Today I emptied both my Chase and TD accounts. My money is safe. If Musk can kill an entire federal agency overnight he can kill the FDIC which Trump and the GOP have wanted to kill for years. I used to think the idea was insane, now I know anything can happen. Even just transferring to another overseas bank might be smart for a few years.

Prices are always going up and never coming down. Wages and housing are certainly not rising anytime soon. It’s a never ending cycle for us to afford less and work more. What will happen as a result of the tariffs? Will there be more US produced goods? What will likely happen?

Trying to help my (22) GF (22) be better with budgeting. She unfortunately isn’t the greatest with managing her money and would like to be better in the new year. We are both college students so it makes it difficult to save and invest. I have a lower income and still manage to put a great chunk of money aside for my future, while her money seems to disappear. I know that because I’m not married, it’s technically not my responsibility; however, I see a future with this girl and want her to develop good habits with money now so I don’t look like a fun-killer in the future.

So, any good podcasts for someone who hates to talk about budgeting and finance?

Hoping to start simple with her and slowly build into investing in a roth IRA, 401k, and so on

I am torn between wanting to pay down my debt for my car note or put the money towards growing my savings and or investing. I owe $25,750 on my car which is more than it’s worth due to dropping value and rolled over negative equity. Paying $480 a month at 6.19 percent interest. I do however have gap insurance through the credit union. I however am conflicted due to the fact that if I total my car, then the gap will essentially pay off the remainder of what would be market value but I would never want to rely on wrecking my car just to pay it off. So if I would put an extra few hundred on top of my car payment, would it be smarter to put the extra money towards growing my savings or should I still focus on shrinking my debt?

Edit: adding on, I have $5,000 put towards SWVXX for my savings and $7300 towards my Roth IRA but nothing for any stocks, ETFs

I am not an expert in the economy, but I am good with my money, and have worked hard to have a good career in an unrelated field. I keep seeing posts about economic and societal collapse and that the banks then will collapse.

So my question is-how likely is this to happen? Places where I can read/study for myself because I feel like an idiot in this area? And what are people doing with monetary assets? Mine are split in several banks/credit unions, is there a safer place?

Thank you and please be kind, these are unprecedented times and I’m trying to be proactive and stay calm.

I have had a slew of misfortune this week.

My dog was attacked by a pitbull, and won’t pay, so that was $1,100 off the bat, then we got t boned by a drunk driver, I got concussion and have not been able to work for almost two weeks now…. Earnin, empower,money lion, are not working for me.

I really am just hoping to find a trust worthy loan site I can get at least $120 approved, $200, ideal is better but not any higher. I’m wondering if anyone knows a reliable one that can get me it TODAY. As amidst of emergency.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can provide some info! Reddits always the best

I know most will say it's dumb but you only live once and I want to just once in my lifetime experience having $100,000 cash in my position for like a month.

I know the bank will have to report it to the IRS any withdrawals of cash $10k+ but after that what? I make all my money legit and if they were to do a background check, they will know it took me like 7 years to save up to this point.

I'm specifically looking at rav 4 hybrid.

seems like 2025 new ones are at around $34k.

used ones (2-4 years old) with ~50K miles are around late $20K to $30K.

i really dont have much knowledge in terms of how car depreciates their value over time.

1. new car : seems like there's quite some waiting but refinancing rate is not too bad

2. used car : could get right away but refinancing rate is like above 10%

I do have cash now around $60K but financially we haven't been able and wont be able to save up much monthly since we purchased our home and need to pay mortgage.

but if i do choose to pay cash then i could.

2nd baby about to pop and need an SUV and RAV4 hybrid seems to be a good option.

if you could please give some advice that'd be greatly appreciated. thank you!

I'm in a position to lend money but I want to reduce the chance of ruining friendships or getting burned.

background i invest into etfs/stocks and crypto

Looking for a little advice on the next steps for my life as I’ve been going back and forth a great deal.

I’m 30 going on 31 and am yet to live in a big city (aside from a short stint during college). I’m into art, culture, food, nightlife and currently live in rural New England where I have none of that. I recently got out of a 3 year relationship, and when it comes to dating the type of woman I’m looking for is going to be in the city and not around here. This is something I’ve wanted for years now but never been able to afford as my career hadn’t taken shape, and NYC is the perfect fit for me.

The pros: Massive job market/networking potential, all kinds of dating prospects, all the art, culture and nightlife one can hope for.

The cons: here’s where it gets tricky. I screwed around for about 5 years after college and barely saved any money. I’ve gotten back on track the last few years but only have about $15k in the bank on top of about $45k in my 401k. That’s it for savings, but no debt to my name. I’m making $130k in tech fully remote right now with potential for more as my company is growing fast.

The rent in NYC is going to be about $3k a month, which just squeezes me into the 40x income rule. That being said, I likely will be saving very little, likely $500-1000 a month (outside of my 401k contributions) if I’m lucky.

I’m in a real predicament- on one hand I feel like I’m getting too old to even get the most out of NYC, and I’ll put myself in an even deeper hole financially. On the other hand, if I don’t do this I have a feeling I’ll regret it forever and always wish I tried. Any advice from others around this age who made a big (and risky) life change?

Poll was for your #1 Unhealthy Money Habit. 66 Responses

Impulsive Spending: 20

Comparing Yourself to Others: 14

Avoiding Financial Reality: 12

Money as Measure of Self Worth: 9

Emotional Spending: 9

Over-reliance on Credit: 2

Helpful Video on Habits: Money and You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihz9RVJRVKc&t=4s

I feel so bad. I bought some VOO last Friday and after hearing Trump threaten to double tariffs, idk if selling and coming back after Trump's term is the right thing to do? Scared about how stocks will open this Monday..

I feel like I should be way further ahead by now, but every time I try to get serious about money, I end up right back where I started. Finally sat down and took stock of everything, and it’s a mess:

• 401k: $12k
• Bank accounts: $1.6k
• Credit card debt: -$7k

I make $80k in IT, yet somehow, I’m still living paycheck to paycheck. No savings, no emergency fund, no plan - just going month to month, hoping things will magically improve.

I’ve identified my biggest problems:

• Rent is crushing me ($1,800 for a one-bedroom - probably the biggest reason I’m stuck - but i still have 8 months left on my lease)
• Spending feels out of control (eating out too much, random impulse buys, stuff I don’t even remember ordering)
• I have no system (savings barely exist, and debt just lingers)

I know something has to change, but I have no clue what the smartest first move is. Do I:

• Turn the apartment into a flex and find a roommate to lower rent?
• Take out money from my 401k to pay off debts?
• Try to find a higher paying job? 
• Do all of the above?

Would love to hear from anyone who was in a similar spot and figured it out. What actually helped you turn things around?

https://preview.redd.it/d3fvv7s5xrge1.png?width=1712&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5dfbc2de1156d2b23fa3d204b1595ef76a5369f

I'm a 26 year old part time worker and student and non of my friends or family are preparing for an economic crash or something of the sort. What can I do, as a small urban person, to prepare so I'm not caught with my pants down so to speak.

i’m guessing this question is asked a lot, but i’d rather ask it myself than search for things.

i really want to be rich when i’m older. i’m 16 now and very happy, but i’ve been told for so long that life sucks as an adult unless you’re rich. i’ve been trying to prep as best i can - i have a job, and have a couple thousand saved up. a little over 2000 in a cd, a little over 400 in a roth, etc. basically all of the little money things i can do now, along with working my ass off.

my question is, how do i actually get rich? what should my plan be from here? go to college, get a degree? invest in certain stocks? start a business? what’s the roadmap towards real success (if there is one)? what steps should i take now and in the future? sorry again if this is too frequently asked

Would it be a bad idea? I would get charged 8.5% which is way lower than credit card rates. I would probably take $10k. Good? Bad?

Question?

Long story short, I was disability discriminated from the job I applied for and I found a lawyer who will work on my case. There is a high chance I’ll get 6 figure settlement and I’m so nervous about that. I grew up poor and had ok jobs in almost all my 20s (28 now). I am scared that I will either blow the money away like my friend did (he received $250k from motorcycle accident and blew all his money in a year). What can I do to make the money grow so I won’t ever be broke.

I enjoy my position so far, started at the beginning of 2025, and aim to improve at it by taking on more responsibility, and getting a broader scope of experience with diverse projects- however I am a salaried employee.

I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, I will have a good amount left over every month after essential expenses for saving and spending. Less so with the retirement contributions.

It would feel nice to earn a few hundred more dollars a month so I have a tad more discretionary income. I’ve already budgeted so I’m saving 35% of my gross pay but that doesn’t leave me with an ample amount for fun spending for -hobby classes, take out, clothes shopping, going to venues etc.

Anyone here have a base salaried job and increasing their income outside their regular work?

My husband and I (both 28) own a home in the Colorado mountains. We have a young toddler and an infant and decided to move home to az so that we’re closer to family. We are debating on whether to sell the house and only make a little bit of money or rent the house out. We would be profiting about $459 a month renting it out. I lost my job and we have basically depleted our savings and have (don’t judge, I don’t want to hear it) $20,000 in credit card debt. I lost my six figure job and we’re making adjustments and figuring it out. Question is, should we sell the house and pay off the debts or rent it out and in the long run profit. We moved all our debt to a 0% balance transfer card. Once we move we will be able to afford about $1,500 toward debt and $1000 towards savings. It sounds nice to sell the house and pay off most cc debt and have a little cushion in savings but I really feel like we should keep the house and rent it out so in the long run we will make more money. Any advice is welcome..

For some background info I am in my early twenties and just moved out and live on my own. I am a full time student and work part time. There's a lot of things I would like for my apartment but want to keep enough in my checking account to pay the main bills. Would it be stupid to use my credit card for things like a nicer TV and other stuff, knowing that I will be making good money in a few months as I have a decent paying job lined up when I graduate?

EDIT: thank you all for talking me out of a stupid mistake 🙏 id rather have no debt and be more comfortable financially than accumulating debt through buying things I don’t actually need

Alright, since I’m seeing so many posts about people dumping on crypto, how many of you know what tokenization is?

Now I now all of you on a money forum don’t like to bet more than you’re willing to lose and have, do your research on your investments.

So, research and report back.

Imagine it's 2009. Bitcoin has just been launched, and Satoshi Nakamoto, its creator, offers you 10,000 tokens in exchange for your car. Naturally, you want to assess whether these tokens are worth your car, so you ask:

"What can they do?"

Nakamoto explains: "They're digital items, intangible. They can't do what tangible items can."

You counter: "Sure, but we already have digital items like audio, movies, and books. Software is digital too. And these items do things, like providing music, visual experiences, conveying stories or knowledge, or performing tasks like text editing."

Nakamoto replies: "My coins don’t do any of that, but they can be used as currency. They can be traded for goods and services and facilitate transactions."

You respond: "I understand that. This is what we are trying to do right now - trade them. But first, I need to know if that trade is good for me. I need to know their use beyond trade."

Nakamoto adds: "They can store value."

You're still not convinced. "But that’s circular logic. It assumes that if I trade them now, I’ll be able to sell them for the equivalent value of my car. That tells me nothing about the worth of your coins."

Nakamoto, now looking nervous, says, "Okay, okay, but these coins are scarce. I won’t issue more than 21 million of them."

You push back: "Again, circular reasoning. It assumes that people need them and that there aren't enough of them to fulfill people's needs. But why would people need them in the first place? That’s what I’m asking. What needs do your tokens fulfill that other digital items cannot?"

Nakamoto grows anxious: "Did you know that 97% of dollars today exist only as digital entries, just like my coins? Yet, you accept dollars every day without asking these questions."

You reply: "Yes, but I know that banks that issue them redeem them. They put dollars into circulation through loans or government bonds, and they withdraw them to redeem that debt, together with the collateral securing it. $10,000 can save my neighbor's car from foreclosure. In this way, I know exactly what $10,000 is worth. Do you issue your tokens as collateralized debt and then withdraw them to redeem that debt?"

Nakamoto shakes his head. "No, I don’t. But my tokens are decentralized and securely stored in distributed databases. If you trade with me now, neither governments nor anyone else can take them from you."

You challenge: "But you're still assuming they have value without showing why. I could store my birthdate securely in a decentralized system, but that doesn’t make it valuable. No. People protect things because they’re valuable in the first place, because they satisfy needs, or are productive like stocks and bonds, or hold crucial information like financial records. So tell me: What makes your tokens valuable in the first place? Why would protecting them be necessary?"

Nakamoto answers: "Because they’re portable, durable, divisible, and fungible."

You respond: "But those are just generic features that apply to many digital items, like virtual goods in games. The value of those goods comes from how they enhance gameplay. In other words, they're valuable because they do something. So, what do your tokens do that makes them valuable?"

Nakamoto shifts uneasily. "They’re digital money, and they’re designed to be used in transactions."

You push harder: "But that’s just the management of tokens. You’re trying to convince me these tokens are worth my car, yet all we’re talking about is moving them around. Tell me about the tokens themselves."

Nakamoto stammers: "But you don’t need any third party to facilitate transactions. It’s the future of money."

You respond, frustration building: "It doesn’t matter how secure or decentralized they are if the tokens themselves do nothing - just like strings of random numbers."

Nakamoto’s face tightens, and he struggles to come up with another point.

You continue: "So you’re just asking me to trade a digital item that does nothing for something of real value, my car. And all you’ve offered are talking points about controlling and managing that illusion. That’s not value. That’s just the mechanics of trying to get something for nothing. Conversation ends.

And yet, the world fell for the illusion. People began pouring real money into digital tokens that had no utility, buying into the hype, not because the tokens had value, but because they blindly believed they did. From an initial price of $0.001 to over $100,000, every price point was just blind speculation, a cascade of belief without function. Nakamoto's white paper, wrapped in technical jargon and revolutionary rhetoric, was just a well-crafted sales pitch. And in the greatest trick ever played, people didn’t just accept it, they convinced themselves that owning digital nothingness made them part of the future.

Bitcoin was only the beginning. The same illusion that made people believe in its value spread to an entire industry - cryptocurrency. Thousands of digital tokens emerged, each promising revolutionary change, yet none offering anything fundamentally different. The conversation never changed; the promises of decentralization, security, and scarcity replaced actual function, and speculative trading replaced real utility.

Altcoins, stablecoins, DeFi projects, and NFTs followed, all wrapped in complex jargon but fundamentally built on the same foundation: belief without substance. Crypto evangelists preached financial freedom while insiders cashed out. Institutions, fearing they were missing the next big thing, fueled the hype. And all the while, the question remained unanswered: What do these tokens actually do?

The answer? Nothing, except exist as objects of speculation, moving from one hand to another in a never-ending game of greater fool theory. Satoshi Nakamoto’s trick wasn’t just convincing people that Bitcoin had value. It was laying the foundation for an entire system where belief alone could create trillion-dollar markets. Crypto didn't just trick the world - it turned illusion into industry.

Crashed my car last week and ended up forking out over $2500 for insurance, tows ext… in the same week my rent was due (another $1450). I officially have $0 in my account. I work full time and have a small income from a side hustle but I am struggling to stay afloat. I don’t live a lavish lifestyle at all (couldn’t tell you the last time I bought something for myself other than food) - need some ideas please!

The item is on sale for $679. Maybe getting it at a milestone, what are some financial milestones people use to justify large purchases? I was thinking of getting it next week cause I get my paycheck next week and I have $195 coming from Venmo. Basically what I’m asking is what’s a good strategy to making a huge purchase or a want item?

For info on me, I’m 22, I live with my parents so I don’t pay any bills or anything. I have a decent paying job.

I'm in my late 50s never owned a home have retirement through a school district where I'm a substitute teacher (career pivot last year). Is this embarrassing?

Which one of these habit is #1 for you? Or which one used to be the #1 for you.

I will let this go for couple days including in other communities and then create tutorial on it for everyone to see. Thanks

View Poll

Not sure exactly where to pay this at. There's no web portal I can find to pay the $300 penalty I owe.