Peg Kerr's Journal

I'm doing my collage early this week because I will be away from my computer all day Friday.

I met with my financial planner, thinking about the changes coming due to the election of the new bishop (who will be my new boss) the first week of May. I wanted to find out what my options would be.

I was pleased to learn that it would be entirely possible for me to retire if I like a year from now when I turn 65. So now I have to think about that. What would retiring be like?

I based the design of this collage on the Norman Rockwell painting 'Blank Canvas,' a similarity that amuses me:



Image description: A woman (Peg) sits with her back toward the camera, her right hand on her head as if in confusion, contemplating a large framed picture on a table. On the picture, the word 'Retirement' is wrapped around a sunset. Scattered on the picture are phrases: 'Travel?' 'Where will I live?' 'What will I do?'

Envisioning



Click on the links to see the 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.

The momentum that I talked about in the collage made three weeks ago continues. I am continuing to check things off on my to-do list (see Week 5), which I find immensely satisfying.

It is, I remembered this week, one of the top five capabilities identified when I took the Strengthsfinders test: Achievement, by which is meant that I have the ability to organize myself and methodically tackle one task after another. (My Enneagram result is Number 2, the Helper, which also fits).

Eric has noticed this characteristic in me. During one of our nightly phone calls this week, he teased me about how, when asked about my day, I have a tendency to roll out a list of achievements, and often say something (rather smug) about how I had 'a virtuous day.'

I did a bit of study about Puritan theology when I was writing The Wild Swans (I have Puritan forebears, so it felt a bit personal). Puritans valorized hard work, the interconnectedness of the community, and yes, some things I don't value quite as highly, such as a suspicion of light-heartedness and a conviction that it was more worthy to do work that you disliked rather than liked.

Well, I don't go quite that far, but Eric's right. I do feel virtuous when I'm getting things done. This week, I did financial bookkeeping and other administrative work, searched for job openings, worked on reinstating weightlifting in my exercise routine, and brushed off my Duolingo account so as to started working on French again. (The weightlifting has been rather heavy going, no pun intended. Although I have tried to start slowly, never using anything higher than five-pound weights, I have been privately amused in noticing this week how many times I have yelped an involuntary "Oh my God," every time I have made the slightest movement and discovered yet another sore muscle.

Image description: A woman in the lower right corner (Peg) looks pleased with herself. A halo shines over her head. Background, center: a calculator, money, a laptop. Superimposed over a corner of the laptop is the word 'Virtue' surrounded by a laurel wreath. Upper part of card: shoulders and torso of a woman in exercise clothing holding a weight in an upright row position. A cartoon owl (Duolingo logo) flies in from the upper left corner. Behind the owl is the French Flag.

Virtue



Click here to see the 2023 52 Card Project gallery.

Click here to see the 2022 52 Card Project gallery.

Click here to see the 2021 52 Card Project gallery.

My sleep disorder has been terrible lately. Perhaps it's the time change, but I have really been suffering badly this week--four or five hours a night, even though I lie in bed for eight, followed by intense headaches the next day from lack of sleep. I missed work on Monday due to one of those migraines. I feel drawn and haggard as if I am walking in a fog, ready to blunder into walls. My IQ has noticeably dropped.

I have been grappling with various issues in my life that have added to that same feeling of weary bewilderment and befuddlement. I am trying to do some travel planning, and I am woefully unpracticed at that kind of thing. I am trying to figure out some estate planning issues, which means that I finally have to muster up the spoons to figure out how to get rid of a timeshare that Rob and I bought in 2003. Timeshares, of course, are designed to be impenetrably hard to understand and get rid of. I am enlisting some help to try to deal with the issue. But that, and several other things in my life that I don't particularly want to talk about make me feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and as if I am lost in a maze.

I do want to acknowledge that I did have one wonderful thing that happened this week: Eric and I took an overnight getaway to a bed and breakfast in Red Wing--a relaxing 24 hours that was what both of us badly needed. As a result, my other alternative for this week's collage was "Getaway."

But once I had the idea for the theme of the week that I ultimately chose, I was so gripped by an inner vision of what I thought the collage should look like that it was no contest. The result, I (modestly) think, is one of the best collages I've done yet.

What do you think?

Inside a hall of mirrors, a woman (Peg) stands in multiple reflections from different angles looking in all directions. All stand with hands to the side, except for the woman closest to the foreground who has her hands over her face.

Mirrors



Click here to see the 2023 52 Card Project gallery.

Click here to see the 2022 52 Card Project gallery.

Click here to see the 2021 52 Card Project gallery.

102 Things NOT To Do If You Hate Taxes.

I think I am going to ditch my relationship with TCF bank and go to a credit union.

I WAS with a credit union for a little while on one account--long story--and I was happy with them, but moved back to TCF bank because I had several accounts with them. But I'm angry enough at the new $10 a month fee on the TCF joint account because I don't move my money in and out enough to suit them. I'll be damned if I'm going to dance to their tune.



For more info, check out the Facebook group Bank Transfer Day.

I learned about this through my monthly AARP publication:

SaveTogether.org: (@SaveTogether on Twitter and SaveTogetherOrg on Facebook)

A new non-profit, Savetogether.org, makes it easy to spread the message of saving while helping others to reach their financial goals. Using an online philanthropy model, SaveTogether helps low wage individuals triple their savings through the power of matched savings accounts. Here's how it works: A saver puts aside $25, a donor makes a secure, tax-deductible $25 donation on the website, which is then matched by $25 from government and participating non-profits. Prescreened savers are profiled on the website and file reports on their progress saving for college, a new home, or a business start-up.

"These stories of people who are at the bottom of society's pyramid can inspire us all to be better savers," says Dylan Higgins, CEO and founder of SaveTogether.

SaveTogether.org will soon include a map of local programs that sponsor Individual Development Accounts, matched savings accounts for the working poor.

( Here's some more information from the FAQ at the site ) Read more at the FAQ here. I thought this program might be of interest both to people who might like to apply themselves, or people who want to consider it as a charitable option, especially those who have gone through hard times themselves and might like to 'pay it forward' for a modest buy in price.

Okay, I'm doing a favor and passing on some information I got from dlandon. The second one I knew about and had already implemented, and the first one I had looked at earlier but mistakenly thought I didn't qualify. dlandon's post made me look at it again, and hey! What a cool program.

First, there's UPromise: www.upromise.com. It's a website that gives you money for spending money. They have several ways this works:

1) You can get their own credit card, the Citi Upromise card. If you do, you get 10% extra college savings on thousands of grocery and drug store items, 10% extra college savings at 8000+ restaurants, and 1% college savings everywhere you shop. This was what I saw when I glanced at this program in a cursory fashion a year ago. I thought, geez, I don't want another credit card; we're trying to reduce our debt, and so I didn't look any further. My mistake. You see, there are OTHER ways you can use the program, even without signing up for their credit card:

2) You can register your own credit or debit card that you are already using (up to ten of them). If you use it at a restaurant that has an arrangement with Upromise, you get anywhere from 1 - 25% of the cost of your order deposited into your college savings account. I discovered that my local coffee shop, Tillie's Bean, is signed up: everytime I buy a cup of coffee there, 4% would go to my Upromise account.

3) there are other merchants that have Upromise arrangements. Get 1 cent a gallon every time you fill up at an Exxon or Mobile, using a credit card you've registered. Every time you rent a Budget truck. Every time you book through travelocity. Every time you use shutterfly.

4) you can get a percentage of the money you spend at participating grocery stores and drug stores. If you already have a CVS pharmacy card, for example, just register it with Upromise--and then every time you swipe it at the drug store, you're also putting money into your Upromise account. You can also check for ecoupons on the Upromise site. No need to even print them out: just click on them on the website, and then when you swipe your card at the grocery store, it'll save you money AND put money into your college savings.

6) you can click through their site to shop online with a long list of very familiar retailers: Barnes and Noble, Target, Gap, JoAnn Fabrics, Macy's, Banana Republic, LL Bean, etc. A percentage of your order will go to your Upromise account. It's legit, their member partners donate the money (I'm sure they've done studies on how much extra revenue it drives) and, of course, upromise tries to sell you a 529 account. But, seriously, why not? it's a really long list, and during special promotional periods you can get back up to 6%! It's free money deposited into an account you create.

So you tell me, great idea Peg, but I don't even have a kid. You can still participate! Designate the money to go to a nephew or a friends' kid (heck, you could designate the money to go to Fiona and Delia if you want---and if anyone is interested in doing so, let me know, and I'll send you an invite.) You could also designate that the money go to a school that you choose. How about supporting your local community school?

Secondly, 529 accounts. They are special accounts that allow you to save for your kid's college education, and the interest earned/growth is all tax free. You control over when the kid withdraws it/what they use it for, because it's up to your discretion - not the kid's. Some states (not MN, unfortunately) even let you deduct it on your state taxes. But most importantly? Many states offer matching grants if the parents meet income requirements (ie, don't make too much). In Minnesota they will give you up to $400/year as a matching grant. Frankly, if you qualify in the low income bracket, it's a no-brainer. Even if scraping together $400 is tough (and I know for some of you it might be), $400 over 18 years is $7,200. And you *know* your kid's unlikely to get that much when they hit eighteen and start trying to find scholarships/grants.

So, anyway, worth checking out. Different states have different options (though you can invest in any state's plan you want, the benefits vary widely), different fees, and different tax policies, but take a look at www.savingforcollege.com for more information.

What with the 100 pushup challenge, I've been thinking about the goals I have in my life, and the progress I'm making toward them. I'm a Myers-Briggs ENFJ, and the "J" means that I'm into goals, schedules, structures (unlike my husband, who in contrast is a "P" go-with-the-flow sort of guy. A frequent source of, shall we say, not seeing eye-to-eye on things in our marriage).

I like setting goals for myself. I respond well to them, for the most part. Sometimes, however, I get frustrated with myself because I am not making the progress I would like. Sometimes that is due to the goal I have in mind isn't very realistic; sometimes I sabotage myself--mildly. Sometimes real life gets in the way (i.e., Rob's job loss has been a set back in a number of different areas).

( Money Goals )

( Fitness Goals )

( Other goals )

What are some of your goals?

From get_rich_slowly: Want a free book from financial guru Suze Orman? Until 8pm Eastern on the evening of February 14th, the Oprah Winfrey site is giving away a free PDF version of Orman’s latest book, Women & Money. To find the download, scroll to the bottom of this page. The book is available in both English and Spanish editions. (For those not familiar with her work, Orman is a financial writer who advises people on how to handle their money wisely).

Car repairs. I had some overtime this month, and so I hoped that I would be able to tuck some more into savings to help when the unemployment runs out. (Since learning that Rob was losing his job, I've squirreled away everything I can, and what I've saved so far would tide us over about another three months when there's nothing coming in anymore.)

But no such luck. I have an old Jeep that I can't replace right now with Rob out of a job. It's been a good car, but of course, it's getting old. I already spent $166 this month for car maintenance (new battery, oil change, routine maintenance, etc.) They told me to bring it back in two weeks because they needed to re-check differential and transfer case fluid levels. They also thought there was something going on with the front axle. [btw: this is a mechanic I've used for years, and I'm satisfied with their pricing and honesty.]

Today report: pinpoint fluid leaks are very slow and can probably be dealt with by just re-checking all fluid levels and refilling every time I do an oil change. But the front axle joints do need to be replaced. That's a safety issue (part of the four-wheel drive system) that I can't ignore with winter coming on. It's going to be $300 to fix.

As it happens, I do happen to have the money, because of that overtime. But damn it, damn it, damn it. I really wanted to put that money into savings.