When an Advisor is not an Advisor
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: May 28, 2009
Today I got a courtesy call from our brokerage company, who has assigned a new financial advisor to my account. He asked me about our family’s financial strategies, and if we had anything we’d like him to look into. I said yes…I currently have some money in a mutual fund that I would be interested in moving to an index fund. But he balked at that, saying that he is compensated for getting me into front-end loaded mutual funds, and that he is not compensated for getting me into no-load funds (like index funds), so he didn’t want to spend time doing that for me.
So basically, he doesn’t want to advise me to do things that don’t make him more money. I questioned him on that. I said I’ve got financial goals for my family, and you have goals as an adviser that’s paid whenever I make trades, and those two goals don’t always match up. So when do I call you? His answer was again, call me when you want me to do something that makes me money.
His advice doesn’t seem very helpful to me. One good thing that came up was the fact that our family last did a detailed long-term financial plan in 2002 (so long ago, this blog doesn’t even go back that far!). That was a newly married Jerry and Sara, living in Santa Fe, with no kids and living off a corporate expense account. I hardly remember those people. So it’s probably time to revise the financial plan. The advisor said he’d be happy to help us with that…for $400.
This was a pretty disappointing call from this company. When we first started with them in 2002, we really like our advisor. She listened to us, and helped us to achieve our goals. About a year ago, we received a neat little workbook from them that again helped us define our goals and ways to achieve them. Now this guy comes along, and now what I hear is, “your goals are less important to me than my commission.”
Well guess what, you’re brokerage is about to lose our business completely. So what’s THAT going to do to your commission?
Signs I’m Getting Old
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: March 5, 2009
In no particular order:
- Random joint pains for no real reason. Mine is mostly from my shoulder; I get knees and ankles as well.
- I don’t know, and don’t care that I don’t know, what’s the cool current music.
- I’m being marketed to. Not just internet-targeted, but by the traditional TV/advertising marketing. Case in point…I think this State Farm commerical with LeBron James is hilarious. A few minutes after I first saw it, I realized to appreciate this commercial you need to 1) be old enough to know Kid n’ Play (by the way, I’ve seen “Kid” doing stand up comedy – very funny), and 2) you have to know and appreciate current NBA phenom LeBron James. Adding to that that everyone in the commercial is African-American, and you get that the commercial is target to 30+year old African American males.
- I have a 6-disc changer in my Volvo SUV. All six discs are some form of children’s music.
Baby Loves Disco coming to Minneapolis
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: January 30, 2009
- In: At Home| Family| Food and Drink| Friends| Holiday| Music
- 3 Comments
I wish this were in Iowa City. I’ve heard good things about BLD in Washington DC. Someone in Minneapolis needs to go to this and let me know how it is!
baby loves disco – minneapolis
it’s coming (with love) this february when we’ll celebrate our first ever momma-poppa-baby valentines day party. whether your baby is 7 months or 7 years, february 14th is the day for that special date.
Sesame Street is Old and New
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: January 8, 2009
My daughter has discovered Sesame Street, both the TV show and on music CDs. We checked out Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music from the library. She loves it. Her current favorite song is Furry Happy Monsters (to the tune of REM’s Shiny Happy People).
Anyway, Sara and I were talking about our Sesame Street music memories. Mine seemed to be more extensive. I think because I had the Ernie and Bert Sing Along record when I was young. As my mom will attest to, I listened to it all the time.
Thanks to the internet, I found a site with all the songs available for free. I still have lots of the words memorized…why my neurons want to keep those floating around in my head, I have no idea. It was a fun memory, anyway.
For those with 2 year olds, may I suggest A Very Simple Dance to Do, with the caveat that you may be doing an action dance over and over again.
I distinctly remember there was a slow song on that album, Morningtown Ride, that I didn’t like because it was right after a fun and silly dance song. It totally ruined the mood. But it was a record — you didn’t have any choice but to listen to the song. I find it funny that my daughter does not have any concept of that. Whether its music, video, or whatever information she wants, she will have it instantly. This may be why it is hard to explain to her that she has to wait 3 hours for her Jello Jigglers to be ready.
Merry Christmas from the Steeles
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: December 24, 2008
Hope you all are having a great Christmas. We’re having a nice time at home. Nana and Papa Reinertson are coming to visit this weekend, and some rumors that Auntie Savannah is coming down as well!
I have a feeling that Santa will be good to Taly this year. 
Good thing we still have journalists…
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: December 24, 2008
The New York Times is doing a series of articles exploring the causes of the current financial crisis. I just read this article:
The Reckoning: White House Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire
As early as 2006, top advisers to Mr. Bush dismissed warnings from people inside and outside the White House that housing prices were inflated and that a foreclosure crisis was looming. And when the economy deteriorated, Mr. Bush and his team misdiagnosed the reasons and scope of the downturn; as recently as February, for example, Mr. Bush was still calling it a “rough patch.”
The result was a series of piecemeal policy prescriptions that lagged behind the escalating crisis.
I’m glad that we still have some companies that take the time and effort to support investigative journalism. Can’t get this kind of reporting from the blogosphere. Yet, anyway…
Finding baby Jesus by following a star is SO last millenium…
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: December 11, 2008
GPS, hidden cameras watching over Baby Jesus (AP) by AP: Yahoo! Tech
A GPS device mounted inside the life-size ceramic figurine led sheriff’s deputies to a nearby apartment, where it was found face down on the carpet. An 18-year-old woman was arrested in the theft.Giving up on old-fashioned padlocks and trust, a number of churches, synagogues, governments and ordinary citizens are turning to technology to protect holiday displays from pranks or prejudice.
Christmas…I’m feeling it
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: December 4, 2008
- In: At Home| Family| Holiday
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This year, we opted out of putting together our 1980’s era artificial Christmas tree from Sara’s parents. Instead we went to get a real tree. We went out last night to the Optimist Club of Iowa City’s Christmas tree sale to pick one up. To be quite honest, I wasn’t totally in the mood for it. It was after work, and I hadn’t eaten yet, and it was dark and cold and windy, and I was thinking about the big presentation I had to give the next day, yadda yadda yadda.
We got to the tree sale, quickly picked a tree (a little 5′ Scotch pine). There were three college girls doing the sales. Once we picked a tree, they trimmed it and strapped it to the top of the car. I went to see the man in the trailer to pay.
As I was leaving the trailer, the man smiled and said, “Thanks, and Merry Christmas,” That Merry Christmas totally changed my outlook of the whole affair. Suddenly, it wasn’t about going through the motions and getting this task done so we could get home to eat. I remembered that the whole thing is about the gift of Jesus’ birth. And that its supposed to be fun! And I get to share that fun with my 2 year old daughter (who was huddled in the car with mommy, listening to her new favorite song – Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley…that’s a whole different story). So I totally changed my attitude about the whole situation.
We immediately went to a store to buy a tree stand. Not knowing any better, I got the four-leg small tree stand just like we had when I was a kid. Turns out, that’s a really sucky tree stand. We couldn’t get the base of the tree down into the water dish. I had to go borrow a saw from my neighbor to cut off some of the stump and branches, and we’re still having trouble. So we’ve gotta do some research to see what’s new and innovative in Christmas tree stand design. Even with continuing tree stand drama, I’m excited about Christmas, and for Taly at Christmas. This morning I went and dug out our Christmas boxes from storage, and I can’t wait to decorate the tree (Taly started last night…she found the twine used to tie the tree to the car, and put that on the tree…so she’s in the mood already).
Last night, we watched a bit of Rudolph on TV. Taly lost interest about 20 minutes into it. BUT…this morning I pulled out the Rudolph Build-a-bear that Auntie Heather got her last Christmas. When Taly saw it, her face lit up, and she ran and hugged it, turned on the red nose light and the music a few times. Then she sat Rudolph on a kitchen table chair next to her. It was all very adorable.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Now Google Know When You’re Going to be Sick
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: November 20, 2008
Those kids at Google are pretty creative, by which I mean that they come up with unique solutions to problems that are useful to lots of people.
We’ve found that certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity. Google Flu Trends uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional systems.
In other words, people search for ‘flu’ when the have the flu. So Google knows right away when people are getting the flu, as opposed to the CDC, who has to wait for aggregated reports from around the country.
If you look at the data (and you know you want to), there seems to be two peaks to the flu season…one in Dec and one in Feb/March. Anyone know why this is? Two strains of flu?
Last year, our whole family was out with the flu from Christmas to Valentines Day. Luckily, Sara and I never totally sick at the same time, but T was coughy/runny nosed through the whole thing. Maybe one day Google will be able to search our bodies for all the germs and filter them out. =)
Cute Bedtime Prayer
Posted by: fitzgeraldsteele on: October 20, 2008
Daddy: Dear God, thank you for loving us, and thank you for Jesus, and…
Taly: “Thank you for crocodiles, and bears, and tigers, and birdies, and Ya-Ya (Auntie Heather), and suckers, and noodles, and videos, and Boz…and Boz…and Boz…and Taylin, and Nana, and Mai-lei (Nana’s dog), and Bella (Nana’s other dog), and Trooper (Ya-Ya’s dog)…”
Daddy: Amen!
Sorry Papa and Jack-Jack, you didn’ t make the cut tonight.
Jerry’s Facebook Status
- Fitzgerald enjoyed camping with the fam last night...perfect night! July 3, 2009enjoyed camping with the fam last night...perfect night!
- Fitzgerald Blowing off working on my thesis for Transformers. July 2, 2009Blowing off working on my thesis for Transformers.
- Fitzgerald dong a task that is way off the critical path, but is far more interesting than what I should be doing. June 30, 2009dong a task that is way off the critical path, but is far more interesting than what I should be doing.
- Fitzgerald thanks John, Brandy, Adler, Rogge, and Jack for a nice weekend in Madison. June 29, 2009thanks John, Brandy, Adler, Rogge, and Jack for a nice weekend in Madison.
Sara’s Facebook Status
- Sara Sister Time! July 1, 2009Sister Time!
- Sara Home from the Res. with the kiddos. A little windy, but fun! June 29, 2009Home from the Res. with the kiddos. A little windy, but fun!
- Sara Got to bike around Madison this weekend! June 29, 2009Got to bike around Madison this weekend!
- Sara had a delightful morning with Mrs. Kvinlaug. Or "Auntie Jill" as Taly decided to call her. :). June 26, 2009had a delightful morning with Mrs. Kvinlaug. Or "Auntie Jill" as Taly decided to call her. :).
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