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

[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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse 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]

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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!

Quote:

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!!

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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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn 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.

[Helena]

I have no money in the stock market.

My net worth has increased.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrinch 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrinch 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%