Personal Finance and Money Stack Exchange
Personal Finance and Money Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
38
votes
9 answers

How does gambling (like buying a lottery ticket) differ from investing?

Investors seeking a higher return on their investments may invest in things that they know have a higher risks associated with them. Greek bonds have higher interest rates, and banks charge more interest for credit card users with lower credit…
ACV
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38
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7 answers

Why is it rational to pay out a dividend?

Imagine a mature company, which has stable earnings and made a profit this year. The company is planing to pay out a part of this earnings to its shareholders. Assuming the stock price goes down exactly what is paid out per share the shareholders…
lukstei
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38
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3 answers

In the USA, why is the Free File software only available for people earning less than $62k?

Free File is a software by the American IRS, which allows one to easily fill out their taxes as long as they earn less than $62k per year. Is there a particular reason for such a restriction? I assume that the government generally wants its citizens…
JonathanReez
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38
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5 answers

After hitting 80% LTV, my mortgage lender refuses to remove PMI. Any recourse?

I recently refinanced my home. At the time based on the appraisal vs. amortization I found I would be stuck with PMI (private mortgage insurance) for about 9 months. I've paid extra on the mortgage each month and after 7 months I got my LTV…
Paul
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38
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8 answers

Why are credit cards preferred in the US?

Where I'm from, credit cards are common, but they're not considered the main daily use-case, as opposed to debit cards. What are practical reasons credit cards are preferred over debit cards in the US?
Etheryte
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38
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5 answers

Is it valid to write checks without spelling out the amount?

I've been writing checks this way for the last ~15 years or so: Namely, the amount field is written using numbers like 1,500 and 00/100 rather than the tedious, painful spelling out of One Thousand Five Hundred and 00/100 99 times out of 100,…
Jeff Atwood
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38
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2 answers

How are long-term capital gains taxed if the gain pushes income into a new tax bracket?

First, my understanding is that the long-term capital gains tax rate is 0% for those whose marginal rate on ordinary income is 10% or 15%, and (ignoring the highest 39.6% bracket) the rate is 15% for everyone else. (See this IRS publication and this…
Lee Hachadoorian
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38
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8 answers

Optimal way to use a credit card to build better credit?

I have a credit card with a $700 limit and I am curious how to optimize credit gain with it. Right now, I use it once a month (usually on something small like a drink from a convenience store or something) and pay it off immediately. I am basically…
MyNameIsKhan
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38
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8 answers

Did my insurance company scam me when they paid less for my car than I saw it selling for at a used car dealership later?

Tree fell on my car, windshield smashed. Other than that I can drive it, I can still get in and drive it around (obviously with limited visibility) had to wear extra protection so I wouldn't get cut. Other than a few dents it looks good to…
user760783
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38
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12 answers

I bought my first shares in life and they dropped 25% in a very short time. What to do?

I bought Coinbase stocks shortly after IPO. Now my loss at 25%, however, I am in the fortunate position of not being dependent on the invested money. I would like to know in retrospect what I and other Coinbase stock buyers did wrong. What are the…
Sybil
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38
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6 answers

Ex-husband is trying to find out my banking info

My ex-husband keeps trying to find out my banking information. We have been divorced for 3 years but still involved in the family court system. Over the past years, he's opened closed accounts, brought his girlfriend along with him to the bank to…
Jen
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38
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5 answers

If I buy 1 share of a company's stock, do I get to attend and vote at the next shareholder meeting?

Let's say I open Robinhood right now and purchase 1 share of $MSFT. Does this mean I can now attend the next shareholder meeting in Redmond (or wherever they hold them) and cast my vote? Or do I need to own a large share of the company to make it…
JonathanReez
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38
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8 answers

Is 0% APR ever a bad idea?

I have recently purchased a few large items of furniture for my new home and paid a ~25% deposit on these. To pay off the remainder I can pay in full or pay monthly with a 0% APR payment plan. e.g I spent £2000 on furniture and put a £500 deposit…
Jsk
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38
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11 answers

Why do people claim that it's hard to outperform the S&P 500? It has only increased in value by ~1.5x in the past 5 years

Whereas companies like Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, Apple have all increased anywhere from 3x-6x in value in the past 5 years. If you just stuck with those companies, you would have easily beaten the S&P 500's 1.5x gains. Then there are some…
Eric Gumba
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38
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4 answers

What happens if you can't pay at an auction?

Based on this question about wholesaling homes - what happens if somebody purchases a home at auction, places their down-payment, cannot find a buyer, and backs out of the auction? I'm assuming they would forfeit their down-payment, but what else…
Tyler M
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