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Cost of a dozen
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r Valentine
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rge that
Makes , better
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maRkup for .the
. holiday, while
irst-time spa
customers ran
ask for and get
20-30 percENt
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p l e a s e s e n d $ $ $
PayPal vice president Don Fatsch
helped design his company’s new
student accounts with six important
clients in mind—his own kids, who
range in age from eight to 19. With
these accounts, Web-savvy parents
can keep close watch on their kids’
spending habits. Once a child’s
account is set up and funded within
the parent master account, the
student gets a debit card to pay for
clothes, food, gas, movies, and on-
line purchases. (If you don’t want
them buying online, simply turn that
feature off.) Students learn
organization and independence by
checking their balances and receiving
alerts through their cell phones. No
credit is involved—they can’t spend
beyond what’s in the account.
{ site cents }
t r a d e
Y A !
Negotiating is tough enough fo r m ost people. The idea o f bartering
w ith strangers can be dow nright scary. Fortunately, online brokers
are here to help w ith this old-school m ethod o f business. Check out
w ho’s offering services and s tu ff— and jum p in yourself— at free sites
such as
TradeAFavor.com
(requires signup through Facebook) and
Swapthing.com
(requires registration).
W e’re almost ready to retire and still owe about $100,000 on our house. M y husband wants to
keep the mortgage and invest our $200,000 nest egg in stocks and bonds as a hedge against
unexpected expenses. I ’d rather pay off the house and invest $100,0 0 0 . W hat’s best?
ANSWER: Your parents and grandparents wouldn’t have thought twice about it. They would have burned
the mortgage—and you probably should too, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston
College, which recently took a look at the dilemma. Today, ready-to-retire couples likely don’t have the risk-
tolerance or confidence to try and beat—year in, year out—the 5- or 6-percent interest rate they’re paying
on a mortgage. And with safe investments such as bonds currently returning 2 to 3 percent, you’re essentially
borrowing money to invest if you keep a mortgage.
2 1 8 FEBRUARY 2010
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: VEER
