By: Revanche

September Snapshot

October 1, 2009

Retirement Savings	Roth IRA: $4,137 401(a):$30,814 Total: $34,951 (33,611)
Emergency Savings	Catastrophe: $ 35,887 Problem Cushion: $ 1,000 Total: $36,887 (36,963)**
Short Term Goals	Car Maintenance: $2,244 Insurance: $2,467 Travel/Con: $568 Taxes: $3,590 Moving: $3,994 Total: $12,863 (12,144)
Long Term Goals	House Down Payment: $102
Investments	TradeKing: $1,094** Prosper-ish Loan: $12,630 Personal Loan: $1,500 Savings Bond: $362 (current accrued value) Total: $15,586 (15,542)
Total Assets	Illiquid: $34,951 Semi-Liquid: $15,586 Liquid: $36,887 Expense Acct: $7,506 Goals Savings: $12,963 Total: $ 107,893 (105,862)
Debt and Liabilities	AmEx: $144 Chase: $2,510 Rent: $1,360 Total: $4014 (1,770)
Net Worth	$103,879 (104,092)

A few thoughts …..

Yodlee is all over the place. A few weeks ago, I got an invitation to try their Beta and it kept locking me out of my account. When I gave up on the Beta, the original version kicked me out too! Now it’s showing me bills due two weeks ago that it didn’t think were important until now. Thanks!

Bills-owing are at an all-time high thanks to the school bills (>$1000), and the unexpected traffic fee. That’s eaten into the gains made in the retirement accounts. I’d better hit the books even harder, that quiz I took last night made me sweat!

**Dividend!! My stocks paid out a fat $4 dividend. Marked this one ‘specially because I’m excited. Whoo!

Wonky math. Somewhere in the emergency funds, we’ve got math gone wrong and I can’t figure it out. I never take money out of that account, or at least haven’t yet, but it’s down by a handful of dollars. No time to work on it today, unfortunately.

Changes. This snapshot is useful tracking, but everyone doesn’t need all these details. It’s time to consolidate more accounts and simplify both the system and reporting while preserving the subaccounts I love so much. Currently, my money is spread across ING/ED/Citi/Wamu.

I get free checks from Wamu, Electric Orange can’t serve all my checkwriting needs. Citi is the easier B&M from which to bank with linked checking and “high” interest savings accounts, while the ING/ED accounts have marginally better interest rates. It’s nice to have the flexibility of looking for either Chase OR Citibank branches when I’m travelling rather than hoping for one or the other.

I’m looking for a single bank with B&M and online access, free checkwriting (paper and electronic), ability to manage sub-savings accounts with good interest rates, and no fees. Too much?