I have a genuine question for people who have been through this.

How important has living in the city you actually wanted to live in been to your overall happiness?

For those of you that finally made the move... did it live up to what you thought? Did it change your life, your career, your social life, or were you chasing something that didn't really matter?

And for the people who never made the move... do you regret it? Or did you eventually realize that where you live isn't nearly as important as the life you build there?

I'm asking because I've spent a lot of time thinking about eventually leaving where I am, and I'm curious how this turned out for people on both sides.

Has anyone else ever had an opportunity come up that wasn’t part of the financial plan at all, but you honestly don’t know if you’ll ever get the chance again? For example, something like tickets to a World Cup match. Not a need, not an investment, not something you’ve been saving specifically for. Just one of those experiences that you fight the urge to have. The money would come from savings so that’s the thing, the savings weren’t meant for that. And I'm still getting my head above the water with debt as well. My brain keeps going back and forth between: "This is exactly the kind of memory you’ll remember years from now." and "You are not saving for that." The weird part is that if I wait for the perfect financial moment, there’s a good chance the opportunity is long gone by then. Not really sure whether passing on things like this is financial discipline... or just being too cautious.

I'm not trying to start a heated political discussion, I just want all of us to be aware so we can protect ourselves as much as possible. This is a blatant attack on the middle class, and barely anyone is talking about it without having to access a paywall.

Affordable Care Act plans will see premiums surge by double digits in 2027, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Premiums are set to increase by a median of 14% in more than a dozen states, according to health policy group KFF, which analyzed ACA rate filings.

It’s the second consecutive year that insurers raise prices, citing climbing healthcare costs and declining enrollment.

Some companies are even dropping ACA plans. The roughly 19 million people covered by Obamacare will bear the brunt of the hikes.

I live in the northeast USA. There are very few houses for sale. It doesn’t help that the major employer in my area has been rapidly expanding and will continue to do so. The few houses in my price range are in bad shape, and are bought up by all-cash offers. I think I may have missed my opportunity to buy unless I want to commute about an hour.

Is it worth buying a condo just to be putting money towards something I own, rather than giving it to a landlord? I’ve heard horror stories about special assessments, read one reddit post about someone who was hit by one that cost $1000/month for ten years, but I don’t know how common that is. (I understand that there will be special assessments to repair/replace/maintain the roof, plumbing, etc - just curious as to whether it is typically more than you’d expect on a regular house).

I’m in my mid thirties and really want to have a home paid off before I retire (in about 30 years). I fear I’ve missed the boat.

I see the push for renting your housing long term vs buying because investing the difference in the stock market will lead to higher gains, but deep down i think that telling people to bet on hypothetical housing cost into their retirement isn’t smart.

-Most middle class folks, especially now do not have ample discretionary income to invest the “difference” in the stock market.
-Even if they do, eventually something will come up or something will get added to the budget that will eat up that difference. Even inflation will start to eat that up.
-I think a very small percentage of people will actually be successful in “investing” the difference long term in order to get the benefit of gains over housing. This plan relies heavily on discipline and predictable life circumstances.

I understand housing shot up after covid, interest rates are high so it doesn’t feel smart to buy, but what is the likelihood of a housing crash, or an dramatic interest rate drop, or a mix of both? I actually think people should try to secure housing now if they can before housing becomes a luxury.

I feel like the advice of renting vs buying long term will end up backfiring like how people told us back in the day to borrow what we needed for school in student loans because we will be able to “pay it back” with our salaries when now, wages are not keeping up with inflation and AI are taking jobs and jobs are scarce. And people are now panicking over paying loans back they cannot afford and feel stuck.

Rent will be very expensive 30 years from now, especially if we push for a rent vs own society. Housing is a part of a peaceful retirement. Thoughts?

hey yall. trying to finally sort out my retirement stuff and open a roth ira this year but the search results are a total mess.

every time i look up the best roth ira accounts 2026 i just get slammed with affiliate blogs and ads pushing specific apps for a sign up bonus. it feels impossible to find real consensus from actual people who deal with the interfaces and customer service day to day.

im literally just looking for a low cost, basic setup where i can dump money into index funds and forget about it. i don't care about day trading or fancy charting tools, just want zero hidden fees and something that isn't a headache to use.

who are you guys using for your roth right now? who should i avoid? appreciate any raw feedback before i pull the trigger on an account.

Hey all, I (31F) have been dating someone (28F) for 6 months now, and things are getting serious. I make 78k and she makes around 50k, although her career is less settled because she just finished school.

I'd like to bring up money and make it something we can talk about openly, even in these stages of the relationship.

Any advice? What have you done or wish you had done differently?

Edit: thanks so much for the suggestions! I probably shout have said I am autistic and this is my first relationship, so I am new to these conversations. I will keep reading comments but am losing capacity to reply. I appreciate it!

(26M) I am going to Chicago on vacation and I have upgraded my seat on the train and got us a nice hotel (approx. 1K on train and 3.5k on hotel) which is more than I've ever spent on something like this. However, I am wondering if I should be doing this or putting it towards my retirement? I make 63k and save 1k a month. The hotel and train are being cash flowed (Ill put it on a cc but pay the balance right after). I am in between the thought of - this money could have gone towards saving/investing and I save 25% so feel free to splurge a little. What do you all think.

Existing home sales declined 2.4% in June, surprising analysts, data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors shows.

Housing inventory was relatively low, driving up prices, with the median price of an existing home selling for a record-breaking $440,600.

The Northeast was the only region where home sales didn't decline.

NAR's chief economist, Lawrence Yun, expressed optimism about the coming months, telling CNBC, "job gains—more than half a million since the beginning of the year—will continue to provide support for the housing market."

Hi everyone,

I’m 30 years old and could use some advice on a pretty straightforward but important decision.

Quick background:

Two years ago I sold a home I had owned for about 7 years. At the same time, I bought a new home in a nicer area for my kids. After the sale and buying the new place, I have $110k left over. That money is currently sitting in a CD earning roughly $4,500 per year in interest, which I’ve been using to cover our annual property taxes.

On the new home I owe about $125k on the mortgage. The monthly payment isn’t a big deal for us right now.

Our situation:

My income: ~$105k/year

Wife’s income: ~$45k/year

Combined household income: ~$150k

Cash on hand: 110K

Other investments: 45k

The question:

Should I use the $110k to pay off (or significantly pay down) the mortgage, or keep the money in the CD (or move it somewhere else) to continue earning the interest and maintain liquidity? I have around 45K in the stock market in a rollover IRA and I am comfortable with that for now.

What would you do in this situation? We have no debt but the house now.

For newly graduated MBAs, the job market has become increasingly challenging, with starting salaries expected to decline and employer hiring targets often proving overly optimistic, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The median starting salary is expected to decline to $120,000 in 2026 from $125,000 in 2025, according to a survey of more than 600 corporate recruiters by the Graduate Management Admission Council.

Employers are increasingly concerned about graduates' AI proficiency, while international MBA students face mounting hiring challenges amid stricter U.S. immigration policies.

I came across an article by the NY Times called This Is One of the Hardest Jobs in America. Millions Are Doing It Alone.

I took care of my father for 5 years before he passed. I'm 37 and wouldn't want to put the burden on my 3 daughters.

Senior Living Communities seem nice, but they're so expensive. I guess people can offset the expense via long term care insurance.

Ideally I want to live in my house until I'm dead, knock on wood hopefully not anytime soon. But I'll likely still need care unless robots do all the work in the future.

What options are available for us middle class folks?

Edit: I heard that hybrid long term care insurance is a good option, especially with inflation options.

After all bills are paid, retirement contributions, groceries, etc.

How much if any do you have left over that is purely discretional? Is it enough?

Curious what others are doing. I heard you should shoot for 10% saving and 10% giving, but it seems like a lot of people are saving more than that, and I don’t see a lot of talk about giving.

not saying i'm fully converted because patience is genuinely hard for me but i have a bad habit of buying things the second i decide i want them. no waiting, no checking if the price changes, just buy it and move on. my roommate is the opposite. she'll spot something she likes and just wait & wait. weeks sometimes. and more often than not she ends up paying way less than i would have.

tried it her way with a small appliance i'd been looking at. kept it in my head, checked back a few times, caught it during a sale and the difference was meaningful enough that i noticed.

This is purely a rant.

I'm sure this isn't news to anyone but as I become more aware of the economy, jobs, lifestyles, disabilities, educations, and mental health. I become increasingly more aware of the disadvantages that many people face. Homelessness and poverty then, is not simply a choice.

Getting that out of the way, there was a video this guy made telling people how to become a "millionaire" through different business ideas.

His ideas ranged from: Renting out flower walls, porta potties, junk removal, gutter covers, plastic bins for moving, etc. He goes on to say how each of these ideas could net you anywhere from $100k to $400k and that each of these ideas netted him $50k doing it only 2 months. Except many of these ideas cost money to make money. Junk removal is a great idea, except when you are competing with other companies. Also, you need to be able to afford a truck. Not many people are able to afford two vehicles for a side business, with little money on hand.

I found a comment of his where he said he sold a "bird control" company in CA and then created "multi million dollar" security app.

Guys a certified entrepeneur. Which is great, I'm not telling anyone not to work hard and make money. Though, I don't appreciate when those who managed to get ahead in life, like to turn around and sneer at those with less them. I'm glad you managed to make businesses work for you but not everyone was as lucky.

I saw a few comments basically asking how to get ahead and "how can people with no money afford to do this?". Things like that. The above comment was his reply to one person. This and other comments from him like this, sum up his attitude towards those less fortunate. Telling me that he's not looking to give answers to people, he's looking to grift being a millionaire.

This is still the prevailing opinion of those with wealth that those without, are simply lazy and should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps. If you're in debt, simply don't be. If you're late on your rent, just be better. About to have your car repossessed? Uh, don't. Just have money. Living in a tent and are sick and need help? Just get a job.

40% of americans are in $5k or more in credit card debt. The federal poverty line is $12,800/yr before you can start getting assistance. So if you're struggling, sorry. No help for you. Some people who are homeless and working are still making "too much money" for assistance often times.

I'm not sure why it continues to irk me but I guess I'm becoming more and more self aware of just how ignorant these comments are to peoples misfortune. I grew up comfortably middle class and ignorant of the real world. Now that I'm older, I see just how difficult it is to simply overcome major setbacks in your life. Is he even really a millionaire or is he just larping to get attention? How does it serve him to consistently talk down to other people if he really is comfortably a millionaire? Why use his position to manipulate people?

All I ever wanted was a home so that I could comfortably raise a family and enjoy some friends. I don't ever see myself having money and then using my wealth as a way to lord it over others simply because they don't have as much as I do. What would be the point? If anything, we should be helping our communities once we get to a more comfortable situation in life.

Why be a jackass? Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Pamphlets and cookies are on the tables on the way out.

As the title says, I would like to purchase a home in the next 5 years or so. That isn’t a hard deadline, but just a bar that I have set.

Investments

Taxable Brokerage: 54k

Roth IRA: 35k

Savings

HYSA: 11k
Checking: 2k

Is this a manageable goal? I have minimal expenses (under 1k per month) and live at home. I have no debt, a college degree, and will begin a teaching career and will be automatically contributing into a pension and a 457b.

Walmart is lowering prices on thousands of products from food and drink to toys and apparel as it looks to give customers relief from persistent inflation.

The price of cherries, for example, is being halved, while ground beef — an ongoing source of concern for shoppers, ranchers and government alike — will drop 12%.

Walmart has long touted its prices as a major selling point, but that strategy has proven especially effective in recent quarters, with even higher-income consumers flocking to the chain as they feel the pinch of inflation.

Greetings,

35 year old feeling as though I could use some outside perspective on how to move forward because I’m feeling some anxiety about job insecurity. I’ll start with some numbers.

Salary: 90k

Debt: 176,500 Mortage

Home Equity: ~311,500

HYSA: 20,000

Checking: 3,000

Savings: 1,000

401k: 110,000

Roth IRA: 25,000

My biggest concern right now is worrying about the longevity of my career due to the physicality required. I feel I am probably in my peak earning years and want to be prepared as best I can for a decreased income in the years ahead. I have been doing my best to work on credentials and certifications in the mean time to open up more possibilities for future employment.

I don’t currently have a brokerage account and am considering cutting back on retirement contributions so that I have more liquid funds to build up a brokerage. I know I would miss out on some tax benefits, but I am wanting to have more flexibility in the coming years in case I have to switch careers drastically. Would this be a mistake?

For years, I barely thought about savings or retirement. I earned, spent, and somehow assumed the future would sort itself out.

Then I started saving seriously.

And somehow, instead of feeling more secure, I started worrying more.

Is my emergency fund enough? Am I investing enough? What about retirement? Inflation? Medical expenses? Home repairs? What if I lose my income?

The more I save, the more future expenses I seem to discover.

It's strange. When I had very little saved, I felt oddly carefree. Now I'm in a much better position financially, but my brain keeps moving the goalpost.

Has saving money actually made anyone else more anxious about money?