The Primerica rep we met with recently is coming back tonight and is bringing his manager along.

No, we aren't looking at joining Primerica's MLM force and more than likely won't partner up with them in investments but it can't hurt to pick their brains, I think.

I found the paperwork for the 401(k) through my employer and logged into the website trying to understand just what's being done with my 500 some odd dollar balance. For all that I've read about 401(k) accounts, it might as well be a 578(h) account for the good it does me. Oh, I understand its a shell for investments but I don't understand just what those investments are. Here's some of what the website shows me:

Your Current Asset Allocation
This graph shows you have 51% in Lifecycle/Pre-Mix, and 49% in Company Stock.

Well, that's just hunky dory but what is Lifecycle/Pre-Mix?? Apparently, 51% of the money is in LifePath 2025 Index (yeah, like I know what that is) and the other 49% is in company stock. I googled "Lifepath 2025 Index" and its apparently a fund (mutual fund??) of mixed investments designed for risk reduction as retirement age gets nearer.

The financial engine says that to reduce risk I need to increase the percentage of non-company stock and decrease the company stock amount to 20%. Alrighty, let me just hop on that! They're talking to someone who is just about clueless on this stuff but I'm trying to learn. I know that the LifePath 2025 index is managed by Barclays Global Investors and is a passive fund. Quite a bit of what I've read about them says they're inferior and not recommended but I found a lot of biggies who use the LifePath funds. Perhaps I'd be better off doing something else through Vanguard or another entity but with my lack of knowledge that's very scary to consider.

Grrr, I think I need to talk to the HR person at work. Maybe he can help me make heads and tails of this. If not, he probably knows who can, right? Right???

What if I have money I want to add to this 401(k)? Can I do that? So many questions, so little time! But maybe I can pick the brains of the Primerica guys tonight and see what our Financial Needs Analysis turns up, eh?

Input appreciated, as always.

That's what my 19 year old stepdaughter asked the salesman of a furniture store recently. She'd told her dad she'd found a living room set she wanted and it cost $2000. He cautioned her about getting in over her head and she insisted she could pay for it. She gets a lot of overtime and makes very nice money for someone her age. We were concerned about this large expense since she's on her own, has a car payment, insurance, etc. but she's of age and will spend her money as she sees fit.

However, after her talk with him she got to thinking about his words (and presumably the wisdom of them, lol), went to another store and found a set she liked just as much that was $1600. She told the salesman she'd pay $1000 cash for it and he agreed! Then she said something to the effect of, "Okay, I'm giving you a thousand dollars of my money for this set. What can you do for me?" He apparently was a little surprised and hesitant but threw in an extended warranty and arranged for free delivery. A few days later she found out her overtime was cut way back and her paychecks are substantially smaller, though still very good.

I still think she spent too much but how wonderful that she considered her dad's words, rethought her plan, came up with a better one, and seems to be learning.

We're giving her Dave's Total Money Makeover book and an envelope system. Certainly that will be money well spent!

I've had cell phones for several years and have never given much more than cursory thought to the cost of having one. As long as it was 'affordable', I'd take the bait. Well, the phone I've had for over two years was ready to finally give up the ghost so for two days I've agonized over what kind to get, which provider to use, etc. Jiminy Christmas, one would think I was about to hand over millions by the way I agonized over this decision!

I researched companies and phones and read reviews until my eyes were about to fall out of my head. Okay, the eye thing is an exaggeration but y'all know what I mean. It's no easy feat to decide on a provider, phone, plan, etc., especially when there are just so many choices out there. Cost is certainly a major factor but so is reliability and the customer service track record of a company.

I really, really want an iPhone but the monthly cost is prohibitive. I can afford it but I don't want to pay that much for a phone, even one as beautiful as the iPhone.

The $45 a month plan from MetroPCS is appealing because of the low cost but there are too many complaints about them. I travel a little, mainly around Texas and Louisiana and a phone that works where I go is good and MetroPCS doesn't have coverage in most of those areas.

I called AT&T, Sprint, and some others and wound up getting a Blackberry Curve 8330 (a slightly older model) with a pretty basic plan from Verizon. I've been on my mother's Verizon plan for almost four years and their overall service is the best I've found so sticking with them just makes sense. My line is a $10 line so the monthly cost will be around $45, the same as MetroPCS with much better service, and less than half of what service for an iPhone will cost.

No, a Blackberry isn't an iPhone but it's definitely an upgrade from my old, cracked, worn out Razr v3 that turned itself off and on at will, and its affordable. And hey, I discovered last night that I can turn it off and it turns itself back on in the morning to ring the alarm! That really is a SmartPhone and I think I'm a smart cookie for getting it ;.)