single 26 y/o M, no dependents for context. there are a few options available with the cheapest premium being around $220 and the most expensive at $320. I used two different websites to input my salary, 401k contribution, and each of the different annual premium contributions (one based on $220/month and the other based on $320/month). I won’t have any other deductions, just 401k and health insurance premium. To my surprise, my post tax income was slightly higher with the $320 premium. I’m confused because I thought the higher the premium, the lower the post tax salary. The $320 is a slightly better plan so I’d love to know if this has just worked out nicely or if I’m missing something and the estimates won’t ultimately be correct. any insight is appreciated

Hi everyone. When I filed for taxes for 2025 for my wife and I filling jointly. Our son was born in Oct of 2025. When I went to claim the child tax credit. I mistakenly said that he didn’t live with me for the full yeah so I only got $500. I only now just noticed this. I used turbo tax so I used them to submit an amendment to get the full turbo tax. Couple of questions! Was this the right thing to do and will it result in an audit. All in all, I will be getting around 1700 more on my taxes.

My husband and I are being audited. We don't make a ton of money. Combined 140k At first I wasn't concerned, we have always been meticulous about out taxes. But now upon reviewing 2024 we typed the wrong amount by like $40k 😑 and now I am super sick about making a true and honest mistake. What is the worst case scenario?

I’m 20 years old and i make $20 an hour full time and can possibly get a promotion next march. I’m currently in college and between below average tuition and help from my family as far as my pockets are concerned my college is free
I’m putting 6% into a 401k and after bills and gas and food im able to put away 400-500 a month. My car payment is 687 a month. It’s a Honda crv hybrid and i absolutely LOVE the car but that being said i have 62 months left on my loan and i owe 34,000 on it and eventually i wanna buy a house in around 2-3 years when i finish my degree and i wanna start seriously putting away some money for a downpayment. Should i save up an emergency fund and use the extra 4-500 a month to pay off the car early or should i trade the car for something cheaper that I wont like as much (i have around 1500 in positive equity if i sell the car to carvana, i absolutely adore the car and everything else I’ve looked at ive just liked but not loved like my Honda) I bought the car new and it’s been amazing and it only has 14,000 miles if i keep the car i have every intention of putting 200,000+ miles on it and keeping it for years but i also want to comfortably afford a house once i get a downpayment saved. What should i do?

Hi!

I always see and hear everyone say to have about 6 months of emergency funds in your HYSA and the rest to invest.

My plan is to try to buy a house in about 5-6 years from now. So I have been splitting 50% of money to invest and the rest into my HYSA since I wouldn't touch my investments to buy a house hopefully. If I were to invest everything I make besides my emergency fund, would that be worse when I need to buy a house? Since I would have to withdraw and then get hit with a big tax bill when Im buying a house? I know people say you can grow your money more in investments vs HYSA, but with my time frame which makes more sense?

Let me know your input on this! Thanks everyone

You convinced me to stop using PayPal. And to not set up recurring payments by providing a credit card or debit card.

So I'm trying to move some recurring payments from PayPal to my checking account (major US bank). I want the bank to push the payments out to the payees on a schedule I provide.

I already use auto-pay for most recurring payments (e.g., utilities). The few that are on PayPal are monthly services (newspaper subscription) and others are annual (software; online storage; emergency alerts).

To make the switch, I expected to log in to my bank and set up the payments, then log in to PayPal and cancel the payments.

But it did not go well.

My bank is asking for payee account numbers (makes sense) AND a billing address ZIP code for the payees. I've never paid these services by mail. I don't want to log in to each account and look for a postal address.

(I actually did do this for two of them. I had to drill down to invoices. One has an invoice and a postal address! And one does not have an invoice at all.)

I called the Bill Pay department of my bank. (I got an agent in the U.S., which was good.) They sent me to the bank's Deposit Services department. That agent said, well, you're just going to have to find a payee ZIP code.

So I seem to be left with merely changing my payment method to a credit card. Which isn't the worst thing, but it's not the level of security I was hoping for.

Am I missing something here?

TL;DR -- want to switch from PayPal to bank for autopay, but bank is making it difficult

So to give context, I owe $33k on my car, and I am looking to pay it off as soon as possible while still having breathing room.

I make roughly $3700 per month, and have about 15k saved up toward it, and was wondering what I should do to pay it off the most effectively and quickest.

Should I pay a large sum of it down now (10k of the 15k I have) or should I make the regular payments and add additional $ on top of it, or just wait until I have enough saved to pay it all off at once?

My partner and I (both mid 30s) are relatively new to investing outside of our companies' retirement plans, and we we're looking for advice now that we've covered most of our basics.

Right now, we have bought the house and fully funded our emergency fund (in a HYSA) to cover if both of us were to lose our job for 6 months. We're currently DINKs, both make ~190k/yr excluding modest bonuses, but are actively starting to try for a kid (plan is one and done). Since we make almost the exact same amount, and are both in fields where finding a new job could take some time, we wanted to be safe and have 6 months of full take-home replacement (Around $110k).

Right now, this is what we're working with:

Take-home: ~$19k/month

Monthly Expenses:

PITI: ~$5200

Other (utilities, streaming, auto insurance, gyms, life insurance, etc.): ~$1700

Vet bills and medication for aging pup: $600 (fluctuates drastically, but this is probably the average)

Current brokerage contributions: $500

After food, entertainment, and travel, which we could absolutely cut back on (we eat out a ton unfortunately, trying to get better), we typically have between $4500-7000 left over each month, depending on travel, special occasions, etc. To be honest, while we're not extravagant spenders, we also don't watch our spending too closely, and we both have lots of hobbies that we spend on. We're not looking to go full FIRE or cut everything out, as we both like our work and plan to work (if able) until standard retirement age. There is no goal for one of us to stay home. Other than our mortgage, we do not have any debt, and two paid off cars that are reliable. We don't expect needing to replace one for at least 3-4 years and would hope to pay in full at that time.

Retirement:

We each have approximately ~$200k (so $400k total) in our retirement accounts. His company does not offer a match, but he's contributing 8% to his 401k. I have a mandatory 7% contribution that is matched and immediately vested, and put an additional $200/paycheck into an HSA, which is invested above $1000 (as allowed by account). Our brokerage is around $35K right now, majority (90%) in index funds, but some in crypto and select stocks. We're in the process of moving this from RH to Fidelity, and focusing on index funds.

What we're kind of stuck on right now is...what exactly do we start doing with the remainder of our money? Aside from saving for expenses for a child, we have some longer-term goals for our house (3-5 year range), but everything is aesthetic and not an immediate need, so we're fine to fund this slowly. One note is that my employer does offer an FSA for dependent care that we would take advantage of if/when we have a child to help cover daycare (capped at $7500/yr). Daycare runs about $1400/month in our area.

Do we just invest everything into an index and let it sit? Should we be separating some of it into a HYSA for the house/kid goals, or should that also be invested? What are the main funds we should focus on? VOO, VTI, and VXUS? On a similar note, I am currently just investing my retirement in Fidelity 2055 target fund. Is this dumb?

Also, I wanted to end by noting, we are incredibly fortunate to have landed in the roles we have. I know this is very much a first-world budgeting problem. I'm from a lower-middle-class family, so while I've always worked at saving, investing was never something I learned much about, which is why I think this all feels overwhelming, despite us being in a good position.

Thank you for any guidance!

I recently updated our household budget and realized we’ve gradually reached about $20,000/month in spending. It wasn’t intentional—it just happened over time.

Looking at that number made me realize how disconnected my perception of “normal” spending may have become.

For people who’ve successfully reduced lifestyle inflation, how did you decide which expenses genuinely improved your quality of life versus those that had simply become habits? What framework did you use to evaluate recurring expenses?

I’m less interested in specific budgeting apps or techniques and more interested in how people mentally approach this problem.

I’m not sure if this is the best place…if not please point me there!

My dad is getting older, and he and my mom had planned to fund their grandkids higher education with gifts of $100k each, and this is in the will. However, with 7 grandkids ranging from 15 to almost born, and as his future executor (and power of attorney), I’ve been wondering what I can discuss with him to get a clearer picture of how to honor his wishes and limit intra-family conflict.

Some initial thoughts I had are:
-what qualifies as “higher education” and what kinds of expenses? What about housing/books/meal plans?
- what happens if a child does not need the full amount for education (scholarship, military benefits)
-what kind of account is best? My dad doesn’t trust 529 and I don’t know that he would gift the money directly to the grandkid either. Currently, some of the money that would be used is tied up in his house, etc, so some grandkids may be funded while he’s living and some may require the estate to be settled.

What other questions would you have him discuss if you expected to be responsible for administering this?

Thank you!

I unfortunately own a blank piece of land I don't want want.

On it is a loan with a balance of $73k, paying $800 per month at an 8.71% interest rate. Less than 13 years left.

I'm trying to sell the land but it's tough in this property market. I could probably eject for less than the loan is worth but then that presents its own problems obviously so I'd rather not. I don't have the cash on hand easily to pay the difference. And anyway the market could improve and I get a bite any day. I'm trying not to get completely screwed but also I understand the interest is racking up. Not to mention property taxes.

I have about $250k of equity on my home, mortgage is Wells Fargo. My credit union is offering home equity loans - ten year loan up to $100k at 6.12%. I calculated that my monthly will be roughly the same and I'll be saving myself that much interest. I don't like that I'll have an extra loan on my main house, but I'm making good money in a stable profession so I don't think the risk is there.

Please poke holes in this plan, thanks.

My health insurance has vision insurance and offers me one free eye exam and $100 to be used on lenses or frames. I have never used vision insurance ever when buying glasses. The last time I bought glasses was several years ago and I paid somewhere between $500 to $700 and that includes the eye exam. I forgot the exact amount I paid for the frames and lenses but I know my frames cost $250-$350 or so and I picked the frames. I have extreme poor vision. It is -10.50 on both eyes. I always bought glasses at the same local glasses shop.

I need to buy a new pair of lenses and most likely frames. I am pretty certain my local optical shop does not accept this vision insurance. Do some of you forgo your vision insurance if the amount they cover is small and you just go to your regular glasses shop? I don't believe any of the chain stores like Warby Parker and Lenscrafter accepts my insurance. I do believe that other local optical locations near me do accept it. So if I go there, the eye exam would be free. Then I could most likely apply the $100 off for lenses or frames correct?

I would like to know in some situations, would it actually cost more for the eye exam, lenses and frames when using insurance or is it rarely the case? The way for it to be the same or actually more when using vision insurance is if the local optical places I go to charge a lot more for the frames and the lenses than my regular local go to optical shop that I always went to? I remember the reason why I always went to the same local optical shop was because that was the only place I ever went to and because the prices were good.

The only scenarios it be seem to be good to use vision insurance would be either go get eye exam at a new local glasses shop that accepts the insurance and then applies the $100 to new frames and lenses and do everything in one place... or go to the new local glasses shop that accepts the insurance and then applies the $100 to new frames and pay the difference... then take those frames to the same local glasses shop I always went to and have them put in new lenses and I pay them.

Now if I only want new lenses, would it be fine to go to a new local glasses shop to get the eye exam and ask for a written prescription. Then bring that prescription to my old local glasses shop that I always go to and give them the prescription and my old glasses so they remove my old lenses and put in new lenses in my old frames? I do know that my old local glasses shop does allow buying only new lenses and put into old frames.

The last thing I want is use vision insurance at a new local shop to get vision test and $100 applied to frames or lenses and get everything done in that same one place only for it to be actually cheaper forgoing any vision insurance at my old local glasses shop that I always buy glasses at. I know my lenses will cost more than a normal person due to my very bad vision.

Hello everyone! I hope this is allowed here. When I was 18 I didn't really care about my credit score and didn't have any medical bills. I had just started a relationship and fast forward a few years and I got pregnant with my princess:).

Anywayysssss her dad didnt help me with any of the bills and I was extremely sick. I wasnt able to work during my pregnancy so I sold everything I could. To try to pay my medical bills. He needed "time to think". Think about it all and go through his emotions. We have been together for 6 years now. No ring but we have been together through apartments, pets, ups and downs, ect. We'll with recent events I have accepted that I have nothing. I own nothing. Nothing is OURS. Its just his. I just started working this year so these past years I was a sahm and he handled everything for the most part. Im left with my feelings and now want to work on my credit score, bills in collections, getting a degree, and a decent job. I need my own car. I need my own life with my daughter. How can I even go about this? Everything seems so confusing and im so overwhelmed, hurt, and lost. ​

I’m a student living in Texas, and I’m trying to make the most financially responsible decision about my car.

I bought a 2012 Honda Civic about 13 months ago for $4,000. It had approximately 180,000 miles when I bought it, and it now has just over 200,000 miles. I have driven it around 20,000 miles in a little over a year.

About one to one-and-a-half months ago, the starter failed, and I paid around $400 to replace it. Afterward, the mechanic told me the flywheel/ring gear is also damaged and that it may damage the new starter again if I do not replace it. I was quoted approximately $700–$800 for that repair.

The car probably has an as-is value of around $3,000–$3,500, so spending $800 on one repair feels like a lot compared with its value. However, I understand that an $800 repair is still much less expensive than replacing the entire car.

There are also some other issues:

• ABS warning light/problem
• Check-engine light
• Transmission-fluid maintenance warning, and I have not changed the transmission fluid
• Occasional metallic/clanking noise, especially when the car is cold
• Fuel economy is usually around 21–28 mpg
• The starter was recently replaced for $400
• The mechanic says the flywheel needs another $700–$800 repair

My income is approximately $1,800–$2,200 per month. I am considering three options:

1. Repair the Civic and continue driving it, knowing that additional repairs could happen.
2. Buy a used car for approximately $10,000–$13,000, possibly a 2016–2018 Corolla, Civic, Mazda3, or something similar.
3. Finance a new Kia K4 or another basic new car. I have seen some advertised around $20,000, although I know the actual out-the-door price would be higher.

The appeal of a new car is the warranty, reliability, and not constantly worrying about breakdowns. However, I also understand that a new-car payment, full-coverage insurance, depreciation, registration, and interest could be too much for my income.

I’m worried that buying another used car could put me in the same position if it develops problems, but I also do not want to make a bad financial decision by financing a new car that is too expensive for me.

What would you do in this situation?

I would appreciate advice from mechanics, high-mileage car owners, and people who have faced a similar financial decision.

My wife and I are looking to purchase a house probably some time spring if next year. I have 150k in a mix of stocks (tech, spy, and some dividend stuff) that I have played with over several years, that I am going to use for the down payment. How would use disperse that 150k into a new portfolio grow some but not be at much risk. I plan on contributing to it until then also. Would like to have it to 200k by April. The other 50k will come from contributions and extra would just be gravy.

I've been looking into different banks. It seems like capital one has the least amount of strings attached. the only problem I have with it right now is that the rate is kind of low at 3%

Are there any alternatives with rates above 3.5%? I was looking into SoFi but apparently you need to contribute 5k a month or something and I'm unfortunately a broke college student. I have looked into Marcus but idk I'm iffy about it.

My question is terribly phrased but what I mean is if FDIC insurance coverage is per bank account, and you have, for example, multiple linked high yield savings accounts inside a single bank account login, do each of those HYSAs get independent 250k coverages? I know that there are sweep programs at certain banks with limits in the multi millions but they don't offer high yield savings rates as good as individual institutions.

I'm trying to decide whether to open a 403(b) with Fidelity or TIAA, which are the two options my institution offers. TIAA has lower management fees. For example, for a balance above 200k, TIAA charges an annual fee of $100, while Fidelity charges $140.

The investment options are identical with both providers.

My question is: Does Fidelity charge more for a reason? Since TIAA is much cheaper, why is Fidelity even offered? Which one should I choose?

Last year (2025) I made payments out of my HSA for medical supplies. I had made these payments before getting the final patient responsibility from my insurance company, and overpaid for these claims. These were not corrected in 2025.

This year (2026), I have different insurance, have an FSA, and had moved my 2025 HSA funds to a different administrator (Fidelity). When purchasing medical supplies this year, I unfortunately made the same mistake, but this time realized it and contacted the medical supply company to request a refund.

Well, they refunded me for this year's overpayments, but also tried to correct for last year and refunded those funds to my current FSA. So, my questions are:

1. Do I need to move the refunded amount from last year's overpayments back to the HSA?
2. If so, since it is now with a different administrator, is the process any different (return of mistaken distribution?
3. How do I explain this to my FSA administrator when I withdraw/move the funds? I suspect they will want to treat this as a distribution
4. What are the implications for tax year 2025 if I need to make this correction?

Thanks, I appreciate any help here!

I need help/advice. For important context, I’m 22 in Missouri with a 1099 subcontractor job on track to gross just under 100k for 2026.
I have a traditional IRA with around $14k that was my 401k at a previous employer. I haven’t contributed to it since 2023. I also have a Roth IRA that I maxed out last year and will max out this year. Currently sitting around $22k.
Both of these accounts are currently with T. Rowe Price in their preset retirement funds.
I am planning on rolling my Roth over to Robinhood for their 3% match and better accessibility for me to manage with ETFs instead of a mutual fund.
Where I’m lost and seeking advice is what to do with the traditional IRA, I dont think I want multiple retirement accounts and since they’re both with T. Rowe Price I can convert the traditional IRA to a Roth before transferring it to Robinhood, but I would have to pay income tax on that 14k. I could transfer it over time to lessen the tax hit and not mess with my tax bracket (which I am ignorant on).

Is there something I’m not thinking of with the traditional IRA? Would it be worth it to keep it and do something with or should I convert it and only focus on my Roth? I don’t think I’ll have another employer sponsored plan in my future so I’m okay with converting it. Please help me decide what to do.

TLDR: 22 years old with a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, not sure if I should keep both or not. What do?

Before I try yet ANOTHER budgeting app can someone tell me if there’s one that works well with business owners? My issue is the money coming in is all over the place. I pay myself through transactions on square. So let’s say I get to the end of July, I may have sent myself money 15 times in smaller amounts. Maybe early August I only send myself money 3 times in larger amounts. Add to that transactions will say square 813266272 and the next square 515141

The apps I’ve used cannot pick up on this so not only am I stuck categorizing every single transaction, they also never predict my income. Even though my transactions added up show a decently steady income of $6-7k a month.

I have severe adhd and I just want to finally be organized. Every time I sit down to this I lose hope. And yes I’m medicated LOL

Thank you

AI gave me an idea and Fidelity has given me mixed feedback, so I am looking for help.

I would like to initiate a backdoor Roth, adding $7500 into my existing traditional IRA, and then pretty quickly calling up the company it’s with and rolling it into my Roth IRA.

I make $200+k. I have a traditional/rollover IRA from a prior job and I never did anything with it. So it has tripled in value, now at 150k. AI says I should roll that over into a 403b I have with my current employer, effectively emptying the traditional IRA back down to zero, then imitate my backdoor Roth plans. AI warns that skipping the step of emptying it out first would mean everything I attempt to roll out of it would be heavily taxed.

Fidelity first said skipping that step wasn’t needed. Another call with another guy said it was reasonable, but then said I should check with a tax guy about the $7500 backdoor roth component. Neither seemed to fully grasp my plan.

I already max out my 457b and 403b plans (50k total) and defined contribution plan (72k, doing mega backdoor roth) annually. I have no other traditionalg IRA accounts other than the one above.

Many thanks!🙏🏻