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  • Showing only topics in ~finance with the tag "ask.survey". Back to normal view / Search all groups
    1. How do you keep track of expenses/budget?

      I used to be happy paying $45/year for YNAB (grandfathered plan). But then "lol no, $90/year" happened and I started looking into alternatives. I tried out a bunch but none felt the same....

      I used to be happy paying $45/year for YNAB (grandfathered plan). But then "lol no, $90/year" happened and I started looking into alternatives. I tried out a bunch but none felt the same. Eventually I found Actual (open-source). I've been using it for ~6 months now and it offers everything I want/need. I self-host the container on my PC (no sync/etc.).

      39 votes
    2. What's your retirement plan?

      Are you planning on working until you're 60+? Or maybe selling it all and living in a rural area? Buying stocks or ETFs? Or something else? So what's your retirement plan? At what age do you want...

      Are you planning on working until you're 60+?

      Or maybe selling it all and living in a rural area?

      Buying stocks or ETFs?

      Or something else?

      So what's your retirement plan? At what age do you want to retire and how are you working towards this goal?

      53 votes
    3. Cryptocurrency

      Hey ya'll Just getting used to this here Tildes now. Is there a crypto group yet. I know we all ain't gott be into it, but it seems finance here is the best closest place to call it out of who in...

      Hey ya'll

      Just getting used to this here Tildes now.

      Is there a crypto group yet. I know we all ain't gott be into it, but it seems finance here is the best closest place to call it out of who in or wants a sub.

      Can we have one, what's the best way to go about setting it up!?

      12 votes
    4. How do you manage your finances?

      Always curious what others peoples finances look like, what they use to manage it, etc. Do you use budgeting software? Do you follow a certain "method" to achieve your financial goals? How strict...

      Always curious what others peoples finances look like, what they use to manage it, etc.

      Do you use budgeting software? Do you follow a certain "method" to achieve your financial goals? How strict are you with your budget? Do you automate your retirement investments/contributions?

      45 votes
    5. What are your investing/trading moves this week?

      Do you expect a Fed rate hike, pause, or rate cut on June 14? I personally believe the Fed will surprise the market with another rate hike because although CPI has cooled, core PCE has remained...

      Do you expect a Fed rate hike, pause, or rate cut on June 14?

      I personally believe the Fed will surprise the market with another rate hike because although CPI has cooled, core PCE has remained sticky and the Fed doesn’t want inflation to rear its ugly head at all costs.

      According to the CNN Fear & Greed Index we are at “extreme greed” levels not seen since February 3rd, which also coincided with a temporary market top.

      This leads me to believe the market will begin to fall over the next few weeks until we hit “fear” or “extreme fear” levels again around July.

      13 votes
    6. What are your financial goals? What habits, practices, and strategies do you use to reach them?

      How do you spend your money? How do you want to spend it? How do you save? I'm curious what strategies my fellow Tildenizens use to spend efficiently, build savings for retirement and other...

      How do you spend your money? How do you want to spend it? How do you save?

      I'm curious what strategies my fellow Tildenizens use to spend efficiently, build savings for retirement and other purchases, and otherwise maximize their financial lives. How do you use your money to maximize your happiness?


      Here's me: I'm young, single, thankfully debt-free, and my annual salary is about $70,000. I'm able to save approximately 35% of that by living relatively frugally:

      All My Stuff
      • I live in a big city, but not an expensive one. I pay rent, but it's pretty low for the amenities I have access to.
      • I live with a roommate to reduce expenses. We're on the same wavelength about minimizing spending.
      • I don't own a car and rely on public transit and carpooling to get places. I also work from home.
      • I go out of my way to shop at the cheapest grocery stores in the area to cut my weekly bill in half (or more).
      • I have three credit cards, but I always keep my utilization low and never miss a minimum payment.
      • I have a separate bank account (checking) for bills than for general spending. I set up my direct deposit to automatically put in all necessary funds for bills into the bill account. Then I set up autopay with all my providers so I don't miss payments. I have one month's buffer in this account in case there's some issue with my paycheck.
      • I contribute as much as I can to my employer-provided 401(k) savings account every month and invest in index funds. I can get to about 65% of the IRS max contribution limit with my income.
      • I contribute to a Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) every month to reach the IRS max contribution limit for the year, and invest in index funds.
      • I have a high-deductible healthcare plan (HDHP) which lets me use a Health Savings Account (HSA). My company pays a little into my HSA each month, and I contribute a similar amount to reach the IRS max contribution limit. Instead of using the HSA to pay for medical expenses, my strategy is to pay out of pocket for all expenses and simply invest the funds in my HSA in index funds to maximize their growth potential. Since this account is so tax-advantaged, investments here are more efficient (as far as I can tell) than in any other account I know of.
      • I have a taxable brokerage account that I contribute a small amount to each month. I know this isn't technically as efficient as putting more into my 401(k), but I figure I might want to use some of this money before I retire. I also kind of like betting on random stocks. Irresponsible, I know, but it's like $20 at a time. Gotta have fun?
      • I set up my TreasuryDirect.gov account to automatically buy I-Bonds while inflation is high, but only on the order of $100/mo. I don't know when I should stop exactly... we'll see what the interest rates are in May?

      I'm not really sure what I'm saving for here. I know you're not supposed to make financial decisions without a plan, but I honestly don't know what I want to do in the next 5 years, let alone 50. People tell me that I should buy a house to build equity instead of throwing away money in rent, but I'm enjoying not dealing with maintenance, and I don't know if I want to stay in this city for more than a few years. It's cute, and I have friends here, but city hall is full of goobers and there are too many highways nearby messing with the feng shui.

      Someone also suggested that I buy a small property and rent it out through a property management company, even if I'm still renting myself. Besides landlords being the scum of the earth and the moral quandaries that might present if I were to become one (even a tolerable one), that also feels like a lot of work. Possibly also financially unrealistic considering I'd need a 20% down payment on a house I don't intend to live in, and... I don't have that.

      I also might switch careers soon-ish, possibly to software engineering, which has a better earnings potential. I've avoided it in the past because I feel like I'm just not good enough at programming. I don't know how I would properly improve those skills now that I'm out of school.

      My pipe dream is that I want to build a really fricking big building. That's my goal. I want it to be really sick and have big Gothic spires and gargoyles and stained glass windows and cool stone carvings everywhere (but also be ADA accessible and not full of asbestos, because it's 2023). And people would come from miles around and say, "Wow, that's a cool building." All the non-racist secret societies could meet in its various hidden chambers and do whatever they do. I would hire whoever builds concert halls to design the acoustics so I could have some bomb choirs going in there, and make the floor sprung so they could do those crazy ballet dances too. Maybe at the same time. Also there would be a moat full of lava. And a robot dragon to guard it all just in case. I think this would cost upward of $500 million in total. Unfortunately that's slightly out of budget, even at my abnormal savings rate.

      But priorities change, right? I figure that if I can save enough to make myself think I might be able to build my big-ass building one day, when I eventually realize, "Wait a second, my kid needs to go to college," I'll accidentally have enough to make that happen.


      How does this compare to your life? What tips, tricks, and ideas would you like to share to help each other out? What are your financial dreams? I'm really interested in chatting with everyone about this.

      6 votes
    7. Has anyone got rid of their PayPal account?

      I used to rely on PayPal heavily for eBay purchases and the odd purchase outside of eBay. But it seems now eBay allows you to use a credit card directly on the site, and most other online stores...

      I used to rely on PayPal heavily for eBay purchases and the odd purchase outside of eBay. But it seems now eBay allows you to use a credit card directly on the site, and most other online stores if they accept PayPal payments, they also accept credit cards directly. Maybe its safe to say I can delete my PayPal account and not look back? It seems like an unnecessary middle man.

      5 votes
    8. US President Donald Trump has signed a $2,000,000,000,000 stimulus bill, along with many other leaders in their respective nations

      This thread is a follow-up to the oil prices thread we had less than a month ago. Australia has signed a stimulus package So has the US (title) (link) And Canada And Brazil (in portuguese) So how...

      This thread is a follow-up to the oil prices thread we had less than a month ago.

      Australia has signed a stimulus package

      So has the US (title) (link)

      And Canada

      And Brazil (in portuguese)

      So how are we feeling about this? Will the packages do their jobs and bandage the economy together until we stop the virus, are we headed towards a new great recession/depression, is this the nail in the coffin for the US as a political power (China has the virus under control in their nation and they're selling/giving out tons of masks so if the US economy is nuked and the Chinese only feel the trade effects then they can further empower themselves)

      9 votes
    9. Oil prices just fell 31% (and counting) with single biggest drop since Gulf War

      How are we feeling about all this? There is going to be anxiety over the next few days (weeks..months....years?) so let's talk about it. 10yr Treasury Bonds are at their lowest ever, futures...

      How are we feeling about all this? There is going to be anxiety over the next few days (weeks..months....years?) so let's talk about it.

      10yr Treasury Bonds are at their lowest ever, futures market are down ~10%, and cryptocurrencies have lost billions.

      How are you feeling?

      23 votes
    10. Anyone here following cryptocurrency?

      Was just wondering if anyone in the Tildes community follows cryptocurrency at all. I'd say it's one of my biggest hobbies. Bitcoin is of course the king, but I like what Ethereum and some smaller...

      Was just wondering if anyone in the Tildes community follows cryptocurrency at all. I'd say it's one of my biggest hobbies. Bitcoin is of course the king, but I like what Ethereum and some smaller protocols are working on as well. I see a lot of potential on the horizon.

      For example, I think Pool Together is a great idea (no-loss lottery).

      I also learned about this game from a friend called Axie Infinity which looks pretty fun.

      I don't mean this to be a thread to shill your bags or talk about going to the moon, but more of a crypto-focused discussion on what you're following, interested in, sharing cool dapps, etc. Just seeing if there's any interest in a regular crypto discussion thread here. (Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.)

      11 votes
    11. What are your long term savings goals? Are you saving towards a purchase of anything in particular?

      For me, saving money has been pretty tough but my goal is to maintain a minimum of 4 months pay in the bank in case of hard times. My fiance started her MBA and we have been fortunate that we can...

      For me, saving money has been pretty tough but my goal is to maintain a minimum of 4 months pay in the bank in case of hard times. My fiance started her MBA and we have been fortunate that we can pay for it outright instead of adding on top of our loans. In the past year I have gotten a bit into churning and using the rewards to help partially pay for vacations throughout the year which has helped a bunch.

      I'm interested to read about any goals we are working towards and also talk about different savings strategies!

      14 votes
    12. Should the US and the states create their own Sovereign Wealth Fund?

      I think a Sovereign Fund is where Yang should move his focus to. Its a long-term approach that requires a focus. In 30 years the Norway fund has become the largest fund in the world The Norway...

      I think a Sovereign Fund is where Yang should move his focus to. Its a long-term approach that requires a focus. In 30 years the Norway fund has become the largest fund in the world

      The Norway Fund has been the receiver of all of Norway's Gas Taxes and Profits but has not paid out anything, so its only grown. But its intend purpose is to supply a form of a UBI (or subsidize Gov't tax revenues if the taxes were to ever fall short enough)

      To Fund it, in the US, we need the Gas tax to be quadrupled. Double ($1/gal) it to properly pay for road maintenance and to pay for properly funded and expanded metro development, Greener metro lines, bike lanes, double it again ($2) to pay for Wealth Funding

      This gas tax funding of $1/gal would contribute 175Billion in investments

      After 40 years the wealth Fund would provide $7 Trillion Annually to pay for a UBI for as long as the US were to want it. Without any additional tax revenue

      I think we can look at other jobs and industries where there is a boom and bust cycle, casinos, and where future income should be considered

      Mississippi Gambling Revenue and therefore taxes has fallen 31% in 2018 (tax revenue $234 million) vs 2008's (345 million) best year numbers.

      If Mississippi had contributed it's taxes to a Sovereign Wealth Fund instead of using it as a Substitute to Government taxes what would the effect have been.

      A year after gambling was Legalized in Mississippi, skipping the first years taxes, the state of Mississippi has received Gaming Taxes, Starting in 1994, a total of $6.3 Billion in tax revenues

      If those same taxes had been invested in a Wealth Fund its current value would be ~$29.6 Billion

      Of course this would have required Mississippi to create 6 Billion in alternate tax Revenues, and this is the stump speech Yang needs to create.

      Because in 5 years when Gaming Revenues have dropped another 50% its time for Mississippi to be ready, and in this case you're sitting on a $50 Billion Wealth Fund. That can pay out $4 billion a year to its 2.9million residents or fund the government services instead of deep cuts

      14 votes