Oh yeah it is crazy here, but I need my SA fix - hehe. This week is just extra crazy - big Easter weekend, family visiting, have to finish parent's tax returns, egg decorating tonight, etc., etc. I still have to find time to write another article this week. The family will just have to deal - the house is a disaster. Dh just told me his parents and aunt were spending thenight SUnday night. I had no idea. Well okay then. They can take the filth or leave it I guess - hehe. Dh doesn't help as much as I would like and I have no hours in the day. So I will try not to fret about it.

ETA: Oh yeah - before the links. HAd to say an interesting week. I got the gas bill and it was negative $10. Lol. Around $27 for the month (cool - mild weather - not much heat on) but a $37 adjustment - I have no idea why. But I'll take it. Then yesterday a $20 rebate arrived in the mail. I thought I had been waiting on one, but I guess not, turned out it was my parents'. But just funny money seems to be dribbling in my mailbox. Knowing my parents they will probably let me keep it anyway since I am doing their taxes. So woohoo. Here's to more negative bills - hehe. They just fixed our electric meter too so I would not be surprised if I had a negative electric bill - LOL.

Today Free Money Finance had some interesting links. I am enjoying the blog.

freemoneyfinance.com

http://plonkee.blogspot.com/2007/04/atheists-should-tithe.ht...

#1 - Atheists should tithe. Sure that is great and all. But why again with 10%? Is it just me or does 10% seem like a ridiculous amount of money to tithe? I keep seeing this figure come up. I mentioned it about Automatic Millionaire. & like I probably said then. On these tight budgets we have found far more value in giving of time than money. On the other hand I do hope to be in a place to tithe more down the road. But I guess I am more of the Suze variety, I want to take care of myself first. IF we do well, we will have plenty of money down the road to tithe more. I am just such a big believer in giving to the community in general the 10% thing just irks me - encouraging people who don't have money to give 10%. Whatever happened to giving more of yourself than just your money, is what I wonder. & finally, if my dh got a job and we made six figures I could see us tithing much more. But $10k/year? No way in hell. Ask me again when my kids are through college, mortgage paid, and I know I Can afford my retirement and healthcare. Then I will be glad to give my excess. But I do have to say you know I just gave $100 this month that I didn't really have. If I did that every month would be less than 2%, and quite a stretch. I wouldn't think it is great to give much more. Tithing is not worth going into debt over or neglecting your retirement. But my husband spent hours volunteering at the public television station and on this movie, and I did a lot of free tax returns and tax advice this past month or 2. There is so much more to giving than giving cash, or even than giving to charity. I am all for giving, but I am more for giving what you truly have to give. I guess my experience with my giving nature is I tend to too often give more than I have, and it doesn't do much for me. But since we had to really take step back in recent years I have found more rewarding ways to give, I guess. My experience.

http://allfinancialmatters.com/2007/04/03/how-much-is-your-4...

#2 - How much is your 401k costing you?

I just had to say I found this to be more true than most of you will ever know. I was doing profit sharing accounting for a bunch of different plans (some with 401ks) and the rates of return in these managed pland were not that great, and the broker fees completely wiped them out. That was before accounting fees and administration fees. Do you know how much work it takes to do the accounting and administration on a small plan with just a few employees? This is mostly the type of plans we work on. I was working on a number of these when I joined SA (here) and decided to drop my broker. IT just re-iterated the fact to me that brokers are useless. My PSP money made 1% last year all the fees. Lucky thing for me is my boss will retire in a few years and I will get to roll in an IRA and invest it with a hell of a lot less fees. Woohoo. As far as my old 401k, it did much better. But I was only there a couple of years. It was a huge international corporation, maybe with so many people there are more to spread the fees around, is all I could figure. Not a great deal for small companies overall. But the boss would keep it regardless - he can shelter almost $50k/year of his income from taxes. This is why they are done, fees and all, at the smaller level.

http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/saving-beyond-401k-and...

#3 - picking on a guy who saves his full ROTH and 401k contribution. Yeah, I do see the people who save too much and don't have any fun. But this one really rubbed me the wrong way. You bet if I made $95k in the most expensive region in the country I could save all that and have fun too. I did just that in my 20s. Anyways, a lot of assuming going on. I just think it is sad people think it is impossible to live on that salary, save that much, and have any fun. Single!!!! Whatever. You all know I have plenty of fun on much less today and supporting a family of 4. Not only do I have fun but I don't fret that much about how I earn my living. IT is quite freeing not to depend on your entire salary to survive!!! CHalk that one up to the "is it bad to over-save?" pile. I picture this guy on a beach sipping margaritas in his 40s saying "suckas" to the rest of us. LOL. Plus the point is ENTIRELY missed that in general if you can swing a full 401k contribution, you will have the tax savings equivalent to a full ROTH contribution. So I guess I am not sure why they are bashing this guy's awesome tax planning. If he is really making $95k it means he is effectively only saving 15% of his money and putting the tax savings in his ROTH. Not exactly a crazy overly-aggressive retirement savings strategy. & to me sounds like awesome tax planning.