I’ve got around $29-30k sitting in a high-yield savings account and roughly $25k in stocks. I make about $5,500/month after tax if I don’t pick up extra shifts.

Buying a house here isn’t really on my radar anytime soon, mortgage rates are around 9%, and even a small, unremarkable house runs about $700k. I already have a reliable car worth about $15k, so that’s not something I need to save toward either.

I just don’t have anyone in my life who can actually advise me on how much I should be investing.

I know this i pretty good for my age but i have a lot of coworkers that have been on these wages for 15 years and dont have anything in the bank. I have been investing around 2k a month in the last year

My mother was legally married to a woman who passed away in 2018. Over time, it came to light that there's a stock certificate for shares of AMD purchased in the 80's... wife liked to squirrel things away and not everything was automatically transferred over to mom. Mom's done lots of digging for bank accounts, retirement accounts, etc. through whatever hoops a same-sex marriage may have brought up.

The AMD stock has done pretty well since purchased, needless to say. Mom has gotten letters about unclaimed property and it does show up in California's unclaimed property database. Actually claiming it has been so far impossible.

Mom has the original Merrill Lynch receipt complete with certificate numbers. So far as we can tell, the shares are held by ComputerShare. In her digging, there's mention of a Medallion Signature required to transfer anything. Mom has accounts at Chase; Chase is worthless for help. Mom has accounts at Fidelity; Fidelity has apparently said "get to a physical office and MAYBE we can help out". If that's what she needs to do, that's a valid answer... she doesn't have one very close to her, which may be why she's not tried that option.

Is this even the right place to ask? Any help greatly appreciated, multiple attempts over several years have left her very weary of even trying. My brother and I can only do so much, we aren't financial experts, and none of us are within 1000 miles of each other to physically help her go places and get it figured out.

Ive been contributing 8% to a 401k through my job…no employer match, with a retirement target year 2050, currently has around 65k with a estimate of 533k in 2050

I know very little about the subject but from ive read i should keep my current 401k, lower the contributions maybe half to 4% and put the difference in a roth ira?

Just looking for any advice

Edit…additional info, i make about 60k a year, i am married, and i live in New Jersey

I graduated college about 10 years ago. I had a job by the time I graduated, but I never prioritized starting my 401k. I always thought let me pay off debt first. Or I don’t make enough just yet. Always had a reason not to, fast forward 10 years I thought well hell let me just open it with 50 bucks per check and I’ll slowly start increasing it. I guess my plan worked because within 2 months I’m close to maxing out the 5% match. I know early 30s is later than usual but shit better late than never.

Hi all- my wife has about $50k in student loans and recently her parents have offered to give her about $30k as a gift to pay off some of her student loans. They were hoping to give us a cash gift to deposit and pay off the loans. As far as I can tell the cash gift limit is $19k per individual, and depositing greater than $10k will trigger CTR form. We certainly are not doing anything insidious and none of us know the best way to go about doing this. Does anyone have any advice on how to accomplish this?

Of note, I believe that the money has to be in the form of cash since it’s what they have and they may have issues with depositing it themselves.

Appreciate any help!

The title sums it up. I'm a 24F and I am constantly freaking out about my personal finances and losing sleep over working a 8-4 and side hustles and being utterly exhausted and it feels like I'm still not making enough.

For context, I am a singer and I got my undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance and Theatre Arts before moving to a larger city to pursue my artistic career (I really dont want to argue with people about "choosing a bad major" so keep those thoughts to yourself please). I had help with paying for my degree so I have no student loans luckily, and I have always considered myself financially savvy but a couple recent emergencies have really put a bad taste in my mouth. My cat had to be hospitalized and unfortunately the entire expenses added up to $15K (again, I dont want to hear that I shouldve put her down or something) and I have a couple doctors expenses that are going to total around $3k out of pocket by the end of the year. Luckily, Ive been working since highschool and I saved everything I made in an emergency fund that was $9k and I have family who loaned me the extra money for my cat so I wouldn't have credit card debt, but the expectation is to pay them back about $5k whenever I can. So I'm feeling stressed about needing $8k more and rebuilding my emergency fund, which I now want to be between 15-20k because yeeeesh what a vet bill.

I am currently working 32-40 hours a week at an 8-4 making $17 an hour, I teach private lessons and workshops at a music school for about 2-8 hours a week making $30 an hour (and will hopefully be working more as I get more students), and I work a social media side hustle that gives me $50 a month (this one is just fun and less than an hour of work a week). I am actively performing so I have about 10 hours of rehearsal each week as well, not paid other than a very small stipend, but as you can see my schedule has gotten overwhelming very quickly and I am constantly exhausted.

Financially, I expect to make around $2,200 a month. I have no car payment, no student loans, and not any outstanding expenses that are immediate other than paying back my family so all my monthly money is divided up like this.

Rent- $650

Transportation/Gas - $150

Groceries - $200

Eating out - $100

My cat - $100

Laundry - $20

Subscriptions - $12

Performance things (like voice lessons) - $200

House maintenance - $50

Personal expenses - $100

Fun money - $75

So totaling about $1657 for regular expenses, that leaves me with around $543 a month of extra money. I am currently putting $100 a month into my emergency fund and just started my Roth at $75 a month so we are down to $367. I also have a dear friend's birthday this week so I'm planning on spending about $200 total for their birthday expenses (plus I feel like we can assume around this much comes up in random unexpected expenses), so that leaves me with $167 a month extra.

This feels like next to nothing when looking at such big goals like paying back my family and rebuilding my fund. I was going to begin auditions for graduate school this year but will have to pay for all the planes and auditions myself so I dont even know if i can afford to go to school and not be working while I'm paying this off. I think I just am hoping someone will tell me I'm on the right track (or wrong track!) with my thinking and budgeting, but I would love any and all advice on what to move around in my budget. Thank you guys so much!!

Title says it all basically, I have a house that’s worth $1.2m I owe $500k on it. I’be been debating selling and buying a house around $500k to be able to jump start my investment accounts. I previously had holdings in VOO and some other stuff.

TLdr: have nice house or have avg house and $700k in stock, I’m 29 yo

Thanks In advance

Edit:
QOL wouldn’t really change, I’d be moving from a brand new build on estate lot, to an upper class neighborhood. Same school district. My interest rate would be the same. I would be borrowing the 500k for new house not owning it outright. Bills would stay the same(prop tax would be less)

Hello, I'm 23 in Europe and just graduated. I live with my parents and have around 7000eu in savings.

I will soon start a job where I will be paid about 2650eu net/month but as I will still live with my parents, I will be able to save this money aggressively (I'm thinking about 2000eu a month, probably more as I won't pay for rent nor food most of the time, but I prefer to keep a margin).

I will probably live with my parents for another 2 years and then rent a room in a cheap apartment with roommates. My goal is to buy my own apartment (aiming for a 200-250k property) in a European capital city in 4-5 years (for personal reasons, I won't be able to buy before that with the job I will have) so I'm wondering if it's really interesting to invest now even if I will need a substantial amount of this money in 4-5 years? Or will I likely have the possibility to invest on one side and save enough for a mortgage on the other side?

My question is when should I start investing and how much should I keep in savings knowing my goals?

I don't really have any financial education (other than some Youtube channels I follow), so I'm a bit lost.

I was also thinking of discussing this with a financial advisor at my bank but I feel like their job is just trying to sell me products and I don't like that but I don't really know who to contact otherwise.

I just saw the devastating disaster that recently happened in Nepal on the news again and how devastating it is to the community. There's a CTA to donate at the end and I thought maybe I can try donating the remaining balances of my prepaid cards?

Turns out it worked! ($1 donation minimum)

If you have small leftover balances on prepaid credit cards that would otherwise go unused, you can put them toward a disaster relief instead of letting them disappear into the ether.

I just donated to the Nepal relief fund, but you can donate to any causes you choose.

Hello,
I am 29 and preparing to physically separate from my spouse of five years. We are both high-earning tech professionals in California.
Throughout our marriage, my spouse handled all household financial logistics—utility bills, rent, joint accounts, credit cards, and investments—while I simply deposited my paychecks and focused on work. Because of this, I have never managed household finances completely solo, and I need a practical checklist to ensure I protect myself legally and financially during this transition.
Here is what I have already planned:

1. Opening an individual checking and savings account at a completely new bank solely in my name.
2. Rerouting my payroll direct deposit 100% to my new account.
3. Signing my own studio apartment lease and setting up my own utilities (electric, internet, renter's insurance).
4. What else do I need to prioritize right now?
5. How do I request and document copies of existing joint accounts, tax returns, credit card balances, and brokerage/retirement assets without escalating conflict?
6. Should I pull my own credit report immediately to see if there are any joint debts or authorized-user accounts in my name?
7. Any common blind spots people miss when separating finances prior to formal legal filing in a community property state (California)?
8. Any advice or practical checklists would be greatly appreciated.

I just learned today that you can roll 35k from a 529 into an IRA after 15 years. Currently I have maxed out my IRA and maxed my employer match on my 401k (but I don’t want to do more since the options for what I can buy aren’t great). I am still on my parents insurance so I cannot open an HSA yet. Would opening a 529 with the goal of using it as a tax advantage account that I can just add to my IRA later on be a bad idea?

I'm a 22 yr old female who within the last 2 to 3 years has struggled with being quite tight with finances.

I'm currently unemployed but studying full-time for a masters and job seeking (with limited luck). So overall my only income is investment returns and interest.

My outgoings are limited, with most going towards petrol and food, however I don't remember the last time I actually bought something for myself. Perhaps a $15 candle or something a few months ago.

I need new clothes and shoes but can't convince myself to spend the money as what I currently have is fine although ill-fitting.

The main issue likely stems from my account division being basically 100% to savings and taking anything out obviously feels horrible.

Anyway, the point is that I'm not sure how to balance savings and spendings appropriately.

It seems as if there's such a large splay within my generation of those excessively spending and those overly concerned about finances. I feel as though I'm missing out on enjoying things due to my constant concern over expenses as I'd love to travel and care more for myself without being excessive.

Has anyone dealt with something similar?

How did you manage it so that you don't feel guilty every time you spend on yourself?

Edit: For context, I have ~$20,000 in high-interest savings, investments, and overall liquid assets. Almost all my previous wages have gone into savings etc. My field is tough to get into post-grad so I'm currently in that annoying stage bridging study and long-term stable employment.

I live at home and paid off all my student loans so I am currently debt free. I do commute to work once a week while my parents usually commute 1-2 times a week and we all share one car for the whole family. Sharing the car has been the source of many arguments, and I oftentimes am not allowed to drive the car because my mom is worried if something happens while I’m driving, the whole family will have no car.

I want to move out eventually and think taking on an expense like a car now might be easier than juggling an auto-loan on top of paying rent and utilities, and would feel much better having a fully paid off car by the time I move out. I’ve been looking on the used car market for long lasting models like a camry/corolla/civic, but a lot of these cars have +100K miles and are still only a couple thousand dollars cheaper than if I were to buy the newest model for MSRP. At this point I’d rather buy new and not have to worry about maintenance for the first few years (and at least have the warranty) plus the interest on my auto-loan would be lower.

Net salary per month is ~$4500 with most of it going to my HYSA and investments. I have ~12K in my HYSA so I know I could use some of it for a good down payment. I do however work in tech, so I’m scared of getting laid off and then having a massive auto-loan to pay which is why I’d like to have the car paid off ASAP but keep my monthly payments low.

I welcome any advice as I’ve never owned a car myself before.

Hi I just got a big boy job with a 401k match that I plan to max out. My question is, why do many people suggest maxing out your Roth IRA after hitting your employers contribution match, wouldn't putting those extra 7k in the 401k increase your gains over time a lot more, since the 401k will have a larger amount of money. In 5 years 401k would have 70k from my contributions + employee match, then if I put the money I would out in a Roth IRA it would sit at 105k. Conversely, due to the cap the Roth IRA a would be sitting around 35k. So wouldn't the 401k be earning a lot more? Let me know if I'm missing anything.

I'm considering this card because it's just about the only card I've seen with 2% cash back without categories or other conditions.

I just want to make sure I can redeem the reward money the way I want, which is simply to redeem the cash value into my Capital One checking account.

Thanks!

I have a large sum of money in a bank account that is earning zero interest. I have not invested it because I was setting the money aside for a house downpayment that hasn't yet happened. My bank was just purchased and the transition has been extremely messy. It's the perfect time to move my money to a HYSA until I either find a house or am ready to invest. What would be my best option so that I am still able to shift money from my checking account to the savings? I've been recommended to Capital One 360, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, and Community America Credit Union.

I had a previous bad experience with a credit union, but am also leery of online-only banking. I'm at a loss of what to look into and would appreciate any direction!

I’m currently unemployed and haven’t been able to land a job. My mother (co signer), kicked me out and refuses to help me with the loan and is not an option. My school slashed my major and my minors and the loan was for my study abroad expenses. I’m at a loss of what to do and I didn’t even finish my degree and cannot get in school until I at least save some money; I can’t get another loan or go to school without money, right? I believe the loans total around 14.5k. I’m not sure what I’m looking for here but any help would be greatly appreciated and I can answer any questions necessary. Thank you. (Located in USA, NC)

This is a bit convoluted but I’m just freaking out a bit and am trying to make sure I do my next steps correctly.

(1) I had a 401k with a former employer (brokerage was John Hancock). My former employer was switching to a new brokerage by end of last month so I made a request for a direct rollover to my new employer’s brokerage before that happened.

(2) I want to roll it over to my current employer’s brokerage (Fidelity)

(3) due to some confusion in the forms apparently, John Hancock issued a check to Fidelity but the “FBO” line said my employers name instead of mine (ie “FBO [new employer]”). Fidelity said if they receive that check they can’t do anything with it.

I just learned this happened so i think I have to call JH and see if I can request them to stop the check and reissue with the correct info. But is there anything I need to watch out for given my former employer no longer has a contract with them? If they refuse to help for any reason, is there anything recourse?

A family member of mine recently died and left me a fair amount of cash, among other things.

I was paying back debt and was almost back to being debt free after around 5 years before this came upon me, so needless to say I am in no debt. I lived with my mom until she recently passed.

She left me whay money she had saved, her car, and our house. I already had a car of my own which I nearly had paid off, so now I own two cars. I am also a single dad. I have full custody and receive no child support. I had no savings of any kind before this, lived check to check paying back debt while my mom paid our bills with her income.

She left me right around the ballpark of 71,000. Again I own my cars, and my home. I work and make net of around 38,000 a year. I need help budgeting. After doing some home improvements and buying some things, I am down to around 64.5. I need help budgeting l.

College fund/ 529 account

My son is 4 years old and I have no college fund saved. I know this is a mistake, but I wanted to be debt free before I started saving. I want to start a 529 account. Should I do it on a website like brightstart, or have it through a major investment firm like Fidelity? Does it matter?

How much should I put from my savings into this? After the initial deposit from what I have now, how much should I invest every week/month?

Retirement

I am 29 years old. I buy into a 401k at work and I put what in what they match which is 6% I think. I have no IRA. Should I start one and if so, where? Major firm like fidelity or vanguard? How much should I invest monthly/weekly?

Savings

After starting a 529 and possibly IRA, how much should I leave left over for emergency savings? Where should I store my savings, a hysa or something else?

Bills and food.

Otherwise I think I just need help budgeting utilities and food. How much should I be spending each month on basic utilities and food? I have one phone line and have internet at home. I live in a rural area.

Cars

I've never owned two cars as I've never had a reason to do so. I thought about putting one in storage. I have no garage. I do not plan on selling. To make them last, should I just drive them equally and maintain them as normal?

One is a 2015 hyundai elantra with 137k miles on it, new motor put in 40k miles ago. The other is a 19 dodge journey with 103k on it. Hyundai is better on gas I've noticed.

Looking for advice on savings vs spending. Wife and I are both 42. In general we are somewhat frugal spenders and have aggressively saved over the past 20 years relative to our income. The market has also obviously cooperated. Current net worth is sitting at ~$2.6MM broken down as follows.

$1.6MM 401k

$100K 403b

$300K Roth IRA

$100K HSA

$200K Cash Balance Pension

$300K Home Equity

We don't have a specific dollar target, but I want to be retired by 55. $5MM has always seemed like an aggressive, but also achievable number, but I have no ties to that. I'd like to spend our retirement on a nice home and traveling. If we can leave a chunk for our kids that's a bonus.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about reprioritizing travel vs savings. We're not getting any younger and I don't want to sacrifice more than we need to to reach our goals. Am I being unreasonable to think we've done the work to set ourselves up and we can start spending more on experiences now? Posting this anonymously because money is never an easy topic to bring up with friends and family. Would appreciate any advice from those in similar situations.

I am receiving around 200k from a civil settlement. What would be the best method to grow this, my initial reaction was to pay off all personal debts and use whatever is remaining to start saving and grow it from there but I'm questioning this. I would appreciate any perspectives on this.

I am 19 years old and looking to move $4000 from my BOFA savings account into a higher yielding account, as well as hoping to be able to deposit $100-200 into it each month. Any recommendations?

I’m due for mortgage renewal and my broker just contacted me advising that an old cell phone account with a balance on of $6 has hit my credit and dropped it below the threshold causing a roadblock in my application. I’m contacting the cellphone company to investigate but I’m wondering if anyone can provide any advice or give me some pointers on how to fix this.

I woke up Saturday morning to see my card was used for $500 of purchases on ticketmaster and event insurance. It very much wasn't my purchase but the bank has to do a fraud investigation. I'm just curious how they will be able to tell it wasn't me, since I do buy tickets from ticketmaster as well (but never the event insurance). I called immediately but they said they couldn't do anything but freeze the card until the charges actually posted - which was today.

I'm so scared that I'll be out $500+ because they see that I buy tickets through there and have no way to prove it wasn't me - other than the fact there are no tickets showing up on my account from this charge. Do I need to call ticketmaster and see if I can figure out what account or show they were for? Or a police report or just wait and see and hope they have ways to tell