Decade of Progress

Source:http://www.pfblog.com/archives/6387_decade_of_progress.shtml
Another three days and we will be officially walking into the decade of 2010s!

There are a lot to write about the decade of 2000-2009 -- or the "Aughts", if this is the right way to call it. In the mood of the holiday season, let me quickly summarizing what the last decade means to me:

Family

At the onset of 2000, I was single and wasn't not in any kind of relationship. Then, I was fortunate enough to meet my wife in 2000 in the same company, and we got married after knowing each other for less than a year. Today, we will soon be celebrating our 9 year anniversary. I am so lucky to have a wife that is supporting and devoting. And after that many years, we still love and trust each other like day one. What a magic!

And even our son is approaching eight. He is a bright kid and doing well in school. Unlike me who was more grown up in the mountains of books, our son is outgoing and developing interests in Taekwondo and swimming. I wouldn't have imagined that a child's smile can bring so much fun to our life.

Career

10 years ago, being a software engineer, I was celebrating the millennium in the office preparing for the worst the Y2K bug might bring. Back then, I never imagined that I would be staying in the same company for more than 3 years. Actually, just before the dot com crash, I was very close to quit the company and got involved in a start-up, until I was offered a managerial position and chose to stay.

It has been a long and fulfilling ride career-wise ever since. As of 2009, I've been working in the same firm for 11 years. During the past decade, we moved back and forth across the oceans, worked in different countries and cultures. I have worked in a lot of different functions, have been trusted with positions of growing responsibility, and am compensated handsomely.

Financials

A decade back, I knew barely anything about money. My savings accounts added up to no more than $10,000, and I was just starting to keep track of my financials.

Over time, I developed profound interest in personal finance. I was fortunate to learn the importance of saving and compounding early enough in my life.

After our marriage, my wife and I combined our financial assets together, and we've been making good progress on building our nest eggs. We regularly save 30% or more of our gross income every month, and it really adds up.

The compounding side is not of many highlights, though. After all, the return of the broad stock market in past decade is next to nothing. For our portfolio, the nominal profit after the decade is slightly over $20,000.

Nevertheless, we feel positive about our financials. With a net worth exceeding $950,000, we should be in a much better condition than most of peers of the same age.


So all in all, it is a great decade. Will 2010s brings more fortune to our family? I hope so. The new chapter will begin in less than 72 hours!