So here it is - it's Easter morning! And a beautiful one that that. In lieu of going to church, where the hard pews and the constant sit/stand will just aggravate my stubbornly painful hip and back, I've decided to worship the beauty of the outdoors instead. It's been a nice quiet weekend with no obligations or plans and I am recharged and ready (?) to face another full week of work.
Yesterday we made good use of the day by heading up to a mattress outlet where we ordered a very high end latex mattress to replace the poor old Casper. I'm really sad that the Casper didn't do it for me, because they're wonderful. They're sending over a truck to pick it up on Tuesday, just like that. They'll even take back the base AND the mattress cover. Does make one pause to think of the markup on the ones that they do sell. At any rate, I wish I could keep it as a spare bed but at the price tag that it came with and the cost of its upper end replacement, we will need that cash back in the account!
Well, I got distracted and just made my way back to the post after a long week at work. Casper was great, and they refunded the money already, in time to offset the down payment on the new mattress, which comes a week from today. They make them on site at the store we went to, so ours had to be made before it could be delivered, and we had to find a day when we could be home. So, next week it is. We can't wait! Meanwhile, we have been sleeping on the old pillow top and it's at least better than the hard Casper, and my hip is feeling a little better. I also wonder if physical therapy doesn't actually hurt more than it helps sometimes, and I've been away a few days from it now.
Anyway, just thrilled that it's finally the weekend. We are off to Philadelphia to fight science march traffic snarls and chaperone a visit to the Turf Club. Just a note on financial thinking before I go. I have some old 401k rollover accounts, opened at Chase when I was but a young mom relinquishing a promising would-be career. I haven't given much thought to these accounts over the years, and they've changed hands from the original rep. I occasionally get statements and they were connected to our online account, so I monitor their value, but not too closely since the amounts, while somewhat interesting to me, are insignificant in terms of long term retirement funding. I call them the down payment on our vacation home when we turn 59 1/2.
About a year ago one of the reps' assistants started to call me. Fast forward and the bottom line is that they split my accounts between two reps. The IRA Rollover went to one woman, who apparently has several staff beneath her, and the mysterious fixed annuity went to another, who seems to be in the Private Banking group. I recently read that one must have $10 million to use their private bankers. My annuity now values at $14,000. Which may explain the treatment I get from J.P. Morgan financial advisors!
First, I can't access the annuity online. I no longer get statements for it. Turns out that this is because the login ID is not mine, but my husband's. The login name! Not the name on the account, not the social security number, but the name he made up when he activated online banking at the end of the stone age, which was when I opened the accounts. I found this out by harassing the private banker until she finally got back to me and told me this. She has since returned to ignoring me. I only found out about her because she sent me an email announcing her marriage a few months ago.
The other funds are with someone else. Recently I got a letter that stated this account would be turning into a self-directed account and I should learn how to manage my own accounts. They sit in mutual funds which someone recommended for me while I still had toddler brain, and I have no idea if they are appropriate anymore. Scheduled a call to chat with new rep. She called ten minutes late, no apology or explanation, and hadn't really prepared. Then said that we should talk again and she'd send me a packet and I'd return statements. Told me that the letter about the self-directed was not really true after all. The call was set for yesterday morning.
The day before, her assistant called the husband's cell. The husband didn't notice this until I remarked that she still hadn't called me yesterday morning. Finally, last night, we played the message and heard the assistant say that they looked forward to seeing me in their New York offices and that I should bring any statements that I had.
Sigh. I've *worked* in financial services. This isn't how it's done, Chase! You get the statements BEFORE the meeting! And if you don't, you certainly don't promise to send out a packet in advance of a phone meeting, and confirm said phone meeting on the WRONG phone as being an in-person meeting! I know that my money is not worth their time, but someday there may be more when we do retire and cash out the savings we have at our current jobs. And guess who won't be managing it.
I feel better having said that, even if nobody makes it to the end. These are supposed to be New York bankers. In other news, I'm off to walk the dogs. It's what counts as exercise during my OTF sabbatical. Strangely, I'm a pound or so lighter despite the lack of hard core exercise. Perhaps because I barely eat any of the fun foods that I'd have while I felt I could justify them. On to the weekend!
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