April 2013 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on April 10th, 2013:

Asset	Mar 2013	Apr 2013	Change
Checking	884	3,185	2,301
Money Market	40,710	39,675	-1,035
Savings Bonds	67,839	70,628	2,789
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	81,154	81,250	96
Brokerage	109,736	106,254	-3,482
401k	117,480	116,586	-894
Roth IRA	70,673	71,394	721
SEP IRA	363,420	368,532	5,112
529 Savings	81,030	82,512	1,482
Total Assets	$932,926	$940,016	$7,090
			0.76%

The S&P 500 has once again hit all time highs over the past month, up 2.02% since the last update:


(chart courtesy of msn.com)

Once again, I'm amazed as the S&P 500 has climbed to yet another all time high, up 11% for the year. On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for March fell to 7.6% (once again the lowest since December 2008) although that was considered a disappointing number because it reflected people who had basically given up on finding a job. Oil prices continue to stay around $93
per barrel, although I've noticed local gasoline prices have fallen about 14¢ per gallon.

On the financial front, my assets have once again surpassed their previous all time high from March, leaving me only a 6.4% gain away from breaking
the $1m asset level threshold. I also finalized my 2012 personal tax returns and received a portion of my Federal tax refund as paper Series I savings bonds (currently the only way to purchase paper savings bonds). On a related note, I'm looking forward to the March 2013 CPI-U inflation data release on Tuesday next week to clarify the rate picture on April/May 2013 issue Series I savings bonds as an attractive investment. Unless something unexpected occurs, I will probably take an equity distribution from my S Corp's 2012 profit and use the proceeds to make an electronic savings bond purchase at treasurydirect.gov by the end of the month.

As for the non-financial, I'm excited to have re-upped with my largest client for another year. Having Mrs. Frugalson back in the workforce and knowing that I'll have another year of steady revenue does wonders for one's peace of mind. With the first quarter of the year behind me, I'm looking forward to a happy and productive 2013 and beyond for all.