Afraid of the postman...

Hey another day of bragging before I begin:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008113434.htm

Kudos to you Mark!!

Like many Americans, I fondly remember those post college days in my first "place". You know you lived in a space that you rented and it was either completely empty or full of furniture that was an eclectic mix of something that your parents had from 1970, something a friend didn't need any longer and/or something you build out of a combination of cinder blocks, duct tape, milk cartons and scrap wood. Lets face it, my place, like everyone else's, was haphazard but infinitely cool as it was my space.

Those were the days when your budget was crazy tight and you dreaded the day when the cable or phone bill arrived because if it was slightly higher then the last month, it would be ramen noodles the entire next week to keep you on budget.

Fast forward a few years, multiple hair colors, and new furniture and there is a new horror from the postman, the dreaded quarterly retirement account statement.

On my desk was the scary envelope. I found myself experiencing a mix of anxiety and excitement ~ was I the statistically anomaly who did not experience a 30%, 40% or 50% decline in portfolio value? Yea, right and I still dream about Santa Clause.

It is almost impressive how much I lost in the period ending 9/30/08 and we aren't even addressing the market tank of the past 10 days! My saving grace is that I have many many more years in the market and this will all work out by the time I retire. I am very sad for those who don't have that current luxury of time as I do. I am certainly going to have a more slim and trim retirement account in the short term, however I am not thankfully going to be consumed by Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater in spite of this Halloween like horror movie we call the stock market.