We love the ING account. We have 4!

Just started one of those!

I pack for Pittsburgh for a weekend on my own with my college friend. DH gets the kids all weekend and I get to drink wine and sleep late.

YAY!

Given all the talk about the Navy - Fleet Week is a known quantity, yes? It's known which ship will be at Fleet Week, etc.? Does that question make sense?

ING is free, has crazy excellent interest (4.4% for plain ole savings), is easy to transfer money in and out, also has CDs and IRAs that you can link to any accounts.

I am large with the ING love.

Given all the talk about the Navy - Fleet Week is a known quantity, yes? It's known which ship will be at Fleet Week, etc.? Does that question make sense?

Yes, I believe so. You missed it when you were in Nashvegas.

On another topic, sort of, it occurs to me that maybe you can keep this in your back pocket, mentally, to take some of the sting out of all the gold earrings and such? Hope I'm not overstepping in suggesting that.

Oh, nothing will ever take the sting out of such frivolity, but yeah. I was sort of thinking of that as soon as I wrote that. The problem with my doing that is whenever I start to balance my finances like that, I don't actually keep track. So years later, I will be asked to make some extravagant expense, and I will wonder, "Haven't I already spent six thousand dollars or whatever? Should this finally start to really annoy me?"

ooh, hey, speaking of transferring money: anyone have suggestions for easy, low-cost transferrance of money between here and the US? I was thinking paypal, but my debit card only has cirrus/maestro, not visa or mastercard.

You missed it when you were in Nashvegas.

Well, we got spillover on either end of the weekend. I jogged past the ship quite a few times, too. I'm sorry I missed the air rally, though I did get to see them practicing.

P-C, my suggestion is to find a great financial planner. I started going to mine when I got my first "real" job, age 21. In the ten years since, she has helped me to save over $50K in retirement savings from what seemed like piddly little 403b contributions; given me advice about what to pay off and what to keep around in order to keep my credit status high; and helped me in the short term to pay off credit cards, consolidate debt, and save money for emergencies. Because of her, I know I will retire in style regardless of whether social security is around. I also have used her for my taxes all these years, so she has a truly comprehensive understanding of my financial picture and well-being. The best part? Apart from paying for the taxes, all this is free free free. She's become like part of my family, and I'm so glad we live in the age of email so that I can keep her as my advisor despite now being 3000 miles away.

t /financial planner likes carrots

She was such a sweet honeybunny when you visited, I can't imagine her going all banshee.

I know what you mean. Owen so quiet and mild when I met him in Ohio, I can't picture him in meltdown mode.

ING is free, has crazy excellent interest (4.4% for plain ole savings), is easy to transfer money in and out, also has CDs and IRAs that you can link to any accounts.

I need to get an ING account.

The best part? Apart from paying for the taxes, all this is free free free.

The what now? Please to explain how and why?