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

[WM]

We are probably down something like 15%, mostly loss of equity in our rental property in San Diego.

 

[Spanky]

I'd think that anyone with an annuity, especially a COLA'd annuity, should consider shifting the rest of their portfolio to higher in equities.

However, for those of us who do not have the privilege to receive a pension should hold hands and pray for market recovery.

 

[outtarentals]

The conservative mutual funds model that my FA's chose for me 2 years ago and are managing is currently down about 10% - and very volatile. I hired them as an experiment and they charge me 1.25%. According to my CPA, they've done just about the same over the past 2 years as if I had put the money into CD's at 5% and paid myself the interest - I'm just about even and probably paid about the same amount in taxes. Still, I knew nothing about the market and it has been a learning curve for me. Fortunately, it represents a small part of my cash - the rest is in laddered CD's returning 3.6% - 6%.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting for a good real estate buying opportunity - probably next summer. Then I can transfer my prop 13 property tax base from the house I just sold - which was a principal residence - to the new house - so I can pay up to $600K - 700K cash and my property taxes will be about $800/ year. I'll have to keep it for 5 years min but after a bit I can rent it out and start with a new depreciation schedule which I desperately need to lower my income taxes - Then at some point I'll probably move into it for 2 years and take the HO income tax exemption - if it's still around. It's about the only tax shelter I can use and it looks like taxes are going to go even higher.
Meantime, my little workhorse rental houses have gone down about 15 - 20% from their peak 2 years ago, but since they're still 7-10 times what I paid for them - and they're easy to rent and the tenants are great - the rent comes in every month like clockwork and they're free and clear with low property taxes so all's right with that part of my world. If there's a leak or a problem, I call the plumber or handyman and he takes care of it - just write him a check out of my yearly maintenance allowance which is fairly generous. Lately, I've decided not to sell any more rentals and will probably get a manager if I have to.

This wild market in the last 6 months has been more worry than I ever had with 30+ years of rentals .... Anyway - that's today's plan....things could change tomorrow!

 

[packrat44]

I hate roller coasters-- I'm always speculating about the cumulative effects of the transient [-]impacts[/-] high-speed turns on the ride's structural integrity...

I feel the same. Maybe that is typical for Mechanical Engineers.

 

[lucija]

We're down about 7%;the drop would be larger if I was to exclude contributions...

 

[FinallyRetired]

I'd like to thank everyone for being so honest. On other boards I've been on, if this same question is asked, everyone has bought at the low, sold at the high, and is just killing the market.

 

[Midpack]

I'm down about 5% but that includes contributions. I could go calculate it but I don't care, I've been through ups and downs, and know to expect both. I didn't sell anything or lose any sleep in 2000 or the years after and ultimately did very, very well. Interesting how this question isn't asked in good times, only bad. I like Rick Ferri's recent bear market thread (can't remember if it was here or diehards...).

 

[W2R]

I'm down about 5% but that includes contributions. I could go calculate it but I don't care, I've been through ups and downs, and know to expect both. I didn't sell anything or lose any sleep in 2000 or the years after and ultimately did very, very well. Interesting how this question isn't asked in good times, only bad. I like Rick Ferri's recent bear market thread (can't remember if it was here or diehards...).

It was diehards - - wasn't that cool? Looking for good aspects of a bear market.

 

[CybrMike]

Down maybe 20% since market high. About 90% in equities and about half in international. No REITS though thank god.

20% = $1MM

So yeah, I'm feeling the pinch.

 

[figner]

Down about 13% since market high. 80/20 allocation still seems ok to me.

 

[Shawn]

I haven't looked in detail, but my net worth is down about 5% or a little over 100K. I'm still in the accumulation phase with paid employment (and DCA'ing), so that lessens the drop.

While it's a little disappointing, I haven't lost any sleep over it. I look at the recent drop as a positive thing. Not only are stocks less expensive (as others have mentioned), but a falling market illustrates the value of risk. If equity (and bond) investments didn't have risk, they would earn the same rate as a savings account at your local bank. The fact that the equity market is sharply down simply emphasizes it's long-term potential for higher return.

 

[Disappointed]

Down about 10% even with 40% in cash. Everything I own was trashed.

mP

 

[megacorp-firee]

Networth down about 5.3% from high. Portfolio is down 10% from high.

A more interesting question might be where are you since EOY 2004 or some other date that would show the upside of your investing.

 

[dessert]

Down about 10% but thanks to this ER site I realize that this is just normal. I have even learned not to look at it and am actually ignoring the market. I am still maxing out my 401k contributions as well as after tax contributions. I am looking at this as a "DCA buy low" period and since I only have a few years left to contribute, this could very well be good for my future net worth. I hope so.

 

[rocketdog]

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!

 

[Dude]

Quicken says -14.36% ROI 10/12/07 - 3/19/08 (401k and Roth IRA)

90% stock, 10% bonds

Looking forward to an upward trend

 

[Delawaredave5]

Down about 6.7%, including estimated equity drop in house, but also including savings contributions and bonus in February. 60% stocks.

 

[Ronstar]

Quicken says down 3.8% since Oct 2007, but worse because I havent revalued real estate and business equity that equal more than half of net worth

 

[barbarus]

Down lots of dollars like other prudent investors who have been robbed by the Greenspan/Bernanke gang's artificially low rates.

Capital being slaughtered by inflation.

A casualty in the war-on-savers.

 

[DangerMouse]

I'm totally clueless as I haven't looked. It's times like that that I am glad that I run with an Excel spreadsheet with totals by category rather than a program such as Quicken. I know everything is going down, but I also know that it is unlikely I will need to access my investments for some time to come. It is times like this that make me grateful that I am 45% in cash.

 

[packrat44]

It is times like this that make me grateful that I am 45% in cash.

IMO you should go a shopping trip for some great bargains before the sale is over.

 

[ladelfina]

This wild market in the last 6 months has been more worry than I ever had with 30+ years of rentals

outtarentals.. sounds like you are gonna do ok, though, as more people will be renting now!

No REITS though thank god.

Yeah, after reading about AA I went for those! (not a huge amount but enough to cause add'l. pain I don't need). But I didn't go for gold/commodities.. D'oh!!

I'm feeling the pinch.

Cybrmike, wanna trade places?

 

[chinaco]

I haven't calculated it exactly... but from the recent high I am somewhere between 8 - 10% off.

 

[scrinch]

I look at the recent drop as a positive thing. Not only are stocks less expensive (as others have mentioned), but a falling market illustrates the value of risk. If equity (and bond) investments didn't have risk, they would earn the same rate as a savings account at your local bank. The fact that the equity market is sharply down simply emphasizes it's long-term potential for higher return.

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!

Anyway, I'm down 3.1% since 9/30/07 (I only calculate and record networth quarterly). Not as lucky as many on the board, I guess. Less room for growth, so to speak, but definitely more within my downside comfort zone.

 

[Bigritchie]

I am up, been 100% cd cash since the thing started.