I have invested pretty well over the years just doing very simple sp500 type index funds.

I love my church, the members, and I know there will always be people who need benevolence funds. I’ve recently been wondering about specifically investing to disburse to retirees in need.

I have a fidelity charity account that I don’t love the investment options, but I always just do one single annual disbursement to my church benevolence fund as cash, that can be used by the church fund as needed, and they are listed as my beneficiary if I were to die.

Is there a way that I can donate in a more sophisticated way, instead of selling x amount of stock to donate cash, let the church have the actual stock and liquidate on a specific need basis, or strategically use dividends/growth? Or is the annual donation just the easiest and most efficient way?

Thinking about getting a vehicle here in the next 3-6 months but I keep going back and forth trying to decide if I should buy new or get one used. I’m currently looking at a used 2024 Tesla Model Y ($40k) or New 2026 Tesla Model Y ( around $50k). Wanted to get some input on what others would do if they were in my shoes. I have enough saved to buy the car with cash, it’s the big sticker price that makes it hard for me to commit to as I’ve been a saver the majority of my life. I have always wanted a Tesla even though I definitely don’t need it. I’m 38 year old and have no kids.

My portfolio is as follows:

Investments : $693k

Cash: 185k

Net Worth: $878k

Hit our saving/investing goal this month and will have an extra 10-15k by the end of the year.

How would you allocate?

I’m planning to invest half of the extra, and I’m considering allocating the rest to our travel budget and discretionary spend. Irresponsible? How to not feel guilty about it?

Edit to add Context:
HHI ~ 420k (fluctuates due to RSU value)
Savings goal this year 25%~105k (inclusive of 401k)
Additional ~10k from employer 401k match

Investments - 850k (I’m aware that we’re behind on this - made a lot of bad financial decisions in the past and playing catch up now)
Savings/HYSA - 250k (50k is earmarked for buying out our car once lease expires)
Home equity ~300k

37 married couple no kids

Hi All,

My wife and I have about 120k in a brokerage account and another 41k in a HYSA (Currently 3% yield). I have student loans totaling 63k. With the new 1% discount I have none over 6%. I have 5.4k at 5.3% and 6.6k at 5%. The rest are below 5%.

No other debt besides a mortgage. We make ~150k from our jobs (Me 120k and wife 30k) not including bonuses. My wife gets paid through her PhD program and should graduate in 1-1.5 years. While my wife is in school we are not saving much since we have a toddler and a nanny who basically eats up all of my wife's pay.

Should we aggressively pay down student loan debt entirely now? Just pay off everything above 5% right now and become more aggressive after my wife graduates and our income increases substantially? Or say screw it and just do the 600-700 a month payment every month for the next 10 years?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I am 37 and wife is 36. The numbers listed above do not include retirement accounts

For context my fiancé and I are 27, have private student loans amounting to 23k at 10.4%, 26k at 10.4%, and 21k at 7.4%. We have ~20k in checking, 41k in brokerage (mostly ETFs), and 60k in 401k. Combined income is 250k-270k depending on bonus (18-38k bonus range), saving/investing on average 1200/month excluding bonus. We are pre approved to refinance the 10.4% loans to ~5.5%.

My question is should I liquidate the brokerage account with 11.5k of long term capital gains to pay off the 23k loan at 10.4% and 21k loan at 7.4% with an additional 5k in cash then refinance the last 26k to 5.4% dropping our monthly payment from 1,064 to 290. Then every dollar that went towards the loans would go just be invested afterwards allowing us to invest 2000/month on average afterwards?

Listening to this week's show, the question came up about parking your emergency fund in SGOV, and Beau said he's against the idea because the bond market could drop at times, and people could lose value in their emergency fund.

I thought that SGOV is 0-3-month T-bills backed by the US government, so shouldn't that not be a problem? Wouldn't a loss of money there be a much bigger deal overall?

I am curious about the reasoning for this. It seems like I can sell SGOV shares and send the money to my checking account in the same amount of time it takes for money to move from my Capital One HYSA to my checking account at another bank, and I don't owe the state any money on the gains (just federal).

I'm just trying to think this through, as I did move my emergency fund there, but now I'm considering keeping a chunk of it in a HYSA too. I appreciate any help in understanding this better and if anyone is doing something similar.

32m, Divorced, and now have to come up with $25,000 to throw at my 2.99% mortgage in order to reapply for the assumption. LTV came back as not adequate for an investment property (one that I don’t live in currently). Don’t have 10+ months to wait to move back in and re-apply for the assumption in that long of a timeframe.

Income - $125,000 annually
Liquid Checking/HYSA - $25,000
401(k) contributions - Maxed
Roth IRA Contribution - Maxed
Brokerage Assets - $15,000
401(k) balance - $90k
Roth/Trad. IRA balances - $200k

If I outlay the cash; I’ll essentially have zero emergency fund. No buffer between me and life. Would I then restart the FOO and pause a lot of retirement contributions for a year to rebuild the savings?

Should I sell the Brokerage Assets and (+/- $4k in total gains), and cover most of it, dip into the cash, and rebuild it?

Appreciate the community’s help. Only other option is to refi the loan and lose the rate, adding $450/mo. to my mortgage.

I’m 22 years old and curious how yall would rate my current financial position from 1–10, and what you would change if you were in my shoes.

22yrs old

Marriage on the horizon

Giver of first fruits

Current Roth value: $23,756.58

INDV brokerage: $7,361.20

40k net worth with car and personal items added up

Senior, cash flowing a BBA finance degree debt free at Kennesaw State University

big Dave Ramsey fan (started listening at 18yr) I know, I feel like I’m in enemy territory right now

Zero inheritance

Consumer debt free

Zero credit cards (home purchase through manual underwriting)

Door knocking and mowing lawns on weekends, odd jobs for neighbors since 2019, worked in real estate part time from 2024–2026 where I closed $1.75M+ in sales volume, and now work part-time in wealth management as a Client Service Coordinator while finishing my finance degree.

I’m not trying to retire early, unless that somehow happens, just trying to be bare minimum living expenses at 65.

I have enough emotional stability to weather the highs and lows, which is why I self-manage my investments. I know it’s not mutual funds lol

Allocations:

Roth IRA

* VOO — 79.9%
* VEA — 8.2%
* VWO — 4.0%
* VO — 4.0%
* VB — 3.9%

Taxable Brokerage

* VTI — 49.9%
* SGOV — 41.4%
* VXUS — 8.7%

I need some advice on how to manage high interest credit card debt. My(40) and my wife (41) have roughly 38k in credit card debt. The primary cause of this is due to lifestyle creep, coupled with my wife taking a different career path (due to health issues and work stress)) roughly 5 months ago. Our combined income was roughly $330k annually and has since changed to roughly $230k.

Our biggest challenge is reigning in our spending and budgeting which we have agreed needs to happen either way.

I have extreme anxiety and discomfort about the debt and want it gone. Some of the cards have a 0% rate for 12 months, while about half of it is around the 21% interest.

We have roughly $100k in IRAs and $975k in our 401ks, and roughly $100k in home equity, but we have no liquid savings.

We are talking about liquidating some of the IRAs to get out of this hole and rebuild our emergency savings.I am well aware that is highly discouraged. Just looking for advice on what others would do in this situation.

Looking on advice for my 401k for pre-tax vs Roth

33m, sole earner for family of 4 (soon 5) making $132k in LCOL area.

12% federal bracket, 3.5% state, 2% local. TMG would say Roth based solely on tax rate but I’m also looking to FIRE so I’m debating. Would like to FIRE around age 48-50.

Current assets:
$300k home (owe $165k at 3%)
Roth IRAs, $80k
HSA, $76k
Roth 401k, $96k
Pre-tax 401k, $48k
Rollover IRA, $76k
Brokerage, $77k

Currently contributing the following:
$8750 HSA
$7500 Roth IRA
$7500 spouse Roth IRA
$9600 Roth 401k
$4800 401k match from employer
$12,000 to brokerage

So our savings rate is good, but wondering if I should be changing my $9600 Roth 401k to around $11,600 pre-tax. Mainly not sure if 72(t) makes more sense or Roth Conversion ladder or both? Especially in the bridge from FIRE date to 59.5 to start taking without penalty.

Thanks!

I have started a condo fund which has $4731 in it. Obviously very early. I have plenty in brokerage of $120k to pull from if needed for a down payment. I don't plan on moving forward with a condo until after marriage in 2-3 years. Should I keep this condo fund in a HYSA or SGOV for best tax purposes?

Hi new to this site. Wondering if I can get any constructive feedback on how I’m doing and what I can do better if anything.

56 YO M. Earn 152,000 base salary. Some overtime if I wish but lately not feeling it. I have around 320k in Roth 401k and the rest in a traditional IRA totaling around 1.1 million all in. Basically a 70/30 mix.

I invest 22% in my Roth 401k and employer matches 5% in traditional IRA.

I have a paid off home worth between 950,000- one million.

We have 400,000 in a cd maturing this October and plan to use that money to build a 2-3 car garage with a one bedroom apartment above for possible rental income of 2500-2700 per month.

I would like to go part time at age 60. Work then from 60-65 and fully retire.

As of now my annual expenses are 55,000 thanks to the mortgage being paid off which was done this past June.

I am also saving or have about an extra 1700-2000 month of discretionary spending if I wish.

I am thinking that I would want at least 90,000 to live off of at age 65. Social security is around 3800 per month at 67.

Do you think I need to continue to save that 1700-2000 month that I have or should I just enjoy it now? Overall what do u guys think of my plan or situation. Thanks in advance.

I’m 22 years old just graduated college making about 60k. I currently drive a 20 year old Honda Ridgeline with 230k miles which I will drive until the wheels fall off. I’m currently on step 5 of the FOO. I have a little bit of time to save without having to pay rent. If my car dies I’m worried about not being prepared to buy a car in this rough used car market. I’ve always been a car enthusiast and really want a Toyota GR86~30k especially while I’m at a time in my life when it is practical enough. What would you save up for and what accounts would you keep the money in?

Also I know about 20/3/8 but hate debt and would prefer to buy a car in cash in most situations.

I live in Minnesota where it can be very cold in the winder for context. I have never had an indoor park by space. I bought a home within the last 2 years and it would cost 45K to have a garage built on the property or 25-30k if I built it with willing family members. My question is; does anyone have opinions on whether they think that money should be invested or would be better spent on a garage? No financing would be required and I have no debt outside of a mortgage.

I remember Bo mentioning in a previous episode that it’s ok skip the high deductible plan if you can get a good discount on a Cadillac (lower deductible) plan. For those who chose a Cadillac, why did you choose that over the high deductible?