Overall

In October, our net worth decreased $1,027.38 to a total of $491,231.66 (see spreadsheet screenshot).  Almost all the reduction was due to the stock market performance.

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 10% to my 401(k) and 5% to my wife’s 401(k).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (both 100% vested when deposited).  This month, we contributed $680.99 to my 401(k).  My wife contributed $500.00 to her 401(k) and her company deposited another $1,000.00 into her 401(k) for her 5% match and 5% extra “chip in”.   The total balance of our retirement accounts decreased $2,003.47 from last month to a total of $192,671.63.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went down $48.71 this month.  Our balance is $123.29 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts decreased $197.63, bringing the total to $4,688.54.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $0 to our son’s 529 Plan and it decreased $248.51 from last month to a total balance of $16,055.12.  We also contributed $0 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it decreased $121.00 last month to a total balance of $7,796.51.

Home

We use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016 for our home value.  Current comps in the area are ~$530K.  The current balance of our 15-year, 2.85% mortgage loan is $258,574.30.  We paid $100 extra towards principal this month.

Cars

My wife has a company vehicle and I have a 2012 sedan with 60K miles.  Our loan balance is $11,692.65 at 1.99%.  We are also carrying a small $706.48 loan balance (3.29%) on a vehicle that we sold in August 2016.

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In September, our net worth increased $3,400.08 to a total of $492,259.04 (see spreadsheet screenshot).   The increase can from retirement savings contributions and paying down debt.  The biggest

surprise this month was to learn on 9/28/16 that my company is laying off my team and our final day is 10/3/16.  I will receive 3 weeks severance, ~7 days cashed out PTO, and a final bonus check of ~$2,400 gross.

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 10% to my 401(k) and 5% to my wife’s 401(k).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (both 100% vested when deposited).  This month, we contributed $400 to my 401(k).  My wife contributed $732.10 to her 401(k) and her company deposited another $1,000.00 into her 401(k) for her 5% match and 5% extra “chip in”.   The total balance of our retirement accounts increased $3,021.08 from last month to a total of $194,675.10.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went down $34.32 this month.  Our balance is $172.00on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.  Riding this one straight to the bottom!

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts decreased $2,595.64, bringing the total to $4,886.17.  We used $2,000 as a downpayment for a new (used) car.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $0 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $69.43 from last month to a total balance of $16,303.63.  We also contributed $0 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $13.15 over last month to a total balance of $7,917.51.

Home

We use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016 for our home value.  Current comps in the area are ~$530K.  The current balance of our 15-year, 2.85% mortgage loan is $259,838.54.  We paid $0 extra towards principal this month.  Even so, it was amazing to see how much of our first payment went towards principal ($1,161.46 of our $1,786.77 mortgage payment).

Cars

My wife and I both have company vehicles.  I lose my company vehicle on 10/3, so we purchased a used sedan with 60K miles for $12,500 plus tax and fees.  We put $2K down and are financing $11,692.65 for 60 months at 1.99%.  We are also carrying a small $1,164.18 loan balance (3.29%) on a vehicle that we sold in August 2016.  We don’t mind paying the $3.06 in interest this month to keep more cash on hand.

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In August, our net worth decreased $3,405.11 to a total of $488,858.96 (see spreadsheet screenshot).   The decrease was primarily from selling our vehicle at a loss and having to dip into savings.

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 10% to my 401(k) and 5% to my wife’s 401(k).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (both 100% vested when deposited).  This month, we contributed $400 to my 401(k).  My wife contributed $500 to her 401(k) and her company deposited another $1,000.00 into her 401(k) for her 5% match and 5% extra “chip in”.   We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts increase $3,233.91 from last month to a total of $191,654.02.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went down $17.28 this month.  Our balance is $206.32 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.  Riding this one to the bottom!

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts decreased $1,695.73, bringing the total to $7,481.81.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $400 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $391.04 from last month to a total balance of $16,234.20.  We also contributed $400 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $393.81 over last month to a total balance of $7,904.36.

Home

We use the $528K purchase price that we paid in July 2016 for our home value.  Current comps in the area are ~$530K.  The current balance of our 15-year, 2.85% mortgage loan is $261,000.  We paid an extra $0 towards principal this month.  Our first payment is due September 1^st.

Cars

“Car 2” was a 2012 SUV with ~85K miles.  My wife and I both have company vehicles so we decided to sell the SUV to save ~$600/month (loan, insurance, fuel, etc).   We sold the vehicle for $22,400 but our loan balance was $23,895.98.  We are carrying the small $1,621.75 balance on the 3.29% loan for a couple of months because we didn’t want to deplete our savings account right now.

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In July, our net worth increased $14,372.07 to a total of $492,264.07 (see spreadsheet screenshot).   Our increase was a combination of saving, investing, and market returns.

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 10% to my 401(k) and 5% to my wife’s 401(k).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (both 100% vested when deposited).  This month, we contributed $683.06 to my 401(k).  My wife contributed $500 to her 401(k) and her company deposited another $1,000.00 into her 401(k) for her 5% match and 5% extra “chip in”.   We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts increase $8,364.14 from last month to a total of $188,420.11.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went down $546.24 this month.  Our balance is $223.60 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts increased $4,804.29, bringing the total to $9,177.54.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $200 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $729.01 from last month to a total balance of $15,843.16.  We contributed $200 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $449.04 over last month to a total balance of $7,510.55.

Home

We use the $528K purchase price that we paid in June 2016 for our home value.  Current comps in the area are ~$530K.  The current balance on our mortgage loan is $261,000.  We paid an extra $0 towards principal this month.

Cars

“Car 2” is a 2012 SUV with ~80K miles.  When calculating our net worth, we depreciate the vehicle 1% per month. Car 2 has a current loan balance of $24,291.10.  I receive $230.13/month as a fixed car reimbursement and $0.22 per mile as a variable reimbursement (to help cover gas, wear and tear, etc.).  My wife has a company car for work.

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In June, our net worth increased $139,325.19 to a total of $477,892.00 (see spreadsheet screenshot).   Most of our increase came from selling our home for $685K, ~$330K more than we owed on it.  We were in escrow on a new property but it fell through two days before closing due to a tax lien they had on their property.  No worries though, we found a nicer home in a better neighborhood in only two days.

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 10% to my 401(k) and 5% to my wife’s 401(k).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (both 100% vested when deposited).  This month, we contributed $660.27 to my 401(k).  My wife contributed $687.50 to her 401(k) and her company deposited another $1,000.00 into her 401(k) for her 5% match and 5% extra “chip in”.   We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts increase $4,417.44 from last month to a total of $180,055.97.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went down $546.24 this month.  Our balance is $303.19 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts increased $3,100.74, bringing the total to $4,373.25.  Our savings would have been higher because we kept some cash from the home sale but we used most of it to purchase furniture.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $600 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $653.22 from last month to a total balance of $15,114.15.  We contributed $600 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $625.50 over last month to a total balance of $7,061.51.

Home

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, our housing situation got interesting this month.  We sold our house for a huge profit, went into escrow on a new home only to have it fall through, and went into a quick escrow on another home that we will be moving into shortly.  We put $267K down (50%) on the $528K home, leaving us with a $261K balance on the 15-year mortgage.  We got a newer, larger, nicer home closer to my wife’s family while reducing our debt and switching to a 15-year mortgage:)

Cars

“Car 2” is a 2012 SUV with ~80K miles.  When calculating our net worth, we depreciate the vehicle 1% per month. Car 2 has a current loan balance of $24,682.95.  I receive $230.13/month as a fixed car reimbursement and $0.22 per mile as a variable reimbursement (to help cover gas, wear and tear, etc.).  My wife has a company car for work.

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In May, our net worth decreased $6,588.07 to a total of $338,566.81 (see spreadsheet screenshot).   The main reason our net worth decreased was because we sold Car 1 at a loss in May.  The good news is that we are in the process of selling our house for $685K and buying a larger house, in a lower cost of living area, for $465K.  God willing, if it all goes through as planned, our new 15-year mortgage will be less than $200K.

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 10% to my 401(k) and 5% to my wife’s 401(k).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (both 100% vested when deposited).  This month, we contributed $841.65 to my 401(k) and $700 to my wife’s 401(k).  Her company deposited another $1,000.00 into her 401(k) for her 5% match and 5% extra “chip in”.   We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts increase $2,981.45 from last month to a total of $175,638.53.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went up $171.85 this month.  Our balance is $849.43 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts decreased $7,149.55, bringing the total to $1,272.51.  $5K was used as earnest money on a new house that we are buying.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $50 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $210.56 from last month to a total balance of $14,460.93.  We contributed $150 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $223.84 over last month to a total balance of $6,436.01.

Home

We use the $489K purchase price that we paid in January 2012 for our home value.  Current comps in the area are ~$675K.  The current balance on our mortgage loan is $353,679.79.  We paid an extra $0 towards principal this month.  As mentioned above, we are in the process of selling our home and buying a new home.

Cars

“Car 1” is a 2011 SUV that we sold this money (at a bit of a loss) and “Car 2” is a 2012 SUV with ~80K miles.  When calculating our net worth, we depreciate the vehicles 1% per month. Car 2 has a current loan balance of $25,073.71.  I receive $230.13/month as a fixed car reimbursement and $0.22 per mile as a variable reimbursement (to help cover gas, wear and tear, etc.).  My wife has a company car for work.

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In April, our net worth increased $6,735.24 to a total of $345,154.88 (see spreadsheet screenshot).

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of our 401(k)s, our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 15% to my 401(k) and 7% to my wife’s 401(k).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (both 100% vested when deposited).  This month, we contributed $1,140.22 to my 401(k) and $700 to my wife’s 401(k).  Her company deposited another $1,000.00 into her 401(k) for her 5% match and 5% extra “chip in”.   We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts increase $6,735.24 from last month to a total of $172,657.08.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went down $54.01 this month.  Our balance is $677.58 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts decreased $620.00, bringing the total to $8,422.06.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $0 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $27.26 from last month to a total balance of $14,250.37.  We contributed $0 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $55.85 over last month to a total balance of $6,212.17.

Home

We use the $489K purchase price that we paid in January 2012 for our home value.  Current comps in the area are ~$675K.  The current balance on our mortgage loan is $354,384.05.  We paid an extra $150 towards principal this month.

Cars

“Car 1” is a 2011 SUV with ~75K miles and “Car 2” is a 2012 SUV with ~80K miles.  When calculating our net worth, we depreciate the vehicles 1% per month.  “Car 1” has a current loan balance of $20,207.60 and Car 2 has a current loan balance of $25,467.95.  I receive $230.13/month as a fixed car reimbursement and $0.22 per mile as a variable reimbursement (to help cover gas, wear and tear, etc.).  My wife has a company car for work.

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In March, our net worth increased $9,578.32 to a total of $338,419.64 (see spreadsheet screenshot).

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of my wife’s 401(k), my 401(k), our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs.  We contribute 7% to my wife’s 401(k) and 15% to my 401(k).  My wife’s company matches up to 5% of her 401(K) contribution and chips in an additional 5% on top of the match (it is 100% vested when deposited).  My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years).  This month, we contributed $700 to my wife’s 401(k) and $639.17 to my 401(k).  We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts increase $8,026.50 from last month to a total of $165,816.22.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s old company) that went down $331.42  this month.  Our balance is $731.59 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month.  This month our cash and savings accounts decreased $1,243.38, bringing the total to $9,042.06.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard.  This month, we contributed $300 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $584.74 from last month to a total balance of $14,223.11.  We contributed $200 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $462.34 over last month to a total balance of $6,156.32.

Home

We use the $489K purchase price that we paid in January 2012 for our home value.  Current comps in the area are ~$675K.  The current balance on our mortgage loan is $355,235.65.  We paid an extra $150 towards principal this month.

Cars

“Car 1” is a 2011 SUV with ~75K miles and “Car 2” is a 2012 SUV with ~75Kmiles.  When calculating our net worth, we depreciate the vehicles 1% per month.  “Car 1” has a current loan balance of $20,551.34and Car 2 has a current loan balance of $25,854.21.  I receive $230.13/month as a fixed car reimbursement and $0.22 per mile as a variable reimbursement (to help cover gas, wear and tear, etc.).

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

 Overall

In December, we passed the net worth milestone of $330,000, thanks mainly to my wife’s $4,489 cashed in PTO and my monthly bonus of $2,764.10 gross ($1,584.05 net). Our net worth increased $6,852.72 this month, to a total of $331,113.94 (see spreedsheet screenshot). My wife and her team were informed that 12/31/15 was their last day of work. Thankfully, she will receive ~$34K in severance and bonus in January.

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of my wife’s 401(k), my 401(k), our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs. We contribute 3% to my wife’s 401(k) and 15% to my 401(k). My wife’s company matches up to 3% of her 401(K) contribution and deposits the sum once a year on January 1^st (it is 100% vested when deposited). My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years). This month, we contributed $541.66 to my wife’s 401(k) and $700 to my 401(k). We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts decrease $1,096.78 last month to a total of $159,342.08.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s company) that went down $103.11 this month. Our balance is $721.77 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month. This month, our cash and savings accounts increased $6,450.00, bringing the total to $11,516.46. We made huge progress this month thanks to my wife’s cashed in PTO.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard. This month, we contributed $640 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $377.72 from last month to a total balance of $13,323.37. We contributed $285 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $292.83 over last month to a total balance of $5,762.07.

Home

We use the $489K purchase price that we paid in January 2012 for our home value. Current comps in the area are ~$650K. The current balance on our mortgage loan is $357,625.03. We paid an extra $0 towards principal this month.

Cars

“Car 1” is a 2011 SUV with ~60K miles and “Car 2” is a 2012 SUV with ~60Kmiles. When calculating our net worth, we depreciate the vehicles 1% per month. “Car 1” has a current loan balance of $21,585.22 and Car 2 has a current loan balance of $27,017.99. My wife receives $800/month as a car reimbursement and her gas is paid for by her company. I receive $230.13/month as a fixed car reimbursement and $0.22 per mile as a variable reimbursement (to help cover gas, wear and tear, etc.)

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.

Overall

In November, we passed the net worth milestone of $320,000. This was achieved, primarily, due to my wife’s $11,500 gross ($6909.37 net) quarterly bonus. Our net worth increased $7,338.66 this month, to a total of $324,261.222 (see spreadsheet screenshot).

Retirement Accounts

Our retirement accounts are comprised of my wife’s 401(k), my 401(k), our Roth IRAs and our Traditional IRAs. We contribute 10% to my wife’s 401(k) and 20% to my 401(k). My wife’s company matches up to 3% of her 401(K) contribution and deposits the sum once a year on January 1^st (it is 100% vested when deposited). My company matches up to $1,000 per year (vested over five years). This month, we contributed $1,116.66 to my wife’s 401(k) and $800 to my 401(k). We saw the total balance of our retirement accounts increase $2,058.54 over last month to a total of $160,438.86.

Brokerage Account

Currently, our brokerage account consists of one stock (my wife’s company) that went down $103.11 this month. Our balance is $741.41 on a $2,000.00 in initial investment.

Cash & Savings Accounts

Cash and savings accounts consists of a small sum of cash at home and our online savings account balance. It does not include our checking account balance that we use to pay our bills each month. This month, our cash and savings accounts increased $4,501.66, bringing the total to $5,066.46.  It feels nice to be moving in the right direction with our savings again.

College Savings Accounts

Our kids have 529 Plans through Vanguard. This month, we contributed $0 to our son’s 529 Plan and it increased $27.14 from last month to a total balance of $12,945.65. We contributed $0 to our daughter’s 529 Plan and it increased $11.50 over last month to a total balance of $5,469.24.

Home

We use the $489K purchase price that we paid in January 2012 for our home value. Current comps in the area are ~$650K. The current balance on our mortgage loan is $358,317.00. We paid an extra $0 towards principal this month.

Cars

“Car 1” is a 2011 SUV with ~60K miles and “Car 2” is a 2012 SUV with ~60Kmiles. When calculating our net worth, we depreciate the vehicles 1% per month. “Car 1” has a current loan balance of $21,928.82 and Car 2 has a current loan balance of $27,792.50. My wife receives $800/month as a car reimbursement and her gas is paid for by her company. I receive $230.13/month as a fixed car reimbursement and $0.22 per mile as a variable reimbursement (to help cover gas, wear and tear, etc.)

Credit Card Balance

We do not currently have a credit card balance that is not paid in full each month.