Hot Spots

The top vacation sites where
young Jews are going or
should be.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

hile just about any place — old
or new — is a great destination
for young travelers, some rank
high on the list of best places
to meet others your age. Following are
a few suggestions from Jewish News
staff members and their friends:
Club Med — Whether it's in Turks
and Caicos (former DJN Staff Writer
Jennifer Finer's favorite; just don't drink
the water) or another singles specialty

For twentysomethings, the time to
invest is now, financial advisers say.

JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER

eneration X-ers: slackers? Hardly. Right: Lisa M.
London of
Local investment strategists say
people in their 20s and 30s are Smith Barney.
flocking to them for advice. The
Below:
factors that spawned the interest? Dire
Howard
predictions about the future of the Social
Rosen of
Security fund, a virile stock market, few-
Dean Witter.
er investment options through employ-
ers and higher earning power by single ernment comes up with new investment
women.
strategies or lowers payments to current
"We are seeing more [young people], recipients.
especially in the 401K retirement plans.
Yet, even with a noticeable surge in
Everyone wants to invest now the urge to save, a stubbornness persists.
because the market has been so
"Here's a myth: I hear a lot of people
positive. And young people are saying they're too young and have plen-
very concerned about Social Se- ty of time to save. My answer is, the
curity being there," said Lisa M. longer you wait, the more difficult it will
London, a certified financial be to save enough. Time helps you to earn
planner with Smith Barney in more while saving less," Ms. London said.
Southfield who helps small busi-
She explains to her younger clients
nesses set up 401K plans for that if they begin putting away $2,000
their employees.
annually through a tax-deferred indi-
"There are many articles out vidual retirement account (IRA) or a
there saying if it doesn't change, 401K plan when they are 25, they'll end
there won't be money in the So- up with over $130,000 more at retirement
cial Security fund. They figure than a person who begins saving the
they'll have parents to take care same amount at 35 years old, assuming
Above: Your
serve! Fun in of, and they'll have kids to take the compounded annual rate of return is
care of."
the sun at
9 percent.
Reports say the Social Secu-
Magic Isle,
`The difference between starting when
Club Med in rity fund will be bankrupt by you're 25 versus 35 is great," she noted.
Haiti.
2029 — the year today's 32-year-
Some people don't need to be con-
olds turn 65 — unless the gov- vinced.

G

— Paradise Island, Guadeloupe, Mar-
tinique or Cancun, to name a few —
Club Med resorts provide sun, fun and
fare all in one spot.
Skiing — Vail (a pricier option) or
Arapahoe Basin (near Breckenridge,
Colo.), two suggestions from Jill David-
son Sklar.
Vancouver — Take the skiing theme
one step further (at Whistler Mountain,
about 45 minutes away), you can also
hike, sea kayak, depending on the sea-
son and, of course, socialize. (Another
Sklar favorite.)
New Orleans — For all-night par-
ties and tall drinks, this French-South-
ern spot looks and feels like it's right out
of the movies.
Chicago — Especially Rush Street,
where you can find some of the Windy
City's best live music, plus a little cul-
ture and a lot of shopping.
Seattle — It may rain a lot, but this
city, known as the grunge capital, has
attracted the interest of twenty- and
thirtysomethings since it was made fa-
mous and romantic by the hit movie,
Singles.
Israel — If you want to ensure that
you meet other young singles who are
nice Jewish catches, try a mission for
young adults or a singles trip planned
by a Jewish agency. On the shores of the
Mediterranean, falafel in hand, you can't
help but be bitten by the bug — Jewish
and romantic.
Packaged Singles Trips — Try
AESU tours to Europe (based in Balti-
more) or Premier's International
Vacations for Jewish Singles (in St.
Louis).

PHOTOS BY DAN IEL LI PP ITT

TO COU RTESY OF C

W

Nest Egging

Younger people, including single pro-
fessional women, are flocking to a stock
market that shows few signs of flagging.
They might be working for a company
that does not offer a 401K, which is a be-
fore-tax savings vehicle that invests in
stocks but cannot be touched until the
age of 591/2 without penalty. Fewer com-
panies are offering to match dollar-for-
dollar investments or to provide defined
benefit or pension plans, said Pamela Op-
perer, a stockbroker/financial adviser
with Prudential Securities in West
Bloomfield.
"Single women, particularly, do not
think, Tm going to get married, and this
is something I don't have to deal with.'
They believe they need to know about
money; they want to be aware of what's
going on, how to handle their own in-
vestments. I think they make a better
partner, too, if they're in a relationship,
because they're responsible," she said.
"I was very surprised last week to have
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