So, I used to think budgeting was just… annoying. Like people would say, “Make a budget; it’ll change your life,” and I’d roll my eyes. I figured, if I don’t even have enough money, what’s the point of writing it down?

But then one day I looked at my bank statement and realized I had spent $312 on food delivery in a single month. Like… how?? I wasn’t even eating good food half the time. That kind of hit me, and I thought, "Okay, maybe I need to actually try this budgeting thing."

The way I started (not fancy at all)

I didn’t download like 5 apps or carry around envelopes of cash like those YouTube finance people. I just opened Google Sheets. Wrote:

how much I make after taxes

rent, internet, car, insurance

then groceries, gas, random spending

And then, very painfully, I forced myself to put a little in savings. At first it was like 20 bucks a week. Felt pointless tbh, but after a couple months I looked and I had $160. Which was honestly the most I’d saved… probably ever.

Weird mindset shift

The funny thing is, budgeting didn’t feel like punishment after a while. It felt like I was actually allowed to enjoy stuff again.

Like before, I’d just buy Starbucks every morning because “it’s only 5 bucks.” But then I’d feel broke later. Now, I just budget for a Friday coffee treat. Same with eating out—cut it down, but still do it. Feels better than constantly swiping my card and then stressing.

Where I’m at now

It’s been like 6 months. I’m not rich, not even close. But:

I’ve got about $1,200 in an emergency fund.

Paid off a small credit card that was haunting me

And I don’t feel like I’m drowning all the time anymore.

Honestly, that last one is the biggest win.

Final thoughts

If you hate budgeting because it feels like it’ll make your life boring, I get it. I thought that too. But it’s really just a way to stop future-you from freaking out. You don’t need to be perfect—just track a week, cut one silly expense, and see what happens.

Budgeting didn’t fix everything, but it made life less stressful. And honestly, that’s worth a lot.

I have a paid off car, and am looking to get a new vehicle in the next 2-3 years. Would it be a bad idea to act as if I have a monthly payment, but just put it in my HYSA and use it as a down payment in the future? Or would I be better off just investing it and not having a down payment for my future car.

I already have an emergency fund with 6 months of expenses.

Hello, I'm 23F and leaving a fucked up situation to say the least. Physical, emotional, and financial abuse and lots of extreme violence from my family that ruined my life. I want out and am considering jumping ship to a DV shelter. I'll spare the details but I need help with the financial side of things. I have no survival skills when it comes to supporting myself because of how bad the financial abuse was. My father is well off but I was basically a bird in a cage my whole life, didn't let me work, learn about money, or have any independence. I'm currently injured after a car accident & a separate surgery so I'm anxious about working. The car accident that happened to me is no-fault so that's pending, but I have no idea what to do with the settlement. Idek if I can work bc of my injuries. There are credit cards in my name that my father opened for me when I barely understood what was happening. I have student debt. I opened a separate HYSA account after reading about it online.

I have a BA in psychology & 3/4 a BS in vocal performance (idk if im gonna finish it) and am building music production skills. I'm considering some type of PhD (maybe neuroscience/neuropsych/psych) but having a music career was my life dream since I could think. I guess the big question is how tf do I survive. My life was ruined and I want it back. I'm already set back in so many ways but the financial side of things is really daunting to me. I don't want to be helpless I want to support myself but I have no idea how given my circumstances.

I’m 27, I have no financial literacy, my credit score is in the 400’s and I need to move in the next six months. I live with my sister, who’s credit score is also not great, I’m a disabled veteran in college so my income will increase come October. I just don’t know what to do to improve my credit score, the obvious answer is to pay off debt that I accumulated at 18 but I haven’t made payments on it I’m years is it too late?

I am the listed beneficiary for a Traditional IRA, with about 100k. It has been transferred over now to my name, as an inherited account. I'm the only listed beneficiary, but my father's will lists me and my sister to receive 50/50 of all his estate. I will honor his wishes and want to distribute half of the inherited IRA to my sister as a withdrawl. My question is, if I withdraw the 100k, I will be getting the tax form from them next year showing what I withdrew, and I know I am to report it as income. If I'm giving 50k of it to my sister, how does that work for tax implications? Can I only report the 50k I actually kept as income, even though the form will show 100k withdrawn? Does my sister just report 50k income on her end even though there is no paperwork tying her to having withdrawn anything in her name? My concern is that the extra 100k may put me in the next tax bracket- am I responsible for that tax hit even though I only kept 50k (which might not put me in the next tax bracket)?

I have a side hustle that I am considering making a more serious investment into (e.g. 10-20K dollars). It may never make money or least not for some time (art field).

Am I able to write off my expenses and save money on my primary source of income and if so, how do I do this legitimately?

I'm assuming I would need a state or federal business license? Any other tips of cautions?

40yo with 15yrs of service with employer. Want to do another 15. Have a pension that calculator says should be $13k/mo for life (no clue on accuracy). Employer insurance currently lets those with 20+ years of service remain as part of plan at $300/mo. Have a 457b that I contribute $500 each paycheck to. House pays off in 15yrs. Minimal other debts <10k. Have a kiddo who will enter college when I retire (parents/grandparents have already allotted for those expenses).

I feel I can, just not sure what I’m not looking at or missing. I’ve been blessed in this life and I think 30yrs at work should be doable and still be young enough to do other things on the spinning mass.

Does anyone have any clear answers? (Survivor Benifits for son)

I've been reading and everything either seems super vague, or contradicting...

My application was recently approved for survivior benifits for my son, and there will be two months of backpay. But we cant use that? If I'm reading/understanding correctly? It has to go into a different account? With school just starting, and my son's fee's and specialized school needs (vocational school for welding), it would be great if I could use a little of the backpay to help mitigate the financial bill crunch.

I'm also reading that there will have to be annual reports, but then that because I'm the natural mother there won't be annual reports?

Also, once my son turns 18, any money saved will have to go back to SS, just to be re-given to him?

I've read the booklet and it seems to leave me more confused on what we can and can't do.

If anyone can explain this to me like I'm 5, I'd appreciate it, so much. It's been a heck of a past couple of years, we lost everything when I left his father (very bad situation) and we're having to rebuild 15 years or our lives. His father died from an OD in June and he took everything from our son (his savings, any valuables, etc), and being a single mother has been hard. I'm terrified of doing something wrong and making the situation even worse for him and our little family.

Also, does anyone know what kinds of things can I do for him as far as investments? Or is that something I can even do?

Thank you, in advance!

I’m trying to figure out my longterm housing plan and I keep going back and forth, on one hand renting feels simpler since I don’t have to worry about maintenance or property taxes but it also feels like throwing money away. On the other hand buying a house seems like a smart investment but saving enough for a down payment feels like it would take forever and I’m not sure if I’d even want to stay in the same place longterm.

For those who’ve been through this is it smarter to rent longterm or start saving aggressively for a house? How did you decide what was right for you?

I have an opportunity to grow in my career, but unfortunately that means moving to a new and smaller company that does not yet offer a 401k. So I am thinking I will most likely roll over my 401k into IRAs. I have searched the internet/AI for advice on how to go about this, but have seen some conflicting information, and looking for some more perspectives to really deep dive into the best approach.

My 401k is with Empower, which to some extent I like the account, having access to PIMIX, which I don't think I will have access to outside of, but surely that's not worth the fee and not having full control. The account is partially Roth 401k, and more pre-tax.

I am thinking I will roll-over the Roth 401k portion to my current Vanguard Roth IRA, and then transfer the pre-tax portion to a traditional IRA I will create.

I am looking for discussion around this, personal experience, and advice. I appreciate anyone taking the time to share their thoughts in advance!

I'm 22, and about two years ago, I had approximately $10k saved in my bank account. It’s gone now.

• Some went to help my dad when he asked for money while I was in college.
• Some went to pay off classes I couldn’t finish.
• Some went to cover the moving truck after I had to leave campus.
• The rest disappeared into survival and personal spending.

I even impulsively opened a Fidelity account (without doing research) just because I kept hearing people recommend it, but eventually pulled the money back into my checking when I needed it again, or when my dad asked for money. I regret how I handled it, and I’ve been stuck in a cycle of guilt and waiting for my dad to “pay me back,” which hasn’t happened. I know now I need to let that go and move forward.

Current snapshot: * Checking: $1,870.66 * Cash: $78 * Savings: $0 (I don’t have one anymore) * Credit card: $0 balance * Credit score: 775 (Experian), 763 (Equifax), 772 (TransUnion), 758 (Chase Bank app) (though my last free pulls on Experian show Jan 2024, and I can’t afford a subscription again to refresh it) * Debt: $0

I’ve been living frugally and below my means, and I’m on a path to working again and building stability. My goals are:

1. Avoid burning through my money again.
2. Build a healthy relationship with money (I’ve never been taught financial basics).
3. Start saving/investing the right way, without rushing into the wrong accounts or strategies.

Questions: 1. What’s the best way to restart my savings and build a safety net from this point? 2. Any free or low-cost ways to refresh and track my credit score? 3. For someone who gets overwhelmed by the endless financial advice online, what are the first 2–3 steps I should focus on? I want to be transparent because I don’t want to repeat my mistakes. I know I have the ability to grind and save again; I just need to approach it smarter this time. Any resources, tips, or expertise would be greatly appreciated.

Title says it I filled out a mail in payment for $55 on my HSA card. Looked at my statement & they charged $155(which was the remaining balance on my account). I know this wasn’t a mistake on my end- as I left a balance on my card to pay another medical bill. Now that one will probably bounce. What can I do?

Just learned we have 40k in inheritance money coming our way. 10k going into emergency fund, 10k for baby on the way. How do I max out the remaining 20k? Already maxing out retirement funds.

I just got a refund check from my college which was basically $1000. I don't really have any expenses at all since I eat at the dining halls and I stay at my dorm. I was going to open a savings account with Chase since I have a credit card with them but then I learned that a HYSA is much better than a traditional savings account. I don't currently have a job but I'll get one either this semester or next semester but I do have a bit of cash on me so I can add like $100 each month to the HYSA. I'm only 18 so I'm just trying to set up the best future for me and such. I was looking at getting a HYSA with SoFi but I wanted to see if there were any other better places to get a HYSA with. Thanks!

Edit: Forgot to mention that I'll probably be invest another $1000 that I have. I was thinking about doing something with an ETF but I haven't decided yet. I'll also keep $1000 in cash in case of whatever happens.

Hey guys, sorry for the super niche question.

I’m currently a nurse and am expecting to make around $110k this year. I do work a decent amount of overtime but not exceptionally so (meaning I have many days off and a good social life balance)

Everyone on my unit it seems is going back to school for family nurse practitioner (FNP). I work with many FNPs in critical care and from what they have told me, they make around 133k in my area (they also have to work more hours and typically more days a week). I work 3, 12 hour shifts and they work 4-5, 8 hour shifts a week (my schedule doesn’t include overtime).

If I worked the exact number of hours as they do now as a bedside nurse I would make $104k. Meaning the marginal difference between salaries is probably around $30k pre-tax.

My question is, I feel “behind” in my peer groups as everyone is going back to school. I recently read a book by Scott Galloway called “The Algebra of Wealth” and he talks a bit about opportunity cost.

In this sense, he would reference the money and time you invest in further education may not be worth the extra money you make after education given the opportunity cost. Now, depending on the school, the cost could be 50-110k in student costs for the schooling I would be needing to do. It definitely makes financial sense as I’m 27 and would work 30 years as an FNP making around 22% more for 30 years!

However, I’m focused on investing. Currently my rent is VERY cheap, and I’m able to invest heavily in land, retirement accounts, and savings/roth Ira’s.

I’ve become concerned I’m making a bad choice investing in these accounts rather than investing in future education, and am just curious—is the opportunity cost of going back to school to make an additional 20-40k a year worth the schooling given the insane compound interest over 30 years would make?

Thanks:)

Hello all, I am wondering if I should pull money I have in my 457(b) account through Equitable after leaving a job at my school in the States to go teach english in Spain for at least a year.

Since I am no longer with my former employer, would the funds I raised in the account sit there if/until I get another job in the States? In trying to do research, I also learned that the 457(b) I got through Equitable is pretty gnarly in the fees they charge, and I regret not doing this research sooner.

I don’t have a traditional IRA or Roth rolled over so technically I could take the funds out and put them in a savings account, or potentially another retirement account through a traditional or ROTH/ IRA, or solo 401K?In addition to teaching, I work for a tutoring company but as independent contractors.

Is it more wise to have my money sit in the 457(b) for now or move it elsewhere?

Thank you in advance!

Earlier this year I was transferred ownership of my 529 account that’s sitting at $98.5k. I already went to a trade school college back in 2018-2019 and now a Journeyman electrician. I’m doing well for myself and doubt I’m ever going back to school since I despised it whole time in high school. I debating leaving the funds in the account since it’s saying it up 12% YTD or taking the tax hit and penalty moving it to my Vanguard brokerage account ( Already maxed Roth IRA this year). If I were to move it to Vanguard I would probably do $65-70k VOO(and chill) and use the rest for some stock trading adventures. Any thoughts? Thanks

Hey everyone, this is a bit of a career question but I view this more through the financial lens. I want to buy a house and have kids soon but really want a stable income.

Current situation: I know I’m going to be laid off in 1 year. My severance would be 6m of salary. So I have about 18 months of income guaranteed.

I recently received a job offer for a large raise (~30%). The problem is: it’s for a startup that is going through a major restructuring soon. On top of that, their severance is only 1 month of salary. So if I go there, I’d probably have ~3m of pay at 130% of what I’m making now guaranteed.

But if I take the job, I’d also have a chance at surviving the startup restructuring and still being employed this time next year.

So, do I take the chance at the startup and try to survive the restructuring? Or do I stay in my current position and try to find a better opportunity?

Tried filing my wifes IT2 and selected the old regime, the 80C colum is showing blank and unable to enter anything in that.

I remember using a Coinstar machine for the first time, I thought it was the easiest thing ever. I just dumped all my loose change into the slot and got a voucher. But later, I started paying attention to the fees, I realized it might not be the best deal compared to other ways of handling coins. The fee takes out a chunk, and if you’re cashing out often, it adds up. Some banks still let you deposit coins for free, but you usually need an account with them. That can be a better option if you’re patient and don’t mind rolling your coins or waiting in line. I’ve also seen people selling their coin rolls directly to local businesses, especially small shops that need change, and that works out fair for both sides. Coinstar wins on convenience though. The machines are everywhere and super simple to use. You don’t need to talk to anyone, and you can choose gift cards instead of cash, which removes the fee in some cases. That’s handy if you shop often at places like grocery stores. I’ve always wondered how these machines work. When I looked online, I found them being sold on Alibaba, and I was wondering if I can monetize this. Well regardless, I’m saving my coins now, if I’m not giving them to charity, I will have to store them up in my home box till they are big enough to deposit in a bank.

At the end of the day, it depends on what you care about more, saving on fees or saving time. Personally, I still use Coinstar when I want quick cash for my coins, but for big amounts, I look for other options. Do you stick with Coinstar for the ease, or do you prefer banking and saving those fees?

So I'll try to make this as brief as my over-thinking brain can. I (30m) and my fiance (29f) moved to a different state earlier this year to buy our first home. We were fortunate enough to have a family member with an in-law on their house allow us to stay with them for $800 a month until we are able to get our own home in the area.

Finances: 30m makes about 65-70K/year based on OT and bonuses. 29F makes 56K/year.

M30 in bank has 118K in a HYSA. 7K savings/checking. 22k in 401k, 16K in stocks. Credit score 799

Zero debt

29F has 8K in savings/checking and 20K in HYSA (she just started her career last year out of college) credit score 786 Owes 7K on her car, other than that no other debt, college is paid off. Her expenses aren't overly important to the purchase as we have discussed her money is going towards her masters degree mostly, she's going to contribute maybe 5-10K towards the home purchase

I'm bringing in roughly $900/week sometimes more depending on OT She's bringing in about 2100 every 2 weeks I believe, she's a teacher so that's why her math is weird but it's 56k/year paid every 2 weeks and school hasnt given a paycheck yet

Current expenses: about $120 on groceries a week $60/wk on gas $800 rent/month $100 misc/wk Car insurance $180/month No phone bill

We try to keep it pretty frugal and simple

Houses in the area we are looking at range from 300-380K I plan on putting down 20% then maybe buying a couple points to lower the interest rate a little.

My rough math estimate is around 70K for down payment plus another 10K or so for closing, leaving me with about 40 left over in my HYSA I feel like 20K for emergencies and 20K for inevitable home repairs in the first year is a fair assumption.

We are planning to get pre-approved after she gets her first 2 paychecks I feel like we are ready enough to make the move but part of me thinks it may be best to wait it out a bit longer? I'd like to hear your thoughts, or if I need to give more information

I am heavily considering early retirement at 55. I should mention that I know very little about all this stuff. I have about 1.5mil in my esop, with the option to keep my esop for 5 years after retirement. My company projects the account balance should be 3.6mil by the time im 62 (no specific forecast for 60) so it seems best to leave it...but it also seems extremely high risk to have the bulk of my retirement in one place.

My 401k is not in great shape. Long story, but it was managed poorly and multiple loans were taken over the years, so its only at about $240k.

My tentative plan is to take 60k a year to start, which is 10k less that I am making now. My husband will continue to work. I am worried that 55 is too soon, but I'm leaning heavily towards pulling the trigger in 2027. I am really struggling with whether it is better/safer to keep my esop for those 5 extra years, or roll it into my 401k. Any feedback would be appreciated.

All advice is appreciated.

Me and my Wife are both on pension plans via work, credit is decent, emergency fund is fine, all bills are paid with plenty of money left over.

We have no plans of spending it for at least a year or two for part of a down payment on a house.

I'm just looking for ways to maximize the returns with minimal risk.

I see recommendations to put spare funds into a high yield savings account all the time on this sub. But how is that different from a normal savings account?

If there is a high yield version, why would anyone ever choose the normal version?

I have a savings account with my bank. I've had it since I was 16 and don't honestly know what it yields. Would they have given me a low-yield savings account just because I was young and didn't know better..?

What numbers am I looking for when shopping for a HYSA?

I recently had to leave my job without any notice. I have a 403B and I wanted to withdraw it all and when I get a new job put everything leftover into my new employers plan. When I called the other day they said to take out $40,000 with fees and taxes they would charge me $12,100 and then come tax time I would have to pay another 10%. Then they told me to roll it into an IRA.

My manager who was let go had a lot more in her 403B and had a loan against it (from when she was employed) was charged a lot less than what they are telling me when she withdrew everything in her account.

We are both under 55 and worked for the same employer for years.

Is there a reason why I'm being charged so much? I am only pulling it so I can live. My states cost of living is really high (as with everything else) and so most of my savings have gone into paying bills and such.

When they take out their 20% and the 10% for taxes will I have to pay another 10% in 2026 when I file? I'm so confused! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!!

Side note: This is my last option, this is not something I want to do it is something I need to do in order to pay rent and bills. I currently have no income coming in until I find a new job. I am trying to figure out if this is correct what they are charging me.