I just noticed that the ratio of income to house price is worse than the 2005 housing bubble.

https://www.coinbase.com/blog/earn-up-to-4-percent-bitcoin-back-on-every-purchase-with-the-new-coinbase-one-card, anyone have some thoughts?

Been waiting for this. Will start reading it soon and very much expect to add it to my highschool curriculum

Mortgage Rates Today, Monday, October 13: Noticeably Lower TL;DR: Mortgage rates slid enough today to get home buyers' attention. Slack Conversation

Fidelity Charitable now has a mobile app!! https://www.fidelitycharitable.org/faqs/all/fc-app-general-info.html Slack Conversation

Is there a thread for car shopping? I need a new car, and I have lots of concerns and questions. Let's start with: #1-What is a car not to purchase? #2-Is CPO really worth it over new? the prices seem negligible in the long run and while I didn't do the exact math, it seems you may actually come out ahead with a brand new one.

My spouse recently negotiated a raise. However there are various reasons that it would be much better if they are not "officially" making the higher amount (internal resentment at the company, being a too obvious high cost item, etc). The company is happy to just take over our tuition payments for the amount of the raise. Is there any way to accomplish this legally? Can it not show up on his paystub, but we still declare it and pay taxes on it?

Similar question. If I have a charity that I regularly give a decent amount too. Can I have my employer give to them directly and avoid paying the taxes on it (assuming I still consider it being me giving maaser)? Is there anything illegal about this? If I could legally do that. Could I legally have my employer deposit funds directly into a DAF account I control?

How do you decide if you are in a real estate market where it makes more sense financially to buy or rent (ignoring the emotional and possibly practical necessities)? Take the realistic house your family would need to buy or rent. Find out how much the house would be to buy versus rent. Assuming you are investing the difference! PR ratio = price of the home ÷ (monthly rent * 12) PR ratio < 15 ➡️ buy PR ratio > 25 ➡️ rent PR ratio between 15 and 20, lean towards buying but maybe rent, gray zone PR ratio between 20 and 25, lean towards renting, but maybe buy, gray zone What is the PR ratio where you live? https://pca.st/episode/242f048a-160a-4dc9-bbd6-6c9558b27613

I’m looking at budget share and seeing the rent/mortgage numbers around $1500-3000. Maybe a self selecting group. In north Jersey decent homes are 800k+ easy. No where close unless you put 50% down and even then with property tax your above that.

Thinking about opening a 501c3. Besides the regular process does anyone have any things to keep in mind and look out for that someone wouldn’t necessarily think of?

Life Insurance Question. I'm new to the entire subject, all I know, from a little bit of research, is that I should do term and not whole life, but after that I'm lost. How much coverage do I need? How long of a term do I need? Just one policy for the breadwinner, or also one for the spouse? Etc. I assume that the answers are case specific, so let's use an example... We're both 25 years old, married for 5 years, with 2 kids. $150k annual gross income. Don't smoke, no meds, just regular healthy. Also, anyone familiar with bseferchayim.org? Thanks in advance for your time!

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Why do you think I'll have 3 weeks where no one schedules calls with me for financial planning and then all of a sudden 15 at once and my nights are packed for a whole week? Any theories?

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Does anyone else feel like we all need to find a community somewhere down South to buy out now that the NJ/NY election results are in?

go east, young frummies, go east. far east. like middle east!

Why I Use M1 Finance (Even Though it Doesn’t Score the Highest) I went from testing M1 Finance for work to using it in my personal investing because its niche offering filled a void in my investing plan. Here's why. Slack Conversation

<!channel> My new article on wills! https://frum.finance/estate/wills/ Thoughts? Feedback?

Great discussion happening over in the housing channel

i have an Amex Bonvoy business card that i want to switch to a non-annual fee, which Amex rep is saying can't be done, any ideas?

I am so excited to see this! After years of speaking out against this organization, someone finally put together an investigation!

BREAKING: “Gemach Chasdei Yosef,” which has run full-page ads in major frum magazines for YEARS, has been exposed as an alleged fraud operation targeting struggling Jewish families.

After a months-long investigation cleared by NJ-based Rabbanim, overwhelming evidence reveals the operation’s true nature.

For years, Gemach Chasdei Yosef used the sacred word “gemach” to gain trust. Their promise: “We have special bank relationships. We can get your credit card rates to 0%.”

The reality: It is anything but a gemach. They lied about dozens of things and allegedly charged their victims thousands of dollars up front for services that federal law prohibits from requiring advance fees, often before even signing a contract, for ordinary debt management services that legitimate nonprofits provide for about $25 a month.

Ben Sion Abadi allegedly operates both “Gemach Chasdei Yosef” and the so-called “law firm” M Law Collect, creating what sources describe as a fake referral system designed to disguise a single predatory operation. Victims report unauthorized credit-card charges, excessive and prohibited fees, fake email accounts created in their names, and being locked out of their own debt-management accounts.

Thoughts? https://heatbit.com/

Am I the only one here that feels that this slack has too many categories? Would it make sense (pun intended 😉) to consolidate everything under the "five pillars of personal finance" and nest things into their appropriate sub category? Perhaps this can extend to the website

Any threads about the benefit cliff?

Saw this posted by an acquaintance who is in the Jerusalem Kollel. Curious if this is the widely accepted viewpoint

Notes from my highschool lecture about 401k vs IRA I'll comment the assignment below if you want to try it yourself!

Heat Pump vs. Central Air Conditioning (AC): Cost, Maintenance, Energy Efficiency Heat pumps cost more upfront than central air but can heat and cool your home with higher energy efficiency. Slack Conversation

Just a plug for the #C094N76PYM9 - if anyone spies any good black friday deals!