My story of the financial crisis and recovery might sound familiar to you.

According to the Federal Reserve, the net worth of Americans is now the highest in history. We have rebuilt much of the wealth that we lost during the recession. Our net worth — the value of homes, stocks and other assets, minus debts — was slightly above $70 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2013.

While on paper we might have fully recovered, I remain shaken. Let me share my experience.

At the end of 2004, I retired at the age of 60 because I believed that I had a significant cushion. The lure of the warm weather of Sarasota was a strong inducement to forsake my New York business base.

In 2008, I received a rude wake-up call. First of all, the ability of Morgan Stanley to honor my pension had become questionable, given the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and the shotgun marriage of Bear Stearns to JP Morgan. Morgan Stanley was on the ropes! Only the Federal Reserve’s massive intervention to stop the hemorrhaging of the financial industry saved that firm. among others.

Secondly, the value of my assets had dropped more than 40 percent.

Thirdly, bond rates on the 10-year treasury had dropped from above 6 percent in 2004 to close to 2 percent.

To summarize my predicament: In a worst-case scenario, by the end of 2008 my expected retirement income was less than one-third of the level that I had expected in 2004.

What was my comeback strategy? I decided to manage almost all of my remaining assets myself. My goal was to achieve a rate of return comparable to the S&P 500 but to select stocks that had a lower risk profile than the average equity. My selection criteria were relatively narrow.

I chose stocks that had these attributes:

U.S.-based multinationals. I wanted to own stocks about which I could glean anecdotal information, through personal use of their products, physical observation of their goods and services, and seeing media coverage of executives, products and earnings releases.

Market-leader companies in their industries. These firms had historically proven their ability to generate significant revenue by providing superior value-added products to a large number of customers.

Companies with positive earnings and cash flow. I worried about their ability to tap either the equity or bond markets, given our severe recession.

Companies that paid close to a 3 percent dividend and had showed a historical willingness and ability to increase their payouts.

Fast forward: My equities have appreciated similarly to the S&P 500, some 120 percent. My conservative strategy precluded some companies whose equities have risen far more than the market. I avoided GE at $5 because GE had cut its dividend and was experiencing severe problems in its financial unit. I did not purchase Apple at $100 because of the serious illness of their founder and CEO, Steve Jobs.

So why do I — and perhaps a lot of other people — still feel uneasy?

I am very uncomfortable with my risk allocation. Specifically, somebody my age should have at least 50 percent in fixed income. But with interest rates so low on investment-grade bonds, I have substituted stocks yielding at least 3 percent.

On an inflation-adjusted basis, my wealth is below the levels of 2004. Since then, costs have risen some 25 percent.

The Federal Reserve’s stimulus program could reignite inflation. I cannot realistically earn returns after taxes that exceed a 5 percent annual inflation rate.

According to Social Security, I can expect to live another 15 years. So, in rodeo terms, I — like many other Americans — need to ride my investment horse a long time. If we are going to stay in the saddle, we need to remain vigilant.

History has repeatedly shown that turbulent markets can buck off even experienced cowboys.

Originally published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune