>>The recent run up in the market has put me in a mind to move money around, but attempting to time the market has always proven to be a losing proposition for me!!! Every time I have tried to time the market, I have lost money.... if I would have just stayed put, I'd be much better off today. Exactly. You are following (what it sounds like to me, so apologies if this isn't correct) the "herd" mentality and buying when it is popular (high) and then panic selling when the market falls. It's no different than buying a house at the top of the RE runup and then watching the RE 'bubble' burst on you (yeah, it happened to us in 1989, so I know how it feels!). Steady, reasoned investing with a diversified portfolio - which you are NOT doing by having only 2 funds in mind - gives better results over time. You will not gain hugely in hot stock years, but you will also not lose hugely in bad ones, such as the 27% drop in the S&P 500 from 2000-2002 and the dot-com implosion. Our retirement portfolio was 85% invested in the S&P 500 in 2000. Lost my job in the dot-com implosion and watched my husband's retirement savings lose a quarter of their value. My husband asked me what we should do. I told him the fundamentals were still in our favor, we're investing for the long term, and that the big stocks would recover first which is the historical norm. Within 18 months we had regained the losses and the portfolio has gained 11-22% annually since, BUT we are currently more aggressively diversified into international stocks on the advice of my ex-boss. He's an independent Certified Financial Planner who can pick and choose his customers because he's semi-retired and only takes referrals, no hard advertising for years now. What I learned from him that was a lot more important than any stock tip was to get my legal and financial house in order! This meant a customized Revocable Trust (we learned what NOT to have while trying to update my widowed MIL's outdated Trust!), new wills, power of attorney docs, durable healthcare POA updates (including the crucial HIPAA release which nobody ever tells you about, but legally a doctor can't even tell your spouse what's wrong with you, emergency or no, without it). I also finally consolidated all my previous employer 401k's into one IRA at a low-cost brokerage. I'd been meaning to do it for years, but kept putting it off. I finally got a first-hand lesson just before I left the CFP's employ - a widow signed on as a new client and her husband had left half a dozen 401k's scattered around at various tech companies. It was a paperwork NIGHTMARE to get them consolidated under the widow's name! So that was on my to-do list before I could start looking for work, LOL. You cannot "time" the market. Free advice is usually worth what you have paid for it. Heck, even a lot of paid advice often isn't worth it! As my ex-boss would tell people, "Hey, if I knew what the next hot stock would be, do you think I'd still be doing the CFP thing??!??" Mind you, he makes a very comfortable living; nothing outrageous and nouveau riche, just a good solid six-figure income plus he loves what he does, working with people and helping them secure a good financial future. Set up a regular investment program and diversify through mutual funds at a low-cost brokerage. At least 3 funds in different markets, preferably 5 as your portfolio grows. Check the 10 yr average returns because the 5 yr averages are now skewed - the 'dog years' of 2000-2001 have now fallen off the 5 yr average. For those who are saving for college, 529 plans are not counted in most college aid plans because the adult retains ownership, a child is merely the beneficiary and it can be changed at any time. However, 529 plans are only useful if your investment horizon is at least 10-15 years. A UTMA account can be transferred to a 529 plan but you will need to talk to your financial advisor or brokerage for full details.

Thanks for the support! Dustin's eyes are dilating this morning so I'm relieved about that. He's eating both wet and dry food and using his litter box (though he was clawing at my closet door to get in before he did and I think he wanted to use it instead, lol). He's quieter now, not making his squeaky noises as much, is sharpening his claws on his new post (and the mattress but I'll let him get away with that for a couple of days) and seems more like himself. Except for the billing issue, which they were kind enough to help me out with, I've been very happy with the service there. Their treatment of Dustin and the attitudes seem great. I feel comfortable with them and will probably continue to go there. It was a stressful day but I felt comfortable leaving him in their care and seeing how they interact with him it seems that they have a genuine love of animals. My mother's vet and office staff are a bit more professional, don't talk as much to the animals (vet barely spoke to me) so I'll likely go back. I'm not quite sure the signs of a good vet/clinic but I think the way they interact with the pets is a sign of how he'll be treated when I'm not around and I watch how the vet handles Dustin and how she talks to him and this, I think, helps to calm Dustin and establish a connection with him. I plan to start putting money aside for rainy days/unexpected vet bills but my mother was with me when Dustin and I found each other and said she would help if any emergency vet trips were needed (she loves animals too) so even in my financial situation I know that I'll have some help caring for him if he ever got sick. Thanks again for the tips and reassurances that Dustin's recovering normally. Its one thing to read about how he might react in a general pamphlet they send you home with but each pet will respond differently and its great that people can share their experiences to help ease the minds of others. I'm very happy to have found this site!

Thanks James and Bill, for clearing up the difference. In answer to your question, the stone was installed in mid January, this year. When it was installed, the guys kept mentioning how surprised at how strong the stone appeared to be. It cleaned up so nicely and generally, it still does. I have a good number of pits - some very small; some much more noticeable. But almost all of them seem to "go away" when I apply a couple of coats of cleaner. I have never had any staining - from anything. I think I'm just a little nervous becasue I'm seeing all of these changes in the stone and if you remember, I did have a crack. I've just become more dilligent about using the cleaner. Is there such a thing as using too much cleaner? Thank you!!

The benefit to having your GC or designer order materials is that they are then responsible for all aspects. If items aren't correct - aren't delivered in time for the scheduled installations or any other glitches that normally occur, it's not the homeowner's headache. This obviously isn't that important if you are just having a single item replaced but it is a significant thing to consider if you are doing a major remodel. There are numerous threads in which homeowners bought tiles (for example) and the tiles would not have been of the quality that a professional would have purchased. I think it really is a bit of how much one wants to replace your professional designer and or G/C and how much one wants the peace of mind knowing that responsibility lies elsewhere. My experience was that I wouldn't have saved much money - if anything - if I ordered items directly as the price I paid for items - even with markup - was less or equivalent to prices I would have paid if I purchased directly. Of course I only was actually looking at prices for items I personally selected - i.e. faucets, toilets etc. as I personally wouldn't have dreamed of attempting to order all of the "rough" materials used. I selected the tiles and the color of the grout - I didn't even attempt to order any materials used to install just as I selected the wood for my floors but didn't research costs for the sublayers (cork and plywood, glue, self leveling) that were used.