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1500 questions
38
votes
4 answers

What happens if you can't pay at an auction?

Based on this question about wholesaling homes - what happens if somebody purchases a home at auction, places their down-payment, cannot find a buyer, and backs out of the auction? I'm assuming they would forfeit their down-payment, but what else…
Tyler M
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38
votes
4 answers

Got $2 in the mail from the Pew Research Center, is this a scam?

Today my wife and I got a letter from the Pew Research center with a with a $2 bill enclosed. The survey has a link to the website: http://pewresearchstudy.com with a password, asking the youngest female in the household to take a survey. I'm a…
Russ Wilkie
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38
votes
3 answers

How to prove that invoices are really unpaid?

When it comes to official business documentation (USA) between a company and a client who is either another company (B2B) or individual person (B2C), how can the company providing the invoices, prove that those invoices are really not yet…
Liam
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38
votes
19 answers

How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?

A while ago I had my bank issue me new checks due to a change of name (I got married). However I still have many hundreds of checks with the out of date info (they're an online bank and issue about 1000 checks at once, and I have several accounts…
Vality
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37
votes
4 answers

Deducting charitable donations under new U.S. tax law

I usually donate about $20k to charities every year, and I don't have many other deductions to claim. Given that the new tax law doubles the standard deduction to $24k, I effectively don't get tax benefits from my charitable donations anymore…
37
votes
8 answers

How much should you save for retirement in a country that automatically takes care of retirement savings?

I live in Denmark. Most people will automatically receive three sorts of retirement incomes. There's the state pension which is universal (you will receive 12.500 dollars pre-tax annually, which can be almost doubled if you satisfy requirements such…
Massum
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37
votes
7 answers

What are the financial decisions leading to "barn find" automobiles?

Where I live there are laws against leaving vehicles to rot in one's backyard or dumping them in the forest, mostly to prevent soil pollution and the junkyard appearance. I understand different countries have different sensitivities towards…
Cape Code
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37
votes
15 answers

Why does risk level matter?

In a perfect market, the extra losses of a high risk portfolio should exactly match the difference in returns between that and a low risk portfolio. In other words, a sufficiently diversified portfolio will return the same, on average, independent…
Mike M
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37
votes
12 answers

How to do the maths on affordability?

I have a bad or no idea on how to budget. We are moving but I don't know If I can afford the rent as the family grows and I need my own study. How can a person measure how much to spend on food, car, bills or rent from his salary? Is there a formula…
localhost
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37
votes
6 answers

Buy home and leverage roommates, or split rent?

Currently, I live in a 3 bedroom apartment with 4 other people (5 total), and we are looking to switch apartments because we don't like the place anymore. I started looking around for new places, and found a handful that could work out. However, I…
Andrew Diamond
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37
votes
3 answers

How do the rich and wealthy withdraw from accounts without leaving home?

I was at someone's house once and they made a phone call and had someone bring $50,000.00 cash to their home from one of their bank accounts. I think the person worked for the bank and wasn't a relative with their name on the account.
user1276423
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37
votes
6 answers

Should I pay an extra $100 every month on my mortgage or pay $1200 extra every year at the beginning of the year?

I can pay $1200 extra once a year or $100 every month - which is better? The first one does sound better, but for a 30 year mortgage, is it that significant? Say the mortgage is for $200,000. Thanks.
Anonyms
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37
votes
3 answers

Home inspection for home owners insurance revealed damage my inspection and my lender's appraiser did not see

I recently bought a house in Iowa. I hired a company to inspect the home, they found a few minor things but nothing major. My lender had an appraisal and they didn't note anything either. I purchased home owners insurance with a large insurance…
ajb32x
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37
votes
8 answers

Should I pay more towards my mortgage?

I have worked for the past 5 years to get out of debt, pay my bills, and own a home. I'm glad to say that all my debts are paid off, my bills are paid every month, and my mortgage is cut by 10 years time, since I pay a little extra toward it. I have…
Canadian Luke
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37
votes
9 answers

Purpose of having good credit when you are well-off?

I notice people talk about credit scores for many things, but typically they are: Helping tools for mortgages; Ability to get better loans; Ability to get better financing options. The general reasons that apply to anyone (i.e., borrow money, get…
user50524