I'm looking for some advice because I've never sold a house before, and I'm not particularly knowledgeable about real estate.

My husband and I are planning to sell our home. We haven't officially listed it, don't have a realtor, and haven't had an appraisal done yet. However, someone has expressed interest in buying it and recently asked how much we want for it.

Online estimates put the house somewhere around $200,000, but I know those aren't always accurate, especially when repairs are involved.

**Here's where I need advice.**

The potential buyer asked what we want for the house, and I'm unsure how to respond.

Should I tell them we're thinking around $200,000? Should I ask what they're willing to offer first? Or would it be smarter to pay for an independent appraisal before discussing numbers?

I'm also wondering whether selling directly to someone without a realtor is a good idea. I know we'd still need a real estate attorney to handle the paperwork and closing, but I'm concerned about accidentally undervaluing the house or making a costly mistake.

We're trying to make the best financial decision possible, and I don't want to rush into accepting an offer simply because someone approached us.

We are already moved out, so we are eager to sell.

I have 18k in savings and about 5k in my bank account

I have no debt/recurring payments outside of a few small things

Id be more than comfortable with a car payment however I dont really want to go over 500 a month just so I can continue contributing to savings

Im between financing a new Toyota Camry Hybrid for around 35k with a downpayment of 15k-ish

Or

Buying a used Toyota Hybrid with my savings

I plan to drain my savings anyway, but I dont know if I want to save some and get a loan for a new car that would hopefully last at least 20 years, or buy a car with some risk of it not running as long and stay debt free

Any advice is welcome advice, thank you all :]

EDIT 10/16/2026 2PM**: Thanks for all the advice! I was really anxious but glad to know that I can get myself back on track. I ended up receiving the $600 so I will be keeping my car and focusing on building my income to avoid mishaps in the future during job gaps. Some things I added in the comments: $70k/yr income and new job covers car [half]repairs/gas/maintence.

I'm 25 in the NE US, no family/outside support, and living alone with my dog. I was unemployed for some time and couldn't afford rent + car payments, so I got behind on the car, paying intermittently when I could.

The bank is requesting $2.6k to get my car back. I've been able to come up with $2k but might not be able to make the last bit. As I do not have a car, making money is a bit difficult currently. I have terrible credit [supported myself through undergrad and grad with cc's and student loans] and can't do same day loans etc. I'm waiting on $600 from someone but it isn't guaranteed and I would like to make sure I am covered. I need to pay for my current car or surrender it in 3 days. I just recently paid for the alternator/brakes in my car.

Seperately, I have just general bills/life that is due. The $2k I have is all the money I will have for the next 3 weeks as I am starting a new job and pay delays.

Without the car, I won't have to pay the insurance or monthly payments. My car is my biggest bill, I am paying $600 car note and $400 car insurance. I would be able to use the $2k to get things I need and catch up on other small debts/bills.

However, I need a car for my new job. I'll need a car in about a week from now. I can "afford" my car payments with my new job but it's cutting too deep into my budget to be sustainable and I don't want to struggle again if things change.

I'm thinking, maybe I could just surrender my car and get a cash car.

My biggest concern is I drive a lot for work. My second concern is the debt [car owed 19k but only valued at 12k right now]. My third concern is I have never bought a cash car, know not much about cars, and I don't have anyone I can really call except a mechanic. My fourth is, I love my car, I would keep it if the monthly payments plus insurance weren't higher than my rent combined. Fifth is, what would even happen after?

I'm unsure of what to do. I'm normally able to keep myself afloat but with the alternator and brakes going out I have spent a ton of money and I am just getting back on my feet. I feel like the stress is not allowing me to think clearly.

I need a path that'll keep me in a/any car, catch me up on my smaller debts/bills [about $50-500 and there's like 4 creditors], and just bring me back to a stable footing. My car has caused so many issues but in general everything else is well, my rent is paid, I have groceries, etc. I don't want to feel hopeless just because I am losing a car I love dearly. I feel like I am just missing the knowledge to figure this out and need to figure out a car situation before I need to drive for my new job.

What should I do?

I’m 27 years old and I keep seeing people younger or my age with a lot more money saved up for retirement.

Right now I have 37k saved up

Roth - $12,700 invested in VOO
401k - $20,800 invested in fxaix
Roth 401k - $900 invested in fxaix
Crypto - $1600 (bitcoin, xrp, eth, ect.)

I invest about $500 a month into my 401k and Roth and make 60k a year with an annual 10% performance bonus. Should I be contributing more?

I’m 35, married, and have a baby. My partner cannot work because of a disability, so I’m responsible for supporting our household.
I work and make approximately $100,000 a year. My take-home pay is about $2,900 every two weeks, or $5,800 in a normal two-paycheck month.
I know that salary sounds decent, but here are my monthly expenses before groceries and several other necessities:
Mortgage: $2,715
Car payment: $564
Auto insurance: approximately $405
Phone: $241
Electricity: $237
Natural gas: approximately $88
Water: approximately $43
Internet: approximately $95
Private student loan: $85
IRS payment plan: $75
Credit card minimum: approximately $57, depending on the statement
That’s roughly $4,605 a month before groceries, gas for the car, baby supplies, healthcare, federal student loan payments, and other expenses. Some utilities vary.
My debts, excluding the mortgage and car balance, are approximately:
Credit card: $5,750
IRS: $3,038 after a $400 payment I just made
Private student loan: $2,712 at 7.12%
Federal student loans: $16,814 at approximately 2.75%–4.53%
That’s about $28,300, with the IRS and credit card being the debts I most urgently want gone. My credit card is currently at 0%, but that promotion ends January 27, 2027. The regular purchase APR listed is 21.49% variable.
I’ve tried working second jobs to get ahead, but the lack of sleep and exhaustion catch up with me. My mental health declines, my performance suffers, and I end up losing those jobs. I’ve also been applying and interviewing for higher-paying primary jobs. I’ve had interviews that felt promising, but I still haven’t been selected. I’m trying to improve my situation, but nothing has worked out yet.
After being fired from a previous second job, I cashed out that job’s 401(k). The gross withdrawal was $3,988.35, they withheld $797.67 in federal taxes, and I received $3,190.68. Nothing was withheld for state taxes. I now understand that withholding may not cover the full income tax and potential 10% early-withdrawal tax. I’m provisionally planning to reserve another $700, though the actual amount depends on my tax return.
I have a separate retirement account and have considered withdrawing from it to clear the IRS and credit card. I have about 17k in that account. I want the relief, but I’m worried about creating another tax bill.
I’m exhausted and feel trapped. I can see that dining out and subscriptions need to come down, and I’m willing to make changes. But working myself into the ground with another job hasn’t been sustainable.
Given these numbers, what would you prioritize? Would using retirement money make this worse, and what realistic options am I overlooking?

Hi everyone, my fiancée and I rented a car from enterprise as we do often for travel in August. Unfortunately we were hit by someone on the highway and they sped off in Detroit, and after filing the report police said cameras aren’t running on the highway to catch anything (go figure). There was back bumper damage and visual denting but otherwise the car drove perfectly fine home. We immediately informed enterprise.

Now in October we just received an itemized bill for $9000. I’m absolutely floored!! We unfortunately do not have collision or anything to cover it, and we did not have their damage protection coverage (I know, hard lesson learned and we were stupid).

What do we even do to go about this? We did not use a major credit card and I know insurance isn’t covering much. I have a very hard time believing $6000 worth of damages happened plus over $2000 in loss of use fees (they claimed 28 days of work on the car).

Any advice would be helpful!!

Hey all

I’ve got an opportunity to move without paying rent, but there’s a catch.
I’ll have to renovate the apartment . Of course it can vary widely, but for pretty good estimate let’s say it’s roughly one year of what renting paying now. And then I can leave at this place rent free ( I have to keep paying utilities of course)

It’s quite a hassle to renovate, plus it’s a city that I don’t like as much but the area is good. And it’s 1 to 1 1/2 hours commute.

My question is, is it worth it?

After 5Y it’s a lot of money saved, towards buying my own place but it’s a long time..

I’ve already opened a 529 account for his college, but now I want to open a regular savings account for him to save money for general things in the future.
I’d prefer an account that’s actually in his name, rather than just opening another account under my name. What banks do you recommend? Thank you

I work 2 part time jobs and my husband works outdoor construction full time. We have always struggled to stick with a budget that will work since both of us bring in different amounts each week. Mine is a little more consistent (+/- $100) each week but his, the largest part of our income, can vary by +/- $1,000 per week. Also, our expenses can vary greatly depending on where his job site is located. He can pay anywhere from $60-$250 a week just in gas to get to and from work. His employer only pays fuel reimbursement if the job is more than 70 miles from home. Since it's outside the weather also plays a role. We may get 3 days of rain and that's 3 days of no work. Altogether we do make enough to live comfortably if we were able to budget and save for the bad weeks. I get the concept of dividing the yearly income by 52 and that's what we use but we're really struggling to get started without a lump sum to work off of. I'll use the past 3 weeks as an example with the actual numbers just made up but based on a division of 52 weeks:

Week 1: average week pay $1700, money to be held for bills $1200

Week 2: very low week pay $400, money to be held for bills $1200

Week 3: slightly low week $1300, money to be held for bills $1200

How it all ends up working out is then we'll have a few great weeks of $2200-$2600 a few times a year and it's all balancing but we need to have a more consistent savings, which we know we can but getting a budget off the ground has been so difficult. I wouldn't say we're great with money but not horrible. I know one problem we encounter is making a "guess" on what we need to put away each pay for things like fuel, groceries and things that are such drastic differences each week. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!!!

Hi, I’m 21 years old and I have $8,000 worth of credit card debt…I know it’s stupid but I needed to use it because I got kicked out at 18 and had to do something. I’m just asking for some advice. I have an apartment it’s not the best apartment, it has mold but I got what I could and I’m glad I did. I have accumulated so much debt with the credit card company but the minimum payments were too much and I fell behind and now it’s impossible to catch up, I don’t know what to do anymore. I have tried to get a debt consolidation loan but my credit isn’t good and I don’t have enough credit history so no one will go for it. I just need to know if there is anything I can do to maybe get this debt off my back in the next year. I work full time in childcare so yes, I have a job but my paycheck only covers enough for bills and no, I do not have any subscriptions I can cancel I only have what’s necessary…rent, car payment, car insurance, electricity, gas, and groceries. And even then, I am barely making it. I’m not asking for financial help, I’m asking for advice. So if you have any please I’m desperate.
Thank you in advance:)

I make 3 to 4000 a month I pay about 1000 to 1300 and bills a month i’m just wondering is there anything I I can do to maybe get me a little ahead financial wise I save about $1500 in my bank account a month just wondering should I be investing that money into something? kind of lost need a little help and advice.?

Should i go 50/50 between Traditional and Roth IRAs or all in on one? My goal is to open an IRA account by the end of this year. Note this is for IRA not 401k

• 37, Florida, have stable emergency fund and no debt
• I work at a university with a TIAA 403b but they don't match or contribute to it at all
• They do contribute the state mandated rate for my FRS pension
• They also contribute $500/yr to my HSA for having hdhp. I max my contribution to HSA via payroll
• Plan to retire at age, possibly even longer :(

Reasons for me to get Traditional

• I am in a lower tax bracket (12%) and don't expect to be a high earner even in the future
• Eligible for the 10% Saver's credit if I put a few thousand into Traditional along with my max HSA contributions. If I go full Traditional IRA+403b, I can possibly reach the 20/50% credit. Though it looks like this is being phased out 2027 and instead a saver's match.
• I'll probably retire to a state with lower income tax.- Florida no income tax

Reasons for me to get Roth

• I am in a very low tax bracket 12%
• I expect to have taxable retirement income- social security and frs pension
• I can max my yearly HSA and IRA contributions and still save additional money for retirement either in a 403b or a fully-taxed account.
• I currently work in a state with low income tax- Florida no income tax

Buying a car from a friend for $45k, private sale. I have the cash just sitting in a HYSA earning 4%, was planning to just pay cash and be done with it.

But then I saw my local credit union is offering 3.99% APR on auto loans with no prepayment penalty. So now I'm thinking: finance like $30k of it, leave the cash in the HYSA, and pay the loan off in a year or so.

Quick math says I'd pay maybe $600ish in interest over that year while the HYSA earns more than that on the $30k, so I'd technically come out ahead? And I keep the liquidity in the meantime.

Am I missing something or is financing actually the smarter move when your loan rate is below your HYSA rate? Feels wrong to take out a loan I don't need but the numbers say do it. Could you please advice?

I requested one home insurance quote online and got 40+ calls and texts in three days. How do you shop around without this happening?

Renewal came in up almost 50% with no claims, so I did what everyone says and shopped around. Filled out one of those compare-rates forms on a Tuesday night. By Friday I had 43 calls, a dozen texts, and emails from agencies in states I don't live in. Had to block numbers for a week. Now I'm scared to request another quote anywhere.

For people who've shopped recently: how did you get multiple quotes without ending up on every call list in the country? Did you go through an independent agent, call carriers one at a time, use a Google Voice number? Is it like a legal thing that if a site does this they have to disclose it? How would I know? And if they say they DONT do it like I found this one site honeyquote, can they lie about that? I feel like that would be illegal no?

And did shopping actually save you real money, or did everyone land in the same range?

I’ve pretty much always contributed to Roth. Anything I have in traditional would be just my employer’s match contributions, which if I understand correctly goes in as traditional even if my 401K contributions are Roth. I was thinking about putting some in traditional but want to see if I am correct in how I think this would work in retirement:

I believe you can make up to a certain amount and still owe $0 in income tax ($34K for married over 65 currently). So during retirement could I withdraw up to that much from traditional, and then get the rest of my living expenses from Roth, and still owe $0 tax? In other words, by combining the contribution types, can I get some tax advantages now by contributing to traditional, while not having to make up for it later when I withdraw from the traditional?

Or am I wrong on some point? Will I owe tax on the traditional disbursement even if I keep that amount low per year? Will my social security income mess with that and cause me to go over that tax-free income limit anyway?

Is this true ?

I'm 25 years old and trying to decide whether to sell an inherited property or keep it and rent it out. I'd appreciate hearing people's opinions, especially from those with experience in investing and wealth management.

My current financial situation

• Net salary: around €750–850/month.
• Meal allowance: €150/month.
• Monthly expenses: around €850, including food, household bills, fuel, car expenses, cats, and personal expenses. This is an estimate that includes some allowance for irregular expenses.
• Current housing: I own my home outright, with no mortgage.
• Current savings: around €1,500.
• Potential rental income from the property: around €1,100/month, before taxes and expenses.
• Estimated net proceeds from a potential sale: approximately €250,000.

I would continue working in either scenario. I have no intention of quitting my job or reducing my working hours.

Option A — Sell the property

I would sell the property and end up with approximately €250,000 in net proceeds.

The idea would be to divide the capital into three components:

• €20,000 in an emergency fund and readily accessible cash;
• €150,000 in conservative financial instruments, prioritising financial security and protection against unexpected expenses;
• €80,000 in a diversified long-term investment portfolio, accepting the possibility of significant temporary losses.

I would continue working and living in my current home. The goal would be to use my salary to cover my usual expenses and let my assets act as a safety net, rather than relying on them to fund my lifestyle.

Pros: Liquidity, peace of mind, fewer responsibilities, and greater flexibility to return to studying and potentially change careers.

Cons: Giving up a property that could appreciate in value and generate income for many years; the risk of making poor investment decisions, losing purchasing power to inflation, or gradually depleting my savings.

Option B — Keep the property and rent it out

I would try to rent out the property for around €1,100/month, or €13,200/year.

Using a rough estimate for a residential rental contract subject to Portugal's 25% flat IRS tax rate, the figures would look like this:

• Gross rental income: €1,100/month;
• IRS tax, assuming for simplicity that it applies to the entire rental income: −€275/month;
• Condominium fees, property tax (IMI), maintenance, and a reserve for vacant periods and repairs: additional variable costs.

After taxes and these expenses, I estimate that I could be left with approximately €600–750/month. I don't consider this a definitive tax calculation.

The main issue for me is the distance: the property is far from where I currently live. Managing tenants, travelling to deal with problems, overseeing repairs, and handling unexpected situations could become exhausting. Trips can cost between €80 and €150 each, depending on the circumstances.

I'm not particularly interested in spending decades managing a second property from a distance. Still, I recognise that keeping it would allow me to benefit from potential appreciation and additional rental income.

Pros: Retaining my real estate assets, earning rental income, and continuing to benefit from potential future appreciation.

Cons: Uncertain net income, unpredictable expenses and repairs, the risk of periods without tenants, and, above all, the mental and logistical burden of managing a property from a distance.

My main goal

My goal isn't to stop working, but to enjoy a comfortable life without living paycheck to paycheck or relying on credit to maintain a normal standard of living. I'd like to return to studying, change careers, and have time to develop personal projects.

Liquidity is becoming increasingly appealing to me, but I'm worried I might be underestimating the long-term value of holding onto a real estate asset.

I'd particularly appreciate hearing arguments against selling, as well as perspectives I may not have considered yet.

Thank you!

Well my nephews GF got an "interview" today and o thought it was for a job. My wife took her and then after the "interview" I talked to wife and ask how did her interview go? She said it wasn't really a interview red flag one. The im like ok what was it. She said it was primerica (red flag 2) she got the job and its just going over what they do im like i already know what they do. Im like the re recruiter makes money off her she like yea he he already told us how it works real transparent. She going to be selling life insurance and car insurance and stuff im like oh so screwing other people over. Im like its scammy she try to say its like what I do because I buy sweeps accounts off people. Im like no I don't charge people I simply buy account if they wanna sell. Then she like she paid 150 (money my nephew couldn't even afford to spend) for some training shit im like wow. Im like what ever idc thats her business good luck to her. Oh I guess he tried to recruit my wife she like oh im going to be traveling alot for my husband's work. He then said oh its alot online so it will be good. I told her you better have declined the fuck i aint paying for that shit.

Hello, I'm saving for house to purchase hopefully in 4-6 years. Currently I have my money in a HYSA sitting around 3.9%. I'm wondering what the general consensus for saving would be?

My amateur thoughts:

• eroding value of US dollar makes me think my HYSA wont keep up and I will lose money over my planned time frame
• potential AI bubble bursting over my time frame makes me a little nervous about something like S&P500 (I do think AI will pay off long term but could pop and make big losers short term)

Curious what other options are out there? I'm seeking reddit's expert guidance and wisdom as I'm really super knowledgable with this kind of stuff, just want to provide for my family best I can. Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone, my boyfriend and I are planning on renting an apartment/townhome by March of 2027. However, I don’t know if we should just get a house instead. The reason why I say this is because I’m currently saving money and by that time, I might have 15k saved up or possibly more. I have also heard some people say that the housing market will eventually crash next year and to just wait to get a house. We just want to move out as soon as we can since we have been together for a while now and we are in our mid twenties.

Hello all, I’m just reaching out regarding my personal financial position and see if anyone has any good nuggets of information and advice that I might use in the future, I’m 22M in my last year of college with a part time job that is seasonal, but will turn into full time after graduation. I don’t pay for college or gas. I have about 1k of CC debit and 18k in a Sofi HYSA. Do I split up and start investing or stocks? What do yall think?

Hi there, I'm so dumb and I submitted my taxes yesterday for 2025 but they pulled from an account I had insufficient funds for. (I had thought they were going to pull from my personal checking acct but they pulled from my business checking acct.) Can someone let me know if the IRS will pull it again or will I need to submit it myself?

Edit: Thank you all so much, will repay via their website! Ugh, what a penalty for a dumb mistake.

Submitted my car payment on the 14th and it still hasn’t reflected in my bank account. Will this show as me paying on the 14th once the money is removed or will it show up as the date the money gets removed?

Good morning/afternoon/evening everybody!

I’m attempting to get a new vehicle financed for 26,600.00 with 1,500. I talked to the dealerships finance guy, and they started my interest rate off at 15.00% and will only go as low as 9.79%. Despite having a credit score of 700-710 I was told they couldn’t go any lower due to having a weak credit history. I have an income of 3,300.00

Questions I had
- am I getting one pulled over on me?

- are there financiers that are likely to offer better rate’s? And if so, what would be more reasonable rate for someone in my postition?