Cruising for Christmas

Although Sophie and I had already booked a 18-night stay in Vegas for the Christmas holiday, last night we changed our plans. (Thank goodness hotel reservations can be canceled!)

Instead, we decided to take a Caribbean cruise. Don't get me wrong. We LOVE Vegas! It's kitschy Americana is just our style and the idea of shopping at the Premium Outlet Mall in Vegas right after Christmas gives me goosebumps (both good and bad since I love sales and hate crowds).

Nonetheless, we've got gowns! Sophie and I have found a new favorite store. BCGB Max Azria has an outlet store at the Premium Outlet Mall in Orlando. We've found some fabulous gowns at incredible prices. Who wears gowns these days, anyway? We do!!!

Side note: One nice thing about not having men in the house is that no one complains about dressing up. It's more a matter of finding appropriate places to dress up!

Ever since our first cruise (we've only taken two), we've fallen in love with dressing up for dinner and eating in the formal dining room.

Our first cruise was with Norwegian Cruise Lines where dressing up was optional. We were treating ourselves to a special time and wanted to respect and appreciate each aspect of our experience. Also, we had just found this incredible shop in Barcelona where we bought a boatload of cool clothes which we found ourselves wearing to our dinners. The cruise was 12-nights which mean that it was us and the geriatric crowd. Turns out most people can't take the time away from work or afford long trip (buy them when their cheap! I think we paid $499 per person) unless they are retired. Well, as you might assume, older folks appreciate our desire to dress up for dinner. And we did!

Our second cruise, a 14-night transatlantic jaunt from Barcelona to Miami, was another sensational reason for premium attire at dinner. Especially since Royal Caribbean mandates formal dinner wear. My only complaint with this cruise is that they refused to allow us our own table (two person tables are commonplace on this ship) and forced us to sit with single men. After a few days of this - and one of the men trying very hard to convince my (at the time) 18-year-old daughter that the parties were better down with the crew - I demanded our own table and, by golly, got it! I also got nasty stares from the man and his father for the rest of the trip. lol Deal!

As it turned out there finding people under the age of 65-year-old was slim pickins which was just fine with us. We tend to like to spend our time with a much older crowd as they are more sedate and Sophie always seems to enjoy the conversation... and the games. Everyday there is some game or another that everyone gathers to play. Sophie is right in there with them.

So, after our most recent excursion the our new favorite store where Sophie bought something like 10 new dresses (all at incredibly discounted prices. Think: $39 for a runway Max Azria!) I suggested we might consider a cruise for the holiday as we really don't have anywhere else to wear them (okay, the periodic steakhouse or to the Nutcracker in NYC.) She thought it was a great idea. I looked into it and presto! We've got an all inclusive place to wear our fabulous gowns and little chance of running into places to spend money! (Always a nice side benefit.) When we travel we like to walk around the cities we visit. We aren't so keen on shopping, although we like to buy stickers for our suitcase.

Retirement Plans for Teens

Since Sophie is self-employed and just turned 19-years-old we've started to look into retirement plans for her. Since she lives at home, she can put money away that she would otherwise need for bills.

Her goals are to:
1. Never retire as she plans on acting forever but to be able to retire at 70-years-old.
2. Have a million dollars saved by the time she's 70-years-old.
3. She's planning for a life-expectancy of 95 years.

So the questions are:
1. Which retirement plan is best suited for her needs and goals?
2. How does she want to invest? Stocks? Funds? Aggressively? Conservatively?
3. Does a 401K or IRA plan better suit her goals?
4. Does she want to pay her taxes now or when she withdraws the funds?


It seems like everyday we find a different plan that seems to best suit her needs.

Today, I was sure the Self-Employment 401K (also known as the Solo 401K or the Individual 401K) seemed perfect. She could sock away $16,500 annually and up to a total of $49,000 annually (as of 2010)... if she could. Taxes are deferred. This is probably the most lucrative tax shelter plan on the market and only available to self-employed individuals with no employees.

We discussed it. She felt it was a good fit.

Next was the task of finding the right company or brokerage firm.
1. Vanguard charges maintenance fees unless there is at least $50K in at least one of the owners accounts. She doesn't qualify.
2. Sharebuilders only allows you to purchase funds (no stock purchases allowed) and charges a set up fee of something like $165.00.
3. Fidelity allows for the purchase of funds or stocks with no set up fee, annual fee or monthly fees. The cost to the client is the cost of each transaction which is $8 per buy.

We decided to go with Fidelity. I drove over to Tampa, picked up the booklet and began to fill out the forms.


Apparently, you must agree upfront to deposit a specific amount into the account each year. We do not know at this time how much she wants to invest. Now we're stumped. Maybe we should buy stocks through Sharebuilders and move it mid December. At that point we could determine the total contribution amount which doesn't need to be deposited in full until April 15, 2011 unless she gets an extension. Don't know. It's food for thought at the moment.

One of the nice things about a Self-Employment 401K is the leeway one has when it comes to purchases. She could buy a house within the plan. That being said, if she were to do that she would lose the annual tax write-offs. Nonetheless, the flexibility is nice.

The bottom line is to save for her future. Her goals are extremely reasonable. She'll have a hard time not reaching them if she diligently saves, especially this early in the game.

Sophie has agreed to put 15% of her earnings into long term savings. This will allow her to save for other things as well and not make her feel like her savings goals are strangling her lifestyle.

These goals will also allow her to flail about as an actress without having to worry about her future - if need be. Hopefully, this won't be a concern but if it is it will be reassuring that her future is taken care of.

Too Cute Willow Smith

As parents and society as a whole, we need to be supportive of creative expression and originality with our youngsters. Out of the box thinkers make great business people.

Kudos go to Mr. & Mrs. Will Smith! Thanks for setting such a wild and fun standard for today's youth.

Considering an America Without Oil Drilling

I posted the below on my Facebook.

"If our government were really serious about stopping BP's oil leak which is destroy the Gulf, the environment and neighboring economies Obama would end ALL BP DRILLING in the US until the leak was 100% sealed and all harm created by the leak healed, fixed and cleaned up. Our country can not afford to have ineffective government. It is simply not working for the people."

I was aware of the possibility that someone would write a differing point of view.

Inga Howe-Geniesse wrote, "this is a pretty narrow view. do you know, who put the DEREGULATIONS INTO PLACE, so things like this desaster could happen??????2003....Are you really educated enough about this issue to make these statements? Sad- that people are so blinded by the media and do not get to the bottom of it. This is so ignorant."

Note: She's better at slamming others than she is backing up her position with facts.

My public Facebook response was, "Yes, Inga. I'm really educated enough to make these statements. I believe Chaney made many of these lovely changes that have messed up so much of our world. This isn't a partisan issue. This is an environmental and economic issue. How is having an opinion about this being blinded by the media? I have not heard the media once say that 'All BP drilling' should be stopped in the US until the leak is sealed and the land is healed. In fact, I haven't heard anyone say it. If we allow the company at fault to take the hit other companies will become more weary of their actions. I believe they should be held responsible as should the citizens of the US. If we aren't responsible enough to drill then we shouldn't do it. We've got alternatives in place that don't destroy the world. We should be forced to use them. This is not ignorance but common sense."

The reality is that it would be very difficult for a country so heavily reliant upon oil to stop using it. Nonetheless, if oil was all of a sudden no longer available we would immediately start using the natural energy resources at hand mixed with consuming less as we would be forced and encouraged to do. Hopefully, we would not choose to become too heavily reliant upon nuclear energy but rather use it sparingly during the transition to safer alternatives.

This is an important conversation to begin. If all of BP's drilling in the US stopped completely until the leak was fixed then the leak would be fixed. BP is not looking to stop the leak as much as they are seeking ways of funneling the oil into tankers so the product is not lost. In the meantime the Gulf of Mexico is receiving damage that we may not be able to heal. The oceans are being filled with chemicals that are making the cleanup crews too sick to work. Dead sea life is washing up to shore both as a result of the chemicals and oil. Our beaches are becoming oil stained while our fisherman and coastal workers are losing their jobs. All of this because of a leak BP created and has refused to seal for nearly 50 days.

It is time to change our course of long term action. It is time to start having different conversations that don't include continuing down a path of destruction for our environment and economy but rather to look at healthy solutions that can work positively for both people and the environment for the long term. We've been having this conversation for a long time. People are willing. The government and big business haven't been willing to let go of their greed to allow for environmental progress which has been desperately needed.

As a people, we must demand change and progress. We must demand the environment and economy is protected both for our existing generations and those to follow. This is not ignorance but common sense.

People, businesses and government who say we can't move away from oil are wrong. The rhetoric is nonsense, must be seen for what it is, and the people must demand change for their own survival. Does that seem to strong of a statement? Does that seem unrealistic? Ask coastal workers in Louisiana what they think. Ask the restaurants that don't have customers if they can survive on oil or if they are ready for change.

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves

Hint for a happy moment:

If you ever need a little pick me up go to Youtube.com. Search "Sandra and Keanu" and watch some of their junkets and interviews. The two of them are independently quite adorable and together so sweet it'll put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart.

Love stories and friendship are necessary for all of us whether our personal strong suits or not. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock bring both love and friendship to the forefront of our souls.

We are very fortunate to have actors in the world that make us smile and who in their own rights are truly wonderful additions to our world.

Love.

Happiness.

Romantic comedies.

Does life get any better?

Enjoy the day!

W.I.F.E. T-Shirt

Sophie and I saw this t-shirt on a guy while vacationing in Barcelona. It was the first time I had seen it. Wow!

That being said, I had no problem at all finding it again on the internet for this photo. The full photo consists of a cute young woman (who appears completely senseless with this top on) with a huge grin on her face.

Sooo, is she a W.I.F.E. ??? Is she just happy someone wants to take her picture so she feels further validated in her beauty and desire to call herself a model? Who would want to promote such nonsense... man or woman?

Today in Sophie's Ethics class she asked two people what the definition of 'wife' was. The female said that a wife was the person who took care of the children, cooked, did the laundry, etc. The male said the wife was a life partner, companion, someone to share with and to talk to. (Is it noteworthy that the male is gay? Don't know.)

So... is the female in Sophie's class really dreaming so high as to hope to become some one's free maid, cook and childcare provider? Who taught her these were life's goals and achievements? I'm not against household chores as long as they are shared or done by a paid employee. All the chores in the home being done by one person so the rest of the family can rest on their laurels isn't an acceptable solution.

In any case, it got me thinking of other acronyms for Wife.

Why
Inhibit
Future
Experiences

Sophie has added our newly adapted version of 'wife' to her Facebook.

I suppose my job as a mother is now complete.

I'm all for love. I'm not sure I see the point to marriage. I think fighting for a gay's right to marriage is an absurdity when the institution is broken. On the other hand, if it's going to exist at all then it should exist equally for all.

The Kid is Cooking: Lasagna

Sophie's been cooking again. It's one of her favorite pass times. This time she made lasagna - one of my all time favorite dishes.

My stepmom used to make a wonderful lasagna dish with cottage cheese rather than ricotta. I've made it a couple times and it has come out quite well. Today, Sophie was initiated into the lasagna club with her rendition.

The lasagna came out great! Sophie got called into work 33 mins before it was done so she'll find out when she gets back. In the meantime, I've dug in and enjoyed her fabulous creation!

Kids in the kitchen. Always a good thing!

Note: Lasagna seems a bit intimidating, but really its rather easy. Just follow the steps on the side of the lasagna box or Google "Easy Lasagna Recipes" and you're set!