They actually come out to a mutual meeting place.

Only receiving commissions on your own stuff was beneficial , imo.

Question #3: What is the most beneficial way to do things for both parties??

Minna try helping them realize how much more beneficial it is if they can give you a closer "range" of where they came in at....

Something like 70-80% of mutual fund managers cant beat the market(S&P500) rate of return over a long period.

I am not saying that is a bad thing as you SHOULD be paid for your services, only to point out your opinionated statement does not come without bias.Alfred,If you are not "too hot" on retirement or tax deferred vehicles, you need to get hot as they are one of the greatest strategies/advantages to planning for retirement.I would NOT suggest you pull the cash out with your 20 month deferred plan as you will not only pay the marginal tax rate on the withdrawl, but you will also get hit with an additional 10% penalty.That said, you will basically end up with only 1/2 of your funds after taxes and penalties.I would strongly urge you to reconsider that course of action and educate yourself more on the subject, both right here on BP and any other sources such as books, news articles, programs, etc.If you are self-employed, I believe the solo 401k and now, the 401(a) plan to be a great choice over the SDI.For those you are not self employed, the SDI is a great feature, much more beneficial than IRA accounts managed by others who ONLY care about how many fees and commissions they can earn from you, regardless of the fact that you make or lose money.There are several legal and moral strategies to use qualified plan funds and benefit yourself outside of the plan all while benefiting the plan at the same time.

Your every word has been heard and appreciated (have to admit, I havn't read all the posts, but the ones that I have have been very beneficial!)

I've got a decent about in the bank and some stocks/mutual funds and IRA.

They're turning the federal government into the largest mutual fund in existence, funded with taxpayer dollars, underwritten by the federal reserve and given the legislative power to take over or shut down the competition.

I have a single family home I rent that has about 28K remaining on the loan.I collect about 500 a month, after prop. management fees.I'm thinking about cashing out a mutual fund and paying off the house.Then, my 28K would be making approx. 500 a month, or about 6K a year, as opposed to the 0 dollars it is making invested in the market.Also, Dave Ramsey writes that the only way he owns rentals is if he owns them outright with no loansDoes any of this make sense or am I missing some very important facts??