Colbert sounds the call

I'm sort of a Stephen Colbert junkie. I watch his show religiously, I waste time on his website and I'm constantly amazed by the way he convinces people to support him in the most ridiculous ways - like naming a NASA space node after him.

But he also does some good with that following, like this latest endeavor: Donors Choose. You can go to the donors choose website, pick a branch of the military and donate to classrooms who are listed under that branch. These classrooms have children of servicemen/women and need some extra funding to help make small education projects come through.

It's really a great idea, and hits an important nerve with me - education. So check out the site and see what creative and interesting ideas our teachers are doing for our children. Then choose your favorite and donate. And, not that I'm partial with my father being a Marine Colonel, but donating in honor of the Marines would make things extra special!

No more investing?

I was reading an article in this month's Atlantic (Why I Fired my Broker, Goldberg) and it brought up an interesting thought, which, admittedly, goes completely against my investing paradigm. However, now I'm wondering if it's time for a complete paradigm shift, given the current state of the economy and how we got here.

To date, my husband and I invest in the stock market, even if indirectly. We max out on our 401(k)s and we invest a monthly amount with our broker. We don't have too much debt, but should we even have any?

Over the past year, we've seen our 401(k)s plummet and our market investments drop. Granted, these are unrealized losses, but for how long will the market continue to drop?

Goldberg argues that only serious investors should invest in the stock market, rather than people using the market to build a future. In other words, only those people who can afford to lose everything they invest should invest. If you're saving for a child's college fund and can't afford to lose all that money, then you shouldn't invest in the stock market.

This goes against everything I believe in. Over the long run, the market evens out and you should expect about a 6-8% yearly return on average. But is this all different in this new environment? 

Goldberg also argues that brokers are bias in what stocks and industries they recommend, sometimes to the detriment of investors (as we've seen in th news lately). So if a broker is recommending a certain portfolio, is it really in my best interest? Aren't they tainted, to a certain degree, by their own agenda? Who can you really trust and where can you get that unbiased information?

Perhaps my husband and I should pull everything out and become debt free. Or, at the very least, stop investing in the market and use that money, instead, to pay off our debts. And then just save in a safer, albeit lower yield, investment. Of course, if I cash out now, I realize those losses, but if the market keeps tanking, isn't it better to cash out now while there's still something left?

Maybe the morale is that we all might need to do something a little different. Maybe investing in the markets is not the best way to go anymore. Is it time for a whole new change in thinking?

St. John, USVI

We went on our annual vacation with Abby and Nathan at the end of last month to St. John. It was a our fifth vacation together, completing five vacations that start with the letter "C". Kind of quirky, I know, but it was one of those things that just happened and once we realized the inadvertent trend, we decided to continue it.


The first year was Charleston, then Cape Cod, Costa Rica, California and now the Caribbean.

We really liked St. John - the most beautiful blue water, delicious food, great snorkeling and yummy drinks. Most of the vacation was spent on the beach and snorkeling with parrot fish, barracudas, starfish and green turtles. The weather was beautiful (although the water was a little cool) and we had fun cruising in the Jeep on the narrow roads (they drive on the left-hand side of the road over there).

It was a nice, lazy vacation. Something I don't normally do on a vacation, so it was definitely a good change of pace. And, of course, we had a blast with Abby and Nathan...again!




Any suggestions for next year's vacation?

More babies!

A few more exciting baby announcements from across the US:

Congratulations to Andy and Joanna on the birth of baby Isaac! He is super cute and I know they must both be so excited to finally have him arrive!

Congratulations to Lindsey and Ian - they just found out they are expecting their first!

The babies just keep on coming...I'm very excited for my friends and feel so lucky that I get to spoil their little ones!

When bad things happen to good people

Oh, please, Mr. Stanford. Welcome to this world we call reality.

Allen Stanford, the Texas billionaire whose assets are frozen by the SEC due to allegations of a massive Ponzi scheme, had this complaint:

Stanford said the seizure of his assets had left him with little money or even clothing. He had to fly on a commercial plane for the first time in nearly 20 years after the government took his six private jets.

"They make you take your shoes off and everything, it's terrible," he complained about airport security that seemed to surprise him.

Take off your shoes during security? Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! There are two things I have no tolerance for: stupidity and arrogance. In this case, his arrogance is causing his stupidity and ignorance.

Yes, Mr. Stanford. This is how the rest of us live.