Well, tomorrow's the start of a new year, and so, while many people are partying with their friends or watching the Times Square festivities on TV, I'm thinking about the financial chores I like to do right away, early in the year.

I usually don't delay in funding my Roth IRA. Since I have ample savings in taxable mutual funds, it's simply a matter of calling T. Rowe Price and transferring $5K to one of my IRAs. This was never a problem in a bull market. However, this year, I'm in a bit of a quandary. Because the stock market tanked so much, transferring money to a Roth IRA account would mean a big loss when I sold any of my taxable mutual funds.

So I'm not sure what to do. I could use money from the emergency fund I've been trying to build as protection against any job loss, but it's just slightly under $7K right now (2.5 months worth of living expenses) and the Roth IRA contribution would pretty much wipe out my emergency fund, so I'd prefer not to do that.

I guess I'll do what everyone else does, contribute little by little throughout the year. In the past, I figured I'd get a bigger bang for the buck by doing the contribution earlier in the year rather than later, giving my money an extra 12 months of tax-deferred status, unlike some who might contribute late in the year.

Perhaps I can designate whatever bonus I get for the IRA.

In summary, any raise I receive will compensate for the extra I've allocated to go into my 401(k) and any bonus I get will go into my Roth IRA. I know it's the right thing to do, but it doesn't feel like "fun."

Here's to my kitty making it to spring so she can breathe the fresh air out on the porch.