Yellowpaper

I just heard that state employees (or county employees enrolled under state retirement programs) don't get social security. Upon further research it appears that state employees don't get social security if they have a state issued pension, and don't pay into social security (which makes sense). However, if the state has a Section 218 agreement which specifies teachers, and the teachers pay into social security, they receive social security like everyone else.

My girlfriend is a teacher, and is enrolled with the Virginia Retirement System (which also includes teachers employed by our county). Does anyone know if Virginia teachers pay into social security, and more importantly, if they will receive social security? I guess I could just ask to look at one of her pay stubs tonight, but I'm impatient... I couldn't find anything online regarding Virginia's section 218 agreement, nor if Virginia teachers pay into social security. Thanks for your help.

Most of my money is in stocks, but I keep a good amount in my savings account as well. Short of telling me to buy gold, what can I do to protect the wealth of my savings account? Should I put it in the market and hope it keeps up with inflation, or is it too late now that the market has responded to QE2?

I generally run 2 to 3 miles 5 to 6 times per week. I keep hearing sprint workouts are great and burn more calories, and the science seems to back this up pretty well. Having not messed around with sprint workouts, I have no idea what I should start with. I was thinking something along the lines of ten 100 yard sprints with 30 second rest in between (and maybe a single 2 - 3 minute rest after 6 sprints), would be a pretty good place to start. What would you recommend for a fairly fit person who generally runs 2-3 miles at a time, but hasn't done sprints in years? Should I ease into sprints and just start with 1 or 2 this week and still do a 2 mile jog, then slowly increase the number of sprints every week?

Thanks!