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

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire Ouch. Between you and Nords, you have lost a lot of your portfolios but neither of you seem too upset. I guess that is what having a high risk tolerance is all about.

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Originally Posted by ladelfina Well, he's not upset because he has at least one pension, even if COLA is not what it's cracked up to be. I have no excuse.. just kinda crazy. Started with some, bought more as I was working, and I hate selling. Don't see any great opportunities to diversify.. short term T-bills are negative, long-term bills are negative, gold who knows, and commodities I frankly haven't followed. I may start taking a look to swap out the few long-term losses I have for a couple more dividend-paying companies but I need to do a lot of research to see where I want to land. I worry about just general deflation world-wide. Uk is not looking so good; we won't be the only ones suffering and may drag others down.

Yup-- volatility is only bad if you need to cash in your losers for spending money. Don't see that happening for years.

At this point, Ladelfina, we should be wishing to have the market stay sucky for at least another year or two of reinvested dividends. But if you're living off the dividends and not invading principal then... I guess you wouldn't care about volatility either.

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.

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Originally Posted by packrat44 Like an amusement park - lots of thrills with the up and down ride. Unlike an amusement park - the ride has not been enjoyable.

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...

[Notmuchlonger]

SO this thread finally made me look. Down 7.9 % excluding today.. Might have to start giving blood

[unclemick]

In my 15th yr of ER - I have no idea. Just looking TR2015 is down 5.44% YTD. Maybe 5-10% ballpark.

BUT - The Nowegian widow can read current yield over 3.11% on the big dog plus around 4% on the mis mash of dividend 'hobby' stocks.

Heck - I don't even own any but pssst Wellesley is 4.26% on Vanguard's site.

Just makes a person feel warm and smarmy all over to read it!

heh heh heh - I will take a closer look nearer 4/15 when I do my best and final taxes and send those fine IRS folks their money..

[Jake46]

Down 6.6% -- would have been more but I increased by bond allocation last summer from 30 to 40%.

[hankster]

I'm down about 7% from the peak. Sitting tight and DCAing as before.

[DblDoc]

I peaked yesterday. We have been flirting at $0 net worth (excluding the unknowable amount of home equity) since Oct 07. With periodic investements with 80:20 equities:bonds we are down <1%. After today probably a little more then 1%.

DD

[Animorph]

About 10% down.

Dan

[LOL!]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger SO this thread finally made me look. Down 7.9 % excluding today.. Might have to start giving blood

I gave blood today. I got a T-shirt and an invitation to a luncheon. Those wouldn't amount to 7.9% of many folks' net worth.

[Spanky]

Since from 12/31/07, down by 3.5% as of 3/18/08.

[tightasadrum]

I'm down a little, maybe 2-3% I guess on total net worth. On just invested money, maybe 8%. I haven't run the numbers. Shoot, it changes so much day-to-day it's hard to keep up.

[WM]

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

[Spanky]

Quote:

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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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...).

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.