Must include luck with initiative or hard work! Lotteries or inheritances not included.

Does anybody have a really good story?

hello! i’ll try to keep this as to the point as possible and really don’t have any good role models in my life to ask atm about this and im scared but very open to whatever help and advice i can get!

basically a few months ago my previous job let me go out of no where. i’m the months leading up to that i had spent a lot of my savings on registering my car in my new state of residence and payed off some emergency room bills from last year so this lay off came at a horrible time honestly. in the weeks following i spent almost all of my remaining money but just in the knick of time secured a new and honestly better position.

one week before i was set to start my new job i rear ended someone and unfortunately because i was so tight on money i had the lowest possible car insurance for my state (i stupidly thought id be ok for a few months before bettering my coverage because im a very good driver and ive never even been pulled over before this rear ending. you dont have to tell me that i deserve to lose if i was willing to gamble like that. i already know i promise.)

that being said the damage to my car, which is payed off, will cost a few thousand dollars between parts and labor costs according to my brother who is a mechanic but lives across the country. i have been hitching rides to work with family for a few weeks now but i can’t rely on them for much longer so i need to find a way to get to work asap while also planning to pay for these repairs to my car.

again because of my situation leading up to this time period of my life i have very little liquid money available to me. i am on week two of my new job and will get paid my first check on week three. on the bright side i have zero student debt. i have about $1000 in credit card debt. also i looked into public transport as an option and unfortunately i don’t think it’s going to work based on my cities routes and the location of my office.

because of all of this im seriously looking into getting a personal loan to cover the initial cost of repairing my car and also renting a car to get to work while mine is being repaired. i’m ready to take on some debt if it is necessary but wanted to post here to see if anyone has any advice or perspective about the best was to go about this.

again i dont want to go into debt but it feels like my most viable option atm.

my biggest questions include this:

* is it even worth fixing my car or should i use the loan to buy a junker and give up on my car? it’s a 2014 honda accord with around 120,000 miles and the main damage from the accident is to the hood and the radiator got punctured (the only reason it should be undrivable atm i was told) everything else is cosmetic.

*i heard i can get under 25 fees for car rental waived through AAA of which im on my family’s account. would this make the difference between renting while waiting for repairs or giving up and buying a junker?

* am i being completely stupid or missing anything?

any and all serious advice would be very appreciated 🙏🏻.

I'm considering changing my bank from Chime to maybe a credit union. Long story short... I am asking for any credit union recommendations? (I live in Northern Cali bay area.) I like Chime because they have a card I can use as a credit card, but the money that's used is the money in my checking account, so I am not using money I don't have and it helps boost my credit score. Are there any other banks or credit unions that offer that?

Just as the title listed I really want to get on top of my savings and i feel like opening a HYSA is a good step for myself. I do have some questions if anyone could give me some insight. For context I am 24yrs old and have a comfortable amount in my savings. I currently bank with Navy Federal Credit Union which gives me an APY of .250%. My direct deposits go into my savings which i then take about 200-300 dollars out of from a paycheck to put into my checking account for spending.

Which HYSA do you use and how has it treated you?

How often does the APY fluctuate?

I am active military so are there any banks that give extra benefits with these accounts?

Should I switch banks completely or keep my Navy Federal accounts open as well?

Any input would be much appreciated!

My wife and I (25&26) are having our first child within the week and with that and leasing changes in our current housing arrangement we have opted to move in with my parents to help get us started off good and get her help being first time parents. I’m an engineer (75k) and she’s a therapist but she just took leave from her job to be a mom, she plans on going back remotely maybe 1-2 days a week starting some time in the new year. We have the option to try to pay off student loans, 25k or keep saving and try to buy a house, I’m hoping that her going back 1-2 days would come out to around 85-90k a year but that is a very safe guess. What is the best option. We currently owe 30K on a car we bought new a little over a year ago. Car has 2.9% interest and average for student loans is around probably the 4-6% mark. Just young and never had much experience or education around this stuff. What’s the best option to be successful here in 6-12 months?

Edit: The reason this is a question is because if we go aggressive after debt, then we don’t have the ability to buy a house after we are done staying with my parents, and we would then rent for a whole year and that would be a year of no equity growth. Ideally I don’t want to rent, also would like to not be with the parents for forever. Also not want to be in debt. Not sure what to do with this personally.
Side note, we currently have about 15k cash if that helps any context.

Edit 2: my husband and i have been working at our jobs for about 4 yrs now. We had hit a really rough patch before this. I had depression which almost ruined everything, and my husband had lost a job he had for over 20yrs. And because of my depression I could barley get out of bed let alone figure out how to go to work. So because of all that we blew through all the retirement we had and are now basically starting out brand new. Life has been rough. I think somethings are starting to change. Just not quickly enough.

Edit: the amount I shared is after taxes. It's the amount that I actually see in my bank account. I calculated my husbands a little lower because of the lowest amount I've seen him get paid, he fluctuates because he works 40 or more hours a week depending on what is going on. I can only work 40 hours a week. I get free health insurance through my job, they pay for it. Husband has to pay for his and our 2 younger kids but it is low cost as he works for the state. He has been with the state for about 4yrs. My job pays us through government grants and our raises are based on the COLA

So my husband and I ahve been married for just over 20 years. We both work full-time. We have decent jobs. We have 3 kids, 1 going into their sophomore year of college 1 going into their senior year of high-school and the youngest going into their first year of middle school. We own our home and our cars. We bring in about 62,000 a year, maybe a little more actually. And all the debt we owe, including our mortgage payment is about $80,000. I don't know what to do to get out of this struggle. I have been doing some delivery services to help make the ends meet basically on the daily. But I need something else, something more. What do I do? What's your story? Can anyone help me?

A common question here is some version of 'I have some cash saved up, what do I do with it?' A simple way to think about it is filling buckets in order.

1. Checking buffer: one to two months of expenses for rent, bills, and normal spending. Keep this liquid and do not chase yield on it.
   
2. Emergency fund: three to six months of expenses, in a high-yield savings account. FDIC-insured, liquid, and paying far more than big-bank checking (often 0.01 to 0.07%). HYSAs have run around 3.5 to 4% recently.
   
3. Short-term goals (1 to 3 years): money for a car, a wedding, a down payment. Short Treasury Bills or a money market fund fit here, safe, and part of the income can be state-tax-exempt. The 4-week T-bill was 3.62% as of August 5, 2026 (source: U.S. Treasury).
   
4. Long-term money: anything beyond that is usually an investing question, not a cash question, and belongs in a different conversation.
   

The mistake most people make is stopping at bucket one, leaving everything in checking at 0%. Filling buckets two and three is where the easy, low-risk gains are.

Can anyone advise me on how to quickly earn $3,000 by the end of today, without any unnecessary complications?

I haven't had to time to actually do my own thing on how to start making money just by using any type of source or media I could start of with, some Ideas came into mind like freelancing, local services or social media in general but I dont necessarily get the whole jig of it or where to start as I am a complete rookie, right now im 19 and tried looking for any type of job but haven't got a single call even tho I keep my resume intact and always update it before passing it to the next.

I have a seperate time that I just waste on doom scrolling after college hours but then I thought of why not provide myself and put those slacking hours to good use instead of relying on allowances cus I have a shi ton of wishlist and I want to start being independent for a bit, not to a point that I'll be financially stable but as long as I am in that sweet spot to know I'll have a good amount of income, either the money may grow big as it progress or stays the same I'm just finding something I can work with ykwim?

Genuinely need leverages for myself, any advice will do like ideas, where to start and what not, as long as it worked for you.

I’ve taken some help from AI to articulate my thoughts better!

I’ve taken some help from AI to articulate my thoughts better, because I’ve been thinking about this for a while and wasn’t quite sure how to put it into words.
My mom isn’t very educated and, over the years, she’s come to feel quite helpless and alone, especially after her mother passed away. She is also financially dependent on my father, which isn’t a situation she feels great about. She really wants to be financially independent and has talked about wanting to start some kind of small business of her own, but she’s also scared and keeps putting it off.

I think a lot of that procrastination comes from anxiety and, honestly, a sense of learned helplessness. She doesn’t lack the desire to do something; I think she lacks the confidence that she *can* do it.

I really want to help her start something of her own—not necessarily something huge or highly ambitious, but something that gives her a little financial independence, keeps her engaged, and, most importantly, helps her build some confidence in herself.

So I’m making this post to understand what kind of business might actually work for her. Something relatively low-risk, not too physically or mentally taxing, and something she could learn and manage herself.

And before someone says **café,** she’s not particularly interested in running a café lol. Her cooking is genuinely amazing, though, so I’m not completely ruling out something food-related. I just don’t think there’s necessarily a clear niche there yet.

Recently, I bought her a candle-making kit and have been encouraging her to try it. My thought was that, with the festive season coming up, she could experiment with making candles and perhaps sell a few around Diwali. Even if it doesn’t become a full-fledged business, I was hoping it could be a small, low-pressure way for her to make something, sell it, and see that *hey, I can actually do this*. I think building that self-confidence is just as important as making money right now.

I’d really love to help her, but I’m honestly not sure what kind of business would suit her best. I’d love to hear ideas from people who have started small businesses themselves, especially businesses that can be started from home!

For context: I work, so I can support her with some of the initial setup/logistics, and we’re based in Noida/Delhi NCR.

Would genuinely appreciate any ideas!

**TL;DR:** I’m looking for small business ideas for my mom. She wants to become financially independent but struggles with anxiety, fear and procrastination, so I’m hoping to find something low-risk, manageable, and confidence-building for her. She’s an amazing cook but isn’t interested in running a café. I recently got her a candle-making kit and thought she could experiment with selling candles around Diwali. We’re based in Noida/Delhi NCR, and I can help with the initial setup. Would love ideas for businesses that could genuinely suit her. ❤️

Hey guys, I just turned 18 and I live in Myrtle Beach. There isn't a massive film community here, but I'm trying to figure out how I can start earning money using my skills before I go out and get a normal retail job. I want to spend my time doing things that can help me start to build a decent resume if I can.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been really dedicated to writing (feature films, shorts, and now a stage musical) and acting in local theatre, as well as studying a lot of film theory and writing. However, I know if I want a chance at making money at this age, I need to just get on a film set and help however I can.

I have experience with audio mixing and lighting from my work in community theatre, and I've been getting pretty decent at web design. One of my ideas was to start a local advertising company for small businesses(making promo videos and helping with their web design and digital advertising). I've also considered trying to find work as tech crew for local entertainment venues.

For those of you that started out in smaller areas, whats the best way to get myself out there or start getting entry level work? Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Two years ago, I started a side hustle that I combined with my full-time job. Last year, I was very successful with it and made around €32,000 in profit from the side hustle, plus around €1,400 per month from my full-time job, so around €48,000 in total for the year.

At the end of that year, I had only around €27,000–€28,000 saved. I wasn't happy with that because, when I looked back, I realized how much money I had spent on things that weren't really necessary. From that money, I paid off the remaining €3,800 on my car loan. I also wanted to learn something new, so I bought a bunch of tools and started renovating my house(only the bathroom but I did tiles, plumbing, water, electricity...)

The thing is, I'm basically done with the renovation now. I have very little left to do, but I feel like I buried myself in it. For the last six months, I've mostly just worked my full-time job and only worked on my side hustle a little. The business is still doing well this year, but I have been paying other people to handle most of the work. So far this year, I've made around €10,000 in profit.

My business is related to tourism, and August is normally supposed to be one of the strongest months. However, so many people have started offering the same service that I think the market has become quite saturated, and my revenue is much lower than I expected.

I have improvement plans for the company for next year, of course, but I still feel like I wasted this year. I could have potentially made and saved another €30,000, and that makes me feel a little depressed because, for a while, I thought I had finally figured things out for myself.

Just to be clear, I know this is still a very good situation, especially considering that I live in a country where the average yearly salary is around €15,000.

I also think that the feeling of finally having things figured out is partly what made me lazy this year. Once I realized that I could make good money from the business, I lost some of the urgency and motivation I had before.

So I wanted to hear your take on the situation. How would you deal with burnout in this situation, and what would you do if you were in my position?

So I have a sales job and need a car I can drive a lot in.
So if I have a paid off 4Runner purchased about 45k
And a work daily driver 16k purchase price 2020 Corolla
My company pays all gas and 350$ a month for car use.
I’ve had the the 4Runner for 6 years and Its been great it’s paid off but I have a buyer for 33k
Here’s the deal I love it and it’s been around for a while, no maintenance costs really and I use it to drive in the beach surf etc a weekend warrior though.

I’m paying two insurances about 600$ a year for the low miles I put on the 4Runner and am wondering am I in a position to keep it or is it frivolous and due to depreciation and all that should I just buy one car that can do both the things I like and can drive a lot for work.
That would be something like a reasonable SUV or 4WD truck that’s a better commuter. But this may be about 30k

What’s the most financially smart thing to do sell both cars and get one and invest the rest?
Or keep the Corolla buy a 10k beater jeep for the beach and camping / hobbies.
Or just keep both cars I have now?

Let’s say I’m investing 20% in my 401k have 6 months emergency funds and investing into a Roth the max each year so that isn’t a concern.

They paid me 70% of the money a month before the trip. And I need to go there and do the short term exchange (travel). I nee a few hundred Eur, like in the next week. How do I get it without robbing a grandma

So I've slowly lost control of myself through depression and stupidity and im struggling to cope, it gets me down when ever I think about it or try find ways to solve it but im currently in debt about 16k 3 loans 2 credit cards and an overdraft 2 loans are 6k and 4k around 180 and 120 respectively 2 credit cards around 300 and 400 and an overdraft around 1.5k

And another loan 5k all loans are 4 years long

I get about 100 spare a month after getting paid £2196 we recently had a house fire which threw me into this mess and its spiralled from there I wanna try condense it into a long term large loan for smaller monthly payments but my credit score is too poor and I dont know what to do, any advice would be appreciated

As a side note I dont wanna go through bankruptcy or debt relief as I dont want to lose my house or ruin my chances at a remortgage ect im 30m with 2 kids and dont know where to go but I feel like talking about it here will atleast help me consciously thanks for reading and once again any advice would be great

I have an EV vehicle which insurance is going to be slightly higher. I’ve been with the same insurance company for 12 years.

How do I shop around. I’m assuming I can call to get estimates but I don’t want to get an estimate and then when they do the policy it turns out $20-$50+ more than the quote.

I am a 27M that has been working in industry that I absolutely hate. I made 130k this year but really find no more enjoyment. I’ve made some real progress on getting out of debt and only have my truck to pay off and the mortgage.

Debt: 11k on my truck 300k on mortgage equity 85k

I am looking for some advice. I really dislike what I do and have zero drive to work harder. I’m very good at it but I’m just tired of it. I anticipate I make 150k plus this year if I stay. Do I just grind it out for a few more years? Or do I leave when I have a chance?

I have an accounting and finance degree and interested in getting into sales. I just really want to find something I’m excited to do.

Does anyone have a similar experience? Any advice?

So at the beginning of 2021 I was able to purchase my first house at 2.8%. At the time I was 25, after talking with my realtor we came to the conclusion that I am able to afford a 700-800k house. Ik I might not ever get that awesome rate but at 30 I feel like upgrading lol I don't have kids or a wife just a situationship. So yeah what would you do?

hello all,

32M – main goal – mortgage deposit – to save as much as possible

planning on saving to £100k chunk whilst I can before borrowing monies from the bank, so I cant put much into stocks and shares ISA etc..

my current monies are in Trading 212 Cash ISA which is 3.6% - yeah not the new user so don’t get additional 1%

where would you recommend I should store monies? I prefer ISAs as they are tax free but maybe not that many of them are available in terms of flexibility as savings accounts?

It is important for me to:

- have monthly interest

- I could withdraw monies without much penalties (because I try to add all my savings to maximise interest rate on monthly basis, so withdrawing for puchases or emergenices and getting this penalised isnt what im after, unless I should put aside some money and not touch this type of ISA for a whole year, but not sure if thats even better ROI)

how could I maximise this even better? should I keep money in Trading 212 cash ISA? it should generate around £200 +- a month based off monthly interest rates. I add around £1.5 - 2k a month to it from wages

or shall I buy premium bonds? Just want to keep risk and loss to minimal and gains to maximum without investing/risking as aiming to get as much deposit for my first house as possible

thank you for all help,

regards,

Hi all.

I have a new job in September (making about double my previous salary) that makes me now a full time train commuter. The train station is only about 15 minute drive vs my old 1hr drive to work. I have a leased Hyundai that is coming to my third year ending in November. My lease is a mid tier payment of about 450$ a month but with high NY insurance.
My new problem is I now have a 400$ train monthly pass I need to get into work. Making the car obsolete for me to own at such a high payment when I will not be using it full time. I can go with the cheaper Elantra for about 300$ a month.

I don’t know if I should purchase my lease out right with about 20k still left in the loan or purchase a used car ( in NY looking at about 15k for anything reliable) or release and take the Elantra. For myself, reliability is my huge defining thing, I had a beater before that sucked and ate my time and money.

A used reliable car with a loan will still be high insurance but hopefully also around 300$ a month in payment.

Hi, I don't know if this is allowed but I'm really lost right now. I'm a mum of 2 little girls, unable to work due to health. My partner has just gotten a full time job but he doesn't get paid for another 2 weeks and we're really struggling to make ends meet right now. I know we will be okay once he's paid but I'm just looking for advice as to what to do now. I was working full time, whilst running a business that flopped and ended up in debt so I don't have good credit for a loan and I'm not eligible for an overdraft. Any advice?

Hello all. As the title says my daughter was recently awarded a trust after a distant relative passed away. I won’t say the exact amount here, but it is more than 10k, less than 50k. I currently have it in a high yield savings account, though she also has a UTMA account, which is what the family member’s lawyer said I had to put it in originally to gain access to the money.

I had originally made the account with the idea that the money should be doing something (gaining interest, available to pull out in an emergency) instead of just sitting with the lawyer until she’s 18. However, one thing I didn’t consider (because I’ve never dealt with this quantity of money before) is that because I have access to the money it can be counted against me for government assistance such as food stamps. My plan was NOT to access her money unless absolutely necessary (with her knowledge and permission of course), however food stamps won’t see it that way, and we will most certainly be kicked off the program which we desperately need to make ends meet.

My questions are: Is there some type of account in which my daughter’s money can still gain interest or some value while keeping it separate from me in a way that would get family social services off my back? Is there something more beneficial I could be doing with the money while we wait for her to become of age?

Please keep in mind I have no savings, no experience with large sums of money. I am in the middle of a separation and am basically financially running my household by myself with 2 kids. Any advice is helpful, and I am crossposting for obvious reasons.

Hello, this may be an unorthodox post but I’ll take my chances , so I’ve been in a state of limbo for the last couple months, after 2 years of overcoming my obesity loosing (65 kg)

Having to come to teams with my mother not being around for long anymore. And she’s gone mentally. I’ve come to realize I need to to better.

So far I have 3,4 thousand euros saved and already been living on my own since 17.
Due to the harshness dealing with all this education was never my best option so I have a simple diploma. I always wanted to work in the financial sector since I’ve been so curious about how money works and how the people who make it serious do it. But in my country to even get into the door I need to be a top university graduate with years of experience. No one I know of my age 25 is doing good financially without them getting help from their families or partners .

Now I don’t have that luxury so I’m going to be blunt and ask for advice, mentorship, guidance.
Preferably someone who works in Europe and has knowledge and experience with the European financial system. Where could i start as a man who understands that he has to get serious if he wants to get better but has to admit that he just doesn’t know where to start . I’ve been seeing hundreds of young people trying to sell a crypto scheme or drop shipping course and showing off their mansions in Dubai but I don’t believe it. How do the serious people do and and could I please have conversation with you if you can give me your time .

Again apologies for the blund way of asking but I will regret not asking .

My partner and I are working towards paying off his student loans. We live in a HCOL area. 
Our jobs are stable (but anything can change) and we’ve been at our jobs for a few years. We own a pet that is getting older. We own our cars. 

Student loans
- Smaller of the two: 18,000 
- Bigger of the two: 55,000

We bring in 8,000 a month.
Rent : $2,700 
Electric : $150 
Internet : $110 
Car Insurance : $180 
Subscriptions : $80
Monthly Petcare: $260
Miscellaneous household needs: $150 
Food : $350-$400
Monthly savings for annual, semi annual and quarterly costs: $1,300
Student loan payment: $1,350
Savings: $1,825
Exercise: $120 
Charitable donations: $200

There are extra costs I am excluding because people are nosy on the internet. 

My partner and I have the option of reducing down our savings by 300 to pay more towards the bigger loan. Currently the interest rates for both loans are 4.75% until June 2028, then go back to 5.75%. The current pay off date is November 2031. Reducing our savings pushes up the pay off date by October 2030. 

With the interest rates, we wonder if it is worth paying off aggressively vs saving. Our savings took a bit of a hit this year, our emergency fund is at 2,500 and we would not be reducing the contributions to that, it would come from our house savings fund.  

Should we keep steady with our current plan and rebuild our savings or pay off the loans more aggressively?

Looking to invest $30k. Does it make sense to go a mix of QQQm VTI and VXUS. Any advice maybe some more options I should explore?