Net Worth Update

So I'm impatient! I keep telling myself to wait a full month before updating my net worth, but it's fun to update, so I haven't been able to wait that long. I figure when I back up all the way to the 1st, I'll try hard to stick with the 1st from then on as a measuring point. Anyway, since April 17th (3 1/2 weeks) my net worth has climbed 3.45%. Since I began tracking in February, it has grown 17.3%, nearly halfway to my 2007 goal of 34.8%. Here is a chart of my progress so far:

The strong US market fueled 31% of this month's growth, debt reduction another 36%, and the remaining 33% came from new savings and investment contributions. Pretty good balance! If the market stays strong, it looks I will achieve my net worth goal by the end of the calendar year, which would be nice. Many people are expecting a pullback at some point . . . that could keep me from achieving my goal at all. But that is beyong my control, and if the market dips, that just means I will buy more shares and get faster growth later. It's nice to have a long investment horizon.

My current financial situation

A bit about my situation:

Debt: I have a mortgage and an auto loan, and that's all at present. The auto loan should be paid off by the end of the year. The only other "debt" I have is a medical expenditure account with my employer. I set the account up to pay for laser vision correction in January. I have been reimbursed for the surgery and the amount is being deducted from my paychecks through the end of the year. Interest-free loan! I do have credit cards and use them regularly, but I never carry a balance.

Net Worth: I may post specifics in the future, but for now I'll just tell you the progress I've made recently. I started tracking my net worth in mid-February . . . it's positive but I'm nowhere near using the "million" word, even fractionally. I set an aggressive goal for the year . . . 35% growth in net worth. With some frugal spending, aggressive investing, and a fortunate increase in the value of my home, my net worth grew more than 13% over the next two months. I will update again in mid-May, and I expect to be near 50% of my growth goal for the year. The last 50% will be tougher, as I don't expect to see the same kind of bump in home equity to help me along.

Career: I do government research, so the pay is not spectacular, but the benefits are good. I get a lot of vacation and I don't have a stressful work day too often. I try to make the most out of the money I do earn, and now that I am putting it in print I expect to hold myself to a higher standard.

Goals: Like I said, I have set the bar high for the first year. My long term goal is to "retire" at 45. Again, I think this is setting the bar pretty high, and I will have to be smart and careful to get over it, but I think it is doable. I say "retire" because if I manage to find something I love doing (read: something that doesn't have me in an office for 40 hours per week), I may not want to retire at 45. Ideally I can do both; have the money to retire at 45 but continue to do things I enjoy, especially if they pay!