Quarterly update on my 2009 financial goals

At the beginning of the year, I stated what my financial goals were for 2009. Basically, they came down to saving and funding my Roth IRA. Plus I wanted to share a quick update of my net worth.

Net worth: Up 4.8% from January 1. I did not expect to be typing positive movement for this measurement. However, I am still below the mark set when I started monitoring my end-of-month net worth October 31, 2007. The mortgage keeps going down, my savings accounts keep going up and if the volatility in the markets has calmed somewhat, my investments will hold and even gain some value.

1. Fully fund my 2009 Roth IRA with $5,000.
My 2009 contributions have me 16.5% to my goal. I have increased my monthly contributions through changing my deductions and the stimulus plan adjusting the federal tax tables. I will find out later this month if a merit increase will occur or not.

2. Save $2,500 for purchase of a newer vehicle.
I am doing well on this goal. So far this year, I have contributed $827 to this account. My automatic transfers brought me to $429. The rest was excess from the gasoline allocation (split between my gas hedge fund and my car savings), a refund, bonuses from work, and selling a couple items on craigslist. While I am uncertain if this pace can be maintained through the year, I am pleased that I am one third of the way to my goal.

3. End the year with $1,500 in my farm savings account.
I started out with $415 in this account January 1 and have added $330 to give me $745. The recent bonus really helped bump up this amount, but I have also made adding funds to this account a monthly deposit.

4. Accumulate $800 toward buying a new computer
This is a new goal, but has become more important to me as the technology and operating systems I have are bogged down by the newer web servers I need to connect with. On January 1, I had $262 in this account; my current total is $482, a significant fraction of my goal. I am pleased this number is moving higher. While both my computers work just fine, by 2010, they will be nine years old (G4 Quicksilver Tower) and five years old (iBook G4). This will eventually be an issue of access on the web and compatibility with software. I want to be able to purchase the MacBook Pro without compromising my other savings goals.