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1500 questions
22
votes
3 answers
Can a Merchant Really Charge to My Credit Card with Only the Number, Name and Expiry Date?
I was talking to a hotel and to reserve a room, they asked for my credit card details.
It was not a payment via a secure link like online shopping (where I even get an app notification to authorise a specific amount which is shown in the…
Della
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22
votes
8 answers
Am I getting scammed? (Linking accounts to send money to someone's daughter)
A man I have been talking to online for a few months wants me to link our bank accounts. He said his account was hacked and is froze while the bank is investigating it. Meanwhile he needs to send child support for his daughter and is unable to do…
Nikki
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22
votes
3 answers
Doctor won't let me self-pay because I've "already presented" them my insurance card?
My doctor's cash price is lower than the insurance price. Since I likely won't hit my deductible this year I asked to switch to self-pay.
They told me they are "not allowed" since I have "already presented" them with my insurance card.
Is this…
Derek Fulton
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22
votes
1 answer
Why does Microsoft need China’s approval to buy Blizzard?
Given none are Chinese companies, why does the acquisition need China’s approval?
I am looking at, e.g., Microsoft says China approves its plan to buy video game-maker Activision Blizzard
aaa acb
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22
votes
6 answers
Am I being scammed after paying almost $10,000 to a tree company not being able to withdraw my profit without paying a fee
I was contacted by a woman on Instagram who told me I could make a $50,000 profit after sending in $500. This has been going on since August 2022. The senior trade manager told me that my account had been disabled, and she asked me for my driver's…
Lee
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22
votes
8 answers
Someone offered tax deductible donation as a payment method for something I am selling. Am I getting scammed?
Context: I am selling a camera on facebook marketplace and someone proposed the following:
Person: Would you consider a fully tax deductible Donation to a San
Francisco arts non-profit?
Me: Wait what does that mean? I can get all of that money from…
Tinker
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22
votes
7 answers
"Buy assets, not liabilities": How is it possible to buy a liability?
Some personal finance gurus such as Robert Kiyosaki claim that people should "buy assets, not liabilities". This made me wonder: is it even possible to buy a liability? From what I have observed, everything I have spent my money on is either an…
Flux
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22
votes
7 answers
Losing equity if my work is used for a new company
Say there is a small company (C1) that gives me 0.1% equity for building their website since they did not want to pay cash.
Now the founders of C1 stop working on C1 , create a new company C2 and use my website for C2. They sell my website for $1…
rahs
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22
votes
3 answers
Is there any downside to paying off a mortage shortly before moving?
I recently purchased a house for $125k, currently the mortgage balance is $100k, but value increased during COVID to ~$210k. I am expecting to earn a lump sum of money, enough to pay off the mortgage in its entirety, plus car loan, which would leave…
Village
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22
votes
1 answer
Wired to the wrong account
Recently, I sold my house that I've been living in for over 20 years. It was almost all paid off, so I got a huge amount of cash in my account. (About 5x my yearly salary).
I bought a new house, and intended to wire all of these proceeds over to…
Jeffer
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22
votes
7 answers
Is it true that 90% of investors lose their money?
Many investment gurus state that majority of investors fail and then offer a proven "[insert fancy name] investment strategy" that will make you successful. The number usually starts at 90% and often goes up to 99%.
Intuitively, the number makes…
user6021
22
votes
6 answers
Is it legal for a minor to be hired by a college to take notes for students with accessibility difficulties?
I'm enrolled in a local community college as a dual-credit student (basically that means I can complete high school courses in college to get a college degree and high school diploma simultaneously), and, as such, I'm a minor.
A few weeks ago I…
sun234
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22
votes
7 answers
How easy is it to actually track another person's credit card?
In movies and in fiction, government agents, mom's basement hackers, evil villains, etc. often are able in minutes to tell stuff like "twenty minutes ago she rented a boat in Snow Hill" or "he bought two chicken lettuce sandwiches in Subway at…
user2299523
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22
votes
4 answers
Why is the rate of return for website investments so high? Are websites a good investment?
Popular websites can make a lot of money through monetization channels such as ads, but when it comes to buying an existing site, why is the multiple on earnings so low? For example at the moment a site is being advertised for $25,000 with a net…
TheoretiCAL
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22
votes
3 answers
Why is there such disparity of max contribution limits between 401K accounts and regular IRA accounts?
In 2011, regular IRA accounts allowed only $5,000 maximum contribution, while 401K accounts allowed up to $16,500. Why is there such a disparity? Why do tax advantages favor employees of large employers that can afford 401K programs?
Chirag Patel
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