March 2013 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on March 11th, 2013:

Asset	Feb 2013	Mar 2013	Change
Checking	1,353	884	-469
Money Market	36,719	40,710	3,991
Savings Bonds	67,707	67,839	132
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	80,944	81,154	210
Brokerage	106,965	109,736	2,771
401k	114,771	117,480	2,709
Roth IRA	69,236	70,673	1,437
SEP IRA	356,570	363,420	6,850
529 Savings	79,109	81,030	1,921
Total Assets	$913,374	$932,926	$19,552
			2.14%

The S&P 500 has continued to climb to near all time highs over the past month, up 2.58% since the last update:


(chart courtesy of msn.com)

Watching the S&P climb about 9% so far this year has been reminiscent of being an investor in the 1990s. I'm not sure what's behind this current case of "irrational exuberance", but the stock market rise and the sense of optimism that is hopefully being signaled are good to see. It has been a fun ride. On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for February was 7.7% (the lowest since December 2008) and anecdotal evidence from an acquaintance who works in the real estate business is that properties are selling of late and inventories are actually getting a bit low. Oil prices are still hovering around $93 per barrel, although gasoline prices have continued to hover toward $4 per gallon.

As for the financial front, I've passively watched from the comfort of my armchair as my assets have surpassed their previous all time high from February as they continue to inch toward the $1m threshold. I don't see the current stock market run continuing for much longer, but it has been fun to watch. Next up is finalizing my 2012 personal tax returns and waiting for the March 2013 CPI-U inflation data release next month to help us evaluate Series I savings bonds as an attractive investment. Stay tuned.