We all feel the loss but enjoy the profit...

As I've said many times before, I'm not a financial whiz by any stretch. I keep hearing how the stock market lost billions and trillions of dollars of people money over the last few week. Coincidentially, today, I recieved my quarterly report from the people I have my deferred comp with.

The report was from July to September of this year. And when I opened it up, I saw on the first page how I was minus $1,100 dollars. But when I turned to the next page, it showed me what I had actually invested since I started with the plan over ten years ago, and I've still got $3000 more than what I've actually physically put into the plan.

Now to my mind, I haven't lost $1100, I'm actually ahead $3000. I might be $1100 less in value then what it was before, but that's not money I lost. I mean, i never actually HAD the money to begin with. It's not cash that I've lost, becaue if I cashed it out right now, I'd still have $3000 MORE than what I put in. It's like i've lost money on paper ONLY...which in fact is the ONLY place where I've actually made money.

If I fall below what I've actually invested, THEN I'll be upset. But until then, or until I decide to cash it all out, I'm not out anything, really. A year before I retire, were this to happen, then yeah, I'd probably be REALLY upset...but that's only because I plan on cashing it out soon then.

Not being a financial whiz, I'm sure there's a whole HORDE of economic issues and factors I'm not taking into account. But I'm not upset about the loss so far. It may be very very simplistic and naive, but as for right now, I'm not paniced about anything. Gains or losses on paper don't mean as much to me as actual gains or losses when I try to cash this all out.

POLT Listening to "Gender" by Orgy

When I'm down on my knees, I ain't praying. - Faye Dunaway, Doc