Normally I'd say "Yes, of course look for a higher paying job!!" but based on everything you said...but after reading your whole story I would say you should stay put. It sounds like you have the perfect situation for someone who has three young children. I'd honestly consider staying there as long as possible given their level of flexibility to allow you to work and attend to the needs of your children.

This keeps you from paying for childcare or using sick days to take kids to appointments. Your boss sounds literally amazing, like a boss most people would dream of having.

Beware of what are referred to as "Wash Sale rules"

No, it says starting in 2023 but not when in 2023. This CNBC article says "Starting in the first half of 2023."

So depends on your confidence on when in the first half of 2023 that will happen.

Double check with SSA but the default is to not withhold taxes from that, so in most cases they do not need to file and would get nothing back

But, it’s always easy to answer the questions on FreeTaxUSA and see what the actual return would be. It costs nothing but a little time

Your first step is to get with your bank and get a pre-approval letter. That will give you an idea of what loan you can get approved for. This forms the basis of a lot of discussions with your partner. Use this number wisely...it can be significantly higher than what you can realistically afford. Next, engage a realtor and get a pulse on the local market you are looking at. A lot of things about home buying can have major implications on your financial life. Having these two things can be a significant eye opener when talking to your partner about the way forward.

I avoid these because I'd rather sign up for a new card with a bigger bonus.

If you do choose to sign up, there's really no benefit to cancelling it (assuming no annual fee). Just chuck it in a drawer. Cancelling actually hurts your credit more than just keeping it open.

>Just be aware that big box shops (like LibertyTax, H&R Block, Jackson Hewett, etc) do not generally have the best reputation. It's primarily because many of their "tax professionals" are receive a cursory education consisting of a few weeks.

Thanks, yeah I just went to him to fix my own tax situation since I had to do a correction and didn't want to do all the calculations manually (I normally file with FreeTaxUSA or Credit Karma but I couldn't do corrections with them). Figured I'd just ask him while I was there.

You can find a better bonus than $100:

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/best-current-credit-card-sign-bonuses/#Personal_Cards

Also, I'd shop around and see how much tires are at Costco or Sams if you're a member. I got new tires at Costco last year and they were cheaper than anywhere else, plus I get free rotations.

Based on the income here they probably don't meet the requirement to file, the income cutoff is $28,700 for married and >65. The reason is simply that the standard deduction would bring their tax liability to zero.

It could be advantageous to file to get taxes back which are being withheld.

Probably not at the Federal level as their income is low enough to not meet reporting criteria.

You can go through this tool on the IRS website:

• https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/do-i-need-to-file-a-tax-return

Generally, it's advised to file even if you do not have a filing requirement. This helps prevent someone else filing a fraudulent tax return under you. Or if someone does file fraudulently, you'd be alerted sooner (rather than discovering it several years later and having to deal with multiple years of fraudulent tax returns).

> I actually asked a tax professional at LibertyTax ... it'd cost more just to do so.

Just be aware that big box shops (like LibertyTax, H&R Block, Jackson Hewett, etc) do not generally have the best reputation. It's primarily because many of their "tax professionals" are receive a cursory education consisting of a few weeks.

A true tax professional carries a CPA or EA certification. Generally this is the qualification you should be seeking when looking for a real professional. Generally, seeking out an independent CPA/EA in your area would be advised over the big box shops.

But anyways, if you're interested in a DIY approach, there are free options out there (or at least very cheap).

• https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/s63hyl/tax_filing_software_megathread_a_comprehensive/

Why do you want to close it?

Is this your card? Or their card with you as an authorized user?

Look on the back of the card, there should be a phone number. Call them and ask to be removed or close the account if you don't want it.

Not sure your parents credit, but if they added you as an authorized user and they have good credit it will help your credit score.

Is tax being withheld from their pensions and SS? If so, it may be worth filing to get that money back. At their income level they will be eligible to Efile for free - no need to pay an accountant or tax preparer for such a simple return.

my wife and i dont pay taxes because of her age and the amount of money she makes, but before you do that go to a free tax consultant and ask; we have a group of them every year around tax time at the local mini mall here so look them up on line and see if you have one near you. i hope this helps ;-)

Thank you!! This is my plan.

If you're going to open up a new credit card, you might consider one that has better rewards than you currently have and/or an eqvalent sign-on bonus or better.

To me, it's a risk/reward decision. But $100 off does seem alittle low reward to me. I just opened up a one that got me a $200 sign-on bonus and 0% APR for a year.

Just my two-cents.

Everything you shared and how you shared it points to the fact that you enjoy the perks of your job and there are nonnegotiables that you would likely not find in another job. (Flexibility, ability to see your kids) Speaking as another mom, your kids are young. Enjoy your time with them. You won’t regret staying at this job but you could regret leaving for another job that will probably take away these benefits and potentially add on stress!

Having an emergency fund isn’t as important for you considering you’re active duty, an officer, and highly employable regardless. I’d maybe keep an extra month or two of living expenses, but that’s it.

The only thing I might suggest is to raise your 401k contribution by 1 percentage point for each raise you get going forward, you won't miss it in your paycheck, and it will reward you greatly in the future.

So you’re in your lowest earning years right now assuming you’re a first year Army doc? For 2023, I would do $22,500 in Roth TSP and $6,500 in Roth IRA. You can probably try to do this throughout your obligated service. Once you leave the military and become a civilian physician, you’d probably switch to Traditional 401k contributions to keep your taxes low and then use the Backdoor Roth IRA process.

It says bills <$500 won’t show at all.

Always remember that the $100 has to come from somewhere. Often, it's inflated prices from the beginning so it pays to shop around.

Personally, I stopped using tire stores and get my tires from Tirerack now. Just picked up a set of 4 tires on Wednesday for a Volvo XC90 for $906 out the door. Will have them installed by my local installer on Sunday (yes, he's open on New Years Day) for $90 which includes disposal of the old tires for me. The local tire shop wanted $1,000+tax before an upcharge for a 4-wheel alignment, mounting, balancing, and road hazard (lots of potholes around me - road hazard has saved me several times).

It would be helpful to have a full or budget to understand where your funds are going because from the description you should have plenty to take care of all of the extras you’re talking about. It does sound like you’re saving an excess for retirement, so that is a place you could cut back. Also childcare cost will likely go down once the kids are in school full-time and with the flexibility you have at your job would you be able to pick them up and have them at home until you’re off work?

With your ability to do overtime you could also target bringing home an extra $1,000 - $1,500 a month for savings and 529s.

But I agree with others it doesn’t sound worth it to leave your job now but maybe in a few years.

The key word is PAID medical debt. Unpaid medical debt will still show on your credit report. Once you pay it off it will no longer show on your credit report.

But you do have to pay it for it to be removed.

Best time to look for a job is when you don’t need one. You hold all the cards.

That said, sounds like you have a sweet set up. There is pretty much NO amount of money you could pay me to return to office at this point, or for more responsibilities/ stress. I have a toddler and currently pregnant, so work life balance and flexibility are my top priorities. If you can find the same set up that pays more, great! If it’s more money for more stress I would pass.