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Linco
Apr 1, 2004

Zeta Taskforce posted:

If you owned your car free and clear, would you walk down to your local bank or credit union with title in hand and ask for a loan of $4,750? If the answer is yes, then don’t pay it off. If the answer is no, then pay it off today.

Done! Thanks for making it easy for me to wrap my mind around.

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Untagged
Mar 29, 2004

Hey, does your planet have wiper fluid yet or you gonna freak out and start worshiping us?
Wonder what this thread feels about moving from one apartment to another, for the savings of $115 a month? It's a local move and most of the included things are exactly the same between both complexes. The other place is newer and is offering a slightly better rate, and I'm quite tempted. But the cost associated with moving a one bedroom (I haven't gotten quotes yet) might negate some or most of the yearly/monthly savings over the course of the first year lease. Although, it's a place I'd prefer to live anyway so any savings is a bonus.

Harry
Jun 13, 2003

I do solemnly swear that in the year 2015 I will theorycraft my wallet as well as my WoW
There's almost no way it would cost $1300 to move a one-bedroom apartment worth of stuff.

Nocheez
Sep 5, 2000

Can you spare a little cheddar?
Nap Ghost

Harry posted:

There's almost no way it would cost $1300 to move a one-bedroom apartment worth of stuff.

I rented a Uhaul truck for a short move (less than 10 miles) and it was under $100. I bought beer and pizza for the people who helped and it was done in 3 hours.
Pack your stuff into boxes before everyone shows up, break down all furniture into manageable pieces, and it's pretty quick and easy.

Ashcans
Jan 2, 2006

Let's do the space-time warp again!

Maybe if you had a crazy amount of stuff and you used a full-service moving company you could come close! But yea, the math is pretty simple so you should be able to ballpark the savings easily.

This is, of course, assuming that everything else about the new place is equal or positive. You should consider how it will change your commute, other activities, even stuff like shopping. If you end up driving a ton more from your new place it can eat into those savings.

Untagged
Mar 29, 2004

Hey, does your planet have wiper fluid yet or you gonna freak out and start worshiping us?
Yeah, that is why I said some of it, although I wouldn't know how much until that was worked out. In the long run though it would still be savings, even if "not that much".

As for the pizza and beer...I moved last year doing this and a Penske truck, and while I can probably get help again from "the guys" - I burned that card less than a year ago to get to my current place. Between not wanting to do that so soon again, and that we just helped another friend move a few weeks ago, I'm thinking movers. Also, I'm going to a high rise type building with elevators and odd move-stuff-in angles so help from guys that know what they're doing would be good.

Ashcans posted:

This is, of course, assuming that everything else about the new place is equal or positive. You should consider how it will change your commute, other activities, even stuff like shopping. If you end up driving a ton more from your new place it can eat into those savings.

The only down side I can see so far is there is no balcony on this place. Which will suck, but I can live without it. It's actually closer to work, although commute time will be relatively the same. It's also in the same block as a food store I regularly go to (which I could now walk to instead of drive to). Only main difference I can really see is that parking is in an adjacent garage instead of in front of the place, which I guess will take some getting used to, and the water bill is individual instead of shared by the complex, which may end up actually saving me money.

Untagged fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Feb 22, 2012

Niwrad
Jul 1, 2008

Rurutia posted:

This is the main reason why I'm flip flopping about this. I know I can make the money (on average my CU's APY has been 3.5% and our 4.09% is guaranteed until July) but part of me just goes: Is it really worth it? Is making $1500 over 5 years going to really do anything for me?

But then there's the fact that I'm really poor, and PhD students get treated and paid like dirt while sacrificing 5-7 working years to get the advanced degree so they can do what they love (and in my case, serve people in public health).

I would actually take the loan if it's subsidized. You aren't going to make a lot of money on the loan, but I think for security it's worth it. Throw it into a savings account and use it as an emergency fund. When they loans come due, you have the ability to pay them off right away.

There are so many unknowns when it comes to financials. Perhaps your car breaks down or you need to buy a new one. Perhaps you need some major dental work done. Or a whole slew of other things that can happen. It's nice to have that money aside just in case so you don't have to load up a credit card at 20%. The only downside I see in keeping it is if you don't think you can trust yourself with the money. Otherwise, I don't see why you wouldn't take what is essentially a free credit line during your school years.

MrKatharsis
Nov 29, 2003

feel the bern

obi_ant posted:

Here is a strange question. I'm currently using Chase as my main credit card company. I also have a checking account with them. Which means I'm typically carrying around two cards, one for credit and one for debit/savings/checking. Is there a way I can combine these two cards into one? So I don't need to be carrying both cards?

This is a late reply but I just got a piece of mail yesterday from 5th 3rd bank offering to "upgrade" my debit card into a dual use debit/credit card.

They recently ganked my debit card rewards and the letter said the dual-use card would have rewards again.

gently caress them, I'm already in the process of switching to USAA.

5t1n6r4y
Jan 28, 2006
I'm tutored at home in a box my pop made. It sometimes gets very hot... in the box... my pop made.
Is there ever a good reason to make extra payments on student loans with a really low interest rate ($18K @ 2.36%)? That's less than the inflation rate and tax deductible. I'd be nice to be able to call myself debt-free, but wouldn't it be more prudent to invest in a mutual fund instead?

Guinness
Sep 15, 2004

5t1n6r4y posted:

but wouldn't it be more prudent to invest in a mutual fund instead?

Only if you can consistently get a rate of return higher than 2.36%.

I wish my student loans were only 2.36%. Almost all of them are more like 6.5%, so they are getting paid off ASAP.

Niwrad
Jul 1, 2008

It's a tough question. Depends on your financial situation right now. Is money currently tight? Do you have an emergency fund put away? One way I look at it is that I'd rather have financial flexibility over paying a really low interest loan back. If a minor emergency like a root canal or needing to fix your car would force you into loading up a credit card, you're better off having the cash in hand right now. If you have plenty of money in the bank and are financially stable, paying it off is fine.

Personally, I'd rather have an emergency fund put aside. Then I'd probably max out my Roth contributions for the year which will likely produce a bigger return. From then on I'd pay down the debt. But it really is a personal preference and what you feel most comfortable doing.

Red_Fred
Oct 21, 2010


Fallen Rib
I have a couple of questions mainly directed at people who have read All Your Worth because that is the plan that I am starting to follow however I imagine most of it is general enough.

Anyway in New Zealand we have interest free student loans. In the book it kind of treats student loans like any other loan but with slightly less emphasis as you usually have lowish interest rates on your American loans I understand. Where would my loan fit in? I was thinking because it is interest free there is no point paying more than the absolute minimum however we do have a scheme where if you pay more than $500 at a time it knocks 10% of the amount you paid off your total loan balance. The usual mandatory payments come out of your pay before tax so just pay those then if I have extra money at the end of the year put it on for the 10% bonus?

Another scheme we have here is that you can use some of your retirement fund to help get a deposit for a house. You can remove your contributions and employer but not government contributions (This is only $1000 anyway). The government will then put $5000 in if you've been a member for at least 5 years. Is this a good idea? To me it doesn't really seem like a great idea as you are essentially killing your retirement savings although if you buy your first home at 30 then you have only maybe killed 6-8 years worth.

Anyone?

Swingline
Jul 20, 2008
In terms of the student loans, if I'm reading this right you're essentially getting an instant, risk free return of 10% on every dollar you overpay past the minimum. Seems like this should be your top priority.

Harry
Jun 13, 2003

I do solemnly swear that in the year 2015 I will theorycraft my wallet as well as my WoW

Swingline posted:

In terms of the student loans, if I'm reading this right you're essentially getting an instant, risk free return of 10% on every dollar you overpay past the minimum. Seems like this should be your top priority.

I doubt the minimum payment is $500. I'd probably do the $500+ payments after all the retirement savings you can do though.

quote:

Another scheme we have here is that you can use some of your retirement fund to help get a deposit for a house. You can remove your contributions and employer but not government contributions (This is only $1000 anyway). The government will then put $5000 in if you've been a member for at least 5 years. Is this a good idea? To me it doesn't really seem like a great idea as you are essentially killing your retirement savings although if you buy your first home at 30 then you have only maybe killed 6-8 years worth.
Are you planning on buying a house now or something? I would think this is something you worry about later.

Zeta Taskforce
Jun 27, 2002

5t1n6r4y posted:

Is there ever a good reason to make extra payments on student loans with a really low interest rate ($18K @ 2.36%)? That's less than the inflation rate and tax deductible. I'd be nice to be able to call myself debt-free, but wouldn't it be more prudent to invest in a mutual fund instead?

I'm not going to tell you to give up a 401K match to plow money into 2.36% loan. If you want to do a Roth, then that's cool too. But you don't want to lull yourself into the mindset that it's a low rate, and I'm just going to go along and pay the minimum, and I will always make more in investments. Do that and it's a surefire way to still be kicking the things around when you are 40.

One of the mistakes I have made financially was to lull myself into this mindset. I really wanted to buy a house, and I did in 2008. At the time, savings accounts actually made money, so I was paying 3% and earning 5% at ING. I ended up putting about $45,000 down on the house and I had about $10,000 in loans at the time. I could have written a check or gone online and typed a few numbers into a website and be debt free. I might have been forced to wait another year to buy a house, but that would have been the worst of it.

Instead I went ahead and bought. I knew it needed work here and there, but I thought I could push some of the big stuff out a couple years. Think again. I've gotten a handle on it now, but in 2012 I still owe $6,000 on the same student loan, still at 3%. Still tax deductible. I don't feel so smart anymore about that extra $100 a year that I managed to skim off the system.

Devious_05
Jul 3, 2007

Red_Fred posted:

Another scheme we have here is that you can use some of your retirement fund to help get a deposit for a house. You can remove your contributions and employer but not government contributions (This is only $1000 anyway). The government will then put $5000 in if you've been a member for at least 5 years. Is this a good idea? To me it doesn't really seem like a great idea as you are essentially killing your retirement savings although if you buy your first home at 30 then you have only maybe killed 6-8 years worth.

Anyone?

I'm pretty certain NZ is like Australia in that we are all still in a ridiculous bubble situation for house prices. Schemes like this help prop them up, though thankfully we haven't had this one implemented though it has been suggested. In my opinion gutting your reitrement to buy a house isn't a smart move.

Unless you absolutely need to have a house right now, I'd be waiting. On that note, I'm so sick of reading news articles about how our high prices are justified and no reason they should go down. I presume NZ has the same issue.

Red_Fred
Oct 21, 2010


Fallen Rib

Swingline posted:

In terms of the student loans, if I'm reading this right you're essentially getting an instant, risk free return of 10% on every dollar you overpay past the minimum. Seems like this should be your top priority.

Harry posted:

I doubt the minimum payment is $500. I'd probably do the $500+ payments after all the retirement savings you can do though.

Are you planning on buying a house now or something? I would think this is something you worry about later.

Minimum payment depends on your income. Once past the threshold of $19,084 you pay 10c from every $1 earned before tax. So you have to make those payments every time you get paid if you are making over the threshold so to get the 10% you would need to do a payment of $500+ on top of those others per year.

No I'm not planning on buying now I'm just wondering about that scheme and if it is a good idea or not.

Devious_05 posted:

I'm pretty certain NZ is like Australia in that we are all still in a ridiculous bubble situation for house prices. Schemes like this help prop them up, though thankfully we haven't had this one implemented though it has been suggested. In my opinion gutting your reitrement to buy a house isn't a smart move.

Unless you absolutely need to have a house right now, I'd be waiting. On that note, I'm so sick of reading news articles about how our high prices are justified and no reason they should go down. I presume NZ has the same issue.

Yeah this is pretty much how I feel about it too. Our house prices are all sorts of hosed. A study was released a few weeks ago that put Auckland's house prices just below London's on average. This study took income and other factors in to account so it's all sorts of mental.

I Love Topanga
Oct 3, 2003
I had an epiphany last night, but I want to vet it out first.

I've been trying to pay off my credit cards for quite some time and always make more than the minimum payment, but sometimes not by much. On average I probably put about $400-$600 toward these two accounts in any given month.

These are the balances.
$2,522.81 on a Credit Card @ 22.99%
$1,908.06 on a Credit Line @ 21.90%

I have a Roth 401(k) with a balance of $7,655.92 ($7,035.14 Vested) from and old job that I can cash out at a 10% penalty.

I am also trying to put together some scratch to buy an engagement ring. Cashing out the 401(k) Roth for ~$6,300 seems to be an answer to both problems.

Any guidance?

LorneReams
Jun 27, 2003
I'm bizarre

I Love Topanga posted:

I had an epiphany last night, but I want to vet it out first.

I've been trying to pay off my credit cards for quite some time and always make more than the minimum payment, but sometimes not by much. On average I probably put about $400-$600 toward these two accounts in any given month.

These are the balances.
$2,522.81 on a Credit Card @ 22.99%
$1,908.06 on a Credit Line @ 21.90%

I have a Roth 401(k) with a balance of $7,655.92 ($7,035.14 Vested) from and old job that I can cash out at a 10% penalty.

I am also trying to put together some scratch to buy an engagement ring. Cashing out the 401(k) Roth for ~$6,300 seems to be an answer to both problems.

Any guidance?

I would do it in a heartbeat if there was no other money source. Instant ~23% return? Sign me the gently caress up. Just make sure that by doing so you are not closing the 401K and losing any match.

ObsidianBeast
Jan 17, 2008

SKA SUCKS

I Love Topanga posted:

I had an epiphany last night, but I want to vet it out first.

I've been trying to pay off my credit cards for quite some time and always make more than the minimum payment, but sometimes not by much. On average I probably put about $400-$600 toward these two accounts in any given month.

These are the balances.
$2,522.81 on a Credit Card @ 22.99%
$1,908.06 on a Credit Line @ 21.90%

I have a Roth 401(k) with a balance of $7,655.92 ($7,035.14 Vested) from and old job that I can cash out at a 10% penalty.

I am also trying to put together some scratch to buy an engagement ring. Cashing out the 401(k) Roth for ~$6,300 seems to be an answer to both problems.

Any guidance?

I'm not a huge fan of taking money out of retirement accounts for non-retirement purposes, but for those credit card's it seems to make mathematical sense. Taking 401k money out at a 10% penalty for an engagement ring does not make mathematical sense.

Zeta Taskforce
Jun 27, 2002

I Love Topanga posted:

I had an epiphany last night, but I want to vet it out first.

I've been trying to pay off my credit cards for quite some time and always make more than the minimum payment, but sometimes not by much. On average I probably put about $400-$600 toward these two accounts in any given month.

These are the balances.
$2,522.81 on a Credit Card @ 22.99%
$1,908.06 on a Credit Line @ 21.90%

I have a Roth 401(k) with a balance of $7,655.92 ($7,035.14 Vested) from and old job that I can cash out at a 10% penalty.

I am also trying to put together some scratch to buy an engagement ring. Cashing out the 401(k) Roth for ~$6,300 seems to be an answer to both problems.

Any guidance?

If you have about $4500 in credit card debt, and you are paying $400 to $600/mo towards them, and you have been trying to pay them off for quite some time, would I be wrong to assume that you put back on the better part of $400 to $600/mo?

I would rather you get on a written budget that includes actual reduction of debt, savings towards a goal, and living below your means before you cashed in your 401K.

Alpha Mayo
Jan 15, 2007
hi how are you?
there was this racist piece of shit in your av so I fixed it
you're welcome
pay it forward~

Zeta Taskforce posted:



Thanks for the response. I did get some good news yesterday, my temp agency boss called me into her office yesterday (which kind of scared the poo poo out of me). She said that a major new account is opening and after talking to team leads looking for recommendations for who they consider their best agents, they brought up my name and spoke very highly of me. She asked if I would be interested in her putting in a recommendation for a promotion. I'd go from a level 1 agent straight to a level 4 agent, and it comes with a pay increase to $13.75/hr. She also said that I'd still be working for the temp agency, however she said from there it is definitely possible to be hired on to the company (IBM if curious). Really shocked me considering I have only been there two months.
Quick estimate says it'd be about $1900 net/month. I mean three months ago I was unemployed doing internet surveys for quarters just to pay for gas money.

Zeta Taskforce
Jun 27, 2002

Meta Ridley posted:

Thanks for the response. I did get some good news yesterday, my temp agency boss called me into her office yesterday (which kind of scared the poo poo out of me). She said that a major new account is opening and after talking to team leads looking for recommendations for who they consider their best agents, they brought up my name and spoke very highly of me. She asked if I would be interested in her putting in a recommendation for a promotion. I'd go from a level 1 agent straight to a level 4 agent, and it comes with a pay increase to $13.75/hr. She also said that I'd still be working for the temp agency, however she said from there it is definitely possible to be hired on to the company (IBM if curious). Really shocked me considering I have only been there two months.
Quick estimate says it'd be about $1900 net/month. I mean three months ago I was unemployed doing internet surveys for quarters just to pay for gas money.

That's awesome!

Silver Nitrate
Oct 17, 2005

WHAT
So I messed up on housing not too long ago. I had a promotion that didn't come through as scheduled, plus a break up that left me sole renter on a house I couldn't really afford at the time. I figured that I should just move out, clean it up, and let it re-rent for January. No one rented it, so now I have two rents to pay. It was a gamble and I lost.

Currently, I take care of the utilities at the old house, rent at the new place, and my general living expenses before I worry about paying rent at the old place. I have a decent relationship with my landlord and he's been pretty understanding, it's just not a very nice house. I'm fairly sure it will rent for May when the college kids start shuffling houses.

But, basically I have to pay an extra $700 a month for this house I don't even live in. If the worst happens and it doesn't rent, I only have another 4 months of paying for it, which would be 2,400 plus utilities. Yuck.

General financial thingy

Income: ~2000/month
Rent#1: 625
Rent#2: 300 (all utilities included)
Utilities: 75
Credit card debt: Min payment: $37 for 1,250 @ 13.99%
Dedicated emergency fund: $500 (new rent + food for 1 month)

Still pretty crappy, but I am down from $6,500 in debt a year ago, so that's pretty neat.

I am in the process of switching to a 0% card for 12 months on a balance transfer because my current card company keeps taking forever to open my check and charging me a late fee for it, which is nonsense and I am tired of it. This period I mailed my check on 6th, it was due on the 15th, they cashed my check on the 17th and started calling me to collect on the 18th and continued to do so three times a day for 4 days, after they had their money.

I should have that card paid off within 10 months if I just send them a bit extra each month.

My question is, I am getting a pretty good tax refund due to being a poor, plus I just sold some crap I don't need, so total bonus income is about $2400. What should I do with this money? Do I just put it aside in case my house doesn't rent? Pay off my card? Fill out emergency fund a bit?

Edit: I already used part of it to finish paying off my pain in the rear end 20.99% interest card with a $350 balance on it and it's tempting to just eliminate the other card entirely, but I think it might be better to sit on the money for a while, just in case something happens in the next four months where I need extra cash. I can't wait until my old house rents and this final card is paid off. Then I can start actually saving money! Four months seems so, so far away.

Silver Nitrate fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Feb 24, 2012

Harry
Jun 13, 2003

I do solemnly swear that in the year 2015 I will theorycraft my wallet as well as my WoW

Silver Nitrate posted:

I am in the process of switching to a 0% card for 12 months on a balance transfer because my current card company keeps taking forever to open my check and charging me a late fee for it, which is nonsense and I am tired of it. This period I mailed my check on 6th, it was due on the 15th, they cashed my check on the 17th and started calling me to collect on the 18th and continued to do so three times a day for 4 days, after they had their money.

It's 2012, pay that poo poo online.

And who is looking or the new tenant? Is it you, or the landlord? Because as long as you're paying the landlord really doesn't have too much incentive to look for a new tenant.

I Love Topanga
Oct 3, 2003

Zeta Taskforce posted:

If you have about $4500 in credit card debt, and you are paying $400 to $600/mo towards them, and you have been trying to pay them off for quite some time, would I be wrong to assume that you put back on the better part of $400 to $600/mo?

I would rather you get on a written budget that includes actual reduction of debt, savings towards a goal, and living below your means before you cashed in your 401K.

I went back to look at my payment history... I vastly overstated the $400-$600. It's more like 200-300, and just minimums probably every 3 months.

I agree that I need to get on a written budget, however I've made a whole host of big decisions recently that I need to sort out in the short term. What kind of resources are available? Should I just call a financial planner and spill my guts?

FCKGW
May 21, 2006

Thanks BFC!



Car #2 will be paid off next month as well, 3 years early

J Wiggle
Jun 16, 2006

5th spare on the W&W Powerlifting Team
I've been out of school for about a year and half here and getting financially stable. I'm just going to post my situation and see what you fine goons can recommend:

Credit:
Line of Credit - approx $1700 at 4%
Visa - I use this for all my day to day expensives, it's high 15% but I never leave a balance

Monies:
Random Savings: $500
TFSA: $3550
RPP: $1400 of my money and another 1400 from my employer so far

So not a lot to show yet obviously. Only reason I haven't finished paying off LOC is so I can have some safety money. I drive a POS car but it's paid off and should last me a while. When it breaks I'll buy another cheap one.

Currently after all my spending, bills, rents I am currently saving $850 per month. This will soon increase to a little over $1000 as I'm moving to a place that is more affordable not to mention closer to work in May. What portion of this should I be putting into TFSA, RRSP or general savings?

I'd like to look into a small home mortgaged soon at a rate comparable to my current rent. Am I better off doing this sooner or later?

Obviously a quick priority is that $1700. I hope to pay this off with my income tax return. I'm expecting about $2600 back, thanks mainly to the Graduate Retention Rebate.

Canadian Tax Sub Quesiton - I have another week to contribute to RRSPs for this tax year. Would it be a bad idea to sink perhaps $1000 or $2000 into into those for the tax benefits or is it not worthwhile considering how little savings I have? My job is stable.

J Wiggle fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Feb 25, 2012

Fraternite
Dec 24, 2001

by Y Kant Ozma Post

J Wiggle posted:

So not a lot to show yet obviously. Only reason I haven't finished paying off LOC is so I can have some safety money. I drive a POS car but it's paid off and should last me a while. When it breaks I'll buy another cheap one.

Uh, it's a line of credit. Once you pay it off you can just borrow again from it whenever you want to. There's no "safety" in carrying a balance unnecessarily.

quote:

Currently after all my spending, bills, rents I am currently saving $850 per month. This will soon increase to a little over $1000 as I'm moving to a place that is more affordable not to mention closer to work in May. What portion of this should I be putting into TFSA, RRSP or general savings?

As a general rule for 20somethings with semi-crappy jobs, TFSAs > RRSPs.

quote:

I'd like to look into a small home mortgaged soon at a rate comparable to my current rent. Am I better off doing this sooner or later?

Later. Get a 20% down payment first and avoid CMHC.

quote:

Canadian Tax Sub Quesiton - I have another week to contribute to RRSPs for this tax year. Would it be a bad idea to sink perhaps $1000 or $2000 into into those for the tax benefits or is it not worthwhile considering how little savings I have? My job is stable.

What is your income? How much tax are you going to pay this year? What is your income in retirement likely to be? Without knowing the details, all I can really say is that if you're like most people you should probably max out your TFSAs before you start contributing to an RRSP.

Dead Pressed
Nov 11, 2009

Fraternite posted:

Uh, it's a line of credit. Once you pay it off you can just borrow again from it whenever you want to. There's no "safety" in carrying a balance unnecessarily.

He probably meant the reason the line of credit is still there is so that he doesn't empty his savings funds....not that he wants to retain a line of credit.

J Wiggle
Jun 16, 2006

5th spare on the W&W Powerlifting Team
Sorry I forgot to mention something. The LOC is now locked since I am no longer a student. I can pay it down but not make withdrawls.

And yes that's correct, I am only leaving that balance there because if I paid it immediately I wouldn't feel comfortable with the amount of savings I had left over.

J Wiggle fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Feb 25, 2012

Silver Nitrate
Oct 17, 2005

WHAT

Harry posted:

It's 2012, pay that poo poo online.

And who is looking or the new tenant? Is it you, or the landlord? Because as long as you're paying the landlord really doesn't have too much incentive to look for a new tenant.

I like writing checks. I just had my identity stolen online, so I think I will stick with checks because my bank account is frozen aside from checks and in-bank transactions right now.

My landlord is doing his part to get it rented, as is his responsibility according to the law. He puts up ads online and in the paper. There is also a sign and I see him at the house occasionally. It's just a weird house where every single room has a door to each of the rooms adjacent to it, including the bedrooms.

So, what do I do with this extra money?

Silver Nitrate fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Feb 26, 2012

Harry
Jun 13, 2003

I do solemnly swear that in the year 2015 I will theorycraft my wallet as well as my WoW

Silver Nitrate posted:

I like writing checks. I just had my identity stolen online, so I think I will stick with checks because my bank account is frozen aside from checks and in-bank transactions right now.

That's a terrible excuse, but I guess you enjoy paying that $35 late fee every month. Feel free to come back and complain when this new 0% card's bank does the exact same thing, charges you a late fee and removes your 0% APR.

quote:

So, what do I do with this extra money?

Keep it. Unless I missed something, you have a $500 emergency fund which is nothing.

Silver Nitrate
Oct 17, 2005

WHAT

Harry posted:

That's a terrible excuse, but I guess you enjoy paying that $35 late fee every month. Feel free to come back and complain when this new 0% card's bank does the exact same thing, charges you a late fee and removes your 0% APR.


Keep it. Unless I missed something, you have a $500 emergency fund which is nothing.

Out of the 7 years I've had this card, the late fee thing has only happened twice and that was the last two months. I got both of them waived. This particular card company charges a convenience fee for paying online, the only free options are over the phone and by check. I've always paid my bills with checks by mail and it's never been an issue before. I didn't realize it was unusual to do so.

I will look into it switching to online billing after I get my checking account fraud stuff sorted out since I have to get new accounts at the very least but will probably switch banks.

Rurutia
Jun 11, 2009

Silver Nitrate posted:

Out of the 7 years I've had this card, the late fee thing has only happened twice and that was the last two months. I got both of them waived. This particular card company charges a convenience fee for paying online, the only free options are over the phone and by check. I've always paid my bills with checks by mail and it's never been an issue before. I didn't realize it was unusual to do so.

I will look into it switching to online billing after I get my checking account fraud stuff sorted out since I have to get new accounts at the very least but will probably switch banks.

What lovely card company is this. :stare:

Silver Nitrate
Oct 17, 2005

WHAT

Rurutia posted:

What lovely card company is this. :stare:

It's a local bank that suckered me in when I was signing up for college classes. Hey, at least I got a free t-shirt.

Edit:

Unrelated:

My boyfriend went to see his free credit report at my urging and none of the three agencies can provide a report online. The some of the security questions asked involved a mortgage taken out in '06. He doesn't have a mortgage... It sounds like something really weird is going on. We were just expecting to maybe see some past due utility bills because he moved around a lot a few years ago. He hasn't even had a credit card or a car loan ever.

Where the heck do we even start with this?

Silver Nitrate fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Feb 26, 2012

Harry
Jun 13, 2003

I do solemnly swear that in the year 2015 I will theorycraft my wallet as well as my WoW

Silver Nitrate posted:

It's a local bank that suckered me in when I was signing up for college classes. Hey, at least I got a free t-shirt.

Edit:

Unrelated:

My boyfriend went to see his free credit report at my urging and none of the three agencies can provide a report online. The some of the security questions asked involved a mortgage taken out in '06. He doesn't have a mortgage... It sounds like something really weird is going on. We were just expecting to maybe see some past due utility bills because he moved around a lot a few years ago. He hasn't even had a credit card or a car loan ever.

Where the heck do we even start with this?

Are you sure the mortgage actually exists? They ask questions that do have "this doesn't exist" answers.

Rurutia
Jun 11, 2009

Silver Nitrate posted:

It's a local bank that suckered me in when I was signing up for college classes. Hey, at least I got a free t-shirt.

Edit:

Unrelated:

My boyfriend went to see his free credit report at my urging and none of the three agencies can provide a report online. The some of the security questions asked involved a mortgage taken out in '06. He doesn't have a mortgage... It sounds like something really weird is going on. We were just expecting to maybe see some past due utility bills because he moved around a lot a few years ago. He hasn't even had a credit card or a car loan ever.

Where the heck do we even start with this?

There should be a 'None' option? I've had questions where I've had to answer None for all of them.

Zeta Taskforce
Jun 27, 2002

Silver Nitrate posted:

It's a local bank that suckered me in when I was signing up for college classes. Hey, at least I got a free t-shirt.

Edit:

Unrelated:

My boyfriend went to see his free credit report at my urging and none of the three agencies can provide a report online. The some of the security questions asked involved a mortgage taken out in '06. He doesn't have a mortgage... It sounds like something really weird is going on. We were just expecting to maybe see some past due utility bills because he moved around a lot a few years ago. He hasn't even had a credit card or a car loan ever.

Where the heck do we even start with this?

Sometimes when you pull your credit report online, they will ask questions where the correct answer is "none of the above".

Is this the case, or was there an actual mortgage once he did pull it?

Oops, beaten not once but twice.

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Silver Nitrate
Oct 17, 2005

WHAT

Zeta Taskforce posted:

Sometimes when you pull your credit report online, they will ask questions where the correct answer is "none of the above".

Is this the case, or was there an actual mortgage once he did pull it?

Oops, beaten not once but twice.

None was the option he chose and it didn't work. The questions on two of the agencies referred to a mortgage opened in '06. The other one didn't ask mortgage questions but didn't work. We couldn't pull his report at all. :-/

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