Yeah Mint is just an offshoot just like quickbooks and credit karma.
Official Personal Finance/Home Economics Thread
- Thread starter phcitywarrior
- Start date
I got some back in December.
Good deal. May buy some more:
Only 4 Days Left To Buy I Bonds Paying 8.5%
Realized my budgeting wasn’t great
Personal goals
1. get a solid budget
2. Pay off cc debt
3. Put more in Savings and emergency fund
This month may be the time to buy an I bond
If you buy one between now and the end of October, you’ll earn a composite interest rate of 9.62%.
Dealt with the medical bureaucracy more in the past year than the prior decade. Found out today that sometimes Dentists aren't sure whether they will get their money back so they overcharge the customer and then some dentists will reimburse you via a credit.
I only found this out because I checked my Dental EOB and the money I paid out of pocket was 2x as much as I needed to as per what my insurer paid. Gonna be going over my medical bills later this week as well to try and nickel and dime them to a lower price as well.
It's ironic that it's more about someone 'getting one over on me' but it leads me to be more frugal and go the extra step to save some coin
I only found this out because I checked my Dental EOB and the money I paid out of pocket was 2x as much as I needed to as per what my insurer paid. Gonna be going over my medical bills later this week as well to try and nickel and dime them to a lower price as well.
It's ironic that it's more about someone 'getting one over on me' but it leads me to be more frugal and go the extra step to save some coin
Left my company and received some unsolicited emails and phone calls from my 401k provider. I get the feeling they wanted to nudge me into a 401k Rollover almost solely because they make more money off of an IRA than they would off of a 401k.
Left a bad taste in my mouth in general, so down the road, if I do decided to do a 401k rollover to an IRA, it will definitely be with a different company
Left a bad taste in my mouth in general, so down the road, if I do decided to do a 401k rollover to an IRA, it will definitely be with a different company
Do you guys have an IRA? If so which one. I've been doing Traditional but thinking about going Roth.
I've moved most of my liquid savings from HYSA to Fidelity SPAXX to get a better rate 4.22% right now, it's also where I buy 4-Week T-Bills.
I have Ally & Discover but does anyone use one of the higher HYSA? I see TotalDirectBank offering 5.05% on MMAs & Wealthfront offering 4.3%. Kinda want one but don't want the ding since I churn bank accounts.
Speaking of churning:
Currently doing Chase's $900 checking/savings bonus. Offer dead now
Thinking of doing WF $525 Savings Bonus: Savings Account Bonus Offer: New Customers Earn $525 | Wells Fargo
I've moved most of my liquid savings from HYSA to Fidelity SPAXX to get a better rate 4.22% right now, it's also where I buy 4-Week T-Bills.
I have Ally & Discover but does anyone use one of the higher HYSA? I see TotalDirectBank offering 5.05% on MMAs & Wealthfront offering 4.3%. Kinda want one but don't want the ding since I churn bank accounts.
Speaking of churning:
Currently doing Chase's $900 checking/savings bonus. Offer dead now
Thinking of doing WF $525 Savings Bonus: Savings Account Bonus Offer: New Customers Earn $525 | Wells Fargo
I have a Roth IRA with T Rowe Price. I invest in a target date retirement fund.
I bought a 52-week t-bill last month. I got it on Treasury Direct.
Ally is my primary bank. I have some index funds with Schwab. I do have a local brick and mortar just in case but only hold the minimum in it.
Reviving the thread for 2025. Brehs gotta keep leveling up our finances.
What goals do we have for our finances in 2024?
Last year I paid off all my CC debt (it was painful using my end of year bonus and stock options to clear it but it was needed) I just got like $1.5K to pay the IRS for back taxes but I may just wait till I get this years tax refund to pay it off.
My 401K is very buoyant and my stock portfolio looks good although too heavily weighted to a few companies.
Big goals for 2025
1. Get a new travel CC ( thinking Chase Sapphire) and migrate all of my discretionary spend to CCs. I have just one Cap One QS card and I still half spend on debit and credit.
2. Get enough for a down payment on a house. Thinking $60K minimum.
3. Continue my dollar cost averaging for 2025 but up the amount I put in on a bi-weekly basis.
4. Fully fund my 6 month emergency fund (I may just liquidate some of my stock portfolio to do this tbh). I’ve been BSin on this one.
5. Fully automate my recurring bill pay and investing.
For Q1’25 I’m doing a bit of a “spending fast” in that I’m not doing too much outside work, studying, gym and some light social activities that don’t involve a lot of spending eg inviting people over for brunch instead of going out. Going dry for all of Q1’25 will definitely help.
While doing my 2024 spending analysis, I saw a lot of “leakage” in my spend. In that I spending on small, trivial things that add little value but add up over time. I want my discretionary spend optimized for the things I really like (travel, gear, tech, clothes) rather than eating out, taking uber instead of the train/bus. Things that are convenient but not really high value.
Another thing I’ve realized is my spend really starts to ramp up the latter half of the year. That’s when my traveling usually kicks (December travel back to Nigeria, heading back to DC from Cali for Thanksgiving etc). So that’s partially why I want to reduce my spend earlier in the year so I save my dry powder for later in the year.
Finally, since I’m debt free, my end of year bonuses and stock options can go directly to my savings and investments.
At 29 I know I could have been in a MUCH better position if I picked up better financial habits earlier (investing in my 401k earlier, leaving money in my investment and savings account to grow, being disciplined about putting money away just a little bit each paycheck, living well below my means) but objectively, I’m not in a bad place at all and my income will allow me “catch up” a bit.
Honestly, praise God.
What goals do we have for our finances in 2024?
Last year I paid off all my CC debt (it was painful using my end of year bonus and stock options to clear it but it was needed) I just got like $1.5K to pay the IRS for back taxes but I may just wait till I get this years tax refund to pay it off.
My 401K is very buoyant and my stock portfolio looks good although too heavily weighted to a few companies.
Big goals for 2025
1. Get a new travel CC ( thinking Chase Sapphire) and migrate all of my discretionary spend to CCs. I have just one Cap One QS card and I still half spend on debit and credit.
2. Get enough for a down payment on a house. Thinking $60K minimum.
3. Continue my dollar cost averaging for 2025 but up the amount I put in on a bi-weekly basis.
4. Fully fund my 6 month emergency fund (I may just liquidate some of my stock portfolio to do this tbh). I’ve been BSin on this one.
5. Fully automate my recurring bill pay and investing.
For Q1’25 I’m doing a bit of a “spending fast” in that I’m not doing too much outside work, studying, gym and some light social activities that don’t involve a lot of spending eg inviting people over for brunch instead of going out. Going dry for all of Q1’25 will definitely help.
While doing my 2024 spending analysis, I saw a lot of “leakage” in my spend. In that I spending on small, trivial things that add little value but add up over time. I want my discretionary spend optimized for the things I really like (travel, gear, tech, clothes) rather than eating out, taking uber instead of the train/bus. Things that are convenient but not really high value.
Another thing I’ve realized is my spend really starts to ramp up the latter half of the year. That’s when my traveling usually kicks (December travel back to Nigeria, heading back to DC from Cali for Thanksgiving etc). So that’s partially why I want to reduce my spend earlier in the year so I save my dry powder for later in the year.
Finally, since I’m debt free, my end of year bonuses and stock options can go directly to my savings and investments.
At 29 I know I could have been in a MUCH better position if I picked up better financial habits earlier (investing in my 401k earlier, leaving money in my investment and savings account to grow, being disciplined about putting money away just a little bit each paycheck, living well below my means) but objectively, I’m not in a bad place at all and my income will allow me “catch up” a bit.
Honestly, praise God.
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Join us in the Amex Platinum gang and don’t meddle with those Chase Sapphire peasants 
$60k dp isn’t going to get you much these days, wait for at least the end of the year when the other two rate cuts “should” hit.
$60k dp isn’t going to get you much these days, wait for at least the end of the year when the other two rate cuts “should” hit.
Join us in the Amex Platinum gang and don’t meddle with those Chase Sapphire peasants
My issue with AMEX is its merchant acceptance, especially overseas. I travel a lot to the African continent so Visa and Mastercard are the way to go.
Yeah $60K is very scant but I want that as a base at least. I’ll likely need closer to $100K for something decent, but this would be my first crib just to build equity, even if it’s something small.
Yeah if you’re headed to Africa often then Amex won’t get you far. I had no problems in Morocco, but they are far more developed than some places sub Sahara
Look into using that $100k to buy a duplex instead and cash flow it. Once you’ve paid it off then you not only have a controllable asset that’s making you money, you can also HELOC it to use that as a dp for a newer home and have the tenants pay off the heloc for you. Once that heloc is paid off, take out another heloc for an investment property, rinse and repeat.
I know people have vision boards, but one thing that’s been helping me of late is a spending board.
I try to visualize my weeks and months then plan what I could possibly be spending. Legit day by day, week by week.
For most Mon - Fri, it’s $0 since I brown bag lunch and use my commuter card to get into work.
Weekends is where the rubber hits the road so to speak because I have social functions and the like.
For February I’m pretty good on social activities outside a Valentine’s day dinner I have and my boys 30th. March is also pretty tight.
April and May is where things really pick up (my 30th, trip planned to Eastern and Southern Africa, Marbella for my boys 30th).
Summer I got a Dallas trip and will look to do a weekend in Vegas, too. Outside that, looking really good.
My goal for the first half of the year is to finalize the last month of my 6-month emergency fund then start boosting my house fund. Little by little.
I try to visualize my weeks and months then plan what I could possibly be spending. Legit day by day, week by week.
For most Mon - Fri, it’s $0 since I brown bag lunch and use my commuter card to get into work.
Weekends is where the rubber hits the road so to speak because I have social functions and the like.
For February I’m pretty good on social activities outside a Valentine’s day dinner I have and my boys 30th. March is also pretty tight.
April and May is where things really pick up (my 30th, trip planned to Eastern and Southern Africa, Marbella for my boys 30th).
Summer I got a Dallas trip and will look to do a weekend in Vegas, too. Outside that, looking really good.
My goal for the first half of the year is to finalize the last month of my 6-month emergency fund then start boosting my house fund. Little by little.
In 2025 I need to clean up my spending a bit. I don't have a budget at all. My paycheck flows into 6 different checking / savings accounts. The money I save is completely automated. I manually invest into my 4 main stock portfolios. From there I pay the statement balances on my credit cards and just leave the rest sitting in my main checking account.
I manually capped my pay to my main checking account about 55% of my base pay goes into that. The rest goes into the automated 3 savings accounts (home purchase down payment account, regular savings, car payoff account) and the checking account that pays my rent and the other checking account that pays my car payment.
We get bonuses monthly based n performance and I also get some overtime at times. The hard cap means all of that extra pay flows into my regular savings account as all the other accounts are set at a certain dollar amount for the direct deposit and all the rest goes into that savings account.
I manually capped my pay to my main checking account about 55% of my base pay goes into that. The rest goes into the automated 3 savings accounts (home purchase down payment account, regular savings, car payoff account) and the checking account that pays my rent and the other checking account that pays my car payment.
We get bonuses monthly based n performance and I also get some overtime at times. The hard cap means all of that extra pay flows into my regular savings account as all the other accounts are set at a certain dollar amount for the direct deposit and all the rest goes into that savings account.