October 2011 Financial Asset Roundup

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

Asset	Sep 2011	Oct 2011	Change
Checking	2,405	456	-1,949
Money Market	33,124	40,088	6,964
Savings Bonds	47,154	52,224	5,070
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	99,784	87,554	-12,230
Brokerage	88,019	99,478	11,459
401k	89,544	91,473	1,929
Roth IRA	46,131	46,600	469
SEP IRA	253,194	256,881	3,687
529 Savings	52,904	54,039	1,135
Total Assets	$712,259	$728,793	$16,534
			(2.32%)

The S&P 500 volatility has continued since the last update, rising 3.52% during that time:

(chart courtesy of msn.com)

On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for September remained at 9.1% although hiring was stronger than expected. Oil prices have once again remained somewhat flat, falling slightly from about $86 per barrel to around $85 per barrel. And of course, financial uncertainty continues around the world with the European debt crisis and the "Occupy"protests across the country.

On the financial front, I had a 4 year Penfed CD @6.00% APY mature at the end of September and put $5k of that idle cash toward some Series I savings bonds at treasurydirect.gov. On a related note, we're also due to get the September 2011 Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) inflation data next week which should shed some light on Series I savings bond purchases starting in November. I've also been keeping an eye on the Procter & Gamble (PG) stock price, since I'll be looking to sell my position before the end of the year to take advantage of the 0% tax on dividends and capital gains.

On the borrowing front, I bit the bullet and am attempting to refinance my existing 30 year home mortgage to a 15 year @ 3.125% at a small regional credit union. The process has actually progressed pretty quickly, although I've come to find out that applying for the loan on the credit union web site has actually been less efficient and more convoluted than contacting their mortgage originator directly. Oh well, being self employed I was fully expecting a process akin to a full body cavity search anyway. :) Oh, and one more thing... I have taken the plunge and pre-ordered an iPhone 4s from Verizon to replace my ancient 4+ year old LG phone. It's probably a bit weird for someone with a technical background like mine to just be getting a smartphone now, but my dread of a higher phone bill has been offset by the increase in functionality and productivity that I'm hoping to gain.