End of November 2009 Financial Status

November was a great month for my net worth, even though I was sure it was going to be a rough month. I made some pretty big payments on my credit card for furniture. I also wrote a check for a chunk of physical therapy sessions that will hopefully allow me to run freely. To counter those larger payments, I received a rebate for property taxes that I overpaid at closing. My non-retirement savings took a major hit as I took the first step towards converting it into tax-sheltered accounts.

Cash

November saw a major increase in my cash asset for a very specific reason. I cashed out my taxable Schwab account by selling my Target stock and requesting a check be mailed. I have yet to receive the check, but the money is no longer in my Schwab account to I left it as cash, even though I will invest it into my two Vanguard retirement accounts. My cash also received a boost of about $1,200 from the builder of my condo. I large chunk of my closing costs went into an escrow account for property taxes, and only a small portion of it was used to pay property taxes. The rest of it was sent back to me, which was a welcome surprise. Next month I hope to have all of my retirement accounts fully funded and my cash back at $10,000.

Retirement

My retirement funds increased based solely on increases in the stock market. I was unable to invest the money from my Schwab account before the end of the month because it is taking forever to get the check. Once I get the check the retirement asset will increase substantially.

Non-Retirement

My non-retirement assets decreased substantially as I sold all of my Target stock to move it into a tax-sheltered account. Now my tax-sheltered assets consist of a US Growth mutual fund through Vanguard, Sharebuilder account, Lending Club account and a Prosper Account. I don’t foresee any major contributions to my non-retirement accounts. I’m going to start using this monthly post as a reminder to add $25 towards my Lending Club and Prosper accounts. I really like these peer to peer lending sites as a way to diversify my investments.

Liabilities

My car payment and mortgage decreased by the standard amount. Even though I’ve had my new mortgage for a few months now, it still feels great to decrease that liability by such a large chunk. It really makes me feel like I’m adding significant equity to my condo.

Net Worth

My net worth increased by 3.0%, even though I thought November would be an interesting month. Despite the larger than normal credit card payments and the physical therapy bill, I was able to substantially increase my net worth. The stock market helped a bit, but it was mostly the unexpected check from my property tax overpayment. Next month in addition to my monthly financial status update, I will do a annual financial status update. Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and really look at your finances on a larger scale, especially since the ultimate goal of retirement is on such a grand scale.