Most Popular
1500 questions
37
votes
3 answers
How do I deal with an erroneously large refund?
Alright, it's a weird complaint, I know. But I just checked on the status of my refund on the IRS Refund Status website, and the IRS had corrected upward the refund I filed for by a lot. Based on the correction note (relating to the "calculation of…
NickCHK
- 513
- 1
- 4
- 9
37
votes
1 answer
"Marked down as someone wanting to sell shares." What does that mean?
A few years ago I and a few friends created a company based on the web. During the raising funds period, we got a plan for $500,000 for 20% and we got investors. The last news about investors that I have refers to 2017: the investor got 15% for…
Uncoke
- 489
- 4
- 9
36
votes
4 answers
Why would a trading platform only allow withdrawal to the source of payment?
I have noted that a few online trading platforms have the following policy for withdrawal: they will send money using the same channel which the user deposit in the past. For example, if I deposit using PayPal, they will send me money using PayPal.…
kevin
- 899
- 1
- 7
- 13
36
votes
4 answers
What prevents stock prices from being artificially increased?
Let's say company FOO is trying to increase their $20 stock price.
They agree to sell a share for $100. Of course, nobody buys.
Now their buddy buys the share for $100. And maybe sells it back for the same price.
Suddenly the stock price, which is…
user541686
- 3,385
- 6
- 37
- 47
36
votes
11 answers
Why do people buy insurance even if they have the means to overcome the loss?
Insurance companies are businesses and their goal is to make money. It follows that if you are neither lucky nor unlucky, you will end up in the long run losing money by stipulating an insurance. I think this is a very simple concept that cannot be…
Andreas Bonini
- 507
- 5
- 5
36
votes
5 answers
IRS sent me a letter...I messed up by unwittingly taking money out of a Roth IRA and reporting it incorrectly
I recently received a letter from the IRS based on my taxes for 2015. I believe I did not understand the proper workings of a Roth IRA. I was under the impression I could pull my money out and only report any distribution increases on my taxes. …
JonH
- 1,499
- 2
- 14
- 23
36
votes
9 answers
Is it common in the US not to pay medical bills?
Context: As a foreigner in the US for a few months, I'm wondering how to react regarding medical bills. Indeed, I had to go to hospital and received medical bills. Surprisingly, some of my colleagues told me in substance:
Don't worry about these…
ebosi
- 1,083
- 1
- 11
- 18
36
votes
8 answers
How can I achieve a 13% U.S. Federal tax rate?
MSNBC just had a segment explaining how Bernie Sanders paid 13% in federal taxes.
This year my income changed significantly, and I'm making a little less salary than Sanders's ~$200k. However, unlike him, I found that all the deductions I…
Pippy Longstockings
- 615
- 1
- 5
- 6
36
votes
10 answers
Should a high-school student invest their (relative meager) savings?
I am a high school student, I don't really have much money, between one and two grand in my savings account. However, I have friends who are investing in both penny stocks and stocks. I do not really know much about the subject, but I do find it…
Pablo
- 493
- 5
- 7
36
votes
1 answer
Why is my student loan balance not going down?
This will be basic for you pros, please forgive me.
I have been paying the minimum balance on my student loan all year, but the balance shown on the site has barely gone down. I assumed that this was because they make you pay the interest first,…
Ken - Enough about Monica
- 4,806
- 5
- 35
- 56
36
votes
1 answer
How does Fidelity make money off me?
I have an IRA account with Fidelity which I use to buy a handful of Fidelity mutual funds. Since they are Fidelity mutual funds, Fidelity does not charge commission on them.
So how then does Fidelity make money off a customer like me?
David says Reinstate Monica
- 2,789
- 5
- 24
- 36
36
votes
6 answers
Is there an advantage to keeping a liquid emergency fund if one also has an untapped line of credit?
I've seen several financial advice websites and books that recommend keeping some amount of money (usually a function of your monthly expenses) in cash as an emergency fund. See for example questions here, here, and here
My question centers around…
John Doucette
- 548
- 4
- 8
36
votes
10 answers
Car buyer wants to pay by actual cash - what are the motivations and risks?
My partner was is listing her car for sale (about $9-10K CAD). She got contacted by someone who wanted to pay with cash bills.
He was somewhat reassuring about the obvious risks of walking around with a lot of money, but it still felt offputting: …
Italian Philosopher
- 527
- 1
- 4
- 7
36
votes
11 answers
Should we keep some of our emergency fund in cash at home?
We live in the US and have worked very hard to set aside 12 months of regular living expenses in an emergency fund. It is primarily to cover us in the event of an unexpected job loss, but it has also come in handy for other unpleasant surprises…
nuggethead
- 2,423
- 4
- 18
- 39
36
votes
4 answers
If a debt collection company refuses full payment is the debt still valid?
I was charged on a closed account for a service I never received. It is only a couple hundred dollars. I never paid it because it was not a valid debt.
I am trying to fix my credit. I called up the collection company ready to pay. They demanded…
RobC
- 513
- 1
- 4
- 6