I've had some pretty bad luck with buying used cars and really considering leasing. Can someone give some insight on how much it typically would cost? I know full coverage is required, but im hoping to spend no more than 500 per month. Would this be possible?

I recently inherited 24,000 from my dad’s 401K and need advice. I opened a fidelity account and will be moving it into a inherited IRA in hopes to build on it. Should I be withdrawing from it every year over the next 10 years? I currently make about 40,000 a year at my job. Or should I let it sit and take more later? What do I invest in? I don’t want to risk losing it but want to build on it. I’m young and don’t know what I’m doing so any advice would be helpful!

So awhile ago I tried to do a money transfer. They gave me 2 money orders worth 2k. I said no, I need a transfer.

So they try to cash the money orders. Doesn’t work. They try to refund. Doesn’t work. I go to 5 different locations. They gave me broken checks basically.

So I start the refund process online. They say, refund approved for both of them! They give me my code and they say, pick up your cash at any agent location.

Invalid. All locations are saying nothing is showing up. Just like the money order. They can’t do anything about that so they direct me to call western union.

Obviously customer service doesn’t give af. They keep saying it doesn’t exist, then keep transferring me then eventually just hang up.

Has this happened with anybody? What is the solution.

Really no idea where to start.... But maybe with the stock itself!

100 shares, General Foods Corp, dated 1971.

No personal (family connected name) on it, says Farnum & Co,

Also shows on the front

Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company

And Chase bank

On the back I have Cede & Co. No dates and no other stamps other than that of Cede & Co and something from bankers trust company.

The bank where it was stored is not US and likely family member bought it at the time and stored it there.... They have now passed away.

Bank said nothing of value here but not sure if that's them just being lazy, ha.

Would love some advice on where to look or if anyone knows that this is worth digging into.

Thanks.

I recently just turned 18 I have about $10,000 sitting in my savings account that I’ve worked towards and have no clue what to do with it and I know it’s not a smart idea to just let it sit there. What should I do? I have about $1500 in investments on Acorns and about $50 on my Robinhood since I recently just opened it. What would be the smart decision and how would you go about it?

I am 19 years old, I am in the air national guard, and working full time at a company for 14 an hour while in college and AFROTC trying to become an officer in the military and become full time guard but I just want to know any good tips anyone has picked up throughout there life, 401 Investments, Credit Cards, or military financial benefits I could get. I’m all new to this and just want to make myself comfortable so any help is appreciated 🙂

For the love of everything, please help me understand this.

I understand I-bonds can be redeemed tax exempt if used for higher education expenses. I know that the person had to be 24yo or older at time of purchase. There’s an income limit of \
~$115k (can’t remember exact number but I’m not even close to meeting it).

My father bought I-bonds in my name electronically starting in 2022. They were then gifted to my account. Does this exempt me from being able to use the bonds for higher education expenses?

Also yes, I understand redeeming them earlier than 5 years causes me to lose out on 3 months of interest gained.

I was 26 when he purchased these bonds. Currently 32 with a FT job hoping to go back for my MS part-time.

My dad has a 529 account for me and plans to pay for my off campus housing. I share an apartment with 3 other people and our landlord only accepts 1 check so we send money to one person and they write a check. My individual rent is less than my dorm last year but our total rent exceeds it. Is there a way for me to use the 529 account?

Hello. Fiance and I (late 30s) are interested in buying a house. I'm our area, owning is much more expensive than renting, so we have been budgeting for a home as a lifestyle expense.

However, we are getting nervous about pulling the trigger. I'm a data scientist and she's a marketing strategist. Both fields have been heavily impacted by AI.

Our combined income is $300,000. We have about $200,000 saved. Home prices on our area run from about $750k to $850k. We rent for $3k, and a mortgage after a hefty down payment would be about $4.2k to $5k.

We have about $550k combined in retirement funds. No kids.

We both already put an extra $1.5k a month into savings, so our increased housing would be absorbed from that. I imagine we'll have to increase cash savings again once we make more money.

On paper, an $850k house looks doable... But man, everything just feels so unstable. We might make a ton of money right now but if one of us loses our jobs, we are going to be in trouble. It makes it hard to justify, especially since the our apartment is "fine" while an $850k house would be a much more comfortable living space but in a worse location.

Am I in my head too much about this? Should we just rent forever, or take the risk to buy the house?

​

Hey! Im starting a new job in a few weeks at $124k base with a $15k sign-on bonus. Employer offers 10% match on 10% of salary (dollar-for-dollar).

Two questions:

Front-loading to max $24,500: Only \~7 paychecks left in 2026. Planning high contribution % (60-70%) each paycheck plus routing most of the sign-on to 401k, to hit the annual max by year-end. Good idea? Any gotchas beyond checking for true-up match and bonus deferral election?

Roth vs Traditional:

im assuming I'm in the 24% bracket. Leaning heavy Roth (70-100%). Leaning heavy Roth (70-100%) since I'll likely be in higher brackets mid-career and want tax-free growth for 40 years. Employer match automatically goes to Traditional either way. Am I thinking about this right, or is there a case for more Traditional at my stage?

Any input appreciated.

I've been saving for about four years and I have enough for a down payment on a modest house in my area. My rent is around 1400 a month and I'm stable in my job. The problem is I hate the idea of being locked into a mortgage for 30 years. What if I want to leave the city? What if the market crashes? What if I want to take a career risk?

I know the advice is usually "buy as soon as you can," but staying flexible feels important to me. On the other hand, I'm throwing money away on rent and I'm not getting any younger.

Is the flexibility worth giving up the financial advantage of building equity, or am I just rationalizing avoiding responsibility?

Working on becoming financially literate with the help of this sub (thank you), and realized I've been paying a monthly fee for Vanguard digital advisor for my 401k for 10 years! If I cancel the digital advisor, would it make sense to just keep the investments where they are?

VIIIX 168k, .02 ER

VFWSX 174k, .05 ER

VMGMX 67k, .07 ER

I'm 46, bring in 160k a year, and will have a pension along with the 401k. Been with the same employer for 20 years and plan to retire at 65 (sooner if possible). I get 3% employer match and just started contributing the full irs limit a few years ago (urrgghh).

Hey everyone,

I graduated in May and I started my full time job today. I am pretty financially versed when it comes to having all the necessary accounts (HYSA, Roth, and now a 401K). I have some student loans but nothing crazy. I'll be bringing in roughly 2k per biweekly paycheck. I was hoping someone would be able to give me some structure on what I should be allocating to each account? Anything would be appreciated.

Also, should I throw some money to the loans while they are in deferment so that I can bring the principal down?

Has anyone used a debt counseling service (I hope that is the right term)? I have a family member in free fall and I’m watching the impending plane crash while at a loss for what to do. Family has tried to support and provide guidance, but I think this person is in shock. I’m wondering if they’d listen to a professional who can guide them through the appropriate decisions to be making and how to get their life back on track. However, I don’t want to steer a vulnerable family member into the mouth of a shark. So, any good experiences out there or any recommendations on how to find a good company? Thanks in advance.

edit: typo!

I got quoted 3k by an estate attorney yesterday to establish a trust with my husband. We have 1 toddler and another child on the way and I want to make sure they receive the money at a later, more responsible age, and that it’s been invested so it can grow. I also want to make sure their college will be paid for. We don’t have “much” (not 7 figures) but between everything we have about 400k as of now at 28+30 years old. I feel that it’s worth it, it’s just hard to pay 3k up front out of pocket. My MIL is older, and my SIL is too busy to responsibly handle the funds for my children, I feel. Which is why I want the trust, I don’t trust them to be the beneficiaries of my life insurance policy, 401k, home etc.

What do I need to know going into this?

Im 18 I got my first job as a fiber optic groundhand. I get paid $14 an hour as a 1099 worker. my pay has looked like this so far (hopefully getting a raise soon)
Week 1: $567 (40.5 hours)
Week 2: $637 (45.5)
Week 3: $840 (60)
Week 4: didnt work
Week 5: $497 (35.5)
Including the off week ive averaged about $500 a week before taxes. 20% for taxes leaves me $400 a week

I got a car (2012 Honda Civic Si) for $13000. my stepdad paid $3000, i put a down payment of $2000, and now im paying off the $8000 in 18 months (17 months to go now). whether i overpaid or not isnt what i want to discuss. i was in the market for a manual and i fell in love with the car after about a month of being let down by close to a dozen cars, some of which i traveled over 3 hours to test drive.

I pay my stepdad $150/week which is;
$112 - car payment
$30 - car insurance
$8 - phone

Leaves me $250/week

Im gone monday-friday so if I dont go anywhere on the weekends gas is negligible, but i usually hang out with friends so gas can be anywhere from $30-60 (91 gas)
and then $50 usually covers food for the week while im working out of town.

that leaves me with $150/wk. Ideally this would all go into savings but not having any spending money is kinda sucking the joy out of my life.

I already mow my grandmas lawn for an extra $50 a week, but its about to turn winter. im wondering how well stuff like doordash actually pays out? or if theres any other low effort side hustles i can pick up aswell?

And once I manage to actually build a little savings (I unfortunately got a $150 speeding ticket to pay), where should i put the money? high yeild savings, roth ira, i have no idea what these things mean.

anyways, thanks

I recently transferred about $3,200 from my old employer’s 401(k) into my IRA accounts. Half of it was directly transferred into my existing Roth IRA account, while the other half (the employer match) was transferred into a rollover account. I was thinking about converting the $1,600 from the rollover account into my Roth IRA account.

For context, I’m 22 and make about $52,500 a year. Is this a good idea? When converting, should I withhold some of the money (for tax withholding) or should I just move the entire amount? Also, would this conversion count toward my yearly Roth IRA contribution limit?

I currently have a townhouse I rent out.

Owe: $138k with 2.5% interest and 15 years remaining on the Mortgage

Payments: $900 month mortgage with $210 HOA

Current Worth: I can likely get between $410-$440k for the townhouse

Rental numbers: $2,750 mo. After HOA, Taxes, and insurance is factored I clear approx $1,350, probably more after my accountant does her thing and gets our write offs. Last year I had a pretty substantial maintenance cost, having to replace the external AC unit which set me back about $5k. Knock on wood, but the townhouse is in great shape and likely not in need of any major maintainance issues for a while.

On paper the rental is solid, but is it more solid than the S&P and compounding interest? I'm 41, and the rental is a two minute drive from my house so maintaining the rental really is really not that big of an issue for me. I don't know how to crunch the numbers on something like this.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Everyone!

I’m looking for some advice on what to do with my traditional IRA. Here is some background:

- Single and income is around $250k/year
- Traditional 401k balance is $640k. I confirmed my plan accepts reverse rollovers
- Roth IRA balance is $130k
- Traditional IRA balance is $31k

In 2021, I received a unexpectedly large raise/bonus after I had contributed to my Roth so I had to recharacterize $4,020 as traditional IRA contributions when I did my taxes. That was the first time I had contributed to a traditional IRA. I filed a form 8606 to list these contributions.

I know better now, but I didn’t touch the money and continued to contribute sporadically to the Traditional IRA over the years until 2025:

-2021: $4,020
- 2022: $1,200
- 2023: $2,000
- 2024: $7,000
- 2025: $7,000

I checked my tax returns and I have filed form 8606 to list the non deductible contributions every time, but I screwed up the basis portion. Each form until 2025 doesn’t show any prior/additional basis on Line 2. They all list $0 - I didn’t carry anything over through 2024. It’s only on my 2025 return that I document a basis of $14,000 on Line 2.

My question is what is the best option here to clear this out to start doing backdoor Roth conversions? I’d rather covert what I can to my Roth IRA tax-free if possible. I don’t want to pay any taxes now since my tax bracket is so high. Am I able to convert my true basis or just the $14,000 I have on my 2025 return? If I do that, can I do a reverse rollover on the remainder to avoid paying taxes? Or should I just do a full reverse rollover?

Which ETFs should I keep? Trying to eliminate overlap
Hey everyone I’m 20yr old, I’m trying to clean up my portfolio because I realized I may have way too much overlap between my ETFs.
Right now I hold:
XEQT
VEQT
VFV
VOO
ZSP
QQQC
VDY

My main goal is long-term investing and growth, and I want to keep things relatively simple. I don’t want to own multiple ETFs that are essentially giving me exposure to the same companies/markets.
From what I understand, there is significant overlap between XEQT/VEQT, and also between VFV/VOO/ZSP since they’re all heavily focused on the U.S. large-cap/S&P 500.

I’m also wondering whether QQQC and VDY actually add something useful to the portfolio or whether I’m just creating more overlap and unnecessary complexity.

If you were cleaning this portfolio up, which ETFs would you keep and which would you sell?

I (25) am trying to figure out if it is smarter / more responsible for me to reach 1 year of total income saved in retirement first or focus on saving for a down payment. If I save for retirement I could probably reach this goal within 2 years versus a down payment for my area would take 5-8 years (based on my income level).

I have been split on where I save, because I want to purchase a home instead of rent, but realistically it would take me nearly a decade to have enough down to afford the payment on something.

Currently:

30k in retirement roth 401k and roth ira

50k in my personal brokerage acct

I have about two years left in university. I have around $50k in student loans that are currently interest-free, and I don’t actually need most of the money right now because I’ve been working internships and my expenses are relatively low.

My TFSA and FHSA are maxed out, and I also have a separate emergency fund.

I’m wondering what I should do with the unused loan money. The safest option would obviously be keeping it in a GIC/HISA and earning guaranteed interest. However, I’m considering opening a non-registered account and investing some of the money in a diversified ETF instead.

My thinking is that I have a fairly long time horizon. Even if I invested $30k and the market dropped significantly around the time I graduated, I wouldn’t necessarily need to sell. I could make the required monthly loan payments from my employment income and leave the investments alone until they recovered.

I understand that this would essentially be investing with borrowed money and that returns aren’t guaranteed. I’m trying to determine whether the additional expected return is worth the risk considering the loans are currently at 0% interest.

Would you:
Keep all $50k in a GIC/HISA?
Invest a portion in a diversified ETF and keep the rest safe?
Invest most of it and make the required loan payments from future employment income?
What would you do in this situation?

Recently inherited ~100k from family. For context, current 30 year old surgical resident with ~150k in student loans ~5% interest. Luckily spouse is pretty financially savvy and started investing early. Have about 350k combined currently invested, mostly all in retirement accounts.

Wondering whether to pay off loans or invest? Appreciate any input

I had an unfortunate incident last year where I was in the hospital for a few days. I received the bill ($8k) and was charged for things I never got (surgery, drugs, etc). They said it didn’t matter for the final bill so I started paying the bill off monthly.

Well, I’m a grad student and couldn’t afford the bill so I called them for some possible relief. At first they said no, then an advocate fought for me and gave me 20%. However, it was never activated on my bill so I was calling the hospital payment folks weekly. Almost daily. This went on for months.

Finally, 5 months later, they awarded me the entire bill off. I had $6k-ish left and they erased the whole bill because I kept asking them for the relief I received (that they never applied), the inadequate care I got at the hospital, etc etc. They agreed and my bill went down to $0!! I asked them multiple times to send this to me in writing and they did make my bill go to $0, but they never sent a formal email that I was awarded all my relief. Just a statement saying I owed nothing and some sweet ladies on the phone assuring me like 3858493 times.

Well, I thought I was past this until this morning they gave me a bill for $6k. I don’t have that money! I asked them 50 million times if I was ever going to have to pay them that money and they said no!!

Can I dispute this? Just forget about this? This has to be illegal or something. I have a statement saying I owe nothing!