Carpool 43 Times

Our kids love the local Marine Discovery program which takes them to five different beaches along the Long Island sound. They play all day while learning about crabs, snails, seaweed, jellyfish and other marine life. Both older kids have outgrown it, but the youngest is going for the first time. His best friend was signed up for the same session. The parents loved this arrangement: the kids had at least one friend in an unfamiliar camp, lots of time to play and a little learning. We got to carpool.

My kids know I will say “two kids or zero kids” when they need a shuttle to a school event. Sometimes the homes are so spread out that it seems like it takes longer, but it is a good habit. My daughter was picked up at 6:45 and I got to linger over dinner. But I’ll be picking up two girls at 9:00. The other mom may think she has the better deal since she is done for the evening, but I will get to eavesdrop on the post dance discussion…..

I carpooled with the Cello player. We come from such different worlds that we can compare knowledge. We spent the hour commute discussing no load index funds, mixed funds, college funds and ROTH IRAs. She hires a financial investor to manage her modest retirement plan. Although a financial planner seems like a good idea, most financial planners charge at least 5%, plus a load. Your money needs to beat inflation by their fee just to break even. This is an area where the more you spend, the less you get. Even with all the laws regarding disclosure, a financial planner who works on mutual fund commissions has an inherent conflict of interest. But she does not have much mutual fund knowledge, so what are here alternatives? I’ve made lots of poor moves in my 20s and 30s including financial planners, Etrade stocks, ambitious real estate, etc. I’ve concluded that regardless of your income, a person who wisely manages their own money can eventually be rich, and a person who does not understand the mechanics of money and taxes will never be rich. Years and years I pushed myself so I would earn more money, then I finally read several books on mutual funds, stocks and taxes and now I make less but keep almost all of it.

She shared her amazing story about going back to school in her 30s after the birth of her first child. She realized that gigging and teaching was not going to allow her raise her son comfortably. She and her husband put together a plan to drop all her music business for over a year, live on practically nothing and apply for every assistance possible so she could get a teaching degree. She has been a public school teacher for several years and loves having regular income, health insurance and more time with her son. I was impressed by her gumption to set that plan in motion. I was also made more aware of the social services that are available in my state and inspired to donate more to local organizations emphasizing adult education and assistance to young families.

It was almost midnight when I got home, but at least the drive was interesting. I’ve concluded that Torrington is just a little too far to commute even with a carpool.

Torrington Symphony is a fun volunteer group that often hires a few string players to sit with the high school students, seniors and hobby players. The tempos are a bit slow, but everyone is there because they want to include music in their busy lives.

Torrington is over an hour away, but the conductor offered that he would hire any cello, violin or viola in my area so I would have a carpool. That is a great offer, so I recruited an awesome cello and we are helping out the symphony and enjoying the ride.