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amd7239

Are you talking Haverhill or up the coast to someplace like Salisbury? Look up house prices on Zillow. You can very quickly get a sense of what's possible and what's not. There are towns up there where $160k would be tough to even find a building lot. More like Harverhill (I'd take it, but preferab...

amd7239

why are you saving so much into 401k? Isn't the limit $18K/year? My employer has a 54k max (employee contribution + employer contribution must not exceed 54k) but yeah the deductible limit is 18k. However I want to pay myself first as much as possible, and a 401k as a good way to hide money from my...

amd7239

Gross income: $75k/year 401k contribution: $30k/year [43% savings rate] Annual Realized income = $75k - $30k = $35k Location: Northern MA (suburbs). Will also be looking at Southern NH. Savings for house: $90k (Total savings of $100k, but I would like to invest at least $10k into an index fund) Take...

amd7239

In response to the OP's request for books, the three books that helped my wife and I get on the same page are: (1) The Millionaire Next Door - Stanley (2) Financial Peace University - Ramsey (not a book, but a program) (3) The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - Larrimore, Lindauer, LeBouef (of course...

amd7239

She should be covering her hopefully modest living expenses with student loans. I can see food being a joint expense you both contribute too because presumably youre eating the same meal. I didn't realize student loans were applicable to this? I thought it was just for tuition room and board. Since...

amd7239

I am not married or have ever been married but I have made some observations over time. I have seen various ways that couples have handled these issues. Some put everything in one pot and work marital finances as a partnership. Some put most finances in one pot but allow each spouse to have their o...

amd7239

You earn 15x more than her? I earn INFINITYx more than my spouse. We make it work. We are married though. Everything we have is “ours”. I would be more concerned about you making 35k/year than her being in college working part time. Regards, John Any advice on how you make it work? If you have diff...

amd7239

Mlm wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2017 1:56 pm If she needs more money why isn't she working more hours?

She's working as many as she can. I think it would be self-destructive to work too much and grades suffer, especially if you fail a class and have to retake it and spend more Money.

amd7239

If you stopped helping with her expenses, do you think she'd break off the relationship? No. She would feel very hurt by it,but she wouldn't break things off. But I would just feel too guilty about it. loans for these expenses are a good idea actually. I'm considering it.i'm just trying to figure o...

amd7239

Let's be very clear about this as the thread title "Spouse" confuses the situation. She is your girlfriend and not your wife. And there is a reason for that. You haven't agreed on any long-term goals, dreams, or aspirations. Until that happens, you shouldn't be co-mingling expenses. If yo...

amd7239

Anything like this that rises to the level of needing a system means this couple is not compatible. I thought this was a common problem for couples and they usually figure it out. Can you elaborate? I don't understand why are are making so much of this. You don't live together and you feel sorry fo...

amd7239

Anything like this that rises to the level of needing a system means this couple is not compatible. Yup. It wouldn't matter if she made as much as you do. The issue is not finding a system because no system will get around the basic incompatibility on this issue. It is just compounded by the the in...

amd7239

I think we need more information. You are not married, engaged, or living together, she's living with her parents. So I am confused about why you should join finances or be responsible for each other's expenses. This is a common issue for married/otherwise permanent couples, but not, as I understan...

amd7239

dbr wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2017 10:54 am Anything like this that rises to the level of needing a system means this couple is not compatible.

I thought this was a common problem for couples and they usually figure it out. Can you elaborate?

amd7239

What would girlfriend do if she didn't have OP.? I am assuming she lives with OP. Is there some real reason why she is not working/making more ? If not married with kids, I would not want to be subsidizing someone to the extent that OP is doing. We are not married and don't have kids. She is a coll...

amd7239

With her take home pay at $2500 a year, that's $50 a week. Clothes, cosmetics, undergarments, books and a couple of lunches out. Whose money is she spending to be a spender? She doesn't just use her income, she uses mine too. I subsidize her essential expenses and even give her $20 a month for disc...

amd7239

With her take home pay at $2500 a year, that's $50 a week. Clothes, cosmetics, undergarments, books and a couple of lunches out. Whose money is she spending to be a spender? She doesn't just use her income, she uses mine too. I subsidize her essential expenses and even give her $20 a month for disc...

amd7239

What money management system do you use with your significant other (or have you heard of any good ones)? I am a spender and my gf (of 2 years) is a spender who makes very little working part time a a college student. I make about 15x what she makes in a week. My take home pay = $35k/year, her take...

amd7239

Another problem with both of these is that there's no incentive for the low earner to not go crazy with spending. Subsidies lead to spending increases. Any comments on this or other systems you use / have heard of? Also any book recommendations on the topic would be great. There are zillions of sys...

amd7239

What money management system do you use with your significant other (or have you heard of any good ones)? I am a spender and my gf (of 2 years) is a spender who makes very little working part time a a college student. I make about 15x what she makes in a week. My take home pay = $35k/year, her take...

amd7239

hey Bogleheads, What money management system do you use with your significant other (or have you heard of any good ones)? I am a saver and my gf (of 2 years) is a spender who makes very little working part time a a college student. I make about 15x what she makes in a week. My take home pay = $35k/y...

amd7239

I'm trying to figure out a way to automate my savings so I never see a change in my checking account. For example, automate a 40% savings rate so I never see more than 40% of my take home pay in my checking account. I get a standard corporate paycheck with direct deposit and a Fidelity 401k. The onl...

amd7239

Hey all,

Is it possible to retroactively contribute to pay years 401k and reap the tax advantages? I did not max it out last year, instead I just contributed up to the employer match

amd7239

Awesome, thanks for the info all!

amd7239

Hey all! I purchased shares of the Northern Trust S&P 500 Index on 5/18/2017 in my Fidelity 401k. I want to trade them for VITPX (Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund Institutional Plus) shares so I can capture the total US market. Since I have owned these shares for about 2.5 mo...

amd7239

There are plenty of college grads now that come out and struggle to find meaningful work (beyond the service industry like a barista or wait staff ---- and no,I don't mean that to denigrate the service industry but rather many college grads were expecting something different before they took out st...

amd7239

As you all advised, I asked her opinion and didn't give any advice... Major: She said that psychology comes easier to her and she finds it relatively interesting and that's what she will go with. She feels like she is too dumb to do anything that will pay well even though I always tell her she's not...

amd7239

Wow. I have an image of a 19 or 20 year old young woman, parents and BF with their boots on her neck, probably without realizing that they're choking off her air. Why isn't she the one posting? I see what you're saying. But I am just getting ideas, I'm not going to try to force her to do anything. ...

amd7239

Rupert wrote:How about physical therapy, audiology, radiology technician, radiology technologist, (I could rattle off a hundred more)?

Please do! These are good ideas, I'm writing them down as we speak...

amd7239

I graduated from BU long ago. Best decision I made, money well spent. You can study almost anything at BU, she should try different classes and activities and find herself. Expensive but amazing opportunity to find and develop interests. I think there is a "stick with college and find yourself...

amd7239

Why does she want to go to college ? Bottom line is she really doesn't have much motivation to be there. She had high hopes at first about becoming a doctor so that was the original reason. Now, she really doesn't have a clear goal/reason for being there other than her parents want her to go. This ...

amd7239

Why does she want to go to college ? Bottom line is she really doesn't have much motivation to be there. She had high hopes at first about becoming a doctor so that was the original reason. Now, she really doesn't have a clear goal/reason for being there other than her parents want her to go. This ...

amd7239

Interesting- we had talked about physicans assistant but she had ruled it out, I think because it was too hard to get into school for it. Do you know what other options your friend was pursuing? Life is hard. Other than being a member of the lucky sperm club and being born into wealth, the rest of ...

amd7239

What's a useless major? I know people with BAs in anthropology, English, history, and sociology who work for McKinsey, investment banks, big world-transforming foundations, and more. I take it that your BA amigos are also hard-working, self-starters, right? I don't mean this in the context of OP's ...

amd7239

When you say not good in math.....are you talking calculus or math in general. Nursing has no math but does have lots of life science but it does involve interaction with people. Accounting could be good for sitting in the back room calculating but if even rudimentary math boggles her, then I guess...

amd7239

Who is currently paying for her tuition? Her parents have been paying so she has zero debt now, but they run out of money so now, more college = debt. I don't think dropping out to wait tables is wise, but she might consider taking a leave of absence to teach English abroad and use that time to tra...

amd7239

That's an interesting idea, but another issue is her parents are pressuring her to finish school because they are believers in the traditional "4-year college is for everyone" myth. Why don't you think dropping out to wait tables is wise? At least it will be going straight into her pocket...

amd7239

That's an interesting idea, but another issue is her parents are pressuring her to finish school because they are believers in the traditional "4-year college is for everyone" myth. Why don't you think dropping out to wait tables is wise? At least it will be going straight into her pocket...

amd7239

Who is currently paying for her tuition? Her parents have been paying so she has zero debt now, but they run out of money so now, more college = debt. I don't think dropping out to wait tables is wise, but she might consider taking a leave of absence to teach English abroad and use that time to tra...

amd7239

Girlfriend is a college sophomore and is having an identity crisis of sorts - She was premed but was overwhelmed by the time second semester of Chem and struggled gradewise. She's not good at math or the hard sciences. She also has severe social anxiety so I don't think she would be good in a sales ...

amd7239

zaboomafoozarg wrote:
amd7239 wrote:The SCV tilt debate is over!

http://paulmerriman.com/10-lessons-jack ... dex-funds/
Just like the US-international allocation debate is over because Bogle advocates US-only?

Dammit, you're right!

amd7239

The SCV tilt debate is over!

http://paulmerriman.com/10-lessons-jack ... dex-funds/

amd7239

Interest only mortgage One word - ARM! Adjustable Rate Mortgage. FHA mortgages You have 3 years to learn the ins and outs of mortgage financing. If you went to get a mortgage today, i can easily see you falling victim to unscrupulous mortgage broker who will make it seem as if everything is hunky d...

amd7239

Do not base the house you can buy on the monthly payment. There are all sorts of creative financing arrangements that are good for the lending/realtor community but not for buyers. What are some of these "creative financing arrangements" and how can I sanity check them? Is simply comparin...

amd7239

sls239 wrote:And don't look at homes 3 years early.

Why? Because interest rates are uncertain?

In my case, I am doing this because I wish to set expectations with my girlfriend. If she sees what a house we can afford looks like, she will hopefully become a little more grounded in reality.

amd7239

My girlfriend and I are discussing our financial future/retirement. We plan to buy a house in 3 years or so. I need to figure out how much house we can afford so I can set expectations early (she wants a big house, and I don't). I want to decide this based on the monthly payments rather than home pr...

amd7239

Correct - the 401k and or deductible traditional ira is where most of your savings should probably go. Do not contribute to an IRA that is non deductible. You don't absolutely need a Roth but it's helpful to have some Roth money to take out in your retirement years where you may have more income or...

amd7239

So if I max out my 401k, it would be more like 38k/year because of my lower taxable income (I would be contributing $15k more, and 70% of that is about 10k)? I'm not quite sure what "it" refers to, and I think we are looking at the calculation from different viewpoints. Run a trial of you...

amd7239

It really all depends on what kind of lifestyle you expect to have at age 50. Unless you are going to live as frugally as Mr Money Mustache - to retire at 50 you will need to start maxing out your 401k yesterday AND also you will likely need to save after tax (like a roth) and some in a taxable acc...

amd7239

So if I max out my 401k, it would be more like 38k/year because of my lower taxable income (I would be contributing $15k more, and 70% of that is about 10k)? I'm not quite sure what "it" refers to, and I think we are looking at the calculation from different viewpoints. Run a trial of you...

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