How humiliating...
Aug. 23rd, 2006 10:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susandennisThe mighty Yankees spent last weekend pounding the shit out of the Red Sox - at Fenway. Then they fly across the country to play the Mariners who have lost 11 games in a row. And the Mariners beat the Yankees in the bottom of the 9th with a walk off home run. Our season sucks but there are little nuggats in the shit pile and this was one of them. We play the Red Sox this weekend.
My financial adviser is coming over this morning. Way back in the early 90's when I was working for IBM, they had this cool little financial planning benefit. They had a list of 3 outfits - you could call any of them and get a financial planning assessment ($500 worth) for free plus they paid $100 a year for annual financial checkups. I wasn't all that enthused but figured it was too good an offer to ignore. So I called the first one on the list and made an appointment to see Mike Payne.
My first peek at this dude told me alphabetical was exactly the right way to have gone. He looks like exactly the person who would steer me down the right financial path. He just looks the part and, in his case, looks do not deceive. When I first signed up with him, I had something like $10,000 in a matching fund retirement thingie and I was making a good salary and saving nothing. I told him that first time (and he has reminded me often since) that I didn't care about saving for a future, I wasn't interested in retiring. I only wanted him to keep me from doing something stupid.
He did. About a year later, I took an IBM buyout package and left the company with a nice chunk of change which I gave to Mike. Plus he showed me how to set money aside easily and painlessly and over the years, little by little, with his watchful eye and investing smarts, my little nest egg has created a chicken farm that enables me to seriously shelve my fears of turning into a bag lady. It's really amazing to me still to know that all these years of working have actually provided me with a nice financial cushion. I could have never done that on my own.
My only worries now are that he never ever ever retire. He cut back his practice about 4 years ago and only kept some of his clients - I got picked. I know he's going to retire eventually and I can't stand the thought. He's so patient and kind with me. He knows that I don't understand half of what he says and sometimes he explains dollar cost averaging to me one more time just to see my eyes glass over.
Today he's coming by to make sure I'm not anxious about any of the stuff that is tanking (which, because he's so good at what he does, is only a small percentage of what I have invested). I'm so lucky to have him.
Then this afternoon I go back to the doctor again. Another blood pressure check and another blood test.
My financial adviser is coming over this morning. Way back in the early 90's when I was working for IBM, they had this cool little financial planning benefit. They had a list of 3 outfits - you could call any of them and get a financial planning assessment ($500 worth) for free plus they paid $100 a year for annual financial checkups. I wasn't all that enthused but figured it was too good an offer to ignore. So I called the first one on the list and made an appointment to see Mike Payne.
My first peek at this dude told me alphabetical was exactly the right way to have gone. He looks like exactly the person who would steer me down the right financial path. He just looks the part and, in his case, looks do not deceive. When I first signed up with him, I had something like $10,000 in a matching fund retirement thingie and I was making a good salary and saving nothing. I told him that first time (and he has reminded me often since) that I didn't care about saving for a future, I wasn't interested in retiring. I only wanted him to keep me from doing something stupid.
He did. About a year later, I took an IBM buyout package and left the company with a nice chunk of change which I gave to Mike. Plus he showed me how to set money aside easily and painlessly and over the years, little by little, with his watchful eye and investing smarts, my little nest egg has created a chicken farm that enables me to seriously shelve my fears of turning into a bag lady. It's really amazing to me still to know that all these years of working have actually provided me with a nice financial cushion. I could have never done that on my own.
My only worries now are that he never ever ever retire. He cut back his practice about 4 years ago and only kept some of his clients - I got picked. I know he's going to retire eventually and I can't stand the thought. He's so patient and kind with me. He knows that I don't understand half of what he says and sometimes he explains dollar cost averaging to me one more time just to see my eyes glass over.
Today he's coming by to make sure I'm not anxious about any of the stuff that is tanking (which, because he's so good at what he does, is only a small percentage of what I have invested). I'm so lucky to have him.
Then this afternoon I go back to the doctor again. Another blood pressure check and another blood test.
