All Questions
4,101
questions
350
votes
18
answers
70k
views
Best way to start investing, for a young person just starting their career?
I am young, just started my career, and looking to begin investing so I can make my money work for me. I'm still living like I did in college (occasional purchase on myself, but most of it goes into ...
- 4,883
148
votes
8
answers
29k
views
Oversimplify it for me: the correct order of investing
I have been reading the top posts here, and the recommendations for what to invest in are often similar. What I'd like to know, in as simply of terms as possible, is what the consensus is on priority ...
- 1,591
39
votes
4
answers
107k
views
Am I being scammed by a sugar daddy?
I met a guy on a sugar daddy dating site and we talked, I told him my situation and he said he would help.
He asked for my bank account information and I told him you can use cash app or PayPal to ...
- 457
240
votes
22
answers
97k
views
If a stock doesn't pay dividends, then why is the stock worth anything?
I read somewhere that companies are not required to pay dividends to shareholders (this is correct, yes?).
If so, then if company A never pays dividends to its shareholders, then what is the point ...
- 2,437
45
votes
2
answers
25k
views
How do exchanges match limit orders?
Say a security has been trading at under $20.10, and there are limit orders selling at $20.10 and $20.21. Then Simon issues a limit order to buy at $20.21. According to this explanation, Simon would ...
- 755
72
votes
6
answers
244k
views
Sugar daddy wants my online banking login info to make deposits — is it a scam?
Someone is offering to pay me in a sort of sugar daddy/sugar baby arrangement. They want to make online deposits to me, and they're asking me for my online banking username and password. Is that ...
- 687
212
votes
13
answers
59k
views
Why would a company care about the price of its own shares in the stock market?
After a company has issued shares, why should it care if the value of the shares fluctuate?
Since the shares are now publicly traded, if the value fluctuates, that is strictly a transaction between ...
- 15.9k
172
votes
3
answers
696k
views
Can someone explain a stock's "bid" vs. "ask" price relative to "current" price?
In my online brokerage account, I want to buy a particular stock and I see the following:
Bid: 13.20 x200 Ask: 13.27 x1,000
the current stock price is 13.22.
Can someone explain what ...
- 2,195
52
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Recent graduate with new job: Choose Roth 401(k), or traditional 401(k)?
I just graduated, and I'm starting a new job soon. My employer has pretty good policy for matching 401(k) contributions, so I want to invest as much as possible, especially during this first year.
My ...
- 675
29
votes
4
answers
7k
views
How much does credit score matter?
The higher your credit score, the better. If you ever had the choice of two different credit scores, you are always better off preferring the higher one.
However, while the utility of a higher score ...
- 2,668
19
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why would you not want to rollover a previous employer's 401(k) when changing jobs?
Are there any valid reasons to not rollover a former 401(k) when changing jobs?
I have several little ones that I never quite got around to rolling together - with an upcoming job change, should they ...
- 3,229
21
votes
2
answers
116k
views
I gave a scammer my telephone number, address, and name. How bad is it?
Updated question because old one was embarassing:
I saw a spam email from "PayPal" and I didn't realize that it was a phishing attempt. I gave the phishing site my name, telephone number, and email. ...
- 313
275
votes
12
answers
168k
views
I received $1000 and was asked to send it back. How was this scam meant to work?
Possible Australianism - netbank = a website + app by which an Aussie can do their banking, including transferring money to other people.
A while ago, I ended up with $1000 transferred into my ...
- 4,351
97
votes
10
answers
92k
views
Scam or Real: A woman from Facebook apparently needs my bank account to send money
A woman on Facebook recently contacted my dad.
She asked him to get a bank account so she could send him money, and he would send money to her employees (about 12 people), and she would pay him for ...
- 1,053
55
votes
11
answers
27k
views
Why do people buy stocks that pay no dividend?
Before recently, Apple Inc. did not give dividend to shareholders.
This makes me curious why people buy Apple Inc. stocks; while it might be due to the expectation of selling stocks at a higher price,...
- 559
55
votes
17
answers
15k
views
Why would anyone want to pay off their debts in a way other than "highest interest" first?
Looking at the math, it is clear to many people that, given a number of debts at different interest rates, if you are trying to eliminate your debt, you will pay less interest overall if you pay off ...
- 115k
8
votes
1
answer
862
views
What is the HSA contribution limit when you are only enrolled in HDHP for part of the year?
What is the HSA contribution cap for a person that is only enrolled in a HDHP for part of the year?
For example, consider a single participant that
was not previously enrolled in any other health ...
- 1,261
128
votes
2
answers
831k
views
Is it safe to give out one's bank account number?
I'm managing the utility of the house and I'm sharing with another person. He asks me to provide my bank account number, so that he can transfer his money to my account when paying the utility.
I ...
- 5,873
50
votes
12
answers
11k
views
Is it ever a good idea to close credit cards?
I have a bunch of credit cards with no balance, while others have fairly high balances. I'd like to close the 0 balance cards, but I know that will reduce my overall balance and hurt my credit rating, ...
- 635
46
votes
3
answers
12k
views
Why does demand for stock rise when a company appears to have high future value?
So a company decides to raise money by selling shares of its stock. The stock is offered at an initial price of their determination. The stock is then traded in a market where forces of supply and ...
- 665
34
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Started new job. Rollover previous employer 401k to new 401k, IRA or Roth IRA?
I recently started a new job and have a 401k from my previous employer that I don't know what to do with. Should I roll it into my new employer's 401k, a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA?
- 343
19
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Are multiple hard inquiries for a specific loan type okay?
I'm researching mortgage options for my first home purchase, and I recently had a long call with a loan officer where he encouraged me to get pre-qualified (requiring a hard credit inquiry) as soon as ...
- 2,055
88
votes
8
answers
227k
views
Is it a scam if the person only wants to deposit into my account, not make a withdrawal?
A man in west coast Austria wants to deposit money into my account. I'm in Alabama.
I had to get an online account. I did that, but he says his bank manager needs all this information:
DOB
...
- 953
55
votes
7
answers
10k
views
What is the best asset allocation for a retirement portfolio, and why?
Based on financial conversations I've had with trusted family members, I believe that asset allocation is one of the more critical things to "get right" during retirement savings.
Based on an ...
- 3,397
46
votes
7
answers
6k
views
In general, is it financially better to buy or to rent a house?
I know this differs from country to country, from person to person (depending on how much you already have saved), but I'm curious about the simplest example.
Let's say I have little to no money.
I ...
Dan
10
votes
1
answer
72k
views
I was asked for a COT code to transfer money to my account. Is this a scam?
Someone gives you their bank information and asks you to log on to their account in order to transfer money to your account. When you attempt this, it asks for a COT code which you do not have. ...
- 101
67
votes
3
answers
14k
views
Saving for retirement: How much is enough?
How to save
I'm in my late twenties and am trying to get started off on the right foot saving for retirement. I have learned that retirement savings should usually be placed in retirement accounts in ...
- 3,397
25
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Why are daily rebalanced inverse/leveraged ETFs bad for long term investing?
I was reading this article about S&P 500 short ETFs:
https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/176217/4-ways-to-short-the-sampp-500-with-etfs
and I was confused when it said: "investors should note that ...
- 353
20
votes
2
answers
15k
views
How will going from 75% Credit Utilization to 0% Credit Utilization affect my credit score?
I currently have a 75% credit utilization, which I know is not favorable on about 35,000 revolving credit. I am getting my year end bonus and plan on using that to completely pay off all of my credit ...
- 201
18
votes
3
answers
45k
views
If I were to buy something a day before my due date for my credit card bill, would I be charged interest?
First of all, I am a resident of Canada.
I am new to credit cards, so I hope my question makes sense. I've had my card for a few months ago and I've always paid the balance in full by the time the ...
- 189
118
votes
7
answers
33k
views
Why is stock dilution legal?
What I always heard, since I was a child, was that if you own a stock share, you actually own a small share of a company. That seems to be the general consensus of what a stock share is.
Well, that ...
- 1,327
38
votes
13
answers
37k
views
Is there a good rule of thumb for how much I should have set aside as emergency cash?
I'm buying my very first home, and should be receiving the $8,000 first-time home buyers tax credit. A majority of my savings are going to the down-payment of the house, but we still have a pretty ...
- 1,636
19
votes
2
answers
44k
views
How do I correct an HSA distribution when I was refunded by a health provider?
At work I'm covered by an HDHP with an HSA. My dentist has the policy of estimating the amount that my insurance will cover and asking for the remainder at the time of service. On my most recent ...
- 759
10
votes
4
answers
6k
views
How is stock price determined?
Is stock price determined only by the last trade that takes place?
For example, if a stock I own is trading at $3.42, and I place a Sell Limit order for $0.00, will the stock price temporarily dip to ...
- 256
33
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Strategies for putting away money for a child's future (college, etc.)?
So my wife and I will be having our first child at the end of the year, and I'm trying to devise a strategy for things like putting money away for the little person now, while I have the time and ...
- 30.3k
22
votes
9
answers
7k
views
Investing in a leveraged index ETF for retirement. Risky?
Let's say someone has a few thousand saved in an IRA. Right now I have it sitting in Treasurys earning around 3%.
Over the past 50 years the S&P has averaged around 11% per year in total returns.
...
- 525
9
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Withdrawing HSA excess contributions?
I just got married a couple of weeks ago. I have a self-coverage only HDHP through my employer, with an HSA funded by my employer ($3000 per year). My husband has a family-coverage HDHP through his ...
- 91
94
votes
12
answers
12k
views
Where can I park my rainy-day / emergency fund? Savings accounts don't generate much interest
Savings accounts don't seem to generate much interest. What other options do I have for my emergency fund?
- 1,145
54
votes
7
answers
144k
views
Can't the account information on my checks be easily used for fraud?
My Bank of America checks contain my routing & account number, which I've used in the past to make purchases online, among other things. Anyone whom I pay with a check has this information. It ...
- 725
48
votes
8
answers
13k
views
How to organize bank accounts with wife
My wife and I are recently married, both of us are working hard. At the moment we currently have the same system as prior to our marriage. Which simply put is that both of have our own bank accounts ...
- 593
38
votes
2
answers
48k
views
How are long-term capital gains taxed if the gain pushes income into a new tax bracket?
First, my understanding is that the long-term capital gains tax rate is 0% for those whose marginal rate on ordinary income is 10% or 15%, and (ignoring the highest 39.6% bracket) the rate is 15% for ...
- 512
38
votes
11
answers
12k
views
Why do people claim that it's hard to outperform the S&P 500? It has only increased in value by ~1.5x in the past 5 years
Whereas companies like Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, Apple have all increased anywhere from 3x-6x in value in the past 5 years. If you just stuck with those companies, you would have easily ...
- 897
35
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What are the important differences between mutual funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)?
I've been considering, but haven't committed myself yet to investing in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), but have to admit that I don't yet fully understand the use-case for them.
What factors are ...
- 52.9k
26
votes
2
answers
57k
views
How to find historical stock price for a de-listed or defunct company?
With services like Google Finance or Yahoo Finance it is very convenient to find the historical stock price metric of a listed company, but if the company is not listed, I can't find the data.
For ...
- 2,517
23
votes
3
answers
2k
views
If low-cost index funds are considered the best investment, why are there so many high-cost, managed funds?
The general consensus is that the single best indicator of a fund's future performance is the its expense ratio (source). If you look for more than 5 minutes online you discover the Bogleheads ...
- 530
12
votes
4
answers
63k
views
What does "more buyers than sellers" in technical analysis of stocks actually mean?
I often hear/read technical analysts looking at volume and price action on a chart and claiming that there are "more buyers than sellers" or vice versa.
Since every trade requires a buyer and a ...
- 398
8
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Achieving ideal credit card utilization above 0%
So everyone is aware of the general rule that you should keep credit card utilization below 30% of your credit limit. It's also a good idea to keep this utilization above 0%.
It's very easy to stay ...
- 228
47
votes
9
answers
259k
views
How do rich people guarantee the safety of their money, when savings exceed the FDIC limit?
I am curious how a millionaire would guarantee the safety of his money, given that the FDIC only insures up to $250K of an individual's deposits at a bank.
If someone had $3 million that they wanted ...
- 3,743
33
votes
7
answers
124k
views
Can I open a US bank account even if I don't live in the country?
I'm Swedish, but living in Switzerland at the moment.
Can I open a US bank account? Either when in the US on vacation or through the internet/phone?
There are lots of situations when I find myself in ...
- 433
31
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What are the pitfalls of loaning money to friends or family? Is there a right way to do it?
What are the pitfalls of loaning money to friends or family? Is there a right way to do it?
unknown