ToonieTimes -Muttering about life, money & taxes

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Got student loans?

Now's your chance to save money. Serious money.

Effective July 1, 2002, interest rates on certain student/college loans (Stafford, PLUS) dropped to impressive lows (4.06-4.86%, for example).

If you have not previously consolidated your student loans (you only need one to consolidate), you may be eligbile to consolidate your loans and substantially reduce your payments.

There are a number of ways to reduce this further. Automatic payment is one of them. A good payment record is another.

These rates are good until June 30, 2003. But why wait? Start saving money now.

Got Grandkids? Or Nieces or Nephews? Or Friends?

529. The magic numbers. Section 529 plans are college savings plans that are contributed after tax but grow tax free and can be withdrawn tax free for qualified college expenses. Great explanations can be found at savingforcollege.com.

Parents can set these up, too.

But here's the special secret about them:

If the funds are not contributed by parents, because the funds are owned by you, not the parents or the beneficiary, they do not count for financial aid criteria.

We're setting one up now. We're going to contribute $25 or $50/month so the beneficiary will have a little extra available for college expenses in 10 years.

The other little secret about 529 plans is that because you are the owner of the funds, you can also change the beneficiary.

Help someone pay for college. 529, the magic numbers.

Why I hate the US Postal Service by Lena D.

1. Long lines

2. Takes too long to get there

3. Costs too much to get there late.

The Backstory:

Thanks to a computer glitch I ignored for far too long, I had to send payment for my HMO coverage ASAP. Because it was going to a PO Box, it had to be sent Express Mail (ha ha ha). Of course, I got there too late in the day for overnight service. So because my HMO refused to give me a street address, I paid $13.95 for Express Mail to get there a day late that I could have sent FedEx up to 7pm that day to arrive overnight for less money.

Argh.

Wherein Mr. Whitebread Holds Forth, Alas

Traffic being lighter since the economic downturn in Silicon Valley, The Legend and I headed to the East Bay for the annual party thrown by a Mystery Salon Staffer. This being Berkeley we didn't see any capitalist pigs although there was a roasted pig, well, the rear and the front by the time we saw it, sort of East Coast and West Coast with nothing in between. Heh.

We headed off to Nizza La Bella for dinner. Nizza has become the official Well restaurant so naturally we ran into a couple we knew. The Legend, known for his meat proclivities, had the delicious lambchops. I had the divine Grandmere's Macaroni (yum!), we shared salad, a side of spinach (The Legend's 2nd favorite vegetable after (feh) Brussel Sprouts) with parmesan, currants and pinenuts which even I thought was great and dessert, a chocolate moussa (how it was spelled on the menu, so there) with enough dark chocolate and sugar to keep The Legend awake on the drive home to Silicon Valley.

Our dining experience, however, was dominated by the (98%) monologue of Mr. Whitebread at the table next to us. Mr. Whitebread, apparently a member of the Richmond, CA (a town with a sizeable African American population) city council, held forth loudly at length about the political futures, sex lives, psychological states, IQs, competencies and such of other council members, city staffers and apparently local politicians with whom he comes in contact. Discretion, not being one of his sterling qualities, I was reminded of this Comdex essay written in 1996 by Laura Lemay.