Monday, October 31, 2005

End of Month Review

I was able to save a good amount in the month of October. On a month by month comparison, my net worth increased by 4.43%; which is a lot better than the previous comparison. I didn't have any major expenses and I tried to watch what I spent throughout the month. My total expenses for October came out to $370

My net worth at the end of October was: $29,051

I need to increase my net worth by 10.2% in two months in order to meet my year end goal of $32,000. I think I can do it if I can watch my daily expenses and prepare for Christmas spending.
I'm not going to hold back on Christmas spending, so I will try to save more in November. I also have two months worth of transportation reimbursement I can get back from work. I need to complete the form tomorrow, but then I should get a check for about $280.

I also have a good amount of things I'm going to try to sell: numerous books, a small mp3 player, and my digital camera (it's too bulky). I plan to do at least two more options trades (most likely spreads) and I think I might be able to bring in another $200.
My job does pay a bonus, but I have no clue about the amount. I doubt it will be big since I'm new, young, and I'm not an analyst or trader.


Other news
Jones Soda: The reason why I haven't purchased any JSDA yet is because it will be a transaction that goes against the type of investor I am right now. I rarely hold things for more than one year. As of right now my investing behavior is to hold things for a short term, wait for it to move up, sell and move on. I definitely can't consider myself a buy and hold investor.
I know I will need time with JSDA, but I do think it's a good company. The next quarter will be important, but I think the long-term reward/risk ratio is rather good. I plan to buy a small amount tomorrow (200-300 shares) and this is going to be a long-term investment (unless it goes crazy and I quadruple my money....then I might take my profits and run).
I might make a second long-term investment tomorrow in GSH. This will also be small because I want enough available capital to continue with my short term investments and I also need available capital for my option trades.
I'll try to post about GSH tomorrow; it's risky but I figured in the long run it might work out.
I'm still thinking about it, so I might either buy none or just 150 shares or so.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for answering my question, Alpha. Also, how's the CFA studying coming along? I hope that everything is going well.