This seemed really interesting to me. Not sure how legit it is. Anyone have experience with them?

Halfmore.co

I work in a job where I am privy to people's healthcare bills, claims and costs. It seems like you need to be a multi-multi-millionaire in order to truly be ready and able to cover your long-term care, hospice and assisted living/nursing home costs if that's how your life ends. Typical nursing homes cost from $9,000 a month to almost $20,000 for quality memory care. Assisted living is $4,000 to over $7,000 a month. In-home support can be anywhere from $20 to $100 an hour. This isn't even counting the medical care costs associated with typical ailments of aging.

What typically happens is that all assets are liquidated (including homes, bank accounts, retirement accounts, investments, cash, etc.) until the person is depleted enough that medicare takes over. In my state, if the person is married, marital assets need to be dwindled down to $150,000 total in order to not bankrupt the spouse completely. Occasionally, family will help pay or provide free care if they are able or willing. Other than that, options are few.

Because I see all these types of bills for families, I've always saved a lot of my money in the future bucket. Recently, my husband was diagnosed with a progressive neurological condition, meaning that some of these costs are for sure in our future.

By my estimate, worst case scenario, we need to have a portfolio of over $4 million in order to generate enough income to cover these costs comfortably, and that likely won't be in the cards. That leaves most older Americans with one of two choices: lose everything to the system, or continue to work and pinch pennies their entire lives in order to afford their end-of-life expenses. Many chose a third option of ignoring their health and staying in their home so long that they become an at-risk adult.

Sometimes I think I should refuse to retire, work as long as possible, and save all my money to be sure my husband will be taken care of fully. Other times, I think we should use some of our money to have fun and make memories while we are still able, knowing the system will eventually take it all anyway. Anyone dealing with this choice now or with their parents/grandparents? What do you do to plan for end-of-life costs?

I look to buying a car and I'm looking for some advice. I don't know if this is the right place

Here's my situation. DINK couple. Almost three years ago, we moved to the type of large city where having a car is very useful but not strictly obligatory. We had two cars, but I sold mine because of what I just said. But then 18 months ago, my husband got his dream job in the suburbs and has to drive out there. So for 5 (and sometimes 6) days out of the week, I have no car available to me. As a result, some combination of walking, Uber, and public transport gets me around, but I'm annoyed and want my own car again. My question is what to get,

I had a Mustang. It was simple 6-cylinder number, fast and fun. I bought that as soon as I got my first real job. Anyway, while I loved that car for its speed, price, and iconic status, I can't do that again. Mustangs are pretty low to the ground and have poor suspension, and while that was ok when I was in my 20s, I can't do that regularly anymore as I approach 40. I want another coupe or a sedan but with decent suspension. I also want something that looks classy because I'm a little status conscious. (My spouse is the complete opposite about looking classy; he heads a small nonprofit and doesn't want to be seen driving a nice car.)

I'm thinking about maybe a used Mercedes, like the E350 or E450. I think people think of the C300 as cheap, so I can't do that one. I've also looked at some used Audis, like the A6 or an older A8. I'd like to spend no more than 60k, and 50k would be even better. I'm gonna need to finance. Any ideas?

Good morning!

I am moving into a rental owned within the family for the last 30 years. The individual on the title of the home says he is fine with check, cash or money order for payment. Is there any system I may not be aware of that I could find some gain, as the title suggests, while also paying my rent?

ETA: paying them directly with a credit card is not an option. This is not a corp landlord situation.

Honestly… it feels really good to post here. My wife and I have been together since we were 16, and we’ve worked hard to get where we are today. I joined the military, transitioned into defense contracting, and we bought a home that will suit our needs for years to come. We’re both in college, im using the GI bill and a 529 plan that my grandfather setup, im giving that to my wife. It finally feels like we’re making real progress, but I don’t feel middle class yet.

We both grew up with nothing, so financial security still feels new to us. I still view myself as a roofer when I was 16 hucking shingles up a ladder. I dont know what im doing, I just follow the basic, seemingly no fail, stuff on investments that everyone says. But I want to make sure we’re on the right track and solidify our footing—what should I do next?

Summary -Household Income: $167K gross (no kids…yet 😉)

Debt: -Credit Cards: $0

-Mortgage: $2,500/month @ 6.5% APR

-Car Payment: $530/month @ 6.2% APR

Investments & Savings:

-Maxed IRAs (2024, 2025) & 5% matched 401(k)

-$40K in investments (varied risk levels)

-$15K emergency fund

I want to build real wealth, not just stability. Should I prioritize investing or growing cash reserves? I plan, if it make sense to refinance the mortgage if rates drop. Are there any blind spots I should be thinking about? Thanks in advance!

My company says that they match 100% of 7% for my 401k. I’m an hourly employee that works shift work. I make $38 an hour so roughly $80,000 a year (worked holidays varies plus additional OT / haven’t seen a definite salary). I put in 30% of my check pre tax, and it shows my employer put in $245 and $184 for my match (they do 4% base match and then I get 3% match for years of service). But even based on all this, at $80,000 my match should be $215. How did I get $429 from employer match into my 401k?

We bought a car, back in May of 2021. Car was worth $21k, finance through dealership, 6 years of payment. We put $6k down payment and we have been paying $400 per month. We have been paying for 44 months now. Currently it’s January of 2025 and I checked credit karma and it says we owe around $8k. Help me make sense of that.

Edit: 7% interest rate

Edit 2: We found the papers and also managed to open the account for the financing and it only opens up to year 2023, will contact them tomorrow. Found out that the loan amount is $21k and I can’t find in the paper that we put a downpayment of $6k. Vehicle purchase price is $20,349, there’s this coverage information $3,640, on the collateral information MSRP $23,575. Can you please help me make sense of this?

Thank you guys. Just thinking of paying it all off, maybe we will have some money back 🤔

I've been contemplating to myself about just how much more expensive cars have gotten recently. I have a 10-year-old car that I get 40 to 50 miles per gallon highway, it's non-hybrid, seats five, and has a hatchback. Doing a full engine and drivetrain rebuild, would cost less than buying a new one.

Finding a small but roomy car is almost impossible brand new for under 20,000. Even then it's dicey as shit. Used cars have gone through the roof as well.

Thinking about putting my car in for a rebuild in 5-10 years instead of getting a newer/almost new one. The space plus gas mileage combo is virtually unbeatable. Especially since in that scenario I know exact condition of every piece inside the car.

The car is a Ford Focus. I've been quoted on prices for rebuilding the engine ranging from $3,500 to $6,000. The transmission would be anywhere from $2000 to $4,000 more.

I'm not saying this is cheap, I'm simply looking at how expensive current cars have become and I'm wondering if this would be a better investment. I put 100,000 mi on this car and I haven't had a single major breakdown. I still do all the regular maintenance, change hoses about every 50,000 miles, I changed my oil on time, fluids, tires ECT.

Even if I tag on an extra $3,000-$4000 of parts and work to repair other things like water pump, fuel pump and suspension. My worst case scenario still appears under $15000.

Top it off with a piece of mind that I know the current condition of everything in the car. Has anyone else out there considered this or have any thoughts?

Asking for a dear friend: 40M, married with kids, wife has solid office job. no degree, working in the restaurant industry for 20 years now. about 80 completed college credits, some of which would be transferrable.

Income: he makes about $80k taxable income but no benefits or PTO.

Is it worth going back to school and finish a bachelors degree in business at this point in life? Degree would cost about $35k and take 6 years to complete. Unsure if this monetary, mental and time investment is worth the additional opportunities this late in life. Please share any thoughts or relevant experiences!

Im 35 And Live in Los Angeles And My Parents Moved Out And Left Me and My family the House. My Mom Is Helping With My Aging Grandparents Who Will Leave Her Their House And My Dad Moved To Texas. I Work in A WareHouse that doesn't pay to well but my dad doesn't make me pay rent just as long as the utilities are paid. I Always Think About How Hard It Is To Make Enough Money To Afford The Things That Were Given To Us Even Tho My Family is Far From Rich. I Honestly don't think I Would Be Able to Make It in This Society if It Wasn't For My Parents Helping.

Ok so please read all of this. I know using the home to pay debt is generally bad, but the spending IS 100% under control. Here's the story.

Home is 50% paid off. $200k in equity. Had some spending and medial issues that caused some credit card debt. There's about 20k. The bill is being paid every month. We are living tight, I promise. I pay MORE than the minimum. My calculation puts the payoff at 67 months without increasing what I pay. Interest rate is 19.99%.

I want to get the home equity loan, which will be about 7%, and pay off the credit card. I will pay the SAME amount towards the loan and should have THAT paid off in 46 months. My calculations show I would save over 10k in interest.

Is there any reason to NOT do this from a numbers stand point? Please assume that future debt is not going to be an issue. We're all back to work and no track and as I said, were living tight.

Thank you.

Ok, here is my conundrum.

I currently have salary of $135k + commission which is around $50-$80k annually.. So, this year I'm on target to earn $215k and I work fully remote but I do have to travel 10 times a year on weeklong trips. Other perks - 4 weeks vacation, 5 personal days

I have an opportunity for a public sector job where the pay would be roughly $150k (its range is up to $160k but you know they never give you the maximum right off the bat).. Perks: 5 weeks' vacation, 15 wellness days.. And a Defined Benefits pension plan.. I can work remote sometimes but would likely have to commute downtown (1 hour) pretty regularly for events and such.

I don't know what to do.. $65k pay cut is pretty hard pill to swallow.. Plus I'll never get those crazy good checks when commission drops again.. But then DB plan sounds wildly good.. I'm 36 for context.

I'm interested in an outsider's POV on this? And, for what it's worth - I recognize how fortunate of a problem I have. I was raised by a single mom on welfare so my current privilege is not lost on me!

My main goal this year is to pay off my car loan. 21k 5.94% $411/ month.

*I'm aware I could get more % in the market but I'm wanting to be consumer debt free and have that extra $411/month for peace of mind.

What are some of your financial goals this year?

I am 35 years old. Male. No kids or spouse. Have about 115k in savings, no mortgage, rent is 1400/month. Make about 92k/year. Car is paid off and I am considering moving in with my parents and taking a 75k/year job in a different field as a way to change my career and work through depression and an ongoing eating disorder by having better support around me (family). Thoughts on moving (financially and mentally). I am in therapy and the consensus is that this could be a good move to reset and start working on my self.

I'm a 44yo single mom, who spent most of my life pretty poor until I finally started a career pretty late in the game about 6 years ago. I make decent-ish money. But have never invested and don't know where or if to start. Currently I have the following:

• I have a little that goes every paycheck into a HYSA.
• I've got money building in my 401k.
• I've got some student and personal loans totaling about $11k
• I've got $275k left on a mortgage at 4.5%
• $0 credit card debt.

I feel like it would be a good idea to take some money from my next tax return and start investing, but I have no idea how or where to start doing that. How much money would I need to start? Does investing even make sense for me? Or should I pay off my student and personal loans first? Any advice for an investing newbie would be greatly appreciated!

Just out of curiosity, is anyone buying a home with rates at 6.5% plus? And if so, is it because you have a huge down payment or other equity? Or are you going smaller on the house, or just paying a huge note? I see late 20s buying homes, but going way out to nowhere to get a starter home. Still seems like a ridiculous note.

Hi everyone, I need some advice from those who have more wisdom. I am not engaged yet but hoping to be within the next year. Followed by another year of wedding planning. I am a teacher and make a low income- take home 49k. About half of my monthly income is taken by rent. I am thinking once my lease is up this September to move back in with parents. I also have 36k student loans and 16k car payment. My parents have a lot of their own problems and dealt with past abuse. I am trying to decide the best scenario without driving myself too crazy. My parents would happily accept me back into their home, without questions or anything expected. I could save a lot of money in just one year. I would like to pay off my car and some student loans

Thoughts?

Hi! 25f now engaged to a 25m. We don’t plan on combining finances fully, basically just a joint checking for bills and a joint savings for vacations.

A few questions:

1. I want to open a high yield savings account to put my current personal savings in, as I just hit my goal! What is the best one? Looking for a high rate of course, but also FDIC approved and a bank with a good longstanding history and a good reputation.

2. What other accounts should I/we have?

3. I have a traditional IRA with Vanguard. I’ve heard better things about ROTH. Is there a way to switch/is it even possible/should I do it?

4. Literally what else should I be doing? I make decent money and contribute 5% towards my 401k. But that’s about it.

Thank you for all suggestions! Both of our families are not financially responsible so we are trying to… not do that… haha thanks!

It doesn't matter if it is something generic like "just don't spend so much money" or a weirdly specific tip you never heard anywhere else. I want to know more about it.

Who shared it without? Do you share it with other people now?

Ive noticed a lot of people asking about things they should do in their 30’s and 40’s on here, so now it got me curious about what i should do at my age.

Im 25, going into year 3 of my small trade business, i made 55k last year. I have had a traditional IRA for 3 years got 5k in that, just started a Roth got 2k in there. About 8k in business acct and 3k in personal.

As far as my main expenses go, advertising and website costs come to about $1200 a month, Insurance $2300 annually, vehicle is paid off, im renting a home by myself for $1100 a month.

I have very little financial knowledge (why im on this thread) and have gotten to where i am financially from family helping me along the way but feel like i should be doing more or at least learn so i can understand what it is im doing.

I recently secured my first apartment, and I want to make sure I can financially sustain independence for the rest of my life going forward. Right now my rent is $1,085 + gas and electricity (Enbridge and First Energy). Wifi is $40 per month, my car is $370, my insurance is $200, and my phone bill is $100. Right now I net about $2,800 monthly after taxes as my salary as leasing agent, and I also get commissions but I try not to account for that as it is “extra money” (savings). My monthly bills total $1,795 per month and that does not account for food and other necessities. What I want to know is, how can I come up with the best budget plan? I always want to be one month ahead on rent, and have 3 months of bills set aside in the event I experience any setbacks with my employment (been with the same company for two years). Right now, I am completely broke after paying my deposit, first months rent, and purchasing a lot of furniture.

What are the least costly kids hobbies and activities? Preferably some that appeal to both boys and girls so I don't have to shuttle 1 kid somewhere and the other kid elsewhere. And activities that teach life skills - hard work, teamwork, entrepreneurship, leadership, etc.

I'm thinking: Swimming (have to learn to swim), maybe soccer (for the exercise, team building), karate or tae kwon do (my kids are tiny so they need to learn to defend themselves), and either piano or violin. My husband wants to add chess club, and grandparents want the girl to do dancing and also Chinese school for both.

I used to dream that my kids would do figure skating, but that's incredibly costly.

I’m considering moving to from the South to the Denver,CO area for a promotion. Any increase in pay is going to be eaten up by cost of living (may even be a negative increase in pay). Has anyone ever made this move?

Financials: Married, age 40. 401k:650k Roth: 110k Debt: zero, besides home Savings: $125k

Hey everyone,

I know the saying "comparison is the thief of joy," but I'm curious to hear what you would do in my situation. I'm approaching 31 years old this July and have been with my girlfriend for 5 years. While I don't plan on proposing until the end of next year, we're currently renting and I’d rather wait to purchase a home until we are engaged or married.

Here’s a breakdown of my current assets:

• No Savings Account (just used my $5K to pay down debts)
• Traditional 401K: $91,500
• Roth IRA (After Tax): $35,600
• Brokerage account #1 (index funds): $29,100
• Brokerage account #2 (stocks, dividends): $33,900
• Coinbase: $0 but I plan to invest $500 a month into BTC & ETH
• $5000 in credit debt

Right now, I have roughly $2,500 to $3,000 a month to save and invest. How would you allocate that money? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks in advance!