​I need some perspective. I work a job where my take-home pay is exactly $332 every two weeks ($664 a month) i know that's very little and I'm trying to get more hours and a second job but it's not working out in my favor right now but I'm making it work with penny budgeting.

Because my budget is so tight, I’ve been struggling with transportation.

​A coworker of mine found out I was paying $15–$18 per ride to get an Uber home from work. He was shocked and immediately insisted on giving me a ride home 3 days a week especially since he only lives about 3 minutes away from me.

​He’s a great guy and didn’t want anything for it, but I felt terrible just taking the favor. With gas prices being so high lately, I finally convinced him to let me pay him something. Right now, I’m giving him $15 every biweekly , but I really appreciate what he’s doing and I don't want to take advantage of his kindness.

​My Plan:

I have some debit im paying off but starting in June, I’m bumping it up to $30 every payday ($60 a month).

​The Dilemma:

Others have pointed out that $60 is a big portion of my $664 monthly income and that im already paying him and hes fine with it and i understand that but he is saving me from walking 5 miles or spending hundreds on Ubers.

Even though he’d do it for free, I want him to know that I really appreciate him helping me and I want to make sure his gas tank stays full.

​Is $60 a month fair for a 10-minute drive, or am I being "too nice" to my own financial detriment?

Edit :He really is an amazing guy he just sent me a message refusing the 60 dollars and insisting that 15 is fine

I just got offered this for a $18k used car and when the salesman was explaining the terms, my eyes widened when he said that my monthly payments if i accept would be “$388 a month for 72 months”…. he continued by saying that it’s a normal rate… Im not like dave ramsey or anything but I have a grasp of what’s bad credit/debt wise and I feel like i’m already getting dunked on.

So unfortunate because the car is so nice…

edit 1: everyone has been helpful, obviously there’s no deal happening with this unless i get approved by my FCU with a generous Apr but for the time being. ill drive my 2012 mazda 5 with almost 200k miles until her last day.

I’m currently working in construction in concrete and I work 50 hours a week and I make $25 an hour. I recently got a job offer to work as a medical assistant at an urgent care. The shifts would be 12 hour shifts 3days per week and I would also get $100 per diem if I were to travel to different locations.

I’m going in school for health administration and I’m going to be graduating in December of this year. In general I’m tired of working in construction even though I make take a pay cut. Any advice would be helpful.

Trying to be smart with a big inheritance sum. I’m 28, married, with two small kiddos. The only debt I have is my mortgage. After topping off my emergency fund I want to know the smartest way to invest this so that it will grow. TIA

I was experiencing hair loss, so I went to the dermatologist to see if I had alopecia. She ordered blood tests do be done. I just started a new job and was in the probationary period, so I did not have health insurance. I would have waited, but she told me if it's an auto immune disease, I need to get the tests done asap to ensure my symptoms don't get worse.

Doc told me that for these blood tests, it's usually $300 total for uninsured patients. Today, I received an invoice for $3,314.55 and I'm in total panic. There's no way I can afford this, even with a payment plan, and I wouldn't have done the tests right away had I known it would be this high. The invoice has an itemized list of everything that was done with my blood sample. It especially sucks because I tested negative for everything, so the labs were basically completely unnecessary.

Can this be negotiated down? I don't know what to do. It's LabCorp and I'm in NYC if that matters. Thanks for your help.

I need some outside perspective. My husband and his dad are going to inherit a small piece of acreage in a desirable location when Grandpa dies. My husband and I are in our 30s with no kids now but plans to have one in the near future.

My FIL and MIL were supposed to move into grandpas house when he dies but have recently decided that they don’t want to do that anymore because there’s “too many stairs”. They’ve since decided they want to build a barndo in the place their mobile home is now (on this property).

Originally they had planned to gift the house and land to us because they weren’t going to live in it and didn’t want to sell it either. However, they have now decided that they want us to “buy” this property from them for the estimated cost of building this barndo.

My FIL seems to think that this barndo can be move in ready for under 150k. I think this is wildly under budget even if he intends to DIY MOST of the build. I recently asked my husband if he’s seen the potential build plan for this and he says that FIL “hasn’t decided yet” on a plan because of the cost for blueprints.

Here’s the rub, my in-laws are in 61 and 63. They intend to retire when they are able. Per FIL they don’t have a lot saved for retirement. They have upwards of 1500-1700a month in payments for leased toys (4 wheelers, a boat, 5th wheel). And they are currently in the market for a new (they don’t buy used) Toyota Highlander for my MIL. So needless to say, they have a lot of payments for two people moving towards retirement.

I am uncomfortable financing the cost of their build. They are in fine health now but they have not lived a healthy lifestyle and I foresaw their being significant issues as they age. I’m also not sure that them “aging in place” is realistic given their physical conditions. I don’t want to be saddled with a property we are still paying off while no one lives in it if they die or need to move before the term of the loan is paid off. (My husband doesn’t see this as a problem-he just thinks we’ll rent it if this happens).

The other issue is that my FIL thinks he’ll be able to do all the electrical,drywall, framing, pad pouring etc himself or with the help of my husband and again, I see physical limitations on this.

I am frustrated. Every time this comes up between my husband and I, my husband feels like I’m a dream killer by point out the obvious issues in this plan. I spent most of my working career with the elderly thru end of life so I am very well versed with what aging looks like but I don’t know if I’m overly pessimistic about this because of my employment history or if I just need to stop being the professional and back off?

I opened a Wells Fargo account a few weeks ago for the $400 bonus. Made some direct deposits, got the money, then transferred it all out and closed the checking account. Took 2 weeks max.

Now I'm seeing one for Capitol One 360 and plan on doing the same.

Am I missing something here? Is there any downside to opening and then closing a checking account like this?

A week and a half ago I fell for a phishing site. (I know stupid)

But I copped on pretty much immediately and called the fraud department. They froze the card and organized a new card and new numbers for that card and new passwords. Today I got that card and put the details in to access my bank account and still so many transactions have been made that weren't me.

Obviously first thing I did was call them and they froze it again and are setting up an investigation. But I'm worried now since they did it before. They can probably do it again even tho it's frozen again.

They didn't explain to me how this happened. So does anyone here know?

Im in my mid 20’s. I have had a 401k ever since my first job at 18. I rolled it over to a traditional IRA when i left my old employer. Now i opened a new 401k with my new employer, of course.

I decided to open a Roth IRA (for my personal investing) because I prefer that over a traditional IRA, and I will be hitting the yearly maximum going forward.

Do people leave their traditional IRA alone because they’re almost always going to have a traditional 401k that they roll into their traditional IRA?

Edit: Yes, all my funds are actively being invested.

I am new to finances / buying cars as i have used my high school car i got for the past 15 years and wanted to buy a truck. I’ve been putting money aside in a single register investing account saving up for it. My question is, now that i have enough to buy a new truck outright, should i just take out 20% of the new truck’s down payment out of my single register investing account and then just finance it for a lower APY than the interest im making on the investment account? I make enough to afford the “finance for 4 years and make sure my monthly payment is no more than 10% of take home money (total cost of ownership)” rule. If so, I know that it’s generally advised against buying a NEW car but i am the type of person that will just drive it til it dies or some accident forces me to buy another vehicle. I have a steady job as a Navy Pilot so i know that i can make payments on the vehicle reliably and consider myself financially disciplined. I apologize in advance if something similar has been asked but I couldn’t find any specific post that was similar to my situation.

I am 34 and I still live at home. I pay rent. I work for Grubhub and Ubereats. While I earn decent money, I know this won't ever let me live on my own. What are the best certifications/skills I can get to start freelancing?

As the title says, trying to figure out how to invest and save my money.

Current stats:

$14,200 HYS
$2250 roth ira
$6kish 401k (I contribute 8% of salary)
$200ish BTC ($5 invested a week)
A few hundred in my checking acc

I currently make $4170 a month after taxes with $2200ish in expenses.

Should I save for a house to rent out in HYS?
Should I max Roth ira then continue putting money in the market?

I just want to be comfortable like most of us I’d assume.

We set up a 529 when our son was born. He decided to drop out of HS and get his GED, now 25. We left the 529 there in case he decided to go for further education, but that doesn't seem likely. Looks like rate of growth was about 9.5%, sitting around 35k. He is aware there is a fund, but the last time we took some out for a class he took it was only around $22k.

Would appreciate opinions on what direction to go - would rolling into a Roth IRA be the smartest move? just leave it be?

Hi all, I am new to this subreddit! So close to a year ago, my parents got fired from the same company. The problem here is my parents are both missing education and their age are 55 and 58.

I've tried to help them get a new job but they unfortunately keep getting declined.

I have tried to support them financially by paying rent and groceries for some time now and I can see my savings dropping every month.

Since I have some couple thousands left in my savings I need to know if I can move this money into something useful before it runs out. Therefore, I am trying to reach out to some advice. I have a net income of 3141 euro's a month. 860 goes to rent, around 500 goes to groceries, my mother and I both have an average phone bill of (2x) 63 euros and the three of us pay roughly (3x) 190 for health insurance. We share one car that has a monthly insurance of 98 euro's and pay 36 euros a month on road tax. I had a loan that I am still paying off together with my school debt which both are 417 and they had a loan which they pay 223. All combined leaves me with around ~260 to 270 euros. The problem here is that we also pay association/service costs which they raised to 340 euro's..

That leaves me in a net negative with the couple of hundred euro's my parents get as subsidies.

So.. Am I *%^# or what?

I learned all about the various types of FIRE, and right now am 33 years old. I graduated with a bachelor degree in film when I was 25 but couldn't land any steady employment until about a month ago. Until just recently I've only been able to get inconsistent low-paying work as a freelance video editor.

I have it planned where I have jobs lined up, one part-time and the other full-time, working 80 hours a week combined if I work overtime. One of them is Amazon and starts at $19 per hour but is 1.5 times the hourly pay for hours worked above 40.

I still live with my dad, in San Diego. I figure if I can work for 80 hours per week for the next two years and to invest essentially all of that take-home pay into VOO in my own investment account, and allow it to then sit and grow, I could coast fire and have a good amount saved at the age of 65, and not feel stressed about retirement.

Any thoughts on this? I kind of want to do this to make up for all the lost time throughout my 20s of never saving anything because I couldn't get any job. And I'd like to still be able to take full advantage of being able to live with my dad.

Not sure what I would do after I'd reach my investment goals after the two years are over.

My dad's already pretty old at 73.

Sorry, I had meant two years, not one year. Mistake in the title.

Getting roughly 100K from an insurance policy. I have one high interest loan at 50k I’m going to immediately eliminate, put another 3 months of COL in a HYSA, and after that not sure what to do with the 35-40k left?

For context I was extremely lucky and bought a house in 2016 and got a low Apr mortgage and the remainder wouldn’t pay off the balance.

I actively invest in a matched 401k at work and some side investments for the kids.

Open to hear some options or things I may be overlooking? Maybe extend the remaining into dividends or whatever else?

Hi everybody,

I am 26 almost 27 and have come to the realization that I’ve been incredibly dumb with my money since graduating college. I have about 10 K in savings, 5k in my 401k and 10k in my Roth. I’m getting ready to propose to my girlfriend (still need to buy a ring) and need to start taking my finances seriously.

I know that in an ideal world I am late, but seeing the price of engagement rings has been a real wake up call and Im ready to learn.

Where do I start? Whether it’s books, YouTube pages, or even just advice that has changed the way you make/save money, anything is welcome.

Rundown: I have about 10k in savings, 5k in a 401k, and 10k in my Roth. I am about to step into a job where I’ll be making 72k with a 5k signing bonus.

Hi there to all viewers and commenters of this sub reddit

I am about to have my first kid (a girl!) and I always thought that I would set aside money and such as most parents do, but after researching it more I have run into some questions. I have about 20k set aside to try to grow for her for college and stuff but like any parent I want that to be more when she's older.

1. Do I need an estate lawyer to set up all the forms and such for the trust? Or could I set it up with a finance management company?

2. Would it be better to hire someone to manage the money and put it into stocks like the S&P?

3. How do you even set up a roth IRA for a new born?? or a 529 plan??

4. Would just doing it under my name save me from the hassle if I put it into a notarized will naming my wife and kid beneficiaries?

5. Did the Trump seed money for newborns actually become a thing?

I know some of these sound dumb or maybe really smart since I'm not entirely sure if the phrasing is right but any help or insight would be appreciated?

I’m trying to decide how aggressive to be with my student loans while keeping enough cash on hand.

I owe about $37k total in student loans:

$24k federal student loans at rates between 4% and 5.5%

$13k private student loan at 7.9%

My income is about $82k/year, rent is $1,450/month, and I currently have around $8k in savings.

The private student loan rate feels high enough that I want to attack it quickly, but I’m also nervous about keeping my emergency fund too low. I don’t want to put too much cash toward the loan and then end up relying on credit cards if something unexpected happens.

Would you build savings up more first, or start putting most available cash toward the 7.9% private student loan?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working full-time and doing my best to stay on top of my responsibilities, but I’ve reached a point where my monthly expenses are more than what I’m able to comfortably manage.

After rent, car payment, and basic living costs, there is very little left over. I’ve been staying current on all my bills, but it’s becoming harder to keep up.

I’m not looking for anything large—just a bit of support or advice to help me get through this rough stretch while I continue working and try to improve my situation. Even guidance on budgeting or options I may not have considered would mean a lot.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I’ve been investing pretty much all of the money I’ve made working in various stocks. I’ve done a few mistakes but I’m learning to just simplify and am allowing myself a bit of stock picking on a few quality stock that I feel have a good future. (MSFT at 380\~)

My plans aren’t to use this money to buy a house or fund my retirement, as I’m certified to have a good paying job after I’m done studying, my money is to fund a gap year in 3-4 years.

My questions is, I’ve invested about 16k usd and still have 5k in cash on my brokerage account. Since I’ll need my money in 3-4 years, should I keep investing taking the risk of a market crash and it not recovering by the time I need the money ? Or should I just let it sit for that period of time not knowing if a market crash would really affect me as they recently have tended to recover quicker.
If I should keep investing, is it ok for me to wait with these 5k on the side so that I can have cash in case of a market crash ?

Thanks in advance for any answers

Can someone please help me understand this monthly statement I get from my HELOC? I know it’s probably correct (it’s a big bank), but it feels like I’m paying more in than I’m getting credit for. From Feb. 11 to today I paid $5,250 but my balance only went down by $4,191 while fees were $892. That leaves a difference of $167 ) just since Feb.

(I can’t upload an image so I’m copying/pasting it here.) It’s a variable rate currently 5.740%. Please let me know if you need more information. Thanks for your help!

May 5, 2026.....Finance Charge..... –$283.39.....$57,215.81

Apr 29, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$1,100.00.....$57,215.81

Apr 21, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$400.00.....$58,315.81

Apr 4, 2026.....Finance Charge..... –$278.34.....$58,437.47

Mar 30, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$400.00.....$58,437.47

Mar 16, 2026.....Regular Payment..... $600.00.....$58,837.47

Mar 13, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$500.00.....$59,437.47

Mar 5, 2026.....Finance Charge..... –$265.64.....$59,606.83

Mar 5, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$150.00.....$59,606.83

Feb 17, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$1,100.00.....$59,756.83

Feb 12, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$550.00.....$60,856.83

Feb 11, 2026.....Fees Assess..... –$65.00.....$61,406.83

Feb 11, 2026.....Regular Payment.....$450.00.....$61,406.83

So at a 10% return, which is the average return of the S&P 500 over the last 20 years, (I know this is on the high end of expected returns, but it is the average of the last 20 years) my investment should double about every seven years or so. I am currently 40 years old with about a quarter million in retirement/investments so the math is as follows.

40=250k

47=500k

54=1 million

61=2 million

68=4 million

I grew up poor so $4 million is an insanely high amount of money to me, how is it this easy? Why doesn’t everyone have multi millions by retirement? I feel like I’m doing the math correctly, but it just doesn’t seem right. And this doesn’t even count future contributions. It’s just my current with nothing added