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poolside toaster posted:I'm making a ~$7,000 purchase. Would it be smarter to get fixed term financing, or just stick it on a credit card? How quickly are you planning on paying it off? You might consider getting a 0% APR card... the rewards aren't that good compared to regular ones (0% APR is your reward...), but can give you 12-18 months to pay it back without accruing interest, although you're SOL if you miss a payment. Your credit score will take a little dip temporarily, but for most people it won't matter.
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Aug 16, 2017 23:35
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Pompous Rhombus posted:How quickly are you planning on paying it off? Eh, the quickest I would feasibly pay this off would be 3 years. Just bought a new (to me) house, and I want to shore up some reserves I dipped into for that. If it weren't necessary right now, I would hold off on this purchase, but alas.
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Aug 17, 2017 01:56
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what are you buying that costs seven grand that you will take three years to pay off?
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Aug 17, 2017 12:38
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:what are you buying that costs seven grand that you will take three years to pay off? I really hope its a MLM startup kit. For real though, if you are going to take 3 years to pay it all off, there is no way that the miles or points you get on that $7k would offset the amount you would pay in interest.
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Aug 17, 2017 13:32
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poolside toaster posted:I'm making a ~$7,000 purchase. Would it be smarter to get fixed term financing, or just stick it on a credit card? Get a promotional APR on a new cash back card. Chase Freedom and Citi Double Cash both have good cash back and a long rear end 0% APR period
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Aug 17, 2017 13:56
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D-Pad posted:Oh wow look at this company doing my exact idea really well: http://www.infinitevr.tech/our-locations So you have an established competitor with a lot of money to spend then. Hmm.
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Aug 17, 2017 13:57
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:what are you buying that costs seven grand that you will take three years to pay off? DJCobol posted:I really hope its a MLM startup kit. It's a musical instrument that I frequently need. Not having my own costs me money in both rental fees (for when I need to have it) and in lost opportunities for lucrative paying gigs (where the contractors skip me over for not having it readily available). DJCobol posted:For real though, if you are going to take 3 years to pay it all off, there is no way that the miles or points you get on that $7k would offset the amount you would pay in interest. That's what I suspected. BEHOLD: MY CAPE posted:Get a promotional APR on a new cash back card. Chase Freedom and Citi Double Cash both have good cash back and a long rear end 0% APR period Thanks for the tips, I will check these out!
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Aug 17, 2017 15:50
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BEHOLD: MY CAPE posted:Get a promotional APR on a new cash back card. Chase Freedom and Citi Double Cash both have good cash back and a long rear end 0% APR period This should be in the OP if it's not already. For advanced mode, if you really want the points and don't want to pay for the APR or a fee, put the charge on your rewards card and apply for a long period 0% APR & 0 fee balance transfer card like the Chase Slate, BofA BankAmericard or the Barclaycard Ring and then transfer the balance. NOTE: you can't transfer a balance to the same bank - i.e. You can't charge it to chase and try to transfer the balance to a chase slate . And for anyone else who doesn't know, you can also do that to pay off high interest loans. I paid off a previously $8,000 8% APR private loan by putting opening and putting it on a Citi Simplicity and paid it off over 18 months and I ate the 3% fee. When I learned about the 0 fee cards, I paid off $22,000 in private student loans that were at 5.8% using the BankAmericard with no fee and 0%APR over 15 months.
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Aug 18, 2017 02:11
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Cacafuego posted:When I learned about the 0 fee cards, I paid off $22,000 in private student loans that were at 5.8% using the BankAmericard with no fee and 0%APR over 15 months. If you were to have entered bankruptcy for any unfortunate reason during that time, my understanding is that upon discovery of debts and payments and credit history, the amount of the student loans which were paid off via the credit card would stick with you because it would normally be non-dischargeable (and that trying to pay them off via credit card is like trying to get around that with a loophole). Is that everyone else's understanding too?
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Aug 18, 2017 03:01
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SpelledBackwards posted:If you were to have entered bankruptcy for any unfortunate reason during that time, my understanding is that upon discovery of debts and payments and credit history, the amount of the student loans which were paid off via the credit card would stick with you because it would normally be non-dischargeable (and that trying to pay them off via credit card is like trying to get around that with a loophole). There's probably some caveats in there, so yeah, maybe don't do that if you may have to declare bankruptcy in the 15-18 months of repayment. Also, and I'm stressing make sure you pay the full amount prior to the end of the promo period
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Aug 18, 2017 03:07
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I don't know what I want to do career-wise. I currently work in admin at a law firm. The pay is solid and looking to get better, but there isn't much room for advancement in this track and wages will stagnate around $70k once I've been here for a few years. I like my job. I like working here and I like the people, but I also feel like I want to look for something else that I can have in my back pocket. I have a bunch of accumulated credits for a physics degree, but dropped out due to psychological health issues. I've played with the idea of nursing, PT and OT, programming, and science. I was a chef for a little over a year, an electrician for a little under a year, and I've been at my current job for about 3 months now. I'm not really sure where to look into potential career paths. I get first hand accounts from people, but they're never really helpful. Most of the people have had solid career paths and careers straight out of high school, whereas I've flip-flopped a bunch of times on what I want to do with my life. I plan on staying here for a while (few years at least), but the nice thing about this job is it gives a lot of free time to study, and they will help with tuition after you become permanent and I want to take advantage of that while I can. This also opens up opportunities for more advanced legal work such as paralegal/legal assistant/lawyer/etc., since they love hiring and advancing within the company. I'm already getting great responses on my work ethic and ability, and I'm already making great friends within the company, so I wouldn't mind staying here if possible, but would prefer to move up from a secretarial position. Any advice? Similar situations and personal paths? Options?
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Aug 19, 2017 17:28
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If you can expect to make $70k working a 9-5 professional job then spending tuition and 2-8 years of lost earnings to get a nursing degree, masters in OT, or DPT probably isn't a good financial value
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Aug 19, 2017 19:59
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BEHOLD: MY CAPE posted:If you can expect to make $70k working a 9-5 professional job then spending tuition and 2-8 years of lost earnings to get a nursing degree, masters in OT, or DPT probably isn't a good financial value Depends on the cost of living situation. I feel like the OP must be living in NYC to make $70k as a law firm admin. If low to medium COL @ 70k, then yes, I would stick on that versus going back to school.
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Aug 20, 2017 00:45
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Yeah, I live in NYC. Currently trying to pay $800-$1000/month for rent, but right now I'm paying $1200 which makes my current $20/hr difficult to manage
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Aug 20, 2017 01:08
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https://theweek.com/articles/720131/gop-destroy-401kquote:Republicans are ready to take on tax reform. And to make the numbers work, they may radically change the way your retirement savings are taxed. They're looking at Rothification of 401k plans. Good? bad? It sounds so incredibly stupid and short sighted as there is a post-tax plan that people already use....
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Aug 24, 2017 23:46
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incoherent posted:https://theweek.com/articles/720131/gop-destroy-401k I wonder if existing savings in 401k's and traditional IRA's will be spared
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Aug 25, 2017 00:27
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quote:In fact, depending on how it's designed, the 401(k) proposal could even lose the government money, given that the pot of money taxed on the front end is smaller than the pot of money taxed on the back end. This is an important point: although the taxpayer ends up with the same amount of money at the end (assuming the same effective bracket) in Roth vs Traditional, the government ends up with way less in the Roth scenario. Even after adjusting for inflation. I don't know if this idea will pass CBO scrutiny.
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Aug 25, 2017 02:48
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I'm toying around with the idea of becoming an ex-pat and possibly moving overseas permanently. I have some soft goals to meet, but I'd have at least $40k in cash by then so setting up shop shouldn't be too bad. I'm 29 now, will be 30 or 31 when I'm looking to move. I know it's impossible to project future gains and whatnot, but for argument's sake, let's say that I'll have a 401k (funded with pre-tax dollars) worth at least $100k by that time. There's the risk that things won't work out and I might come back home to the US, so not immediately cashing out the 401k seems like a not terrible idea; however, I don't have an idea of what to do if I am going to remain overseas. Just eat the tax penalty and do a wire transfer after 5 years or something?
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Aug 28, 2017 15:07
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Phone posted:I'm toying around with the idea of becoming an ex-pat and possibly moving overseas permanently. I have some soft goals to meet, but I'd have at least $40k in cash by then so setting up shop shouldn't be too bad. I'm 29 now, will be 30 or 31 when I'm looking to move. Leave it for your retirement. You still retire regardless of where you go.
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Aug 28, 2017 16:17
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Should a cover letter be attached to the email or should it be in the body of the email?
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Aug 30, 2017 20:22
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:Should a cover letter be attached to the email or should it be in the body of the email? Don't overthink it, but definitely also attach it and reference it in the email. "To whom it may concern, My name is Firstname Lastname, I am writing to apply to Exact Title From Website job position. Please see my attached Cover Letter and Resume. You can contact me at Phone Number. Thank you, Firstname Lastname" Also even if it's not tailored title them both: Firstname-Lastname-Resume-Companyname.pdf, Firstname-Lastname-Cover-Letter-Companyname.pdf.
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Aug 30, 2017 20:50
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H110Hawk posted:Don't overthink it, but definitely also attach it and reference it in the email. "To whom it may concern, My name is Firstname Lastname, I am writing to apply to Exact Title From Website job position. Please see my attached Cover Letter and Resume. You can contact me at Phone Number. Thank you, Firstname Lastname" Also even if it's not tailored title them both: Firstname-Lastname-Resume-Companyname.pdf, Firstname-Lastname-Cover-Letter-Companyname.pdf. I always did both. Make it easy for them to file and also easy to read initially.
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Aug 31, 2017 00:11
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TraderStav posted:I always did both. Make it easy for them to file and also easy to read initially. But both were the same, the body of your email and the attached cover letter?
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Aug 31, 2017 00:18
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:But both were the same, the body of your email and the attached cover letter? Yes. One for their review, one for their records.
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Aug 31, 2017 00:59
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Hi, Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I received an e-mail from Vanguard to proxy vote for their trustees and proposals. The only one I'm interested in learning more about and hearing your opinions on is the shareholder proposal about trying to reduce investing in firms that contribute to genocide. Here is the proxy voting guide. http://www.proxy-direct.com/Vanguard/Materials/Vanguard%20Complete%20Definitive%20Proxy%20Statement%202017.pdf The proposal in question is on page 25, proposal 7. "A shareholder proposal to institute transparent procedures to avoid holding investments in companies that, in management’s judgement, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious violations of human rights. Such procedures may include time-limited engagement with problem companies if management believes that their behavior can be changed." The guide basically says it's not worth it to vote for it because it won't help the problem; "Selling a company’s shares into the secondary market (i.e., not back to the subject company itself) has no direct impact on the company’s capitalization, and it simply puts the shares into the hands of another owner (one perhaps with less concern for the underlying issues)." I'm actually having a hard time deciding to vote for or against it. The Vanguard board is basically saying, "but it'll make you less money and it won't work anyway." I haven't found any articles on the web at all so far so I'd like to learn more. Plus I have a hunch Vanguard's stance might not be what I agree with because money usually is the most effective way to make change, but if the way investing works makes it so convoluted that it really isn't the best avenue for change than maybe it isn't worth it. Thoughts?
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Sep 2, 2017 22:33
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This just seems like a lovely feel-good proposal that would be absolute hell trying to enforce, and would result in a billion subjective calls by the fund's management. What constitutes "contributing to genocide"? It could be anything from defense contractors to oil companies to any Israeli company to whatever. I don't think there are a lot of companies that have a mission statement of like "eliminate those drat Tutsi" so really it would be completely unenforceable. Anyway I thought proxy voting was over already but that's my take on it.
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Sep 3, 2017 00:31
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moana posted:This just seems like a lovely feel-good proposal that would be absolute hell trying to enforce, and would result in a billion subjective calls by the fund's management. What constitutes "contributing to genocide"? It could be anything from defense contractors to oil companies to any Israeli company to whatever. I don't think there are a lot of companies that have a mission statement of like "eliminate those drat Tutsi" so really it would be completely unenforceable. Is absolutely is, and you just know some group of regular troublemakers put it forward. The board recommendation is to vote NO to that. And they're right. If you want some fund that matches your ethical profile they absolutely do exist, so go buy that one and gently caress off of my INDEX funds, which are not supposed to be making ethical/moral/judgement calls but indexing a market segment or total market. From what I recall voting isn't over for at least another couple weeks, but I don't really remember because I just voted as soon as I got the notice.
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Sep 3, 2017 03:11
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Motronic posted:Is absolutely is, and you just know some group of regular troublemakers put it forward. The board recommendation is to vote NO to that. And they're right. If you want some fund that matches your ethical profile they absolutely do exist, so go buy that one and gently caress off of my INDEX funds, which are not supposed to be making ethical/moral/judgement calls but indexing a market segment or total market. Thanks for reminding me to vote against this trash.
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Sep 3, 2017 17:10
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My favorite part of owning individual securities are the batshit insane shareholder proposals. I voted yes on several simply because my tiny position could never sway the vote compared to institutional and insider votes. (and then we got brexit)
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Sep 3, 2017 19:27
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Took my GF to the waterpark today and got really annoyed when I saw the price was $42.00 a person. This was after we drove close to an hour to get there. And having to pay $15 for parking. Then some lady in the parking lot gave us two free tickets. She had a bunch, and the park closes for the season tomorrow and she was just trying to get rid of them. I was so thankful for that lady. Next time, though, I'll know to check the prices before leaving the house.
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Sep 4, 2017 01:11
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$42 to splash around in some little kid's pee. Sounds like a bargain.
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Sep 4, 2017 02:50
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Moneyball posted:$42 to splash around in some little kid's pee. Sounds like a bargain. Usually that type of specialty service is way more expensive!
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Sep 4, 2017 22:08
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I didn't think that this was worth its own thread so I figured I would ask here. My husband is being offered an FBA (Flex) acct that will cover both of us when the benefits pkg gets sent out this fall, and I am seriously considering taking it up for us since I am in charge of all that fun stuff. I'm still a little confused over the whole thing tbh, and have been reading up on it and am still a little lost. If I am understanding this correctly, it is pre-tax money that goes into an acct that can only be used for medical things like his yearly colonoscopy, my mammograms etc, correct? I went thru today and wrote down all the medical expenses we have had over this year and it looks like this would cover most if not all of them, with some left over. It does say in the little paper that $500 a year can be rolled over into the next year if it isn't used up. So, if it gets rolled over does that lower the amount we can put in the following year? Or is it a cumulative thing? So, instead of $2500, we could have $3000 in the account if the $500 is rolled over if I am understanding this correctly. Or, is it that we only would put in $2000 to meet the limit of $2500? I assume I will need to save all the receipts. Would we need to do anything special tax wise for it? Or for 2018 taxes, it should be on the tax papers we get correct like the 401k? Do I pay the amount that we owe after insurance with the little debit card thing when I get the bill in the mail? And lastly, any major cons that I am not seeing or realizing? Overall I think this could be a good thing for us...but I just wanted to get BFC's input on this.
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Sep 6, 2017 21:00
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FSAs are cool. You pay for your expenses like normal and then submit receipts to be reimbursed. No additional tax work necessary. Not sure about the carry-over; I'd assume that the carried over amount counts towards the cap. The danger of FSAs is that you overcontribute and lose the money. You're planning out your expenses, though, so I wouldn't worry.
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Sep 6, 2017 21:13
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Disco Salmon posted:My husband is being offered an FBA (Flex) acct that will cover both of us when the benefits pkg gets sent out this fall, and I am seriously considering taking it up for us since I am in charge of all that fun stuff. Ask the HR person how that rollover works, they will tell you. Otherwise, you've got it. Anything non-cosmetic you get done at the doctor it pays the out of pocket cost. There is also a big PDF they can provide you of everything that is and isn't covered. There is a lot of OTC stuff you can put in there too. Condoms (birth control), Sunscreen (must be primarily sunscreen >= 35SPF, not "makeup with SPF"), bandaids, and almost all OTC drugs with a prescription from your doctor count. There are new anti-hoarding rules because of the braindead use-it-or-lose-it bullshit. My doctor has a sheet that has everything commonly used OTC that she signs for me once a year at my physical, it's great. Means Sudafed, Advil, etc is all covered. Even the most braindead portal tends to be easy enough to work. Take a picture of the receipt with your phone, resize it if you are feeling generous, fill in a few lines, submit. Don't overthink it. They'll tell you if you did something marginally wrong, but honestly they don't look too closely at 99% of it.
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Sep 6, 2017 21:25
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Thanks, guys! I feel better now about it 
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Sep 6, 2017 21:37
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Being poor sucks I wish I wasn't poor. Otoh my delicious lunch of CostCo veggies was a bargain and a half!!!
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Sep 8, 2017 05:53
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Holy poo poo but is Equifax bungling this data breach.
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Sep 8, 2017 15:41
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:Holy poo poo but is Equifax bungling this data breach.
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Sep 8, 2017 15:55
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It's ironic how the best way to guard against the possible negative outcomes of this breach is to give money to the very company that was subject to the breach.
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Sep 8, 2017 16:32
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