Picking up Nickels

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

June 2012 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on June 11th, 2012:

Asset May 2012 Jun 2012 Change
Checking 1,419 1,902 483
Money Market 44,998 44,416 -582
Savings Bonds 66,143 66,361 218
Treasury Bills 0 0 0
CDs 67,945 68,202 257
Brokerage 94,616 93,348 -1,268
401k 100,961 96,449 -4,512
Roth IRA 56,834 54,424 -2,410
SEP IRA 303,612 295,450 -8,162
529 Savings 64,141 63,680 -461
Total Assets $800,669 $784,232 -$16,437
      -2.05%



The downward trend for S&P 500 has picked up steam, dropping by 3.61% since the last update:

(chart courtesy of msn.com)

On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for May rose to 8.2% (the first increase since June 2011) and things are not looking good for the U.S. economy as hiring is slowing and constant reminders of the ongoing fiscal woes in Europe certainly aren't helping things. Oil prices have fallen quite a bit from $96 to around $83, and I have seen local gasoline prices follow suit, falling from about $3.85 to $3.59 during that time.

On the financial front, the only event of note would be the impending death watch for the 5 year CD @5.55% APY I opened at E-Loan (remember when they had competitive rates?) in August 2007. I had already pre-allocated this cash earlier this year when I maxed out my Series I savings bond limits and increased my contributions to the young Frugalson's 529 college savings accounts. As a result, this cash will be sitting in a money market account for now and will likely be used for Roth IRA contributions, future savings bonds purchases, home improvement projects, etc.

And as for an arm surgery update, I will be hitting the four month post-surgery mark this week. I feel quite good for the most part, but I still have to be careful about how much weight I pick up with my injured arm for at least the next two months. While my work around the yard and weight lifting routines have been compromised a bit, I'm very happy to be able to do all the things my arm allows me to do and look forward to being able to do more in the coming weeks and months.