Everything seems to be in the crapper. With election politics heating up (and not necessarily in a good way), an economic bailout that I am pretty sure no one has a real clue about, and the American dream becoming less achievable for many, things seem to be “not so great”. Or is it? I...
Read more »
Retirement
Keeping our heads up in today’s economy
The irony of our wonderful government
It’s not very often that I burst out laughing when we get the mail. I’m usually annoyed at the amount of junk mail, or ticked off at the unexpected bill (ie. is it time to pay the garbage bill again?). But today, on the day where all us common folk are wondering just how...
Read more »
Thoughts on Dave Ramsey
I recently finished Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover, and it is a quick and easy read. I would recommend getting it from your local library – I would not buy it just because there are enough blogs and information on his methods on the web (and you can use the cost of the book...
Read more »
Decreasing 401k contributions to offset health plan increase
After finishing the taxes, we decided to decrease my husband’s 401k contributions from 20% to 10% with the intention of putting this money into our Roth IRAs. The next day, we get a letter in the mail with regards to our health care plan. They have changed the salary tiers and the contribution limits. ...
Read more »
Setting goals for April
I feel like February and March kind of flew by. I know that I have been sick, but I also feel like I have been busy. The problem is that I am not sure exactly what I was busy with. There’s all the daily things that have to do with life in general, but...
Read more »
What are you doing about the stock market?
Not that I have any control over it, but I am curious to learn what other people are doing about their retirement accounts, if anything. Are you reacting now, or did you react earlier? How far off is retirement for you, and how did that play a role? Back in September, my husband and...
Read more »
Retirement savings part ii – the IRAs
After reviewing our pension and 401k yesterday, it is time to take a quick look at our IRAs. Both my husband and I hold Roth IRAs with Vanguard, and have been really satisfied with the low fees, investment options, and the ease of using the website. We have not maxed out our contributions for...
Read more »
Retirement savings part i – the 401k and pension
After reviewing our student loans, I thought it would be a good idea to switch to something on the savings side. Today, let’s take a look at my husband’s 401k and pension. (I have only had a single 401k in my life, and I transferred it to an IRA, and then to a Roth...
Read more »
Suze Orman talks about retirement
I think Suze Orman is a little crazy. I just started watching her on a regular basis a couple of weeks ago, and I am surprised at her large fan base despite how arrogant and annoying she can be at times. There is almost a point during each episode where I am ready to...
Read more »
