November numbers:
- Personal:
- Gross monthly W2 pay: $5,375
- Net monthly W2 pay: $3,387
- Total credit card debt: $20,298 (-$2,349)
- Total other non-mortgage debt: $8,802 (-$7,269)
- Total mortgage debt: $155,109 (+$6,005)
- Cash/cash equivalents: $13,746 (+$961)
- Total retirement savings: $161,254 (+$8,489)
- Non-Equity Net worth: $-9,210 (+$13,062)
- Total Net Worth: $218,091
Overall, this was an exceedingly decent month. I was able to complete the HELOC refi on the new house, transitioning some of that debt off credit cards and onto my mortgage expense. That drove the rate down to 6.5% with greater improvement pending when I refi the HELOC into a traditional mortgage in late November/early December. I’m hoping to have that down near 3%. That HELOC refi chewed down my credit card balances, and my new higher salary has also helped me pay those balances down. After the first of the year I’ll plan to re-budget and see how much of my income I can throw into tax advantaged accounts while still paying down non-mortgage debt for 2020.
Another bright spot was the quarterly dividend for NLY, coupled with stock market gains in general. That’s what led to the increase in the retirement savings and cash equivalents lines this month. Some details – NLY dividends hit 10/31. In my brokerage account (the cash equivalents line) my $240.53 quarterly dividend purchased 26.823 shares at $8.97 per share. In my retirement accounts (rollover 401k and Roth) my $966.83 quarterly dividends purchased 107.817 shares. The stock price is now up to $9.21, which represents a $33.66 increase in my total NLY position value from the shares I received 10/31 alone. While I’m not investing for share appreciation – see my other posts here and here on REIT/dividend investing – it’s still pretty cheering to see those balances go up!
I’m going to try (emphasis on try) to get a few posts ahead this weekend. At least enough to carry us through the holidays without a significant publishing gaps. I’m also hoping to update on all my income channels after the new year, when I know what some of the numbers look like. Stay tuned and ask questions!
