Non-monetary Goals

My last post dealt with my financial goal for 2006: having a year-end net worth of $50,000
I'll be dealing with my portfolio more in the near future because I have enough cash to add a few more positions. I'm slowly making a list of stocks to look through and hopefully I'll get a chance soon. The size of my net worth limits me when looking for stocks. I want to own at least 100 shares. If the stock price is around $32, this would make up roughly 10% of my entire net worth.
I have a few positions north of $32 because of appreciation, but I might be a little uneasy adding more 10% positions. This drastically limits my universe of stocks to choose from, but I should be able to manage.

Now it's time to take a look at my non-monetary goals for 2006. I think it's definitely going to be an exciting year and I want to use my time as efficiently as possible. If I put my mind to it, I should be able to accomplish my goals.

* Start my third degree. I already have degrees in finance and economics, but I really want to work on my math skills. This is an area where it might be hard to teach myself through books, so I want to take classes. I'll be taking classes at a junior college (cheaper!), but I still need to talk to someone. This should happen next week, since the offices are closed. I might be able to finish the degree in 2.5 years

* Travel more. I'm not sure if this is really a goal, but it's something I want to do. After I graduated I did take a short trip to Tokyo, but I wished I went to a few more places (like a road trip across the U.S.).

* Greatly increase my knowledge on options. I'm starting to go through Options as a Strategic Investment (good book) and I want to take this year to really strengthen my option knowledge.

* Play more poker. I've been a fan of poker for awhile, but it has taken a backseat during the past year. I want to study and play more over this next year and sharpen my skills.


I also have to start thinking about my career. I know I'm young and still new at my job (5 months), but it's time I step it up and try to show them other things I can do. I don't want to be a trading/operations assistant forever! The good thing is that I have a great boss who is willing to take time and teach me things.
Looking back at the last five months, I think I've done okay. I've been picking up on the technical analysis materials, I made one good trade so far (the one they bought is up 5%), and I think I showed my ability to grasp different subjects. Now it's time to build on this.




On a different note, Free Money Finance has a Festival of Frugality on the FMF site. Check it out for some good frugal tips.