May 2011 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on May 10th, 2011:

Asset	Apr 2011	May 2011	Change
Checking	6,175	1,500	-4,675
Money Market	42,528	43,103	575
Savings Bonds	36,868	36,931	63
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	97,720	98,121	401
Brokerage	107,553	112,724	5,171
401k	103,659	105,621	1,962
Roth IRA	52,229	53,350	1,121
SEP IRA	254,976	260,926	5,950
529 Savings	53,771	55,403	1,632
Total Assets	$755,479	$767,679	$12,200
			(1.61%)

The S&P 500 has continued to climb, rising 2.47% since the last update:

(chart courtesy of msn.com)

The unemployment rate for April rose for the first time in four months as it climbed to 9.0% despite a gain of 244,000 jobs. Oil prices have been volatile lately, but actually had a noticeable decline during that time, falling from about $110 per barrel to almost $103 per barrel. The biggest news of late was the death of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden courtesy of a covert operation by the US military. My hope is that his death helps our military finish operations in Afghanistan and return home soon.

On the financial front, my asset levels have continued to climb and have surpassed my all time high from April. That is particularly noteworthy since I decided to use the cash from my 2010 personal tax return as an additional principal payment toward my home mortgage. Since there are few attractive places to stash a few bucks these days (I Bonds excepted), this is something I may periodically do as my various CDs mature over the next couple of years.

Otherwise, things are pretty quiet around here and I'm enjoying seeing the green of Spring when I look out the window instead of months worth of snow and ice. :)