Picking up Nickels

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

May 2022 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on May 10th, 2022:

Asset Apr 2022 May 2022 Change




Checking 3,479 3,663 184
Money Market 124,878 126,622 1,744
Savings Bonds 206,628 209,183 2,555
Treasury Bills 0 0 0
CDs 42,560 42,660 100
Brokerage 271,210 247,872 -23,338
401k 411,228 375,454 -35,774
Roth IRA 245,031 224,246 -20,785
SEP IRA 1,110,568 1,023,206 -87,362
529 Savings 168,949 164,921 -4,028
Total Assets $2,584,531 $2,417,827 -$166,704
      -6.45%

The S&P 500 has been in for a rough ride, falling 9.33% (-16.05% YTD) since the last update:

(chart courtesy of nasdaq.com)

On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for April remained at the pandemic low of 3.6%, with 428,000 new jobs added. The Federal Reserve announced the second rate hike (0.5%) of the year, the largest in 22 years. Oil prices rose to the $104 level (from $98), which translates to a local regular unleaded gasoline price of $4.39 (and likely a new normal) at my last fill-up. Fortunately there was a positive sign that inflation may have peaked as the April 2022 US inflation numbers slowed for the first time since August.

On the financial front, I did the usual 401k transactions and a Vanguard VTI brokerage purchase. I also received a portion of my 2021 Federal tax refund in the form of Series I savings bonds (with the current 9.62% rate), and wished I sent a larger 2021 estimated tax payment in January.

As for the non-financial, we're still on a high after watching the eldest Frugalson child graduate from college. Just a little bit of time left for summer fun before joining the real world. :)