Stated Goals

While I don't like most self-help books, I think many of them have some kernels of knowledge. One of the recurring themes found in these books is to list out ones goals. The thought being, if you state your goals out loud your chances of reaching them increases. I buy that. If for no other reason than you have put effort into thinking about whats important to you, and have it at the forefront of your thoughts.

I'm thinking a 5 year, stated goal plan is a bit more reasonable than to just list out absolutely everything. The chances of significant change over the course of the next 5 years is small. This plan is only for my financial health and does not include any goals related to other aspects of my life. Here goes....

1. Contribute a minimum of 30k each year to my bottom line
   
2. Purchase a property for my dad in Scottsdale.
3. Purchase a main residence for me in San Francisco
4. Increase my salary (including bonus) by 20% each year
5. Max out my Roth each year
6. Contribute at least 6% of my pre-tax income to my 401k
7. Contribute at least 10% of my post-tax income to my brokerage account
8. Remain car-less

I'm pretty sure I will think of more.

Personal Finance

So, this year I thought I would focus on some personal finance stuff. In order to keep track of where my money is going, I have made a complete budget:

Monthly Expenses
Rent	1200
Student Loans	137
Entertainment	200
Breakfast	120
Lunch	210
Dinner	270
Utilities	25
Cable/internet/phone	50
24 Hour Fitness	45
Burn Rate	2257

That burn rate is pretty high.... Mostly due to the astronomical rent I pay to live in San Francisco. I have been reading quite a bit about goals, and how those who do not write their goals down are less likely to reach them. I think a future post will be the enumeration of all my goals, probably based on a time frame - 1 year, 5 years, 10 years etc....