What a way to start off the year, right?  My net worth dropped by 6%, or $2756 in January.  The entire reason for the drop is a $3300 legal fee (which I won’t go into detail about, except to say I’m glad that it’s taken care of, and it’s worth every penny).  This fee aside, my net worth would have shown a slight increase. 

Let’s take a look at the breakdown:

Liquid Assets

My liquid assets showed a 21% drop – most of this due to the aforementioned legal fee.  I also wrote down my last personal loan – I’ll never see the cash, so there’s no reason to keep it on my balance sheet.  You’ll also notice an empty Christmas fund – my company discontinued this program.. which means I’ll be on my own for Christmas savings this year.  With my poor track record of savings, this worries me.

My Cars

Back under 8 grand in negative equity.  Not really something to get excited about, but overall it’s getting better.

My House

Another $500 write down, another slight drop in equity.

Retirement

A 5% bump is good to see, with all the tough months lately.

Business

A 2% increase in business funds is always nice.  Although this will take a beating next month, as I transfer some cash to cover the shortfall in my personal funds.  It will put a damper on additional business purchases… but c’est la vie sometimes.

Overall

Down six percent isn’t something to celebrate, but it’s due to a one-time charge that I’m happy to pay.  Hopefully after my ( small ) tax refund in the next month or two, things will start looking up again.