Saturday, June 24, 2017

The struggle this week

It seems right now that I am just struggling with everything possible. I am frustrated and tired.  Nothing, so far, as been a major deal.  I think I am so tired and frustrated that every little thing sends me into complete and total exasperation.  Here is a list of my current frustrations:

1.My battery light came on in my car on Wednesday and I needed a new alternator, an $800 repair.  (More on this later.)
2. My shower is draining slowly and I can't find my auger.  I don't any drano on hand.
3. My toilet is leaking.  I tried to fix it and now it won't stop running (e.g. I made it worse).
4. At work, I am working on a type of case that I have never worked on before with absolutely no support from the higher ups.
5. My sister's birthday is coming up and I haven't done anything or made any plans.
6. My room is a mess.  Well the whole house is.
7. The lawn needs to be cut, but it won't stop raining.
8.  I'm behind at work.
9. My assistant left on Friday without finishing a project that is due on Monday and she won't be in on Monday.
10.  My boss' assistant seems to have an agenda to keep my boss from communicating with me.  I don't know why.  (More on this later). 
11.  I worked a 12.5 hour day on Monday
12. I worked a 15 hour day on Tuesday. 
13. I'm tired.
14. I don't have enough money to retire today. :)

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Lawyers and suicide

A few weeks ago, a well known litigator in Florida allegedly committed suicide.  His face had blessed the cover of magazines and he was touted as a successful lawyer in Florida.  He had many multi-million dollar verdicts and seemed to be the epitome of success.  I did not know the man personally, but I recall seeing his trial tips and story in a magazine.  

This man's alleged suicide was shocking to me.  He seemed to fit into the legal culture and was successful.  That is not me at all.  I don't like going to the local attorney meetings or participating in the local bar events.  I do not fit into the culture of practicing law in my area.  For example, I have gone to many a hearing on a case and I was the only female, the only minority in the room and the only one under 50 years old.  No one was unkind to me and the hearings have gone well.  However, there is a lingering feeling, within me, that I just don't fit in.  I also don't make a lot of money  as a lawyer.  I replaced an older white male attorney and I am paid at least $40,000 a year less than he was making (I started out making $50,000 a year less than he did.).  I've seen his old timesheets- I do more work than he did and I have more firm-wide day-to-day responsibilities than he did- yet there is a disparity in pay.  Is is due to my age, my race, my gender or experience?  I always have those lingering questions.  I don't like practicing law, it is just a stressful job to me. A job that I hope I will be able to transition out of and into something else.

Nevertheless, the practice of law is stressful and it can be depressing.  There are often feelings that you are not good enough. There is a lot of embarrassment,shame, anger if you lose a hearing/case/trial.  About 10 years ago an local attorney in a nearby town committed suicide.  I had interacted with him on several cases.   I recall thinking, "I wonder why he chose to end his life?"  He was a partner in a law firm, had just recently lost and lot of weight and seemed to have all the confidence in the world. 

I encourage everyone, not just lawyers, to get help for mental health issues.  I also would like to point out that many people suffer from mental issues. People who you never would suspect suffer from mental health issues. It is important to focus on kindness in your interactions with others. 

Friday, June 16, 2017

Roth Update

Yesterday was payday and I contributed another $1,000 to my Roth.  My Roth is now worth over $15,000!  $15,358 to be exact!  Building up assets in a Roth IRA is slow going, but finally hitting the $15,000 milestone is so exciting.  My next goal is $20,000, but that probably won't happen until next year as I can only contribute $2,496 more for 2017.  Keep your fingers crossed for more growth! I really hope that by the end of the year my Roth will be worth close to $19,000.  However, I realize that at the market is unpredictable and anything can happen.

My 2017 Roth contributions are below:

4/14/17- $1,004
5/15/17- $1000
6/15/17- $1,000

I just like to track things so later when I look back at my blog I can see what I did and how far I have come over the years.  Outside of my Roth I intend to contribute another $2,000 towards retirement into a taxable account for 2017. 

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Welcome to June!

Welcome to June everyone!  I know I'm a bit late, but at least we are only 4 days in.  I ended up earning over $6 on my savings account this month.  Slowly, but surely I am creeping up.  I can't wait until I am earning over $100 a year in interest.

I contemplated opening a CD with some of my EF, but the rates are so low right, I don't think I will bother.  I would get to tie up my money for 91 days to earn approximately $1.  The 1 year and 2 year rates are not much better.  I may reconsider later, as earning something (even just $1) is better than nothing.  I keep hoping that the savings interest rated will rise and make it worth putting money into CDs. 

I ended the month with over $14,300 in my Roth.  That is exciting as I am creeping up on $15,000 in retirement savings.  I should make that in June....well depending on the market.  I should get one of those fancy progress bars for my blog.

I am expecting some big expenses soon: appliances are wearing out and making noises, my car will be 11 years old this year and my laptop seems to be dying (it is about 6 years old). 

I still haven't received my travel reimbursements from March so I will need to follow up with that- it's about $800- tomorrow.  I hate having to involve my boss, but I will not act as a credit card company for the firm.  I am being extremely generous by waiting 2 months for reimbursement.

I paid the mortgage payment right before the long weekend.  I made an extra $150 payment (the usual),  and the balance is down to $213,753.  Houses in my neighborhood have been being listed for $325,000 (I paid around $250,000 4 years ago). If the real estate market stays hot, I may consider selling in a few years.