No, she's never had children. That's the reason she decided to foster at the age of 50

Cap1 Savor one is 3% for groceries, dining, Streaming. Amex is 6% for groceries with $95 annual fee. Amazon prime card is 5% for Amazon and whole foods, etc. Look at the credit card reddit for tons of info.

As for Affirm, plan to pay off the bill at least 30 days before the due date in full and have payments on auto and it's fine. Most people aren't that responsible and they miss a payment or can't pay in full by the end of the 0% period.

He's had a job throughout the marriage. He's been unemployed since covid basically

Figure out the insurance first.

Then start living on your salary only today (well, March 1st). Rework your budget now so that their entire check is going into savings. Also add the 100 (ask around for estimate) a month line item for diaper costs into this new trial run budget...which also goes into savings until needed.

By making the adjustment to budget now, it will remove a lot of the stress during that sleep deprived "4th trimester"

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Fair enough I just figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

There's nothing magical about Chime. You need to increase your income and/or decrease your spending to pay down your debts and start saving money.

Pause your 401k contributions and divert everything to the debt. You need to get a second hob or a side hustle.

To me, going to debt for one day of fun (i.e. a wedding) to suffer for months/years paying for it is never a good idea! Your wife needs to help and get a second job!

Are you saving at least 30% of gross for your own retirement? Are you able to pay other obligations without taking on debt? Do you have all your debt paid off/a plan to pay it off (if low interest)?

Money is there to be used, as long as it is done responsibly. Some people with that income use it for fancy travel or a second home or a boat. If you want to use it to send a willing kid to boarding school and then college (so 8 year commitment), go for it.

This. OP, I used to do the same thing as you and then I forced myself to spend $100 a week on myself for things that I wanted, drastically improved my QoL and was still saving a majority of my paycheck at the time. Don’t live like you’ll die tomorrow but don’t live like you’ll live forever.

You can spend thoughtfully and still enjoy yourself.

You should be looser with the money leftover after allocating a portion to specific savings goals. You have to live a little

Especially in the context of OP’s situation who is clearly depriving themselves of basic life experiences.

Your advice alludes to spending money only on basic necessities and nothing else, even if that isn’t what you meant

It sounds like OP only wants to know what will happen to it, not to use or survive on it.

You mention having 25k in your 401k. Do you have other financial stuff in place or are you planning on surviving on only 25k? I'm also curious if you have any debt.

You're over the limit where they could do an auto-cash out (usually, balances below $5K can be automatically cashed out depending on how the plan is set up). So, there shouldn't be a check just floating around while you're out of the country.

Ultimately, you should be able to leave it there as long as you want to (which is not a bad thing if it's a good plan with low fees and a good investment lineup), you could roll it to an IRA or your next company's 401k (assuming that 401k allows for rollovers coming in, which a majority do), or take a distribution (not advisable since you'd likely incur taxes and/or an early withdrawal penalty).

> a specific purpose

This leads to the paradoxical line of thinking i mentioned before

> an unanticipated need

Isn’t that what an emergency fund is for?

You imply hoarding. You can spend thoughtfully while still enjoying the money that isn’t delegated to a specific savings bucket.

Normal where I live. Depends on the market.

Credit Union, better service, cheaper interest on auto loans, In my state all the diffenet credit unions are networked. I can go into any other credit union and do banking. No fees using any credit union ATM. It's a no brainer

You may find these links helpful:

• General Information on Rollovers
• 401(k) Fund Selection Guide
• Retirement Accounts
• "How to handle $"

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The best bank for a young person is one that has many branch offices , atms, and physical locations nearby. I'd shoot for a Bank of America, or Wells Fargo.

Simplicity may help you a little. Changing your behavior and paying off your debts will help your credit score

Changing banks won't really do anything. That's sort of like saying eating your dinner in the basement instead of the kitchen will help you lose weight

Your biggest issue is not how many bank accounts you have, it's the fact that you are not making enough money to pay your credit card off.

Ideas to research:

transferring CC to a 0% balance introductory offer card, if you can find one and get approved

forbearance for student loans for a year until you can clear the credit card debt

Not sure if you qualify, but you could look into Michigan energy assistance program https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/consumer/energy-assistance

getting a roommate

moving back in with parents, if possible

picking up extra hours or a side gig and putting all that money toward the CC debt

I just want to point out that some people MAY be able to ride the ride IF their retirement account is plenty large enough. It also is dependent on risk tolerance.

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Closing those accounts won't solve the issue, but it'll take away a method of self-harm. Behavior modification is the only way. Your mental challenge is something you will successfully manage, and your finance, too. Not knowiing the terms of your bank accounts (are there annual fees -- sure, close the accounts AFTER they are paid in full and request that the accounts be marked as 'Account closed at consumer's request'. Keep the longest/oldest fee-free card open.

Budget. Sell your stuff. Cancel all of your subscriptions. Get a roommate or 3. Automate the bill payments so you aren't late again and make at least the minimum (but pay more with the money you make from selling your stuff to the highest interest rate. Read the wiki on managing money. Chime or other programs don't do magic. You can do the work without Chime. They are not a bank, but a 'financial technology company'. While they advertise no fees -- how do they make money? You can do this on your own.

Edit -- changed my description of mental situation to something more accurate. Most 'mental illness' isn't an illness. Largely, it is a way of coping or thinking/behaving different that has been labeled by some people to differentiate 'us' from 'them'. When in fact, we are all 'thems'.

Look at credit unions. They tend to give better customer service

Young adults frequently have. Problems opening accounts online due to identify verification issues