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Archive for January, 2015

2014 - A Stellar and Record Year!

January 6th, 2015 at 07:25 pm

Despite the negative market in December I ended the year with a record increase of my total assets:

Cash & Savings: $76,975 ==> $116,360 (51.17%)
Foreign Currency: $37,881 ==> $37,901 (0.05%)
US Brokerage: $209,852 ==> $273,569 (30.36%)
Overseas Brokerage: $219,042 ==> $238,551 (8.91%)
401(k): $116,662 ==> $5,913 (-94.93%)
Rollover IRA: $41,998 ==> $177,550 (322.76%)
Roth IRA: $102,723 ==> $110,346 (7.42%)
Total: $805,093 ==> $960,190 (19.26%)

In summary, my total asset has increased by $155,097, largely thanks to US stock market appreciation where my portfolio jumped 30% or $63,717.

Starting in 2015 I will realign my categories to better reflect my holdings but other than that I haven't really thought out any new investment strategy, that would be part of my 2015 New Year resolution that I plan on doing this weekend.

December 2014 - Even the Longest Party has to End

January 5th, 2015 at 08:54 pm

Cash & Savings: $109,813 => $116,360 (5.96%)
Foreign Currency: $37,963 => $37,901 (-0.16%)
Domestic Brokerage: $281,435 => $273,569 (-2.79%)
Int'l Brokerage: $242,014 => $238,551 (-1.43%)
401(k): $5,935 => $5,913 (-0.37%)
Rollover IRA: $178,581 > $177,550 (-0.58%)
Roth IRA: $111,264 => $110,346 (-0.83%)
Total Assets: $967,005 => $960,190 (-0.7%)

December came in with a loss in terms of total asset after a global stock market retreat. This ends the longest stretch of monthly asset increase I've ever had, a total of 16 months since August 2012. The previous record was 13 months, from November 2008 to December 2009.

My biggest worry though, has nothing to do with the stock market decline itself because the market always goes up and down; my biggest worry is about the over 40% drop of oil prices and how that affects the US energy industry - my employer has a strong presence in this sector and had won large and lucrative contracts in the last few years, with the industry in decline and even starting to lay off people, I have to assume our clients will start cutting their investment and capital expenditure.