Why can't we all just get along...

I've learned some things about 401(k) law recently that I didn't know before (all from this page, in case you need to know about this stuff too). I knew that recently the law had changed to allow up to 25% employee contribution (up from 15%). So, first, I was thinking that 25% of my salary was a hell of a lot, and would cut into my takehome quite a bit. That turns out to be sort of a moot point thanks to the $13,000/year individual contribution limit (which is increasing at the rate of $1000/year until it hits $15,000 in 2006). Okayyyy... so with that worry gone, I then wondered how Politic Frog is going to do any matching, as they sometimes do depending on company performance, if I were to max that out on my own. Interestingly enough, I learned that employer contributions do not affect the maximum amount allowed to be contributed by an employee, and can apparently be up to a full 100% match. So theoretically, with a little help from your boss, you could stuff up to $26K in there in 2004. Also, it means that the "max" DSB was putting in for us wasn't really the max max after all, just the individual max.

I sometimes wonder why the caps on the deferred-tax vehicles are so low, but I figure they want to help everyone a somewhat equal amount rather than letting the rich get too much richer. If you're making more than $52K and whining about that $13K limit being less than your 25%, well, you just don't get to whine. Fair enough.

We got good news from a contractor yesterday about our bathroom budget, so I went with HLM to Home Depot today to deal with choosing as much fixture-type stuff as we could. We did pretty well... spent $700 and got faucets for the sink and tub, a nice shower head that can slide up and down, 2 wall sconces and some small stuff like towel rings. Also looked at a bunch of larger things like shower doors and tubs. It took four hours, so now he's in "leave me alone, must work" mode, which I can't blame him for. So I volunteered to get takeout, and on my way I had to help break up a domestic disturbance... not physically, more like threatening to call the police on my cell phone. (Woman: no, don't, I'm going out with him! Me: Maybe so, but that doesn't make it okay to attack him in public. This is assault. It's not cool.) Between that, feeling bad about last night and being worried about a friend right now, I just feel like... ugh, isn't anybody okay anymore?

I also feel so, sooooo weird at having quit DSB. I'm outta there... deposited my final check today, and my ex-coworker T has already taken over my old desk.