Although the personal accounting program I use (John Wiegley’s ledger) can happily process decades of transactions in one file, I like using one file per year. Closing my financial books prods me to make sure that all transactions are accounted for and all my statements balance. It’s nice seeing all the numbers line up.

I saved almost 55% of my net income, which is good because I need to save aggressively in order to meet certain goals. I’ve maxed out my RRSP and TFSA contribution room. I now have a healthy opportunity fund that I can use to start my own business if I want to. In 2010, I plan to save at least half of my income again, setting aside money for some major upcoming things.

(And if the the stock market eventually goes up instead of staying mostly level, all the better!)