Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $11 (lunch, soda, Financial Times)

As threatened, since the financial climate has changed, I'm going to take another look at my 403B holdings. I'm not interested in "timing" per se, but I have to note that with a new macro-economic/financial wind, I have to trim my sails again. Buy and hold doesn't mean buy and forget.

So the first task in any job is to arrange your tools, figure out what you have and what sort of rules you have. One of the basic tenets of frugality is to use what you have. I'm just applying this to the 403B. YMMV.

We can contribute any amount up to the limit of $15.5K. Employee contributions go in monthly, we are matched .50:1 with a cap of 4%. (Means I have to contribute 8% to max out the match)

Actually, even if we do not contribute anything, our place of work will give the employee at least 1%. Those contributions are put in a second account (retirement fund), which go in yearly in March. Those are the monies that are fully vested after 6 years.

Like many small-ish workplaces, we are limited in the mutual funds that we can invest in in our 403B. Not really a surprise - the more choices, the fewer dollars in each choice. The more dollars that are in the total plan, the lower the fees are (R-type funds).

Our funds are, in a word, ... meh. The only advantage is that I don't have to research zillions of funds, I just have to research 12. (One is cash)

They are (ticker symbol):
American Fund Growth (RGACX)
American Fund Income (RIDCX)
Alger Green A (SPEGX)
Black Rock Basic Value (MDBAX)
Black Rock International (MDLOX)
Black Rock S&P 500 (MASRX)
Black Rock Lg Cap Core (MDLRX)
Black Rock Total Return (MDHQX)
Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value (GCMAX)
Goldman Sachs Government Bond (GSGOX)
Oppenheimer Small Cap (OPMSX)
Merrill Lynch Ready Asset (MRAXX) - cash.
Thornberg International Fund (THVRX)

Important to know that mutual funds have a ticker symbol for the further research.