Here a Plan, There a Plan…

Everywhere a plan plan.

I’m big on plans, because they help give direction. Frequently just the act of writing things down seems to help me to accomplish them. I had a plan for getting out of debt. I have a plan for spending money. I’ve got goals. And now, I have the early stages of an investing plan. Here’s what I’ve got for it so far:

Current (& ongoing)

401k – This receives a partial match which will be fully vested in about 2½ more years. Currently in Janus Balanced, but I may direct part of new contributions to a different fund. (Gotta think about this more.)
IRA – $4000 for 2007, to increase to the maximum allowed each year. Currently in Templeton Growth Fund.
Treasury bonds – $4000 per year for 2007, to increase by $4000 each year.
Tax liens – Currently I have one tax lien. I will probably do about $1-2K per year in these because they are fun.
State retirement plan – I have a tiny amount (like $300) in a state retirement plan. I sure wish there were a way to add to it, since it gives a great return.
Our house – We are continuing to pay down the principal on our house, since we do not get a tax deduction from it and I like the guaranteed return and peace of mind.
Cash – This is my emergency fund, currently earning 6% at FNBOdirect. Right now I have 7 month’s worth of expenses if I spend normally, longer if I cut back drastically. I’d like to increase that to a year’s worth of expenses.

Future

See Also

10 Practical Tips for Saving Money on Your Monthly Expenses

Rental property – For starters I want to purchase a single family home (or possibly 2 town homes) in our neighborhood to have as rental property. In order to do this though and be in the black I’m going to have to get some screaming deals on the units. (But with the way foreclosures are going now, that’s looking like a possibility.) Eventually I would like to have 4-6 rental houses in our neighborhood, plus one at the beach in Kauai. First order of business for this is to save up a 20% down payment.
Index funds – I’m still considering getting into an index fund.
Gold – Not gold shares, but actual gold-gold that I can hold in my hot little hands. I intend to buy a few ounces worth of 1/10 oz gold coins to comfort the extremist part of me. Plus, I collect coins. May as well add some Krugerrands and Maple Leafs.
Foreign government bonds – I would like to buy some Bunds and Gilts, if possible.
Land speculation & development – This is in my blood, and I’ve got to get into it. After all, it can’t be that hard, right? (Just had to put that in there for my husband…)