Personal Finance How I kept my Comcast internet bill low |
- How I kept my Comcast internet bill low
- Should I pay off my mortgage with my salary and savings as a factor?
- Why is maxing out 401k a good idea when it gets taxed as regular income when you take it out?
- Wife has to quit job due to cancer, what options do we have?
- Wanting to retire at age 67 with hardly no retirement. Help!
- I feel like I can't get ahead. Los Angeles, Ca
- How can you control impulsive spending?
- How to get out of co-signing a house my with brother
- Moving out a 18, good idea or not?
- Moved back in with the folks, how should I invest my extra money every month?
- Max 401k contributions next year, or buy a rental house?
- Should I swap vehicles and pocket $10k?
- Renting an apartment with no current income?
- Am I screwing up on home insurance?
- If I am self employed, should I max my Traditional IRA and my Roth IRA?
- Struggling with paying mortgage and rent. Can't find a way out
- Retirement check. What would you recommend?
- I'm curious about buying a house through an auction.
- Offered first Professional Job but Worried about the Wage for a 25 year old.
- College student confused about my tax situation (multiple sources of income)
- $250/month electricity bill in condo..while not living there?!
- How to handle splitting money with spouse in a single income family?
- Explanation of marginal/average tax rates (US federal 2021 rates) as a reminder now that tax season will be coming
| How I kept my Comcast internet bill low Posted: 01 Jan 2022 12:29 PM PST Sharing my experience continuing a "1 year promotion" to the 2nd year. I plan to follow these steps each year to hopefully perpetuate the new customer pricing. It's a bit annoying, but saving $240/yr+ is worth the 30 minute effort. Hope this works for others too. For background, Comcast had a 1st year promo of $39.99/mo when I signed up. After the first year, my rate increased to $59.99 and is supposed to continue rising. What I did: (Note an alternative method is actually canceling your service and then signing up as a new customer in 90 days or signing up with the name of someone else in your household. I prefer the below process because it did not require cancellation.) 1) TALK TO A PERSON: I'm sure there are other ways to get to an actual person on the phone but this worked consistently for me. Start a chat with Xfinity Assistant. Type "Agent" until you are connected to a human. You can try to convince them to lower you bill, but likely they will not have the authorization to lock in another year at the promo rate. Just allow the chat to end and once the agent disconnects the chat box will prompt you to "Give Feedback". Click it and type something like "speak with a person". This prompts a button that says "Call me as soon as possible". Click it and keep the chat box open. I received a call within 5 seconds of clicking that button. 2) WHAT TO SAY: The first person who calls has limited permissions. They explain how the promo is only available to new customers etc. etc. Say something like "Can I cancel my service and rejoin to take advantage of the new customer promo again?" (the answer is yes, but you don't need to do this if you get the right person on the phone). The agent will forward you to someone higher up in the retention department. Now it's luck of the draw. The first higher-up agent I spoke with would not budge and said honoring me as a new customer promotion is not possible. He was ready to let me walk away from Comcast. 3) REPEAT: If they do not budge, hang up and click the "Call me as soon as possible" button in the chat box again. I immediately received another call, got escalated to a different higher-up, and he was able "restart" my $39.99 promo rate as a "new customer" for the next 12 months. Good luck! [link] [comments] |
| Should I pay off my mortgage with my salary and savings as a factor? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 02:09 PM PST I'm a 39 yo, single teacher making 56K. I would like to pay off my house. My payoff amt is 58K. Is this advisable with what I have? What else can I do with my money for it to grow with the caveat that I'm very cautious, maybe to a fault. I would guess putting more in my 401K? 173K in savings 8K in a CD 60K in retirement 3K in a 401K that started in 2018 from brief side employment $60 dividend every quarter [link] [comments] |
| Why is maxing out 401k a good idea when it gets taxed as regular income when you take it out? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 05:00 PM PST I read that when you 'take distributions' from your 401k, it just gets taxed as regular income. Considering in inflation, too -- what's the real benefit of maxing out 401k beyond employer matching, then? I have the opportunity to max it out at 12%, but doing that would take me forever to buy a house in California, versus just doing 401k at 4%. Most of the advice on here is to max out your 401k, but taking all things into consideration it doesn't look like such a good idea. [link] [comments] |
| Wife has to quit job due to cancer, what options do we have? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:17 AM PST My (33) wife (34) was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She's a teacher and has been told by her doctors that she should not teach in the classroom while undergoing chemo since she'll be immunocompromised. That means that very quickly we will be down one income. My income is approximately equivalent to that of a teacher so now we're looking to live off of essentially a single teacher's salary in a high cost of living area for 4-6 months. To add insult to injury, our rent is about to spike by 23% as well (we may move but everything else is spiking too and moving while dealing with this sounds like a nightmare). Now our problem: We've been pretty good at living within our means and have pretty good savings I think. We can certainly (with insurance) pay for this treatment and weather the storm of her not having an income, however, neither of us are in lucrative careers and regaining losses will take a lot of time. The point is, we're not in desperate need, but we also really don't want to lose significant headway either. It almost feels selfish to say since there are definitely many more people in more desperate need than us, but we will start to lose what we've worked so hard for and also the feeling of financial security for some time. The medical costs are bad enough, but losing half our income just really sets us back a lot. Our Question: Does anyone know of any options out there for finding financial assistance for a family of 2 that has essentially the income of a teacher? A lot of charities and grants we've looked into already suggest we don't qualify due to our income level (though often just barely) for the household size. [link] [comments] |
| Wanting to retire at age 67 with hardly no retirement. Help! Posted: 01 Jan 2022 07:26 PM PST HELP!!!! Age 58 wanting to retire at 67 that's in 9 years. Right now have $65,000 in cash, $20,000 in Ohio deferred Compensation plan which we invest $425.00 a month. Owe $55,000 on house. Between 2 of us our income is $80,000. I think The best thing to do is max out Roth IRA? Yes? But with who and which one would be best? Got a ton of making up to do 😠[link] [comments] |
| I feel like I can't get ahead. Los Angeles, Ca Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:04 AM PST I am 29 and single and currently make $60,000 per year. I live in California and the housing market is so expensive I have no clue when I will be able to buy a home (have $33,000 in savings). I want at least 20% down (so I need at least $80k for a small 1 bedroom apartment). I anticipate by the time I am 33 I will have $80k in savings. I have a good job, a lot of room for advancement, and anticipate I will be making $100k a year in the next 5-7 years. So I don't want to move out of state. I hate spending money on rent because it's eating away at me saving for a house. My parents wants me to move back in, but I feel like I am too old. What do you all think? Should I bite the bullet and move back in with my parents for a few years, to expedite the savings to $80k. Anyone have a similar situation? I currently pay $2,300 in rent. Also, the only debt I have is a $55,000 student loan. [link] [comments] |
| How can you control impulsive spending? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 08:20 PM PST An old friend and I have been talking a bit and both unsatisfied with our living situations. We want to get back working full time and get a place together. Currently we both are managing but do not have many bills and want a place we can call our own. My hesitation is this. I know we both have held solid jobs for years straight and can pull this off. But we both have ADHD and poor habits of retail therapy or not saving when we should be. To me that could be very problematic. We both are self aware enough to realize we spend too much, and are willing to take sacrifices or try new things to have a better living situation. I think once we have a place that will take precedence and be important enough we can both learn better habits to keep the extra space, privacy and freedom, we both really want this. What are some ways that we could possibly overcome or minimize our weakness? I suggested we could have a house budget and make sure bills and important things always come out first. Or getting savings accounts possibly to curb impulse buying. Working side jobs and just putting that money towards fun stuff. I'm not sure what is the most effective way to do this but it's something that we need to have a plan and some rules/boundaries around if we are going to make it work. [link] [comments] |
| How to get out of co-signing a house my with brother Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:30 PM PST My brother guilt tripped me into helping him buy a house and deep down inside I keep thinking it's a bad idea. I've already given my documentation but haven't closed yet. Is it too late to find a way out? Potential loop holes? FYI- I have already signed the "pre-contract agreement" [link] [comments] |
| Moving out a 18, good idea or not? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:07 PM PST Moving out at 18 My family is poor physically and spiritually, toxic and emotionally draining. I live in Ottawa. I am leaving on Feb 1st with 3k saved up, a payed off car and a full time job secured. this is the budget I've come up with: Monthly Salary: 2,400$ Monthly Expenses:
My budget seems veryy tight and what I'm MOST afraid of is having to move back in with family because I can't "make" it on my own at 18 in the "real" world. If I leave that's it. I can't come back they will disown me and hate me for not supporting them. Has anyone moved out on a salary/budget close to mine and how did u stay afloat? What's some advice you have for me? Should I go and thrive on my own or stay in a toxic household home to save a couple thousand each month? [link] [comments] |
| Moved back in with the folks, how should I invest my extra money every month? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 10:09 PM PST I live in California and my landlord spiked my rent to a point I could no longer live on my own so I moved back in with my parents which is a great opportunity to make and save money, after all my expenses every month I'll be left with ~$2100 of income that is easily disposable. But I'm not sure what to do with it, just set it in a savings account? Buy stocks? Real estate? I'm kinda lost with how to spend my new surplus, The only thing I have to worry about is my debts, I'm not drowning in it but I have about 3K in credit card debt and a 6K loan that I took out against my 403b and threw into the stock market which is now worth 9K but its more of an investment I wouldnt want to touch yet [link] [comments] |
| Max 401k contributions next year, or buy a rental house? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:52 PM PST My wife and I age 37 and 40 were planning on maxing out both of 401k's this year as we are definitely behind on retirement savings, but my parents just decided that they no longer want to be landlords and offered to sell us their rental house for $300,000 ( roughly 15%-20% below market value) in the beginning of 2023. They are asking for 10% down and are willing to carry the contract at 3% interest The rent should cover the full payment, but just barely. We currently have enough cash for the down payment, but it would deplete our emergency fund. If we reduce our 401k contributions this year we could easily save enough for the down payment and still have a nice cushion if things go wrong. Does this seem like a good idea, or should we just stick with our max 401k plan, and wait to buy something else when we have more money down? Current monthly take home pay after max 401k: $5,500 Current total monthly expenses: $ 2,500 Current emergency fund: $30,000 Combined Roth 401k savings: $155,000 [link] [comments] |
| Should I swap vehicles and pocket $10k? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 10:47 PM PST My current vehicle is a 2018 VW Passat with 11,000 miles, which is owned outright. I have a written offer in hand from a local dealership for $24k to purchase it. Another local dealership has a 2015 VW Jetta with 48,000 miles for $14k. Should I downgrade my ride a bit and pocket $10k? [link] [comments] |
| Renting an apartment with no current income? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 03:32 PM PST Hello! I need to move to a new city to take classes for a teaching certification I'm working on. I'm not currently employed (as I've been studying full-time), but I have a substantial savings that would allow me to pay the entire year's rent upfront, if necessary. Is it possible to secure a lease without having an income *but* having savings with which to pay rent? I'm a little concerned about my prospects for securing an apartment without having an income, so any suggestions on how to navigate this situation would be appreciated. Thank you so much! [link] [comments] |
| Am I screwing up on home insurance? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:40 PM PST I live in a high cost of living area. Paid 500k for a house that's probably worth 775-800k now. Most of this money is in the land I imagine. But my house 850sq.ft is only insured for $175k. That's what GEICO claims it's worth to rebuild. Given the area I'm in there's just no way I can build a new home for that. Probably nothing less than 400k. Am I screwing up? How do I get them to insure my home for what it's worth? [link] [comments] |
| If I am self employed, should I max my Traditional IRA and my Roth IRA? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 10:28 PM PST Is it beneficial to max both traditional and Roth out? [link] [comments] |
| Struggling with paying mortgage and rent. Can't find a way out Posted: 01 Jan 2022 01:21 PM PST I bought a house on mortgage in 2016 then in 2019 I had to relocate due to work. I'm renting from a friend of my father who has bent over backwards to accommodate me with payments but ultimately I still have to pay up. I initially thought the house would be by now, I've got 2 realtors on it. Apparently the market is in the toilet. I'm even open to rental which would probably only cover 1/3 of the mortgage, still nothing. Moving back is not an option unless I can find a decent job in the area. I'm at my wit's end, anyone have any advice? Edit: Yes I'm flexible on the asking price. Location is Accra, Ghana [link] [comments] |
| Retirement check. What would you recommend? Posted: 02 Jan 2022 12:29 AM PST 38 of age, married, two kids. 200k gross, 325k combined, and on track to make more with annual raises till retirement age which is not determined yet. Goal is to get best maximum benefits/returns I can from all accounts. Work offers 401k and Roth 401. Contribute to both? If so, how much percentage. Plan to max out every year. I don't have any IRAs, should I start one? Assuming backdoor Roth IRA because I believe I make too much to qualify for a Roth IRA. Can max out but might depend on how much I contribute to Roth 401. I do have a taxable account where I have been making consistent contributions throughout year in broad index funds. Contributions increase once 401k is maxed. Thoughts? Options? Any given advice greatly appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| I'm curious about buying a house through an auction. Posted: 01 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST A little bit ago i had someone in my distant family win an auction for some house and they moved, so that popped in my head last night as i was thinking of other alternatives other than buying new homes and stuff. So last night i started googling to find out more about this and i came across this bid4assets website thats auctioning houses that were defaulted on mortgages or taxes were not paid. I looked at everything for quite a bit and I'm somewhat a little confused on some of it. Like when I'm looking at sheriff sales/foreclosures, I see debt amount and other details. So are we bidding on a house that we'll eventually own after we pay the auction prices and fees if we win as well as paying that debt off that is listed in the details? Or is it more like its our to own after we win the bid? What are your people's experiences with auctions? Are they good deals and very competitive/hard to get? I know i have to do research/due diligence and stuff to know what i get if i am the winner. [link] [comments] |
| Offered first Professional Job but Worried about the Wage for a 25 year old. Posted: 01 Jan 2022 10:05 PM PST I recently have been offered a position for an entry level position. They want to start me off at $25/hr however, they do have benefits. That is the company offers health insurance where I do not need to pay out of pocket monthly and they cover that cost. Additonally, the match 4% of 401k contribution. There is also about 10% bonus every quarter from our wage. They cover the costs of medicare and Social security for the taxes every paycheck. They believe that I could make 6 figures in about 5 or less years of course depending on my work ethic and personal advancement in terms of learning. This would be my first real professional job in my field of study but I can't help but feel that the wage is low especially for coastal California. What are your opinions as someone who is barely starting off as I am 25 years old? Does this offer seem reasonable? For further financial background:
[link] [comments] |
| College student confused about my tax situation (multiple sources of income) Posted: 01 Jan 2022 10:53 PM PST Hi, I'm not familiar on how to do taxes and my parents are confused about how to approach my situation because I have multiple sources of income, so I was wondering if I could get some information.
I tried to research online about taxes and withholding, but got super confused by all the information. Do I owe penalties? How do I report and file these? I saw something about having to pay quarterly tax payments on Jan/Apr/Jun/Sep 15th if you make a significant amount of money from freelancing, but I don't completely understand it. Sorry for all the questions and thank you for any help! [link] [comments] |
| $250/month electricity bill in condo..while not living there?! Posted: 01 Jan 2022 02:14 PM PST Have a 1400 sq ft condo in San Diego that was fully empty in December (minus a few days). However for some reason the bill is insane and potentially higher than when I would live there. Energy usage is 18kWh per day, and it's only the fridge running and a heated toilet seat: https://imgur.com/a/PunjlNa The chart above is basically the same for the weeks prior and after, a very consistent daily usage. This is a look at my usage in May when i was living there https://imgur.com/a/ZieaIkB Have confirmed no HVAC was on either. Any idea what to check for here? The odd thing is not just how high the usage is, but how consistent it is as well. [link] [comments] |
| How to handle splitting money with spouse in a single income family? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 07:30 PM PST tl;dr: Wife and I are trying to figure out how we can divvy up money in our single income household while maintaining some financial independence. What has your experience been? Sorry if this belongs more in r/relationships or something, but here goes. I have a good job in a (very) cheap area and my wife's job is causing unnecessary stress. We're in the early stages of IVF so we decided she should quit since we don't need the money. Being a fiercely independent woman (one of many things I love about her) she's worried about having to go through an intermediary for any money. As it stands now we have completely separate accounts. We'd like to set up a system that allows us to be somewhat independent while staying within budget. My initial thought is to have a joint account for bills and big purchases, and separate accounts for fun money. Income goes to the joint account. I'd set up an auto transfer from the joint account to our own accounts once a month and off we go. I think we'll probably maintain separate credit cards for now, unless there's some benefit to a joint account. I'd love to hear from anyone else in this situation about what worked or didn't work. I'm sure there's an elegant solution out there I'm just not thinking of. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 01 Jan 2022 04:11 PM PST I created some plots that I hope may be helpful to people here (or people you know) as tax season arrives, and it's time to think about how taxes work when setting your 2022 withholdings, or thinking about your salary, etc. https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/rtueej/oc_2021_us_federal_tax_rates_charts_for/ Hope this is useful to anyone! [link] [comments] |
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