Dec 2009 Net Worth Update (+2.11%) – Year End Summary
Welcome to the Million Dollar Journey Dec 2009 Net Worth Update – year end summary edition.
2009 has been a great year for net worth growth due to a combination of factors. First, the markets were much stronger than I expected which has resulted in an aggressive portfolio recovery from the market crash of 2008. Second, our professional and business income increased during the year which helped with the savings as we bank our raises.
In terms of real estate in 2009, I got out of the rental business in February, thus the capital gains tax payable on our balance sheet. With regards to our principal residence, even though our local market continued to appreciate significantly, we continued to keep the value at the 2008 purchase price. Going forward, I may adjust the value of the house to match historic inflation.
Looking at the numbers below, I’m happy to report that we have reached the $400k threshold (well almost) for 2009. Starting January 2009 with $310k represents a 28.9% increase in net worth over the year.
On to the numbers:
Assets: $ 481,300 (+1.42%)
- Cash: $4,500 (+0.00%)
- Savings: $26,000.00 (+20.93%)
- Registered/Retirement Investment Account: $75,300.00 (+1.76%)
- Pension: $28,800.00 (+0.54%)
- Non-Registered Investment Account: $16,500.00 (+5.10%)
- Smith Manoeuvre Investment Account: $53,000.00 (+1.92%)
- Principal Residence: $275,000 (+0.00%) (purchase price)
- Vehicles: $3,000 (2 vehicles) (-25.00%)
Liabilities: $81,700.00 (-1.80%)
- Tax Liability: $3,000 (-0.00%)
- Principal Residence Mortgage (readvanceable): $25,200.00 (-5.97%)
- HELOC balance: $53,500 (+0.19%)
Total Net Worth: ~$399,600.00(+2.11%)
- Started 2009 with Net Worth: $309,950.00
- Year to Date Gain/Loss: +28.92%
Some quick notes and explanations to net worth questions I get often:
The Cash
The $4,500 cash are held in chequing accounts to meet the minimum balance so that we pay no fees (accounting for regular bill payments). Yes, we do hold no fee accounts also, but I find value in having an account with a full service bank as the relationship with a banker can prove useful.
Savings
Our savings accounts are held with PC Financial and ING Direct. We usually hold a fair bit of cash in case “something” comes up. The “something” can be anything that requires cash such as an investment opportunity that requires quick cash or maybe an emergency car/home repair. We also need cash to cover any future tax liabilities.
Real Estate
Our real estate holdings consist of a primary residence plus a rental property. The value of the principal residence remains valued at the purchase price despite significant appreciation in the real estate market that we’re in. I will most likely be adjusting the value of the home come the new year.
That’s all for 2009! Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year – I’ll see you in 2010!
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http://www.city-data.com/county/St._Johns_County-FL.html
It would be a safe assumption that your St johns property value is down approximately 10-15%. The median home price declined from $245k to 215k. That includes both condo’s and single family homes.
If you paid $275k then it could be worth somewhere in the ballpark of
$240k-$250k. That of course wouldn’t include a 5% realtor commission.
@johnny,We are from St. John’s Newfoundland.
Congrats on reaching the $400K mark.
Good luck in 2010.
Thanks for the info on the Smith Manoeuvre.
Hey FT,
I will try and send you some information early Feb – OK?
Mark
Thanks, FT. Actually we went past the $1M mark in November which was about 2 years ahead of my most optimistic projections in 2007 at the peak. And, considering where we were at the beginning of 2009 it is quite astonishing really.
It is not so much the NW number that is of interest – it is just how much closer we’ve moved towards financial independence.
In spite of the many mistakes I made, we’ve done very well for ourselves. Believe me, your comment about hindsight is one I’ve tried to banish from my thinking. If I instead of buying in the latter part of 2008 I instead shorted, and then sold and went long in March…. well, we could have been financially independent right now.
Hey CF! Wow, 90% increase? That is extremely impressive. Is it safe to say that you’ll turn into a millionaire in 2010? In hindsight, I wish that I had more courage to buy “more” during the down turn, but hindsight is always 20/20!
FT,
I also think that if you go to the detail you are, you should try to create a more accurate picture of your house value. You track your investments down to the dollar – one can’t expect you to do the same with the house, but at least some semblance of current status would be a good thing.
Our net worth picture is quite humbling and staggering at the same time. We saw our NW increase by just over 90% in 2009. In absolute terms we saw it increase by more than $500k.
We embarked on the Smith Manoeuvre in August of 2008 and I aggressively moved to tap into all of the equity available in our house to invest in dividend paying stocks. Unfortunately, I got in too early – a mistake I hope not to repeat again.
As a result, we saw our SM portfolio increase by 63%. That sounds more impressive than it is because it was waaaay down at the beginning of the year (and, of course, got worse by March).
**For all of those people who say that they are aggressive, the 2008/2009 period was a true test of just who can walk the walk. There were some very tough days and nights as I thought I had done major damage to our retirement plans. When you see $300k in net worth disappear in just a few months and yet you still stay the course, then you know what kind of investor you are. I started to think about how I might just have delayed retirement by 5 years for my wife and I. I didn’t feel too smart then.**
Our RRSP’s rebounded as well. They were up 47% although that includes contributions.
We eliminated $58k from our SM mortgage / LOC combo.
And, the kids RESP’s went up 65% (or $23k) even though we only added $3k to them.
I put our house appreciating by 5.5% based on a house that is very much like ours which sold in the fall and the prices of other homes in the immediate area. That pegs it at a little less than 4% CAGR since we purchased it in 2003 which includes interior and exterior improvements.
Was it all good? No. My TFSA lost $1k as I used it to play some Betapro 2x ETFs. And, my wife and I worked for a company that declined to pay raises near the end of 2009. We don’t know when they will implement them for 2010 and whether they will be retroactive.
In 2005 I forecasted we would be mortgage free by 2019. Then, in 2008 I learned about the SM and thought we would be mortgage free in 2013. (In 2006 and 2007 I had some good earning years where we put almost all of the unanticipated earnings against the mortgage). Now, we could eliminate it this year.
In summary, 2009 has been a very difficult year and very good year. If I could do anything differently I would definitely have waited until after early March before I plowed into the markets. The year 2010 won’t prove nearly as beneficial to our finances as 2009 – perhaps a 15% improvement to NW is our best expectation.
Mark, congrats on your large increase in net worth! Half million is nothing to sneeze at! Let me know if you want to share your financial story with the readers.
Caitlin, no need to feel discouraged, I basically started calculating my net worth when I started this blog 3 years ago (around 27).
Yesterday was the best time to start, but the next best time is today!
Yay, congratulations on a good year! ^_^
@FrugalTrader – Holy crap, you’re only 30? Now I feel somewhat discouraged. I’m 28 and I haven’t even successfully calculated my net worth, let alone engineered a 30% increase. *sigh*
Hey FT!
Happy New Year and well done!
We’ve managed to increase our net worth 30% over last year as well, closing-in on $500 K. I think it’s great you post your net worth, a great way to track, monitor and report your own success story!!
All the best for 2010 net worth growth!