I hope everybody is locked and loaded to get… loaded again! It doesn't matter what new year it is. Every year we should have a goal to make more money, save more cash, and growth our net worth. Only after you've achieve financial independence can you take things down.
Let me first discuss five basic and important financial goals everybody should achieve every year.
The Most Important Financial Goals
1) Max out your 401k.
No more excuses. If you make at least $45,000 individually, you should be able to max out your 401k. The dollars come out pre-tax so it's not as painful as you think. Here's what you could have in 10, 20, 30 years if you max out your 401k like a person who cares about their retirement future.
2) Start investing pre-tax and after-tax dollars already.
The rich have widened the gap because they are massively invested in assets that have been appreciating. Even during a global pandemic, the S&P 500 went up 16% and the NASDAQ went up 42% in 2020!
Once you've accumulated a nice financial nut, the importance of working for a living decreases. The only way the rest of us can catch up is if we see another massive financial crisis. In 2009, we all gained on Warren Buffet by about $9 billion bucks because that's how much he was down!
Related: Should I Invest In My 401k Or Invest Post Tax?
3) Pay off all consumer debt.
You know what's even worse than not investing in a bull market? Being heavily indebted in a bull market. Not only do you miss out on increasing your net worth through asset appreciation, you're helping credit card companies and other creditors get rich due to your debt.
Consumer debt (credit card debt) and any debt which prevents you from investing in an improving economy is a double slap in your face. Not even Warren Buffet can beat the average credit card interest rate over his illustrious career.
Please read FS-DAIR, my guide to helping you decide how much debt to pay down and how much to invest.
4) Refinance your mortgage and other debt.
If you can't pay off all your debt, then refinance your debt. Interest rates are at or near all-time lows. This means everything from mortgage debt, credit card debt, student loan debt, and auto loan debt can be refinanced.
I recently got a 7/1 ARM jumbo mortgage for only 2.125% with no fees. Please refinance your debt and take advantage of record-low rates. Check out Credible to get free, no-obligation quotes to refinance any type of debt.
5) Track your finances like you care about your life.
I guarantee you that if you are not tracking your finances, or haven't done at least a month long deep dive audit, you are screwing yourself because you're spending way more than you think, and saving much less than you've planned. Your five year older self will thank you one day.
Once you're able to wrap your arms around all our finances, you can then focus your attention on doing more interesting things with much less worry. It's like writing out a to-do list instead of always being stressed wondering what you're forgetting by keeping everything in your head.
I've personally used Personal Capital since 2012 to track my net worth for free. So far, so great as the bull market continues. Leveraging free technology to manage your money is a no brainer.
6) Invest in yourself.
Your biggest money maker is YOU. I've never met a rich person who doesn't have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. You don't have to leave your job, lose your main source of income for two years, and get your MBA like I did. You can go to school part-time while working.
There's nothing wrong with attending some extension classes in your city at nights. How about subscribing to YouTube lessons that teach everything and anything? Subscribe to blogs that are written by people who know what they are talking about.
The people who are getting promoted and paid have desirable skills. You can only fake it for so long. Eventually you will be found out. Develop a set of marketable skills that can be highly monetized!
Personal Goals
1) Take 100 hours worth of intense Mandarin classes.
There was a time I used to be fluent in Mandarin. I could read 3,000+ characters, write, and speak business Mandarin. After living in the US for 23 years, I've become soft and it's damn frustrating. It will take me 25 days at four hours a day to achieve my goal. I will achieve this goal by taking a two week study abroad class in Beijing or Taipei, listening to hours of online and podcast lessons, and watching at least one full season of a Mandarin drama. Maybe I'll even do a 15 minute podcast on FS in Mandarin.
Why is mastering Mandarin a financial goal? Because when you're able to fluently speak another language, your business world opens up massively with a new demand curve. There are over one billion Mandarin speakers in the world. It's much easier developing relationships with others who take an interest in their language and culture.
2) Grow net worth by $1 million.
I'm focused on increasing income, but I'm more focused on growing net worth. Every $1 million in net worth growth is roughly $30,000 in relatively risk-free interest income. Although I mentioned the first $1 million might be the easiest in a previous post, once you get to a very significant figure like $10 million, it only takes a 10% increase to build another million.
How the hell do I plan to achieve this goal? Mainly through things I think I can control e.g. my business. For example, if I can grow recurring revenue by $333,000 in 2015, I'll achieve the $1 million goal if current valuations call for a 3X revenue multiple on online media companies.
It will be nice if my investments and real estate grow by 10%, but I'm not holding my breath as the effort (asset allocation, investment selection, purchases) have already been made and there's not much more I can do. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about my goal to become a millionaire again.
3) Make more passive income.
I plan to invest $250,000 into venture debt and $250,000 into real estate crowdfunding. By investing $500,000, I hope to generate at least $20,000 more in passive income to achieve my $300,000 goal.
4) Build up a steady $100,000 liquid cash pile.
I thought having just $25,000 in liquidity would feel OK, but with the addition of another mortgage and venture debt investment, my desire for more cash on hand has gone up. During the three month break when I was no longer spending any money on remodeling, it felt absolutely wonderful rebuilding my cash stash.
I often forget that I DON'T have a steady job any more as a business owner and consultant. I've gotten comfortable with my financial achievements, and that is a dangerous mindset to be in.
Who knows if several business verticals go bust. I've got property taxes and freelance income taxes to pay, not to mention expensive health care premiums for the first time ever.
5) Pay down my vacation property mortgage.
I've got $150,000 in vacation property mortgage to pay at 4.25%. The rate is relatively high, but the debt is not high enough to refinance due to the costs.
This vacation property mortgage has got to go!
More Goals To Have
1) Win at least one official 5.0 USTA match (tournament or league). Chances are slim that I'll be able to win a 5.0 match given the 5.0 level is filled with ex-Division I college players who are still in their 20s and early 30s, but I'm sure as hell going to try. Age is almost always the enemy of an athlete. In order to achieve this goal I will practice for at least 1.5 hours at least twice a week. I'll also do at least one session of stretching/yoga a week to improve my flexibility. I'm also going to upgrade my diet by reducing dairy intake by at least 50% in order to lean down to 157-160 lbs from my current 165-166 lbs. Getting fit is a pretty useless thing to do if there isn't an objective. I have no desire to go through this year with a 0-X record. To put things in perspective, winning a 5.0 match for me would be like hitting a single off SF Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner. I could never hit another ball or win another 5.0 match again and I would die happy!
2) Feel hungry after at least one meal every day. Portion sizes are massive in America compared to everywhere else in the world. To save money and help stay in shape, I plan to eat up to 75% full every lunch or dinner every single weekday and save the rest for leftovers. If I eat up to 75% full for lunch, I'm not going to make up for the hunger during dinner by eating 125%. I'll keep dinner at 90%-100% instead. The other reason to feel hungry after at least one meal every day is to be more appreciative of what I have. It's too easy taking life for granted in the United States. When I lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as a middle school student, many of my Muslim friends would practice Ramadan. They'd fast from dawn until sunset, refraining from consuming food and drinking liquids. Their commitment to being mindful and more spiritual for 29-30 days until the crescent moon appeared always inspired me.
3) Do one live interview or presentation. I don't think I'll have a problem talking in front of a live audience as I've done it before. I just haven't done so in a long while. Maybe I can be a guest lecturer at a school, or maybe I'll give a presentation at a conference or speak to someone on TV. One of my main goals for starting a podcast is to practice my speaking skills. The other goal is to just connect with readers in a different way.
4) Live more vicariously. The one thing that bummed me out in 2014 was that I didn't do anything risky or go on any adventures. I guess after one leaves a job of 13 years and goes traveling around the world for 10 weeks a year, it's hard to one-up such an adventure. A large part of me felt like I was getting sucked back into quicksand, working for money instead of working for the love of learning and networking. As soon as I stop learning new things or taking on new challenges, I have this immense desire to move on, partly because I can. This is one of the reasons why I'm proud of myself for sticking things out in my consulting job for one full year. The adventures I seek almost always have to do with exploring new countries and meeting new people. I will be traveling for at least six weeks once again in 2015.
5) Generate recurring charitable income through a new low-cost book. Two years ago, I wrote a book that helps people learn how to negotiate a severance package in order to provide a long enough financial runway to do something more meaningful with their lives. The book has led to personal finance consulting clients, more FS brand awareness, and the ability to speak with media outlets as an authority on career exit strategies. I've developed an intimate understanding of how to self-publish a piece of work on my own platform. Now I plan to put together a new book that will leverage the Amazon platform and my own platform with a price point under $10. The book's target audience is anybody who wants to achieve financial freedom sooner, rather than later. I hope that many existing readers will buy the book and gift it to friends and relatives. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a charity that focuses on helping our youth. It takes an elephant-sized effort to put a book together, but I plan to get it done by the first half of the year.
6) Increase output on Financial Samurai by 28.5%. I've been averaging about 3.5 posts a week for the past 5.5 years. I've seen a lot of bloggers decrease their output because their readership has grown. No longer do they need to write as much to reach a certain target figure. Instead of fading, I want to raise output to 4-5 posts a week (4.5) from now on by introducing new writers and new styles of writing. I love reading guest posts from the community and being an interactive commenter on my own platform. Building a large site is about long-term consistency. My most popular posts average 2.3 years in age. Like planting a sapling today, it might one day grow into a great big fruit-bearing tree. I plan to get to 4.5 posts a week on average through hard work, guest posts from readers, and a new staff writer.
7) Stop working for money. Through my year-long consulting experience, I've discovered that I really dislike working for money if I've stopped learning anything new. Learning something new and feeling the excitement of progress is what it's all about. It is unrealistic to always feel excitement at work, but I say that one has to feel it at least 70% of the time or else they need to find a new occupation or gig. When I worked in Equities, I had to cover even different Asian markets with seven different political regimes, economies, languages, and all the various publicly listed companies, of course. There was alway something new going on every day and that was exciting. But even with so much going on, thing start getting boring after a while. I'll always commit to anything for at least a year, but if things start getting dull, I will move on and not worry about the money I'm giving up because money is not the primary objective.
8) Visit my parents four times, and my sister and nephew two times. A couple years ago, I almost sold my house to move back to Oahu and be closer with my parents. I didn't pull the trigger because it felt too early to leave booming San Francisco. Hence, the solution is to just travel to see my parents more often. There were years where I'd only see them once a year. With my added freedom, I expect to see them at least four times a year for a week at a time. I've got my house ready to go for my parents and for my sister and nephew to come visit for as long as they want.
Think Big, It Helps!
The first step to building great wealth over the long term is to keep track of your finances in one place. By knowing where all your money is going, you're better able to optimize your wealth by reducing expenses and making better investments. Once you've got a handle on your money, have stretch goals. Even if you fail, you'll end up going much farther than if you had no goals, or rather common goals.
Finally, make sure you've got a solid fall back strategy. We're now in a rising interest rate environment in 2016 and beyond. It's going to be tougher to make money and get ahead as a result of this self-imposed headwind to keep inflation in check. Focus on increasing your savings rate, adjusting your risk tolerance, and finding new side hustles to keep the income stream flowing!
Recommendation To Build Wealth
Manage Your Money In One Place: Sign up for Personal Capital, the web’s #1 free wealth management tool to get a better handle on your finances. In addition to better money oversight, run your investments through their award-winning Investment Checkup tool to see exactly how much you are paying in fees. I was paying $1,700 a year in fees I had no idea I was paying.
After you link all your accounts, use their Retirement Planning calculator that pulls your real data to give you as pure an estimation of your financial future as possible using Monte Carlo simulation algorithms. Definitely run your numbers to see how you’re doing. I’ve been using Personal Capital since 2012 and have seen my net worth skyrocket during this time thanks to better money management.
Updated for 2021 and beyond.
[…] the beginning of the year, I highlighted several personal goals in a post. One of those goals was to win just one USTA 5.0 rated tennis match. I had just gotten bumped to […]
I have a question that I’d like your thought on..
Hypothetically speaking….
I live in CA and say I sold some land to someone… and I carry the note back on the property.. so now he pays me an annual interest payment of $50k at beginning of each year.. (interest only)
if i had a son living in Florida where there is no state tax and he is in a much lower income tax bracket than I am…
is it prohibitive from IRS standpoint to have the annual interest payment check made out to my son living in Fl who would then pay the lower taxes on his fed income tax and pay zero on state tax?
Is there any liability for taxes on my part?
what are your thoughts on this hypothetical scenario?
My thoughts are that CA has a history of going after income, wherever one is.
But, if your hypothetical son is living in Florida, I would presume he has a right to declare himself a FL citizen and pay taxes based on that state.
[…] Make financial goals and take action towards reaching those goals. Share your goals with friends or loved ones to help […]
[…] been thinking about going back for ages. I’d have the chance to practice my Mandarin, one of my main goals for 2015, and eat some of the best dumplings in the world every day at Din Tai Fung. I’ve traveled all […]
[…] months at a time given friends say they live extremely well off $2,000 a month for two. Given one of my goals is to take 100 hours of intense Mandarin lessons, I may very well be writing to you from some lower […]
I am a new reader to Financial Samurai and am very impressed with the no-nonsense and practical advice that you give to your readers.
It is one of my goals for 2015 and beyond to get my financial house in order and to live the life of my dreams. My finances seem very minuscule compared to your and your readers but I plan on changing that with hard work, lots of research and advice from people like yourself.
My goals for 2015:
To reduce my debt – I have more liabilities than assists. I have a car loan, mortgage, personal loan, and student loan debt.
However, I am a single parent of 2 two teen boys and have an annual income of $50,000 as a teacher. After my bills are paid my discretionary income goes towards groceries and gas and never seem to have enough left over to pay towards debt.
Increase my income – I am considering leaving teaching and perhaps obtaining a job with the Federal government that has a higher salary and the added benefit of paying off my student loans. Also, I am very interested in becoming an entrepreneur but not sure what exactly what business to start. Health and beauty are big interests of mine.
I have more goals but any ideas you can give me on how to reduce debt and career fields that you consider lucrative would be most appreciated.
Thanks for all your advice!
[…] they can’t afford, slap them upside the head. If you’ve found a site that helps you save money, make more money, and grow your net worth, let others […]
Great to see p2p is still an option you’re considering. I’ve bumped up my risk and keep earning 10% by sticking to E grades.
My goals
Just turned 27
Increase my earnings ,and therefore reach 25+ employees
Work less, take more vacations..
Save 15k monthly
Buy first rental property or commercial property.
Wife and I trying to have kids already, it’s time.
Wow! I just stumbled on your website (looking for resume samples of all things – lol). You have truly inspired me to make 2015 the turning point for turning my resolutions, dreams, hopes, plans into reality. Less talk, lists, etc. more action!!! I am far from being financially savvy (in fact most of the financial stuff is foreign to me). What does resonate in your post, however, is the financial straight-forward and the plain-talk way you deliver content. I am truly inspired to “Just Do It”:
– maintain meaningful relationships,
– start building up my savings (note to self: buy less shoes),
– visit Iceland this year (make it happen),
– acquire warehouse space for conversion,
– incorporate more “creativity” into my existence,
– drop the 20lbs I’ve gained in the past 2 years and get back on track health-wise,
– find out more about IRAs, 401ks and all manner of scary financial stuff :)
Cheers for sharing Sam – all the best in 2015
Love it! So glad Google is working and the article has inspired you to take action! Little steps and improvements over time add up to huge successes!
I love your blog and have read it for quite a while. In fact you and a couple of other blogs provided the motivation to start my own blog at insideraccountant.wordpress.com.
I think posting 3.5 posts per week is quite good really, but I guess that’s because I unfortunately still have to work a full time day job! While I’ve recently made partner and am now making more money, I’m now looking at the next goal of getting out of the race within 8 years. With my current workloads I’m not sure I would have time to write more than 3.5 posts per week!
If you got to 4.5 meaningful posts per week that would be great, and having guest posts would certainly be a more efficient way of doing it on a consistent basis. I would love to provide a guest post but might need to get some more experience in the blogging world first!
Happy New Year!
It’s amazing how much you’ve progressed since you originally left your job, and I’ve kept watching you move further.
My goals are a bit more subdued from yours, but here they are:
1) Purchase a house, and convert current one to rental. We have enough for that 20% down payment, but prices are really too high in CA. Looking for a house that has what we need and not break the bank.
2) Max out 401K. Took a break from contributing to max last year to meet down payment.
3) Lose some weight. Almost made it last year, but last 2 months were really bad. Start afresh this year.
Here’s to 2015!
What a mystery you are, guy! The last two months always screw all of us up in terms of weight loss. Good luck!
Good read on goal setting. I plan on maxing out my 401 and ira the next 2-3 months this year and also using Personal Capital to track all my investments. This is the first year I finally plan take more control of my loose spending habits and try to track every expense to a tee.
I have a good amount sitting in cash doing nothing and was planning to put it into Vanguard this week to get off on the right 2015 foot. The market is down almost 300 points today however and causing me to be leary. Do you think with heavy volatility and market hits like today it might be better off leaving over 120k in cash?
My dad saves around 250k in cash per year (since 2005). He has 1 million in stocks/real estate but a 2-3 million dollar cash reserve and not much inclination to invest. How could I get him to want to invest more and get out of the habit of just saving cash?
I would save having $3-$4 million in cash, stocks, and real estate is a really hefty amount where you want to protect at all cost. I think your dad is comfortable with his allocation and that’s what’s most important. Imagine getting him into $2 million in stocks, and the market corrects by 20%. The relationship with your dad might get strained!
I would just focus on your own investments. How are they doing and how is your net worth allocated?
Definitely true…in medical school now for 3 more years, so my net worth is zero haha
Ah, no wonder why you are focusing on him so much. I assume he will pay for all your medical tuition and living?
Then you can pay him back once you start making your big bucks.
Now I know how this works.. i have a question and would like to see if you or your readers have any opinions. My wife and I are downsizing and perhaps moving out of CA.. Kids are thru college (mostly), so it’s time I’m thinking about retiring.. we are selling our home and it should close in Feb.. we will continue to live here for a year (negotiated with the buyer rent free) while we figure out where we want to move. We are getting $400k down payment (i’m carrying back the rest of the loan).. I will need that $400k in a year or so for a new place to live outside of CA most likely.. My question is where can I put this $400k so that it’s working for me while preserving it.. CD’s aren’t paying anything.. was considering splitting it between SWCAX and SWNTX for the year..
any thoughts or opinions?
thanks in advance.
If you absolutely need that 400K, then I wouldn’t go beyond a 1 year CD or an online savings account like Capital One 360. The goal is to NOT make money from your 400K, but make sure it’s there when you need it.
Happy New Year as well.. I’m a new reader of our blogs and appreciate the information.
Hi Sam,
I came across your blog less than a week ago and I can’t stop reading. I’ve been looking for a resource that is as digestible, yet thought-provoking as your blog, and I’m really excited to be learning so much already!
I’m a real novice in the field of finance (personal or corporate) but I have a real interest in being financially independent. I went to school for Computer Science but didn’t get much further past my Associates’ before landing a job in Real Estate/Sales, where I found true passion.
My earnings have increased steadily for the last 3 years and I officially crossed the 6-figure earnings mark this year. It’s nowhere close to where I would like to be or where I see a lot of your readers, but it’s a long way from where I started. Funny thing is, I always believed the day I hit $100k would be the day I would officially become financially secure. Unfortunately that is nowhere close to being true. In fact, the more I earn from working the more I realize how how financially insecure I am.
For starters, I’m on track to earn +$150k this year but I have less than $10k in savings (after purchasing my first home in July, which tapped out my savings), and no investments. So here is my plan for 2015:
#1. Invest in myself – it’s time I got back on track to earning my bachelor’s degree (even though I’m half way there in a field I have zero interest in) – so it’s going to be night school for me moving forward. I also plan to get my Real Estate Broker’s license in the 1st quarter of the year which sets me up to own my own firm in the next 2 years. Lastly, I’m going to pad my pursuit of a bachelor’s with as many Finance and investment Courses as I can take and get credit for.
#2. Save $25k by the end of the year – therefore I’m taking a deep dive into my spending and I’ve already set up my Personal Capital account in order to keep track of all my status. Knowing is half the battle.
#3. Buy my first rental property – Nothing fancy, just something that has the ability to produce can produce income. I’ve been wanting to do this for years but have never actively pursued it. I’d like to get this done before the end of the 3rd quarter this year.
#4. Become 10% less dependent on my job – i.e. establish a revenue stream of at least 10% of what my job pays through an investment. So my goal for the rental property is to generate at least $15k annually.
You hear stories of immigrants that come to America with nothing in their pockets and make it big over here…I want to be one of those guys – I came to America exactly 10 years ago with $93 to my name. I’ve come a long way, but my goal is to establish a 7-figure net worth in the next 5 years, and I believe some of the tools you have to offer will help me realize that goal.
Cheers!
Love the goals! I definitely think it’s a great idea to get your bachelor’s degree and “get it out of the way” so to speak. You don’t want to be left wondering years from now whether it held you back or not in case of a set back.
Taxes are a killer that many people who complain about higher income earners don’t realize.
Good luck in your journey!
Hi!
Been reading your blog for a year now and love it. Have never commented before. Awesome goals. I love goal setting as I feel it’s the only way to measure success after the year – except I align mine with my birthday in November – as goals that begin in the New Year seem to fizzle for most people.
I have many goals for 2015 but will share my top 2. Pay off my mortgage on my ridiculously overpriced house and convince my husband to retire the following year (2016). I’ve been working on the latter goal for about 5 years and I am starting to feel progress. Wish me luck.
Thanks for the articles!
Good luck! That’s funny you are trying to convince your husband to retire. I think a lot of guys feel pressure to keep on working to support the family. When did you retire?
Hi! I haven’t retired yet. I just turned 33 and have plan to reverse retire from 35-50 to spend time with our children age 1 & 3. The issue is if my husband doesn’t retire the plan turns out to be I become the stay a home mom and that’s not what I had in mind. We will see. Our close friend had a recent health scare and I think that is helping put the real priorities of life front and center. I say to him, if we can retire/be financially independent, why work? I think he feels the need to work because everyone else is doing it.
Some great goals and specific actions to go along with them – awesome to see you sharing these with your community here.
I usually struggle with goal setting, as I always want to do a million things and end up losing focus. I’ve finally come around this year to narrowing my focus, and it’s all about INCOME in 2015!
Of course, I always think there’s some fundamental habits that need to be continuously developed behind all other goals – health, fitness, developing resilience, being grateful and just having fun and enjoying life!
Best of luck boosting your income in 2015! We are our biggest money makers after all.
I think three big goals a year are doable.
Love this blog, I think you do an awesome job dishing out interesting articles every week. Guests post are interesting from time to time but the thought of a staff writer gets me nervous. I know this is an income producing business which ideally you’d like to maximize, so if a staff writer is where you feel you need to go to do that , I totally understand. I just hope the quality suffer.
Happy New Year!
needless to say I meant “quality doesn’t suffer”…
Sure, will do my best. As they say, you get what you pay for ;)
I would love to read more reader stories, so if you would like to share some personal finance journies or lessons, I’d love to have it!
As I get closer to retirement, I am looking forward to be back in charge of my life. Financial freedom provides choices! I think it is the best part of financial freedom. My “retirement” plan includes volunteering, but no paid work. I like having choices! I think it is the entrepreneur in me.
Larry, I do wonder if by the time you retire, you might wonder why you waited so long, since you’ve already financially independent. I hope you write a nice long post reflecting about your retirement once you do!
I like your diet goal. Reminds me of something I read from a bodybuilding trainer:
“Always go to bed slightly hungry; wake up leaner than you went to bed.”
Needless to say, the dude and his clients end up pretty shredded. Probably too lean for tennis, but the point stands.
I’m starting to think I should just pay off my student loans as well for a 2015 goal. Feels like the drumbeat of the finance blog crowd recommends it.
Awesome that your readers might see more content!
Nice quote! I’ll remember that. Its feel good to wake up feeling leaner.
Now these are some high-scale goals and I love them. I agree that the blog also needs constant content, I’ve seen pretty big blogs die over the time, so there’s never a ‘safe place’. Keeping fingers crossed and looking forward to all the new content.
Happy New Year Sam!
Great post! I have read some heart felt posts in the past where you talk about your family and I am a little surprised that you don’t mention them here. Maybe you did a better job than I did taking care of those relationships in 2014. It is a big goal for me to spend some quality time with the family this year as I can get pretty consumed with my career.
I divide my goals into four quadrants: family, health, financial and personal development.
Good luck and keep up the good work,
Caonex
Hi Caonex,
I mentioned my family in my personal year in review post, and I plan to have the same goals this year as well. I feel really good about the balance so far and plan to keep family discussions at a minimum.
What are some of your specific goals?
Sam,
Do drop by when your come out to Thailand. I will give you more tips on how to get your weight down further and keep it there, if you wish.
-Mike
Sounds good. I think you have though from your previous comment. I think 5-7lbs is doable with my new regime especially now that I have a specific goal of winning a 5.0 match. Played two sets yesterday and felt very sluggish!