Welcome! Before making a post, please check out some of the great resources that we've provided to answer your questions:

Most banks offer "goodwill credit adjustments," but PNC refuses.

We missed one payment in decades after we got hit with identity theft and had to get a new account number and ONE autopay fell in the gap and did not get paid.

PNC caused a huge hit to FICO. We sent PNC the law enforcement letter confirming that the bank account change was essential, but they refused. So we stopped new income to the PNC account, and they called us to get our business back, and escalated the case. But even at the highest level, PNC claimed the law requires them to damage our credit rating, even if the missed payment was the result of recovering from identity theft.

However, that is not true. After a quick check online, and lots of banks that allow "goodwill" credit adjustments as policy. Credit companies like Experian will even tell you how to write a letter asking for one. PNC refused, even after their excuse that the law requires them to not not make exceptions to was debunked.

It is not the law, it is PNC's choice. PNC's FICO policy is anti-consumer and their resolution team is deceptive.

So PNC lost our business.

Think twice before choosing PNC bank.

I have an HSA (Health Savings Account) with about $6,000 in it. I never use it. Last year I decided to contribute the maximum amount for the tax savings. When I log in, I see it will just let me "reimburse myself" and transfer money. Is that taxed or does anyone check to see what it's for?

The truth is, I do spend about $6,000 per year on medical expenses that my insurance doesn't cover (I have a rare chronic condition). Should I use that money for my medical expenses or just save it?

I'm just confused as to what is best practice.

EDIT: Thank you all for the wonderful and kind advice. I got my answer, but I am leaving this thread here in case it helps people!

I am 66 years old. I desperately want to retire as soon as I can due to declining health; however, it looks like it’s not going to happen anytime soon. I only have $135,000 in a retirement account at this time. I owe $32,000 on my home. Riding out the mortgage, the home will be paid for in 2030. Does it make any sense to take money from the retirement account and go ahead and pay off the house?

I’m a 24 year old final year healthcare student and I would say my finances were pretty in shape up until this year. I had around £35k saved / invested £5k of which was set aside as my emergency fund. However, I had a really bad year mentally and had to quit my job to work on my mental health. I also spend around £5k of my savings travelling to get myself out of a depressive/anxious slump.

To make matters worse, I was only expecting to be unemployed for around two months but it’s currently almost 5 months hence why I’ve completely blown through my emergency funds. I am currently interviewing for part time jobs but I feel really shitty about my finances. I still have around £25k saved/invested but I feel so silly that I allowed myself to make such financially reckless decisions as an adult. Does anyone have any advice so that I don’t end up in that awful situation again?

FYI: I live at home so my expenses are minimal.

I have a HYSA with Ally that I currently have 3.25% APY with. I keep between 11k-14k in the account typically and plan to continue to grow it slowly, though won’t necessarily have monthly deposit. Based on family supports and my drop prospects, baring something highly unusual and unexpected, I can’t imagine my balance will drop below 10k. It looks like there are some reputable options that have between 3.75 and 4% apy right now- when is it worth switching? I opened Ally almost 10 years ago and it was one of the highest rates at the time and I honestly haven’t paid much attention to rates since then so I’m not sure how much variation between options to expect long term and when it reaches a point that I should transfer to a higher apy account.

I was considering Openbank by Santander Or CIT bank. Thoughts on these in comparison to Ally and if it’s worth the switching?

My spouse's former boss never officially fired any employess. He just told them to return their company vehicles and stopped scheduling them essentially letting the company quietly go down to a skeleton crew of just him and his best friend. This happened around May. In June, he stopped paying employees health insurance. In August I noticed our dental and vision, however, we're still being paid. It's now the end of October and it is still being paid. My husband worked for him for almost 13 years and to be quietly let go (along with a few others) was a shock and disappointing. What do we do? Will we get into trouble for letting him continue to pay it? He was never officially fired, neither was the other guys because the boss is a coward. He just told them to return the vehicles and stopped responding to any texts or calls. He ghosted his employees. No warning either. What do we do?

Hi personal finance gurus!

I recently settled my divorce and am freaking out that I made the wrong choices in terms of what I gave up (I am the higher income earner and live in a community property state). I negotiated the divorce on my own for a myriad of reasons (though we worked with a mediator who kept us within legal bounds, and both of us ran the final settlement past a lawyer for review), but ultimately leaned toward giving him more cash upfront to preserve my 401K. Ultimately, I gave up 57% of my brokerage account, $5,000 of my 401K, and $8,000 of my half of our future home equity when we sell our house next spring. Ultimately, he got about $13,000 over the true 50/50 split of assets due to my long-term income earning potential over his.

At the end of the day, I'm left with the below. I'd be interested to hear from this community based on the stats below if a) I've royally screwed myself, and b) if I have, is there any secret sauce to pulling myself back out of this, or is it just a "buckle up and heal" situation? (Side note: divorce sucks, even when you were the one who asked for it. What a financial nightmare!)

The stats of what's left (and general shape of my budget today, post-divorce):

Age: 37F; would like to be able to leave corporate life at 50 and transition to passive income if I can find a way

Assets:
- Checking account: $11K
- Stock investments in my company (1:4 matching program): $26K
- Brokerage account: $76K
- 401K: $280K
- 50/50 equity in family home: Estimated ~$135K (we'll sell next spring... this is a projection)

General shape of my budget: I make good money but right now I'm paying spousal support (ends 12/31/2027), child support (ends in 13 years haha), and 65% of my son's private school tuition (which will end February 2027 when he transitions to public school). I put 6% into my 401K each month (maxing out my employer match of 3%) and 3% into my company's employee stock matching program.

All of those expenses, plus my rent/utilities/car insurance leaves me with about $2,500 left over every month. I'm not really adding any money to my checking account each month as a result (very hard to stay at $2,500 in a VHCOL city with all of the obligations of groceries/gas/kid/life) but expect that will improve as tuition drops off in February 2027 and spousal support drops off after December 2027. Beginning in 2028, my only monthly obligation will be $500/month in child support, so I hope to begin transitioning to maxing out my 401K and putting whatever else I can toward either a 529 for my son or just feeding my brokerage account.

Everything looked rosier when I was married and it feels like starting over now. I've never watched every dollar I spend so closely. I'd love to hear from you folks if I left myself in a really shitty cash-on-hand situation or if the instinct to protect my 401K was appropriate (be honest!). Thank you so much!

I am a woman in my early twenties and I am currently looking for an apartment. I make 3000 a month after taxes in Portland, OR and after all the costs this apartment would be about 1400 (this includes parking which is very expensive in the city). It has really nice amenities, but is small. I have 14,000 in my emergency fund and have been investing. No student debt or car payments.

If you have ever spent too much on rent, did you regret it? How did you lower costs in other parts of your life?

My gas would be less expensive since I would be commuting less and i wouldn't need a gym membership. I am having trouble looking at the number and making it okay in my head so I can just live somewhere enjoyable. Would appreciate any advice!

Hello. I'm in my mid 30s and have an okay job that allows me to contribute about 13-15% to my 401k. Unfortunately, I can't contribute more than that at the moment. In addition to that, I also contribute monthly to a robot advisor account. I'm not very savvy in the financial world but a few years ago I thought it could be a good option for someone like me who wants to take a more passive role in investing. Plus I figured if I'm in a pinch, I can always use that money with no penalty vs. taking money from my 401k. Neither options are things I'm considering on doing. I just want to forget about it and let it grow. Now, I question if instead of the robot advisor, I should use the additional amount I'm investing and putting it in my 401k instead. Any suggestions? I'm really torn on what to do. Thank you for your input.

I've been doing software for 35+ years and now at a point where it's difficult to find work, mainly because of my age (confirmed by several recruiters). I turn 59 1/2 by Apr of 2027, single male in Tx, owe $390K on a VA home loan at 3.2%, no debt (other than home), and have $700K in a few IRA's.

I've been thinking I'd like to payoff the home before the 2028 elections. Half in 27 and the other half in 28 in an attempt to a lower tax bracket. Once the home is paid, I'm good with only needing $1-$1.5k p/ month to live on.

The reason, besides not being able to get work, is that 51% of my current mortgage payments are going to interest which seems like it's draining my money faster than anything. In about 9 months, I'll have to pull from my IRA's to start making payments. Plus, I'll just sleep a little better at night.

Anyone have advice?

I’m torn about how I want to handle my CC debt. Currently I have $5200 in savings and I earn about $1100 bi-weekly. One card has 0 interest with $3000 on it and the other has $8700 with interest (I’m not entirely sure of the interest rate). The reason it’s so high is because unfortunately I had to buy a new transmission for my car which was around $4500. At the time, I didn’t anywhere near that to pay out of pocket. My car payment is $350 a month and other than insurance and phone bills I don’t really have any other expenses. Currently I moved back home since I went through a divorce so I’m lucky to not have to pay rent and for other necessities. What would be the best plan of attack for the CC debt? I don’t want to put all my savings towards it just in case of other emergencies that occur.

I am 32 and living paycheck to paycheck. It's incredibly embarrassing and stressful. So I HAVE to get my crap together.

I currently have a debit checking account with a local bank that has branches in the surrounding states. I pay $32 anytime I have to overdraft, but as long as I have a direct deposit going into the account, I don't pay any monthly fees.

My fiancé (25) has a debit checking account, too, at a different bank in his home state. He has it set, so he can't overdraft, nor does he have monthly fees (that I'm aware of, it was the account his parents made for him when he started working at like 17).

We want to have a joint savings account of some sort that we put both our checks into and pull a small equal amount out for general personal spending. Like going to see a movie or buy the next book in one of our favorite series. But neither one of us is financially literate or has a clue really where to start since we have our sites set on clearing up debt to start a family.

We've done some personal budgeting like tracking our bills and figured out what we need to pay off or save for certain things, but with our current set up and the both of us having ADHD it makes staying on track a little difficult, so we want to set ourselves up for success with this shift to a savings account. We're open to switching who we each have our checking accounts with, too.

But, would it be better to do a credit union? Growing up, my mom had a teacher's credit union she was a part of and still is even tho she doesn't teach anymore. She's always talking about how it's better than just a regular bank account. She's terrible at explaining things, tho so idk why or if it wouldn't even be any better than our savings account plan.

Thank you for reading, and thanks in advance for any advice you can give. I did peruse the wiki, but I didn't really feel like I got my answer to whether a savings account would be better for pooling our money for better ease to pay off bills and debts while gaining a little interest here and there (or however that works) or if a credit union can offer a better path to our goals of bettering both our credit scores, getting a home, and starting a family.

My wife(28) and I(30) currently make roughly $116,000 after all deductions and minimal mortgage. We currently have roughly $65-70k in checking and bought our first home for $338k 6.25%(currently owe $309k). We are fortunately otherwise debt free. We currently only invest 5% each into employer matched 401k’s(mine has $68k, wife’s unknown). We have 2 children under 2 and are trying to figure out the best financial path forward.

Our current mortgage is $2,795. I have played with the amortization calculator and have found a plausible amount($7795) we could send at the mortgage and own our home outright by 2031. This would assume continued 5% towards 401k’s to continue getting employer matching. However I am unsure as to whether this is the most financially sound decision as opposed to investing the additional 5k a month towards mortgage.

Hi everyone,

I have a restitution balance of 12,600 due to Michigan unemployment overpayment during Covid (non-fraudulent). I missed a few payments and now they are giving me 30 days until they garnish my wages up to 25% which would cause me to be homeless and lose my job.

I filled out a financial hardship waiver but will probably be denied because I make 1k more than what constitutes the poverty line.

Does anyone have any advice?

Hello,

I forgot to file my taxes this past April, and am looking for a little help on where to start.

I work part time and live in California, so I should be under the limit to pay any actual taxes so I believe this is just for a refund, but I may be wrong. I've checked the IRS free tax website but it says that it will be closed until January, so if anyone could point me in the right direction with a website and what to do I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Hi all, I’m thinking about moving from Wells Fargo to Neuberger for wealth management. Their fee structure is very straightforward and they aggressively manage portfolios. Anyone have experience working with NB Wealth? Plusses, minuses, anything in between?

going into my second year for an MBA. took out a personal loan for the first year, and was planning on doing the same for the second to finish my degree while working at the same time.

when my parents heard about the interest being paid, they offered to help co-signing a loan from the bank.

my parents (retired) no longer work. their house is also paid in full, so there is no mortgage. without a current mortgage, a HELOC seems out of the question. what is the best way for them to leverage the equity in their house so they can help me cover the costs of finishing my degree.

So I (23M) am moving into an apartment by myself for the first time and will start having to budget on my own. Some background I make net 3200 a month currently. I expect to get about a 2.5k raise in June/July of next year. My rent is 1150 a month which includes water. I know I’ll have to pay 50 a month for internet and a power bill. I have no debt besides credit cards which I pay off every month. I use them mostly for gas or miscellaneous purchases. I also currently have around 25k in savings as an emergency fund. I do think I’ll be looking at getting a car within the coming months so I can have cheaper gas. I currently drive a 2010 dodge dakota that gets about 15-20 mpg.

I also know I want to start investing in a Roth IRA at some point. I also wanted to get advice on if it’s fine or normal to also do a regular brokerage account so some money can be liquid. I understand the importance of a Roth but also know life is crazy so don’t want to only wait until retirement age to enjoy large sums of money. I want to be financially responsible yet enjoy life if that makes sense. I also currently have a government pension I’m contributing to that becomes vested after 10 years at my current job (started in June). So how am I doing? What can I improve on? I appreciate any and all advice regarding my finances.

Edit: I live in rural Alabama

Hello! I gave birth a few months ago and my husband and I would like to set up a few accounts for our daughter. We are planning on opening a 529 account that we will contribute to over the next 18 years. Our daughter has received cash gifts from family members that we would like to invest for her. Both my husband and I feel a little strange about putting her "gift" money in an account for education as we feel like that is something that we should be providing for her. My husband and I were also able to afford our house primarily because of an investment account that I had set up for me when I was younger. We would love to be able to save any money gifted to her in a place that will grow. Any recommendations for types of accounts we should open for her?

Hi everyone, I’ve had some life changes recently that have made me reconsider my health insurance options for next year and wanted to see if this community could help me make a decision.

Back in May my wife and I had our first child, but he was born extremely early (23 weeks & 6 days). He is still in the NICU and doing well all things considered. Hopefully coming home in the next 1-2 months. Even with how well he is doing, I do expect he will have significantly more doctor's visits and specialist visits than the average child for at least next few years.

The healthcare plans from my employer are very good and have made this more or less a non-issue financially. However, I am wondering if it might make sense for us to switch out of a Family HDHP/HSA plan in favor of a traditional PPO Plan. Below are the terms of each option:

Family PPO
- Employee Cost = 5% of Base Wages Bi-Weekly (Max of $541)
- $0 deductible in-network
- $5,000 Out-of-pocket max for copays and out-of-network
- $25 copay for everything except Surgery, Emergency, or Ambulance (those are $0 copay)

Family HDHP/HSA (Current)
- Employee Cost = 5% of Base Wages Bi-Weekly (Max of $526)
- $3,500 deductible in-network
- $5,000 out-of-pocket max in network and $7,500 out-of-network
- No cost for anything in network after deductible is met
- 20% Coinsurance out-of-network after deductible is met
- My employer contributes $1,750 to HSA annually

Currently, my wife and I are on a budget and would likely need to use our HSA for any medical expenses if we kept the HDHP plan. I would expect that we would use all of what ends up being contributed to the HSA next year and possibly for the next few years depending on my son's needs.

Currently, I’m leaning towards switching to the PPO for next year and re-evaluating each year as our financial position changes and our family health needs change.

Please let me know if any additional information is needed! Thank you all in advance for the help!

I’ve put myself in a hole I never imagine. I have 2 vehicles with negative equity. A mortgage. And no savings. I used my savings trying to claw out of my negative equity to bring down my monthly debt to income. I was hoping to have it paid off by the end of the year.

———————-

I’ve lost my job. I’m 3 months behind on everything. My checking account is -$2000 with no income coming in. At this point I’m waiting for the lights to cut out, the vehicles to get repo’d (can no longer afford to put gas in them to drive to interviews), and my credit cards are maxed out.

Obviously this didn’t happen overnight, and I saw the signs but thought I’d figure it out. Well I didn’t.

So now I’m just looking for some direction. Really just the first step or so.

Four Leaf Credit Union just opened up in NC and they are offering a 4.5% APY HYSA for new customers.

Two catches:
1) there is no timeline on when the promotion will end

2) you need to provide a 7 day notice to withdraw funds from the account …

I am thinking of giving it a try. Thoughts?

Still pretty new to homeownership (<2 years.) This is a great house and I plan to keep it, retire in it, leave it to my daughter, I have very little interest in selling unless I strictly need to. I’m more concerned with owning it outright and being debt free sooner rather than later.

I heard from a coworker that biweekly payments can pay a house off faster which is obviously true because that comes out to 13 full payments a year instead of 12, but he said that doing so also mitigates compound interest.

If I understand compound interest correctly, it would behoove me even more to pay a quarter of the monthly payment every week, no? Or am I misunderstanding compound interest?

Thanks in advance!