For the first time in two years, American household net worth has increased. This is an interesting — and encouraging — sign of the current times. According to the Federal Reserve, U.S. households saw an increase of $2 trillion from the first quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2009. Some of the items that contributed to this increase in net worth include:

Rise in home prices.
Upward trend in the stock market.
Paying down debt.
Debt write-offs.

Most of this is good news. Indeed, the fact that Americans have been reducing their debt and relying less on credit is quite encouraging. The fact …read more

Has your net worth been affected by the recession?