Savings milestone today.

[laurinsane]

ha ha well i am currently celebrating my $10k milestone mark. I guess I have a ways to go before I get to where you guys are. I just turned 25 last month and have been saving for little over a year.

 

[retire@40]

ha ha well i am currently celebrating my $10k milestone mark. I guess I have a ways to go before I get to where you guys are. I just turned 25 last month and have been saving for little over a year.

I marked my original milestones in $10K increments for a long time and it was fun to see my investments grow to each interval. Then I went to $50K intervals, and now to $100K intervals.

Now I have $10K swings on a daily basis sometimes.

How things change.

 

[HFWR]

Follow the bouncing ball...

 

[sarahsays]

My nest egg isn't nearly as big as others, but I met my goal today to have $30,000 in investments by the time I turned 25. And I was 4 months early!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Sarah, that is awesome!

 

[bbbamI]

I've been looking at my portfolio with only one eye lately. It's getting better, but for a while I was afraid to look at even through splayed fingers.

 

[FinanceDude]

I've been looking at my portfolio with only one eye lately.

Which eye, and why??

 

[hova22]

I can't wait to be able to increase my milestone gaps. For now it's just plug and chug. 26.5 years old and hovering at $53,500 in retirement accounts.

 

[bbbamI]

Which eye, and why??

Heh, usually the left. That way it only looks half as bad.

 

[JohnDoe]

My nest egg isn't nearly as big as others, but I met my goal today to have $30,000 in investments by the time I turned 25. And I was 4 months early!

I can't wait to be able to increase my milestone gaps. For now it's just plug and chug. 26.5 years old and hovering at $53,500 in retirement accounts.

Those are nice chucks of change to have at those ages!

 

[Donzo]

After today - you may have to go by that milestone....again! 8>(

 

[JohnDoe]

Looks like I jinxed myself again. I think the market tanked the very next day before too.

 

[Marquette]

All this talk about markets made me interested enough to log into my 401(k). Down 0.6% YTD. I think it was down more earlier but I don't remember.

However, that's all been tempered by the fact that my employer just announced they're going to gift an extra 1.5% to our plans based on 2007 contributions. That brings their 2007 match to 7.5%... can't complain about that!

 

[JohnDoe]

7.5 - that's awesome.

Our company just announced they're not making a profit sharing distribution this yr. lol

 

[flipstress]

Heh, usually the left. That way it only looks half as bad.

You could achieve the same results by half-closing both eyes, plus you'd look more mysterious and intriguing.

(There's a wise-man character in the excellent book Bridge of Birds whose "logo" was half-closed or half-opened eyes, IIRC.)

I am tired of looking at my accounts. I can't get to my milestone--almost there but not quite.

 

[W2R]

I am tired of looking at my accounts. I can't get to my milestone--almost there but not quite.

I got to my milestone but almost immediately started looking towards the next milestone. There is always another milestone ahead. You'll get there.

 

[statsman]

I am tired of looking at my accounts. I can't get to my milestone--almost there but not quite.

I am encountering that problem as of late, ever since I first considered an early retirement last month. Now, it's like waiting for water to boil.

I think it is far better to not to look at it (unless you want to make adjustments). Because of housing costs in our area (Cupertino, CA), my wife and I got a very late start on our 401K contributions. One month ago, I was surprised to find we had accumulated $550K, which isn't too bad considering I'm 49. Now it seems like it can't grow fast enough ... :sigh:

 

[Marquette]

Well, between the 1.5% gift from my employer and payday today, I'm just over $80k in my 401(k). While it's not the bulk of our savings, I'm still excited because I've never had that much in my 401(k) before (last employer didn't match nearly as much and didn't have a safe harbor plan)

To celebrate I went pretty wild! I upped my after-tax 401(k) contrib a percent, dropped my pre-tax a percent, and upped my Roth 401(k) contrib a percent. Oh, and then I initiated a rollover from my solo 401(k) at Invesco AIM to my SEP at Vanguard. I am wild!

 

[Bimmerbill]

I've been flirting with $200K for months now. All the while sticking in 18% of my salary. dang market...

 

[Meadbh]

To celebrate I went pretty wild! I upped my after-tax 401(k) contrib a percent, dropped my pre-tax a percent, and upped my Roth 401(k) contrib a percent. Oh, and then I initiated a rollover from my solo 401(k) at Invesco AIM to my SEP at Vanguard. I am wild!

You risk taker, you!

 

[flipstress]

I got to my milestone but almost immediately started looking towards the next milestone. There is always another milestone ahead. You'll get there.

Thank you for the encouragement! The day after you said that, I looked at my accounts and I had surpassed my milestone by about $1K.

I was afraid that buying the sushi for lunch that day and sending off money to my mom and my brother would make for a milestone shortfall.

But today, I am over my milestone by $3K.

I hear you, too, about milestones beyond milestones.

(There's a book title in there somewhere. How about "Milestones 'Til the Tombstone"? A better book might be a self-help one--"Get the Milestone Millstone Off Your Neck: Breaking the Portfolio-Checking Addiction".)

 

[W2R]

Thank you for the encouragement! The day after you said that, I looked at my accounts and I had surpassed my milestone by about $1K.

That is TERRIFIC!! Congratulations on passing that milestone.

I was afraid that buying the sushi for lunch that day and sending off money to my mom and my brother would make for a milestone shortfall.

But today, I am over my milestone by $3K.

Now that is even BETTER! <~~ (one for each $1K)

I hear you, too, about milestones beyond milestones.

(There's a book title in there somewhere. How about "Milestones 'Til the Tombstone"? A better book might be a self-help one--"Get the Milestone Millstone Off Your Neck: Breaking the Portfolio-Checking Addiction".)

There's a really memorable Emerson quotation about such things. Memorable, but I forgot it. If I remember it I'll post it later on.

 

[W2R]

There's a really memorable Emerson quotation about such things. Memorable, but I forgot it. If I remember it I'll post it later on.

"Every end is prospective of some other end, which is also temporary; a round and final success nowhere." - - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

[Meadbh]

At the end of each fiacal year I calculate NW. This year, it increased by <4% despite the fact that I work in a high paying job. It did break through the $2.5m mark, which I suppose is a milestone, but below my projection of $2.6m. However, since March 31 NW has increased by well over $100K and one particular portfolio has topped the $1m mark (another milestone). I use a spreadsheet to project NW over time and it's interesting to see the impact of FY2007-08's poor performance on projected long term growth. Had I RE'd in 2007, NW would have decreased significantly in Year 1, which would be quite disconcerting!

Let's hope volatility works both ways over time..........

 

[rs0460a]

If you have more than you need to live the life you wish, does it really matter what "the number" is

I understand for those that have not reached "their goal", but sometimes the goal has been surpassed without understanding that you can enjoy your "effort".

Life is short. Enjoy it while you can..... (yes, I am )...

- Ron