Is it possible to do the question in a different color font from the answers? It would be easier for me to scroll from the question to the answer.

Thank you so much.

Jose

I use them as well. If you have auto transfer monthly, you can setup automatic investment into any mutual fund or ETF with NO fees. That’s what I have done.

Great minds…. :) When one of my college roommates got married, I knew they didn’t need ordinary kitchen stuff, since they’d each been living off campus for over a year. But I also knew she hadn’t done much cooking. So my gift to her was a big spice rack, and all those invited to the shower had to bring a spice (I coordinated to avoid duplicates) and a favorite recipe they KNEW that used the spice… along with the dish itself, which became a very eclectic, pot-luck sort of refreshments for the shower!

Gifts of this sort are fun, and the fun builds a solid start, whether the gift is for a wedding or a birth or a graduation. :)

Roshni, I’d also suggest a savings account like ING or Smarty Pig for stability. Congrats on being so far ahead of the game as well!

If you have extra storage space, a PICK-UP truck, and two strong people, then start working through craigslist. Buy moderately priced and sized items of quality and then re-sell them for $10-$20 more than you purchased them. every ten items puts $100+ in your pocket. Sometimes the prices on craigslist are ridiculously low… people simply want to get rid of stuff and are willing to let it go for very little money.

(Surprisingly, 30 years of once a year contributions also counts as dollar cost averaging and the returns are in range for a 30 year monthly contributions. This is more apparent when transaction costs are higher.)

Don’t let commissions eat up your principal – switch to the Scwab funds that are commission free – or switch brokerages. Fidelity offers 25 iShares ETF’s for free and Vanguard also offers a selection for free.

If you do use Sharebuilder – set up your investing schedule so that you are not investing puny amounts every month. Your transaction costs should not exceed 2% of your investment. $4 trade for $100 investment is paying way too much.

i just love this: “this next Fluxx gathering is going to be at my house, and is really a surprise wedding shower for the couple.”

i have no ideas for games. i just think this is so very sweet.

for monica: i used to work in film production, and we used to have to rent locations. perhaps you could look into renting your house or portions of your house to film crews?? leaving a room empty might even be ok in this situation- they could dress the room anyway they wanted w/ furniture/accessories from other of your rooms, and some of their own pieces.

If Joe is interested in buying an S&P 500 fund, and he’s already a Schwab customer, the best place is the Schwab S&P 500 Fund (SWPPX). Or the Schwab Large Cap ETF (SCHX). Dump whatever ETF’s youve already got and switch to the Schwab funds.

The Schwab S&P 500 Index fund has the lowest expense ratio I’ve seen, even better than Vanguard’s fund, at an extremely low 0.09%. The only way you can usually get a better rate is by investing in admiral/select/high-roller funds which usually have a 100k minimum.

I realize you just opened your Schwab brokerage account, but close it out now. Move your money to Vanguard. You can open a brokerage account in your Roth IRA, and they now charge no fees for buying Vanguard ETF’s.

Don’t just buy the S&P 500. That’s not diversification. You have to buy the whole US Stock Market via VTI and an int’l ETF as well.

Before you jump on me for this Vanguard ETF comment, do your homework. The policy was just changed.