January 2018 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on January 11th, 2018:

Asset	Dec 2017	Jan 2018	Change
Checking	862	404	-458
Money Market	64,358	79,939	15,581
Savings Bonds	137,560	137,823	263
Treasury Bills	0	0	0
CDs	41,901	42,019	118
Brokerage	160,799	159,943	-856
401k	164,119	173,848	9,729
Roth IRA	144,239	150,431	6,192
SEP IRA	715,362	742,200	26,838
529 Savings	170,066	173,166	3,100
Total Assets	$1,599,266	$1,659,773	$60,507
			3.78%

As was the case throughout 2017, the S&P 500 started 2018 continuing to hit all time highs since the last update, rising a strong 4.04% during that time:

(chart courtesy of google.com)

On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for December once again remained at 4.1%, with an additional 148,000 jobs created. Oil prices continued their rise and hit the $63 level (up from $58). This was particularly noticeable with my latest heating oil delivery to the tune of $2.60 per gallon, which is 30¢ higher than my previous fill up a month and a half ago.

On the financial front, my asset levels have reached an all-time high for the FOURTEENTH month in a row, breaking the previous high from December 2017. I did take a distribution from my S Corp since the last update and will likely be maxing out my 2018 I Bond purchase later this month.

As for the non-financial, college acceptances for my eldest child continue to come in and it appears that the hit to our 529 college savings may be less than I figured courtesy of financial aid. Next up will be work on 2017 business and personal tax returns.