Poll: how has your net worth changed since market highs?

[Helena]

I have no money in the stock market.

My net worth has increased.

 

[ziggy29]

This reminds me of the time that the Megacorp I worked for in 1987 announced a new openness policy regarding discussion of salaries. A HR rep sat down with each employee and showed them where their salary was located within the newly divulged salary brackets. I happened to be at rock bottom in my bracket, which didn't please me, since all my colleagues were not at the bottom. The HR rep insisted that I was the luckiest guy in the organization, though....with all that room for salary growth! She was a maker of lemonade..a real spinmeister.

What she should have said was: As the lowest-paid employee in your classification, you're the least likely to be let go in a layoff...

 

[Shawn]

This reminds me of the time that the Megacorp I worked for in 1987 announced a new openness policy regarding discussion of salaries. A HR rep sat down with each employee and showed them where their salary was located within the newly divulged salary brackets. I happened to be at rock bottom in my bracket, which didn't please me, since all my colleagues were not at the bottom. The HR rep insisted that I was the luckiest guy in the organization, though....with all that room for salary growth! She was a maker of lemonade..a real spinmeister!

I understand your point. It certainly doesn't feel good to have a drop in net worth or be at the lower end of the salary bracket. However, I look at your story in a different way. If everyone at Megacorp made the same salary, there would be no incentive to take risk and no chance to get ahead. Megacorp would be a fairly mediocre place. This is analogous to the savings rate at a bank. Safe, fairly consistent, but not the road to long-term wealth. But a broad salary bracket suggests opportunity for growth. At times you'll be at the bottom and at times you'll be at the top. And the top is much better than the bottom, so if you remain at Megacorp for 20-30 years, your cumulative income is almost guaranteed to be greater than if you work at a place where everyone makes the same guaranteed salary. This is analogous to stocks.

 

[scrinch]

That's a healthy and mature way of looking at things. I think most people tend to slam doors and kick the cat more when the market is way down, rather than seeing it as an indicator that the market is operating as it should. Good on you.

 

[Alan]

I only keep quarterly records but looking back the high was 10/1, and since then it is down approx 1.5%

 

[Arc]

YTD down 8% - according to Money. 85% stocks. No worries here - the economy, like everything, goes through its cycles. Feels good to be buying at low prices.

 

[loosehead]

We're down ~11% since Oct 07 high. But this is just our index funds allocation. We have 8-10 years before we need to tap into that "bucket"

 

[Spanky]

On March 3rd, the last time I dared to look, investments were down 1.8% from the late 2007 high, but our house keeps increasing in value which has pretty much canceled out the loss to our net worth.
Since we are retired, we are a lot more conservatively invested--we took five years of living expenses from equities and rolled them into CDs late last year. We now have about 55% equities, so we fared pretty well all in all. And, since we don't plan to sell stocks any time soon, you could say we haven't lost a dime!

The S&P500 was off by 15% on March 3, 08 from its high of 1,565.15 last year. Your 55% equity portfolio was down only 1.8%?

 

[Retire Soon]

My net worth has decreased 8 1/2% from residential real estate and stock market highs. I base this on the fact that housing probably peaked out in about August 2005, while the stock market reached a high in October 2007.

 

[LOL!]

Net worth down about 6%, market losses from the late Fall highs are worse than that, but we work, so invested income offsets some of the losses.

 

[Sam]

Down 20% from last year high, excluding the house.
Including the house, down 15%.

Totally agreeing with Nords: The thrill of high percentage equity portfolio.

 

[ikubak]

down about 3% from the October highs. It would be more but DW and I are still working and maxing out retirement accounts, so we've been buying during this downturn.

I told her several months ago that what we needed was one good bear market (like 2002) while we are working so we can buy at lower prices. If the market recovers, as it has from previous bear markets, we could be good to retire in three years or so.

 

[Texas Proud]

Down about 20%.... of the accounts I can easily see... almost 100% equity...

I would 'guess' down 17 or 18% with the other accounts...

 

[chinaco]

Wow... I see we have some market timers in the group.

{whisper} psssst, most lose with that approach!

Good luck.

Oh well. I used to do it also. It was an expensive education.

 

[megacorp-firee]

Wow... I see we have some market timers in the group.

Did you just figure that one out?
There are a lotta sinners in this church.

I myself have a Phd (and also paid the 'tuition') in the subject.

 

[freebird5825]

oops, corrected numbers, MFs only

down 1.54% TTM, down 5.67% YTD, average of all mutual funds held, per M*

50/50 AA

 

[spazz]

How much has your total net worth changed since the high (which for many is the stock market high in late 2007)?

For this question think of net worth as the cash out value of everything that could be cashed out: home equity, equities, bonds, cash, other investments, 25 times yearly pension.

OMG, I don't even want to look at my percentage change. If I do, I might let my emotions get the better of me!

 

[Zathras]

Still not sure about the term market timer.
If the grocery has a sale on stuff I want, I buy it.
Same with stocks, buy low. But then I don't sell it.
Perhaps I am a half sinner

 

[Alan]

Still not sure about the term market timer.
If the grocery has a sale on stuff I want, I buy it.
Same with stocks, buy low. But then I don't sell it.
Perhaps I am a half sinner

Must be nice never to have to sell, most of us will have to sell at some point during retirement.

 

[Helena]

Wow... I see we have some market timers in the group.

{whisper} psssst, most lose with that approach!

Good luck.

Oh well. I used to do it also. It was an expensive education.

I never play the stock market.

We'll see who has the best education when the game ends...
the music is still playing... so the game isn't over... YET !

 

[Donzo]

I am late to this party - I am down about 9% on my portfolio. This is not counting the large cash position I have because of an investment property sale. I have been buying into index funds on dips - I want to get more of this cash in the market. if market is down on Monday - I am putting 15% of the cash in.....we will see

 

[Zoocat]

Since year end I am down about -7.6% with 65% in equitities. That doesn't include house equity but does include my tax payment for 2008 of $4400. So it's not as bad as -7.6%. This was a good exercise and I'm somewhat relieved, at least for this moment in time.

 

[Madison]

Our portfolio is down -6.7% since Halloween. Doesn't include anything beyond our retirement portfolio. I don't track the house and assets as closely.

 

[bssc]

Down about 10% from June 2007.

 

[playaman]

I'm in the 20% or so group. Foolishly over-invested in a company stock ...