Change in Networth: Were you down because you weren't a millionaire?

As I logged into google finance I saw an article by the Washington Post titled: Change In Worth by Household Category.  It basically shows how household's net worth values have changed from 2009 to 2011 for the worst (aside from the top net worth group of 1/2 million +).

I don't know about you, but I was definitely in the bottom category of "negative to zero" net worth.  Although I don't have the numbers to back it up, I don't think my net worth was decreasing like the average household.  This highlights the importance of keeping track of your financial health to gauge how you are doing over time.  The first month I documented my net worth was in Jan 2011, I had -$531.06.

Until that time, I figured I was doing pretty good.  I had a couple rental properties and have always watched my spending, but debt was piling up and I realized I was under-water.  I can assure you, that January 2011 was the only month I have had a negative net worth since tracking it.

I personally believe net worth for most households is directly tied to the home itself.  And the only ones who actually engage in diversification are the higher net worth households.  Which may explain why they are the only category that saw a gain from 2009-2011 after the housing crisis.

How did you do from 2009-2011?  If you don't know, you should begin tracking your net worth today.  If you don't like spreadsheets you can log into mint.com and it will do it for you for free.  Its great!