At the end of 2021, I called out that 2023 was going to be rough for me, and it was. While most of my friends had market gains of over 25%, I was up only a bit over 15%. For those that might be curious, I had a few financial institution stocks that were hit hard… From a “my portfolio” versus the S&P 500 index, I believe this is actually my worst year ever.

I recapped my losses from 2022, so that now I’m higher then my previous highest account balance set in 2021. So there is that, but from a Secret Wealth Goal, I’m still down 7 percent from the 2021 percentage position..

Thinking about it now, I did experience a certain about of Lifestyle Creep too. Perhaps the trip to Maui should have set off alarm bells in my head, but I justified it as a “one off”. Unfortunately, I have a desire to travel more lately, so I’m suddenly realizing I might have quite a few “One offs” in the future. 🙁

So what is my grade for 2023… B- I’m still in good shape, but I dropped in certain areas. Especially the piece I wrote last year:

“I feel comfortable saying that in 2021 I was about 50% into the upper-middle-class (UMC) level at the end of 2021 in the pyramid below, at least from a net worth perspective.”

This year, I’m a bit less than about 50% into the UMC that I was in 2021. It’s still nice to be in the light green area though, even if it’s just one toe in.

Hopefully in 2024 I’m make up for lost ground, but who knows… Starting the year feeling financially numb…

Thanks,

MR guy