. I am working to adjust the budget to account for the new car payment. I wanted to get the car now and get acclimated to the payment vs. moving back into my condo next year and taking back on the housing payments and new car payment at the same time. It all worked out from a timing perspective.

My Goal is still to pay off a minimum of $30k in debt this year and to pay off Private Loan #4 and Private Loan #5!

June 2016....

June was a good month. I snowballed $2,400 for May and June and my net worth improved slightly.

So Much Change...

Y'all it's been world wind of a few weeks. I took my second solo vacation out of the county to Rivera Maya Cancun earlier this month. CJ couldn't get away from work and I needed to get away. Loved it!!! I am completely sun-kissed! 😘 I stayed at Secrets Playa Mujeres which was all-adult resort and completely amaze-balls!!! Good food, sun and beach! Love!!! ☀️☀️☀️

Less than a week after returning from vacation, I had to finally say Goodbye to my car of 14 years...The Green Machine!!! It served me well considering it had major rust corrosion and was welded together in so many places. This car's engine and transmission were still going strong but things kept breaking off underneath and I needed a set of new tires before Winter. With one more year at home, I decided it was time to get another vehicle that I can ride for another 14 years!!! LOL I'm happy and I was more than ready! My new car is a Nissan Murano SUV and I love it! It's sporty and fun, just like me! 👍🏾

I got my first real haircut too!!! It's super fly! Lots and lots of curly layers!!! I'm so happy and I didn't need to fly to LA or NYC to get a deva cut! I found a salon specializing in curly hair on the North Side of Chicago! Thank goodness for Instagram!!! My Sis found the salon and stylist for me!!! 

I'll definitely have to change up the budget to fit in the new car note but I have a year to get used to the new payment and get ready for the move back home. 

I am on target to have all but one private loan paid off by the time I move back to the condo in September of 2017, a minimum of $40k in savings and just over $100k in retirement balances. The last private loan will be paid off in December of next year with my annual bonus and I would have paid off just over $100k in student loan debt!!! Oh yeah!!! This move home with my folks was an absolute life saver!!!

May 2016...

Sorry this is a late post. June is almost over already. I have been so busy!

May was a decent month. I did not snowball the extra $1,200 in May but I did snowball $2,400 in June so that extra reduction will show next month. Making good progress through the year and credit score remains strong. 

April 2016...

April was a decent month. My net worth continued to improve and is heading in the right direction towards positive territory! I am ecstatic with the progress!

My tenants have been wonderful over at the condo and they keep the place in immaculate condition. Unfortunately, they are divorcing and I am not sure if the wife will renew the lease. Her daughter is enrolled in the local high school which is one of the best in the area so I know she would like to stay. I am just not sure if she can afford the rent on her own. She has until July 1st to let me know if she would like to extend the lease. I currently rent it for $1,600/month. I would be willing to go down to $1,300/month if she wanted to stay for another year. My plan is to reach out to her in the next couple of weeks.

I would like to stay at home with my parents for one more year and then move back to the condo next September. CJ is working on his move to Chicago and we'll be in the same city soon. I am more inclined to abate the rent with the current tenants over the next year because it's only one year away, the current tenants take such good care of the unit, get along with the neighbors and it would cost me about $2,000-$3,000 to relist the condo and get it ready for a new tenant.

I'll keep you posted! Fingers crossed!

March 2016

Hi Guys & Gals!

March was another good month! I am very happy with the progress so far this year and looking forward to having a positive net worth! 

The Debt is steadily going down! The market rebounded and gave a good lift to my retirement balances! I continue to snowball an extra $1,200/month on my student loans and contribute 5% to my 401k to get the 100% match. I also contribute 15% to the ESPP at work which is close to $1,400/month in savings. My credit score fluctuates in the mid to high 700's but remains strong. 

Work is good and it's been super busy. We lost a team member in the middle of March and had to redistribute the workload. Instead of covering the entire footprint and sharing responsibility, I gained primary responsibility of my own regions. It's a big shift in the role but I'm up for the challenge. I've got a good Manager in this position and love that I get to work from home every Monday and remotely as needed. Definite plus! I can do my job from anywhere. 

Looking forward to the Summer and getting to see my nephew play travel baseball. He's so excited! 

February 2016...

Hello Everyone!

February was a solid month. I returned to snowballing and paid down $2,200 in debt. I increased my ESPP contribution to 15% in January so my stock purchase went up by $1,360. I contribute $680/paycheck towards share purchases which are made at a 15% discount on a quarterly basis. I use the lower of cost or market value in my net worth calculation. In this case, the market value is slightly higher than what is represented here. My retirement accounts held up but did get hit by market decline.

$2,200 is budgeted to be the minimum debt payment on a monthly basis going forward and includes a $1,200 snowball. I also pay about $75/per month over the minimum balance on my credit card.

My goal is to pay off all of my Private Student Loans and save $40k+ by December 2017.

January 2016...

Hi Everyone!

January saw a sight dip in Net Worth primarily due to market decline that negatively impacted my retirement account and an adjustment to the trade-in value on my car. The decline in asset value was slightly offset with an increase to my after-tax savings percentage to 15% (maximum ESPP contribution rate allowed). I am going to give this higher amount a try for the quarter to see how the revised budget and decreased cash flow works out.

There was no snowball in January as I paid off two loans December and I paid off all Christmas shopping in full this month. Overall, not too shabby. My debt decreased and I am looking forward to 2016!

December 2015 & 2015 Year End Recap....

Hi Everyone!

2015 was a good year! I didn't set out specific goals like I did for 2014 but I did excellent!

All in all, I was able to do the following in 2015:

• Paid off a total of 3 Private Student Loans! 
• Total Debt Repayment for 2015 was $34,556 vs. $11,083 for 2014.
• No New Debt!  
• Ended With $18,053 in Cash/Marketable Securities vs. 11,110 for 2014.

Highlights Since Start of 2009 Debt Repayment Journey:

• Paid off a total of $64,985 in student loan debt. 
• Paid off a total of $10,360 in credit card debt. 
• Improved my net worth by $140,429!

NET WORTH JOURNEY

2016 DEBT PAYOFF

2016 MONTHLY DEBT PAYOFF

PROGRESS SINCE MOVING HOME 09.14 TO 12.16

CREDIT SCORE UPDATE 12.16

Student Loan Update...

Talk about BITTER SWEET! 

The Sweet Part is that I paid off Private Loans #2 and #3 (see the charts to the right) and I received a Distinguished Performance Rating at work!  

The Bitter Part is that my entire bonus went to pay off loans and I don't get to play with any of the money! BOO!!!! 

Any Hoo! The 2015 Grand Total for Debt Payoff is....$34,556!!! That compares favorably to $11,083 for 2014. Still moving in the right direction, even if it is hard to part with the hard earned cash! 

November 2015...

November was a decent month. My NW improved. I did quite a bit of traveling in November so I did not snowball the extra $1,070. All in all, it was a decent month and progress was good. 

October 2015...

Hi All!

I am writing from Ohio. I am working remotely for a week and a half while visiting with CJ. I appreciate the flexibility I have with the new job at the Bank. The work/life balance is so much better than in my previous position and helps with the long long distance relationship.

I'll be doing a bit more traveling over the next couple of months. I am spending Thanksgiving with CJ in the Washington DC area and then I am off to Miami in December to celebrate my friend's 39th birthday. I will turn 38 the week before! Sagittarius Ladies!!! =) CJ is spending Christmas with me in Chicago and I will probably come back to Ohio to ring in the New Year with him the following week.

October was a decent month. My net worth bounced back primarily due to a positive shift in the market and rebound of my retirement account. I paid off Private Loan #1 in September so I took that $70 monthly payment and added it to my new snowball on Private Loan #2. The total snowball is now $1,070/monthly in addition to the minimum $1,335 payment. So I pay $2,400/month towards my student loans. I am looking forward to the day when that is no longer and I am praying that the Fed doesn't make moves to increase the interest rates soon. There has been a lot of talk about a rate increase in December.

All is well. I have no complaints. I will find out my annual bonus figure in about a month and I have roughly $13M in stock that will become unrestricted in December. I received the stock 3 years ago with an annual bonus but had to wait 3 years for the restrictions to fall off. The stock will get added to my investment balances bringing the total to approximately $26M. I will be making adjustments to to my deductions over the next two months to account for the extra income and taxes due. The plan is to use my December annual bonus to pay off Private Loan #2 and Private Loan #3.

That's all folks. I am doing pretty good. I hope you are doing well too! Thanks for reading! =)

September 2015...

September was a good month. I was able to pay off Private Loan #1 in Full and improve my net worth. I still have a little vacation cleanup that will happen in October but things are still moving in the right direction so I am happy.

I really can't complain about a thing. As I enter into the second year of leasing my condo and moving home, my net worth improved just shy of $40k which is huge after years of minimal progress. I finally have savings and I am making headway with my debt. All good things.  

Next week, CJ and I will celebrate our one-year anniversary but we will hold off on officially celebrating until the end of the month. His Dad is coming to town for homecoming in OH this weekend and Northwestern's homecoming and my 15th year reunion is next weekend.

I am still working out and feeling great! I only workout about 3-4 days a week now instead of 6 days but I am incorporating more weights at the gym to tone. My weight has gone up slightly but I think it's more due to muscle than anything. My clothes are still pretty loose. Starting a new wardrobe is in the plan over the next several months.