December 2008 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on December 10th, 2008:

Asset	Nov 2008	Dec 2008	Change
Checking	284	622	338
Money Market	13,509	20,679	7,170
Savings Bonds	14,962	15,024	62
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	118,104	118,639	535
Brokerage	92,354	86,704	-5,650
401k	63,349	61,309	-2,040
Roth IRA	21,318	20,784	-534
SEP IRA	131,533	129,481	-2,052
529 Savings	30,501	30,846	345
Total Assets	$485,914	$484,088	-$1,826
			(-0.38%)

The S&P 500 index has pretty much reversed the 2.22% gain from the last update as it has inched back down 2.17%:

(chart courtesy of msn.com)

We're now officially in a recession (who knew?), Bailout Nation has moved on to the struggling "Little Three" domestic auto companies, and the economic woes don't seem to be showing any signs of letting up. Oil prices are currently hovering around $45 per barrel, with my latest gasoline fill up costing $1.57 per gallon (as opposed to a high of $4.09 six months ago).

Moneywise, I'm trying to get all of the end of year details buttoned up for my S-Corp, and figure to be in a position to max out my 2008 Roth and SEP IRA contributions. My E-Loan 3.61% APY 6 month CD is due to mature shortly, and I have decided not to re-up since their 6 month CD rates have dropped several times over the past few weeks from 4.15% to 3.25% APY. My thinking is that the downward trend in rates will continue, so I'll probably keep that money in liquid savings unless a compelling opportunity presents itself.

Christmas is only a couple of weeks away now, so I'm trying to focus on enjoying that time with family and friends instead of worrying about financial matters out of my control. I'll deal with 2009 in 2009. :)