Terrible, terrible, terrible.  November of 2008 was not a good month, at least on paper.  My total net worth tanked by a cool 13% for the month – back to levels not seen since May of 2008.  I will place a caveat here though – my business assets / liabilities are estimated, rather than definitive.  I was extremely busy with my small business during the month, and it would take an extraordinary amount of time to finalize these numbers.  I think that time would be better spent working, rather than just making this report 100% perfect.  I hope you understand.

That aside, let’s take a look at what happened in November to make it so bad.

Liquid Assets

Another 13% drop in liquid assets.  Less cash on hand and a spectacular drop in my brokerage account lead the way here.  Somehow I saw a small gain in my mutual funds, and my credit card bill was much smaller, due to an increased reliance on the envelope system.  I fear next month will be different, due to the wonderful Christmas season .  Christmas is a great time of year, but certainly an expensive one, at least in the Llama house.

My Cars

I guess those days of increasing equity are over, with the drop in gas price.  I’m now upside-down a combined $7576 between my two cars.  One day I’ll be in the black with regards to my cars.  Probably the day they’re paid off

My House

The San Antonio housing market didn’t see anywhere near the run-up in prices that much of the US did.  However, with the situation the way it is, I thought it prudent to take a “write-down” in my home’s value.  Without an appraisal ( an expense I have no interest in paying ), I don’t know the exact value.  So, I took a small $1300 write-down, and I’ll likely follow that up with a few more like it in the coming months.

Retirement

After a staggering 19% drop in October, my retirement accounts were somehow flat for November.  Keep in mind, I’m still contributing to these accounts, so it’s still negative in reality, if not on paper.

Business

Here’s where it gets fuzzy.  I have logged a 26% drop in business assets.  With so much money flowing in and out, I’m probably conservative with these numbers.  When I do December’s report ( and my year end ), I’ll be sure to finalize everything.  That may mean an adjustment of November’s numbers.  I expect to adjust upward.

Overall

After tallying everything up, my net worth dropped by 13% this month, to $39,565.  The last time I was under $40k was May; I don’t like going backwards.  I can’t wait to get working in December to improve my situation.  I’m determined to get as close to $50k by the end of the year as possible.  I don’t know if I’ll hit it, but you can be sure I’ll do my best.