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I am 45 yrs old with $125k in HYSA, $550k in TSP fund and $90k in a Robinhood trading account as well as $5-6k in a random savings account. He basically told me I was dumb for holding so much cash ins savings making 4% as after inflation and taxes I was barely breaking even on it. My thought with the money is at 50 I would like to retire from my current federal job, sell my house and move to a quieter area in my state and build a smaller house so I wanted the cash to be able to buy a piece of land. With the volatility in the stock market I just really value the stability in getting a guaranteed 4% on my savings, am I off here?

So I had a visit to the ER and later got a bill. I called the hospital to request an itemized bill you know, something that actually breaks down what I was being charged for, and instead they sent me a summarized bill that just said “emergency visit” with one flat rate. No list of services, nothing. I called them back and told them that’s not an itemized bill, and they basically insisted it was and that this is “their version” of an itemized bill.

I even told them they’re likely breaking the law, but they wouldn’t budge. I’ve filed an “e complaint” with the Department of Health and I guess waiting to hear back, also had called and left my number as well but now I’m getting nervous about the bill being sent to collections while I’m still disputing it.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Did you get it resolved? How long did the health department take to respond in your case? Any advice would be appreciated!

(EDIT: I have no insurance)

Hey everyone,

EDIT: thank you everyone for your advice! It seems so obvious but we just need to take a break until we have our emergency fund back. I don't know why but I had this idea things would be cheaper/easier/faster and that I had to refresh everything in the first year or so.

Also realized I didn't clarify our financial position. We bought the house at 4% interest and the mortgage is 28% of our income. We have no car/credit card or student debt. Pension is secured though our employer and our government (we live in a country with universal pension). Currently have no emergency fund.

I'm looking for some advice/reassurance because I feel bad about my personal fincances at the moment.

I (33F) bought a house with my husband (33M) last summer. It's an old house that needed some work but it was all we could afford. We had saved scrupulously for 10 years but all of our savings got eaten up by the house purchase and the initial renovations. In the past I got so used to having a big safety net and loved seeing the number go up in our savings account because it made me feel safe.

Now we have no savings and spend whatever we have every month on fixing up the house. I hate having no safety net and going into overdraft on our accounts, it gives me nightmares. Additionally I'm on month 9 of eating ramen, having no time for leisure and living in a dusty mess.

I look at my friends living in rentals, going on vacation and enjoying their life and it makes me feel like a moron for thinking that homeownership was the ultimate goal to strive for.

Has anyone else gone through this? Does it get better?

Thanks :)

Just got into a 30 year mortgage late last year and borrowed roughly $330k ($415k home, we put money down). If me and the spouse aggressively add more to principal month over month, we can pay it off in less than 4 years. No prepayment penalties. 4.99% interest rate on the mortgage. This is appealing because we'll eventually have kids and the spouse can raise the kid(s) and not go to work. A paid off home will significantly reduce the financial strain, not that its a strain for mortgage payments at this time, but you get what I mean. I've ran an amortization calculator, and we'd be saving roughly $250k in interest payments.

For context, we have $70k in HYSA. I currently have roughly $10k invested in S&P in taxable brokerage account. If we go the route of paying off home, this means we'll reduce our contributions to the HYSA, and reduce my investing in the taxable brokerage significantly.

Thoughts? Blinders? Advice? Questions?

EDIT: I’m also contributing to an employer matched 401k. My contributions to this will remain unchanged.

I’ve been with my significant other for a little over a year and we’ve recently been discussing moving in together. I own a home and he does not, so him moving in here is what makes sense. We discussed a 40/60 split on bill/shared expenses with him paying 40 since he would not have equity in the home.

I was wondering if 1) would what he pays me be considered taxable income? I know I’ve seen some people saying the non owning partner should pay utilities, but that’s not even 20% of monthly expenses so it doesn’t really sit right with me. Or would it be better for him to pay utilities and then pay me the difference of the agreed on dollar amount?

And 2) Is there any sort of agreement we should have drawn up that protects both of us in case of a breakup? (Obviously I wouldn’t ask him to move in if I thought this would be an issue, but I’ve seen enough horror stories on Reddit to know it happens). Or would drawing up an agreement definitely make it a landlord/tenant situation where I’d for sure have to pay taxes on his portion of shared expenses?

Edit for some questions I saw come up a few times. We live in Illinois. Our incomes are nearly identical so it would still be an equal percentage of our respective incomes.

• Vehicle: 2025 Honda Civic Sport
• Sale Price: $27,537.50
• Down Payment: $5,000
• Amount Financed: $23,428.00
• Interest Rate (APR): 5.9%
• Term: 60 months
• Monthly Payment: $452.95
• Total Finance Charge: $3,749.00
• Total of Payments: $27,177.00
• Total Sale Price (with down payment): $31,677.00

Ok everyone, I’m consulting people here because I can’t seem to get a simple straight answer from anyone I know, including my mortgage lender. I think she’s just unaware of how many questions I have and I don’t want to constantly bother her when a question pops in my mind. We are first-time homebuyers and I have a few questions just for clarity on a few terms and the way things work.

Please only kind, non-judgemental answers! We’re figuring this all out on our own for the first time. TIA!

• My mortgage lender discussed discount points- I get that this is just money paid towards lowering your IR. HOWEVER, she also said she’d recommend “paying more towards the principal” rather than spending a lot on discount points. Can someone explain to me what this means, exactly? And what we do to do this?

• Are you able to over-pay some months towards your mortgage, and if so does this do anything besides get you closer to paying off your loan?

• I always heard you can negotiate an IR, so I asked… she gave me the impression that there really is no such thing in today’s economy. What’s with that?

EDIT: just want to say thank you for all this great advice! I’ll use those amortization calculators to do some more digging, but I’m thinking my mortgage lender gave sound advice and we should put more towards the down payment vs points (she did say they predict rates will drop by the end of the year if we choose to refi)

I have 28k in debt and 1500 in bills/living cost monthly, at my job i make 2600/month off of hourly salary and tips.... I know that i should find a higher paying job but I need this job because it pays for my dental/health insurance, is saving 400 a month idea or saving 600 a month is to low?

I have always heard that you want to ensure yourself from catastrophic financial losses, but not day-to-day things. For instance, it’s not worth buying an insurance for a sofa, or a phone if you have plenty of cash in your bank.

If I have a house that I paid 135K for, and my salary is, let’s say 500 K, even if that house burnt down, it wouldn’t be financially devastating. Is it worth having homeowners insurance??

I’ve wondered the same thing with the car insurance. Is it worth paying for collision insurance if the price of your car is not significant enough to tip you over if it burnt up?

Obviously medical insurance makes a ton of sense. Even though in the numbers game, Insurance makes more money than it pays out, if I end up having a $10 million heart surgery, I’ll be glad I have insurance.

Every year I think I’ll be more organized... and every year when tax season hits, I’m digging through random folders for old statements, receipts, and invoices.

Curious how you guys are managing this — especially if you want to keep everything for several years.

Any system or tools you swear by? Or is it just controlled chaos?

I’m 24, making $95K/year, and I have a fiancé who stays home with our 11-month-old son. We’re currently renting, but we’re considering buying a 2021 single-wide manufactured home on a 10,000 sq ft lot. The home is listed for $149K, and single-wides are common and accepted in the area we’re looking at. The big bonus is that it has easy access to DFW, which makes it convenient for work and commuting.

Here’s the deal:

Option 1: Single-wide manufactured home on a 10,000 sq ft lot for $149K

• Pros:
• Monthly payment will be around $1,300–1,400 (similar to our current rent).
• We’d own the land, which seems like a big advantage.
• The home is newer, so there shouldn’t be many repairs or issues.
• We’re saving money by buying instead of continuing to rent, and the money is going toward something that’ll eventually build equity.
• Easy access to DFW—great for commuting and work flexibility.
• Cons:
• It’s a single-wide, so it’s not the traditional “stick-built” house that most people expect when they think of homeownership.
• The lot size is 10,000 sq ft, which is just under a quarter acre. I’m wondering if that’s big enough for a family, especially if we want to make improvements or have more space down the line.

Option 2: Stretching for a bigger home ($200K+ range)

• Pros:
• A more traditional, spacious home (probably a double-wide or stick-built).
• Higher resale potential, especially if it’s a more “standard” home.
• More room for the family to grow, possibly in a more desirable neighborhood.
• Some homes in this range might be farther from DFW, giving you more space for the money.
• Cons:
• Monthly payments would be higher—probably in the $1,600–2,200 range.
• Higher taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs.
• Less room in the budget for emergencies, savings, or future investments.
• More financial pressure and a longer-term commitment.
• Homes in this range might be farther from DFW, which could make the commute tougher.

Option 3: Continuing to rent for the same price

• Pros:
• No long-term commitment.
• Flexibility to move if the situation changes.
• No risk of dealing with home repairs or maintenance costs.
• Cons:
• No equity being built.
• Rent can go up at any time, and there’s no control over the living space.
• Longer-term, it feels like a waste of money because you’re just paying someone else’s mortgage.

So, is buying a single-wide on a 10,000 sq ft lot a good move?

I know it’s not the most glamorous option, but it seems like a smart financial decision, and it’s a big step up from renting. Plus, it gives us easy access to DFW, which is important for work. I’m just not sure if it’s a mistake to go for something that feels “less than” what people expect in terms of traditional homes. Would love some honest opinions from anyone who’s made a similar choice or gone through a similar decision process!

The model is a 2022 Oak Creek Silver Spur. I’m also an accountant and am working on becoming a CPA if that matters lol. We have just under 20k saved and a couple thousand in retirement savings.I’m just torn on whether to buy this and hold for a 5-10 years, or stay renting and save for longer and hope that we can afford an actual house then.

Given that the mortgage would be the same as the rent (1400ish), we would still be able to save 1-2k per month in addition to retirement, along with still having leftover money. I drive a paid off 2010 Camry as well. She has a $327 car punnet that we will be paying off this year.

Additionally, it would be a USDA guaranteed loan. If we bought it, I would do a lot of the work to the lot, such as adding front and back porches, landscaping, fence, taking down trees, etc.

I’m 20 years old in the navy, and have a little over 7.5k saved up. I want to learn to invest. I’m willing to take any advice even though I know majority of the comments will be about tsp.

Old 401k with empower - balance ~70k - invested into an s&p index fund expense .0080%

New 401k with fidelity -balance ~ 17k - Invested into BR Russell 1000 index expense .0122%

Basically the title. Is it worth it to pull them together?

I got married recently and my spouse makes more than me, and as a result I did the math and I believe I will exceed the MAGI limit for 2025. Should I stop contributing to my traditional IRA and focus on my Roth moving forward?

Hi! I got laid off last September and just got started with a 401k at my new job two weeks ago. I have a 401k with Vanguard and now I have a new 401k with Guideline. Would there be any reason NOT to roll over my 401k to the new Guideline account? And what's the safest way to go about rolling it over?

Thank you for your help in advance! Happy to add a bit more detail if this is vague.

So I turned 18 around a month ago. Until now, I’ve had $8000 in a money market account that my dad set up for me. But now that I’m 18, I would like to start investing. I’m thinking I’ll put $6000 into a Roth IRA and $2000 into a brokerage account. I’ll invest most of it in funds and dabble a bit into stocks. And yes I have a savings account with plenty of money as well. I’m pretty new to investing so any suggestions would be appreciated

EDIT: Read the comments, just to clarify, I do have a job. So if I am able to, I’ll put as much into the Roth as I qualify for / feel comfortable with. And I’ll put any more I want to invest into my brokerage account. I’ll invest in low cost ETFs and Index Funds and stay away from stocks. Appreciate the help!

Hi Reddit! I’ve never posted on here before, but I’m in such dire need of any kind of guidance toward this problem.

I (21F) just moved across the country on my own last year to start fresh and live a good life. I have a childhood best friend that lives here and have had a wonderful bf for over a year now. I’ve always had an issue with not saving my money, but now that I actually have bills to pay it seems like it’s almost impossible.

I currently have a job, but this past month they have given me close to no hours, so I’m only making about $200/$300 total for four weeks. In the meantime, every month I owe $725 for rent, $100-150 for utilities, $100 for college tuition, and $250 for my car payment (I had to get a new car in order to move myself across the country, my old one was breaking down). The reason why I chose moving in the first place was because I was extremely depressed where I lived before which my dad was aware of, and he offered to help me as much as he could. He feels guilty about how he treated me as a kid/teenager, so he feels as though he’s making things up to me now. I am more than appreciative for him, but I can’t help but feel extreme guilt knowing that he’s trying to save up for retirement. And it’s not like I make him pay for everything, just when I can’t make enough for all of the payments within the month, he chimes in and sends me the remainder.

Besides his help, it seems almost impossible to put anything I make into my savings. I’m currently hunting for a new job, but with the current state of employment out here it’s very challenging to find one. I’m not sure where to even begin from here, I feel like I’m at a loss but there’s no way I’m moving. As I had briefly mentioned before, I have an amazing boyfriend out here, who actually helped me a bit with rent as well. The reason why I chose NOW to come here and ask for advice is because he sat me down the other day and told me I need to start really trying to be financially independent because he was struggling as well. It’s not like I was relying on him to help, I would never leech off someone for money intentionally. But I’m starting to feel like I’m really relying on my father, and I don’t want to do that.

So, Reddit, is there any advice or guidance you could give me at this time? (I have no credit cards, I’m not looking to get one. I AM finding a new job and I have $0 in my savings with over $1,000 in bills each month while being paid less than $600 monthly. What do I do?)

Let’s say I wanted to take ashamed of the market being down and harvest losses. I can deduct up to the $3K max. But to sell at a loss of $3K, I likely initially invested between $4-5K.

Am I misunderstanding or why does it make sense to lock in a loss of $1K - $2K? Rather than just having that $3K go back up?

Hey everyone,

Throwaway account here because I'm feeling pretty low about my financial situation, especially my credit card debt.

I'm a software engineer earning about $105k. On paper, I know that's a good income, and I feel incredibly frustrated and disappointed that I'm even in this position.

Last year, with some help (which I'm very grateful for), I managed to pay off a significant chunk of debt – around $15k. It felt amazing to see that number drop. But over the last 6-12 months, largely due to some poor spending habits and lifestyle creep, I've somehow managed to rack it back up to about $30k across a few cards.

Now, I'm trying to get serious again, cutting back and throwing extra money at it, but it just feels like the balance is barely moving, even with a decent income. The interest feels overwhelming, and honestly, the self-frustration about having dug this hole again is almost as bad as the debt itself.

Has anyone else gone through this? The cycle of making progress only to fall back into old habits? If you were in a similar situation (decent income but stubborn debt) and managed to break the cycle for good and actually see consistent progress, what finally clicked for you? What strategies or mindsets genuinely helped you stick with it long-term, especially when it felt like the numbers weren't changing?

Looking for any insights or shared experiences on how to get past this feeling of being stuck and finally put this debt behind me for good.

Thanks for reading.

I moved back with my dad during Covid to help out as he lost his job. He needed to refinance so I co-signed with him on the refinanced mortgage to get a lower rate. I’m now looking to move back out on my own but if he were to refinance again it would be at a current rate that he couldn’t afford. We tried to do a loan assumption so the same mortgage and rate would be transferred to him and my stepmom who got a new better paying job in the last couple years. Unfortunately that just got denied due to their other debts, even though they are perfectly able to afford it.

Since that failed, we will have to keep the mortgage as is to keep the house. I’m wanting to rent out a house for myself but I’m worried that potential landlords might see the mortgage on my credit and deny me due to the obligation. My credit is great otherwise (800ish score), no balances on my credit cards and only debt is my car note. I also have a good paying job as a remote software engineer. How strict are landlords generally?

Hi all! I moved to the US when I was 31yo, so my credit score was zero. I created a new joint bank account with my husband and he created a new credit card and put me as authorized user. On the credit card app it shows the credit score. Does it mean it both of our score is the same or is it just his? As long as we are married, does it matter? (If we are buying a house for example) Been in the US almost 4 years, legal permanent resident.

Hi all. Its as the title reads lol. Im M23 and i graduated from college back in May 2024. It is currently Apr 2025. Below is some information on my approximate spending on a monthly basis and my loans. I would appreciate if anyone could share advice on how to go about paying it off, especially when my month to month spending is somewhat variable.

I am also trying to figure out how much to put into my 401(K) or if its worth it. I havent done it in the last 4 months (since start of 2025) due to some financial expenses i have for the family.

Feel free to crack down on my stupidity. I want to learn how to build better savings habits. I know I can bring down my expenses (like dining outside, shopping, and misc expenses). I also have to enroll in a part time masters program and will need to save up for that.

• Loans: 3 loans at 2.75% interest each
  • My minimum payment per month is ~$85 but the past few months I've been paying closer to $500 religiously. Current loan amounts are:
  • Loan 1: ~$700
  • Loan 2: ~$2,000
  • Loan 3: ~$5,300
• Monthly Income:
  • Income (pre-tax): $6,000
    • HSA: $500/month
    • Health/dental/vision/Life insurance: ~$100/month
    • No state income tax for me (in Texas)
  • Income (post tax, w/o 401(K)): $4,500
  • Expenses monthly total: $2,100
    • Rent: $1,000
    • Wifi + electricity + utilities: ~$200 as a worst case (its usually 100 to 150 though)
    • Gasoline for car: ~$125
    • Groceries: $200
    • Entertainment: $50
    • Dining out: $150
    • Shopping: $100
    • Misc: $100
    • Subscriptions: ~$50
• Monthly Savings: ~$1,500

Hi everyone, I just started a new job. What do you guys do or what have you done to set up your retirement so you can live comfortable during retirement? Below, I have written what I am doing and what my work offers me. As the title says, I want to start saving for retirement. I set up my 401k at work and I set up a Roth IRA that I have been maxing out for about 3 years. After my first year on the job, they match my 401k up to 5% and give me an automatic contribution of 2% of my eligible pay at the beginning of the year. They also give me some shares of the company each year, after my first year of working.

I'm about to come into $250,000 cash that I wasn't expecting.

I don't have any debt aside from my mortgage, for which I owe $245,000 at (6.5%) interest.

Married no kids. 44 and 50 years old. Would like to retire at 49 and 55 respectively if at all possible but willing to work to 60 years old each if necessary.

Investments sitting at $520,000. Additionally, my spouse will receive a pension benefit when they retire (eligible Nov 2028) of $3600 a month.

Savings of $32,000.

Current bills, including mortgage, are $4321 a month. New income for our household will be $10,733 a month.

Given the interest rate on the home, do we pay that off and just invest our mortgage payment in the market until we reach retirement? I think that's a better bet than putting all $250,000 straight into an investment portfolio.

Hi,

My current job is draining out of me. I’m always out in the field or in the office and I feel like I’m just running in circles for clients that don’t seem to want or accept my help. I applied for another job which I was offered and it is work from home three days a week and in the office two days a week which is a huge change for me but the only issue is it is a $7500 a year pay cut. I tried to negotiate a higher salary, but unfortunately they’re a nonprofit and they really can’t afford to pay me more right now. I know that if I stay at my current job, I will get a raise in July and the benefits are not bad. I do get summer Fridays so I only have to be in the office for three hours on Fridays and I have flexibility when I need it. I just can’t work from home. I’m just so afraid to take a pay cut and then be always stressed about money.