About once a month – typically around the first of the month – I update a household net worth tracking spreadsheet. Given the exceptional market decline on Thursday and Friday, I re-ran the spreadsheet with new numbers as of today. I’m glad I did, because it reinforced the reason I keep the spreadsheet in the first place.
First: the bad news. After Thursday’s & Friday’s declines, my household’s net worth is now down 7.7% calendar year to date, and it’s down 12.1% from the high water mark in the tracking spreadsheet.
Next: The not-so-bad news – and a key reason I keep the spreadsheet in the first place. The overall net worth value is still ahead of where it was in the July 1, 2024 update. So as brutal as the past few days have felt, they haven’t been financially fatal, and they haven’t set us back more than a year.
In addition, our stock portfolio has generated more in dividends calendar year to date than during the same period last year (though it remains to be seen if those trends continue, given the current elevated uncertainties that companies face).
Put it all together, and this past week was certainly ugly, but so far, it seems survivable. Here’s hoping it remains that way.
If Wednesday tariffs go into effect, then more selling on the news will occur - just like the rumor that tariffs would not be as bad as they turned out caused the market to briefly gain next week.
