January 2015 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on January 9th, 2015:

Asset	Dec 2014	Jan 2015	Change
Checking	2,089	1102	-987
Money Market	48,279	58,336	10,057
Savings Bonds	93,019	93,164	145
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	63,775	49,679	-14,096
Brokerage	130,288	135,458	5,170
401k	131,870	129,374	-2,496
Roth IRA	99,881	99,479	-402
SEP IRA	480,718	482,116	1,398
529 Savings	114,452	115,944	1,492
Total Assets	$1,164,371	$1,164,652	$281
			0.02%

The S&P 500 had been up a bit since the last update despite some volatility, rising 0.92% during that time:

(chart courtesy of yahoo.com)

On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for December fell to 5.6%, solidifying 2014 as the best year for job growth since 1999. Oil prices have continued to fall from $60 to about $47, with a Saudi Prince stating that $100 oil may be gone for good. I'm wondering if I'll actually get to see my gasoline and heating oil costs fall below $2 per gallon for the first time in almost six years. :)

On the financial front, my Penfed 3.5% APY 5 year CD matured earlier this month. I used some of that cash to make 2014 Federal and state estimated tax payments and with few other options I will probably use the rest of the balance for mortgage prepayment. Unfortunately, I have another Penfed 3.5% APY 5 year CD ready to mature in March, and I'll probably end up using some of that cash for a 2015 Series I savings bond purchase.

As for the rest, my next task is to focus on 2014 corporate and personal tax return prep. Hopefully the estimated tax payments I just made will help keep any surprises to a minimum. ;)