Brian D

My wife had a 403B with a former employer. She left that employer a few years ago. Last year we decided we didn't like the mutual funds that the money was invested in, and did a rollover into an IRA savings account at a local bank. We never touched the money and it was marked as a rollover.

It was about $4000. Since my wife has a $5000 limit per year on IRA contributions, does this $4000 count against that, leaving her with only $1000 more she can put into an IRA for 2008? Or can she still invest the full $5000 since this was "old" retirement money that simply got re-invested differently?

I have a concrete slab, and only part of it is bad (let's say about 2' x 4'), it's kind of weak and crumbles.

I've heard the best thing is to use a grinder to remove the weak concrete, and then some kind of concrete repair mix to fill it in.

Does this sound right to you? Please include SPECIFICS on what kind of grinder to use?? And which type of mix is best, I see Quikrete makes a few different formulas that sound like they'd work.

This is in Ohio, so it will be subject to freeze/thaw cycles.

Thanks.

Hello.

Our garage floor, which is about 50 years old, has patches that are flaking and crumbling away.

I've had concrete people tell me that because of the cold climate with freezes, nothing short of breaking it up and pouring new concrete will work.

I am wondering about concrete patching compounds?? If I ground down the bad/weak concrete any chance they would work? Can I skim them wall to wall?

I've had flooring people come over, one guy does an epoxy based stone coating that is a couple inches thick. Seemed very nice, but pricey. I like to work on my cars and he said this could withstand something like 4000 psi so I could use my jack. I found a retail version of this product, but it seems thin like a coating and is acrylic based instead of epoxy, so i'm not sure it will hold up.

I'd like to apply something over the whole floor, so I don't have patched areas.

There are mats out there that just unroll and cover the whole thing. The look doesn't thrill me.

Thanks!

I live in Ohio, in a 1956, all brick, ranch. We have city sewers, no sump.

During heavy rains, I get water in my basement. Just enough to wet the floor in one small area, and make a mess.

I think I found the problem. The downspout closest to the wet area of the basement is loose in the ground. The actual aluminum downspout comes straight down into one of those orangey colored "clay" pipes in the ground. That "clay pipe" moves around quite easily in the soil.

Where does that pipe lead? To my storm sewer drain system ??(There is a storm sewer drain in the middle of my driveway about 15' away.)

Or does it just empty at the foundation?

I'm thinking :

#1 maybe it's cracked a foot or two below the surface?, or

#2 maybe it's just loose due to how muddy the soil is in that area?

Should I dig around it and investigate? It's in an area where unfortunately I cannot divert the downspout above-ground and make a horizontal run away from the house.

Thanks,

Brian D