All Questions
38,952
questions
49
votes
11
answers
9k
views
In the US, is it normal to not include an electronic way to pay rent?
A property manager requires rent to be paid using check. Is it normal that rent cannot be paid using electronic methods such as a credit/debit card, or a bank transfer, or Paypal, or anything ...
- 607
49
votes
5
answers
14k
views
Why do money exchangers give different rates to different bills?
I was traveling to India recently and was buying a few hundred US dollars on my way as the money exchanges didn't have any Indian rupees with them. At the exchange counter, they didn't have 100 dollar ...
- 593
49
votes
11
answers
13k
views
Is purchasing foreign currency before going abroad a losing proposition?
A recent question illustrated one of the potential pitfalls of pre-purchasing foreign currency. In short, the poster was unable to pick up currency they had ordered, and a currency purchase is not a ...
- 687
49
votes
8
answers
15k
views
How were US credit cards verified in-store in the 1980s?
Back in the 1980's, many major retailers in the United States would accept credit cards using what was sometimes called a "knucklebuster" - a hand-operated device that would take a carbon-copy ...
- 1,003
49
votes
2
answers
6k
views
What is the difference between shares, stock and stakes?
What is the difference between shares, stock and stakes? For a layman, many times it seems they are used almost interchangeably.
- 863
49
votes
9
answers
21k
views
How do credit card companies make profit?
How do credit card companies make profit by giving us credit for 40-50 days (India). I purchase something on my credit card and I pay it to the credit card company after some days. How are they going ...
- 777
48
votes
10
answers
22k
views
20% monthly mining vs 5% monthly trading
I recently meet a guy who invested his money in 2 systems.
1) The first one is mining. He gave 20.000 euros to this company ([redacted]) and they promised to give him back 20% a month. There are ...
- 599
48
votes
10
answers
15k
views
Could a business be structured around Multi-level Marketing, yet still be ethical? [closed]
Why is there a lot of controversy and claims that Multi-level Marketing (MLM) is unethical? I see it just as a business model. While the customers and clients, distributors or resellers of your ...
- 599
48
votes
14
answers
17k
views
Is it a good idea to copy a trader when investing?
I constantly get bombarded with an etoro commercial on youtube about a feature where you can replicate someone else's trading activity in real time. More details here. You select another trader and ...
- 1,395
48
votes
7
answers
13k
views
I'm saving money too fast. What should I do?
[Apologies if this sounds (and is) like a first world problem]
I get a very generous salary and I am not a spender. I am able to save $2000-$2500 every month.
I've invested part of my money in some ...
- 489
48
votes
10
answers
22k
views
I have 9,000 cash. What debt should I pay first?
I have 9,000 cash right now and I want to use it to pay some debt. It won't cover all, but I want to spend it on the best way possible. These are my current debts:
Loan balance 3,867.35 - 23.55% ...
- 491
48
votes
7
answers
15k
views
Can one live in the U.S. and not use a credit card?
The title may not be very accurate.
I'm European (Italian) so I don't have a very clear idea of how it works in U.S.
My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that the economy there incentivises ...
- 801
48
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Unexpected large rent payments, by moneygram, for my apartment, not by me
I'm used to scams where they ask you for moneygrams, but not the other way around.
I applied for an apartment Oct 7th, and moved in Nov 13th. When I tried to pay December's rent, I saw that my ...
- 492
48
votes
12
answers
12k
views
How can sister protect herself from impulse purchases with a credit card?
My little sister is 18, and currently has a bank account with a debit card. She and mom believe it might be time to get her a credit card, mostly to build up her credit rating than out of necessity.
...
- 463
48
votes
8
answers
14k
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
48
votes
6
answers
15k
views
Dealership wants more money years after vehicle is paid off?
I bought a used car in August 2014 when I lived in Texas. A few months later I paid off the vehicle. I have the title and I never heard from the dealership after the final payment.
Today I got a ...
- 543
48
votes
12
answers
15k
views
What are the pros and cons of a credit card for a European?
I have a bank account, with some savings. Enough to cover every expense I could have to face without delay.
I also have a debit card, which I use for my offline payments, a Paypal account for most of ...
- 547
48
votes
6
answers
9k
views
How do tax brackets work? Do they yield significantly different results than a continuous curve?
In Canada (and many other countries), high-earners pay a greater percentage of their income in taxes than low-earners. Here is our Schedule 1 form:
The marginal utility of money decreases smoothly ...
- 479
48
votes
10
answers
13k
views
Is paying off your mortage a #1 personal finance priority?
Everyone always says and aims to "pay off my mortgage"
But in the current climate of low interest rates is this really worth it? Should that money be put to use earning a higher yield?
OR
Does the ...
- 489
48
votes
10
answers
12k
views
How can a high school student value a possible degree?
From another question I asked, an answer said:
If a person borrowed heavily to obtain an education where they make anything less than 75K per year then it was probably foolish. There are many jobs ...
- 1,829
48
votes
3
answers
13k
views
If a kid makes money, do the parents take on the tax liability?
Suppose your kid (8 years old) decided to set up a neighborhood lemonade stand and by some freak occurrence managed to somehow make about $3,000. How does one manage the tax liability on that income? ...
- 1,217
48
votes
2
answers
14k
views
Why did Tesla's stock value drop by 40 USD for just 5 minutes on August 2nd at 3:20pm?
Google Finance reports that Tesla's stock value dropped by 40 USD for 5 minutes on August 2nd, 2018 at 3:20pm
What caused such a drop in stock value in the span of 10 minutes?
- 667
48
votes
7
answers
6k
views
How do I go about finding an honest & ethical financial advisor?
First things first, this isn't a "recommend a good financial advisor" question.
I'm looking for advice on how best to approach the world of assisted personal finance & investing. I'm currently at ...
- 581
48
votes
1
answer
20k
views
Numbers in parentheses in financial statements?
In financial statements numbers are sometimes given with parentheses around them, while other numbers appear without parentheses. What does it mean if a number is enclosed by parentheses?
- 751
47
votes
9
answers
18k
views
I believe this to be fraud — hired, then asked to cash check and send cash as Bitcoin
I have been "hired" by Nissan Motor as a key account specialist.
My first assignment is to cash two checks that I have received. Both were written by a customer who has already received the engines. ...
- 427
47
votes
8
answers
14k
views
How do you invest in real estate without using money?
I saw some infomercial with Than Merrill, a businessman, which claimed that anyone can, and I quote, "Invest in real estate and reap big money -- even without using a penny of your own cash."
I know ...
- 481
47
votes
12
answers
44k
views
How much more than my mortgage should I charge for rent?
We're considering moving at some point in the future, and right now we have a mortgage on our home. So far we've been here about 3 years, and we're considering renting out our home.
Obviously there ...
- 1,159
47
votes
9
answers
18k
views
Am I a billionaire if a friend gives me $1000 for 0.0001% of my "company"?
If my friend gives me a thousand dollars for 0.0001% of my "company", am I technically a Billionaire now?
- 511
47
votes
6
answers
15k
views
How can someone profit from a horse as an investment?
A recent Forbes article states that you can invest in horses and livestock in an IRA.
you can also invest in the following:
- real estate
- farm land
- horses and livestock
- water ...
- 637
47
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Best way to make sure my son has an income after I have died
I have a son with special needs, he is autistic and has learning difficulties. It is unlikely he will ever have a 'normal' life or be able to financially support himself.
I am extremely worried of ...
- 623
47
votes
9
answers
261k
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 ...
- 3,753
46
votes
12
answers
37k
views
Is it legal if I'm managing my family's entire wealth?
My family (father, mother, and brother) have allowed me to invest their money in the stock market and other types of investments (real estate, bonds and mutual funds).
Is it legally okay to do all ...
- 663
46
votes
7
answers
12k
views
Is life insurance a financially sound safety net?
I'm the sole provider of a household of two - myself and my wife. I make enough to keep us both afloat, with a sizeable chunk of luxury on the side.
For practical numbers, I am a month away from ...
- 4,374
46
votes
4
answers
12k
views
Would using an expensive car as collateral for a small loan to get cheap parking work?
There's a rather old joke which is being told in many variations and my question would be whether events narrated could actually happen in real life. I'm not in the US so I don't know all the details ...
- 2,889
46
votes
7
answers
12k
views
Why would a bank need to accept deposits from private clients if it can just borrow from the Federal Reserve?
As far as I understand, all banks can borrow money from the Central Bank (Federal Reserve in the US) and the rates are (currently) extremely low (or even negative in some cases). If that is so, why ...
- 5,842
46
votes
4
answers
29k
views
Are ads on YouTube asking donations for sick children via drove.com a scam?
The past few weeks YouTube has been showing me advertising asking to make donations to help pay medical bills for sick children via a crowdfunding site called Drove.
However, the ads look very ...
- 471
46
votes
11
answers
14k
views
Is inflation a good or bad thing? Why do governments want some inflation?
Is inflation a good or bad thing? Why do governments want some inflation?
user454
46
votes
9
answers
11k
views
What do I need to do, tax-wise, for a sudden windfall?
I had stock options in a company which was recently sold to a private investment firm. As a result, my options were converted into a single large sum ( > $100,000) and delivered via wire transfer into ...
- 571
46
votes
7
answers
7k
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
46
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Is Elon Musk really exploiting a loophole to avoid taxes?
I've been loosely keeping up with some of the news about Elon Musk selling TSLA shares to pay for an upcoming tax bill (for exercising options from 2012). There is a lot of discussion surrounding this ...
- 561
46
votes
10
answers
5k
views
How do I explain why debt on debt is bad to my brother?
My brother has about 5 loans that he paying back and he thinks that another 5000 loan will "solve his problem".
He has been this way since he was young, he's now in his 30's.
I'm trying to find a ...
46
votes
3
answers
13k
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
46
votes
2
answers
26k
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 ...
- 775
46
votes
5
answers
12k
views
When to stop saving and start investing?
Since I started my first job after graduating a few years back, I always saved a certain percentage of my salary each month on an extra savings account my bank offers. At that time, and until recently,...
- 421
46
votes
4
answers
6k
views
To what extent is it worthwhile to report check fraud / refund scams?
I listed a car for sale on behalf of a 90 year old, and attracted scammers.
One has now sent me a "check" for $4000, for a $1500 car purchase. I'm supposed to deposit the check, then pay ...
- 2,530
45
votes
25
answers
24k
views
My parents claim they cannot pay for my college education; what are my options?
I have divorced parents, one makes a lot more money than the other, but that one (who makes more money) claims due to court rulings he pays a lot of money to the other parent and that they are wasting ...
- 595
45
votes
11
answers
13k
views
Should I take out a personal loan to pay off credit card debt?
My spouse and I have about 40K in credit card debt, in addition to a mortgage payment and student loans. We have been working hard to pay off this debt and have been moving in the right direction. ...
- 1,264
45
votes
10
answers
21k
views
I won USD 50K! Now what should I do with it?
I won a sweepstakes and will be getting USD 50k...it is verified that it is legitimate although no taxes have been taken out so I will have to claim this income on my taxes next year, they will send a ...
- 460
45
votes
8
answers
26k
views
Employer asking for online access to bank account - Is this a scam?
I just recently got a freelance job as a virtual assistant. The employer I have looks like a reputable person with his own agency and everything. I'm new to it, so he asked for my bank account number, ...
- 431
45
votes
11
answers
20k
views
Can I claim only part of the full amount of a check?
I received a long awaited check today (USA) written for $X. For complicated reasons (we had some dispute about how much was owed for what), I only want to accept $Y from this person for this service, ...
- 569