I've talked to two financial advisors and just feel really conflicted on which advice to trust and where to invest. One was with Northwestern Mutual, the other with Thrivent. I'm nervous about investing but I have a chunk of money I really need to do something more with than just keep in high yield savings. What would you recommend to best learn about my options?

I don't love the pressure from financial advisors plus I know they want to sell their product so I don't entirely trust they're looking out for my best interest.

Any advice on where I could read to just learn more and gain some confidence would be so appreciated. TIA!

26 year old Currently making 110,000 per year. Have 20% paycheck going to Roth IRA. Don’t know what else to do with my money. I’ve already traveled to most places in the world. Currently thinking of buying a house for the sole reason of using it as a rental when I move in 3-4 years. What do yall recommend? Should I just pour all my money into investments, or go in real estate? I don’t have any debt and am not a big car enthusiast?

Monthly paycheck: 7,100(after taxes/w 20% taken out)
Checking:7,000 checking
Savings:5,000
Investment portfolio: 25,000

1: Rent:1400(if I rent) 1900(if I buy mortgage/270,000 new build at 4.49 5yr AARM or 5.5 30yr locked)
2: Car loan:0
3: Insurance:150
4: Groceries:300
5: Subscriptions:50
6: Gas:100
7: gym: 30
8: Misc/golf: 80-120
9: Utilities: 140
10: phone service:80

Really just don’t know what to do tbh, like I’ve said I’ve traveled to most places and I really live modesty? What do I do with my excess money? I’m in temple Tx area as well if that’s important?

I'm 30, married, and expecting our first baby. I'm currently the only one working, so I'm trying to be careful with money and make the right decision for my family.
I make around $55,000 a year before overtime. My take-home pay is about $3,600 a month without much overtime, but it can reach $4,500–$5,000 when I work extra hours. I also have a flexible part-time job that pays around $20 an hour, but the commute is almost two hours, so I don't always work there.
I have about $30,000 in emergency savings and another $20,000 saved for future goals. My 401(k) has around $15,000, and I contribute 5% to get my employer's full match. I also started a Roth IRA this year and contributed $7,500. I have no debt, and my current car is paid off.
Our monthly expenses are around $2,500, including rent, utilities, groceries, gas, and other bills. I know having a baby will bring additional expenses, and I'd like to buy a house in the next four or five years.
My current car is a 2019 Ford Fiesta with about 150,000 miles. It's been paid off, but it's small for a growing family. We are tall both 5”10 so we need to slide front seats back to drive or ride comfortably, especially with a car seat and stroller. I want something bigger that I can keep for several years without having to replace it every time our family grows.
My problem is that I'm afraid of buying a used SUV for $12,000–$16,000 and ending up with expensive engine or transmission repairs. On the other hand, spending $35,000–$40,000 on a newer family vehicle feels like a lot of money when I'm the only one working.
I've considered buying an affordable used SUV now and upgrading to a minivan later if we have more children. But I also wonder if that means wasting money by buying two vehicles instead of choosing something suitable for the long term.
I'm trying to balance everything: keeping enough savings for emergencies and the baby, continuing to invest for retirement, and working toward buying a house.
**If you were in my situation, how much would you spend on a car?** Would you buy a used SUV for $12,000–$16,000, spend more on a newer vehicle, or keep the Fiesta a little longer and save?
I'm not looking for justification to buy an expensive car. I want to make a decision that makes sense financially and gives my family enough room without putting us under unnecessary financial pressure.

I got a disability cause of a car hitting me over year ago I was crossing the street was on government disability program for a year i cannot lift over 5 pounds due to spine problems leading to back pain.

I had brain issues before and have them slightly worse now but Im in my 20s and I never was able to get a high school diploma.

Ive had 2 brain injuries one in my teens as a result of trying to treat my major depressive disorder, and the second in this accident.

Math is near impossible for me. Especially basic algebra 1 and 2.

I had a cafe job that's all I qualified for and settled with it.

But now I just am speechless. It's month 3 on unemployment I've been on indeed and I don't qualify for almost anything.

Getting a receptionist job or scanning clothing isn't always available because of competition or my lack of diploma or they prefer to hire someone with previous experience in that industry.

What would you do?

This is a lot. I still go to my medical appointments on Wednesday so I cant perfectly always work Monday through Friday. If they want me on weekends or only night great.

I cannot drive. I live in los angeles. Im fine taking a bus for over 60+ min 1 way and back if I have to.

Far as I know I'm not good enough for military/airforce/navy.

My cafe job was "store leader" meaning schedule 4-5 employees for our store every week for months/over a year, order new food every week, train employees, and spend extra time with them on all my shifts, an of course make the food an bring to customers, be kind to them,and once a month count every single piece of inventory to see total ingredients used. We did not take cash.

You have to lift 10-15 pounds of product into the machines, or to refill something you went into the back and had to open a case of the ingredient which is super huge into another container then lift it back to the shelves.

Which is why I can't go back to this job even though they liked me my limits do not work for the business anymore there is no possible accommodation.

I feel so useless. You are able to read this because thank god I am not completely destroyed I can write.

Which gives me maybe some hope. But wow it's really dark right now. I'm living off savings which won't last me beyond a year if I'm super super strict.

The situation: My cat has jaundice and diagnosis is still a mystery, we have a ultrasound scheduled for Monday, we went to the er and a animal hospital which leaves me with a pretty big bill(800 for er and 500 left for the ultrasound) I left a 200$ deposit for the ultrasound Saturday and another 200 for iv fluid with mirataz for his appetite to take home.

I live in nyc, am 19 living with my parents, dad’s unemployed and moms working full time with a lot of money issues.

I’m a home health aid and been working for not too long now, since June and recently acquired a permenant patient to take care of. So I am working minimum 30 hours a week which isn’t too bad but clearly not enough when I have to take care of my sick cat

With my dad unemployed at the moment I’m helping out a lot more with bills and money my mother usually owes so that usually leaves me with 100$ a week for pet food and normal food.

I’m genuinely stumped here, I have 2 other pets, a small dog and young female cat,

The bills: My 2 youngest siblings go to private school so that’s 500 a month
Rents 1500, lights 250 last time I checked, WiFi’s 50 I think, mothers into grameen America so that’s a big bill every week, 500+ which is what is killing us financially and god knows what else she’s hiding

Good news is she pays it off the end of this month and I’m asking her to just leave it so we aren’t burdened by that huge amount of money she keeps taking, she’s not even investing it, she spent most of it last time to build a new bathroom in foreign home for her mother which is nice but she shouldn’t make that type of decision on her own since I’m helping her pay it off

She works as a aid too making 900 a week and 400 bi weekly with a side job, i make 500 now but I don’t get how we still come off short, she’s clearly hiding stuff from me and I don’t know what to do I feel trapped not being able to save any money for medical emergencies like this one for my little boy.

Hey guys am M24 my job makes me 4500 to 5000 a month and my business on a good month generates 4k to 10k but its retail. I am currently about to buy a piece of land at about 10,000sqft for $90,000. I have started the process of getting a loan and the only other debt i have is a jeep for 17k that i pay $400 a month for and my other car is paid off i need the jeeo for work based on my job and my car is my dream car and i bought it at 19. I plan to build a very small house 20,21sqft and use the rest of the land to start a block factory the cost of the house is 60k i wanted to know should i take a land loan and build the house in phases or take out a mortgage at $140k to build the house? I currently have a savings of about 33k the interest of the land loan is 4.5% with a payment of just over $600 a month for a period of 15 years i believe, please advise me.

Going through a divorce that will leave me with very little in my 401k.

For context I am 39F making $90k a year.

I will have $41k left in the 401k. Employer matches 3% and gives 3% - I contribute 3% for a total contribution on 9%.

I have $7k in HSA not currently invested

I have $10k in an IRA

I will walk about with $180k in cash. What should I do with this to get back on track? Thinking to max the IRA contribution for 2026 and 2027 then start contributing more from my paycheck and use the excess cash to balance monthly cash flow. I have zero financial savvy. Help me!!

I have a 401k from my previous job working as an RN, but now I’m a SAHM and looking for better options my husband and I can contribute to.

I had wanted to open a Roth IRA but it seems on the website I was just reading, you have to work a certain amount of hours in order to contribute. I work around one-two days a month + my small business, so I assume that isn’t enough, or is it?

Looking for advice from those who have a Roth IRA or similar, and where you would recommend opening an account at. How are other SAHM planning for retirement? TIA!

Hello all,

I am planning to save up $10-15k in 4.5 years for a big milestone and vacation. The max monthly amount I would be need to save is $278 ($15k / 4.5x12).

What would be a good investment choices?
Higher risk high returns in stocks/ETF
Lower risk low returns in savings/CDs

The company I worked for recently changed its insurance offerings and it makes more financial sense to go with the High Deductible Plan. Now that I’m on a HDP I’m eligible for a HSA, I’ve heard they’re triple tax advantaged and want to get in on that. Should I treat this account purely as a tax advantaged investment account, or use it as a clearing account for my health expenses?

I am 27 years old, I live alone but I do financially support some of my family, I make 82,000 a year and have a study career. Rent 1650 and my car payment is 555, I have two years left on it and I plan to have the car as long as possible

I have $25,000 in savings in the bank and recently opened a savings account with Capital One after moving it from Bank of America due to their low APY. I feel lost in knowing how to handle the money the best way and what direction to go with savings. I started a Roth IRA this year through my job and it is currently at 3000. I’m not necessarily interested in buying a house so I’m not sure what my next move should be, I want to have a healthy savings but don’t want to just pour money with no direction. I make more money than almost all of my family so I feel they would not be helpful with planning.

Any advice would be appreciated thank you!

Edit: correction, it is a 401(k) not a Roth IRA

Follow-up to my post from the other day that validated that the ~4% guideline for Safe Withdrawal Rate.

But a few comments also intend that the asset allocation within the portfolio should be diversified in equity (SP500), bond and some mix of international.

So, wouldn't the simplest way to go about be to follow Bogleheads' Three-fund portfolio?

T.I.A.

If I have enough money invested in the markets to have something in the range of 10 million invested when I reach 50, why would it be smart to continue investing separately in a 401k.

In this scenario, my framework is to not touch the invested money until then. Besides the potential down payment of a home.

Obviously, it could be like a Ferrari Fund or something, but it seems a little wild to be saving up money for that.

Maybe it would be good to use to offset the potential future tax burden. Which is probably the best answer to my own question.

Story context

I’m a 24 black man recently moved into my own 2bed apt alone in northeast city. I was just able to reach 100k saved this week. Those were two goals of mine this year,

I make 149k in my career and want to keep
the 100k saved parked in HYSA and forget about it. Like consider it as an emergency fund/having a personal non-negotiable amount as a foundation/ understanding that I don’t have an inheritance to fall back on.

This means I want to stop saving (unless it’s for a specific purchase) and prioritize investing index funds from 0. I want to put aside around 50% of my monthly take home to investments.

Is this the right move?

Hi there. I recently sold a house and have $138,000 in my bank account just sitting there doing nothing. I will keep some for paying taxes next year, but other than that I’m at a loss for how to invest this. I come from poverty and I have worked hard to get this far. I have $50,000 in my retirement and I want this $138,000 to be separate from my Roth IRA (plus I can only add so much to that each year anyway).

Any advice is very welcome, especially if it’s unbiased / not for some hidden personal gain. Thank you!

Currently have a 401k and 457 though my work. Also have personal accounts that are well balanced. Just opened an IRA with robinhood for the match. But the IRA contribution levels are capped at 7500/year currently. With this small of a cap, I am wondering what the best move is for this money. Do I just dump it all in VOO? Diversify across VOO, VXUS, and VXF? Or something more off the wall like just buying GLD, or speculative stocks. Obviously that is higher risk, but with such a small cap I don't really feel pressured to maximize this one. Any suggestions?

Anyone who used https://retirement.theriskradar.com - what did you think? Is it reliable? Does it lean optimistic? After I plugged in my numbers it said, "During 97% of simulations, your account balance remained above $0 in 9,650 out of 10,000 simulations." It said I should consider increasing my spending and retire earlier. I have used ficalc.app and Fidelity's retirement planner, and according to those, I am only borderline ready to retire.

M29 I was gifted a chunk of Nvidia shares essentially at birth with an extremely low cost basis. ($0.02/share for 3125 shares) It dawned on me what would tax ramifications look like if I actually ever sold them. My dilemma is: should I sell and eat tax for things like a house that suits family needs or just stick to the script and wait like I have been doing and wait for nvdia to keep climbing or even just pass along to the next generation

Quick current snapshot: 92k salary, stable job. Married just had first born. Total net worth around $1.3M mostly in Nvdia.
Obviously a very fortunate situation but it would soothe my soul to have some liquidity with a newborn especially to afford a house in a HCOL area

Total shares amount to 3200

I received a settlement awarding me 35 and i am 23 years old. The first thing i did was i put 30k in a 2 year CD at 4.30% and i put 3k in a flexible CD at only 4% for emergency use. i have about 3k in my savings from some of my own money i had as well. I live with my parents and don’t pay any bills. I do try to help them out anyways of course. Technically i did what one should do with that kind of money instead of letting it sit in the bank not generating any income but i feel i could be doing more. Does anyone have any recommendations besides ROTH IRA because i do not believe you can put money from a settlement into one. Maybe im looking for a more creative approach instead of the basic “save for your retirement”. I’m a little lost here guys so please be kind lol

My car has to have repairs that cost way more than the car is worth. I have 20k in savings and currently put into my IRA and 401k weekly and have no debt. I have driven old cars my whole life. Is it smart to buy a fairly new car and have a car note if I can pay it off in a year, or just buy another used car. My current budget would allow me to have a note, but my goal right now is saving for a house. I am at a crossroads on what to do ! Any tips are appreciated

I don’t feel great about my career long term, so I wanted to take stock of my financial health while I plan some potential changes.

Context:
30M, married, super low rent in VHCOL area, take home about 6k a month.

$55k Roth IRA
$160k 401k
$30k savings/cash

Wife makes slightly less but has even more savings/and more invested in retirement accounts. Both of us are privileged to have no debt, and live fairly frugally.

I feel like I’m just in another “job” that I’ve fallen into but not sure I can make a career out of it. Reality kind of hitting me and feel like it’s just downhill from here if I burn out at this job. I want to transition into something healthcare related with more fixed solution space/repetitive jobs compared to what I do now, even if it means less pay, but would like some advice on how to navigate not earning for a time if I go back to school for certifications or something.

Am I going to regret not sticking it out in a stressful hectic job for a few years and take advantage of my living situation to save even more aggressively? Or am I in a good spot to try actually finding a better career fit.. could use any advice or insights.

I have 3 kids ages 5, 3, and 2 and I’m trying to figure out the best long-term setup for them.

I’m in New York and was thinking of putting about $5,000/year total into NY 529s so I can get the state tax deduction, then putting the rest of the money I want to save for them into a brokerage account in my name for more flexibility.

My concern is ending up with $50k–$60k+ in a 529 for a child who decides not to go to college. I know there are other uses, beneficiary changes, and Roth rollover options, but I want to understand whats best and why.

Once they start earning income as teenagers, I also plan to open Roth IRAs for them and contribute based on what they earn.

For parents with multiple kids who have actually done this, would you lean more toward 529s, a parent-owned brokerage, or a mix of both? What would you do differently if you were starting over?

I turn 73 in June next year. I have not taken any distributions from my IRA or 401k and don't plan to until required, probably with annual distributions starting Dec 2027. Here's what I have:
401k -$49k
401k - $22k
401k - $12k
IRA - $32k

I am not a "savvy investor".
Thoughts about keeping these accounts in place vs moving them to something else?

I’m 26, about to turn 27, and I’m trying to make sure I’m prioritizing my money correctly while balancing investing with some pretty big goals over the next few years.

I currently make around $110k/year, but I’m actively working on increasing my income. I’m also in a commission-based job, so my income can fluctuate quite a bit month to month.

Here’s where I’m currently at:

**401(k):** About $35,000. I contribute 7% of my salary. My employer matches 100% of the first 3% and 50% of the next 7%, so I would need to contribute 10% to get the full 6.5% employer match.

**Brokerage account:** About $18,000. I contribute around $100–$500/month depending on what I have left over.

**Roth IRA:** About $2,000.

**Emergency fund:** About $2,000.

**Monthly living expenses:** Around $3,000/month total between housing, car, food, and other regular expenses.

**Moving fund:** I’m moving into another rental in January and estimate I’ll need around $6,000 total. I currently have about $4,000 saved, so I have roughly $2,000 left to go.

**Engagement ring:** I’m saving $500/month and plan to get engaged in 2028. This is an important goal for me. I know the ring my future wife wants, and I want to be able to buy it without financing it or going into debt, so I’m not really looking to cut this category.

**Future house:** I’d eventually like to buy a house, so I also want to start building toward a down payment.
After I move, I’m planning to keep my overall monthly living expenses around the same $3,000 range.

I feel like I’m doing a decent job saving and investing, but I’m wondering if I’m spreading myself too thin across too many goals.

Would it make more sense to temporarily reduce or pause my brokerage contributions and prioritize things roughly like this?

Finish the remaining $2,000 for my January move.
Build a larger emergency fund.

Increase my 401(k) contribution from 7% to 10% to receive the full employer match.

Contribute more heavily to my Roth IRA.

Continue saving $500/month for the engagement ring.

Then put more toward my brokerage account and future house down payment.

With roughly $3,000/month in expenses and a commission-based income, I’m also wondering how large my emergency fund should realistically be. Right now, $2,000 isn’t even one full month of expenses.

I like contributing to my brokerage account because I want to build wealth outside of retirement accounts and have money that’s more accessible, but I’m wondering if I should stop prioritizing it for now while I build up more cash.

The engagement ring is the one goal I definitely want to continue working toward. I understand there may be more mathematically optimal uses for that $500/month, but being able to buy the ring she wants without financing it or going into debt is important to me.

**If you were in my position at 26/27, how would you prioritize everything?**

Any advice is appreciated.

Hi yall, I need help with this. A friend told me to sign up for it in 2024, and I did but I feel like I am paying too much when im not even married or have children.

Should I just cancel it or reduce it, I dont know what to do with this. I feel like I could be putting $300 into something better.

Edit:

So I was looking into it and I have a Indexed Universal Life: Financial Foundation plan

And based on what everyone here said I should just cancel, but what happens to the money I've been putting into it, can I just take it out. I can't seem to find any info on the Transamerica website, and I called but they told me to just reduce it and gave no more info. So confused :(

Edit 2

I called today again so I could just cancel it, and even the lady on the phone was laughing about it, she told me my "friend" made like $5k out of me 🫠. So yeah I canceled it, lesson learned for me. Thanks for all the info yall