Wealth Builder Ratios - Q1 2012 Update

Here is our Q1 2012 Wealth Builder Ratios update. During the first quarter of 2012, the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P500 indices were up at 7.5%, 18.6% and 12.0% respectively. Our investment portfolio returns were 0.4 % due to being mainly in cash during Q4 and a meager 0.7% return for my company stock.

For more details on the relevance of these ratios, please see this How Much Is Needed To Be Wealthy - The NUMBER. 

Ratio and Target	Q4 2011	Q1 2012	Comments
Investment Income to Salary Target= 0.8 2007= 3.41 2008= -5.47 2009= -1.38 2010= 1.29 2011= 0.5	0.50	0.07	2012 has started out postive but much lower than index returns due to being mainly in cash.  I have sold all the company stock in our IRA, keeping only the low basis shares in my company retirement for a future NUA execution. As my company stock (hopefully) advances, we plan to continue execute the remaining stock options I own.
Savings to Salary Target>20 2007=23 2008=16.7 2009=15.3 2010=16.6 2011=17.1	17.1	17.2	I sold most of our stock investments in June 2011, and kept my company stock and stock options. We avoided most of the volatility in the fourth quarter but missed the gains through the end of the first quarter of 2012.  So the change mainly reflects the small positive change in my company stock.
Debt to Salary Target=0 2007=1.51 2008=1.46 2009=0 2010=0 2011=0	0	0	We said bye-bye to our mortgage on May 20, 2009. Eliminating a mortgage payment has reduced our expenses by 24%.

My financial goals for 2012 are:

1. Continue to maintain an Investment Income to Salary ratio > 0.8. (off track)

2. Maintain a Savings to Salary ratio of 20. (off track)

3. Maintain Debt to Salary Ratio at 0. (met final goal of 0)

(For reference, Salary refers to gross salary just prior to early retirement in October, 2007.)

Both #1 and #2 were directly correlated with how well our stock, bond, and CD investments returns. With the positive performance of my company stock and the high proportion of cash, our portfolio increased less than the indices in Q1.

It has been very challenging retiring at the beginning of a bear market. Our short term expenses (next 3-5 years) are invested in CDs, bonds and money markets. So we can wait for the stock market to continue an upward trend. I continue to be concerned about volatility of our investment portfolio, but believe there is more downside than upside potential going forward due to EU sovereign debt crisis and continued deleveraging.

I continue to have the same financial goals for 2012. At this point, I am pessimistic about the economy and the stock market.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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