<< Back to all Blogs
Login or Create your own free blog
Layout:
Home > This would have been a year-end update post.
 

This would have been a year-end update post.

December 27th, 2007 at 03:18 pm

I keep meaning to write something and then I'm dissatisfied or the topic degenerates. Let's keep this realistic but bright. I compared my 2006 and 2007 end-of-year statements. Most striking to me was that I had paid 9.4% of my mortgage principal. I also have mortgage payments in CDs coming due for the next six months.

I can't and won't try to beat the astounding $60,000 increase in retirement assets. The imaginary $40,000 home property increase over the past twelve months will disintegrate as I project, dourly, a 7.8% decrease in home value on account that my "developmentally delayed" metropolitan area has just arrived to the housing bust. My challenges will be to live creatively on less and to generate other streams of income. Maybe Prosper.com will be in my future with Treasury Direct. A hand to the government and a hand to the people.

And my other challenge: treating myself if/when I meet certain milestones with my monthly budgets or meeting a savings goal: Wise Traditions membership, hair colour, massage, Amazon.com wish list item, aromatherapy oils from The Herbalist, a concert, lessons, a CD, a trip to a restaurant I've been meaning to try...

Posted in goals | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “This would have been a year-end update post.”

  1. Broken Arrow Says:
    December 27th, 2007 at 07:05 pm

    Wait, your retirement increased by $60k?! Wow, that's insane. I hope I'll get to brag about something like that some day. Big Grin

    As for prosper... well, in the spirit of "everyone is entitled to their own opinions", I really don't like it. Individuals can default easily. I'm thinking it'd be easier to just play with some high risk, high yield bond fund somewhere instead. But again, you don't have to agree with me. Smile

    On the other hand, I think Treasury Direct is a lovely idea, and I know it's a question of not IF, but rather, WHEN I'll be getting involved with that. But I'm not quite at that point in my financial life yet.

    Anyway, congrats! The home value thing is just a paper loss anyway (unless you were planning to sell) so I really wouldn't sweat it.

  2. PauletteGoddard Says:
    December 27th, 2007 at 08:47 pm

    Yeah, the thought occurred to me that if banks choked on loans, so could I, especially when I have no risk evaluation/assessment algorithms. I can't even identify what publicly traded companies aren't lying on their 10Q statements and I can't determine ahead of time what credit card companies are going to get eaten up by banks and cut my grace periods. Perhaps I should be more prudent with my money and let people who can afford the risk have fun with Prosper.

    I might sell the house, if I can't entice my in-laws to live here, or find renters. It's a challenging climate out there. I should pursue "Financial Peace."

  3. baselle Says:
    December 27th, 2007 at 10:56 pm

    Congratulations on the 60K increase. Enjoy it for what its worth - better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Storm clouds are a'brewing, and its time to retract, conserve, and most of all, learn and reflect. I use Treasury Direct all the time - savings bonds monthly and a 4 wk T-bill escalator.

    Balance is a bit of an issue with me, also. If I had my druthers, I'd live at the thrift store and stick dollar bills underneath the mattress. Wait, my mattress is an air mattress ... maybe I can put dollar bills in the mattress and have them blow around inside like those weird carny booths.

    2008: year of the weird.

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 6.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]