September 2009 Financial Asset Roundup

It's hard to believe it has been eight years since the 9/11 attacks on our country. And even though the shock of 9/11 has diminished somewhat over time, those memories will live with me until the day I die.

That being said, on to the business at hand. Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on September 10th, 2009:

Asset	August 2009	September 2009	Change
Checking	457	474	17
Money Market	34,603	30,857	-3,746
Savings Bonds	20,528	20,612	84
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	120,198	120,680	482
Brokerage	81,501	86,601	5,100
401k	75,752	80,130	4,378
Roth IRA	30,961	32,405	1,444
SEP IRA	177,180	184,252	7,072
529 Savings	37,022	38,799	1,777
Total Assets	$578,202	$594,810	$16,608
			(2.87%)

The S&P 500 index has hit an 11-month high as it has risen 3.68% since the last update:

(chart courtesy of msn.com)

The hope of the recession ending continues with the Federal Reserve reporting that the economy is stabilizing. Unemployment hit a new 26 year high of 9.7%, although fewer jobs were lost in August than in July. Hopefully the unemployment numbers will soon start trending down on a regular basis. People having steady work would certainly help us wind our way through the housing mess we're currently in (except for fools like this, of course).

Crude oil has continued to hover above $70 per barrel and I wonder how high it will rise if this economic recovery is for real. And not to sound like a broken record, but I'm still sick of the partisan whining about health care reform. Would the voters of South Carolina please let Rep. Joe Wilson (You lie!) know that his unprofessional and disrespectful behavior does nothing but embarrass you and himself? Also, could Sarah Palin do us all a favor and finally give up the tired death panel nonsense and stop trying to create panic over a non-issue? Ugh, I hate politics.

As for money moves, I dropped some serious coin on getting my driveway repaved and will be relieved when it is finished next week. The first of my Penfed 6% APY CDs is maturing later this month, and even the paltry 2% APY Penfed CD that I was considering putting the cash in has fallen to 1.25%. With deposit rates so pathetically low, I will probably just leave the cash in my HSBC online savings account and stay liquid if and when a better opportunity comes along.