You don’t have to be a nerd (like me) to be a little money savvy—just saying

Isn’t this a neat piece of artwork?  It’s the Starship Enterprise on canvas in sepia tones, in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Renaissance art. 

I got it to hang on the wall opposite my bed, and before you call me a nerd like someone else did today, this is only 18” x 25”.  I had originally intended on buying it double in size to hang on the large accent wall in my living room. 

Now THAT would’ve been nerdy!

Anyway, earlier today I got an alert on my phone from icanvas.com that my artwork was being delivered and was two stops away.  When I went downstairs to wait for it’s arrival, one of my neighbors (who shall remain nameless) was down there, waiting for her food order from Aldi.

I asked how she was doing, and she said fine, then added “But I’d be a lot MORE fine if I had a second powder room and a patio.”  She told me she was kidding, her place was big enough already.  (She’s right about that, she lives in one of our building’s twelve 2 bedroom units and they are surprisingly roomy—and expensive.)  But she couldn’t believe she’d been here ten years already, it wasn’t part of the plan.

When I asked what was the plan, she said she’d only intended to live here for a year after her divorce and sale of her home of 35 years.  But 10 years later and she was still here, with the sale from her home still sitting in a savings account.

(Then my artwork arrived, I opened the box to show her—she said it was cool but I was the oldest nerd she knew.)

Anyway, I said “Well, at least that money is earning some nice monthly interest.”  She said “What are you talking about?  It’s in PNC Bank and doesn’t earn enough interest to report it on my taxes.” 

What? I pulled out my smartphone and looked up PNC’s interest rate on their standard savings account.  0.03%.  I said “Listen, this is none of my business but you REALLY need to move that into CDs, or an online savings bank like Ally.  I keep 2 years worth of living expenses in a Money Market fund that pays me $280.00 monthly.  You could make more than double that.”

She said “Don’t you watch the news?  Those online banks are failing left & right.”  I told her those were a couple banks in Silicon Valley.  Online banks are FDIC insured and just as safe as her brick and mortar PNC.  Her money should be earning $600.00 a month in interest, easy.

She said “Well, I’d have to call my financial advisor, she’s the one who has my money parked in that account.”  I said “Financial advisor!  Who is she, your 14 year old granddaughter??”

She laughed and said at least her advisor wasn’t a nerd like me.  Gee whiz, she should be!

Just then, our mutual neighbor Sara walked into the lobby and said hi to both of us, and the other one said “Take a look at Doug’s new artwork.  If you went out with a man and learned he had this hanging in his apartment, what would you think?” 

Sara said “I would think hmm, I met a man who has an interest in art.”  

I’m obviously talking to the wrong woman here.