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Human: My friend is trying to recruit me to join Primerica. The pitch made it seem that with a bit of hard work I can easily make lots of money risk free. Is this a good idea or is it just a pyramid scheme? Any advice would be much appreciated.

>is it just a pyramid scheme? Hey hey hey Multi-level marketing, come on, get your nomenclature correct.

Ask your friend to see his and 10 other random reps audited tax returns for the last 3 years!

Human: Our pay is determined weekly as a percentage of the business we do (tip pool). To actually use our PTO instead if working we effectively pay $180~ per shift. Does anyone have insight to this and whether this is an issue we could pursue?

A few minutes on google provided this https://www.shrm.org/templatestools/hrqa/pages/tipping-employees.aspx My understanding is that basically unless your state's laws specifically address the subject, then the employer can do pretty much whatever they want. To the best of my knowledge paid time off isn't even a requirement for employers (unless your state requires it), so I suspect that you're in a shitty situation, where you still have it better than most.

You can attempt to negotiate anything. Success rate is anyone's guess. Personally, my advice would be to take more vacation.

Human: Everyone at my company is being laid off. Current salary: $45,000 Salary, health insurance, 401(k) match continues until December 31st 2016. 401(k) contributions: $375/month (match = $131/month) Health Savings Account contributions: $560/month Mortgage: $1120/month Utilities: $150/month Car loan: $311/month Car insurance: $50/month HSA contributions are a must as I've got a lot of hospital bills. The car is a toyota corolla I bought brand new (for reliability) last November (3 year loan, 10.7% interest) Basically I have about $600 left at the end of the month after taxes to do everything else, making things pretty tight. I've been really good the last few months keeping my miscellaneous spending below $400. Severance: about $22,000 if something happened and I got canned right now, about $27,500 if I get canned December 31st (all subject to taxes and witholding). All dependent on me not jumping ship until the end. Got a kid coming in November, which will make things even more tight if a new job doesn't pay more than my current one and I don't take the check. I'm tempted to ride it out and take the check, as it could pay off my car loan and still leave me with ~3 months to find a job. On the other hand, jobs with my skill set don't come up very often and I don't want to be stuck in job hunt mode while the severance runs out.

Apply now, but you can be picky.

i think you start looking now, since you can't control when you find something. You'll be changing jobs eventually, it's just a question of when. If the new job is a step up in salary, it may pay more than the retention / severance.

Human: From 2003 to 2010 I lived in a foreign country, working for a company in that country and being paid locally, in the local currency. Each year I claimed the foreign earned income exclusion; I did not earn more than the maximum limit, which was something like $70,000 at the time. Each year, I also contributed the maximum amount to a Roth IRA. $3,000 in 2003 & 2004; $4,000 in 2005, 2006 and 2007; etc. At the time, I thought I was eligible due to the rules talking about your "modified adjusted gross income" which does not include excluded foreign earned income. Later I discovered I was wrong and I was not in fact eligible. But that I could have instead claimed a foreign tax credit for all my income EXCEPT the correct amount to leave me eligible to contribute to a Roth. Anyway, long story short, what do I do here? I only find results on Google for what to do if you over-contributed and correct it before filing. Can I amend it to use the tax credit instead of foreign earned income exclusion, or is it too late? Will I be penalized if I try to correct this? Is there like a, statute of limitations or something here?

If it is that old I'd say you got away with it.

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Human: So I'm 21 years old and have no credit and really no idea how to adult in general. I've had a job consistently since I was 16 and I've lived at home up until this point. How can I make the best of this? Use it to build credit? Anything else I should know?

Make sure you can afford the property tax, insurance, and general maintenance of the house.

Do you want to stay there or sell it perhaps? There are property taxes and insurance and maintenance like that one guy said. If you want to sell it you can look for a realtor.

Human: I am an 24 (f) renting a house with my boyfriend 24 (m) and our four cats. Our roommate is moving out at the end of this month and we have two (seemingly) very nice strangers moving in who I found on Craigslist. Having heard the various anecdotal horror stories from my co workers and the like I am considering getting renters insurance. According to an online quote it would be 228$ for one year. Is it worth it?

Insurance for less than $20 a month imo is worth it. It's piece of mind for pretty cheep, plus a lot of auto insurance companies also do renters-so you can get a discount. If you do get it, take a video of all your possessions (including clothes), so if something does happen, you can show the agent exactly what you lost

That's cheaper than mine. Insurance never seems without until you make a claim. Do you have more than $300 worth of things to replace if your apartment burns to the ground?

Human: I have about 80,000 in student loan debt (it might be closer to 90,000 after interest; I haven't really sat down and checked a couple of them). I'm about to finish my MBA in 6 months. I live in the Seattle area. I'm just getting overwhelmed so close to graduation with the reality sinking in that this will all become due... I don't have a lot of expenses: an insurance account that costs $88/ month, $500 in rent, and gas (about $200/ month) plus food and miscellaneous small charges (copays and such). Is this insurmountable? Am I going to be under this debt for years and years? Or is it possible to save up and get out from under it quicker? If it matters, I don't have any credit card debt. Thanks for any advice.

Really depends on your job post-graduation. High debt loads in and of themselves are not a problem. Professional students regularly run up $100k-$200k balances. As long as your salary after graduating is commensurate with that it's fine.

The minimum payments should be manageable, if you get a typical post-MBA job. But paying it off faster may require you to buckle down and continue to live like a student for some time. At least your rent is pretty cheap. Just save money until you have a decent emergency fund, and then pay as much as you can into the loans every month. If you end up with a high income in a few years, you may be able to refinance the loans and get a lower interest rate.

Human: Quick background: I was born and raised in an upper-middle class family with two lovely parents. My dad had a lot of investments (nearly $500,000 worth) that he lost when some stocks crashed years ago. He was also out of work for nearly a year as he had a heart attack, and between these two events, they lost all of that money. They still have a mortgage on the house and their cabin with a combined total of $250,000. They estimated they can't retire until they are 70 because of it. Both their house and cabin are on the same mortgage and because of capital gains, they would lose a lot of money selling the cabin. They also can't sell the house and live in the cabin as they both need to work in the city and the commute would be far too long. I don't know what they can do in terms of options (if they even have any). I want to help them but I don't even know where to start?

If your dad had diversified investments worth 500K before 2008, they should be above that value now....Unless he sold them all or he picked bad stocks, in which case that's unfortunate. Selling a property would accelerate their retirement age immensely (I don't own a cabin, but the stories of what they cost is pretty crazy). But if they're stuck on still owning both, they're pretty limited on options.

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Human: So on the email they expect me to work on May 2 and I would love to give my current employer a 2 weeks notice just so I can hand things over and wrap up some WIP. But I'm not sure if I should just go ahead and submit my 2 weeks on Monday or if I should wait until there's something formal signed. How likely is it that people regret and retract the offer and does a formal letter reduce this chance?

You ALWAYS wait for the offer letter.

A deal isn't done till the money's in your pocket.

Human: I've been offered a part-time job at a tech startup. They're offering a 6% equity stake and a board seat. If I accept, I must commit 20 hours a week with zero pay besides the equity. The company has been evaluated at $2M and $2.5M by two venture capital firms; however, it is currently operating at a loss and has zero revenue (evaluation was based on competitors). I have the time to take this job, but I'm looking at two factors 1.) Opportunity Cost. I am currently holding a job at a fast food restaurant making $9/hr and at 18 hours a week. 2.) Risk. If this startup fails, all the effort and time will be wasted and my share in the company will be worthless. Can someone please provide some insight? Edit: This job position is for 4 months.

I'm the founder of a startup in silicon valley, things may be different with startups where you are but... This sounds like a really weird setup. A board seat for a 4 month part time engagement? That's bizarre. You should generally either be a founder and be getting a lot more than 6% (this will get heavily diluted if they ever raise money, as they issue more shares to give to the VCs), or you should be an employee and be getting a salary. Startups aren't usually part-time efforts if they want to do anything serious. Do you trust this guy? Because if not, there are a lot of shenanigans that small private companies can pull to mess with equity ownership. You generally have to sue to remedy this stuff, and you may not have the money to do that, and they may know that. What does "evaluated" by VCs mean? I've never heard of this. Do you mean they got term sheets for seed stage funding at a 2 mil valuation? Be careful, there are a lot of charlatans and conmen in the startup game. My sense is that you may be better off focusing your energy on getting out of fast food and into a higher paying main job.

If they are not paying you, then it is not a job. Do not take it. Since it is a tech startup, I assume this "job" is in development? You can find real development jobs that pay much more than $0.

Human: I'm making $99,000 in MA and take home about $5226 every month. I filed for taxes as single, male and with no children. However I did claim 2 exemptions on my W4 (1 federal, 1 state). Back in college I got huge refunds at the end of the year, but now I'm very concerned that I will instead have to pay the IRS more money at end of the year. Because of this, I'm considering increasing my 401k withholding. It is currently set at 6%, but I'm thinking of increasing it to 15% or more to offset my tax burden. Does anyone have any tips on how to minimize the amount of taxes I have to pay and hopefully get a refund? What would be the ideal 401k contribution percentage in this case? Is there a calculator that can do all this math out for me?

Max 401k to $18000 per year. Start a 529 college fund. Buy a home to itemize deductions, rent it out. Get married, have kids

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Human: Hello all! Love this subreddit. Anyways, I am young and don't have yet. I have about $8000 not needed to be very liquid. Any suggestions on what to do would be awesome. Thanks!

Step 1: Read literally any of the 10,000,000 posts about the same topic or the wiki.

Thanks. I'm new and will definitely look into all suggested. Debt free. No college payment needed.

Human: About six years ago (2009) I started as an estimator at a small ($4-5 mil/yr) trade subcontractor company. When I started they did 90% residential work, only 10% commercial work. They hired me for my plan reading knowledge. I started doing a lot of commercial bids, and slowly started getting my foot in the door with some of the bigger local and regional GC's. I started winning some good jobs. Some were stinkers that lost a little money, a lot turned out great and made a lot of money. I started at a $50k salary. about a year later they started a dinky bonus/commission program that added about $10-12k. I tried to quite 3 years later and they freaked out and gave me about $30k more to stay, plus profit sharing. about 6 months after that they sold the business to a national company. This is where you think things would go to crap. anything but. The new commission program is unreal. 5% of profit on jobs that come in 20-25%gp, 8% on 30-40, and 10% on 40 and up. Most of my work is 35%-50% margin, and we talking some big damn contracts. It has taken nearly a year to work out the transition on jobs that were partially complete during the buyout, and find a good accounting method to track what profit was collected in the billing process by the original owner prior to the buyout and what was earned after. Well my commission check for March was $57,600. As of yesterday I have made $121,000 in 2016. I'm on track to earn over $400k. And I think I will because I have a few contracts that are a million plus that will close this year, and dozens that are in the 300k - 800k range. all on track to come in at or close to 40%. The problem is that it all seems too good to be true. I'm waiting to wake up or have the rug pulled out from under me. I feel like they have a good reason to try to "adjust" my pay scale, or just find a way to get rid of me. Obviously I couldn't replace this income if something happened. Is there any way to protect myself from the corporate mentality to trim the expensive fat? My wife is happier than hell and really proud of me. We have 2 kids and frankly live in a crappy little 150k starter house. well she has gotten big eyes over the past month or 2, eyeballing 400k-600k houses. I'm not throwing her under the bus here. I want the same thing. but I am just so scared to do it. We cracked at the beginning of the year and payed cash for a 2016 explorer for her (and the 2 turds) and I just bought a brand new F-150, cash as well. I really lack discipline when the savings account starts to have 6 zeros in it. what hard and fast rules would you guys set to keep it in check? I know a lot of people are gonna think this is a brag post. The truth is, it kind of is. I can't tell anyone I know that I am making this kind of money. I live in a college town where the median income is $33k. It would ruin or at least strain relationships if family and friends knew. as of right now they just think I'm stupid for buying 2 brand new cars!

You should enjoy your success and not be scared to spend *if you want to*. But honestly it sounds like you're spending money because "that's what people do". I mean, are a Ford Explorer and F150 your *dream* vehicles? Do you derive any lasting happiness from them? Or are they just extremely expensive and wasteful markers of an upper middle class lifestyle? There is a negative side of rushing out to spend money as well. You touch on it here: > It would ruin or at least strain relationships if family and friends knew. as of right now they just think I'm stupid for buying 2 brand new cars! If you keep spending money like this, you'll have to either let your family/friends assume you're borrowing to the limit *or* basically admit that you can easily afford these purchases. There is something to be said for stealth wealth. > and frankly live in a crappy little 150k starter house. Did you feel that way before this money started coming in? I ask because I would think a 150K house in an an area with a 33K median income is pretty nice. I grew up in the midwest and I'm not sure I would describe most 150K homes as crappy. Are they dream homes on HGTV? Nope. Are they perfectly fine places to raise 2 kids? Definitely. On the finance side, here is rough blueprint of what I think you should do: 1. Pay off all consumer and student debt, if any 2. Start saving/investing *at least* half of your income. I *know* you can do this because you were living just fine I'm guessing last year when you didn't make this much right? 3. First is to max out the job's 401k. If your wife works, she should max her's out. The limit is 18K. 4. Do a traditional IRA. You can only put in $11000 as a couple so this is easy. 5. Taxable brokerage fund. Read up on investing here: http://jlcollinsnh.com/stock-series/ This would also be a good opportunity to have a frank discussion with your wife about the future. You guys are sort of on the spend spend spend train, which is only natural for most people when money is pouring in. But you should ask yourself if that's what you want. There are tons of oil field guys who were making 100K+ in North Dakota, got laid off as the price of oil has dropped, and have *nothing* to show for it except a pickup truck that's about to be repo'ed. Instead, by dialing back the consumption, you can use these boom years (because you just don't know if this will continue forever) to lock in an amazing future.

Why'd you call your kids turds? No parent would call their house and kids shit if they actually worked to afford them. I think your whole post is a fantasy.

Human: I started a side business last year, and I wait till the last second to do my taxes. I tried H&R Block in person and they didn't seem to know anything about online sales or how I was going to report it and they wanted $400. I built a machine to make and sell stuff on Etsy and Amazon. I have the reports from those sites so its easy but under what term do I deduct the cost of building my machine and equipment purchased for making the items?

You need to file a schedule C for your business. Everything goes on there.

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Human: I recently applied for a Chase Freedom credit card with the sole intention of helping to build my credit. I was denied and it sounds like it was because of a loan that I currently have taken out. The loan is for a 6,000 motorcycle. I stand by this decision because at the rate I'm paying, and have been for a year, it will be paid off in a couple of years. I figured it was best to get the bike that I know for a fact I will want for years to come while I am still living with my parents and at the same time build a little credit. My parents have good credit and cosigned on this loan. What my main question is is whether or not it's worth it to try to find another card in order to build my credit even more or to just keep going like I am. My score is currently 616 and if I'm not mistaken this will continue to rise the more that I pay down this loan. Thanks in advance for your advice.

Get a secured card.

What are you looking to do with your credit in the near future? Hard pulls for credit applications stay on your file for two years. You're young, so you probably aren't looking to buy a house in that time. Having a card will help your credit, so I'd say go for it, but be smart and careful about it. [Credit Karma](http://creditkarma.com) offers you your score and credit card offers *that tell you what your chances of being approved are.* The hit isn't a big deal, but if you're going to take it on, you might as well make sure you're going to get something. Having several cards open for a long period of time will ultimately help you, but make sure you use them responsibly. Just be careful!

Human: I'm mid-30s, and on a low income -just scraping by, not saving. I *really* don't want to squander this windfall (and I don't anticipate needing it any time soon). I'd like some guidance & maybe links to some (simple) resources re. how I ought to invest it. My present thoughts are: 50% index fund, 50% cash investment (e.g. term deposit, high interest savings). Assuming I want to park the money for, say, 10 years (or longer), does this sound reasonable? If not, what other categories of product should I look at? And, in either case, how should I identify and evaluate particular products to invest in? I'm feeling really lost here, so I'm really very appreciative of any advice or suggestions you guys might have to offer. Edit: ~~inventing~~ *investing*! Also, I live in Australia (if that makes any difference). Assistant: high interest savings is not a particularly good way to invest. Especially for the long term. The interest rate is simply far too small. It barely will beat the rate of inflation. If you wont need the money until retirement then you have 20 to 30 years to make it grow. Learn about investing and you should be able to grow that money into a large amount. Human: >high interest savings is not a particularly good way to invest. My thinking was that putting it *all* in an index fund would leave me vulnerable to a share market crash (scary!), whereas "cash" investments are relatively safe even in adverse economic circumstances (and in some cases even government guaranteed). I can certainly see, however, that there really isn't any money to be made in them. What kind of balance of investment types would you suggest instead? Is there some other type of investment that I should be looking at for this purpose? >Learn about investing and you should be able to grow that money Yeah, I think I'll have to go out and read one or two easy-going books on the topic. Which may mean I'll have to park it all in a high-interest savings account in the mean time, unfortunately.

> My thinking was that putting it all in an index fund would leave me vulnerable to a share market crash (scary!) If you're in it for the long term you don't care what it does tomorrow or next month, and as you approach needing to withdraw it you can appropriately derisk it over time.

Don't listen to the people in this thread, they are trigger-happy and very focused on "optimizing" your investment portfolio. What they are missing is that an investment portfolio has to fit your situation. I think 50% allocation to cash is actually low given your circumstances. I'd put 30k aside and not even consider it part of your investment portfolio. That's rainy-day money and the primary purposes are to 1. decrease stress about money - you know you have 30k in the bank, 2. use in emergencies. For the other 70k, I'd start slow. Invest 25k or so in index funds. Once you have real money in the market you will start to see how volatile it is, how much it goes up and down. You can see if you are comfortable potentially losing 30% of that money in a recession. It is a GREAT idea to read books about investing, so you can understand what you are invested in, how much volatility to expect, how you should be allocated etc. Eventually (maybe 6-24 months) you can move the 70k to a more permanent risky allocation of maybe 70-80% stocks. Don't listen to people and allocate all that to stocks before you are ready and comfortable with what you are doing. The worst thing would be to have a drop in the portfolio and panic/pull your money out.

Human: I have a 2009 Ford Fusion I am considering trading in for a 2014 or 2015 (I at least know to go used) and am curious if it would be deemed a sound decision from a financial stand point. My wife and I have 2 vehicles, with one having 180k miles, while the 09 has only 72k. I am advocating to trade in the lower mileage car as we will get more for it and the older vehicle is not really depreciating now that it has so many miles and still runs fairly well.

Why? Your 09 is fully depreciated. As long it's reliable, keep it and drive it into the ground. Edit: You didn't want financial advice. You wanted people to confirm the decision that you've already made. Buying new cars is one of the worst financial decisions that you can make due to vanity and nothing more.

From a trade-in question, you'd want to estimate the cost of ownership of both cars that you could trade, including depreciation, repairs, and gas mileage. It could certainly be the case that selling the more expensive one is the better decision. The bigger question(s) is: why do you want something newer than a 2009? That's not necessarily a good financial decision, though it may be better in some other way. If you do decide to sell it, you'll do better in a private-party sale than a tradein with a dealer, often by thousands of dollars.

Human: Hi guys, Recently, i was offered by my company, an opportunity to move across europe, to the uk into a job position in London. The catch is that I would need to take up a local contract in London. The company is unwilling to offer an expatriate position here which is understandable as I am not in a senior position as well (under 4 years work exp). As we all know, this is one of the most expensive cities in the world and I was hoping if any of you had similar experiences. And if so, what leverage can i bring to the table when negotiating for a more favorable local contract in this new location. Rent and transport will be the most expensive factors here but the company usually does not provide allowances for these things. Thanks for any ideas here!

Had a friend of a friend that was offered a rotation in Australia for a 3 year period. He negotiated a 2-month paid vacation period once his rotation was completed prior to moving back to the states. In his personal two months he lived in a dojo in Asia to study martial arts full time. Still the best negotiation story I've ever heard.

I realize that it may not be what you're asking for but I wouldn't recommend moving to London. No offense to the brits but if you really want to enjoy Europe, consider another location. Maybe Barcelona, Spain. Again, I realize this wasn't what you were asking but I guess I'm saying that before the negotiation part, take some time to consider if you'd really enjoy living there in the first place.

Human: Like the receipt I get handed after buying groceries with my credit card. Do I need to keep that? Is there a risk to just throwing it out (or not taking it in the first place)? Am I supposed to hold onto receipts in case there are fraudulent charges on my statement?

No. In any case, you wouldn't have a receipt for fraudulent statements anyway! You keep receipts for things you may want to return, have warranties, or apply for reimbursement. Sometimes at restaurants, I take a cellphone pic of the bill (with my tip added) in case there are issues adding the tip to the total. It's never been a problem so far.

You can also get apps for your phone [like this](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shoeboxed-receipt-mileage/id322143854?mt=8) for important receipts, warranties, or other info you want to make sure to save a copy of as well.

Human: I'm 22, I live with my parent, I pay $100 a month, plus I pay for a good chunk of the bills(which is understood to be part of the agreement.) I am applying for a credit card, and intend to pay for gas, and the bills I am already paying with it in order to establish credit. Can I(legally) say that I rent, and pay $400(the additional $300 is bills I pay) on the credit application? EDIT: To be clear, neither of us has called it rent, its not a set amount, and there is nothing it writing.

You're not going to get more credit because you say you pay more for rent. They care about your income, and if you have the money to pay the credit card bills. Paying more in rent doesn't make that easier.

I don't think it will matter so why lie about it? They care more about your income and that you pay your existing bills.

Human: Hi personalfinance, Wondering what /r/personalfinance thoughts are on a 115k job in Texas vs 130k job in Silicon Valley. Professionally the SV job is better but all of the cost of living calculators online indicate that I’ll have much more take home pay with the job in Texas (No state taxes, lower cost of living). Seems to me the salaries are equal after accounting for CA income tax so I’ll have to absorb any differences in cost of living (rent, bills, groceries) difference in Silicon Valley. Does anyone have any pointers or tips for making Silicon Valley work financially? I also see a lot of articles saying “the quality of live” is better in Silicon Valley, what does that mean exactly. How is that possible if everyone is effectively taking home less pay and cost of goods/services is more expensive. Appreciate any insights. Thank you!

Financially speaking the Texas offer is far superior. When people talk about quality of life in this case it's mostly referring to the fact that San Francisco is a very fun place to live.

What lifestyle do you want. You can live comfortably in both. I'd probably go for Texas. I've lived in the Bay area and enjoyed my time so I'd want something new.

Human: So my girlfriends dad has an online business where he sells his art on ebay. She is 20 and a full time college student. Except for rent she is independent and she will be paying her own rent starting in July. The question that she has is why is her dad sending money to her personal checking account and having her send it right back? She asked her mom about it and was told because he cant open two ebay accounts from the same bank. I think he is trying to lower the amount of taxable income that he receives by hiding it in her account. Neither her or I really know and wanted to see if what /r/personalfinance could tell us. She asked her grandfather and he said it sounds fishy. Thank you in advance! EDIT; Thank you all so much for the feedback. One would think why doesn't she just ask her dad but they do not have a speaking relationship so we did not want to accuse him of something. Thanks again for the input everyone.

He could be tax dodging, but that's really pointless. > PayPal is required to report gross payments received for sellers who receive over $20,000 in gross payment volume AND over 200 separate payments in a calendar year. If he does a lot of business and cause your GF to receive a 1099K from paypal each year. She can simply file for nominee on her tax if she's filing her own tax. Some info here: http://lindakeithcpa.com/ask-linda-4/ http://www.gregorycpa.net/nominees-have-1099-reporting-requirements/

Oh boy. She's going to jail. /u/sympassion can explain.

Human: I'm having a difficult time explaining this but I will try my best. Basically we both get paid bi-weekly and have the same pay day and very similar salaries. After taxes we each see $1,000 dollars every other week. This obviously totals to $2000 every other week to pay our bills, pay for other expenses, and have some left over for recreation and other stuff. I have found that it has been hard to schedule how much to set aside each paycheck to save for our larger bills (rent $1200 due the first of every month) and how much to pay up front for smaller and urgent bills like student loans, electricity, etc. We currently use Mint Bills just to keep track of what is coming up, we really like the calendar feature that shows what is due and when. The problem is that some months we see two pay periods in the month and sometimes we see three when it falls on the first of the month and near the end of the month. When this happens we have a surplus after rent goes out but when we only see two pay periods we are really tight. What I am trying to solve and find a simpler solution too is how to see bills and pay periods on a larger scale and not month to month but rather just in terms of every other week, exactly how it is. If we budget correctly the calendar month should have no effect on our finances, because our pay periods are constant and always accurate, but time and time again the 1st of the month approaches and we scramble for rent by delaying payment of a smaller bill until the next pay period when we retroactively pay it or date a check for a week in the future when the funds will be available. I hate living like this, having to constantly check our account, and calculate bills to see if we have enough, especially since we are making plenty to live below our means. If anyone has any suggestions or excel sheets or something to assist with this problem that would be great! edit: We have both already asked our individual employers to switch our pay period so that they are staggered, so we make $1,000 a week but unfortunately payroll for both our companies is already structured to operate the way they do and that can't be changed. Assistant: Easiest way to tackle this is to buckle down for a few months, and build a buffer into your checking account. That way you've already got the money for this paychecks bills, and your check is just saving for the next checks bills. Source: I've always made significantly more than my wife, and got paid bi-monthly for years. Human: I completely agree. I'm really trying to set aside some emergency fund money and already have $750 in our savings account. I haven't touched it since we started saving it and it grows a few hundred a month. Should I use that as the buffer? My fear is that it will slowly diminish though if I see it as money I can use to help with bills.

> My fear is that it will slowly diminish though if I see it as money I can use to help with bills. My suggestion would be yes, use it as the buffer, BUT also in your budget add another line item, just like a bill, for "deposit $300 to buffer". You should have that amount be the sum of whatever you took out, plus a bit more ($300 for bills, then $200 extra each month for example). Treat your savings exactly the same as a bill, as an obligation you must meet each month.

The buffer should diminish with each bill you pay, but the next check will replenish it. This will require some active management of your budget, and some self control, but it's not complicated.

Human: Edit: Thank you to everyone for your responses. I learned quite a bit, and will just keep quiet for now. I will probably be an authorized user on the account. If it shows up as an inquiry, I will close it and move forward from there. Thanks again! I guess the title sums it up. I work for a small business with only 8 corporate employees. My HR Manager and I were out conducting interviews for my department yesterday and I mentioned how one of my employees needed petty cash to travel for an assignment next week. He let slip that our owner requested not only my social, but that other employee's social as well, and that he *thinks* he is applying for a company credit card for each of us. Further, he requested that I not mention it to our owner that he let it slip, because he imagines it might be a surprise. So, I did some research. From what I'm reading online, it will reflect as an inquiry on my credit report, and if they don't pay on time, it will ding my personal credit score and stay with my history. I don't want to sound selfish, but I've worked hard on my credit score. Also, I'm planning on purchasing a car in June and I don't want this to damage my chances on a good APR/loan. The card would be helpful with my needs in the office and how much I order online, but I'm worried about this situation. How do I address this? Do I let the boss know I know? I really don't feel comfortable with any of this. Thanks for the help!

Hello, I used to work as a visa and mastercard portfolio manager and for business accounts, unless you signed something, you have no liability. All I used to need for that was SSN, what the user's daily limit should be, what the total line should be, and not much else. You shouldnt see any activity on your credit report. If the set it up with joint liability, then they fucked up.

Worked hard on your credit score. lmao. Credit scores are for losers. You go into debt so that you can get a good credit score in order to go into more debt? Why not go the old fashioned way and only buy things you can afford? No debt needed son.

Human: I have a girlfriend with a debilitating mental illness that makes her unable to function healthily enough to hold a job for herself (without getting into specifics, she breaks down in a panic attack if she leaves the house without me). We've lived together for 2 years now, but I didn't claim her on last year's taxes. Does she count as a dependent? I checked the FAQ and it seems like she checks out based on the flowchart: http://i.imgur.com/WxsOGbS.png * Not married * US Citizen * Lived in household for more than a year * Has income less than 3,950 (didn't make any income) * I provide all her financial support * She isn't claimed on anyone's taxes On another note, I do plan on getting a disability lawyer to help her out with supplemental income sometime soon, and she's currently in therapy and visiting a psychiatrist (that I pay for) but that's a different story for another time. I just felt like putting that there in case any of you were worried about her.

She probably has health insurance if she has mental illness, but just wanted to point out that if she does *not* have health insurance and you do, if you claim her as a dependent you will have to pay the ACA individual mandate penalty (4% of income next year I think) because someone in your household did not have health insurance.

This is a little old but wanted to chime in. Yessir you can. I've claimed mine the last 3 years, she was a stay at home mom the whole time. Since shes over 18 I don't think I got quite the deduction that I did for my son ($3,900) but I may have, I'm just assuming. Either way yes you can. And it's painless, just stick her SS in there and that's about it. And we weren't married, although we just got married March 4th.

Human: I am very close to accepting a dream job in the nonprofit field. I have been working two part-time jobs for the past year and a half since getting my MA. I am making just about 18k/year and living with my parents. Technically, anything should be an improvement. This job is what I went to school for, this is my life's passion, the whole shebang. I have been tentatively offered a starting salary of 25k/year, with benefits and 401k after 6 months. I do not know the specific benefits yet -that will be coming up during a meeting later this week. The position would require me to move across the state to the coast (East) to a touristy beach area. Housing that is barely affordable is over 40 minutes away. This nonprofit is backed by a major organization so I'm fairly certain they are not necessarily that hard up for funds. I was assured this position is long-term with plenty of room for advancement. I think I could manage more comfortably at 28k/year. Should I negotiate, ask for 30k and hope they accept/ counter at 28k, or ask for 28k directly? This is my first experience with negotiating and I really, really want this job and the chance to move on with my life, but I also don't want to live in a roach motel with a long commute. Any advice for this clueless person is greatly appreciated!

Maybe your dream job should have a higher salary. Don't take a job without a living wage for the area. You'll resent it sooner rather than later.

Do you have any other skills that can provide a supplemental income? Freelancing as an artist, perhaps? crafts? Are you open to picking up new skills? For example, beekeeping won't take up much of your time. Depending on how many hives you want to manage, regular inspection/maintenance ~ once a week with the occasional OT for more involved tasks/responsibilities. Things may get a little busy come harvest time. You won't get rich selling honey and making beeswax-derived products. But you can often do business with other bee keepers by raising queens and providing nucs. If there are commercial farmers in the area in need of pollination service, you can make a lot more. It can be a tough gig, especially when you inevitably lose colonies. But most who do it find it to be a very satisfying and rewarding hobby.

Human: I'm currently a freshman at FIU pursuing a computer science degree as well as working 40 hours a week. I commute to school three times a week 45 minutes each way. Now my assets: -Own my car (2012 Hyundai Accent with 60k miles). -Have $8k savings -No outstanding debts -Own my expensive macbook My costs: -Health insurance provided by parents -Car insurance provided by parents -Phone bill provided by parents -$1500/year for tuition+books (rest covered by scholarships) -$3000/year misc expenses (haircuts, gym membership, gas) -My current job (busser) brings in $20k a year. Soon, I should be promoted to server where I expect to make $30k a year. Now I don't know the best course to take for university financially. I've basically compiled everything into three options 1) Continue to stay at home and commute to FIU while working: This is obviously the most financially sound choice. However the drawbacks consist of family drama, loss of Saturdays to use for my own personal time (long story, basically I live in a religious household where we can't do anything work-related on saturdays), long commute to college. In short, this is my current situation and I basically hate life. 2) Move out next year to FIU and continue to work on the side: This option ranks 2nd best financially since my tuition is already paid for. However, FIU housing happens to be extremely expensive (900/month). Benefits would include being close to classes, gain of Saturdays to use for my own time. Drawbacks would be the fact that I'm still in Miami, as well as having to work alongside my studies. 3) Stay at FIU for another year then transfer to a Florida school up north: This basically means I'd rough it out for another year at my parents house and save up a ton of cash at my server job while commuting to school. Once I have enough money saved up (roughly $30k after expenses) I would transfer to a Florida university up north to finish my degree. HOWEVER, I do not expect to find a job there nor would it be smart to have one while pursuing a computer science degree, which requires a lot of studying. I'd basically be living out entirely on my own savings for the next 2-3 years on campus. The costs would be about $3500 tuition, and $6000 room and board (id find an apartment after living on campus one semester) as well as food. So we're looking at around $12k cost per year of university in north Florida without a job. In my own personal opinion, option 3 would satisfy all personal issues of mine (i.e. hate Miami culture, hate Miami weather, move away from home, university with better job prospects, friendlier people, no traffic). But I don't know if its worth depleting a $30k savings account for. But it would allow me to focus on college without the distraction of work, parents, and my birth religion. All I have to do is grind out school and work for another year.

To paraphrase some advice I saw on /pf/ a while ago that strongly affected me: We work to be financially secure more for the mental benefits than anything. Less stress, more freedom, etc. If your home life is dragging you down, I would strongly recommend option two. On paper you have the means to pay for that housing without putting your finances at risk, and the mental well-being is profoundly valuable. You could also consider looking on Craigslist or local classifieds for a room to rent off campus but close to school. In college towns these are usually plentiful and should cost a fair amount less than the on-campus housing. I say go for it. Make a firm and comprehensive budget, and don't spend outside your means. Protect your savings. It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and will benefit quite a bit from the lifestyle change.

If you live close to campus, you can use school gym and save on gas.

Human: Throwaway because personal friends know my reddit. I'm a 20 year old college student. I don't work a lot of hours because I have a heavy class load. Because of this, most of my money goes to paying for my phone, Netflix and I can usually save a little bit at the end of my random expenses. For reference, I make on average around $350 a month. Not a lot at all. I got an email from my phone provider today saying that they had an issue with my last month's payment and that I need to be sure it's paid - I have it set to autopay from my checking account and apparently it just didn't. However, because of how late it is (I'm getting ready to pay for this month), there are all sorts of extra charges, bringing it to $319. On top of next month's bill, I'm looking at paying around $410, more than I've made this last month. In order to pay these bills, I'd have to withdraw all of my savings and then scrape some cash together. Right now, while I figure this out, I'm looking into my options. I'm trying to get this figured out fast because I have zero phone service available to me right now. I'm looking to be pointed in the right direction - where do I start being able to deal with this?

Something doesn't add up here -You don't have an "unexpected" bill for $410, you have an unexpected bill for $30. All the rest of that, you already owed so should make zero difference to your budget.

Call your phone company and figure out why the bill is so high, what every single cent is for, as well as why you weren't notified before the charges got so high. See if there's anything the bank will do, considering it seems to be their fuck up (?), but that will probably take months to come through. If it all makes sense and there's no way to back out of it, tell them exactly how much you can pay and when and make some kind of monthly payment plan. They want your money, so they will work with you. Sorry this happened, best of luck.

Human: My employer has rolled out a new mandate stating that "we" must work a full half hour before time is added to our payroll. For example: "Steve" is scheduled to work from 0600 to 1400. He is contractually obligated to hold until he is relived from his post. His relief arrives and relives him at 1420. His week end hours amount to 40:20. He is paid for 40. Is this a legal amount an employer can withhold pay? If not, please include links to state and it federal statutes so that I legaly hold my ground and educate myself on the matter. Thank you. Edit: Thank you all! Everything you guys have said had just reaffirmed my suppositions. I'll be updating should this go from bad to worse!

time to join a union

I work in Arizona. My work is paid in increments of 5 minutes.

Human: I am a software engineer working in the USA under an H1-B visa. I am filing a tax return for first time this year and the tax return required me to obtain Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) for my wife and daughter because they are not eligible for SSNs (US citizens do not need ITINs). In order to receive ITINs, one must file with the IRS a W-7 form (ITIN application form) along with original passports; ITIN processing takes approximately 5-6 weeks. I decided to solicit help from H&R Block after seeing an advertisement – H&R Block would assist applicants to file W-7 forms and certify copies of passports for free if applicants prepared a tax return with them. An H&R Block accountant provided me with filed federal and state tax return forms and W-7 forms and then asked that I make copies of my spouse and daughter’s passports. The accountant stated that, as there was not a photocopier on the premises (???), I would need to make these copies elsewhere and then send the copies to the appropriate state and federal agencies using two mailer envelopes that they provided to me. One month after following these instructions, I received the following IRS notifications in the mail: • The W-7 application for my wife was pending due to additional documentation requirements/incomplete documentation. • The W-7 application for my daughter was rejected. • My state tax return could not be processed as it was incomplete. I was dumbfounded that the H&R Block accountant made so many mistakes in filing my tax returns and W-7 applications! I then decided to research, on my own, for what exactly it was that I paid $240 to H&R Block. I uncovered the following errors: 1. H&R Block did not provide me with a Certificate of Accuracy, which is required when a Certified Acceptance Agent certifies a copy of a W-7 application (this is why the IRS requested additional information for the ITIN application of my wife). 2. H&R Block did not notify me that Certified Acceptance Agents cannot certify copies of documents of dependents - only IRS Tax Assistance Centers could (this is why W-7 for my daughter was rejected). 3. H&R Block did not warn me that a state tax return could not be filed without first obtaining ITINs. 4. H&R Block did not advise me to extend my tax return period for 6 months in order to provide me with the time needed to ensure all necessary paperwork be processed. Additionally, I spent half of a paid time-off day (and $40 for parking) at an IRS Tax Assistance Center, where an officer helped me, for free, to file W-7 forms and certify copies of passports (the officer also uncovered several other mistakes made by the H&R Block accountant). The officer expressed surprise that I had already filed a state tax return, as ITINs must be obtained prior to filling out tax returns (as mentioned above). Indeed, some time later, I received a letter from the State Department of Revenue stating that it would be unable to process my return without first providing ITINs . It was this letter from the DOR that was the last straw for me, and that is why I decided to share my story. I advise any person thinking of using H&R Block to assist with tax returns to pay heed to this cautionary tale. P.S. Several friends suggested that I contact H&R Block regarding receiving a refund of not only the initial $240 fee, but also all monies I spent fixing the mistakes made by H&R Block. I am skeptical about this, but if there is a lawyer near me (Massachusetts) who knows what would need to be done and is interested in a contingency fee – please feel free to send a message to me.

I think everyone herealready knows how bad HR block is... Their "accountants" are just some smucks who get a few hours of training and get paid minimum wage. Next time just do your own taxes or if they're complicated get a real accountant or tax lawyer

H&R Block Premium are the people you should have worked with. The monkeys at your average H&R Block shop are not equipped to deal with this kind of paperwork.

Human: Hi /r/personalfinance, I have a few questions about my FICO Score. I am 21 years old, and have had a credit card since I was 18. Right now I have three credit cards, two of which are in my name and one that I am an authorized user on (my parent's card). I just looked at my FICO score on the Discover card website, and it is at 781, which I am reading is very good for someone my age. I do have a few questions though, the main one being how can I improve my score? Ideally I'd like to be over 800 if possible, and I see on Discover's chart the highest I've had in the past few months is 792. The Discover website lists the relatively low length of credit history as being a factor that is keeping my score down, but I've had my accounts for 3 years already and am curious what would be considered a "long" period of credit history. 10+ years? I keep my balances low every month for each card and pay off in full every month, and I think this is a factor for keeping my score higher. Should I be worrying about trying to increase my score right now or is 781 high enough for someone my age? I don't anticipate having any big loans in the near future, possibly a loan for a car in a few years and a mortgage somewhere down the line, but I want to be set up for those as much as I can be. Thank you!

Don't worry about it. Keep doing what you're doing and your score will be excellent by the time you need it. That, and you're not going to get any better rates than someone with a 740-750 score.

If you're above 750, there is virtually zero benefit to you for increasing your score. The reason why your score is so high is because you are an authorized user on your parents' card.

Human: I was contacted by a recruiter for an entry level position at a great company. During the interview, they decided I would be a better fit for a higher level position they were also hiring for. The only drawback was that position is in a different state. I said I would consider relocating, dependant on the offer. The head of the department said he would try and get the position moved to the state I am currently residing. But it would take time. That Friday, I was contacted by the recruiter and was told, "I blew them away in the interview and it was now just a waiting game." It's been a few weeks. How long should I wait until contacting them to see what my status is? I would like to retain an upper hand as far as negotiations for salary is concerned, if they do indeed move the job to my current state of residence.

Recruiters are salespeople. Selling you on the job, selling the company on you.

Keep actively looking for a new job. Don't waste time sitting around for them to make a decision.

Human: Girlfriend made a couple mistakes while moving and transitioning accounts and has since been dealing with wage garnishment for unpaid student loans. As of February 1st, her balance was close to $1300, with significant payments being taken each check. I imagine that the amount will be paid in full fairly soon, but sometimes getting her to take initiative to find out can be like pulling teeth. What sorts of things do I need to know when it comes to the end? Should I request a paid in full statement? Is there a way to remove it from credit history so we can get the car she desperately needs? Any and all help appreciated :)

There needs to be a big behavior adjustment on her end to solve these ongoing issues. While confronting hard truths is very painful, burying your head in the sand always makes them worse.

I added topic flair to your post, but you may update the topic if needed ([click here for help](/r/personalfinance/wiki/flair)). You may find these links helpful: - [Student Loans wiki page](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/studentloans) - ["How to handle $"](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics) - [What's the best way to pay down my debt?](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/debt#wiki_what.27s_the_best_way_to_pay_down_my_debt.3F) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Human: During the recession, times were tough. I went from a relatively high paying career to an ultimately money-losing entrepreneurial endeavor to pretty much unemployed and unable to find work for months on end with mounting debts. A good friend owned a small business and he offered me the opportunity to work full-time on a project for a new product the business wanted to launch. We agreed to a small salary and we'd renegotiate a profit / equity share once the project launched if successful. I know that prior to learning about my situation, he was only lukewarm about pursuing said project. He saw it as much as an opportunity to help me out as anything. He also offered me a nice low interest loan to help take care of some of my mounting debts. Very generous. Despite, I ultimately had to file for personal bankruptcy. My friend gave me no troubles about the time I spent away to deal with those issues. I was not back on my feet by any means and the pay was low so I was hardly scraping by, but definitely in a much better situation, so all was great. Then, tragedy struck. My friend had a major life-changing emergency that forced him to be away from the business and out of town for a long and unknown period of time. It derailed the project, but he asked me to stick around and help to co-manage the daily operations of the business while he was away. He gave me a token boost in pay - though it was still relatively low and tough to live on given the high cost area where the business operated, but I was grateful. I also thought at that point the situation would last maybe be 2-3 months so I was not concerned about continuing to be on a 1099. Unfortunately, this situation took nearly a year and a half to play out. Meanwhile, the new role I had to take on required me to be in the office every single day. I went from using my laptop and software I owned to their systems. I was required to arrive by 9am every morning. After the first month or so I began to receive reprimanding phone calls if I was as few as 10 minutes late. Also, because I was on a 1099, I was not allocated sick days / paid time off or any other benefits. If I called out of work for any reason (which was not often) it was tracked and questioned. I discussed that I was not OK with these requirements given I was on a 1099 and that if I was to be subject to them, I'd have to be classified appropriately. I was told "OK - It'll be dealt with it the next time I'm back in town" or a bevy of other excuses. Given how much he helped me out in ways he really did not need to, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and did not press as much as I should have. Things came to a head many many months later when I wanted to take a week worth of vacation and received a lot of resistance. I pressed the issue of the 1099 classification never being addressed and was finally told that the company would reclassify me but if they did, I would receive a substantial pay cut to make up for the taxes and benefits they'd have to pay. It became obvious there there was no intention of reclassifying as the wage I was proposed would not have been livable for the area nor anything close to a fair wage for the role. So, I did the only other thing I could do and began seeking other employment which took me many months to find. So here I am, a few years later almost back on my feet. However, I have still not filed my 2013 or 2014 tax return. I do not know how to proceed. The portion of the time I was legitimately a 1099 employee was 2012 and I filed that tax return accordingly with itemized business expenses. The W2 responsibilities began in January of 2013 and the discussion about reclassifying began end of March / April. I was not able to leave the job until mid 2014. I know for a fact the 1099 was filed with the IRS so they are aware of the income and the time is running out to pro-actively confront the issue. Do I just go ahead and file, take the standard deduction and take it on the chin? I do not have much in the way of savings so I'd have to work out a payment plan and would be paying this off over a very long period of time. Or do I liberally calculate my business expenses to match the 1099 expenses with the "1099 income" ? How much trouble would I run into down the road for that? In my 2012 return - I had a fair amount of mileage related to the 1099 income. Obviously I'd be stretching to have anything close in 2013 given the requirement I have face time in the office 8 hours a day. I considered filing an SS8 but I know it'll spell the end to more than a few friendships. It's also sure to draw the ire of many of the long-term employees at the company who are paid appropriately and would have hard time finding other work if the business were to go under (it's a very small company and I know there's at least 1 other "special arrangement" with a highly paid employee that the IRS would not approve). Any advice is greatly appreciated. I don't really have the funds to speak with a tax accountant.

You raise a number of issues. Let's go through them one at a time: > Do I just go ahead and file Yes, always file on time. The longer you wait, the worse it's going to be. > Or do I liberally calculate my business expenses to match the 1099 expenses with the "1099 income" ? How much trouble would I run into down the road for that? You should accurately claim your expenses, and not a dollar more. Anything else is tax fraud. If you claim it, you better have proof to justify it in case you get audited. Be very, very, very careful claiming mileage deductions in particular, as the rules around those are very specific. > I considered filing an SS8 From a tax standpoint, the only thing this would save you is the ~7.5% part of FICA that is the employer's responsibility. The bigger issue here is whether your employer withheld any income tax at all from any of your paychecks. If they didn't withhold any income tax, you'd still be responsible for paying all of that (plus your 7.5% share of FICA), even if you did convince the IRS that you should have been paid W-2. Your first step right now is to go and figure out what your actual tax liability for 2013 and 2014 is. I expect it will be thousands of dollars. Even if you can't afford to pay the tax bill, you need to file the actual taxes ASAP. After that's done, you can try to work out a payment plan with the IRS. But again, step 1 is **filing your taxes!**

I added topic flair to your post, but you may update the topic if needed ([click here for help](/r/personalfinance/wiki/flair)). You may find these links helpful: - [Tax Software Megathread](http://redd.it/41dew6) - [Taxes wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/taxes) - [Understanding tax brackets](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/taxes#wiki_eli5.3A_taxable_income.2C_tax_brackets.2C_marginal_tax_rates) - [W-4 IRS Withholding Calculator](http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/IRS-Withholding-Calculator) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Human: Hey guys. So I have this friend, who claims 1 or 2 for tax purposes. However, at the end of the year, he does not file a tax return. I've asked him about it, and apparently he has never filed one and plans to never do so. This action comes from a loophole in the tax code that he's told me about. It says, essentially that if you have never filed taxes, you are not legally bound to do so. So if you have filed them even one time in your life, then you must do so every year thereafter. Is this true?

No it's not true. Your friend is an idiot. Unless you live in a state without income tax, in which case he is pulling your leg.

I added topic flair to your post, but you may update the topic if needed ([click here for help](/r/personalfinance/wiki/flair)). You may find these links helpful: - [Tax Software Megathread](http://redd.it/41dew6) - [Taxes wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/taxes) - [Understanding tax brackets](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/taxes#wiki_eli5.3A_taxable_income.2C_tax_brackets.2C_marginal_tax_rates) - [W-4 IRS Withholding Calculator](http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/IRS-Withholding-Calculator) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Human: First time poster here. I make 29k a year working fulltime, own a home, have no car payment, 45$ phone bill, 89$ xfinity bill, $600 mortgage, but owe about $600 monthly to old credit cards. My parents live with me and pay gas/electric/food expenses with their disability/food stamps. I bought the house and opened the credit cards two years ago when I was about to get married and making 50% more money than I am now. Over the last two years my credit score has plummeted, I can barely scrape by. Any advice on programs or companies to contact to help renegotiate my credit card debt?

$6K is not a lot of debt. Although, you mention a $600 monthly payment. Exactly what is the full amount of your debt? > 89$ xfinity bill Based on your listed expenses, I recommend cutting this expense.

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Human: My mother has always been bad with money. She tends to spend without thinking. As a result, she has several maxed out credit cards, at least 60k in student loan debt, no assets that I'm aware of, including no retirement account because she drained it in order to pay for school. The only upside is her earning power. She's in the medical field and earns around $50 per hour. Her earning power has allowed her to stay afloat, but she's been skirting the edge of disaster for a long time though. i don't know her full financial picture, but she can't work forever. I'm not even sure it would be possible for her to work her way out of all her debt, and that's not even considering she could become sick or disabled at some point. So what do I need to consider to avoid being dragged down in this situation? I don't think I need to worry about her credit cards, but do I need to worry about her unpaid student loan debt? What about when she's no longer working and able to pay for things on her own?

Given your specific question, I do *not* mean this as a joke - Encourage her to move to a state that lacks a "filial piety" law. Somewhat more seriously, figure out a long-term way to have her "move in" that doesn't involve her actually destroying your home-life - For example, I've made plans for whichever of my parents/inlaws survive long enough, to move into a trailer on my "back 40". It'll cost me about $60k up-front, but I can recoup that by selling it it off once they all die off.

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Human: My mom's biological father was apparently a very wealthy man from Michigan. She had never known him and did not know of him for the majority of her childhood. My grandma, who has passed away less than a year ago, had told my mom that her dad had put away a fund for her. However when my grandma had tried to collect the money after my mom's dad had died (while mom was still a child) the family refused to give it to her. I would like to know if there's any way we can find if this money exists, or had ever existed, and if there's any way my mom can collect it while knowing very little about her dad. If my grandma was right then this could be very important for our family as my mom was diagnosed with cancer not long ago and had to quit her job, and dad is now working 6 days a week to keep us in our house. We have no clue how to even start going about this so if anyone know's the best way to go about this or where to start that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

*beaucoup You might want to consult /r/legaladvice. If there is indeed a fund in your mom's name, but the family is preventing access, that's a legal matter.

A few things to try: * Ask at /r/legaladvice * See if you can track down any court documents from when your grandfather's estate went through probate. Do you know who the executor of his will was? * Sounds like this happened in Michigan? If so, you can check Michigan's[ registry of unclaimed property](http://www.michigan.gov/treasury/0,1607,7-121-44435---,00.html) to see if there's anything in your mom or your grandfather's name. Check other relevant states as well. * Is there anyone on that side of the family you have a good relationship with? That's going to be by far your best bet, but I realize it may not be an option.

Human: The loan is one for the full amount, no down payment. I know that my (or any) mortgage company will not loan more than the home is worth. What are my options?

Did you have an appraisal contingency in your offer? If so, you can probably just walk away and get your earnest money back. Depending on how motivated the seller is, you could also use this as an opportunity to re-negotiate on price. If you are set on buying this house at this price, then you will need to work with your bank to see what they're willing to do. You may need to put more down, for example, so that your loan amount is for x% of the *appraised* amount.

Maybe the seller will reduce the price. If you're having an issue, most buyers will, unless they find someone willing to pay the difference out of pocket. Usually the contract has a stipulation that if the appraisal comes in for less, the buyer can cancel the contract.

Human: I have a new truck and my boss brought up putting a decal on the back window. I asked how much he was willing to offer and he told me to come up with "something fair." I have no idea how much is should ask for. Any suggestions or personal experience with this?

Depends entirely on how ugly it is. Think of all the dorks that give apple and browning free advertising on their prius or F150 respectively.

I like the mileage rate idea offered by someone here. I also like the gas idea. I would make the proposal of free gas, within reason. You pay for personal road trips and such. But your average monthly commutes -- why not?

Human: A job on craigslist says: *Hello here is your opportunity to make cash. Earn $450 driving your ride around your town with our sticker (AMP ENERGY DRINK) on your (Car, Truck, Bike, Motorcycle, Bus) Text Linda on this # for more info ASAP. Compensation....$450 weekly* So I text her and this is her reply: *It is very easy and simple , no application fees required, we would be paying you by check and would want you to get back to us with your Name: Street Address: City: State: Zip code: to send you the check and also send your Age: Current Occupation: Make of car/ year:. We will contact you immediately we receive this information Note:AMP Energy Drink will take full responsibility for placing and remove decal on your car and it will not resort to any damage* I respond with all the info filled out and then she replies with: *Thanks for the info... I want you to know that you would be getting a Check for $1510, and you would deduct your part for the advertisement,and extra $50 for your stress and have the rest sent to our specialist before you get started... Let me know if you can do that before i have the Check sent to you.* Sounds really familiar and sketchy .-.

Ugh, any time someone sends you a check and has you forward money to someone else, it is 100% a scam. If you want, you could screw with them by telling them to resend the check over and over claiming you never received it.

Yes, it's a scam. I'm sure you'll believe us all, but if you want more proof, just google: **car wrap scam**

Human: Hello everyone I am very worried about a life insurance policy that I am waiting approval for. I'm 22 and my friend from college recently joined World Financial Group as an associate. She has been evangelical in her approach to help mainly women of color achieve financial freedom. I went to a workshop she hosted and it was really informative. She then performed a financial analysis and then I went to the follow up meeting and that's when I started becoming very uneasy about the information I'm hearing. I thought it was just going to be my friend at the meeting, but she invited two other associates as well and they were doing most of the talking. They sold me on an indexed universal life insurance policy. I do want to start the habit of saving early, but after reading through the material and online resouces, I don't believe I should get the insurance. My main priorities are saving to move out of my parents house and to save to buy a used car in the next two years. I'm making a little under $13000 a year (its a stipend year long position) and I hope to find a better paying job in August. I have $916 in a savings account, $120 in cash savings, over $20,000 in student loans, and over $2000 in checking. Throughout the meeting, they kept talking to me about long term even though I feel like I needed something more liquid. So the universal life insurance has fees they didn't tell me about until I asked about them. And then she said the fees went into the life insurance and death benefits portion of the policy which I just don't think is true, I think it goes to World Financial Group. You can't take money out for 10 years without a penalty. I feel like the numbers they showed me about how much cash accumulation I would have were very inflated. So when I looked confused, they gave me the impression that they knew best and that I was crazy for second guessing the insurance. I just got urine and blood work today and I haven't had my phone interview so the insurance is not approved yet. I was thinking about calling the insurance company and telling them I am no longer interested. It also appears that my friend has signed a document in my name officially making me an associate at WFG. I was told that I was signing up to be a member and receive financial information in the form of classes and workshops. I paid a fee of $100, but if I was mislead about what I agreed to, this contract can be terminated and I can get my money back, right? So do I have a right to be hesitatant about the insurance given my current financial situation? If you don't think I should get a FFIUL, should I be doing something long term right now instead of it? I know I got myself into a pickle and I appreciate anyone that takes the time to read this and help me out! TLDR:My friend sold me universal life insurance and signed me up to be an insurance agent and I don't think it was in my best interest.

It's very shady multi level marketing. Universal Life Insurance is for people with SHIT TONS of money trying to avoid inheritance taxes by making the transfer be a life insurance policy. It's not for normal people. Really, if she wants to help YOU be financially empowered, what good is a life insurance policy?

Life insurance isn't used to help you when you're alive, it's used to help other people after you die. If the people it would help are already financially better off than you then they certainly don't need you to have insurance more than you need your own money. If that's the case then tell these insurance people to pound sand and if they don't then lawyer up or look for a paralegal for advice on whether to lawyer up.

Human: Thankfully hasn't happened but I want to be prepared since it's a potential financial catastrophe. If an older foreign in-law is visiting and they have a stroke for example, am I completely financially responsible? If so, is there some kind of insurance we can get to mitigate this risk? I would prefer any insurance products be purchased state-side, as it would make legal recourse easier and the country is high risk for corruption/scams.

They have short term medical insurance made exactly for traveling. Look for "travel medical insurance".

just drop them at hospital and drive away

Human: So sometime this month I'll have an extra $3900 coming in. My wife and I need a new bed and also want to pay off a 2800 cc debt (mine) and also have a 1400 cc ('mine) but in July a friend is paying us back 4K that we loaned them and no interested on 1.4k balance till October. Would it be feasible to just pay the 2.8k off and buy a bed and use the rest for other things. Or should we pay 2k in CC, skip the bed and use extra to pad our savings? Note: paying 2.8k raises credit score by 3 points more than just paying 2k. Assistant: Pay your CC debt. Don't rely on the friend to pay you back. Skip the new bed for now Human: Even though a legal contract exists for the payment?

Taking someone to court does not happen instantaneously.

What u/takeandbake said. And also, even if you do eventually get a judgement in your favor, the other person still can refuse to pay (or delay the repayments).

Human: My spouse would like for us to file jointly (it puts us in a lower tax bracket) but does not want to show me any of the information they entered into the tax preparation software or the prepared version of the forms. I feel that this is somewhat sketchy, and that the signature line requires each person to read the entire form. Is this a common (or at all acceptable) practice for when spouses don't want to share all their financial details with each other? Assistant: I know it's been said here over and over, but this is well beyond finances. So, the personal finance answer: Don't sign anything you don't have knowledge of. The relationship side note: You, me, and everyone else knows your spouse is hiding something major. Like, kids from another relationship major. Human: I actually think it's extremely unlikely that what they changed is major or even that interesting. I do know that it reduced our net refund by about 1k. I think it's more of a stubbornness thing, perhaps on both our parts. Assistant: .... Then why tell us? Or, more to the point, if this sort of financial secrecy is normal in your relationship, why start worrying now? The rest of this conversation really isn't for this sub. Human: We've been fortunate in that we normally don't discuss finances, and it largely hasn't been an issue. This came up because if we don't file jointly it kicks us up into a higher tax bracket, and it would reduce our refund by ~4k. You are correct in that the larger issue here is probably off-topic for this sub.

> We've been fortunate in that we normally don't discuss finances, and it largely hasn't been an issue. From the sounds of it, you two don't discuss anything. You SHOULD be discussing finances with someone who is your spouse/wife. You should absolutely know what they're doing/where they're getting their income from. Hopefully you guys can sit in a room together and communicate verbally to each other what needs to be discussed.

Sticking to the personal finance part of this, it seems fairly simple--"If I get to see the return we file jointly; if I don't, we don't. I don't sign anything I don't get to read." Then your spouse can decide whether whatever they don't want you to know is worth $4K.

Human: My employer is withholding part of my wages due to a mistake in payroll. It's not a large amount but one of my coworkers told me this is illegal in our state (North Dakota) and he's talking to HR about it because they're withholding a LARGE portion of his pay for the same reason. The employer calculates wages based on a time card that we have to fill out ourselves and if it's not properly saved, approved, and processed by Monday at noon proceeding the pay day (Friday)- we don't get the pay until the following pay day. So even though I worked the hours during x pay period, I don't get the pay until the next period. Can anyone explain if this is illegal and if so what I should do? My coworker said they could be held liable for this. I tried looking it up in North Dakota labor laws, but I don't understand any of it. Edit to add: wanted to add. I'm not trying to bypass HR and seek a different route but my coworker is having a hell of a time with HR. they've outright hung up on him when he's trying to get info on this. So I thought I'd see what PF recommended! Edit2: thanks for the replies! This makes a lot more sense now and I think my coworker is just overreacting then. This is only my third job so I didn't know how common it actually is. Glad I asked here first!

Unless I'm missing something, there doesn't seem to be any "mistake" on their part. It just seems there is the possibility you missed the deadline to submit your time card. More than likely your company has this deadline in place to ensure they have enough time to process all employees' hours and pay out accordingly by Friday. Before I was hired at my current job from temp-to-hire status, the temp agency I "worked for" had this same schedule of time card deadlines. Maybe there was something you signed/agreed/acknowledged regarding this policy? Can't really say as to the legality of it in your state, but it all sounds like standard operating procedure to me.

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Human: **The bolded text at the bottom is the main points of interest.** The info prior are to help give a bit more history as to what I've been working with and trying to comprehend. I've been thinking over and trying to understand my situation. I'm about to give up and just ask a second opinion from my main job's accountant (two doors down the street from where we work). I was working part time at Walmart, part time at my family's business as on-call tech support with a steady paycheck every two weeks, and full time in college. I've done taxes with HR Block for the last few years. I think I started in 2010 after graduating highschool in 2009. The first few years, I came out ahead, more the first few years than the year after. At this time, I didn't put much thought in it, I was only coming out ahead by a hundred or two. I had to pay more than I took in for taxes during my last year in college. I did take up a third job (computer repair and management) the summer before graduating in December. I quit Walmart shortly after joining my main job, computer repair, due to time off requests and scheduling being really squirrelly. Part of the extra taxes I had to pay was due to the family business was not taking much, if any, for Oklahoma taxes. I didn't have this issue before, but they did switch accountants and the guy probably didn't know I was in the same state..? I got this fixed shortly after by informing them of the issue. I continued work with the family business until graduation, when our agreements then changed, to only pay me for time spent helping with family business stuff, since I had more free time, yea right. I wasn't going to come in to help make the products, and still work full time at my other job. The scheduling would force me to go part time at my computer repair job, which I really liked doing. After graduating (No college loans!) and working full time at my computer repair job, roughly 35hours a week, I decided to go back (one month before graduation) to Walmart as part time, about 14-16 hours/3 evenings a week. Mostly to help finish off my car loan sooner, which I did this last February making it done a year sooner and before my wedding in June. I still work at walmart for a bit more money for savings and the wedding. Up to this point, I figured this was a learning experience for a young college/college-graduate adult. I adapted and learned as I went along. Especially with the whole health coverage fiasco, which I quickly learned to start paying more attention to the news. *sigh* **This tax season**, I felt like things were just getting worse. I thought I was getting the basics under control, even after my financial class I took in college. Without giving exact dollar amounts, I paid over $200 to HR Block for doing my taxes, including the Peace of Mind (because I didn't feel safe with the situation), and over $300 to Oklahoma. In return, I got a little over $400 back. I did have the option to have the withdraw from my returned money, for a fee, but I didn't bite and let the deposit come in, then the two week later withdraw come through. I've asked my main job to increase my paycheck take out by another $20 to hopefully ease the issue next season, but I feel like I'm playing cat and mouse. I wish HR Block had some kind of pricing sheet somewhere, or a forewarning, that "Your estimated cost for us to do your taxes will be around $XXX or higher" for the number of sheets I brought in; 4 or maybe 5 sheets, I'd have to check the envelope to be sure. Though I'm sure many of you will tell me I should have asked for an estimation, which I'm wishing I did. **Questions and concerns:** We have no loans. Car is paid off. No college loans between my fiance and I. We live in an apartment. She currently has no health coverage, but has made just under enough not to be fined for health (I envy her), with over a thousand in return which left us both speechless and myself a bit more envious. When walmart opens enrollment for health coverage again, she's jumping in for it. She works 23 hours at Walmart. I work about 50-55 hours in total between two jobs. I have health coverage through my main job. I've decided to do my taxes online with turbotax or something next tax season, is this wise? Is there anything else I should be preparing for next tax season to help keep this chaos under control?

> I've decided to do my taxes online with turbotax or something next tax season, is this wise? Your situation seems to be one or two W-2 jobs, correct? This is simple enough to do by yourself, for free with the assistance of [VITA](https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Free-Tax-Return-Preparation-for-You-by-Volunteers), or with tax software like you proposed. I would recommend **never** going to H&R Block for taxes. > Is there anything else I should be preparing for next tax season to help keep this chaos under control? What particular chaos are you referring to?

The only mistake you made was going to HR Block when you have a very simple tax return that involves entering a few W3s which can easily be done for free. Your friend is getting a lot of money back because she is overpaying giving the government an interest free loan. Your withdrawals are accurate based on the fact that you are getting back a small amount. You may want to think about getting a basic health insurance policy to prevent that penalty. Other than that your taxes are quite ordinary.

Human: https://www.youtube.com/user/agsmandrew here is his youtube channel. theres more then just personal finance and its all for free! EDIT: HEY!! Andrew Hingston has kindly commented with the dropbox link to his stuff in this comment https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/4f5i2i/aus_i_do_a_personal_finance_subject_at_university/d272b8q?context=3

This guy is a legend for sharing his financial wisdom. A true mustachian

(AUS) Don't put all your shrimp on one barbie, Mate. End of lecture. Also: than, not then. If you can't words, I can't follow your link to personal finance advice. My loss, I'm sure.

Human: They are EE series bonds in my name. 4% interest rate. They stop earning interest after 30 years. I will probably make 30k this year (I have a job lined up) and then 65k+ in subsequent years. I also have ~30k of loans. I only have $1500 cash on hand and am graduating this May. Should I cash them in now to pay off the loans, cash them in now to help me get some more cash on hand, or wait until their life is up?

Whatever you do, when you decide to redeem them, take into consideration when the interest is paid (once every 6 months, based on the anniversary date of issuance) in order to maximize your interest potential. Find more info here: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ebonds/res_e_bonds_eeratesandterms_eebondsissuedbefore051995.htm

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Human: So the story is same as the title. Im planning on going to college next year but have impulse bought a new car. Im still underwater on the loan so selling it and buying a rust bucket isn't a good idea yet. Would it be possible to get a student loan that will cover the car expenses? I pay $860 a month for the car and insurance which i would not be able to afford in college. Please help.

$860 a month? Wow. Whatever you do, don't use student loans to subsidize your crazy car payment. You can walk away from the car if you need to but student loans are like mortgaging your life. You'll probably end up paying a higher interest rate too.

Make extra payments until the negative equity is gone and sell it. Your payments are 1300 a month, that's insane unless you make 13K take home each month. Don't go to college until this disaster is cleaned up.

Human: Hey, Fuck Up here. **Background stuff:** *(Feel free to skip this if you want but come back once you realize what a dumb ass I am.)* Was 4th year CS major, doing great, rocking a full course load with A's while interning at a Fortune500 company doing something I loved with a long line of interviews lined up ahead of me. I was a NSF Fellow with 2 different professors actively grooming me to become their PhD student. Then I got dumped on my ass. I won't go into the details but I took it hard. Lost all drive. Dropped out, but not before failing everything twice in a row (maybe three times in a row it was kinda a hazy blur) Got fired from internship. Coasting on student loans. Got kicked me out of school. Slummed it hard and became homeless in a 'exploiting my friends' in a couch surfy way for years. Had a windfall. Bought a cheap old house in the country, cash on the barrel. Got a job. /have found a bit stable now. And now... They found me and they want their money back. **The details:** * Income: 30K * Debt: 42K * Expenses: Next to none. Maybe $500 in total between food gas, phone and internet. And yeah, that could be trimmed some, for sure. That's not really my problem as I seem to have plenty left over. * Liquid assets: Maybe 5K in the bank. **The Problem:** One side of my brain is telling me to buy the things that you have gone without for 7 years: pants, dishes pot and pans, socks and underwear. And I'm ok with that to a degree, like, getting the essentials and all that. My problem is that now my definition of 'essential' is drifting. "What's that you say? New couch? I do kinda need one..." I can *see* my definition of 'need' drifting but can't seem to stop it from doing so. And it's that which is freaking me out. How do I stop from wanting? Shit, maybe this should be in /r/buddhism or something. Anyhow, if you have any advice, I would value hearing it. Thanks.

So you make money and have very few expenses. Sounds like you need to start writing some checks.

If this is about paying old debts, check out Dave Ramsey. Educate yourself before you do anything, like start paying again on old debt, or accepting verbal agreements. If this is about minimalism, then read Mr. Money Mustache. If it's about spirituality, go visit your nearest Episcopalian or Anglican church. You have a much stronger grasp on need vs want than most people ever will, because of your experiences. This can be a benefit for you. We buy a lot of things just because we're "supposed" to, or to impress people we don't really like. You can't stop from wanting. Try buying a couch if you want. See if it makes you happy (it probably won't). Making consumption your god will destroy you. But maybe having a couch means you invite friends over and enjoy their company, and that's worth it. Study happiness.

Human: I need to help on this, I was driving home yesterday and the roof window (skylight or whatever u call it) came off a bus that was driving in front of me and hit my car, it broke the windscreen and flipped around and hit my back side window and smashed it, sone minor pillar damage too. Pretty scary considering I'm only driving 2 months. I left my car in a repair shop and theyre going to do up an estimate for me, also hired a car fof the time being. The owner of the bus company said he wants to pay case instead of going through insurance but it's entirely up to me... what should I do? Should I try and get some extra cash out of it myself if he wants to pay cash? I don't know what to do

If it were me, I'd make damn sure (get it in writing on something official - company letterhead or something - the bus company doesn't wanna use the insurance company either because it'll put their premiums up so it mightn't be too hard) they were going to play ball, then let them pay in cash. It's easier for everyone involved, and (probably) faster. If you take that route though, make sure they agree to pay whatever the crash repairer *charges*, not what he *quotes*; you don't wanna be left high and dry because they quoted $2k and charged $4k.

This is a terrible idea. Go back through this sub and look for the people who were promised payment and then never got it. Then it's six months later and they're screwed.

Human: Hi I'm 17 and getting my first car soon. I need one for a job and I don't have a lot of cash on hand, but I make a decent monthly amount from my job and should be able to cover it, so I was thinking about putting a down payment on a lease of a new car instead of buying an old crappy one for cheap. I'm also joining the military in a few months so I'll have more than enough income to cover the lease, so I'm not worried about paying for it. Will they let me get my own lease since I'm under 18 with my parents permission or will one of them have to cosign or something? Also, if I have to cosign, will I be able to take their name off the lease at some point? Because it would be easier for me once I'm in the military to just have it in my name. Also if you think I'm not understanding something right or have any general advice feel free to help me. Thanks in advance. Assistant: You can't even be on the deal at 17. Why lease a car if you're going in the military? You shouldn't do this. Human: I mean, I'm going to need a car in the military too. But yeah if I can't even be on the lease at this point I should probably just wait.

Please go read here. Between all of the car threads, and more importantly all of the "Hi I'm new to the military" threads, you will realize not to burn money on a car. You'll be paying a lease for a car that will be sitting for months! You need to save up and buy a $2,000 - $4,000 car. Also if you read all of the other threads here from military people, you will find how bad of an idea it is to burn your money on a car. Go see all the kids that burned their credit to the ground thinking just like you are. Using your sign up bonus and money from basic to get yourself a depreciating hunk of metal is a huge waste.

Yes, so you should save up and buy a used car.

Human: Thanks in advance to anyone reading this, but my main question is how important is loving your college in relation to laying back loans. I've calculated that including estimated scholarship money and some money my parents are giving me, I'd be about $80,000 in debt after four years. If anyone has some experience with this I would really appreciate it.

IMO, unless it's Ivy League, no school/no degree is worth 80k of debt. Go to community college or the state school for 2 years, make sure ALL of your credits transfer over and finish your next 2 years at the state school/dream school.

$80k in student loans will be too much unless you end up pursing a particularly lucrative career path, like something in engineering or CS. The general rule of thumb for college loans is to borrow no more than you might make in your first year out of college. Very, very few recent college grads make $80k+. $40k is a more typical starting salary. The minimum payments on $80k in loans (assuming 6% interest and a 10 year repayment period) is about $890 per month. Owing that much may mean serious financial difficulties after college. Depending on how much you earn, you may be stuck living with your parents or lots of roommates for a good portion of your twenties because you won't be able to afford all of your regular living expenses and your minimum student loan payments. On a related note, I think the things that make you happy during your college years have little to do with the particular college you attend, and have much more to do with the friends you make, the extra-curriculars you get involved with, and whether you feel like you're happy with your major and academic performance. Attending college A vs college B probably won't affect whether you make good friends or get a lot of out being on the club soccer team.

Human: So I had my very first interview for a job in my field on Friday. I graduate at the end of this month, and during the summers of my first two years in school I've gotten two internships at two of the largest studios in my field, and was re hired back at one during the summer of my third year in school. I mention all of this to establish my experience, which is far greater than the average junior in my profession coming out of school. Anyway, for whatever reason I never needed to do an interview for those positions, so Friday was my first interview/salary negotiation ever. Everything went well until the negotiation part. She asked what my salary expectations were, I said "what do you think is a fair value for the position?". Didn't work, she said I asked you. So I did my research and found that the job I was going for in this location can make anywhere from 45 to 95 a year given seniority. I said that, and said "I think I fall closer to the top end, and that 75 would be fair." She scoffed and went off about how I'm a junior, yada yada and then mentioned something along the lines of "we'd be hard pressed to offer you 60". I foolishly got hung up on her referring to me as junior and tried to explain 'why' my value was that high instead of giving a counter. She must have seen that I was a poor negotiator, because we finished on, "We can offer as high as 45. Think about it and let me know" Anyway, the job is in Montreal and I plan on sending a follow up email on Monday to try and salvage this. Originally I told myself 60's or I walk, but either she's right about what I deserve to be paid, or she's really good at her job, and now I'm thinking that I'll settle for 50's. I mean the way I see it is that she either has a few candidates lined up and is seeing who she can get for the cheapest (in which case I have no leverage), or the studio actually wants me and she just thinks she can get me for cheap. Any advice on what to do/how to proceed/negotiation tips would be very much appreciated! TL/DR: Fresh out of school but with significantly more experience than the average grad in my field. I asked for 75, she said 45 and to think it over. Studio is known for underpaying and being hard nosed with negotiation. Assistant: Another case of entitlement, unfortunately. Why do you think you deserve the top end salary of a job that you have no experience in? This is your first real job and you want to START OUT making what the average person in the industry who has had experience makes... How can you not see that, given your crudentials... you have no real room for negotiation? People of my generation (millenials) are so entitled its sickening. Don't get me wrong, you should ask what you feel you are worth, but I just dont understand the logic on how people think they are worth the upper half of their salary, knowing that they havent ever had any real experience.. Also, it just doesnt look good for you as an employee to have that attitude. She told you 45k, if you come back with 50k after the way you sounded (sounded self entitled, young person coming in with little to no experience fresh from school- pretty much demanding a salary in the upper 40 percentile), she may just turn you down. Especially if she actually does have other candidates. People need to understand you are worth what people are willing to pay, and not a cent more. You have no real reasoning other than you are a little more experience than peers around you, and thats it. You should definately start with what they give you at this point, prove to them you are worth what you say after 6 months- 1 year and push for a raise then. edit: I dont consider free lancing experience. Human: If I came off as entitled, I apologize. Let me be clear that I gave 75 as a starting figure, as everything I read said to start high. Ideally that would have brought me into the 60's which was what I wanted. Obviously I didn't do a good job with negotiating though. And the reason I'm looking for advice is that my actual first job - last summer - paid me 58 a year, and that was with zero film experience outside of my internships which were purely training. Those I've talked to in the industry unanimously agree that this studio under pays if you don't negotiate properly. I just came here for assistance in future negotiations and in trying to get a more appropriate salary. I don't think that makes me entitled.

They didnt pay you a 58K salary if you only worked for the summer...

That schtick in the movies where one person starts high and the other starts low and they meet in the middle is just for the movies. In real life, they either NEED NEED to hire you right now and you can give a number and see if they accept it (probably not the case for a jr. animator) or they have dozens of qualified resumes and they will pass on anyone who does does not work in their budget (can't pay the jr. animator more than a 3-5 year animator). If someone makes you an offer and you don't accept it, then you have to understand that you are saying to them that you are willing to walk away because they are going to go with someone else. You probably lost your chance already.

Human: Ok so, I recently decided to buy a condo. While going through the pre-approval process my soon-to-be lender discovered that I was late on a mortgage payment about 3 years ago (the loan has since been paid in full). Now my soon-to-be lender is asking for a letter explaining why I was late on that payment. I don't even remember being late but I can't deny it either. So, two questions: What should this letter say? And, How do I get this off of my credit report? *Formatting Thanks to all that replied. This seems to be a non-issue. Thanks PF!

Your credit report is essentially your financial life story. Trying to "get this off the report" is a bit like asking your friends and family to forget you were ever married to your crazy ex. It happened, it sucks, and it'll fall off naturally after 7 years. Until then, not much you can do. As far as the letter, I'd be honest. Lying during the lending process is generally considered fraud.

You can easily get this off your report **if the original lender is willing to do so.** It doesn't hurt to ask - call up the lender that the late payment was to, and ask if they would be willing to remove the late. If not, it's not a big deal at all. Mortgages typically cannot have a late payment within the last year (or two years depending on lender). Your late payment from three years ago will not impact the decision on your loan (the impact it had, if any, is already reflected in your credit score). Lenders simply have to have a documented explanation for everything that shows up for the report, and this is one of those. You just need to write a short blurb saying "I had not received the bill and forgot to pay it," or even "I do not remember ever being late on this mortgage - I may have forgotten to make the payment in time." It only needs to be a couple paragraphs or so if the lender requires it. In my experience, most of the letters I require are various one liners for everything that pops out on a report.

Human: So our lease is up at the end of this month and as a result the landlord is trying to spruce the place up for the new tenant. He keeps requesting that we coordinate for gardening and such to which we usually pass of to him. However he recently told us he was going to send us the bill for all the services he has scheduled around the house. Are we obligated to pay for this stuff? Nothing in our lease specifies that we have to keep the yard maintained or are responsible for paying for this stuff.

If it's not in the lease it's up to the landlord. He can't bill you

According to one of the TV judges, if the lease says something along the lines of "keeping the property well maintained and good condition" you may very well be responsible for basic maintenance of things like landscaping.

Human: Hello, PF First of all I just want to say thanks in advance for any advice. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm really not sure how this kind of stuff works. My girlfriend is receiving an inheritance (somewhere in the ballpark of 120k after taxes) and wants to use some of that money to buy a house. The lease on her apartment is going to expire before her money comes in and she'd rather not sign into another lease So, my question is, is there a way she can get a loan/mortgage to buy a house with the promise of paying it back (plus interest, of course) when the money from her inheritance comes in? What other choices might she have? She has all the paperwork and a copy of the will, would a bank work with her? Thanks again for the help!

It's possible but not a great idea... How is the inheritance currently handled? Is she waiting for someone to die or is it an age/clause thing? There's a lot of variables. I don't see a big reason to rush to buy property just because she may have some money coming. Houses are really expensive and I'm not just talking about the mortgage. It's a lifestyle... Be prepared to spend at least one day a weekend doing some sort of work/repairs.

You and others viewing this thread may find these links helpful: - [Windfalls wiki page](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/windfall) - ["How to handle $"](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics) I also added topic flair to your post, but you may update the topic if needed ([click here for help](/r/personalfinance/wiki/flair)). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Human: Is this a good idea? We are a middle class family with preschool aged children that make decent income, live in a small house and can afford mayb 1-2 vacations a year. We have to be on a budget in order to do this. Many of my friends make about the same as me, but live lavish lifestyles, take exotic vacations with their families, have huge houses, fancy cars and to what it seems....no money problems! I found out that several have taken out second mortgage to live this way. Is it worth it? Their children are exposed to the world and have great opportunities where ours are living more modest lifestyles and I feel pretty bad about it. Should we take out a second mortgage??

> Is it worth it? Absolutely not, and frankly, your friends are idiots for doing this. Stop comparing yourself other people. If you have your emergency fund, are contributing to your retirement accounts, and your kids are clothed and fed, you have absolutely nothing to feel bad about. 1-2 vacations per year is more than lots of people are able to take. When your kids are older, they going to appreciate having parents with sound finances more than that trip to Bora Bora they don't remember when they were six.

I foresee nothing wrong with this idea.

Human: My mom just had her car repo'd, and I'm trying to figure out how to help her. To be clear, I'm 28, live on my own, support myself entirely, etc. She's had financial problems forever, starting when she made $30,000 as a file clerk when I was growing up, and now making $90,000 ($4,300 monthly take home) as a supervisor at her firm. She's always been broke. The problem is her "crap" spending... Too much eating out, too much consumer nonsense, etc. She also supports my sister, which doesn't help. Here's a rough outline of her monthly bills ($2650 total): * Rent: $1,580/month (2x1 apartment in an inland Southern California suburb) * Cars: $280/month for her car, $215 for my sister's car * Auto insurance: ~~$700/month~~$400/month* * Utilities: $175/month And here are estimates of what she spends on debt ($1040 total): * Credit card debt consolidation: $420/month * Credit card debt consolidation: $200/month * Minimum payments on credit cards: $120/month * Underpaid taxes: $300/month * Five additional credit cards in collections: ? I've tried to help her before with budgeting and so on. But she just can't. Her mindset is always on solving *today*, and hoping that the long-term issues just take care of themselves. Admittedly, I've enabled her in some ways. She owes me $3000, and I've been paying the cell phone bill for her and my sister since January. Any advice on how I help her now? Is there a non-shady type of organization that helps people in these situations? I gather a lot of debt consolidation places are pretty sketchy. *Y'all were right... My memory was way off on the car insurance. Still a lot to pay for two <$20,000 cars though. Edit: Updated with the correct figures for posterity. Not dramatically different from my initial estimates. She ends up with about $610 after paying her bills. I'm going to set her "living expenses" allowance at $400 and see how it goes. It's tight, but she'll have to make do.

Your thought that she was paying her car payment must have been optimistic, or it wouldn't have been repossessed. $700/month for car insurance? How does someone do that, even with two drivers? What sort of help are you imagining here? She's obviously spending money on something to have accumulated $20,000 in new credit card debt on top of what must be more than $50,000 in consolidated debt. Her debt service is high at $1500/month, but her income is also high. She doesn't need consolidation at this point. She needs intervention. She has the money to get out of debt, but she has to want to do that.

Are you 100% sure there are no gambling/substance abuse issues with your mom or sister?

Human: Thank you for your time. Edit: Need is probably the wrong word. "Would like" is closer. It's a single paid move from Hawaii to a mainland location. I've got two very young children and money is going to be on a tight budget for a little while. In the past 40 years I've moved to 22 different geographical locations, many more different addresses. I want to break the cycle for my children and raise them in a stable home. I get it , renting is probably better, but I'm doing my DD and if I can find the right place, I want to go for it.

Rent first. Gives you time to get an idea where you want to buy.

Do you know anybody in the state you're moving to that you could ask for a recommendation? If not, you'll need to rely on online reviews. Once you find a few, give them a call to discuss over the phone what you're looking for and see which you "click" with the best. Make sure to ask them how long you need to plan to be out there on your house-hunting trip as well, as that can vary a lot depending on how active the particular market it.

Human: I just got my new credit card a few days ago. Would it help her credit to be on my new card? She recently applied for one of those airline credit cards and was declined. She currently has one credit card through our local credit union but I believe that it is secured. I want to help her with building her credit early (she's 19). And yes, I do trust her completely not to go spending wildly on my card. She is quite responsible.

It would help her much more if you added her to an older card.

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Human: Hello PF. I used a throwaway because I don't want this tied to my main account. I had been working full time at a contractor supply store which I enjoy, and a few overnights a week at a gas station which I couldn't stand. A few weeks ago, while I was at my full time job, I met a contractor customer, and I asked him if he needed Saturday help. He said yes, I started the next Saturday, left the gas station, all is well. The next Monday he asks to meet me after my full time job, he and his foreman take me out to dinner, and tell me they were so impressed with my work that they want to take me on full time as a head carpenter. (I'm only 25, this has never happened to me, so I was quite flattered.) He makes an offer, I contemplate it, two days later I make a counter offer, he calls me the next day, meets me in the middle, and I accept. I give my notice, they are sad to see me go, I explain how I love working there, and I think the pay is fair, but this was too good of an opportunity, etc. I burn no bridges. My last day there was set to be this Friday, the 22nd. In the mean time, I'm working Saturdays for this contractor. Today, the guy calls me and tells me basically "due to the ineffectiveness of the current employee base, we are 8 weeks behind on production. In order to catch up, I'm going to restructure the company and move all the labor over to sub contractors. I want you to stay at your current job" The owner said he is going to be at my job first thing tomorrow morning, and explain to my manager the circumstances. Backstory is done. So here comes where I need help: I am unsure of the efficacy of that last part. What are all of your thoughts on it? People who have been in a spot like this before, what is the best course of action? What actions should I avoid? I am technically still employed there, so I thankfully don't have to go through the hiring process again. But what should I expect from the management/owners of my current job?

Hopefully you werent a dick about quitting and if they like you they will prob welcome you back.

I burned a bridge once when I got a new job and backfired so hard because the offer was pulled before I started. If you left on good terms you should have a chance to go back

Human: I have 5k in a regular savings account from bofA. I don't win much interest. Like 3 or 4 cents. Should I move it into a cd with 0.03% - 0.15% APY ?

I have a Barclay savings at a little over 1%. They have 60 month CDs with just over 2%.

Does anyone know of a good online savings account for Canadians? I was looking into it and I am not sure Canadians can open accounts with Ally anymore :(.

Human: I have been dating my girlfriend for about 2 years and we are currently looking at apartments. We are currently living at my parent's and have an hour commute to work one way. So we are trying to move closers to work. Yes we work together, and bring in about $42k a year combined. The apartment she has her heart set on is a 2 bed 2 bath and rent is $759 a month along with electric and water. After accounting for the expenses (groceries, Internet, gas for the cars, phone bills, car bills and date money) when all said and done she will have $300 left over each month and I will have around $500. I'm concerned that is not enough money for a cushion after saving a little and for extra spending. What is your opinion and do you have any suggestions. We have looked and there really isn't anything that much cheaper in the area we are looking at. Thank you

/r/relationships Why do you need a 2br 2ba? Could you rent the other bedroom to bring in additional money and help close the gap? She gets the apartment she wants, you get the savings/disposable income you want.

For you both I'd recommend following Dave Ramsey's saving/spending advice. That rent price you gave is before you split it, right? It may be reasonable for the two of you, but can each of you afford it on your own? Stuff happens- a number of things could cause one of you to move out, so it's important to make sure that one of you isn't left with an overwhelming rent payment in that case. As for the money you save each month, you'd be surprised at how many people making more than you have less than that left over every month. Each of you needs to build an emergency fund of $1,000, separately. You can do it in two months, her in three and some change. After you've got that, put that 500 a month towards your car until you pay it off. Psychologically, it's going to be important to live like you don't have that 500 until you're out of debt. Ideally she will be doing same thing.

Human: My job did not take out federal income taxes and it obviously screwed my over as a result this year. I don't make that much money so it definitely has an impact. What should I do? How should I confront my boss with this issue and what is the best way to go about this? I don't want to get fired over this, but this issue is definitely setting me back. Assistant: Sorry to say but its not their fault. Did you think it was weird how no tax was taken out of any of your paychecks? Human: Duly noted, so in my situation should I request to get switched to a W4 if that is possible?

You dont get switched to a W4 employee. W4 is a form and informs how much tax to take out of your W2 income.

Ask payroll for a W-4 form to fill out. If you have multiple jobs, see page 2 worksheet to help you determine an "allowances" number to use, and use that on your higher paying job and "0" on the W-4s of lower paying jobs. You can download Form W-4 from irs.gov web site too.

Human: I'm not sure I found the answer to my question on that post the Mods posted about taxes. If I did I'm not sure. I fully understand. Anyways, as far as I know, nothing changed on my taxes from 2014-2015. I made the same amount, didn't change my withholdings, etc. But this year I owe taxes for 2015 and I've never before owed in my life. I got married in 2014 but other than that nothing changed. Any ideas what could've caused this? We don't make that much and have a new baby, so paying what I owe isn't going to be easy.

Since you haven't provided any figures, print your returns for 2014 and 2015 and compare them side-by-side. Look for the changes to income, deductions, credits, or withholding.

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Human: Hey guys, After living with a beater car since college, I was finally in a position to purchase my first new car from a dealership today (don't worry, I understand the implications of buying new vs. slightly used, that's a different topic altogether). The resources on /r/personalfinance allowed me to feel completely in control of my purchase and helped me avoid common pitfalls that some folks may run into. Here's just a brief overview of my car buying experience: * I did a lot of research on the quality index and reliability of certain makes/models to help narrow down the specific car I wanted with help from the [Long Term Quality Index](http://longtermqualityindex.com/) * I read up on two very helpful reddit posts: [Step by Step Guide on how to buy a car](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/3898f1/step_by_step_guide_on_how_to_buy_a_car_my_friend/) and [3 Tricks Car Salesman Use to Take Your Money] (https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/36pnp0/3_tricks_car_salesmen_use_to_take_your_money/) * After finding the exact car I wanted, I submitted my information through TrueCar (my employer has some sort of affiliation/deal with them). I submitted a Google Voice phone number an email address that I don't use for anything else so I wouldn't be constantly harassed by calls/emails. I also calculated the exact loan terms and out the door price that I wanted and looked up the auto loan rates at my local credit union. * After receiving offers from the local dealership (3 of them in my case), I sent the lowest offer to the other dealerships and asked for their lowest out the door price (including taxes, title, and fees). This happened about 4-5 times. * After receiving prices that were within ~$100 of each other, I scheduled an appointment at the dealership with the lowest OTD cost for a test drive of the car * I printed out the emails from the dealership with the price I negotiated and went for a test drive. All went well so we sat down to talk about the price/options. I was then given a quote with an additional freight fee ($895) and some added paint-protecting clear-coat ($850). I said I wasn't interested and that the freight fee was included in the Truecar cost already (which was in the email correspondence). They removed both charges. * I then went to the finance office. The finance manager initially gave me an interest rate of **4.65%** which was WAAAY too high. I advised her that my local credit union could do 1.79%, so I would go with them if they couldn't match it. I told her the exact loan term that I wanted and emphasized the total cost of the car over the monthly payments. She went over the warranty options multiple times, but I stayed firm with my choice of not wanting any additional coverage. They were able to go down to 1.8%. I went with their financing because I also got an additional $500 incentive through Honda for being a recent graduate. In the end, I walked out with the car I wanted at a great price and felt completely in control. I just wanted to personally thank all the posters at /r/personalfinance for empowering me with the knowledge I needed! If anyone has questions about my experience, feel free to ask. Edit: Missed a word in the title. Should be "First NEW car purchase" Edit2: It was a 2016 Honda Civic EX for those who were asking.

My last two car purchases were also new and through the dealerships Internet Departments. Car buying has gotten so much better because you can inform yourself and have proof in hand when signing the paperwork. I was literally in and out within 90 minutes on my most recent purchase, which I will now set as a walkout point in the future. People should not feel like they have to spend their entire day closing the deal. Much different from my very first dealership experience in 1990 (thanks Dad!)

You should have bought it on a holiday deals. Thanksgiving, labor day, and other neat stuff. I got 0%APR on my first car.

Human: Guys I don't know what to make of this and I'm feeling dumb. I sold my Jeep Wrangler on Craigslist today to a really nice seeming couple in their 70s. Lets call them Dick and Jane. First. I take care of my disabled adult daughter every weekend. She has cerebral palsy and can't do anything for herself. While Dick and Jane were looking at my wrangler I stepped inside to check on her as she was taking a nap. She had vomited. She was fine. But she had gotten sick all over her self and needed to be cleaned up. I started to clean her up but she vomited again. My anxiety went through the roof as I was watching my daughter get sick and I guess I was paying more attention to her and her needs than the deal that was unfolding in my yard. When I get back outside Dick and Jane hand me a check for the purchase price of 10k. I refuse politely and say that I will only accept cash. Dick says he understands and that the check is only a receipt and that if I sign it back over to him he will give me the cash. Now at this moment all I can think of is getting back inside to care for my daughter so like a dummy I sign the back of the check and give it to them with the title. They gave me the cash. So yes, I have the money. Its just that it seems so strange to me in hindsight and I'm really embarrassed that I let someone convince me to do the deal like that. I just can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. Why would they write me a check only to pressure me to sign the back and then give me the purchase price in cash as I asked? It's so strange. Any insight or help is really appreciated. Thanks.

You're good. You got the cash, finances on their end is their problem.

Signing the back of a cheque is called *endorsing*. A cheque that is endorsed becomes a *negotiable instrument* which means it can be traded or delivered to any party, similar to cash, and any person that holds that cheque is entitled to receive payment. This cheque can then follow a long chain of *negotiation* (delivery) to several different parties. Let's say Dick makes a cheque out to you, Learntosave. You take the cheque, endorse it, and give it to Jane. Since you endorsed it, Jane can then deliver the cheque to anyone without needing to endorse it, so she gives it to Vlad. Vlad endorses the check and gives it to Sue who currently holds the cheque. The chain follows: Dick (maker) --> LearntoSave (Endorser) --> Jane --> Vlad (Endorser) --> Sue (Holder) **Liability** - As a rule, the primary liability falls on the maker of the cheque but an endorser may also be held liable. So what if the maker cannot pay? The ability to demand payment from an endorser is subject to an important limitation. Liability cannot be imposed on an endorser unless that person receives a *notice of dishonour* which consists of a statement that the person who was primarily liable (Dick) on the instrument failed to pay. If this happens, and the rules of the notice are obeyed: 1. Notice is given quickly 2. Clearly identifies the instrument in question (doesn't have to be in writing) 3. Given by a holder who wants payment 4. Notice isn't required if endorser can't be reached through reasonable effort 5. If notice is not given the endorser is discharged and can't be liable) then the endorsers (LearntoSave and Vlad) can be sued for the amount on the cheque. As an endorser, do you have a defence? Yes. In this case it appears that there is a *failure of consideration*. When you gave the cheque back to Jane you did not receive anything in exchange and the transaction was not *supported by value*. Like all contracts, a cheque is enforceable only if it is supported by consideration. Conclusion: Was it silly of you to sign the cheque? Yes, I personally think so. Dick and Jane might be able to create some sort of fraud or forgery and create a messy situation, but in the end you would not be held liable. I also doubt that is their intent in this situation. Next time, just write VOID on the cheque or simply don't sign it.

Human: As the title says, me and my fiance are getting married this fall. Collectively we bring in $105k a year. I will be getting a raise the end of next month of at least 3% so that will add about $1800 more to my salary. We currently budget quite well and are able to put away $800/month exclusively from her paychecks (I cover most of the bills with my paychecks) and most of the approx. $150/month that is left over from mine goes to our miscellaneous (spending money). We currently have $10k in checking and approx $6k in basic bank savings account. Our wedding is budgeted for $13k total and we are putting $7k towards that. We currently pay the following: - $1300/month in student loans - $700/month in car payments - $1200/month in rent - $400/month in groceries - $116/month in Cable - $130/month in utilities (gas, electric, water) - $180/month in insurance (car and renters) - $130/month in cell phone bills (mine and what she pays her mother) As I said before we can put away $800/month from her paycheck and right now my extra goes into spending money but that is going to increase when I get a raise the end of the next month. After we get married we are trying to decide what we should do/can do afterwards, we both want to wait to have children until we have a house (neither of us want to raise children in an apartment) but our biggest concern is that our student loans are going to prevent us from being able to afford a house that would be suitable to raise a family in the area we live in. My biggest question is what can we do about our student loans, she has three totaling $21k that are at 10%, 10.25%, 13.25% interests rates. All of the other loans that we have are under 7% interest rate (approx 3.1% to 6.75%) totaling approx $50k to $65k (not sure about the total of the loans that I pay to my parents, parent plus loans). Is it reasonable to wait two years and buy a house and not worry a lot about the student loans or should we put off buying a house to pay off as much of the loans as we can in two years then start saving for a house? I just am not sure what I should be focusing on once we get married. Sorry for any messing formatting as I am new to posting on reddit. Thank you guys in advance!

Get a six month emergency fund and then pour every penny you can into those student loans (highest interest rates first). I wouldn't want to buy a house with this amount of debt. A house is expensive. It is more than the mortgage payment each month. What happens with you need a new roof or appliances go out? The good news is you guys have a plan and you have a big shovel, so you will be making a dent in those high interest rates loans rather quickly.

You go on a honeymoon

Human: Hey all. My girlfriend has a 2014 Honda Civic that is killing her with debt. Here are the numbers. Original Amount: $21,497.16 Interest Rate:13.500% APR Loan Term:72 Month Monthly Payment: $439.53 Interest Paid YTD: $859.71 Interest Paid in 2015: $1,071.06 Total Interest Paid: $1,930.77 Total Principal Paid: $1,145.94 The bluebook value of the car with her mileage seems to be about 12.5k She co-signed the loan with her father, and according to her "The Salesman saw him coming". The last time she checked her credit (about a year ago), it was 750, and her father was a little higher. At the time, she had a job that could afford the payments easily, but life happened and she works at Subway now, and her take home average is 245. She's actively looking for a new job, or a second job, but, well, you all know how it can be finding a job. Either way,13.5 APR seems pretty high, and it's rough for her to make rent with this massive (relative to her income and the car) debt. From my understanding, even if she sold the car for close to Bluebook, she'd still owe 8k to cover the gap between the amount owed and the amount the car was paid for, on top of the cost of any car she bought that would be cheaper. Would it be cheaper? Possibly, depending on the car (a nice used car for like 5k would mean she'd go from 20k to 13k) but would still likely require a large amount of cash upfront, not to mention the warranties that she still has for any work that needs to be done would no longer apply, so everything would end up being out of pocket. This kind of situation can't be totally uncommon, so I'd like to know if you guys have any suggestions as to options. Can we lower the APR somehow? Refinance? I appreciate the time it took to read this, thanks! Assistant: Regardless of the interest rate, you can't afford a $20,000 car working at Subway. That is ridiculous. Go to a place like CarMax and see what the actual value would be. Hopefully, she could sell it, borrow the difference and get a bike. Human: So, say she sold it for 10k private or dealer. She now has 10k of the 20k she owes. Does she give said 10k to the bank? Does she use part of that 10k to buy something cheaper outright with the remainder going to the bank?? Bike isn't an option here in AZ, and not for the distance to her current job. By borrow the difference, you mean get a regular loan for the difference and pay back the car loan with that, and pay the regular loan at a hopefully better APR? Checking CarMax now, thanks.

Are you sure on the KBB price? You did private party, right? Honda Civics usually hold their value. Unless she has a ton of miles, I doubt she isn't that underwater. Also, she makes almost nothing. Can't she find a job close to home that pays the same so she doesn't need a car?

I just bought a new Honda a month ago and looked and new and used, a 2014 civic is worth much more than 10k. I would try to get at least a few thousand more than 10k.

Human: Hey guys! I am a senior in high school and I am about to commit to a university hopefully in the coming week or weeks. I am fortunate to get into quite good universities, but I have a question not based off of tuition (well sort of), just off of general financial judgement. I got into Boston University, my number one choice. I got quite a bit of money from them, $45k a semester, but I will still need to loan around $25k with $17k-$20k of that being private loans. The school is quite good in terms of being known and has strong academics. However, a local SUNY school, Stony Brook University and an upstate SUNY, Binghamton, both offered me near full-rides. So, even though the SUNYs are not really on the level of Boston, to some degree, is it worth to take out the private loans and go to Boston University? I am stuck and I have no idea what to do. Should I go to college for free and possibly have a harder time finding a well-paying job or rather have a less value in my educational background? To note, I am going to major in engineering. Thanks. Assistant: Don't focus so much on a school's prestige. Like the other comment, what makes you think that one school will actually result in a significantly better income? I went to a state school and graduated with less than $10k in loans and paid them of in about a year, while colleagues of mine....who have the same position and pay...that went to fancier private schools are drowning in their $50k+ piles of debt. Just my experience, could also be totally different in engineering. Human: I have heard that the engineering field is competitive, almost like medicine. Having a known college in your background may help with employer's decisions. However, this may not be completely true in reality.

I'd look into the placement/internship opportunities that each school has to offer. Some schools have established partnerships that basically get you lined up with a job and working before you even graduate. Edit: in the end it's also just money so do what makes you happy. You're going to be fine either way.

Most engineering companies care far more about your actual engineering experience (projects, teams, internships) than your university or even your grades.

Human: I'm curious because we are buying a house soon and I lost my credit card. Any ill effects from canceling and getting a new number?

Don't cancel it. Tell them you lost it and want a new card and card number. They simply give you a new card number and move your account over to it

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Human: My friend is 23 and he needs non-emergency medical attention. His elbow is in pain but not so severe that he needs to go to the ER. However, he might need surgery to fix it. His parents make $70k annually but they cannot afford to pay for doctor visits out of pocket. They have health care but it is too expensive to use. How can he get the medical help he needs? He lives in CT

Over-consumption and lack of planning. They bring home over 4k a month and can't find 100 or 200 for a Dr visit? Ridiculous!

Is he in college? If so see if they offer health services. My university has doctors and urgent care, fully paid by tuition

Human: Just discovered my fiance is in severe credit card debt. We are both in college, herself for the first time, while I'm back on the 9/11 GI Bill from military service. Well, I just found out she has right about $28,500 in credit card debt from 2 cards. She had a really good job for 2 years with her aunts company, earned good money (which allowed her to get high limits), and spent and spent. The company imploded so she came to school, and according to her and the payment records, she has been sitting at around 28,000-30,000 principle due for about a year, paying only minimums as she no longer has any money and is a waitress. Monthly she barely covers her rent, CC payments, utilities, etc... Well, I have zero debt, and we marry in June. We have been offered student loans for the new semester starting soon, and I'm wondering if we should take them to reduce the overall interest and monthly burden we are facing. Here are the numbers: CC 1: Owes $9,250 @ 30% APR. Monthly minimum is about $255. CC 2: Owes $19,250 @15% APR. Monthly minimum is about $450. Student loan offer #1: Direct subsidized loan for $5,500 @ 4.29%. Would not have to start paying back till around December 2018. Student loan offer #2: Direct unsubsidized loan for $7,000 @ 4.29%, but start paying back immediately. From what I gather, would pay around $72/month immediately. Is this a no-brainer? At 4.29% for each, should I jump at the chance of trading the high APRs for a small rate? I know I'm going to have to pay all of it off, but right now the interest is killing her/us, and is not really moving the principle down. I think the Subsidized Loan is an immediate "Yes" decision, but what do you suggest I do about the Unsubsidized Loan? Any advice is appreciated!! Thanks! Edit: I'll clear this up, as I left it out. Because of my GI Bill, my tuition is completely paid for, and I receive a stipend for books and monthly housing (about $1,300/month tax free). So for me to attend college, its free. Any loan I take out won't be directed at any school costs due to that. Edit 2: Some people have commented on bankruptcy law, which completely confuses me. She is struggling with debt, yes, but this isn't something to declare bankruptcy on. I think thats pretty out of line and honestly kinda cowardly. I myself have had problems in the past, but I manned up and figured it out, didn't go declare bankruptcy. She racked up bills, we're going to pay them. The question then is focused around the mathematics of the problem. Would it be advisable to take student loans out to pay the CCs, and save thousands and thousands in interest? Money in the future is not a problem, just at the moment. We both are in line for walking into jobs with great pay (nurse for her, anesthesiologist for myself), and paying back sometime in the future will be zero problem, but not at the exact moment as we are in school. 2 Years from now we will be able to rid that debt inside of a span of 3-4 months. Bankruptcy seems like a pretty drastic and stupid move considering how poorly it affects her credit.

Well there are three problems I see with that: 1. Student loan debt cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. Credit card debt can. 2. Most student loans have an agreement that you can only use that money for school-related purposes. Granted, those rules aren't enforced very well, but if the loan provider (government in this case) was to find out legal action could be taken. 3. Most student loans are distributed directly to the college/university to pay the direct costs first (aka: tuition, dorms, etc.). Only after all of the direct costs been paid is it used to pay the indirect costs (living expenses). So even if you get $12.5k in student loans, you may only see a few thousand in cash.

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Human: My friend and I have been talking to a home owner looking to rent his home. Only thing is he lives on the other side of the country and wants me to pay rent via cashier's checks through the mail. He also says he will mail us the key and paperwork once he gets first month and security deposit. Is any of this normal am I a moron? Also I apologize if the formatting is off I'm more of a lurker.

This is a very common scam. Don't do it.

Its a scam.

Human: I am a 17 year old high-school senior. This summer i want to purchase my first car. I have one summer to really put the hammer down and i am ready to work my arse off and do whatever it takes to be able to finance such a thing. My parents are not willing to help, i am able to work every day of the week, but is that my best option, or should i be working a lot of small jobs? give me your advice

Jobs with tips! (Barista, host, server..) agree with above saying go with what you can even if you continue looking. I did that and eventually had 2 serving jobs picking up extra shifts and saved a lot

After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm going to get rich with this scheme, and quick!

Human: .........as long as you pay the full balance every month this is a great deal.

/r/titlegore Also, I hope you're referring to cash back *rewards* not just normal cash back This is also a manufactured spending post that is much better suited for /r/churning

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Human: I hope this doesn't come off as a stupid question but now that I'm married I have a hard time deciphering what is "mine" and what is "ours". Say I want to open a Roth IRA. The account is in my name and I am contributing from my paycheck every week. If we were to get divorced 10 years down the road when the account has, say $60,000 in it, does it get split between us both? Perhaps this is a selfish question, but do I have any financial avenues that will always remain mine? Let's be honest, tons of people get divorced.

Divorce laws vary by state, you should check yours if you want to know for sure. In my state, length of the marriage is also a factor. I just got divorced, in my case it was complicated. I made most of the money, she was finishing up clinical re-specialization, but had received a sizable inheritance. We couldn't agree, and the judge said that she should keep her inheritance, but the rest should significantly skew towards me. I got about 75% of the increase in marital assets. The only individual avenues left to you are those that cannot be traced back to you, like stashing cash somewhere, or slipping money to a friend off the books. I wouldn't really advise anything like the above, lying to the court is a dangerous game. If you are caught, you will be harshly penalized - like the woman who hid a lottery win from her husband. Everything both of you make is a martial asset - how would you feel if she had a good job and she put all of her money in a individual account?

Open a secret account and siphon a little into it from time to time. Use this in case of emergencies, like "legal action". If ever discovered, it can be a "secret present account, Hon!" She'll likely have one, too.

Human: I have an LLC (filing as an S- corp via Form 2553) and I have been giving myself distributions without a salary, which I now know is terribly stupid. Through quickbooks online I've been listing it as an expense (also stupid) and thus was not able to create a W-2 for myself. How can I rectify this in Turbo Tax? It says I made more than I did because its counting the distributions twice (once as business profit on the business income side, once as distribution income on the personal side). Thanks

Seriously.... File an extension. Hire a CPA. not H&R block or liberty or Jackson hewett.... Go to google, find a CPA. Read reviews. Go to them.

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Human: Hi All, First and foremost, thank you to this sub! I love the information shared, and I feel like I have made great changes recently. My girlfriend is incredible, and she just got into graduate school! It was putting a lot of stress on her if she would get in or not. She did, and after looking at everything, she is going to be packing on about 80-90k in loans to pay for it. She also has 22k in loans already from undergrad. Her parents are supportive, acknowledging it is A LOT of money, but if she wants to do it, she should. She is frantically trying to find scholarships (does that even really work?), and I just want to make sure she is making the best decision. I thought I would reach out to you all. She has a month to decide/put a down payment for the program. How should we go about this/what are your thoughts? **EDIT: Hello all, I showed her this, and she was internally also in a similar mindset. She has decided not to attend the school and not to inquire the 100k+ in debt. We know she wants to get into cousenling, and we are deciding on next steps. What do you think her next course of action should be? How can she get in a rewarding career in this line of work?** TL;DR - Girlfriend just got accepted for a master's program, it costs 80k+ she already has 22k. Most people are saying yes around us. Assistant: What is the degree in? What is the expected income once she graduates? I have a professional graduate degree and a six-figure income with six-figures worth of debt. That amount of debt is crushing if you are bringing in a good chunk of change a month. If she is doing this to make 80k, tell her to RUN. Human: Hi! The degree is in Sports Psychology. She was a collegiate all star athlete, and she wants to help others that were like her at the collegiate level.

I actually know a little bit about this as a current PhD student in Clinical Psyc. The short answer is "no. she shouldn't do this" but I'll break down the why here First and foremost there is no college of sports psychologists. This means it is not a protected term and therefore going to school explicitly and only for this subfield of psychology is limiting and unnecessary (note: sport and exercise psychologist is a protected term in some countries but in order to get the term you need to be a Clinical Psychologist first). It's like being a counsellor. Anybody can put up a sign and advertise counselling services and many people do a variety of degrees that they believe qualify them for this role (e.g., MA Counselling Psyc, MEd, MA child and family studies, MA/MSc clinical psyc). At the end of the day it doesn't matter what school you go to because you can all hold the same title. This is the case for "Sports Psychologist" Second point is that if you go to a program for sports psyc, you can't do anything else. Conversely, if you go to a program for clinical psyc, you can practice sports psyc as well as any other sub discipline you'd like. Clinical Psychologist is a protected term and therefore there are very strict regulations that you must meet in order to be legally entitled to use that term. Once you are qualified to register as a psychologist you declare your competencies. These are the areas in which you are legally permitted to practice. For example if you only ever took courses relating to children and only ever did your practica/internship with children, you can declare competency in child psychology but not adult. Therefore what a psychologist can and cannot do boils down to what they do in grad school. As such, she can go to grad school in Clinical Psyc, do coursework, placements, and professional certifications in sports psyc and then declare competency in sport psychology. All of this leads to your big question: is it financially worth it. If she does a masters in sports psyc, she can call herself a sport psychologist (which she could technically do today, since it's not protected) and be very happy about it. This would allow her to work in the private sector and do sport-related counselling and nothing else. The demand for this work is incredibly low so her client hours will be low and given that this is private sector, your income is entirely dependent on your billable hours. On the other hand, if she becomes a clinical psychologist she can declare competency in sport psychology as well as OTHER areas. This means that she can do as much sport psyc as she is able to do but when business is slow, she can see other types of patients to make sure that she's still making money. Furthermore, as a clinician, she can work at hospitals, community mental health centres, private practice, universities, or in academia if she does research. Finally I'll say a bit about the cost of education. 80-90k for a master's program is insane and unless its an MBA it is absolutely not worth it. I'm going to guess that this is some sort of professional school that doesn't have an undergraduate population? I'm also going to guess that the program isn't research intensive. This is important because academic institutions will pay you throughout your degree for teaching/lecturing/being a teaching assistant as well as provide you scholarships to fund your life and your research. On top of that there are many national, international, and regional graduate research grants that she could apply to. Grad school in Clinical psyc will pay you enough to live off of (modestly) but not a penny more. TL;DR a program in sports psyc provides very limited career options and demand is not high enough to justify an insanely expensive master's degree. Clinical psyc on the other hand gives tonnes of options, is cheaper, and would still allow her to practice sport psychology

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. I think that should cover it. Tell her to get a job IN HER FIELD first, and then see if they'll pay for it if she still wants a masters. No. No.

Human: Instead of a traditional wedding, my fiancé and I (both 26) are planning to elope in order to save our cash and buy a house. We just found a home that seems perfect - one that we can envision living in for at least 10 years if not the rest of our lives. That said, I'm worried it will be tough to afford. The asking price is $330k, although I'm guessing there is some room for negotiation. Here is the breakdown of our situation: -Total income of $105k -Total checking balances of $10k, total savings balances of $30k -Total of 30k in retirement funds (half 401k, half Roth IRA). Currently contributing around 10% of our salaries -Total student debts of $30k remaining (she has 12.5k, I have 17.5k) with average interest around 5%. Will be all paid off in 4 more years at current pace. -Both have car loans, total around 12k at average of 2.4% (a Honda and a Toyota so should be reliable for a while still) -Currently rent apt at $950/month ($425 each) -Other standard bills such as car insurance, utilities, groceries etc. We want this house because we love the area it's in, it's large enough to eventually raise a family in (great school district), but not too big, and we can just see ourselves living in it forever. It is all updated so I don't foresee any abnormal maintenance costs. So our plan would probably be to put down around $20k to maintain a bit of an emergency fund, and then keep doing what we are doing as far as retirement contributions and student debt payments. Does this all seem reasonable or do you think this house is too expensive considering our circumstances?

In my opinion it's a little rich for you right now consider your existing debt profile. In addition you don't have enough for a sizeable down payment so you will pay PMI, which sucks. If you wanted to convince yourself, you can probably swing it, but you won't save anymore money and your debt will cost you more since you won't be able to pay it down aggressively. My advice is to continue renting, save like crazy up to 25-30 percent of the home value, and pay down the debts a little before you consider buying. Also, nobody foresees abnormal maintenance expenses, but they happen even in newly built or updated homes.

Roll a pair of dice

Human: Hello. I'm a pretty broke student in the US. This happened due to a bank giving me a ton of overdraft charges (my mistake). Now I have exactly $30.28 and I need to survive off of that until April 29th. That's payday and I'll get my money back. I don't have to use that money for rent as I have that money saved; the $30 is just the extra money. Now, I need to buy food and whatnot. What can I do?

Go to a local food bank. Free food with little to no questions asked for those in need - and you're in need. Heck, some universities even have their own food banks.

I would buy milk, I would buy flour, I'd buy vitamins, I'd boil them down to little energy balls to sustain me.

Human: basically I was betting online and used my credit card, won a decent bet and it got transferred into my credit card now there is a negative balance on my card. Do I just leave it there or is there anyway I can transfer it to my checking account? What should I do? Assistant: Call your card issuer. The policy and amounts differ from card to care, but many will automatically issue a check for the negative balance amount if it lasts more than a certain time and is over a certain value. You might be able to convince them to write you a check sooner, even immediately, if you call. Human: if they ask where that money is from should i be honest or give a diff answer like refund from a laptop i bought?

Don't lie. And if online gambling is illegal in your area, don't tell the truth either. It might actually be best if you don't talk to them and just wait for them to cut you a check, or just use your credit card to buy stuff.

They won't, unless it's an exorbitant amount of money that needs review.

Human: [I stumbled on this post](https://i.imgur.com/nskw5tU.png) and while I understand the risks and that nobody should do it... I'm still intrigued and wanted to share that very out-of-the-box-thinking of that guy! It might be fake but the OP still had the idea to do it!

So many small flaws with this plan, but it's such an elaborate solution to such a simple problem. Just stop spending money you don't have, and suddenly banks work great.

The financial savvy of a paper route runner. Impractical for someone making actual money

Human: I have been gaining tip money for a couple months now working. I now have $700, but I do not know what to do with it. Also, I am a full time student but through scholarships I do not owe tuition. I was just wondering what i should do with this extra money? Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Buy 700 cheeseburgers

Open an investment savings account with your bank, such as a TFSA or a GIC. You can earn monthly interest on your contributions. The interest isn't that much but it does add up eventually.

Human: Am 25/f - thinking of moving out and renting my own place. Have been paying my share of rent, groceries and bills to parent but the rent for a place on my own would be more expensive. about 3 times as much. I have an ongoing car loan which will complicate matters but I think I should be able to manage, but won't be able to save up as much money to eventually buy my own place. Any financial advice to save some more money somehow?

Make a budget. Stick to that budget. It's a lot easier to save money or reduce expenses if you know where all your money is going.

Please read the information found in the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/index), particularly ["I Have $[X] ... What Do I Do With It?!"](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics). You may find [Your IRA and You: Basic Information](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/iras) and [Your 401k and You: Basic Information](http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/401k) worth a read as well.

Human: My father and I are opening our own small business at the end of the summer and I told my current job manager that I would be leaving around then from my position with the company. He emailed me last Friday asking for an exact stop date, months from now, that I simply do not have yet. My father and I are still unsure of our own start date and my wife and I can not take a chance of a gap between pay. Am I legally responsible to give them an end date this early? I don't want to burn bridges, hence me telling them so early about my departure, but I also want to do the best for my family. edit: (I understand it was a mistake to tell them so early) What are some opinions of how I should move forward?

> I don't want to burn bridges Too late. > hence me telling them so early about my departure Giving your employer two weeks notice shouldn't burn any bridges. Business is business and people change jobs all the time.

> my wife and I can not take a chance of a gap between pay. I'm worried that with such a small amount in savings, you're going to try to start your own business. If you still want to do it, at least from now on try to reduce your current expenses by 20%, and save up that money so that you'll have a small financial buffer when you start your own business.

Human: The way most mortgages work, is that your 13th payment counts at the end of the year and is applied towards your principal, which is certainly better than nothing but not as good as it should be. The problem is, you're essentially waiting all year to make that principal payment, and you're paying interest on it to boot. Instead of making bi-weekly payments, if you can afford it, divide that 13th payment by 12 and apply it across all of your payments. You've probably heard paying bi-weekly will cut a 30 year mortgage down to 25.8 years (25 Years 10 months), well using the method just outlined you'd pay off your mortgage in 23.58 years (23 years 7 months). The reason there's such a difference, is because you're paying off additional principal every month, and it isn't accruing interest over the year, as it does with bi-weekly payments. I hope this is helpful. Assistant: With my bank, if I do not specifically indicate the extra payment needs to be applied to principal, it isn't. Rather it goes toward "the next payment." As a result, I now make extra payments with a paper check and a cover letter every few months. It's a good idea to check with your bank before making extra payments. Human: Solid advice. I am fortunate that my bank allows me to specify where additional payments are applied automatically.

And with my bank any interest and payment is automatically applied to the principle (so you just have a single balance to pay off) so you just make extra payments and don't have to worry about it going any other place than reducing your principle. However reading these post just make me realize things I accept as a given is not always the case in other countries.

Me too. I just add an extra $150 to principal every month. Works out super simple.

Human: Has this happened to anyone else? I got a letter on Friday demanding a payment of $1,500. It appears a previous employer did not file their taxes properly. They gave me a three week deadline. Is this normal that they would demand payment with such short notice? They had over a year to figure this out why the short deadline? Also, does anyone have tips on dealing with the IRS on the phone? I keep getting hung up on, menu options don't work (right now waiting on hold for a business account because the personal tax option says "this is not a valid option". Last person I had on the line told me he couldn't help me and needed to transfer me but first demanded I acknowledge that he explained the issues I was calling about. When I said that no, he did not explain the issues I was calling about he refused to transfer the call. I asked to speak to a supervisor and he hung up. I've heard all the horror stories but I didn't realize dealing with the IRS was THAT BAD. Do I need to be doing this on their website or something? How do you get answers from the IRS when you can't even get anyone on the phone who can help? Any tips on getting actual human beings on the phone? EDIT: To the (IRS Employee?) downvoting all my comments; shouldn't you be answering phone calls right now instead of goofing off on Reddit?

I've had my share of tax issues, almost all of them my own fault. Every time I've called the IRS, they've been helpful and...well, I wouldn't say "nice", but as close to nice as you can get but still be 100% neutral. I did get a bit of a lecture once, right after the agent gave me a 3 month extension to pay that they didn't have to...and they were right in what they were saying. But I've always been professional towards them, too - and never called any time close to tax day.

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Human: I noticed a charge recently on my credit card that I suspect to be fraudulent. It was an $80 tobacco point-of-sale purchase that occurred several states away. I have never visited that particular city and do not use tobacco. I hold the only card associated with this account. I've contacted Discover and they have closed my account, transferred all history to a new account, sent me a new card and initiated a refund for the fraud charge. I tried to contact the merchant before calling Discover but couldn't reach anyone. If it makes a difference, the charge occurred at: King Tobacco 1612 S Cherry Ln, White Settlement, TX 76108 Is there anything else I need to do? Thanks in advance.

>Is there anything else I need to do? Thanks in advance. If you have your old card number stored anywhere (Amazon or online shopping sites) you should remove the old card, but as far as reporting the fraud goes you've done all you need to do.

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Human: i recently read through the faq and other docs for allocating my 401k and determined that i could do better than the default targeted date fund where all my investments were located. i have a little over 10k and am contributing 9% of my income (62400/year) at 30 yo. this is what i came up with. critique/suggestions welcome. thanks. http://imgur.com/m1osfAv

It's hard to know if these are good choices because we don't know anything about expense ratios and alternative fund choices. However, there seems to some unusual choices that I assume were influenced by past performance which is not indicative of future success. I wouldn't recommend holding my entire bond portfolio in corporate bonds, as this class of bonds is more correlated with market downturns than other forms of bonds. I would probably only hold half of my bond portfolio at most in this asset class. I would focus on if any funds have load fees to eliminate them completely. I would then focus on the funds with the lowest expense ratios.

what are you doing putting money in sector funds? lol, your job isn't to manage investments - unless you do it full time, you're probably wasting your efforts. Save yourself the hassle - 80/20 s&p and bonds. keep contributing as much as you can, log back in when you are 60 and enjoy your 7 figures.

Human: Hi all - quick tax question. I got married in August of last year, and this will be my first time filing jointly. The breakdown of what we made/withheld last year is as follows: Me: Wages - $81606, Withheld - $12802 Her: Wages - $51912, Withheld - $6196. Jointly: Wages - $133518, Withheld - $19000 Using turbotax, if I fill things in like we were filing single, we would each be due a refund of ~$1000. Filing jointly, however, we end up owing $700. Is this because our joint income puts us in a higher tax bracket? Is there anything I am missing? Thanks so much!

You don't have the option to file two returns with filing status Single. Your options are to file one Married Filing Joint return or two Married Filing Separate returns.

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Human: Okay, so I put this under "debt," but this situation is really a lot more complex. This goes into housing, budgeting, planning, and other. By the way, I myself am not in debt. My mother is and I am extremely worried about her. She is very illogical (to put it lightly) and is still obsessed with my father. I have been a long time reddit user and I figured that maybe somebody here could help me find something to say to her. I am a 20 year old guy in college, and I'm currently commuting from my mother's house. My mom got this house during her divorce and it's 11,000 square feet (I know). She hasn't worked a day since she got it and has been selling off the rental properties that she got as well. Now she is 18 months behind on mortgage payments and even if she sold off the rest of her properties we would barely be able to make the payments that she has missed (like 110 thousand)... but I don't think there is time to do that. Also, we still have about $600,000 left on the house to pay off. Under the best conditions, I'd say that this house could sell for 1.9-2.5 million depending on how long we left it for sale and what condition that it is in. Under our current circumstances: - We are living in a massive house filled with furniture that we will not be able to move before selling. Some of which we wish to keep. - My mom signed for a "Shark Loan" to keep herself going until we sell. The interest rate is 12 percent and she would have to be paying $7000 dollars a month for it (apparently). This is money that we do not currently have. (my mom often says that the reason she wants to stay in this place longer is to keep my brother going to his current school). - We have about 60 thousand left in her account as spending money for food etc. - There are still things around the house such as the pool area that need to be maintenance. What I have been advising my mom to do is to sell the house as quickly as possible to prevent a foreclosure and to stop the equity on the house from being eaten up. After that, I have said that we should rent a place that is reasonably priced until we figure out the next move. No long term investments right now. INSTEAD, my mom says that she will NOT lower her standards. I use capitalization for emphasis because this is one of the most frustrating situations I have ever been in. She wants to buy a town home for $700,000+ and still has no income. Assuming that we can sell the house for an optimal price (we can't) of 1.9 million.. we still have to shave about $700,000 off of that for what we owe. So, we walk away with $1.2 million and then have $4-500,000 for spending money. This would be AMAZING if my mother didn't practically wipe her ass with money. She spent $150,000 dollars on a three week vacation (just as an example). My brother, sister, and I had no idea how much money she was spending because we were young. Now I have been finding out how extravagantly she has been spending her money and it is destroying my view of her. My father left her with enough to live the rest of her life on. Easily. Instead, she threw it all away. Her justification for this is "you should be able to live the same lifestyle that you had before your divorce." I assure you, my father didn't let spending get that out of control. Oh, and guess what? She claims that he owes her more than $300,000 on child support and other expenses, when he doesn't. I visited him recently to add all of his checks up and her math is wrong. She has spent the past two years plotting a way to take him to court and get this money from him, all the while everything has been crashing around her. I have been responsible for taking care of my brother and my mind has been completely distracted by the fact that I may soon also be responsible for taking care of my mother. She is not mentally stable and I am trying to get her into a place where she can afford a living so that I don't have to worry about her all the time. BECAUSE I WANT TO LIVE. She tells me not to worry, that she won't be a burden. How am I to believe that when I look back on all of the terribly inept decisions she has made in the past? I have $46,000 in the bank for college and living right now. Plenty of money to start on. I am blessed. But guess what? My mom sneers at $50k. If I started spending some money to help support my mother it'd be gone within a month. Oh god. I am sorry that this is so long. Does anybody that managed to make it to the end of this incoherent mess have any advice? Thank you sincerely. TL;DR: We need to sell our house quickly and I have no idea where to start. It is 11k square feet and under optimal conditions would sell for at least 1.9 but we don't have time to wait for it to sell because it could go under foreclosure. Also, we are 18 months behind on the mortgage and have $700,000 owed on the house. Currently 60k in spending money (we only have it because if we use it to pay off part of the house we will have zero money to live on). Assistant: Is her name is on the account holding your $46,000? If so, I would get that in a new account with you as the sole owner. Human: Sorry for the delayed response, I was in class. Yep, I am the owner of the checking account with the money. No worries there.

Even if you are "the owner", if her name is on the account at all, she is also "the owner" and can drain it without your permission. Just wanted to clarify, since that's what the previous poster was pointing out, and your response didn't mention her at all.

If her name is linked to that account, it is a guarantee she would drain it without a second thought.

Human: I'm 21 F and I had been living at home for the past year, working in restaurants to save a little extra money before planning to return to school. Long story short, my home life was terrible and I was dealing with a lot of emotional abuse and anxiety, so I decided to pack my bags and move out while they were at work two days ago. Right now I'm living at my friend's apartment, there's plenty of room and since her dad pays for it all with no trouble they don't expect rent. So I got really lucky. But I'm trying to work and save up so that I can afford my own place in a cheaper area. I have interviews lined up for serving jobs, which I love, though I'm considering finding a desk job or perhaps a barista job as well? I'm really committed to making this work so that I don't have to return home. Does anyone have any money saving/money earning advice? Is working two or three jobs a good idea (I'm in a city so getting from place to place shouldn't be hard)? What's the best way to cut down on food cost? I'm in a bougie area that only has whole foods, is it worth it to travel further for cheaper groceries? Any tips on managing finances? Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated!!

> there's plenty of room and since her dad pays for it all with no trouble they don't expect rent Make sure you check with her father and not just your friend on this. Plus if it's a lease, that you're even allowed to stay there for the long term without being added as a resident. Sometimes people get weird about someone staying at a property beyond 30 days as it establishes them as a tenant and even though you're not paying rent it requires them to give you notice and possibly go thru an eviction process in order to force you to leave. As for employment -- You just need to try to get a job making as much money as you can. If you can get a desk job with a decent income and then perhaps a part time serving/barista job as well. The food industry can be physically demanding so having multiple jobs in the same industry might burn you out. Spend less than you earn. Don't buy stupid stuff, and pack food for lunches, don't eat out. It may be cheaper to go to a traditional store or the distance may not be worth the savings. You'll have to look at your options.

1. Make a budget and stick to it 2. Why not just keep living there, while showing appreciation for the free rent by offering to pay for utilities or groceries or something? 3. Please post the address of the Whole Foods, i'm just curious where there is a WF that there isn't a cheaper option nearby

Human: I pay $1,700 a month in rent. I have a good job and enough cash to pay rent for the rest of the year. I have never been late with our rent. One month, I even thought my check wouldn't be delivered by the first of the month, so I paid $20 to have it overnighted. My landlord said as long as I have it in the mail by the last day of the previous month, it would be fine. I mailed my check on March 31st, and my landlord called me on the 6th to say it had not arrived. We discussed that it had probably been lost in the mail, and we agreed that I would stop payment on that check, and send a new one. Landlord said they would not charge us the late fee since we were always on time previously. I put a new check in the mail the next day on the 7th and called the landlord to let them know. I started calling my landlord on the 11th to see if my check had arrived and did not receive a response until the 13th. They said my check had arrived. The next day on the 14th, my landlord calls and says my check had bounced due to insufficient funds. This is not possible as I have $2,500 in the account. It turns out my first check that I had stopped payment on had finally arrived and she tried to cash it. She was initially very mad and said she would be charging me the late fee and her banking charges. I explained that it was the wrong check and offered to drive a new check to her office immediately. She said to wait until Monday the 18th and she would call me back. The late fee in our lease is $102 per day the rent is late. I'm currently waiting for a call back to solve the matter. My question is how much she could potentially ask for in late fees? I would have driven out the new check to her on the 6th if I'd known we were racking up late fees. I also offered to drive out a new check on the 14th. I have asked her to save all of my envelopes so I can find out from the post office why it is taking 2 weeks for my letters to be delivered.

> My question is how much she could potentially ask for in late fees? Late fee structure should be explained in your lease.

It sure sounds like you had a verbal agreement on all the points that could be relevant. It shouldn't have been a surprise to her that the missing cheque might eventually show up, or even show up before the resent cheque. That being said, in wouldn't have hurt to let her know the cheque number of the new and old cheques so that she could tell which was which if they both showed up, and if it were me, I'd probably reimburse her the bank fee for the dishonoured cheque (coud see that going either way).

Human: Even with a high income (mid six figures) and having the down payment for a "million dollar home" (meaning a 3 bedrooms in a so so area) in hand it seems impossible to be able to save for retirement, college for at least one kid and pay off the house while still having some money left for travelling, etc. Rents can't stop soaring and housing prices just increase week after week. Are actually even engineers now priced out of the Bay Area and should start looking for a place with a better salary to cost of living ratio? Suck it up and take out a jumbo mortgage or buy cash somewhere else?

>Are actually even engineers now priced out of the Bay Area Yep. >should start looking for a place with a better salary to cost of living ratio? Doesn't hurt.

OP's not telling the full story. Seriously now? 100K+ in income and you can't figure out how to live in the Bay Area? Unless you want to live in the cesspool known as San Francisco there are plenty of "affordable" places in the Bay Area with your income. Protip: Look in the San Leandro to Union City corridor.

Human: Hello reddit. Long time lurker. This is my first post. A dental office I haven't been to since 2013 sent me a bill in February for over a grand. This month they sent a final notice letter with an attachment that states the billings department is under new management and they are evaluating all past account and that this is my "true balance". I did have insurance at the time. I don't know what to do at this point. EDIT!!!! Thank you for all the responses. I expected like maybe 10 replies but almost 200 comments and second page was way more than ever thought. It is a special thing when you have a community use their knowledge and experience to guide and help others with their issues. Thank you internets! I read most of your responses and tomorrow i will take action. Calling insurance to see what they say first. Also going to get the EOB and other important documents with charges faxed or emailed to me. If the money is owed i will call and work out a deal but $1,270 for two cleanings and one x-ray seems shady so i will check that. For those asking about the statements I called when i received the first one and was told they will look into it and give me a call back. They never did, and I never followed up. Didn't get a march statement. I got the april final notice with the correct name but a wrong hand written address on the envelope (couple house numbers off) which again makes me think they were trying to pull something. First step is to call the insurance. They seem like my only ally in this battle. I will try to post updates.

Make the office do all the work. This was a long time ago- you'll need info about what was done, how it was billed, when it was sent to insurance, who the doctor was, etc. Why are you getting a final notice when you never even got a bill? The old management, you have no idea what their billing practices were - they sent a bill, you paid, you always pay your bills, and now this shows up. Confusing. Make them jump through hoops. Keep asking for information. Push comes to shove, ask then dentist what is going on

Get a cop friend and a lawyer friend. Go in and act like youre gonna shut the place down

Human: I am 22yo and I didn't make a huge amount of money this year but I am getting back around $600 from my taxes. My question is, should I put the majority of that into my student loan debt or a personal debt that I owe my previous university? I have around $600 left for the school debt and around $8,000 on my student loan debt. Both accrue very small amounts of interest(I don't know the exact amount), and I am not sure if I am going to attend my previous university again or not (I would have to repay the debt to re-enroll in the university). I do have a pretty small income so getting some direction on which debt is more important to pay off first would be appreciated. edit: Thanks yall! I really appreciate the input.

Pay the one with the highest interest rate. You may have to do some research on your own to determine which one that is.

I added topic flair to your post, but you may update the topic if needed ([click here for help](/r/personalfinance/wiki/flair)). You may find these links helpful: - [Tax Software Megathread](http://redd.it/41dew6) - [Taxes wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/taxes) - [Understanding tax brackets](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/taxes#wiki_eli5.3A_taxable_income.2C_tax_brackets.2C_marginal_tax_rates) - [W-4 IRS Withholding Calculator](http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/IRS-Withholding-Calculator) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Human: We are in the midst of paying down our debts. I have been watching my Credit Karma score monthly and it just recently went down 4 points because apparently we owe $172 less on our mortgage. Is my score going to continue to go down as we pay down the debts? We owe $34 K in PLUS student loans, $24K in 2 car loans and $88K on the mortgage. No balance on credit cards. I have been gradually building my credit score up; it's in the high 700's so I'm paranoid about it going down for trivial reasons.

Stop worrying about your credit score. If you are paying off your bills **in full, every month, no exceptions**, you are using it correctly and your score will gradually improve. Single-digit fluctuations aren't something you should even pay attention to, much less worry about.

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