GETTING YOUR 403(b) INTO BETTER HANDS
A Former Employee of American Century Investments: “Tuesday, you
explained how 403(b) participants can instruct their employers to pass their
contributions through to the mutual fund of their choice. One of your readers then wrote: ‘I called
American Century to ask about this, and they never heard of it. ’ American
Century (ACI) operates in divisions. The communication between them can be
really spotty. If your reader remains committed to ACI funds, he should call
back and ask to talk to someone in ‘Institutional’... and preferably a ‘TRS’
(Team Resource Specialist).”
AND YOUR 401(k)?
Les Rosenbaum: “Does
this apply to 401(k) plans?”
F Sadly . . . no.
NEW ENGLANDERS: ONE-THIRD OF A CENT A MINUTE
Robert Pistey: “Yes, this is true. No strings, no fees. Ten
bucks buys you 3000 minutes of long distance. Scroll down the left column to select Talk
1000 minutes. Then choose the 10 dollar recharge option. This is cheapest
I've found. International rates
are unbeatable also (2 cents/minute to Europe). Click here.”
F The catch seems to be that for those outside New England, who can’t initiate
their calls via a local number, there is a six-cent-a-minute charge for using
an 800-number.
SO, FOR THE COST OF A THREE-MINUTE CALL . .
.
Gray Chang: “Here's
another money-saving tip for your readers. If they want a copy of your book, My Vast Fortune, it is available used
from amazon.com for a very reasonable price. Right now there's a copy available for 1 cent (plus
shipping). I got my copy for 50 cents.”
F Ah, but at least my work fetches something. That’s more than Gray can say for his work. “In
the 1980s [he continues] I sold computer games for $20. Now I am trying to
give away these same games for free, and nobody is taking them. In fact, I am offering
a cash prize just to try a game! If you
have a minute, please take a look at The Dog Daze Home Page at: concentric.net/~ktchang.”
OK, it turns out Gray is not offering a very big prize – two bucks. (Does he live on a tiny little planet
where books sell for a penny and cash prizes are $2 and even the basketball
players are only half an inch tall?) But,
Gray says, “I spent several months of my young life writing my masterpiece
computer game, Bumpomov's Dogs, but almost nobody has
seen it.” Hey - check it out!
HE DOESN’T KNOW IT, BUT WE HAVE ACTUALLY BUGGED BILL BARON’S
BREAKFAST NOOK
Bill Baron: “The breakfast
conversation today at our house: 1. My
403(b) plan, the high-expense choices it offers, and the roadblocks I was
encountering in trying to move the accumulated funds. 2. Where to find an inexpensive fax service on the web? Now, after reading today's posting: 1. Rev. Ruling 90-24 solves the
problem, and 403bwise.com
was extremely helpful. 2. OneSuite.com
offers a fax service for $1 a month. Thanks for the personalized help.”