Wow, has it really been 2 weeks since I last posted? Sorry about that. I had family in town and have been studying like crazy for the CFA exam. Combined with work being busy it looks like blogging got away from me. I'll make an effort to keep on top of it better going forward.
Max out Roth – On pace!
Maintain 16% in 401k – I'm still contributing 16%!
401K balance of $60k – Fail. current balance is $42,622, I've gone up from last month but only by my contributed amount. The account return was practically 0% and I'm going to need better then that if I want to get $60k by the end of the year.
Make an extra $500 – Ahead of pace. Did a focus group and got $250 for it. Score! It was a fun mock jury focus group about software copyright infringement.
Maintain $10K emergency Fund - On pace!
Sell something on ebay – Fail. Nothing sold so far.
Pay down student loan to $32,000, so in effect my goal is to pay another $1,370 in addition to the regular payments - Fail. I've made no additional payments so far and with a rate of only 1.625% have decided this isn't something that I really want to do anymore.
Personal:
Climb 5.11 – On pace! I'm making progress here. I tried and failed at a 5.11A, I just have to keep trying the climbs. I also think I need to build up some additional strength in my legs and also upper body to complete these harder climbs a bit easier.
Climb/Yoga 3x per week. This goal is temporarily reduced to 2x a week while I'm studying for the CFA exam over the next 3 months. On pace! I think I went climbing 7 times last month.
Consistently work out 3x per week – Fail. work has been busy and so I cut back to going twice a week. I'll have to work on this one.
Weigh 178 lbs – Fail! big time. I took a huge step back here with my weight dropping to 168.7 last weigh-in. This leaves me with 10 months to gain 10 pounds. Still doable but I'm going to have to hit the gym and eat more. I've come to the conclusion that I just don't eat as much as I think I do.
Take two vacations – Fail. With the CFA taking over my life, most things that are time intensive are on hold. I took a business trip to San Diego, but that doesn't count. I think a short vacation after the CFA is just what I need to help recover!
Look into moving – done. we looked into moving but didn't see anything better for the same or less money. It's just crazy how much rent is in the Bay Area. This is something we'll come back to in the summer and fall though - again, once I have free time after my exam.
Reviewing my list I'm starting to see more fails than goals I'm on pace for. Some of these I'll have to live with as I don't have nearly as much free time due to the CFA exam but there are other ares where I'll have to work harder at. In general though I'm fairly happy with where I am with two months down, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Hits and Misses at the gym
I haven't been feeling well this week and as a result i haven't been eating that much or going to the gym regularly. Several nights diner was just a sandwich. So it was with some trepidation that I stepped on the scale at the gym the other day. My fears were confirmed when I came in at 169, a loss of more than a pound and a half.
I have been feeling better and am now eating normally again as well as going to the gym once again but it was still a shock to see that much of a loss. 178 suddenly feels like it's a long way off from where I am right now.
Not everything was bad news though. At the climbing gym I was able to successfully climb the 10.D that I wasn't able to get last time. It felt really good to get a 10.D (and it's only February!) and now I'm positive that I can do an 11 by the end of the year. My confidence level is high so I just might try one tomorrow to see what it's like. It feels really good to be over my injury and able to climb freely again.
I have been feeling better and am now eating normally again as well as going to the gym once again but it was still a shock to see that much of a loss. 178 suddenly feels like it's a long way off from where I am right now.
Not everything was bad news though. At the climbing gym I was able to successfully climb the 10.D that I wasn't able to get last time. It felt really good to get a 10.D (and it's only February!) and now I'm positive that I can do an 11 by the end of the year. My confidence level is high so I just might try one tomorrow to see what it's like. It feels really good to be over my injury and able to climb freely again.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Making some extra money
I still haven't started a side business but I did make some extra money this week. I was lucky and got into a mock trial focus group, which was not only interesting and a lot of fun it also paid pretty well.
I can't give many details due to confidentiality issues but the case had to do with intellectual property infringement on a pretty large scale. It was pretty clear that the defendant was guilty, the only real question we faced was how much in damages we thought should be awarded. Actually, the defendant never even said that they were innocent...
So, at the end of the day I gave 10 hours of my time, got lunch out of it and for the most part found it interesting. The best part - I got $250 for doing it. in one day I got half way to my yearly goal of $500!
Too bad these days don't come around more often. I'll definitely have to look into doing more of these focus groups.
As for what to do with the $250, I haven't decided but am considering putting it in my travel fund.
I can't give many details due to confidentiality issues but the case had to do with intellectual property infringement on a pretty large scale. It was pretty clear that the defendant was guilty, the only real question we faced was how much in damages we thought should be awarded. Actually, the defendant never even said that they were innocent...
So, at the end of the day I gave 10 hours of my time, got lunch out of it and for the most part found it interesting. The best part - I got $250 for doing it. in one day I got half way to my yearly goal of $500!
Too bad these days don't come around more often. I'll definitely have to look into doing more of these focus groups.
As for what to do with the $250, I haven't decided but am considering putting it in my travel fund.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Goal Updates
Max out Roth – On pace!
Maintain 16% in 401k – I'm still contributing 16%!
401K balance of $60k – Fail. current balance is $41,657, I've actually gone down this month - ugh.
Make an extra $500 – Fail. I think I've made about $5 doing a few surveys. I'll have to try and pick this up a bit.
Maintain $10K emergency Fund - On pace!
Sell something on ebay – Fail. Nothing sold so far.
Pay down student loan to $32,000, so in effect my goal is to pay another $1,370 in addition to the regular payments - Fail. I've made no additional payments so far and with a rate of 1.625% I'm not entirely sure I want to.
Personal:
Climb 5.11 – On pace! I'm making progress here. After taking 2 weeks off for an injury I'm back in the 10C, 10D range and am confident I can get to 11 by the end of the year.
Climb/Yoga 3x per week – Fail. But only due to injury. When healthy I've been hitting the gym regularly. Climbing 3x per week had to be reduced to 2x because when I made the goal I completely forgot that I had to set aside time to study for an exam. Even 2x might be a stretch for the next few months though. I love climbing though so it's something I'm going to make a serious effort to do as often as I can.
Consistently work out 3x per week – Fail. Again, only due to injury. Now that I'm healthy again I've been going 3-4 times a week.
Weigh 178 lbs – On pace.
Take two vacations – Fail. The Caribbean was a possibility but that seems to be losing some steam esp with all the studying I have to do. A fall vacation might be in the works though.
Look into moving – done. we looked into moving but didn't see anything better for the same or less money. It's just crazy how much rent is in the Bay Area. This is something we'll come back to in the summer and fall though - again, once I have free time after my exam.
Reviewing my list I'm hitting about .500. A few of my fails were due to being injured for a few weeks but there are a few areas that I need to work a little harder on - such as making extra money on the side. In general I'm fairly happy with where I am one month into the year, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Maintain 16% in 401k – I'm still contributing 16%!
401K balance of $60k – Fail. current balance is $41,657, I've actually gone down this month - ugh.
Make an extra $500 – Fail. I think I've made about $5 doing a few surveys. I'll have to try and pick this up a bit.
Maintain $10K emergency Fund - On pace!
Sell something on ebay – Fail. Nothing sold so far.
Pay down student loan to $32,000, so in effect my goal is to pay another $1,370 in addition to the regular payments - Fail. I've made no additional payments so far and with a rate of 1.625% I'm not entirely sure I want to.
Personal:
Climb 5.11 – On pace! I'm making progress here. After taking 2 weeks off for an injury I'm back in the 10C, 10D range and am confident I can get to 11 by the end of the year.
Climb/Yoga 3x per week – Fail. But only due to injury. When healthy I've been hitting the gym regularly. Climbing 3x per week had to be reduced to 2x because when I made the goal I completely forgot that I had to set aside time to study for an exam. Even 2x might be a stretch for the next few months though. I love climbing though so it's something I'm going to make a serious effort to do as often as I can.
Consistently work out 3x per week – Fail. Again, only due to injury. Now that I'm healthy again I've been going 3-4 times a week.
Weigh 178 lbs – On pace.
Take two vacations – Fail. The Caribbean was a possibility but that seems to be losing some steam esp with all the studying I have to do. A fall vacation might be in the works though.
Look into moving – done. we looked into moving but didn't see anything better for the same or less money. It's just crazy how much rent is in the Bay Area. This is something we'll come back to in the summer and fall though - again, once I have free time after my exam.
Reviewing my list I'm hitting about .500. A few of my fails were due to being injured for a few weeks but there are a few areas that I need to work a little harder on - such as making extra money on the side. In general I'm fairly happy with where I am one month into the year, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Monday, January 4, 2010
2010 Goals
In 2008 I made a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish during the year and I did well, completing almost all of them. For some reason I never made that list for 2009 and it felt like I was floundering a little during the year, sailing through life without a ruder. I’m sure that I made progress both financial and personal, but I couldn’t quantify any of the gains.
With that in mind, I made a list of what I would like to have happen during 2010, both financially and personally.
Financial:
Max out Roth – I’m already sending in enough to max it each month, I just have to keep making the contributions.
Maintain 16% in 401k – maybe even increase it to 17%
401K balance of $60k – current balance is $42,156, additional investments should bring it up to about $55k so I’m hoping for roughly a 9% return to make up the difference.
Make an extra $500 – I want to make extra money on the side but as I’ve never done this before, I’m going to set a low goal in the hopes of reaching it and getting some positive reinforcement.
Maintain $10K emergency Fund - this means that I'll resist the temptation to spend it and also that there won't be an emergency in 2010 major enough to cause me to tap into this fund.
Net Worth $200K – currently my net worth is just under $150k. This is a bit of a reach and I’m not sure if I can get to $200k but with a diligent saving and investing plan and some decent returns I might be able to get there.
Sell something on ebay – again, this is something I’ve never done but want to learn how to do.
Pay down student loan to $32,000. The balance is currently $40,398 and I just sent a wire transfer for $5,000 which will bring my balance down to $35,398 and I’m estimating that with my regular payments the balance will be $33,370 at the end of the year, so in effect my goal is to pay another $1,370 in addition to the regular payments. The interest rate is only 1.9% so I’m in no real rush to pay it off, but even paying small additional amounts can make a big difference in the length of the loan so I want to start making an effort to pay it down. I’ll write about that more later.
Personal:
Climb 5.11 – I climbed a few 5.10c’s, so hopefully by continuing to go regularly I can reach 5.11 by the end of the year.
Climb/Yoga 3x per week – my plan is to either climb or do yoga on a T,Th, Sat schedule.
Consistently work out 3x per week – my plan is to go to the gym by my work on a MWF schedule. With vacations and days off, I won’t get there every day but my goal is to do it consistently.
Weigh 178 lbs – Here my goals are coming together, by going to the gym and working out more, I’m hoping to add muscle mass and increase my weight to 178 lbs. But, I need to do this through exercise and eating right because I want mostly additional muscle mass. I don’t want to eat doughnuts and chips all year long and gain fat weight.
Take two vacations – R and I have been talking about going to Hawaii some day, maybe this will be the year that someday arrives. I also want to take another vacation either with R or by myself, just to get away, relax and go someplace I’ve never been before.
Look into moving – there are some things about our apartment that really bother me, so we’re going to look into finding another apartment that is a similar price range but has better amenities. It would be great if we could find a place that costs the same of less, but that might be wishful thinking in SF.
I have a lot of goals on my list this year, and I probably won't get them all checked off but if I can get most of them and make progress on the others I'll still be much better off than if I never made this list. I also like the accountability of having my goals on paper.
With that in mind, I made a list of what I would like to have happen during 2010, both financially and personally.
Financial:
Max out Roth – I’m already sending in enough to max it each month, I just have to keep making the contributions.
Maintain 16% in 401k – maybe even increase it to 17%
401K balance of $60k – current balance is $42,156, additional investments should bring it up to about $55k so I’m hoping for roughly a 9% return to make up the difference.
Make an extra $500 – I want to make extra money on the side but as I’ve never done this before, I’m going to set a low goal in the hopes of reaching it and getting some positive reinforcement.
Maintain $10K emergency Fund - this means that I'll resist the temptation to spend it and also that there won't be an emergency in 2010 major enough to cause me to tap into this fund.
Net Worth $200K – currently my net worth is just under $150k. This is a bit of a reach and I’m not sure if I can get to $200k but with a diligent saving and investing plan and some decent returns I might be able to get there.
Sell something on ebay – again, this is something I’ve never done but want to learn how to do.
Pay down student loan to $32,000. The balance is currently $40,398 and I just sent a wire transfer for $5,000 which will bring my balance down to $35,398 and I’m estimating that with my regular payments the balance will be $33,370 at the end of the year, so in effect my goal is to pay another $1,370 in addition to the regular payments. The interest rate is only 1.9% so I’m in no real rush to pay it off, but even paying small additional amounts can make a big difference in the length of the loan so I want to start making an effort to pay it down. I’ll write about that more later.
Personal:
Climb 5.11 – I climbed a few 5.10c’s, so hopefully by continuing to go regularly I can reach 5.11 by the end of the year.
Climb/Yoga 3x per week – my plan is to either climb or do yoga on a T,Th, Sat schedule.
Consistently work out 3x per week – my plan is to go to the gym by my work on a MWF schedule. With vacations and days off, I won’t get there every day but my goal is to do it consistently.
Weigh 178 lbs – Here my goals are coming together, by going to the gym and working out more, I’m hoping to add muscle mass and increase my weight to 178 lbs. But, I need to do this through exercise and eating right because I want mostly additional muscle mass. I don’t want to eat doughnuts and chips all year long and gain fat weight.
Take two vacations – R and I have been talking about going to Hawaii some day, maybe this will be the year that someday arrives. I also want to take another vacation either with R or by myself, just to get away, relax and go someplace I’ve never been before.
Look into moving – there are some things about our apartment that really bother me, so we’re going to look into finding another apartment that is a similar price range but has better amenities. It would be great if we could find a place that costs the same of less, but that might be wishful thinking in SF.
I have a lot of goals on my list this year, and I probably won't get them all checked off but if I can get most of them and make progress on the others I'll still be much better off than if I never made this list. I also like the accountability of having my goals on paper.
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