Posted on 09/14/2007 3:18:34 PM PDT by WFTR
Greetings, and Welcome to another Weekend Singles' Thread.
I've been planning all week to do one theme this weekend, and I realized just a few minutes ago that the theme that I planned is a week early. Furthermore, the discussion that I wanted to start was one that Dave wanted to join, and he won't be here this weekend. Because my timing would be wrong for the original theme and because I'd like to let Dave participate, I'm going to change topics at the last minute. (My apologies to the other hosts.) If things seem disjointed and unorganized, there's a good reason. I was confused and am putting together a different idea at the last minute.
This week's topic will be saving and investing. As always, participation is completely voluntary, but I want to emphasize that point when we're talking about money. The goal here is not to put anyone on the spot. What I hope we can do is talk about things in a way that lets people pick up bits of information that can help them without feeling embarrassed. I've written a bunch of the standard questions, but feel free to talk about any aspect of the subject that you find interesting or ask any questions that you want to ask.
How much time do you spend on investing your money? How long have you been investing? Do you have a modest amount in a 401k that you invest following pretty normal ideas of diversification or do you like to day trade taking big risks for big rewards?
How well do you understand investing and how the process works? Do you wish that you understood more? If so, what are you going to do to educate yourself? Do you ever watch financial shows or listen to them on the radio? Do you enjoy them?
Do you think investing is different for singles than it is for married people? Do you accept more risk as a single or do you accept less risk? A single person doesn't have a spouse who's going to argue about money, but do you have someone who knows how you are investing your money and who likes to talk about investing with you? If you were married, how much would you want to discuss investing with your spouse?
If you'd like to tell us, what are your financial goals? Do you feel that you can reach those goals?
Oh RR, you tell Hoodie that I’ll watch you if she gets busy.
I’ll be harder on you than she will!!! haha
I am so glad to hear from you two. (hugs)
You “guess”?
I once stayed in a hotel room in Death Valley National Park, but that facility wasn't set up as a nice lodge. The place was just a motel run by the park service for people who want a place to stay in the park. The motel in the Chisos Basin at Big Bend National Park looks very nice from the outside, and I wouldn't mind staying there someday.
Bill
We’re all together on the questions tonight! LOL
Have you ever looked at iShares (www.ishares.com)?
As I said at the beginning, I'm no expert in this stuff, but I'm fairly sure that they can give you something similar to what you want. They have a fund called the Dow Jones U.S. Total Market Index Fund (IYY), and this fund is designed to follow the overall Dow fairly closely. These funds aren't exactly mutual funds, but they are similar. I don't think that they are managed as actively as mutual funds are, but they are a way for little guys like us to follow a particular part of the market even though we don't have a huge amount of money to invest. I own several of these iShares funds for this reason.
You may be a ways from having the money to invest, but you might consider these funds if you ever do reach that point. Of course, someone else may have reasons why these funds aren't considered a good idea.
Bill
Oh I love it!!! That is SO inventive and neat! I don't think I'm clever enough to figure out how to do that with my cell phone, but I love the idea of it! Very different and cute.
I'd like to stay at Tovar at the Grand Canyon one of these years. And speaking of hotels? On my list for a long time is the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. I've been there to walk the beach behind it, but have never stayed overnight. One of these days I will ...
I’ll give ‘er a try! Thanks! How fun that will be!
And I don’t blow a dollar for any tunes, just have used the rings that came with my phone. I’m cheap. LOL
I’m not sure where Tovar is. I stayed at Phantom Ranch down in the canyon one night, but I was staying in the dorm.
El Tovar is the lodge that is located on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s gorgeous. Opened in 1905, dining room was staffed by the Harvey Girls at one point. Very nice. It’s on my list!
>1. Which would you choose?
b. Forcibly preventing terrorists from setting fire to the building even if the force you use is lethal or nearly lethal force.
I like permanent solutions.
>2. You get to spend a week on a “dream vacation.” Would you
>rather
b. Spend the week in a beautiful house on a mountain with a view of mountains in every direction?
cuz I’m not a big city type.
3. Besides making and receiving calls, what features of your cell phone do you actually use?
Internet, text, voicemail, email, etc.
Good morning Bill! I came in fairly fatigued from the football game last night &did minimal posting prior to crashing. Good topic & one you presented well.
I in marriage just relegated the savings part to my spouse .. it is a very long story but at this point there is nothing for me. I trusted when I should have been cautious.
I think each high school senior before graduating should have an intense class in this... but ah youth. At 16 or 17 retirement, death, are as remote as Jupiter.
I guess I would be the rescuer in the terrorist attack not the assault preventer. I love watching the movies where woman are skilled & can see my self in the roles in the fantasy part of life(kill Bill etc) but the reality is that I think the other is where I would be.
I actually thrive in the remote areas with few people around so would chose the mountain vacation spot.. BUT on occasion I do like the big city & if have the $$ to do it well, always have a good time.
I dont do much with my cell phone but (DONT LAUGH) do use it to check time as I frequently do NOT have a watch on.
Thanks for the thread sorry was not here last night but long hard week at work and only briefly on the computer last night and my mind was not sufficiently in gear to contribute to this thread last night.
Due to family circumstances saving is not something that I have been able to much of and certainly not at present. I do have an ISA which up to a certainly amount each year you are allowed in the UK to take out tax free.
ISA = Individual saving account and you can choose what those are made up from eg small business, overseas investment etc. When you decide to take one out the company you go through will give you a booklet of various choices. Of course a lot of this depends on the stock-market what your return will be.
I also have a deposit account which I put a set amount into each month but apart from that due to financial circumstance the rest of my income is used up.
One thing I am glad is that when I joined my company I opted to join the pension scheme straight away. It got me used to have 6 per cent of salary straight away. The choice I got was to go onto a full adult salary straight away and join the pension scheme or wait 6 or 7 months until I was 21 and then join the scheme and go on full wage. At that time companies in Britain could force you to join the pension scheme nowadays it is by law your choice.
Due to law changes and amounts of money that company now have to guarantee is in the pension fund after companies schemes collapsing my pension has changed somewhat but from the small amount of investigating I have done it is still the best way of saving for a pension that I could afford because doing it this way the company contributes as well as me.
Hi Rocky and Hoody hows married life going - good to “see you”
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