Quarterly Update on My 2008 Investment Plan

Today was a good day for my stock account, but like everyone else I have lost money over the first quarter, at least on paper. I'm pretty comfortable with the investments in my portfolio right now and have no intentions of selling, so I have no realized losses. I have increased my dividends on a monthly basis for the first three months of the year. My cash balances in my money market account, savings and interest on checking accounts have all increased, so I have met those goals for the first quarter.

Recently I reviewed my investment plan to see if I could fine tune it even further and I switched from a monthly stock purchase plan to a quarterly one. I will still be adding money to my money market account each month, but by investing this money on a quarterly basis, as opposed to a monthly basis, I will reduce my commission cost substantially and increase interest income for the year by carrying a higher average balance in the money market account. This should boost my total return and at the same time increase my cash reserves in case I should have any unexpected expenses.

In April I will be starting a new job, which I'm really excited about! While the hourly pay is the same, I will be getting more hours and have a lot more opportunity for advancement. I'm also very impressed with the owners of this new company, I'm sure I'll be much happier working for them than I have working for my current employer. So I have accomplished a couple more of my goals for the year in finding a new job and increasing my income from my job.

Even with the turmoil in the stock market, I think this is going to be a really good year for me. I'll keep fine tuning my plan for the year and making adjustments as needed and I'm still convinced it is a fantastic time to pick up bargain priced stocks, so I'm excited to see what new opportunities arise. I'll give a brief update each quarter and let the readers know how things are going.