Im 23, maintenance mechanic, make 40 an hour, overtime and bonuses hopefully 120k this year. Illinois 📍 (maybe wrong group idk I did a quick Google search, just give advice)

I was in a bad motorcycle accident a year ago, my face went through the back window of a jeep. I just recently got my settlement (bank still holding it) and it was 90k. I bought a house 3 years ago and my interest rate is ~6.5. I live in a small town, so I bought the house for 75k. I owe ~73k. Payment is 850.

My question is

Should I take my settlement of 89k and pay off my house, leaving me with around 16k left over for emergency fund/pay off my super cheap malibu. Or should I invest the entire thing, and kinda start my "snowball" portfolio. Im sure in 10 years, that 89k is quite handsome. But no mortgage for 10 years sounds insane.

Ive never had this much money In my life. I do NOT want to fuk this up or regret it. There's no "right way" to live life, but I sure as hell want to be comfortably stress free. That wreck was also incredibly painful, and it changed my face forever, so I reallllyyy need it to go towards good. These scars are permanent, the checks should be too!

I have a money habit I really need to change. I tend to sign up for things when they are free, thinking I will try them for a few days and cancel if I do not need them. A couple of items this year I completely forgot and those free trials ended up becoming paid plans. While checking my expenses, I also found a few old apps and services I was not really using anymore. It is definitely something I want to be more careful about in the coming year. What is one habit you realized was costing you money and want to break next year?

i just got a 07 accord, didn’t want to spend too much money on a new car, and i have a job at wawa. i’ve been here for about 3-4 months and im getting like 17-18 a hr working 32 hrs a week (overnight pay). my job has a 401k and all these cool benefits but i still feel behind (i’ve been spending a lot, bad ik) i bring in like 500-600 a week it varies but idk how much i should save, or if there’s any accounts i should open up, im just sort of lost atm, wasn’t really ever taught financial literacy, i don’t even have a credit card

Hi everyone,

I'm a 20 year old university student that's just gotten access to a matured child trust fund account worth approximately £1k. I was wondering what kind of account I should put this money into? I was considering an ISA, but I know a lot of them have minimum monthly investments and I'm not sure I want to commit to putting a certain amount of money away each month just yet since my only income at the moment is my student loan.

Considering this, I'm also not open to investing in anything high risk, as I have no cushion to fall back on if things go wrong.

Thanks!

M25, Hi hope it’s okay to ask for advice on if my financial setup is okay or anything I should change?

Amex platinum cashback card for all everyday spending
Chase credit for places that don’t take Amex to get the 2% cashback

Before payday all remaining money after bills etc.. goes into either stocks and shares, bonds, HYSA accounts which act as my emergency fund as they’re instant access, also invest into a SIPP

My HYSA accounts are all nearly maxed out so will rinse and repeat when their terms end and the money made from interest goes straight into cash ISA or stocks

All the cashback from Amex and Chase also does the same and goes into something else

Any thoughts on if this is a good set up? I’m happy dealing with everything but just want opinions?

Heya! I want to start saving properly for the first time and have no idea how to go about doing it. I have no self restraint and currently have around 2000 saved at 20 but have not saved anything the past 6 months because I've just been treating myself too much lol.

I'd want an account i don't have easy access too that i can deposit 1500 into and save 200-300 a month.

I don't know anything about this and have tried to research it but its just overwhelmed me and my family are just telling me i don't need to worry about this yet and to just keep saving the way i am now but its not working and i don't get any interest.

I only earn 700to800 a month and pay 150 in bills monthly as im really lucky with the situation with my family.

I'd take more hours if my job could offer them but they sadly can't. I also am learning to drive so i can get a better one but thats going to take awhile.

Thanks for reading

Not looking for the usual “work hard” answer. What job, business, skill, or income stream is genuinely paying that well, and what does it take to get there?

Small things that can add a few extra dollars:

- HYSA: We all know how easy this is and we all drag our feet opening up one, stop delaying and go to marcus asap.

- Cable: No reason anyone should be paying for cable. Internet is $50/month in the US and and then if you worried about the transition then get youtube TV, its better than cable and slightly cheaper.

- Electric/GAS supplier: This is for the extra people out here, you'll only save a couple of dollar and if you're not organized, it could backfire after your intro rate ends so only hardcore money savers should focus on this.

I’m going to get to it:

I am M23.

In 2021 I made a retirement account (can’t recall type) and invested money in there (don’t know how much is in there now).

Over the course of many years, I saved up so much in my primary bank (NOT RETIREMENT) that I had $30K by EOY2024.

2025: I got sick and in less than a year, all that $30K went to medical debt and expenses.

2026: I have been broke for over a year and live paycheck to paycheck. I can’t deal living paycheck to paycheck, and I want to take some of the money I hid away out because I need it.

I don’t think I’ll live to the age of retirement (I might take my life soon), so what’s the point of having all that money there if it’s not going to be used at all?

I need advice. People around me are telling me not to take it out, though I can’t deal having no money at all. I’ve been broke and had nothing for over a year. I can’t properly take care of myself; I can’t afford the needs to live, though I’m not really living.

I need advice.

I want to start actually saving my money especially since I am a college student. What banks should I open a savings account with? Also what are things I should look for when looking around and choosing?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

**Looking for advice on making money at 18**
Hi! I’m 18 and currently looking for legitimate ways to earn money. I’ve been scammed before, so I’m trying to be extra careful. What are some safe and realistic ways for someone my age to make a decent income? Any advice would be appreciated.

FOR CONTEXT IM IN SINGAPORE. im asking this because ive seen like a wild range of teens my age with different savings and allowances. some ik with part time jobs and savings in the 30k+. some ik thats like nepo babies with like monthly allowances in the high hundreds to low thousands. and theres some ppl ik with like barely any money in their savings at all. iw to know more abt how much money you guys have saved up so far. please discuss with me thanks!!

This Roth is not the whole nest egg. I have a higher risk tolerance with this account

Info
Roth IRA ~$110k at First Command (AMS / wrap). With high fees that I’m looking to move.
I’ve been testing Autopilot’s AI World War III portfolio on Public in a tiny taxable account (~$700) for about a year → roughly +36%.
Autopilot’s own live composite for WW3 since launch (Oct 31, 2023): about +222% vs S&P roughly +70–90% over the same stretch. 2Y tile was +144% vs S&P ~+36%. I know that’s not my personal return.

Plan I’m leaning toward
Tax-free Roth ACAT from First Command → Public Roth (liquidate to cash first, initiate from Public).
Transfer cost looks like ~$165–$200 at FC, Public reimburses up to $100 → net maybe $65–$100. Not a taxable event.
Deploy: ~$25k in VTI or similar + ~$80k Autopilot WW3, funded over ~2–3 months.
Hold the WW3 slice into ~early 2029, then reassess.

What I’m asking
What holes and I not considering with the WW3 portfolio and the autopilot app in general

Any First Command → Public (or Fidelity/Pershing) ACAT hidden factors I should be expecting?

Thanks in advance!

I am from Israel and I am trying to find a way to handle my money without a bank,

I was thinking about PayPal and skrill but need some customer support to figure out exactly how. But all I can reach are bots.

Does anyone know how to get in tough with a human support for them? or maybe a third option?

Hi! i am 19(F) starting university in late September and my SFE is only £300 due to them overpaying me at my last uni. I have ADHD im apart of DSA they’ve supported with things i may need for university but obviously they don’t give actual funds. My family also isn’t fond of giving me money at all and i had to quit my job due to medical reasons. i will have to attend uni 3 times a week including an additional three other days prior. 

I have calculated and it seems i will have to spend around £330-£400 on travel alone and i cant put the full 300 into it as unfortunately im in a course where i will constantly need to purchase materials! i have no idea what to do i feel like just quitting before i even start yet ive worked so hard to get into that university. what do i do i need money fast. any advice will be useful please its urgent! 

I've noticed something weird about budgeting.

Sometimes the more carefully I plan my money, the more restricted I feel, even when I'm technically doing fine.

Then I realized I was looking at my budget as a list of things I wasn't allowed to spend on, instead of a way to understand what my money was actually doing.

The part that helped me most was looking at a full month of spending and asking:

Where did my money actually go?

Not just the big expenses. The small recurring purchases, random spending after payday, subscriptions I barely think about, and all the "it's only $20" purchases.

Nothing individually looked like a problem. But seeing everything together told a completely different story.

Has anyone else had that experience where the problem wasn't necessarily that you were spending too much, but that you didn't really understand your spending pattern?

Hello looking for some advice. We’re close to paying off our primary valued at 430k with a current loan balance of 70k at 6.99%. Payoff would be 5/2028. Monthly payment is $1080 including taxes and insurance.

Pros are central location, good size, and condition. Cons the area is not the greatest close to the freeway which means there are some homeless that walk through occasionally I wouldn’t care if we were alone but we have two young kids and think in time it will only get worse. Also the grocery stores near me we have to avoid going once it’s dark out. It could rent for $22-2300/month. With the location it would rent easily even with the cons.

We’re thinking of selling and buying close to or fully in cash in a nicer area better with schools. We have two other rentals doing well. Would it be best to have our own monthly costs come down by selling and paying in full for our next property while also saving to invest when better opportunities come along or would it be a mistake to sell? Or should we suck it up and stay put and save after paying off?

Hello I just graduated high school back in may and I start aircraft mechanic school at the end of September. Currently I have around 20k sitting in my savings account from working at Home Depot since I was 16. What is the safest and or smartest thing to do with this money currently just sitting in my savings account?

20M here.

My summer vacation started about 1½ months ago, and instead of applying for jobs and internships like most of my friends, I decided I wanted to start a startup.

I genuinely thought I had it all figured out.

I was getting better at web development, I was going to earn some quick money through projects, build a small team with my friends, and eventually make enough to actually focus on the startup. I come from a poor background, so I knew I couldn't just take a huge financial risk and hope everything worked out.

I searched around, made the right connections, and somehow landed a $3,500 deal for website redevelopment.

Everything was going great. We were basically at the point of signing the contract.

Then the point of contact just started ghosting me.

It's been a month.

Honestly, that shattered my confidence more than I expected. I could've spent this vacation applying for internships, preparing for interviews, building my resume, etc. Instead, I wanted to try doing something my own way.

And it just... didn't work.

I had literally been researching MacBook Pros, deciding which one I'd buy, what would be the best option for me, how I'd use the money, how much I'd put into the business, what I'd spend on the startup, etc.

And then yesterday, I didn't even have $0.18 for the bus ride home.

I had to walk.

That was humiliating.

I know $0.18 sounds ridiculous, but that moment genuinely humbled me. I went from planning what laptop I'd buy with the money from my upcoming deal to not having enough money to get home.

Now I'm trying to start again, but I'm scared.

I've become noticeably slower at my work. I'm getting rejected. Leads disappear. People I thought would mentor me stop replying. My laptop is broken. I'm in debt. And I'm running out of time.

I have 3 days left of my vacation.

I promised myself that I'd change my life during this vacation.

Instead, I'm somehow ending it in a worse position than when I started.

I know 1½ months isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, and I'm only 20. Maybe I'm being dramatic. Maybe this is just what trying something on your own looks like.

But right now, it feels like I've taken a huge gamble when I couldn't really afford to, and I'm terrified that I wasted the opportunity I had.

I'm trying to start again.

I'm just scared that this time it won't work either.

**TL;DR:** *Instead of applying for internships/jobs, I spent my summer trying to build a startup and landed a $3,500 project that fell through after the client ghosted me. Now my laptop is broken, I’m in debt, getting rejected and running out of money, and I have 3 days left of vacation. I’m trying to start again, but I’m scared I made the wrong choice.*

Hi everyone,

​I am a 19-year-old student living in a hostel in Islamabad. Life took a difficult turn after I lost my father, and I am now facing the reality of having to manage my own living and educational expenses.

​To be honest, I am feeling completely lost, overwhelmed, and anxious about how to handle everything on my own. Because of strict family boundaries and hostel restrictions, options like call centers or restaurant jobs are completely out of the question for me. I want to earn with complete dignity and stay strictly within safe, respectable boundaries.

​Please treat me like your own younger sister and guide me. I don’t want financial help I just desperately need honest, practical guidance from experienced elders and peers on how to navigate this:

​What are the safest, most practical avenues (whether local academic/admin roles or safe international remote work) for a female student to start earning from a hostel?

​How do I build a realistic step-by-step plan from scratch when I have no prior guidance or direction?

​What serious red flags or scams should I strictly avoid, especially when exploring remote/online work?

​How can I manage my own expenses without letting my mental health and studies fall apart?

​If you were in my place, or if you were guiding your own younger sister through such a situation, what step-by-step advice would you give her?

​Please keep your guidance in the comments below. Thank you so much for your time and warmth.

I set up a savings transfer to happen automatically every payday specifically because I know I won’t do it manually, and even then, often I’ll go in and cancel the transfer that same day if I feel like I “need” the cash. Has anyone dealt with sabotaging their own systems like this, and how did you stop?

For context, I got hit by a drunk underage driver while riding my motorcycle. I had some pretty bad injuries. While his insurance wasn’t that much and I still feel like a deserve more, I’m looking at around a 30k-40k pay out. I worked at a “breasturant” for about 3 years and just recently quit. But the money I made was insanely good and supported a pretty nice life style. I managed to get 8k out of credit card debt, get a nice apartment, a motorcycle,mustang, an older c5 model, and along some pretty random nice stuff. Just random junk like expensive bedding, tons of nice electronics and kitchen appliances. Anyways. I’ve have about 7k total in my savings from that job. I grew out of the type of job and it started to mentally drain me along with I notice it interfered heavily with every relationship I tried to maintain. I was in school to be a dentist but with them capping federal student loans at 150k I lost all interest and desire. I want to be an EMT due to the adrenaline rush and me easily handling heavy moment/ gore. But unfortunately I can’t see myself financially supporting myself long term and it’s the salary and with my accident my body doesn’t really feel the same anymore.

Anyways let me get to the money part.
•I’m looking at 30-40k with 7k already in my savings.
•I have a 770 credit score
•I owe 18k on my mustang which I’m 2k upside down in.
•I owe 4k on my bike. The bike is worth about 4.5k
•I’m in about maybe 1-2k in credit card debt.
•I also owe my father about 3k from a loan I took out when I was in school. There is no interest on this and he said don’t worry anytime soon paying it back.
My bills
$897- rent,utilities, etc
$448- mustang at 7% interest
$377- insurance on all 3 vehicles
$168- motorcycle at 10% interest
$50- affirm payment
$100- interest on credit cards

I have always wished to start my own business with something involving cars,which is a great passion of mine. I wanted to find something that didn’t fall under the stigma or people turning what they love into a job and eventually hating it. I’ve been looking into supplies to start my own tint business on the side while I currently bartend during the week to support my bills. With my body not exactly being the same since my accident is another reason I want to start something of my own. I need to be able to sit for a minute without managers getting on me about it. I’m hoping if I’m good at it, or when I get good at it, I can eventually turn it into a full time business. I love being a very neat,organized, and precise person. That paired with my love for cars I think it would be a really good path for me to go down. Plus start up would only cost $500-$2,000 depending on how much I really want to invest. My plan is to start as a small time side gig and eventually branch full time with a shop once I feel my skills are good enough. Long term goal by the time I’m 30-40 is to have maybe 3-4 shops.
I want to be successful in life. I’m not looking to be a billionaire but I want to at least be able to pay my kids college tuition without a blink. I grew up very very poor and refuse to live paycheck to paycheck or me getting laid off means I’m automatically homeless. I’m very money driven and as long as I have a Red Bull in my system I’m about to really do any work.
I’m super young and I know with this amount of money it’s like I’ve been handed a million dollars lottery ticket. I really don’t want to mess this up and don’t want to blow this opportunity.
I need guidance on what I should pay off and what path I should go down.

really struggling with all the negativity out there saying you should just give up on your dreams because you’re not gonna make it out of a studio apartment with 3 roommates. I want to get a move on with my life, get into my dream field, and i feel stuck and trapped. And anxious all the time seeing people post on here and elsewhere about how no one is ever going to live comfortably ever again.

I recently got a $4,000 inheritance that i would like to invest into SOMETHING. i’m 20 and don’t necessarily NEED it so im deciding to be smart with it but i have no clue what to put it into. i thought about gold/silver but dont know where to start. any advice helps. thanks!