fun watching my account

[dtbach]

Just a few days ago I was a "multi" millionaire. But yesterday I became just a millionaire.

Did any of you spend anytime watching this milestone? And how long was it before you became bored because it doesn't really mean a damn thing??

Anyway, I admit it was excited for a moment.

Now off to the tread mill to do something that actually means something. . .

 

[cranberryjoe]

I watch my total balance across all accounts daily, just because I can. I was approaching "multi" millionaire status when the market crashed in 2008. At the bottom, I was no longer even a millionaire for a couple of months. That was frightening! But I stayed the course and eventually made it across the multi millionaire mark. Useful knowledge for entertainment purposes only!

 

[retire2020]

I watch my total balance across all accounts daily, just because I can. I was approaching "multi" millionaire status when the market crashed in 2008. At the bottom, I was no longer even a millionaire for a couple of months. That was frightening! But I stayed the course and eventually made it across the multi millionaire mark. Useful knowledge for entertainment purposes only!

+1

What a horrible year that was! From 1.7M to 800K and on top of that I had lost my job in Dec 2008. I was 44 and thought that I was finished. No one was hiring and almost all the recruiters commented that I made too much money even though it had taken me 22 years to reach where I was back then. I took a 25% pay cut and took the job way below my previous role after sitting home for three months…..and things turned around quickly and found the job matching my previous salary in just three weeks. Roll forward five years and I'm on track to RE and my current NW is almost 2.8M excluding house and Kids' 529.
I check my account everyday..It just feels great to be back from dead.

 

[Mulligan]

+1



What a horrible year that was! From 1.7M to 800K and on top of that I had lost my job in Dec 2008. I was 44 and thought that I was finished. No one was hiring and almost all the recruiters commented that I made too much money even though it had taken me 22 years to reach where I was back then. I took a 25% pay cut and took the job way below my previous role after sitting home for three months…..and things turned around quickly and found the job matching my previous salary in just three weeks. Roll forward five years and I'm on track to RE and my current NW is almost 2.8M excluding house and Kids' 529.

I check my account everyday..It just feels great to be back from dead.

Your comment made me laugh, 2020..... I will be dead before I get to 800k!


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[Spanky]

800K in Dec 2008 ........ almost 2.8M

That's an annualized return of 26% -- wow!!
which is much better than the 17.704% annualized S&P 500 Return (Dividends Reinvested).

 

[retire2020]

Your comment made me laugh, 2020..... I will be dead before I get to 800k!

LOL…My expenses are very high - three growing kids.

Spanky….Not all in returns. I wish. Add an annual contribution of about 60K(401K/Roth IRA and cash deposit into Brokerage Account)…All making up that 2.8M mark.

 

[dtbach]

LOL…My expenses are very high - three growing kids.

Spanky….Not all in returns. I wish. Add an annual contribution of about 60K(401K/Roth IRA and cash deposit into Brokerage Account)…All making up that 2.8M mark.

But still, that's only about $350K added. Very impressive to get to $2.8M

 

[cranberryjoe]

+1

What a horrible year that was! From 1.7M to 800K and on top of that I had lost my job in Dec 2008. I was 44 and thought that I was finished. No one was hiring and almost all the recruiters commented that I made too much money even though it had taken me 22 years to reach where I was back then. I took a 25% pay cut and took the job way below my previous role after sitting home for three months…..and things turned around quickly and found the job matching my previous salary in just three weeks. Roll forward five years and I'm on track to RE and my current NW is almost 2.8M excluding house and Kids' 529.
I check my account everyday..It just feels great to be back from dead.

I went from $1.7M to 980K in 4 months. I was 50, and sullenly retargeted my ER plans from 55 to 58 or even later. Miraculously I was still able to ER at 55.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

U n me both, Mul.

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[mickeyd]

Did any of you spend anytime watching this milestone?

I've been pretty good about not looking at my accounts unless I need to take some kind of action (rebalance, plan a W/D). I do not know when I was first worth 1M$ or 2M$. I must admit that at times I have been surprised what the bottom line is on our portfolio.

 

[Mulligan]

U n me both, Mul.

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Hopefully you got a decent pension like I have or are very good with your money Ed! I enjoy reading about the forum posters able to post their financial achievements. Considering I didn't become very "smart" with my money until my later years, I am glad the pension makes up for my stupidity. The way I see it, I could have made high dollars my whole life and still not have anything to show for it. Self control, discipline, investment prowess are still needed to be successful.


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[WannabeRetired]

+1
What a horrible year that was! From 1.7M to 800K and on top of that I had lost my job in Dec 2008. I was 44 and thought that I was finished. No one was hiring and almost all the recruiters commented that I made too much money even though it had taken me 22 years to reach where I was back then. I took a 25% pay cut and took the job way below my previous role after sitting home for three months…..and things turned around quickly and found the job matching my previous salary in just three weeks. Roll forward five years and I'm on track to RE and my current NW is almost 2.8M excluding house and Kids' 529.
I check my account everyday..It just feels great to be back from dead.

Very impressive recovery!

 

[grasshopper]

I thought that Vanguard would revoke my Flagship status, just as I retired, but stayed the course and doubled my money.

 

[lhamo]

I started tracking our net worth daily in September 2008. We started at just over 1mill and bottomed out at 964k on March 9, 2009. 5+ years down the road and we're doing much, much better -- not going to say how much, exactly, as you all would wonder why we're still working. Main answer is that over 60% of our net worth is in our apartment, which has more than tripled in value since we bought it in spring 2009. Other investments have also done well, though.

For me the exercise of daily networth tracking has made me confident that we will be able to weather any future economic downturn without panic selling. That was actually why I started it -- I wanted to document for myself that things would indeed turn around and that we would be better off int he long run if we just "stayed the course". I actually threw some big chunks of cash into the kids college accounts during that period, which also turned out great.

 

[scrabbler1]

It was not much fun watching my own brokerage account and my 401k tank throughout 2008. At least my company stock kept rising through most of 2008 which offset much of the 401k's losses.

But when I cashed out the company stock while it was still nice and high, I was able to buy thousands of shares of my bond fund at bargain basement prices, and when those shares appreciated in value my portfolio grew again, not only to where it was before but a lot more! That was fun.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I get $400/mo pension, Mul.

Most of our cash flow will be from SS. We are saving like mad with this overseas assignment, which will help a lot, but DW wants to go home soon. The pay-off from the Roths will come later, after 70.5. I am happy with our investments, but I never saved enough.

My message to our kids is, if you aren't saving 15%, you are spending too much.

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[wingfooted]

If you get to the multi-millionaire category, are fully invested, and are looking at daily balances - the daily swings can be alternatively exhilarating or terrifying.

If you can't take the heat of up $100,000 or down $100,000 - either decrease the equity allocation or stop watching your balances.

 

[aim-high]

If you get to the multi-millionaire category, are fully invested, and are looking at daily balances - the daily swings can be alternatively exhilarating or terrifying.

If you can't take the heat of up $100,000 or down $100,000 - either decrease the equity allocation or stop watching your balances.

Ha! Try being loaded up in company stock.

The portfolio goes up 5x annual expenses one day.
It goes down 5x annual expenses on another day.

We consider it monopoly money until I can divest and diversify.

 

[pb4uski]

I watch my total balance across all accounts daily, just because I can. I was approaching "multi" millionaire status when the market crashed in 2008. At the bottom, I was no longer even a millionaire for a couple of months. That was frightening! But I stayed the course and eventually made it across the multi millionaire mark. Useful knowledge for entertainment purposes only!

+1 Lost 35% in value from 4Q07 to 1Q09. Scary times. Hope we never see that again.

But... more than doubled from 1Q09 to now... whxx!!!

 

[Lsbcal]

I have a spreadsheet that takes my situation through the various markets of the past. Am reminded that even with a balanced portfolio and moderately good market timing, I can loose 20% (with spending included) from my high water mark.

I record the low and high water markets fairly regularly on my 1 page summary spreadsheet. The sheet shows what the $ figure would be with a 20% haircut. Ouch. Somehow seeing that dollar reduction figure from the high water mark is more sobering then just thinking a 20% decline from here.

Still DW likes to hear about those high water marks.
Unfortunately, will never be in the deca-millionaire category.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Poor boy. I 'lost' 50%. Except I didn't 'cause I didn't sell. We are way ahead since. Gotta have cojones, amigo.

My opinion is subject to change after I hang up the sliderule.

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[jollystomper]

I do watch my account totals more, but more from a standpoint of content/amusement... watching the daily swings amazes me on how 20 years ago I might have worries, but now they do not. Also, I'm fortunate to also have a pension, so that the amount I need for retirement from savings/investments isn't a huge amount.

Even with a 20% loss we should still be alright. At the bottom in 2008-2009 we were down close to 25%, since we have a 50/50 stock/bonds+cash split. I was more concerned about getting laid off, as Megacorp was shedding workers and making it to my retirement eligibility date meant an additional 12K-13K towards my yearly pension. I felt a lot better after that date passed.

 

[DoWright]

Here's a quote that I like a lot. I think that it is applicable here as people get caught up in irrational exuberance. But to be fair, I do monitor my portfolio quite often too ;-)

"… as a bull market continues, almost anything you buy goes up. It makes you feel that investing in stocks is very easy and it's very safe and, most important of all, that you're a financial genius… so it induces a dangerous feeling of invincibility…"

~ Ron Chernow (American writer, journalist, historian, and biographer of business, finance, and American politics)

​

I used it in my book too ;-)

David

 

[FIREd]

For many years, I watched my accounts everyday. Now that I have trouble running Quicken on my main computer, it is not that often anymore. Still, I track my account balances on a monthly basis and have done so since 2001. At times, like now, we have had a very concentrated portfolio (company stock). Ten to fifteen percent swings from one month to the next are fairly common. Account balances are up 14% this month for example. They were down almost 12% in April.