My net worth in January actually ended in a better place than I thought it would, based on some tentative calculations I did mid-month. My net worth dropped a total of 2%. This is mainly due to current market conditions, but I also spent more money this month than I would have liked. Much of that is due to infrequent expenses, such as 6 month insurance bills coming due, and the fact that I had to buy a very overpriced plane ticket, but some of it was just me spending money where perhaps I should have been saving.
Clearly, I can’t control the market, but I continue to hope for an upswing, and in the meantime, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve decided to really tighten my budget and see if I can save a bit more every month.
One of my 2008 goals involves increasing my net worth by a significant percentage. Clearly, this drop doesn’t help, but I remain optimistic. It’s just one month. Let’s all hope that next month is better.
