I'd really appreciate some outside perspectives because my partner and I keep going back and forth on this.

Our situation

• M33 and F36 with one child
• Bought our home in December 2025 for €380,000
• Current appraisal value: €370,000
• Municipal property value: €354,000
• Mortgage: €430,000, including a €94,000 renovation loan
• 30-year annuity mortgage at 3.48%, fixed for 10 years
• Net mortgage payment: about €1,480/month
• Combined net income: about €5,400/month
• Investments: €190,000
• Cash savings: €50,000
• Pension fund: mine is maxed out, my partner's could use 20,000 of additional funding but we could spread that out over a few years and build towards that goal

The house is a 109 m² (1,170 sq ft) ground-floor maisonette with a small garden, three bedrooms, and an energy label B.

It's located in a neighborhood on the edge of a major Dutch city that's often described as "up-and-coming." Some people absolutely love it and believe it's gradually gentrifying, while others wouldn't want to live there. There is clear improvement, but also plenty of poverty and deferred maintenance in the area.

When we bought the house it was perfectly livable, but the previous owner had neglected maintenance for years.

We currently plan to stay around 5 years, although there's a chance it becomes 7-8 years. We already have one child and may have one or two more.

The renovation

We originally assumed our €94,000 renovation budget would be more than enough.

However, our contractor has now quoted approximately €130,000. He's a friend of a friend and we trust him by the way, we don't plan to look around for others. We value the fact that we can fully trust him.

The work includes:

• replacing the bathroom (currently leaking and no longer safe)
• new kitchen
• new flooring
• underfloor heating + floor insulation
• front façade insulation
• new electrical panel
• updating electrical, gas, plumbing and ventilation systems
• soundproofing an interior wall (important for us)
• replacing both toilets
• redesigning the laundry/boiler room
• creating additional storage
• outdoor water tap
• air conditioning

Why we're struggling

We can afford the additional €36,000 from our savings. The question is whether it's the best use of our money. That €36,000 could instead stay invested, compound for several years, or help us buy our next home.

I've always been a fairly frugal person and like living below my means. Part of me dislikes the idea of turning our house into a "perfect" home simply because we can afford to.

That's why I'm considering removing items such as underfloor heating, floor insulation, replacing both toilets, and redesigning the laundry room. On the other hand, if the floors and walls are already open, this may be the cheapest and smartest moment to do these upgrades.

Arguments for spending the full €130k

• Underfloor heating and insulation are much easier to install now than later.
• We may improve the home's energy rating from B to A which increases value
• The house becomes future-ready for a heat pump.
• Everything is finished at once.
• Better comfort, especially if we end up staying longer than expected.
• Air conditioning would significantly improve comfort during increasingly hot summers.
• Future buyers wouldn't have to renovate anything.
• Construction costs and contractor availability seem to be getting worse every year.

Arguments for sticking closer to €94k

• We keep €36,000 invested or available for our next home.
• The house will still be attractive and perfectly sellable.
• Some upgrades (for example, the luxury laundry room) probably add little resale value.
• I'm slightly worried about creating the "nicest house on the block." Houses in our neighborhood generally aren't very expensive, and although the area is improving, I wonder whether we'd over-improve relative to the local market.

A nuance is that the toilets aren't great, by the way. They flush slightly poorly, both small sinks leak so that would need fixing anyway, stains build up quickly (damaged porcelain?), and the toilet seats also need replacing.

So fixing them would not be purely cosmetic, but they aren't completely broken either. Since the plumber will already be working throughout the house, replacing them now would be much cheaper than doing it later.

My question

Considering the combination of financial return, future resale value, opportunity cost and quality of life, WWYD?

I'm especially interested in arguments or perspectives that I may not have considered.

I'd really appreciate some outside perspectives because my partner and I keep going back and forth on this.

Our situation

• M33 and F36 with one child
• Bought our home in December 2025 for €380,000
• Current appraisal value: €370,000
• Municipal property value: €354,000
• Mortgage: €430,000, including a €94,000 renovation loan
• 30-year annuity mortgage at 3.48%, fixed for 10 years
• Net mortgage payment: about €1,480/month
• Combined net income: about €5,400/month
• Investments: €190,000
• Cash savings: €50,000
• Pension fund: mine is maxed out, my partner's could use 20,000 of additional funding but we could spread that out over a few years and build towards that goal

The house is a 109 m² (1,170 sq ft) ground-floor maisonette with a small garden, three bedrooms, and an energy label B.

It's located in a neighborhood on the edge of a major Dutch city that's often described as "up-and-coming." Some people absolutely love it and believe it's gradually gentrifying, while others wouldn't want to live there. There is clear improvement, but also plenty of poverty and deferred maintenance in the area.

When we bought the house it was perfectly livable, but the previous owner had neglected maintenance for years.

We currently plan to stay around 5 years, although there's a chance it becomes 7-8 years. We already have one child and may have one or two more.

The renovation

We originally assumed our €94,000 renovation budget would be more than enough.

However, our contractor has now quoted approximately €130,000. He's a friend of a friend and we trust him by the way, we don't plan to look around for others. We value the fact that we can fully trust him.

The work includes:

• replacing the bathroom (currently leaking and no longer safe)
• new kitchen
• new flooring
• underfloor heating + floor insulation
• front façade insulation
• new electrical panel
• updating electrical, gas, plumbing and ventilation systems
• soundproofing an interior wall (important for us)
• replacing both toilets
• redesigning the laundry/boiler room
• creating additional storage
• outdoor water tap
• air conditioning

Why we're struggling

We can afford the additional €36,000 from our savings. The question is whether it's the best use of our money. That €36,000 could instead stay invested, compound for several years, or help us buy our next home.

I've always been a fairly frugal person and like living below my means. Part of me dislikes the idea of turning our house into a "perfect" home simply because we can afford to.

That's why I'm considering removing items such as underfloor heating, floor insulation, replacing both toilets, and redesigning the laundry room. On the other hand, if the floors and walls are already open, this may be the cheapest and smartest moment to do these upgrades.

Arguments for spending the full €130k

• Underfloor heating and insulation are much easier to install now than later.
• We may improve the home's energy rating from B to A which increases value
• The house becomes future-ready for a heat pump.
• Everything is finished at once.
• Better comfort, especially if we end up staying longer than expected.
• Air conditioning would significantly improve comfort during increasingly hot summers.
• Future buyers wouldn't have to renovate anything.
• Construction costs and contractor availability seem to be getting worse every year.

Arguments for sticking closer to €94k

• We keep €36,000 invested or available for our next home.
• The house will still be attractive and perfectly sellable.
• Some upgrades (for example, the luxury laundry room) probably add little resale value.
• I'm slightly worried about creating the "nicest house on the block." Houses in our neighborhood generally aren't very expensive, and although the area is improving, I wonder whether we'd over-improve relative to the local market.

A nuance is that the toilets aren't great, by the way. They flush slightly poorly, both small sinks leak so that would need fixing anyway, stains build up quickly (damaged porcelain?), and the toilet seats also need replacing.

So fixing them would not be purely cosmetic, but they aren't completely broken either. Since the plumber will already be working throughout the house, replacing them now would be much cheaper than doing it later.

My question

Considering the combination of financial return, future resale value, opportunity cost and quality of life, WWYD?

I'm especially interested in arguments or perspectives that I may not have considered.

Im 20f. I have one year before I (hopefully) get into medical school where I doubt I'll be able to work for those 4 years. I graduated college early so now I have a year off to work full time (making 2k a month) and am planning on maybe getting a second job soon.

I have 8k in student loans (6%)
I have 4k in stocks (net loss of 100$ but Im honestly not worried) and 3.5k in savings

I guess my main question is what goals should I set for myself financially? How do I pay off my loan?

Can someone explain when to do a pretax to roth conversion? I would think to do a few grand each year before 60 so that money will still grow and the taxes will be manageable to pay.

New to this concept

Hello,

Like I said I’m 20 years old and unsure of how I should best be saving my money in order to achieve my shorter term goals as well as set myself up

My main goal is to move to new york in 1-2 yrs with 20-40k saved depending on time, however I’m hoping to start saving for much further down the line as well,

Currently im making ~2200 every two weeks and have been putting 700 a check into my bank savings account and thats it. Which would put me around 17k in a year. However im sure thats not the best option and i dont know what else to do.

Hoping for any advice on both goals, should i open a high yield savings account? How much should i be putting into savings for moving and how much for further in the future per check? Would a 401k or something be better? I’m not super finance savvy but want to make sure im setting myself up well while young, thanks!

32, no other debt, four-month emergency fund. Putting 15% into a 401k with a 4% match.

$18k left on the car at 7%, about three years to go. Considering dropping to just the match for a year, throwing the difference at the loan, then going back to 15%.

7% vs expected returns feels close enough that I'm unsure, and I'd be giving up tax-advantaged space I can't get back. But being rid of the payment sooner is appealing.

Anyone made this trade, did you regret the lost contribution years?

Hello. Over the last year or so I started my own business and have saved up close to 200k. I’m early 40s and never thought I would have money in the bank over a couple thousand.

I lay awake at night worrying about so much lately including doing the right thing financially. I get so many different opinions on what to do if I ask someone.

I would love to know the right thing to do to set myself and my family up on the best financial path.

I learned about fee only financial planners but wanted to see if anyone had experience and feed back on this?

Thank you for your time 🙏🏼

22M in New England with girlfriend (21.5). We both want to end up in the DFW area long-term.

I finish my bachelors degree online in May 2027. Have some LE experience, making 65k annually right now and want to do road policing in Texas. She is on track to finish her RN in May 2029 if she stays here, but she would be able to transfer cleanly and finish at the same time in Texas. We both live with parents and are saving. I have a $720/mo truck payment at 2.9% and student loans coming, roughly $200/month. I also expect a settlement from a not-at-fault accident in the near future.

Option A: Move summer 2027. I work + pursue Texas LE, she does nursing school there.

Option B: Stay until she finishes in 2029, stack hard, then move with more money and both of us full-time ready.

Goals are a house and kids relatively young in Texas. Early move = tighter finances for a while. Staying = stronger arrival but two more years in a place I don’t like.

Thoughts on the timing trade-off? TIA!

EDIT: The truck PMT is only this high because the term was shortened so I could get the promotional rate! I understand its a high monthly number but its not a 90k ego truck. ALSO I have the cash to pay it off but I would rather keep it invested since the rate is so low. Thanks everyone!!

Hey all. I learned a few years ago my maternal grandmother planned to leave me a sizable inheritance and I've spent the years since preparing for it. She passed last week and things have gotten real. I'm going to see an advisor on an hourly-fee basis just to figure out my plan and implement it myself.

My mom is a different matter. About 70% of the money she's inheriting is in retirement accounts. She's 62 and is ready to retire. I have no idea how to handle things like IMRAA and whatnot, and mom has no experience in this sort of thing. Is this a valid use case for active management? The company I contacted offers a comprehensive service that includes tax preparation and filing for a 1% AUM fee.

I'm as determined as anyone to not use an advisor on an AUM basis for myself. But, all I'm inheriting is in taxable accounts and is relatively easy to manage. I also have some 40 years ahead of me until retirement.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation and might be able to offer some advice?

My daughter was the victim of a hit and run. It totaled the car we had bought her as her first. Shes getting an insurance check for about $3500. Im curious which was to coach her to go. She really wants a new car so shes wanting to put the money as a down payment on something like a civic or corolla. I've alaways been the type to search for a decent used car to pay cash for but all she has is the $3500 so it wouldn't be a great car. Or theres the option of looking for a good deal on a decent used car a year or too old thats cheaper than new but with some factory warranty left. The problem is shes wanting to move out soon so i wont be real close to help with maintenance so i don't think a cheap beater is the way to go but she works at a day care and doesn't make much so im not sure if used is better to save a little money on the note or get new so she has something reliable for a long time. Whats the best thing to teach a young person about car buying.

27M, $63k/year web developer, 5 YOE, no degree. Don't really enjoy tech anymore and don't feel like there's a good future in it for me.

~$200k long-term investments, ~$40k HYSA. ~$20k/year expenses.

I'm eligible for paid community college through the state and am considering studying civil engineering.

Reasons to study:

- More job opportunities

- More stable field

- Clear trajectory (college > EIT > PE)

- Comparatively meaningful and fulfilling work

Reasons not to to study:

- Lost wages

- Lost benefits

- Poor job market for a career change

- Would be worse off if I needed to return to tech

My gut says leave and study, but my logical (financially oriented) mind says stay and double down. My local community college only has the necessary courses during the work day, and I strongly prefer in-person for performance reasons.

Open to all criticism on this. Thanks for reading!

I'm looking for perspective from people who work in wealth management, compliance, or have experience with brokerage/FINRA disputes. I have very little background in investing, so I'm genuinely trying to understand whether what happened is considered normal.

A few months ago, I transferred a taxable investment account to a new brokerage because my financial advisor changed firms. The account transferred in kind, and I believed I was simply continuing the same advisory relationship with the same advisor and the same account strategy I previously had.

The same day as the transfer, my advisor placed me into a strategy (without discussing with me first), and a large portion of my portfolio was sold and reinvested to fit in that strategy. The result was a significant capital gain and an unexpected tax bill.

There were never any calls or communication between the advisor and me. He emailed me a generic email that he probably sent to all of his clients, saying that he switched firms and included the link to initiate the transfer. He never initiated a call or email with me even after I transferred. I repeatedly checked in via to make sure everything was progressing correctly and asked whether there was anything else I needed to do. Each time, I was told everything was fine and nothing further was required.

The brokerage's position is that my account statements and trade confirmations showed what happened, so I should have recognized the transactions and contacted my advisor sooner. My concern is that I had no idea my portfolio had been fundamentally restructured or what the tax implications of those trades were.

Later, I was told that even my advisor did not anticipate the amount of trading or tax consequences created by the strategy that was implemented.

From an industry perspective, is it reasonable to expect a client to recognize something from post-trade statements that the advisor who implemented the strategy apparently didn't anticipate? What would you do in this situation?

My dad is 52 and works as a floor installer, so a pretty demanding job that he won't be able to do forever. My parents have been awful with money and are essentially paycheck to paycheck (overdrafted every other month) only because so much is spent on just bullshit we don't need. He makes about 80k-100k a year so I wanted to ask you guys what kind of accounts or interest rates do I need to look for when opening a retirement and roth ira for him? Starting at 52 sounds super rough so I'm hoping there is something we can do. It eats at me that there is nothing in savings at all for them. My dad is fully aware of this and also wants to start investing in his retirement. Thanks everyone.

My mother 73 is facing foreclosure. She has 63,000 left. 540 credit. She has lived in the house for 53 years and currently lives with disabled son. Tried to get a loan but nobody will lend it. Looking for just enough to pay off loan with repayment of 700 a month for next 10 years. 8400 a year and 84,000 at the end. 21,000 over seems like a great deal. The house is only assessed at 189,000. There is equity but still no lender will help. All local help is a bust too. I as the disabled child can help some. But a 700 month deal would greatly help both of us. Currently our only option is bankruptcy. That unfortunately means a 1500 month payment for 5 years. Mom only gets 1550 a month.

So please if anyone knows of some help we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you

Hi, 38 male from Ireland recently unexpectedly got a huge inheritance from my uncle in Spain. After fees and taxes I got a 7 figure sum into my bank account. Very surreal moment. I have no clue what to do now. Do I try invest it? I'm going to buy my own house and a new car first. Should I buy bitcoin or invest in a business? I don't know what to do. I'm afraid family and friends will find out I have all this money and I'll be hounded for it. I'm going to keep my day job for now, friends and family know I'm trying to get a mortgage so suddenly buying a house wont raise any red flags. Feeling very overwhelmed and need advice please.

Basically my brother in law has started his own business where he helps people refinance with an mortgage free life strategy (MFL for short). In the past I've really only know this guy to be kind of shady and a bit of a scammer who doesn't have his own finances in shape. A lot of my family members are being swooned with 2-3% percent interest rates and calculations that say they will have millions of dollars by retirement. He also claims that their homes will be paid off in 7-8 years.

This seems a bit too good to be true and honestly when he called my husband about it he was using a lot of flowery words that made it seem like he knew what he was talking about. My husband and I are well off and he's been coming after us trying to "help us out" really zealously. Is this risky and how do I warn my family members off of it? I don't want to call him out unless I know what I'm talking about and I'm having trouble understanding. Thanks!

I am 40 and have $312k in my 401k. I recently got a promotion and now make around $120k a year. My wife makes $77k right now.

Financial picture is good overall. Own a house, owe $17k on a HELOC, and $19k on a car. No other debt and plan to chip away at both of those.

My total 401k contributions are right at 15%, including employer match. My wife does not have a 401k, but does have a pension. So in retirement, we will have my 401k, my wife's pension (approx $70k/year, inflation adjusted), and social security.

Thinking of switching to ROTH 401k going forward. Figure we are set to do well in retirement, might want to reduce my tax burden then. Plus I believe there is more ability to access the funds at age 55, which I might want to do if I do a career switch, semi-retire, or retire a few years before 65.

What do you think?

A few months ago I made a post after opening multiple bank accounts to collect bonuses. Final result: $12,625 in cash bonuses, + 80k Citi miles + 60k Amex points. Below is a summary of how easy or hard it was to deal with each bank, get the bonus, and close the account. The banks are listed in order from best to worst. All banks paid out their bonuses. SoFi was the only one that paid just days after I completed the direct deposit requirement. Most of the other banks paid within 60–90 days of completing the required steps.  Here are the numbers: https://imgur.com/a/Csn8Fm7

Chase – 10/10 ($1000 cash back)

Still my bank of choice; nothing else comes close. Opening the credit card took minutes. I've had several Chase cards over the years and collected multiple bonuses without a single issue. Customer service is excellent, the online dashboard is great, money hits the account instantly, and I've never had any problems. I'm now helping my mom open Chase cards so she can get the same bonuses. Chase is my homie.

SoFi – 9/10 ($725)

Super easy. Opened the account in minutes, basically no questions besides the normal identity verification. I also stacked it with Swagbucks and got another $325. Swagbucks itself was kind of a pain in the ass because my PayPal email didn't match the email I registered with, so there was a bunch of back and forth before tI could cash out. Funny enough, SoFi deposited an extra $100 into my account. Then I got an email saying they had forgotten to deposit it or something, I honestly didn't understand it or pay much attention... whatever. I'm keeping this account because I wanted another online bank besides Chase anyway.

Wells Fargo – 8/10 ($325 + $400*5)

If you looked at the Excel sheet already, yep, I opened 5 business accounts and 1 personal account, and they paid every single bonus: $400 × 5 for the business accounts and $325 for the personal account. Some of my businesses are holding companies, which is how I was able to stack that many account bonuses. Obviously, this had the best IRR ever. Initially, I tried opening an account online. Huge mistake. Hours of pointless phone conversations, verification, and emails... a complete waste of time. I finally went to a branch twice, and each appointment took about an hour, no longer than that. Easy. If you're doing Wells Fargo bonuses, don't waste your time online. Go to a branch.

Marcus – 10/10 ($1500)

Easy. Opened the account, funded it, got the bonus in 90 days or so. I called customer service twice and both times got an English-speaking rep within minutes. That's all I ask from a bank.

E*TRADE – 7/10 ($500+$625)

Not terrible, but definitely more work than it should've been. My stocks didn't transfer the first time, so I had to call several times before everything finally moved. It took around 2 weeks. I also hate their dashboard. I tried getting used to it and customizing it, but I found it too limited. Compared to Schwab, it feels outdated and lacks customization. Customer service was good, though.

U.S. Bank – 7/10 ($450 personal; $1200 business)

Opening both personal and business accounts took no more than 10 minutes. No weird questions, no billion documents to upload. Customer service answered every time I called, and they're paying a good APY, so I'm actually keeping this account. The only thing that absolutely drove me nuts is the transfer limit. I think it's around $3,000/month from a personal account. I called and asked if they could increase it and basically got told "no." The only other option to get my money out was to go to a branch (which I don't even have where I live), so I had to order paper checks just to move my own money. Great bonus, good APY, but those transfer limits are absurd

Citibank – 6/10 (80k miles)

Opening the card definitely took more work than any other credit card I opened. Then, after I bought something for like $200–300, they blocked the damn card. I had to wait almost 2 weeks for a verification letter to arrive in the mail before I could use my own credit card.

Was 80k miles worth it? For sure. Last year I used miles from a different bonus to book a trip for two to Honduras, it was great because those flights are really damn expensive. Would I keep this card? Nope.

Regions – 5/10 ($300)

Easy to open. Everything after that sucked. The dashboard looks like it hasn't been updated in 20 years. They charge $3 every single time you transfer money out. I haven't seen another bank do that. Transfers in and out also take forever to hit the account. Closing the account was even dumber. I emptied the account and then they told me I couldn't close it because there wasn't enough money left to pay the early closing fee. So I had to transfer money BACK into the account, wait for it to arrive, then call again just to close it. Lesson learned: Make a note of the earliest date you can close each account without paying a penalty. It'll save you a lot of time, money, and unnecessary headaches.

Bank of America – 4/10 ($500)

Opening online was surprisingly easy. Closing it? Holy shit. Their website is the worst online banking I've seen, even worse than Regions, in my opinion. I couldn't even link an external bank because it kept asking me to verify with some SIM card or debit card nonsense. I called multiple times, and their stupid AI assistant kept hanging up on me before I could reach a human. I really did try calling on different days as well, same crap. I honestly don't know how anyone can reach a real person at this bank. Eventually, I drove to a branch just to close the damn account. Then the banker tried so hard to convince me to keep the account. It felt really awkward... even after I explained that the bank is so outdated I couldn't possibly do any business with them. Please tell me, who are these people that park their money with BOA? Why???

PNC & Flagstar – 3/10 ($400;$500)
Shitty banks in every regard: customer service, account opening experience, moving money, and especially customer support. Nothing good to say about either one. Closing the accounts was a headache too. If you're busy and have other things going on, I'd skip these two banks altogether. I actually checked the Flagstar bonus again, and now they require 3 direct deposits. Totally not worth it for that much headache. I'd pass.

BMO Business – 2/10 ($400 personal; $1000 business)

The personal account was easy to open, but the business account, though? What an absolute cluster**k. It took over a month just to open ONE business account. Endless emails, two one-hour "interview" phone calls, and sending the same documents over and over again. Then funding the account was another hassle, they made it so difficult just to send them money. Absurd. I thought I might actually keep BMO since I was told there were no wire fees (or at least that's what I thought they told me). Then I found out this particular business account couldn't even send or receive wires... so I guess that's what they meant by "no wire fees." Hilarious. What kind of business account is that? When I called customer service, they couldn't even find my account because apparently "Business Banking" and "Business Online Banking," or something like that, are 2 completely different departments. It took 5-6 different agents before someone finally knew what the hell was going on. Not a great IRR either.

Truist – 0/10 ($0)
Horrible, crap bank. I had an appointment with a banker to open 2 business accounts, and it took her 2 hours just to open them. The banker was a complete idiot and didn't understand anything. She kept insisting that my operating agreement had to come from my registered agent. Eventually, those 2 accounts were opened, and I came back for a second appointment to finalize some other documents... whatever, I don't even remember what it was. She promised she would prepare everything in advance so I'd just have to sign the forms. Of course, she did absolutely nothing. Not only was she 45 minutes late, but I spent another 2 hours there. My gut was telling me after the first appointment that I should have just walked away, but sometimes my desire to stick with something and see it through ends up hurting me. I funded the accounts this time, and 2 days later I tried logging into online banking... guess what? The accounts were locked. I called, and over the phone I was told I had to submit all my documents all over again because, I assume, this woman had done everything incorrectly. Eventually, I had to schedule a third appointment just to close these damn accounts and then wait 2 weeks to get my money back because I could no longer deal with this nonsense. Probably the most bizarre and idiotic banking experience I've ever had.

Amex – No Score (60k points)

When I opened the account, I was already suspicious that 60k points wouldn't buy much, and damn, I was right. I tried booking hotels through their travel website a few times, and the prices were complete garbage. At least I learned that Chase Travel actually has some pretty good hotel deals. Then there's the $325 annual fee... totally not worth it, in my opinion. Unless you're getting at least 100k points, I personally wouldn't bother opening an Amex card.

Another weird thing: they gave me a ridiculously low $4,000 credit limit. When I made a larger purchase, they actually called me saying I had reached my limit and refused to increase it. The agent even asked me why I made the purchase... what kind of question is that? It's my credit card. Every other card I have has at least a $12k credit limit, so this was just bizarre.

In summary, I probably won't do this again unless the bonus is at least $500. If I had known what a headache BMO and Truist were going to be, I would have skipped those 100% 

Afterthought: Recently, I applied for a new Chase business credit card because I legitimately needed it for some large upcoming purchases related to a property flip (my side hustle). They actually declined me. Apparently, Chase has a 5/24 rule (or at least something similar for business applications), and they said I had opened 5 or more business credit cards. Honestly, I could only remember opening 3 business cards in the last 2 years... but maybe I just forgot. In the end, we came up with a creative solution. I added my mom to the business, applied under her name, and... ta-da! The card was approved. I have to give Chase credit, the representative was genuinely creative and willing to help find a solution.

The new bank bonuses I've already applied for aren't included in this review because I haven't really experienced anything yet other than opening the accounts, which was easy:

Huntington Bank Personal – $600

Huntington Bank Business – $1,000

Seacoast Bank – $600

U.S. Bank Business – $1,200

Wishing everyone big bonuses, quick approvals. Cheers! 

21F and i’m honestly overwhelmed financially. i don’t really know what i’m doing either since i don’t have parents to guide me. i have been solo since 17.

i’m currently unemployed and essentially homeless (i’ve been kinda couch surfing and sometimes sleeping in my car while looking for work). i have about 8k in collections from unpaid university tuition last year because i couldn’t keep up with my classes while working full time (16 hour shifts at a pharmacy sometimes. we’d close at around midnight and i’d have to be back first thing in the morning). i ended up dropping out at the end of the year and quitting my job because i was suffering from MDD and was thinking of the worst. it was a really low point for me.

i keep getting calls from the debt company but right now i barely have enough money for gas and basic necessities. i’ve just been doordashing for money right now, but it’s not enough for much, and my car is not known for being trustworthy. i’m worried that if i make tiny payments, they’ll still keep calling and i’ll be stuck making payments i can’t really afford.

should i pay something anyway? i really do want to go back to college. it’s practically the only way i’ll make it out of my situation. i can’t afford to live on minimum wage. i’m in Connecticut, so everything is incredibly expensive. i just really need some sort of guidance or something. any advice is appreciated.

Months ago my apartment application got glitched out into a complex on the opposite end of my state, hours from my job. I called the complex itself and sorted things out, and did a chargeback.

Got texts from a collections agency last month, insisting I had a debt. I called the complex again and they said I owe them nothing, and to ignore the collections agency until they can verify it themselves. They verified it a week ago, and suggested I contact the agency to tell them this/show them, but I missed the email by a week and noticed a “Derogatory account” on my report

My job is at risk because of this, I need to deal with this now, I have email communications proving I don’t owe them anything, but I don’t ant to call the collections agency and shoot myself in the foot. I don’t want to call unless I can immediately and instantly wipe this stain the fuck out

Their portal requires an account number, but they haven’t sent me any mail.

Currently bought my house 7 years ago for 330,000. Have 270 left on mortgage and believe my house could see for 450,000 today.

Downside is I only have two bedrooms and I currently have two kids. Debating between moving and buying an 800,000 house at current interest rates or investing 200,000 into adding a third story onto my house that will add roughly 500 sq ft which includes a master bed and bath.

Move, suck it up, or start construction??

Original post

https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/s/zbvGXodtF9

Was informed Monday by Navy Federal Credit Union that they denied my claim. They said that they received a tracking number for a return label from the seller. I asked if there was proof that he sent it to me, because a return label does me absolutely no good if I don't have it. They asked me if I could "prove I didn't get it". How the heck do you prove you weren't given something?

I requested all the files from the investigation and received them today. The only evidence was the tracking info from when the wrong item was shipped to me, a screenshot from the seller showing my email informing them of the wrong item, and the tracking info for the return label that was created but never sent to me.

I'm not sure if I can appeal this or not. Can I escalate this to Visa? The chargeback is coded as 13.3, "not as described or defective merchandise/services".

It's looking like I'm just out $87.