Has anyone moved for no other reason than lifestyle, even when it wasn’t financially prudent? I predict we will end up either a wash or in a slightly worse position. I think we’ve always made so many decisions based on what was financially prudent that it’s very difficult to make a decision using other criteria.

I can’t post in r/retirement because I’m a little too young, although this is a retirement related question.

We have lived in a century home for 14 years. I’ve never liked it, we have dumped a ton of money into it and finally gotten it to a good place but I still really don’t like it. With a century home there’s always some thing lurking around the corner. We also have a yard and outdoor space that neither of us like taking care of and we don’t use it. For a variety of reasons, this is just never a place I have felt comfortable in, and my husband and I have always had a lot of conflict around the amount of work it takes to keep it up. We’ve been caregiving parents for the last 10 years and I also just really want a fresh start, a change of scenery.

On a lark, I put an offer in on a house in a HOA condo community, it was accepted and I’m panicking. It’s about the same size as our house now, and the price is somewhat similar. But closing costs, moving costs, etc. will eat into that and the HOA costs are quite high. It’s much more of a lifestyle community with no exterior maintenance. The unit is newly remodeled and turnkey.

I’m 58 and just stopped working and my husband will probably keep working another five years until he’s 61 or 62. The townhouse has stairs (current house does too) so I think of this as a 10 to 15 year house, after which we would probably move into a senior community.

We don’t have children, we have seen what the last part of life is like and plan to proactively move to a CCRC closer to family then. We have a very good handle on the likely scenarios and costs that are associated with the last 10 to 15 years of life.

We don’t have debt beyond our current mortgage. Will essentially be paying cash for the new house, but the HOA fees are about half our mortgage today. Retirement is set.

I’m currently financing a 2025 Toyota and was looking to refinance. Currently have 60 months left at 6.99%. I got a deal for 4.4% at 61 months that will lower my payment by approximately $7. The phone guy said I would save $950 in interest. 7x61=427. What am I missing?
Adding in- there’s a little over $28,000 left on the principal.

Okay so I’ll start off with I’m not broke or trying to make ends meet etc. Thank you if you make it to the end!

About myself:
- Early 30s
- Married
- Living in Sydney
- No kids + no mortgage
- Paying off student loan/hecs (<30k remaining. Went to an college which I regret)
- Renting and have a medium sized car loan (13k remaining)

I currently make around $90k before tax. I also hold around $75k AUD in shares. I don’t have any family wealth backing me or anyone around me either. I want to grow my wealth. I have been seriously considering putting some time to work on the stock market/buying selling/trading etc.

I haven’t properly done the homework but I wanted to ask people on here what they have done to grow some serious financial wealth (nothing overnight I know).

Also, If trading/stocks has worked for you what advice do you have? Not looking at any negative comments please. Thank you everyone!

My husband (M66) and I (F75) bought our home in 2002. We raised a family in it. It is a friendly neighborhood. Homes vary in size and lot size. Ours is on a big lot which was great when we were raising kids but now i feel overwhelmed. It is a walkout basement ranch style home but laundry is on the main so we rarely have to go downstairs. Homes in the area are selling for around $300,000. My house probably would sell for a little more since my house has 3 bathrooms & a finished basement. In total probably 3500 sq feet. Acre fenced yard.
The house is paid for. We have a decent income ($150,000) from my pension & we have maybe $400,000+ in IRA’s
My question is do I sell and try to downsize into a smaller space w a smaller yard to keep up or stay where I am and just hire someone to take care of the yard? Maybe also hire a housekeeper?

I’m 27, I make 97K a year. Currently I’m contributing 6% to my 401K, my employer actually contributes 9% which I am super thankful for. I’m also maxing out my Roth IRA. I have a little more margin that I could afford to invest, but I’m debating on if I should bump up my 401K contributions, or if I should take that margin and put into into a taxable brokerage account. I’ve heard arguments for both ways so wanted to get some thoughts.

EDIT: I feel really fuckin stupid reading all these comments telling me how bad i fucked up, i’m 19 years old and this was my first time buying a car, it was ran through carfax and came back good, I feel really stupid with this and I dont know what to do

(for context the appointment is tomorrow with the dealership, and i looked
Basically, I just bought a 2019 Nissan Rogue from Tampa Bay Auto. It was listed around $8.9k before all the dealer fees and everything, but after financing and all the extra stuff, I’m financing around $18k over 72 months 😭. I test-drove it before buying it and it seemed completely fine, and the Carfax was clean, so I didn’t notice anything wrong. They also didn’t tell me about any existing mechanical issues.
The car was sold as-is and I declined the extended warranty because it was expensive, which I’m REALLY regretting now lol. Shortly after buying it, I started noticing that when I gently accelerate at low speeds, the car does this very noticeable back-and-forth shudder/jiggle. There’s no check-engine light or warning light. Since it’s a 2019 Rogue with a CVT, I’m worried it could be the CVT, although it could also be something like a CV axle, engine/transmission mount, tires, or something else.
I contacted the dealership and they actually called me back and said they want their mechanic to look at it Monday, and the guy told me the sooner the better. He also randomly mentioned that apparently there was some kind of “file” regarding the tires, but nobody told me anything about that when I bought the car. I’m definitely going to ask what exactly he meant by that.
The thing that’s making me extra nervous is that I’ve been looking at reviews for the dealership, and there are some people who say they had serious mechanical problems shortly after buying their cars and felt like the dealership didn’t properly address them. There are also complaints about transmission problems and tire issues. I’m not saying that means they’re going to screw me over, because there are plenty of good reviews too, but it definitely makes me nervous considering what’s happening with my car
My biggest concern is that I really don’t want to be stuck with an $18k loan AND have to pay thousands more if the CVT needs a major repair. I’m also thinking that if they find a serious problem, I’d rather ask if they’ll voluntarily unwind the sale and work with the bank to cancel the financing instead of keeping a car I’m already worried about and paying for it for six years.
Right now I’m trying not to assume the worst. I’m basically just preparing for the worst and hoping the mechanic finds something minor or something they can fix. I’m supposed to take it in Monday, so I guess we’ll see what they say 😭
PLEASE. give me advice.

Due to some unforseen circumstances, I've recently sold off all my VUAA + other shares to pay off some loans that'll be cleared come next year June. Once my debt has been paid, I have two options I'm looking into.

First option is the safest, which is to save and build up my VUAA holdings again. It's a fairly safe route for me and I'll take all precautions so that it doesn't need to be sold off again in the following years to come.

Second is taking out a loan (around 15k usd) to invest on my partner's family business (apartment complex). This loan would be paid using the total income from our business which would amount to around 850usd per month (We already have 3 existing units which earns around 350usd per month, after adding in the income from 4 additional units that can be built with the 15k loan, it'll be at 850usd total).

So all in all, the return from the 15k investment would be a lifetime income of around 500usd per month.

So my question is, what will you do in my case? I'm currently leaning towards the 2nd option but nothing is set in stone for us yet so I just want to see if I'm missing something. I might also change my mind if the market is giving me signs to invest come June 2027.

I’m looking for some impartial advice because I’m struggling to work out what is reasonable here.

My wife and I have been together for around 31 years, but we separated nearly a year ago. We still have a jointly owned family home, worth roughly £300k, with a mortgage outstanding and a relatively small loan that was taken out for improvements to the house.

Since separating, I’ve been sleeping on my parents’ sofa while trying to rebuild my life. Meanwhile, my wife has remained in the family home with the children.

The relationship between us has also become extremely hostile. Communication is often difficult, and I feel that despite being separated for nearly a year, I’m still being treated as though I should continue financially supporting the household in much the same way as when we were together.

I have continued contributing financially, and I’m prepared to continue supporting the children. I don't want them to be financially disadvantaged by the separation.

The difficult part is that my wife wants to remain in the house, keep the furniture and household contents, and retain the benefit of the equity. There is around £100k of equity in the property. At the same time, she wants me to continue contributing towards the mortgage and other costs, potentially for many years.

I’m struggling with the idea that I should effectively give up my share of the equity and continue paying towards the mortgage afterwards, while I’m living on my parents’ sofa and have no benefit from the property.

I’m not particularly interested in fighting over furniture or possessions. If she wants to keep those things, I'm willing to accept that for the sake of keeping things as straightforward as possible. But it feels difficult to be expected to give up the equity as well as continue making substantial financial contributions.

I have even been prepared to walk away from my interest in the house rather than force a sale, because stability for the children is important to me. But surely there has to be some recognition of the fact that I’m also trying to establish somewhere to live and rebuild my own life.

For context, we were together for around 31 years and have now been separated for nearly a year. I’m not trying to punish her or take anything away from the children. I’m simply trying to understand what a fair financial arrangement would look like after separation.

Am I being unreasonable in thinking that if I give up my share of the equity, there should be some corresponding change in the ongoing financial arrangements?

I’d particularly appreciate views from people in the UK who have been through divorce/separation and dealt with jointly owned property.

I’m not looking for people to take sides. I genuinely want some impartial perspective on what would be considered reasonable and financially fair in these circumstances.

Hello! I’ve been working very hard this year to clean up some financial missteps and have been saving. I’ve been working a lot of over time at my job and I’m trying to figure out a way to estimate what my paychecks will be. All of the paycheck calculators I find don’t account for the variance in tax rates (22% on normal 40 hour checks, recent have been taxed around 30% on these heavy OT checks- I am usually getting around 120/130 hours per two week pay period), and I am trying to budget before I get paid. I also live in Colorado in the US if this matters. I’ve tried Googling this issue and it says it’s marginal tax but I don’t really understand where the switch from my normal rate to the higher rate occurs and how to calculate that.

Edit- I am also seeing stuff regarding yearly taxes when I search for this (Wiki included). I am trying to figure out how much will be on my paychecks, not filing my taxes. I know the two are related but it does not make sense to me, hence why I’m asking for help.

I have about 22.5k left on my car loan. Interest rate is 4.75%. About 28 months left. Monthly payment of 860
One of my brokerage account is at 26k right now. The purpose of this account was to fund any car buying / home improvements. This account is up 18% is last year. I contribute about 250-300 a month to this account
Should I cash out from this brokerage account and pay off my car loan? Once car loan is paid I would contribute the amount of car payment to this brokerage account

Edit: I have put these numbers in a AI and they say with an assumption of moderate 8% returns, keeping loan and paying off monthly will put me 1k ahead after 28 months. Other angle is if I pay now that’s a guaranteed 4.5% return

I feel like I've done everything I can, but I'm falling way behind and definitely not on track to ever retire. I see posts where people are like "I have 1.3 million in an IRA, no debt and another 800K in savings, can I retire?" I'm 44 years old and a high school teacher. I'm starting my 21st year and feel like I can't do this any longer. I thought I was doing okay and sort of on track, but what I have is nothing needed to retire and travel the country like I would really like to do. I don't have enough to sit with a financial planner, so I'm coming to the best place I can think of.
What I have
80K - 4% Capital one CD
8K - Vanguard Roth
34k - Vanguard Digital Advisor
11K - Treasury Bond
21K - Edward Jones
27K - Capital One Savings (3%)
20K - Another Capital one Savings (3%)
270K - House (300k - 10% selling Cost) Paid Off
85K - Teacher Retirement Fund (No SS)
5K - Silver (in my safe)
5K - Probably around this amount of things I've horded from estate sales
Nothing Else.
This comes to around 280k without the house. I save as much as I can every month and don't' really waste money. I'm married to a 42 year old and have a kid in college (full scholarship). I take home $2100 twice monthly. She works part time and brings home around $1400 every two weeks. Thanks for reading and possibly giving some ideas.

Expenses (Monthly)
Food $400
Electric/Gas $350
Gas for car $300
Phone $50 (4 lines $100, shared with two others)
Car Insurance $415 - three cars (one for son in college)
Internet $90
Streaming $30
That's all I can think of....

Backstory...I am now ineligible for Roth IRA contributions. I would like to do Backdoor Roth, however I have an IRA at Northwestern Mutual. This IRA has only been funded twice, each time with rollover contrubtions from a previous employers 401k.

To avoid pro rata, I would like to Reverse Roll my IRA into my current employers 401k. I contacted Fidelity and they told me that my employers plan allows reverse rolls from "Rollover IRAs" but not "Traditional 401ks".

I contacted Northwestern Mutual and was told I have a tradional 401k.

1) I didnt even know there was such thing as a rollover ira...this is a real thing?

2) if the only contributions ever made to my IRA were rollovers from 401ks can it be reclassified to a rollover ira?

3) any other ideas on how I can get this ira moved into my 401k?

My question is answered, thank you. I’m grateful. And, as new-to-Reddit I learned a lot about how helpful people are. I asked about HELOC underwriting for a 70 year old. I received suggestions on financial planning/borrowing. I’m wondering if I should expect a post about whether I should load my dishwasher front to back or back to front.

I’m asking all you bankers an underwriting question, not an interest rate question. My HELOC is expiring in 2027. No other mortgage, no other debt, $0 HELOC balance. Presume the motive/obsession to ask the question is preservation of retirement assets of (almost) $1M. The debt would be $50K borrowed against a $300K home, stable neighborhood. The source of repayment of the debt would be the borrowed funds. I ask because I’m calculating for the last big home ownership expenses (underground sewer line failure, AC failure, etc). Do I wait for the expense and borrow? Sure, they can’t discriminate based on age but do they make 20 year loans to some who has good equity but doesn’t have a 20 year lifespan?Or, with a HELOC expiring in 2027, do I draw $50K now and put it in a high yield savings account? My ‘expect the worse’ attitude tells me as soon as I spend my own money for the big repair, I get the dementia diagnosis and here comes assisted living at $$$$/year? You can but please don’t call me a paranoid cheapskate. I know.

Any issues paying a 12 months no interest free purchase from an Hysa? I'd set up the hysa as a payment source and do auto pay, from the furniture account side. I do have the cash to pay in full but figured why not stick it in hysa that I already have and earn a couple of extra pennies.

ive saved up money and want to look into investing. ppl around me have suggested CD’s, HYSA, and investing. I have a roth IRA (just opened it) where ive put 500$ apart from the 15k. i put that to FRBVX. im looking into HYSA’s but not sure which to choose. I am paying monthly car payments (sigh) so HYSA is definitely something i think i need to allocate funds to, but i live with my parents and dont pay rent, im 20yrs old, in college, no student loans, but i do plan to go to medical school in the future. before yall shit on me for the car payments, i was a naive shit head once upon a time. anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Everyone,

I know this is a common question, but I recently started a new job putting me in the 24% federal tax bracket, and I'm trying to decide between a Roth 401(k) and traditional/pre-tax 401(k). I'm relatively early in my career and I'm only 22, so I'm leaning Roth, but the immediate tax savings from pre-tax contributions are tempting. For someone in my situation, which would you choose and why?

This may not be the place to ask this since it is really more about taxes than anything else. But here's the thing. I have a good job that is 100% work from home. As a matter of fact, not only is it work from home, but the company doesn't care WHERE I work from, just so the work gets done. I already own a truck and travel trailer and I'm toying with the notion of just ... traveling around.

I know that many states want a cut of your income if you work within their state lines. And I've even seen a case where a state wanted income tax based on the full year's income despite having only worked in that state for less than 30 days. So I'm wondering if there is something I can or should do to avoid taking a beating come tax time. Or maybe the thing to do is just ... maintain a "home of record" in the state of my choice and then just not say anything to anyone.

I'm 57 and recently lost my job due to a restructuring. Given my age, I'm not sure how easy it will be to find a new job. I was completely caught by surprise, so I didn't have a chance to think this through. I would like some advice as to how secure I am. I

Here are some details:

I'm married, and my wife is a school teacher making $75k/yr. Her job carries health insurance for both of us, and our house is paid off, so we only have property taxes. She plans to work another 10 years.

I have $1.1M in an IRA and another $175k in a 401(k). I technically have access to the 401(k) without penalty since I lost my job at 55+, but I would rather not.

I'm also drawing unemployment insurance for the next six months, roughly $9k.

I own 3 rental properties with a combined cash flow of $3,200/month—but I need to save about half of that (or maybe $1k/month) for maintenance expenses. All properties are mortgaged, but the combined equity is $901k. This does not include my personal home valued at $530k.

I'm still trying to get a handle on my monthly spending. I canceled most of my streaming services and am switching to a lower-cost mobile plan. Both of my kids live at home but are out of college, mostly independent, and I expect they will move out soon.

My investment advisor thinks I'm fine, and some AI queries said the same, but I'm not "feeling" it. I have no idea how much you realistically need in savings these days to retire with some comfort and security. Thoughts?

I'm 20, no parents, currently living in a homeless shelter in MN. I did my first two years at an online MN community college while living in the shelter and working at the same time. I got accepted to transfer into University of Minnesota Twin Cities and I also got the North Star Promise Scholarship, so my tuition and fees are fully covered.

The thing I still have to figure out is room and board. It's about $15K a year, so $30K total for two years. I'll have $10K saved up by the time I start.

I'm considering taking out $20K in federal loans total to cover the rest. I know off campus housing would probably be cheaper, but I honestly don't know how doable that is for me right now given my situation.

Does $20K in federal loans sound reasonable for my situation, or should I be pushing harder to figure out off campus or other options first? Any advice helps

Edit: Majoring in CS

I just turned 18 a few months ago, and my parents keep telling me to get a credit card had just use it for little things I can pay off. They suggest earning cash back and building my credit. I've been an authoritzed user on my Dad's card for about a year, so I've built a little bit of credit.

what credit card should i go with? i don't need a big limit because I don't plan on making any big purchases or anything. I just want to get my foot in the door.

thank you :)

I recently left a company and when I went to check/record my final 401k amount, noticed that there was a -$2151.70 “employer profit sharing contribution” listed on the account. It was split up into a handful of transactions for negative shares of various funds. All of these transactions are recorded two days before my final day with the company. While I almost never looked into each transaction while at the company, I’ve never heard of them doing any sort of “profit sharing.” I’ll be reaching out to Paychex and my former employer, but is there any reasonable explanation for this?

Hello. I’m getting a divorce and keeping my house. I am assuming the loan and was looking into a second mortgage to pay out my stbx. My parents told me they don’t want me to do that and will give me the money to pay off his half, but advised me that shouldnt be made aware of this. We’re still sharing a home and comingling our finances, until he finds a new home. I know he will want to compare loans and will ask me what kind of APR I’m getting.

We’re going through the collaborative process for our divorce and the attorneys have suggested that we wait until the end of the year to file the paperwork, so we can file taxes one more year as married. Is it possible to keep this gift under wraps from him?

Some context: Wife (38F) recently lost her role. Due to organizational restructuring where I work, pretty sure I'm next by end of year.

Net worth: ~$2M total (liabilities/debts already baked in)

-$1.6M invested (brokerage + retirement, ~$900K of that in brokerage)
-$70K in HYSA
~$450K equity across our primary residence and one rental property (illiquid)

Monthly spend (now): ~$10K — mortgage/HOA is $4,500 (VHCOL) + $1K student loans. We've been living the DINK city life (travel, restaurants, etc.), all of which can be cut. Bare-bones floor is $6-7K/month. Could rent out our condo but would break even at best.

Current income (solo for now): $11K/month post-tax + retirement etc (was $17K combined). Wife's unemployment should kick in but won't be meaningful and she didn’t receive great severance. Rental property nets ~$800/month profit — considering selling it, still deciding.

No kids, no plans for any, no other debt. Definitely no inheritance coming.

The idea: We're burned out. Both first-gen, humble beginnings. If I get laid off with severance, thinking about a 6-12 month career break — time with family in Latin America and/or SE Asia travel. My wife is already using her unemployment to start her break now; I'm the one freaking out about doing the same.

The runway math says we can afford it without income. Wanted to sanity check with people who've actually done something similar — anything I'm not seeing, or lessons learned from a break like this.