I just wrote this email to Tom:

There's a discussion of naan in Natter that makes me want Indian food tonight, but another discussion of fiscal responsibility that makes me think we shouldn't go out! Aieee!

Is 4.4% considered good these days?

For a bank savings account, it's awesome. And, while the $25 bonus is nice, it's more like a cherry on top of a sundae like moving your interest up from 0.5% (or in my case, 0.2%).

Oh! I nearly forgot my other favorite book: The Everything Personal Finance in Your 20s & 30s Book: Erase Your Debt, Personalize Your Budget and Plan Now to Secure Your Future. It rocks.

Huh, does anyone know about Emigrant Direct?

P-C, before you do *anything*, I strongly suggest buying and reading Personal Finance for Dummies. It explains all of these terms clearly and gives good advice. I don't think you should invest anything until you either understand what you're doing on some level yourself or have hired someone to help you make those decisions.

No, that's a good idea. I think I can at least change my savings account to the ING now, though. That, I understand!

Ah, rewards cards. Also known as "How Nora and Tom get all their kitchen equipment."

It's annoying because I keep seeing all these other cards that are probably better, but I shouldn't be opening up a new card so soon after this one, right?

No, that's a good idea. I think I can at least change my savings account to the ING now, though. That, I understand!

Yep!

Is 4.4% considered good these days?

For a bank savings account, it's awesome.

How about for an annuity I won't see the contents of for another 20 years?

I don't think you should invest anything until you either understand what you're doing on some level yourself or have hired someone to help you make those decisions.

Yeah, I read David Bach's "Smart Women Finish Rich" and then when Tom and I got married and a mortgage, "Smart Couples Finish Rich." Reading up on this stuff is important.

I don't think you should invest anything until you either understand what you're doing on some level yourself or have hired someone to help you make those decisions.

Seconded. My rule is, if I don't think I understand it well enough to explain it to someone else, I don't do it.

How about for an annuity I won't see the contents of for another 20 years?

In this class I'm taking this semester, every example we did on annuities was 6 or 6.5%, which may not mean anything, but I've found that the examples are usually based on current available data (the book we're using was published less than a year ago).

The other good thing about a Roth IRA is that you can take out the principal without penalty, so you can use it for a house downpayment or a trip around the world.