Are You Better Off in 2010 Than You Were This Time Last Year in 2009?

Wild Blue Yonder

Are You Better Off Now (in Obama time) Than You Were This Time Last Year (after 8 years of GOP time)?

Are you better off now, financially speaking, than you were this time last year?

I pondered that question while I was answering a survey from the investment management firm that oversees a good chunk of investable assets. It caused me to stop and think a while, because the answer was not clear-cut.

Investments

What the stock market giveth, the stock market can easily take away.

Earning Power

It's hard to overlook, however, the obvious elephant in the room; the present state of joblessness means many are most certainly worse off than they were this time last year.

Debt

Here's one more angle to look at: the balance on your mortgage. automobile and any credit cards.

How do you measure your financial progress and where do you think you stand?