The first month of net worth gain came rather late in 2008. Helped by continued strength in my day job and sideline business, our net worth edged up 0.7% in March. While we are $62,100 off where we started the year, we still increased our wealth by over $150,000 in the last 12 months.

Again, the market is testing the patience of every participant and spectator. If anything, I'm getting very good at dealing with market turbulence -- daily five-figure portfolio loss doesn't bother me much these days.

Now I don't think I'm a role model when it comes to investing -- some can easily discount me as market timer by keeping a big cash reserve, or being on the fence between stock picker and fund investor -- but I'm glad I'm true to myself and put my money where my mouth is. There are and will continue to be hits and misses, and it will surely take a long time to get better in the game. I won't mind people giving me more criticism or feedback along the way.

BALANCE SHEET

NOTES

- Our entire credit card balance is either on 0% APR balance transfer deals or charges in the last 30 days that will be paid off before the due date.
- Our tax liability continues to decline due to shrinking unrealized capital gains.

NEXT STEPS

- Our tax preparers at KPMG have filed for automatic extension of our 2007 tax return. While I have collected all forms, I still need some time to put together my organizer and spend time with the firm to complete my tax return.

- The family hasn't vacationed since Christmas, so we are set to go to Seattle and LA in late April/early May. Great to catch up with some friends, bring our kid to another Disney park, and regain some sanity in our busy life.