September 2013 Financial Asset Roundup

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

Asset	Aug 2013	Sep 2013	Change
Checking	9,683	2449	-7,234
Money Market	32,538	32,306.41	-232
Savings Bonds	81,139	81,264	125
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	82,312	82,547	235
Brokerage	102,397	102,115	-282
401k	124,584	125,522	938
Roth IRA	75,515	75,718	203
SEP IRA	385,923	384,988	-935
529 Savings	88,888	89,781	893
Total Assets	$982,979	$976,690	-$6,289
			-0.64%

Of course, the Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil is once again upon us. I've remember that day for the rest of my life, and the victims of that day remain in my thoughts.

As for less important matters, the S&P 500 has been on a bit of a roller coaster over the past month, down 0.44% since the last update:

(chart courtesy of msn.com)


On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for August fell to 7.3% but was considered to be another weak number. Oil prices have stayed flat over the past month (around $107), which isn't good with heating oil season around the corner.

On the financial front, the biggest news is that Mrs. Frugalson's employment situation has been resolved! She was brought back after getting a pink slip a few months ago, so we will continue to benefit from her salary and employer-provided health insurance. The other point of note is that the E-LOAN 5.25% APY 5 year CD I opened five years ago in 2008 will mature before the next update. As always, it's been sad watching my 5%+ CDs disappear with no good place to put the proceeds. :(

As for the personal stuff, I've been going through quite a fiasco with my new car purchase. While I've never particularly enjoyed the slimy behavior that many car dealerships employ, the level of incompetence displayed by the dealer we ended up buying from has been the stuff of legend. I would like to create a separate post on the approach I used to purchase this car, but I will hold off since I am still having an issue with the dealer that will hopefully get resolved soon. I'm really looking forward to finishing that business, since I really need to get going on vetting HVAC contractors and see what it will take to get central air conditioning installed in my home.