First, the bad news. I was unable to increase my net worth higher than I was able to during the 3rd quarter. But it was darn close! In Q3 I increased my net worth by $19,096. This quarter was slightly less, check it out.
You know what the most important thing to be doing if you want to increase your net worth? Track the damn thing!
I focus on increasing my net worth as I have the goal to become financially free.
Somone can have a large income but if they aren't saving and investing then it really doesn't matter. Oh they can have the nice clothes and the fancy car, but their life can change in an instant if they lose their income.
Your net worth is the sum of all your assets. Poor people buy things that decrease in value, while those with a wealthy mindset buy investments that usually increase in value.
It is important to note that your net worth is how rich you are, not how wealthy. Wealth is different. It is freedom.
You can be rich, but if you have to go out and work each day then you are not wealthy.
Robert Kiyosaki of "Rich Dad Poor Dad" fame said this of wealth.
"Wealth is a number of days forward that you can survive without working. Wealth is measured in time, not dollars."
So if you invest your money into things that pay for all of your daily living expenses then you are wealthy and free. That is my goal.
Now I am just talking about wealth in the monetary sense, but do know that there are plenty of different areas to be wealthy in - like happiness.
You can be wealthy financially, but it doesn't automatically make you happy.
I like to have around $10,000 in liquid cash, split between my checking and emergency funds. Towards the end of the year, however, I like to bump that up so I can drop $5,500 into my yearly IRA.
Which I have done.
Through my work retirement plan, I invest approximately $1,100 per month into index funds. The rest is additions to my brokerage accounts.
I have two, my main one is Robinhood but I often find companies that Robinhood do not trade. To invest in those companies I have another brokerage, but it costs a commission. Not Robinhood though! That’s why I prefer to do all my trades with them.
If Robinhood interests you, sign up using this link to get a free share of stock (I will too). Sign up is free and you don't even need to deposit anything to get your free share!
It is possible to get a share of Apple or Facebook is possible, worth over $150.
One of my blockchain investments (BTLLF) took off this quarter and I sold it for a 200% gain.
My only debt!
I have been paying a bit extra, but I think I will stop that for the rest of 2018 as I see some potential investments I could put that money towards.
I love having a small mortgage. The monthly payment is so low I could hustle up enough to pay it every month even without a job! That is some peace of mind. Still, I would like to have it paid off and have to only pay the government and insurance.
Three cars and a house fall under this asset category. Nothing else.
I haven't marked down the car values this quarter, so the increase is the house value according to Zillow.
I have other assets not listed here but I choose to not use them to calculate my total net worth.
Bring on Steemfest3!
2017 is over and I can calculate what I was able to achieve during the past 12 months.
I was able to increase my net worth by an outstanding
An overall 2017 net worth increase of 41.6%!
To put this increase into perspective, I am the only earner in a family of 4. My total gross (before taxes) income for 2017 was $66,600.
So to increase my net worth by this much with comparatively little invested (under $100K) is a testament to how a total money mindset change can work so quickly.
It wasn't like we were hermits either (no matter what my wife says), we went on week-long vacation to Boston, MA as well as a few weeks in England and we spent a week in a rented cabin in Arizona.
One important thing is about NOT spending on frivolous things that don't really matter to you and only spending on things that matter. Even the small things add up.
I truly believe that anyone can experience similar results compared to their income level, but most won't. I believe this because I am not special, I am just a normal person with the desire to become financially free.
If you really want it, you can get it.
Click HERE to read my report from 2016.
