Have you ever looked in an old coat pocket and found a couple bills and felt really good?
Well, today I got a letter from my brokerage that manages my Roth IRA account. I signed up over a year and a half ago and stashed all my earnings from a part-time job into that account. I totally forgot I had this account.
Calculating this account into my current net worth bumps me up $2000 
The only sad part is that this account is only up 7.5% since inception and a couple months ago it was up around 20%. That market correction took a chunk out but I’m glad I’m still showing positive gains. I’m just glad I remembered it exists.
Why a roth IRA you ask? Since my income bracket is so low it made a lot of sense to contribute to a roth since the dollars are taxed now and when you withdraw after you’re 59.5 years old it’s tax-free. This is opposed to contributing pre-tax dollars now and getting taxed later when withdrawing.
So now you can pay off your debt and salvage the remnants of your credit!
Sigh, why pay off my debt? It’s 0% apr until august 2007. I’ve had the money to pay it off for quite some time but if my money is earning me money. What’s the point?