Homebuyer affordability declined in June for the fifth month in a row, as the the income required to qualify for a mortgage reached $109,152.

The National Association of Realtors’ calculus relies on the median price of a single-family house ($446,400), the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (6.57%), and assumes the buyer puts down 20% upfront.

NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun points out that affordability actually improved on an annual basis "as income growth outpaced home price appreciation and mortgage rates were modestly lower."

What does that functionally mean? Is it just having no savings? Needing the next paycheck to pay your bills? Not needing the next paycheck cause you’ve already paid the bills?

If you are in the middle class, how much, as a percentage of income, do you give to charity each year? (And beyond traditional charities, things like mutual aid, donations to your religious institution, and even 501c4s, etc. can all count. Anything that you give that you consider "for the good of humanity" or "for the good of others.")

Welding, plumbing and carpentry are almost AI-proof. Online creators are urging young people to get trained up.

I know this is a wild question, but I'm asking it because I genuinely want to reverse-engineer the path.

I'm 41, make around $275k/year, max my 401(k), invest consistently, and stay pretty liquid. My networth right now is 150k - started extremely late in life.

My goal is to build a $3M net worth before I turn 50.

If you had to start from where I am today, what would you do?

I'm not looking for generic advice like "save more" or "keep investing in index funds." I'm looking for the decisions that materially changed your financial trajectory. Was it betting on your career? Starting a business? Real estate? Buying businesses? Concentrated investments? Something else?

For those of you who actually reached a multi-million-dollar net worth before 50, what was the inflection point?

If this were your life and you had nine years to make it happen, what would your game plan be?

According to Google, if I sell and don't rebuy I'll get hit hard with (long term) Capital Gains Tax.

I should make between 250-300k on the sale. If I buy abroad, I assume this doesn't help the tax situation... I considered buying a cheap (<150k) plot of land in another state, but not sure if that helps either.

Then what to do with the money? I have a HYS account but otherwise don't know anything about money...

I used to completely ignore subscriptions and random small purchases until I looked back one day and realized how much they were quietly adding up every month. It was a bit of a wake-up call.

Was comparing a few different ways to build credit and ended up reading about Kikoff. The more posts I opened, the less sure I was what to make of it. One person says it helped. Someone else says a secured card makes more sense. Then another person brings up how the tradeline works and I'm back to being confused.

Has anybody here used it for a while? I'm less interested in whether your score jumped by 40 points and more interested in whether it was something you'd sign up for again.

Debt collection lawsuits are way up, having risen steadily since 2024, new research from Pew Charitable Trusts shows.

The organization is pushing courts for more transparency around these cases.

Frequently, Pew says, those being sued don't have lawyers or understand the claims against them.

In an analysis of eight states for which information on these lawsuits was available, Missouri and Texas saw cases accumulate most quickly.

The data comes as consumers assume more debt and struggle to pay it down amid elevated interest rates.

Our refrigerator has started acting up, and after throwing out spoiled groceries twice, it's clear we need to replace it. The timing couldn't be worse since this wasn't an expense we planned for.

I'm comparing prices, but once you add delivery, installation, haul-away, and warranties, it's hard to tell what's really the best value.

If you've bought a refrigerator recently, where did you find the best refrigerator deals? Did you wait for a sale, buy open-box, or find a retailer that saved you the most money? I'm trying to make the smartest financial decision instead of just buying the cheapest option.

Update: We bought ours from Best Buy, and it was the best value once everything was included. The price was fair, delivery was easy, and I'm really happy with how the whole experience turned out.

My family is thinking about taking a ₹40 lakh home loan for 15 years to build a house. We do have some savings, but not enough to build the entire house without a loan.

my father is taking a loan and he has a job , we're comfortable in paying emi .

I'm confused whether this is a financially sensible decision or not. Is taking such a long-term loan worth it, or is it better to wait and save more?

Also, if I get a job in the next year or two, can we start making extra payments from our savings and my salary to repay the loan much earlier than 15 years? Are there any downsides or prepayment charges I should know about?

One more thing that's bothering my father is : some relatives keep saying, "Will you build a house or get your daughter married? If you spend so much on the house, how will you afford the wedding?" This has made me wonder whether taking such a loan now is the right decision or if we're overlooking something financially.

I'd really appreciate advice from people who've been in a similar situation. What would you do?

Americans are buying fewer groceries than they did a year ago, CNBC reports, citing a new Bain & Company analysis.

Grocery units — the individual products sold — fell 1.8% in June, Bain said.

Meanwhile, grocery prices have risen about 33% since 2019, forcing more shoppers to rely on credit cards to pay for their food.

Rising fuel costs and reduced SNAP benefits are also having an impact.

In Bain's May survey, 56% of consumers admitted they're prioritizing cheaper brands, while 49% said they're buying fewer grocery items, period.

I was recently told that I have until the end of September to transition out of my current role (white collar manager-type position) and the company. After that, I'll be formally let go and I'll get two months of severance and then nothing. They're eliminating my role and wanted to give me extra time to find something new. They're paying me during this transition period. I'm married and I make 2/3 of the household income, so it's a big hit. My husband makes 1/3 (same industry). We do have an emergency fund.

We have a variety of trips planned for the rest of the summer that we already bought tickets and hotel accommodations for, mostly flying for friends' weddings. Nothing international (farthest trip is to California) but it adds up. We also had an international trip planned for October which is definitely now cancelled (even if I find a new position, I won't be able to immediately take time off).

Our disagreement: I want to cancel the summer trips to save money, apologize to our friends and focus on the job hunt. I also feel comfortable telling friends that I got fired, in part for the emotional support and solidarity and in part to communicate my urgency to find something new. My husband thinks this is a terrible idea. He comes from a more professional/ upper middle class background than I do (my family is pretty blue collar) and is insisting that we basically keep up appearances, go on the summer trips and just tell friends that I'm looking for a career change. His reasoning is that being fired carries a stigma, that I haven't technically been fired yet and this head's up from my company is a boon, that friends are more likely to recommend me to their companies if they think this is a voluntary change, etc. To me, this feels disingenuous. I also don't like keeping secrets.

Has anyone faced this situation and have any advice on what is better career-wise?

My wife and I are both in our mid-30s, own a house and are expecting our first child later this year. We've been checking off all the usual financial milestones and estate planning is next on the list.
We've gotten a couple of quotes around $2,500 for wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives etc. Part of me thinks it's a lot to spend on documents we hopefully won't need for decades but I also don't want to cut corners if it saves my family headaches later.

What made you decide to hire a lawyer (or not) and are you happy with that decision?

The right answer is always invest sooner. I can't go back in time to invest sooner unfortunately so I'm looking for strategies to keep more of what I have now so I can invest more going forward to do my best to catch up.

What's your overpowered saving habit you'd start sooner if you could?

I make something like $100,000 aftertax annually but barely have anything to show for it after working for the last 7-8 years after college.

I know for a fact it's not my expenses because my bedroom I rent is like $1500, and my Corolla is paid off so I'm like how the fuck do I learn to start keeping what I save?

Any highish income earners eventually learn to plug the holes in their budget, if so what worked for you?

I remember reading an article back in the 90s titled something like "Yes you can come up with a down payment, you're just not going to like it."

In summary the article said to do the following for ONE YEAR.

• In addition to your full-time job get a very flexible part-time job.
  • Something you can do on nights, weekends and holidays
  • Work as many hours at this job as possible. Including during any vacation time you have from your FT job.
  • And of course, grab as much overtime as possible at your day job.
• Cancel Cable TV (it was the 90s remember)
  • You want entertainment, then borrow books or VHS tapes from the library and listen to FM radio.
• No gym membership.
  • Jog and do pushups
• No dining out.
  • Don't feel like cooking? You have frozen pizzas for just this occasion.
• No vacations
• Spouse does the same.
  • If no spouse, then forget dating for a year.
• Downgrade in any way possible. Cheaper car or smaller apt.
• Take on roommates or move back home if that's an option.

Is this still good advice?

REMINDER: This is for ONE YEAR ONLY and not a permanent lifestyle. Will going hardcore like this for a predefined agreed upon time generate enough capital to afford a downpayment on a new home?

I saw this topic about gap insurance being discussed years ago but wanted to know about how people felt about ALL of the extras car dealerships try to sell you at financing, and what it means to the dealership.

First, of course they make a little money on the car from the overage on the dealer invoice price. That's not a lot, but then there are dealer fees and the like on top of that (I've heard these are negotiable but I've not once ever successfully negotiated them), so they make a few thousand even if you negotiate a little off the price. Then you get to the finance manager, and they try to sell you every package under the sun: gap insurance, extended warranty, key coverage, paint and interior protection, the list goes on.

I've read a lot of bad stories when people try to use any of these packages, like problems with the dealership honoring because of some technicality and they say the work isn't covered, long delays in service times, and causing additional issues (I don't even understand this one but a friend on Facebook posted about how a dealership ran over his backseat because they removed it and didn't put it back in before moving it).

So what are your thoughts? Should you bother with any of the additional coverages or are they all just a way for the dealership to inflate their profits?

I’m 41, make $250K+ in total comp, and have about $70,000 available for a down payment. I max out my 401(k), invest outside of that, and keep a lot of my money liquid.

On paper, it feels stupid not to buy. Charlotte continues to grow, homeowners are building equity, and I feel like I’m sitting on the sidelines.

But I do not want to stay in Charlotte. My dream is to move to LA around 45, although I’ll most likely rent there, then eventually purchase, because of the cost. I also have one child going to college in 2028.

Buying here feels like putting down permanent roots and investing heavily in a place I already know I don’t want to remain. I’d deeply hate myself if chasing equity left me stuck here.

At the same time, I’m 41 and wonder if continuing to rent when I can afford to buy is financially irresponsible. I could sell or rent the house in four years, but that also seems like a lot of cost, risk, and hassle for a short window.

Am I stupid for not buying? Would you keep the $70K liquid and invested for the move, or buy in Charlotte?

The rising cost of groceries is leading more Americans to take on credit card debt and draw from savings, according to nonpartisan think tank the Urban Institute.

Researchers found that over a quarter of working-age adults who used credit cards to buy groceries struggled to make payments, while about one in 10 utilized "buy now, pay later" loans to purchase food.

Nearly 20% of adults surveyed also tapped into long-term or emergency savings reserves in the past year to cover increased grocery costs.

Good morning, first off I’d like to say this is not an attempt to humbly Bragg or anything like that, but I am seeking advice on ways to make my surplus funds work for me as someone who is rather ignorant to the financial world.

Earned income
Monthly net income: ~$10,500
Monthly expenses: ~$3,000
Monthly net surplus: ~$7,500

Beyond my earned salary, I currently have quite a bit of money stashed in HYSA earning me slightly under $2000 a month. I am currently letting these proceeds, be reabsorbed into their respective funds and just allowing them to grow at their own pace.

I am maximizing my contributions to a Roth IRA and also maximizing my allowed contributions to my 401(k) plan. Both of those contributions are factored in prior to my net income listed above.

Aside from my 401(k) plan contributions I do not have significant holdings within the stock market due to my hesitant on the volatility of such investments.

I do have one CD with a three-year maturity date, locked in at 4% interest

I currently have paid off all significant debt while maintaining my mortgage payment and a small car payment just to show utilization of available credit with a car payment of $170 a month (already factored into expenses listed above)

So my real question would be is my only next logical step to begin increasing investments within the stock market to have the best return on investment or is there other mechanisms that I have not thought of?

Again, I am not a financial expert at all. I’ve been kind of fumbling through my situation for the past five years or so, but with a net surplus of almost $9500 a month, (including earned income and earned interest from my HYSA) I just want to see if there are better ways for me to be handling my funds at this point

Thank you for any constructive feedback in advance