[CRFSaver]

Someone mentioned now is a good time to buy a used car. Given the specials the the big 3 are given to purchase a new car there is quite a big glut of used cars on the market. What is funny is that dealers make a larger margin selling used cars over new cars. Go figure.

I had mentioned before from a retirement perspective, look at the future value of those dollars you are putting into your IRA. The longer it is till your retirement the more advantage you get from contrinbuting with before tax dollars versus after tax dollars. You might want to do a few present value calculations to see which is more advantageous to you.

As for nursing, I have heard both very very good and very very bad about the profession. I think part of it depends where you live. Where I grew up it was terrible profession. Low wages and had to pay your own malpractice insurance. The RN and PT I know in California made bank! Some areas starting at 60K a year fresh out. They are unionized which helps. I also had a freind who made a nice living working Friday and Saturday nights. No one else wnated to work them so they paid her a fat salary to work those 2 days.

I cant agree enough about fees. One reason to stay away from the brokerage funds is for the upfront or back end loads they want to charge. If you really want a particular fund manager, check around, usually they "sub-manage" a no load fund out there. I can give you some great fixed income funds but know less about the equity funds.