Picking up Nickels

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

September 2023 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on September 11th, 2023:

Asset Aug 2023 Sep 2023 Change




Checking 7,065 4,335 -2,730
Money Market 55,926 62,668 6,742
Savings Bonds 231,585 232,596 1,011
Treasury Bills 40,000 62,000 22,000
CDs 84,656 54,644 -30,012
Brokerage 369,092 397,636 28,544
401k 289,242 294,230 4,988
Roth IRA 255,093 253,718 -1,375
IRA 1,295,040 1,291,162 -3,878
529 Savings 167,328 167,031 -297
Total Assets $2,795,027 $2,820,020 $24,993
      0.89 %

The S&P 500 has rebounded a bit, rising 0.42% (+16.88% YTD) since the last update:

(chart courtesy of nasdaq.com)

On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for August unexpectedly rose to 3.8%, with 187,000 new jobs added. Oil prices rose to the $88 level (from $83) and production cuts from our good friends in Russia and Saudia Arabia could help drive that price above $100 next year. The $88 price translates to a local regular unleaded gasoline price of $3.59 and a heating oil price of $3.50 per gallon at my last fill-up. On the positive side, Goldman Sachs sees a lesser chance for a US recession over the next year with a soft landing for the economy looking more likely.

On the financial front, I did the usual Fidelity 401k transaction (FSKAX) and Vanguard VTI purchase in my taxable brokerage account. I took a distribution from my S Corp and put that cash in my checking account to help pay miscellaneous bills that pop up this time of year (estimated taxes, car repair, insurance, etc.). I also reinvested the funds from my maturing 13 week T-Bills (5.378%) and rolled them into new ones at 5.477%. The funds from my maturing Alliant 5.00% APY 6 month CD were transferred to my Fidelity Cash Management account to get a decent yield while keeping the cash liquid.

As for the non-financial, the school year has started as the youngest Frugalson is close to finishing an undergrad degree before deciding on grad school. It's a pretty remarkable milestone for someone who was in preschool when I started this blog in 2006. :)