[ SECRET POST #4167 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4167 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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[this was submitted as text with this image, just screenshotted it but please put the text on the image next time!]


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04. [SPOILERS for Travelers]



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05. [SPOILERS for Black Panther]



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06. [WARNING for possible discussion of rape]
















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #596.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Advice!

[(Anonymous)]

Ask it!

Re: Advice!

[kaijinscendre]

I am finally eligible for my 401K. My company matches 3% so I was going to out 7% of my check towards my 401k. But my sister said I should put 5% in 401k and 5% of my check into my savings account. Thoughts? I am 29 years old.

I also just had the company (Fidelity) pick what investments based on when I want to retire because I don't understand that stuff.

Re: Advice!

[(Anonymous)]

Definitely prioritize savings at your age. Aim for half a year's salary in savings.

Re: Advice!

[kaijinscendre]

Savings as in my Savings account?

Re: Advice!

[(Anonymous)]

Right.

Re: Advice!

[shortysc22]

Definitely listen to your sister. This is again based on what you can afford of course. Save, save, save.

After you've saved up 6 months worth of living expenses, then look into opening a Roth IRA. This is post tax dollars, so you don't get taxed when you withdraw when you retire.

I try to balance and I put 10% into my 401K, $5500 into my Roth (the max you can under 55, I believe) and I probably save about 10% annually, give or take each year.

Re: Advice!

[kaijinscendre]

I've got like $4000 in my Checking account and $1000 in my Savings right now. So I will switch some over. And start adding more.

Re: Advice!

[shortysc22]

The other thing to look into is the vesting schedule of your 401k policy. What this means is that your company will match a certain percentage but you don't get this full percentage until you've been with the company a certain number of years.

When I switched jobs, it was a nightmare trying to figure out how long I had worked there (I was part time at first and transitioned to full time) and how much I was vested. Then trying to transfer the money out of the company's 401K into a traditional IRA that I control (the company wasn't going to pay the expenses if I wasn't working there)

Basically, balance everything but stick with what you can afford. And save. Always have a good savings. Look around at different banking options.

Re: Advice!

[(Anonymous)]

Noooo. Six months in savings, 401k up to the match. Then Roth IRA. Ignoring the match is losing free money.

Re: Advice!

[(Anonymous)]

1. 3% in your 401k, up to the match but no more than the match. Make sure to do this. It's free money every month and nowhere else will you get a guaranteed 100% return.

2. With the rest, build up a savings account that you can live on for 3-6 months.

3. Put the rest in a Roth IRA up to the annual maximum.

4. If you manage to max out the Roth IRA, put more in the 401k.

Re: Advice!

[(Anonymous)]

Also helpful wikis for OP:
https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/

Flowchart: https://i.imgur.com/lSoUQr2.png

Re: Advice!

[kaijinscendre]

A Roth IRA is a separate thing that I will need to set up with a company? I can't even figure out what the hell kind of plan I have on the Fidelity website. This is all very frustrating.

Good resources for figuring out taxes, SS, etc.

[philstar22]

Since I'm employed as an independent contractor currently, I need to figure out what money I need to set aside for what. My mother bought me a book, but it is a bit confusing. Are there any good resources that explain this stuff in plain English?

Re: Good resources for figuring out taxes, SS, etc.

[(Anonymous)]

Put aside at least 35%. That's what my FIL (a CPA) recommended when my husband worked as an IC.

Re: Good resources for figuring out taxes, SS, etc.

[(Anonymous)]

First three hits when I googled it(independent contractor taxes how to):

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-report-and-pay-independent-contractor-taxes-398907

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/independent-contractor-tax-tips-1577.html

https://www.wikihow.com/Pay-Tax-As-an-Independent-Contractor-or-Freelancer

Re: Good resources for figuring out taxes, SS, etc.

[(Anonymous)]

I was told to set aside 30% each month, so 15% from each paycheck if you get paid every two weeks or so. It worked well enough.

Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

Because I am broke, and probably going to be moving into a house that will need work. More of a hovel, really. I just want to make it liveable and not disgusting.

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

What specific areas or rooms need work?

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

The... all of it?
Definitely the floors (50 year old shag carpet and allergies are a baaaad combo).
The bathroom/laundry (there's no shower, just a tub and a tap).
The kitchen (I think the cabinets have lead paint and it has a sort of smell that makes me never want to eat again).
The entry and path because the door is broken and the path is more of a small creek right now).
Hopefully not the roof.

It has running water. That's what I got so far.

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

My understanding is that you get the most savings from doing as much of the labor yourself as you can, since materials are going to cost what they cost. Look for did videos and how-to stuff, maybe at the Thus Old House website or something like that.

Is the tub free-stabding?

Can you pull up a corner if the carpet and see what's underneath?

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

I can say with complete certainty that none of the labour will be done by me. I have ME/CFS.

I'm getting my uncle to take a look at what's going on the plumbing and wiring and floor. I don't know enough to tell how much work is needed for anything yet. I will be looking for any information I can get my hands on so that I understand what everything should cost.

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

I hope someone has some ideas. I’m not totally broke, but I’m kind of in the same boat because I inherited a house built in 1947 that has probably only been fixed by weekend handymen using spit and duck tape in the intervening decades.

I have some money saved, but it seems like maybe enough to fix one of the biggest problems, not all of them. And I don’t make much money.

There are not to code additions, the most egregious of which is probably the bathroom plumbed into the overflow outlet, so whenever the sewer fucks up it backs up into that bathroom. A couple of the original windows are falling out of the walls. I think I can re-caulk the bathtub in the older bathroom, but I doubt I can replace the rotting windows myself or re-plumb the bathroom. And the electrical wiring may be buggered in parts of the house, too.

That’s not even counting the gigantic, messy trees blocking most of the sunlight, or the falling-down fences.

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

ayrt

Best of luck with your house! It sounds like you need some luck, and a small loan of a million dollars.

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

Check your local government resources. Some places offer help for people fixing up houses.

If you have a Habitat for Humanity group nearby some have thrift stores that sell building supplies for cheap. I got a nice toilet bowl, tank, and set up for $30, Lowes wanted almost four times that for their cheapest toilet. You can get supplies from Craigslist, Freecycle, a website called Nextdoor that connects you with your neighbors, and Facebook marketplace groups.

Local trade colleges might do plumbing or electrical work for a lower price.

Re: Any tips for doing home improvements for almost no money?

[(Anonymous)]

I will have a look for resources, but I don't think there's any charity groups specific for that here, and trade apprenticeship is different again.

I might be able to find secondhand stuff privately or at a junkyard. That's not a bad thought. I will keep a lookout.

Thanks!