End of March 2009 Financial Status

March was a very successful month. My net worth went over 100k for the first time! I received my federal tax return, which was rather large due to the first-time home buyer tax credit. After receiving the tax refund, I fully funded my Solo 401k, which completed my first goal for 2009. The combination of this refund and a rebound in the stock market, allowed me to increase my net worth by a significant amount. April will probably see me paying off some largish debts, so hopefully the market will continue to rebound and continue my net worth’s upward trend.

Cash

My cash barely increased in March, which is great news considering last month I predicted that I would not see an increase in cash this month. I transferred roughly $8,200 into my solo 401k, which came directly from my cash reserves. I was able to increase my cash funds despite this large transfer, because of my tax refund. I do have to repay the first-time home buyer tax credit that was a part of my tax refund, however, I decided not to include this as a liability, because I won’t have to repay it for 2 years and it will only be $500 a year. Additionally, the sale of my condo will most likely take care of the remainder of the repayment.

Next month, will almost assuredly see a decrease in cash. I will be transferring $5,000 into my Roth IRA for 2008 by April 15th. I don’t have any tax refunds coming in next month to offset this huge transfer.

Stock Market

The stock market rebounded to pretty much the same level as the end of January. I input $8,200 into the stock market in March and will input another $5,000 in April. Hopefully we truly have seen the bottom of this economic downturn.

Liabilities

Once again my liabilities only decreased by the standard car and mortgage payment amounts. I’ve had a hiccup in the process of refinancing my mortgage. I’m still hoping to refinance in the near future, which will increase my liabilities by rolling the closing costs into the loan. This will be beneficial in the end as it will decrease my monthly payment.

Net Worth

My net worth increased by 11.3%. A lot of the increase was due to the first-time home buyer’s tax credit, but the stock market rebound was a contributing factor as well. After I fund my Roth IRA for 2008, I plan to invest at more regular intervals into my solo 401k and Roth IRA for 2009. In the future, I will be relying on the stock market to drive my net worth even more, so hopefully it continues to increase. I don’t want to go back below $100,000 ever again.

Random Thought

I’d really like to see the Bears get Jay Cutler. The Bears have had terrible quarterbacks for as long as I’ve been a Bears fan. I would love to finally see a great offense to go along with the Monsters of the Midway.