Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange
Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
23
votes
5 answers

Why would a seller require a cash offer on a property?

My partner and I are looking at a house in an area that would be interesting to us. It's a fixer-upper that would require quite a bit of work on the inside. She's previously owned a house and personally done renovations of that sort; I have not. The…
Daniel R. Collins
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Is it rational to buy insurance if I have the same sum in a savings account?

I considered to buy a house-contents insurance. The total value of the contents is quite small, say X. Meanwhile, I have X in a savings account, that I can withdraw at any time. I am not sure whether it is rational to buy such insurance at all. My…
Erel Segal-Halevi
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2 answers

Canada: Girlfriend did not file tax return since 2006. What to do?

I was just starting my girlfriend's tax return when I realized I didn't have her notice of assessment from 2009. I wanted her tuition carry forward so I decided to call revenue Canada to see what the amount was. To my surprise she has not filed a…
Granny Smith
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10 answers

What is so good about IRAs?

I still don't get what is good about IRAs. For example, in a traditional IRA when you deposit you won't have to pay tax but when you withdraw you still have to pay taxes. So you only benefit if you are in lower tax bracket when you withdraw, and…
Lightsout
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6 answers

Mom made me cosign a car with her because her credit is bad and now the account has gotten charged off

My mom made me co-sign a car with her when I was young because her credit was bad and she really needed a car. She stopped paying for the car and now it has been charged off. I am worried about not being able to do things like get an apartment…
concerned-young-adult
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23
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4 answers

Is home renovation ever a good investment?

For years I was under the impression that renovating a home was an investment. However, when I look up return on investment for typical home renovation projects, it appears that even the most high-value renovations (kitchens, bathrooms) seem to…
cabbagecalculator
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23
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11 answers

What is the purpose of budgeting if all I need to do is look at my bank/credit card statement?

I have read over Reddit's wiki on budgeting. I rarely pay with cash so I already have a record of transactions I made with payment cards. My pay stubs are e-mailed to me. So what's the point of budgeting? Is the actual benefit from grouping…
titchseason
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23
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12 answers

How can I finance a car at 17 years old with no credit or co-signer?

I just turned 17 on March 17th. I will be graduating high school next year. However, I'm looking to purchase my first car or least drop a down payment of $20,000 on a new 2021 cla Mercedes Benz on my own. How would this work if I'm only 17, and my…
BABYFACEVET
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23
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4 answers

Why would collateral be required to make a stock purchase?

I've been reading this page on the recent GameStop short squeeeze. It mentions that at one point Robinhood and other brokers prevented their clients from purchasing shares of GameStop (GME): On January 28, some brokerages, including Robinhood,…
Metamorphic
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6 answers

How does the WallStreetBets community benefit from buying poorly performing stocks?

According to Allison Morrow, Everything you need to know about how a Reddit group blew up GameStop's stock, CNN Business, January 28, 2021. the subreddit r/wallstreetbets is buying, en masse, stocks that are being shorted by institutional…
neubert
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23
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5 answers

Why do small merchants charge an extra 30 cents for small amounts paid by credit card?

Jurisdiction Australia, but could apply globally for all I know. Looking at major Australian bank websites, their EFTPOS contracts mention nothing about transaction fees being different for small amounts than large amount - it's a flat percentage…
Bohemian
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23
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1 answer

Social security letter urges to apply now

I'll turn 70 in about 4 months. I just got a letter from the SSA saying What You Should Do: You should contact us right away to apply for your retirement benefits. You need to complete an application ... You can apply at…
Sullivan
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23
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6 answers

Is this rental property worth keeping, or should I sell?

I became an accidental landlord, when I bought a house 3 years ago, and did not sell the house I had lived in for 10 years. Here are the facts: House purchased: $200,000 House Mortgage remaining: $162,000 Rental History: 3 years at $1750 a…
Derek
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23
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3 answers

When filing taxes, how do I report "informal income" for which I don't have any forms?

This past summer, I worked a normal summer job and received a W2 form. However, I have also been tutoring two fellow students at the university I attend. They have been paying me "informally", eg they simply gave me dollar bills at the end of our…
MegaWidget
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6 answers

My (buyer's) agent is the seller's agent for the house I want

My wife and I have been looking for houses for a few months through an agent who was recommended by a friend. We've mostly found houses by ourselves and Zillow and had him organize walk-throughs, although they've suggested a couple houses to us. So…
WaterMolecule
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