So I'm finally starting to save enough money that I need to start budgeting. I don't have quite enough yet to start investing, but I'm getting there.

My goals:

1. Pay off auto loan
2. Establish a 3-month (minimum) emergency cash balance
3. Begin retirement/long-term investing (already have a Roth IRA)
4. Purchase a house within 5 years (hopefully much sooner though)

Questions:
1. Auto loan is 6 years @ 3.44%; no overpayment/early payment penalty. Do I pay this off ASAP or with the low rate, just ride it out?
2. Is a 3-month emergency fund sufficient in this economy (I'm a civil/environmental engineer with a MS degree. Jobs are out there, but not always readily available. Also, I'm currently in a contract position with about a year left... after that, I'm not guaranteed employment, though things look good now.)
3. I've got a Roth IRA with SECU @ 2% with about $1,000 in it. What investments should I look at for this money? As I understand it, I can withdraw these funds without penalty, as long as I don't withdraw and interest earned (for at least 5 years). And I can contribute a net maximum of $5,000 . And if this is true, should I throw all that I can in it now (max my contribution now) so I can at least earn 2% on it (my highest yielding account) - assuming there's no penalty to withdraw contributed funds in case I need them. Then once I have my emergency fund set, use that money to invest?
4. I pay enough in rent now that I could be paying a mortgage; however, I don't have money for a down payment. What are typical down payments now? 10%? 20%?
5. With these goals, what should be my budgeting method/allocations? If I want to save to purchase a home, do I just keep those in deposit accounts and put all I can in those? Do I try to invest those funds, seeing as how the markets are shit and risky? Will investing this money really pay anything in the next few years?

9/26/2011 9:02:55 AM

Quote :

"2. Establish a 3-month (minimum) emergency cash balance "

Not sure that this is enough. It's a good short-term goal, but eventually you probably want more in your emergency fund. Mostly because an emergency can immediately devastate your entire savings account.

Is this the 3-month minimum amount of money you need to survive? Or 3 months based on current expenditures? Have you identified places to cut spending in the event that you're in a bind?

I work with a lot of engineers who have gone several months ... even over a year, in cases ... without work.

My emergency fund is such that I could go about 1.5 years without working (after lifestyle readjustment), but that's not the only emergency that could occur. Car problems, family emergencies, personal disability, lawsuit, legal fees, etc ... all of these things can quickly drain an emergency fund. So it's worth it to look at the possible emergencies that could occur to determine how much cash you need to have readily available. Put it in a savings account that will build interest, but that's not locked up so tightly that you can't reach it in case of emergency.

Anything more, invest somewhere that will make your money work a little harder for ya.

9/26/2011 9:23:48 AM

For now, my emergency fund is for living without a job for a few months. While it would be nice to have enough to go 1+ years, I don't think that's feasible for a while. I've been out of school <1 year, thus I don't have a lot built up quite yet. And if I need to pay off a loan, have a place to live, and want to save for retirement, buying a home, saving for a year + for emergencies isn't viable. It has to be a risk-based allocation.

Car, family, legal, etc. emergencies simply aren't within my financial world right now. I can't simply prepare for everything while trying to save for long-term items. Besides, my car is under warranty for the next 5 years, my family (I'm single, no children) has their own money; I have life and disability insurance, so those are taken care of. Not to mention, I've got an investment account and another life insurance policy that I can bank in case shit hits the fan - those just aren't readily available to me right now, and I don't consider them part of my financial picture until they are (if shit were to really get bad, then I can get to those funds though).

And I know friends that are engineers that went without jobs for a while; however, from what I've seen, been told, and semi-offered, I shouldn't have to go long without a job, if it were to come to that (assuming my contract position doesn't turn into full-time employment). Of course, this can obviously change.

And yes, 3-months was based on current expenditures. If needed, I could probably trim up to 20% of my monthly spending if I had to. And I could, if needed, sell my truck and get rid of that loan ASAP (I owe quite a bit less than what it's worth); and would most likely get money to live on from it. That takes me up, to say a 35% reduction in monthly expenditures.

Not to mention, if shit really got bad, most of my money is liquid right now, so any savings could be used for emergency living; however, if I start investing is where I'd lose that liquidity. If I were to go jobless today and make that 20% cut (and assuming still no investments), I could easily go a year on my current holdings.

And that's my short-term goal for emergencies. Obviously, in the future I'd need more. But for now, as a young, single working person, I don't think disaster planning is quite as important. And when I say emergency fund, I mean just that; not including other money/accounts/etc. that could also be used in such situations. Just a pile of money waiting.

[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 9:43 AM. Reason : .]

9/26/2011 9:40:30 AM

Quote :

"Auto loan is 6 years @ 3.44%;"

while that's a decent interest rate, who the fuck gets a car loan for 6 years? Even 5 is a stretch and says you're buying more car than you can afford.

9/26/2011 9:59:46 AM

I personally would go:

1.) save up 3 months expenditures
2.) 50/50 split monthly savings between Roth and towards saving up to 6 months expenditures. Max out Roth after 6 months expenditures saved.
3.) Save down payment for house
4.) Pay off car loan
5.) Buy House

I'm assuming with a masters in engineering you make more than enough to max out your Roth contributions and solidly save for a down payment. I would also keep the car payments right until you are about to buy a house in order to build credit, but then pay off the loan before the home purchase to free up monthly income.

6+ months expenditures may sound like a lot, but it's the responsible thing to do. You MAY be fine if you get laid off or you may be fine if you got seriously sick, but what if you get laid off and THEN get seriously sick? I agree with you however that 3 months is a fine start.

9/26/2011 10:04:41 AM

if you're a young single male, i question the whole buying a house part.

at this point.

9/26/2011 10:08:20 AM

^^thanks

Quote :

"while that's a decent interest rate, who the fuck gets a car loan for 6 years? Even 5 is a stretch and says you're buying more car than you can afford."

Haha. Not at all. I don't see why people don't go for the longer term loan and have lower required monthly payments. And I did just that. I went for the lowest monthly payment in case money ever got tight; that way I have more in my pocket when I need it. Why pay more when you don't have to? At any time I can simply make a payment to make up for the gap between a 4 and 6 year loan, which I plan to do once my short-term emergency fund is set.

Quote :

"if you're a young single male, i question the whole buying a house part. at this point."

I'm not buying one, at this point. I said within 5 years. And within that time frame I'll likely be married and possibly more

[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 10:13 AM. Reason : .]

9/26/2011 10:10:58 AM

haha, oops

[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 10:12 AM. Reason : .]

9/26/2011 10:11:53 AM

If you start paying off your car loan while you have the funds to, then if you run into an emergency you will have a few months where you won't actually have a payment due (depending on how much you can afford to pay over the min each month).

^^Yeah, I did the same thing with my truck loan, went long term just in case, but should be able to pay off the loan early.


[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 10:16 AM. Reason : CE FTW]

9/26/2011 10:13:54 AM

Do car loans work that way? I assumed car loans worked like mortgages in that if you pay additional towards principle, it shortens the loan length. You can't pay a years mortgage at once and then not pay again for 11 months can you?

9/26/2011 10:18:43 AM

^yeh, I'm not sure what Jesse is saying... you'd still have a payment to make... you just shorten the length of the loan...

Jesse?

[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 10:23 AM. Reason : .]

9/26/2011 10:19:42 AM

That's how mine works. The current statement I have says my next payment isn't due until December. Maybe it doesn't work that way, but I'm not sure why my statement would reflect that... And I've had the same coversation with another guy who has a loan through the same bank.

Not Chris.





[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 10:23 AM. Reason : .]

9/26/2011 10:20:15 AM

My plan is to have a 3-month emergency fund and get out of debt asap. However, Peter also has a 3-month emergency fund, so we really have 6 months covered. After I pay off my debts, I want to save for a car and go back to school. Also, I don't want to buy a house unless we have enough for a 20% down payment and extra to fix broken things. I, also, just set up SECU Roth IRA and I think I will try to max it out every year so I can retire on it along with other investments.

I am trying to read this book to figure out what I need to do with my money after I get out of debt.



I also use mint.com to make and manage my budget. It helps to see where my money is going and to make it go where it needs to. This month I've put 82% of my income towards an emergency fund, a holiday fund, student loan, and hospital bill.

[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 10:31 AM. Reason : -]

9/26/2011 10:23:56 AM

I'm in the process of:

1) Build 3 month emergency fund (done)
2) Pay off car
3) Build 6 month emergeny fund
4) Whatever bmel/mom says to do

As far as putting away money into a place you can still access it yet have better interest rates, I'm putting my emergency money into a Money Market fund. It generally gets >1% interest and you can get checks to write against the account. My mom did that with my grandfather's money when he wasn't coherent to manage it.

9/26/2011 11:46:27 AM

Quote :

"My plan is to have a 3-month emergency fund and get out of debt asap. However, Peter also has a 3-month emergency fund, so we really have 6 months covered."

Is each emergency fund enough to cover your total combined bills, or your own bills for 3 months? Because if it's the latter, you don't have 6 months. You still have 3 months.

9/26/2011 12:09:33 PM

Quote :

"if you're a young single male, i question the whole buying a house part. at this point."

9/26/2011 12:14:22 PM

It is strange to me that someone would wrap up their financials in a person who isn't their spouse.

9/26/2011 12:25:12 PM

^^^ total combined bills. Basically I figured out how much we needed for 6 months and then divided in half. So if we both lose our jobs, we can live the same lifestyle for up to 6 months.

[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 12:27 PM. Reason : ^ who is doing that?]

9/26/2011 12:26:47 PM

Quote :

"It is strange to me that someone would wrap up their financials in a person who isn't their spouse. "

This automatically happens when you live with someone, whether it's a roommate or a sig other. I think it's only a really bad idea when you sign binding paperwork with someone who you may not want to be bound to for an extended period of time.

Part of my financials are based around the living situation I have with my sig other, but I also have a contingency plan in the event that our relationship ends for whatever reason.

Just live within your means. Or slightly beneath.

9/26/2011 12:40:04 PM

I see Pikey fails at reading, too.

9/26/2011 1:05:29 PM

^^ yeah, you have to come to an agreement of who pays what with everything. However, I wouldn't open up a joint bank account or buy a house with someone unless we are married. That is why me and Peter have separate emergency fund accounts, even though we would profit more if it was combined. Furthermore, I do have an exit strategy if things fall apart.

9/26/2011 1:42:31 PM

So you're telling me there's a chance!

9/26/2011 1:43:51 PM

9/26/2011 1:49:22 PM

Everyone has their own financial strategy.... but if I were you, I'd save a small emergency fund and then pay off that debt. From there you are leveraging ALL of your income to make money for you. The more you invest at a young age, the bigger it will get over time.

That said, you should live life some too..

And you can still buy a house with 0 downpayment (if you get an adjustable rate mortgage) assuming you have good enough credit. In this market it would be foolish to not go fixed rate though. You can get an FHA loan with 3.5% downpayment. A lower downpayment is riskier for the bank and less risky for your wallet. Why put in more than you have to and risk losing it in a market downturn? Obviously all a matter of opinion, but those extra down payment $$ would go towards investments nicely too.

If you're serious make a real budget on a spreadsheet or get mint.com working for you.

9/26/2011 3:08:33 PM

Yeah, what we ended up doing was using mint.com to build spending and income data over several months (during which time we were all lolmoney) then using that to calculate average monthly spending and build a realistic financial outlook. Its very useful when taking into account flexible expenses such as gasoline, food, and power

9/26/2011 3:18:04 PM

I am on mint, though I wish you could assign accounts to multiple goals...

my biggest question right now is the auto loan, and there are 2 schools of thought on this (as seen ITT)... pay off now or let it ride and save that money for now (let it work for me and pay off the loan later). The risk being that holding that debt means I'll be liable for payments and that recovering that money (via a sell) isn't liquid; though the amount owed vs value would likely allow me to sell it off rather quickly to make it "more" liquid, in case of emergency. My inclination is to let it ride; make an occasional extra payment and once my other funding needs are further solidified start paying more on the loan, since it's still going to be a several year process to pay it off (meanwhile, that money can be earning money). However, I really think that means I need something that pays more than current interest rates (1% for most deposit accounts; 2% for my IRA).

Am I correct on my Roth IRA - $5,000 net contribution/year and no penalty for withdrawing it (sans interest earned)? I'm putting everything in there for now, since it's my highest yielding account.

My next biggest question is investments - I really need to learn more about this... oh if i had the time. I just don't know where to begin.

9/26/2011 4:51:36 PM

The total annual contribution to your Roth is maxed at $5,000. Yes, you can withdraw the principal tax-free. What you have to be careful of is the time that has to pass before you can withdraw the money tax-free. I think my Vanguard said I could withdraw any principal tax-free that has been in the Roth account for a minimum of 5 years, meaning that, at this point in time, I cannot withdraw any of my principal since I haven't contributed for 5 full years. And if I interpret that correctly I believe that I can only pull out the portion that has. So after 5 years I could only pull out the 1st year's principle If that is the case for you just be aware that you might not want to be socking money away that you intend to use for a house down-payment in 3 years or something. What are you invested in within the Roth that is a guaranteed 2% that you can't get outside of the Roth?

Also, I would never plan on taking any money out of my Roth IRA. Pulling money out of the my Roth is only a "omgwtfbbq I have an epic emergency and burned through all of my normal emergency money and don't want to touch my 401k" event.

If you have money you are planning to use in the near future, I would find somewhere else for it besides a Roth. Just doesn't make sense to me to use up part of your $5000 Roth IRA cap with money you plan to pull out later, especially just to earn 2% instead of >=1% in a simple money market or something if you're looking at using the money in a few years.

[Edited on September 26, 2011 at 5:23 PM. Reason : ]

9/26/2011 5:11:08 PM

You are correct that you must be five years out to withdraw contributions from your Roth without a penalty. There is a first time home buyers exception to that though.

9/26/2011 5:42:34 PM

If you're wanting an account that gets higher interest that you can draw on only for emergencies in the short term, I would go with a money market account.

9/26/2011 8:41:10 PM

Quote :

"if you're a young single male, i question the whole buying a house part."

That is my attitude towards buying a house.

Quote :

"Do car loans work that way? I assumed car loans worked like mortgages in that if you pay additional towards principle, it shortens the loan length. You can't pay a years mortgage at once and then not pay again for 11 months can you?"

Depends on the bank. My original financer expected monthly payments regardless of any extra I paid. My current lender through the credit union, lets me "get ahead."

Quote :

"You are correct that you must be five years out to withdraw contributions from your Roth without a penalty. There is a first time home buyers exception to that though."

I thought about opening one just for this reason.

9/26/2011 8:55:00 PM

BB&T Chip program has 0 down. has some income and neighborhood restrictions...

9/26/2011 9:48:31 PM

Quote :

"Depends on the bank. My original financer expected monthly payments regardless of any extra I paid. My current lender through the credit union, lets me "get ahead." "

Yeah, I didn't realize most lenders didn't work this way. I guess I am accustomed to working with credit unions. ABNB also gives me 3% interest on my checking

9/27/2011 8:30:42 AM

1. Roth IRA... I think some of you have it backwards. Everything I see says that contributions can be taken out at anytime, penalty free. Earnings are subject to tax penalties and the 5 year seasoning period. https://www.ncsecu.org/PDF/Brochures/IRA.pdf

2. I'm using this Roth IRA as a short-term savings account just to have money in my highest yielding account. I already have a savings and money market accounts. However, they earn <=1%, where as the Roth is at 2% (I know, not a big difference, but it can't hurt). Once I have enough to invest, I'll let the Roth sit, but why not have as much as possible in my highest yielding account for now?

3. The $5,000 cap is net... so I can take and replace as needed... there is no "using" it up. At least that's how SECU explained it...

4. Already have a money market

5. I'm not buying a house now. I said in a few years, at which point, I will no longer be a young, single male. Will you please read before responding?

9/27/2011 8:42:29 AM

Quote :

"I said in a few years, at which point, I will no longer be a young, single male."

I keep seeing you say this...which I just think it's funny to see someone who is single saying that they will be on the path to marriage in a couple years. You sound like a Southern college girl thinking she'll get married to some guy when she graduates...when the guy hasn't even asked her out yet.

I actually think buying a house as a single male is a pretty good idea. Buy a three bedroom house and rent out the remaining rooms to some friends of yours. Being single is the best time to have a couple other guys help pay the majority of your mortgage. That's only if you still want roommates.

9/27/2011 8:46:43 AM

There is something to be said for having your car paid off. My first and second cars were financed, but I paid off my second car within the first year. That frees up money for other things -- savings, retirement, a mortgage payment, etc.

In the event of a change in fortune, that is several hundred dollars that you are not responsible for paying out every month in a car payment and the required insurance coverage. That car is yours. You don't have to scramble to make a car payment or worry that you're going to lose your car. And if you think it's hard to find a job, try finding a job without transportation. It then further limits you.

Not to mention, the bank goes ... ... when you have your car paid off and don't have that monthly car payment when you're applying for a mortgage. At least, that was the case when we built our house.

9/27/2011 8:47:03 AM

^^well, considering I have a long-term girlfriend in a serious relationship... such thoughts aren't southern girl dreamish.

maybe you people don't know the legal definitions of single, etc.

9/27/2011 8:48:49 AM

Quote :

"3. The $5,000 cap is net... so I can take and replace as needed... there is no "using" it up. At least that's how SECU explained it..."

What I meant by "using it up" is that yes, you can withdraw your contributions tax-free but you can't go back and reimburse yourself for the withdrawn contributions from what I understand. You are still limited to $5000 per year with no allowance for "make-up" contributions. Thus, you aren't just withdrawing $X from your Roth, you are withdrawing $X invested and compounded over 30 years or however long until you retire. The Roth IRAs are a great investment tool for people our age and I would never want to use up any of my allowed $5000 per year with money that I didn't plan to leave in there and take the full advantage of.

Quote :

"Withdraw Roth Contributions The Roth IRA allows penalty and tax-free withdrawals of contributions for any reason. But remember, once you've taken out that money, you don't have the option of replacing it."

Once again, I don't think that stuffing money into a Roth IRA with the intention of pulling it out is a good idea. It's not a terrible idea because you are planning and saving, but from the perspective of long-term investing it just isn't the best option imo. I try to take advantage of and maximize all of the retirement options available to me.

If you can, max out the Roth anyway and then invest this house money in something else short term and don't plan on touching the Roth money. A money market is probably the best bet. If you have the option, max out the Roth without the intention of withdrawing it and put the rest in a money market at 1%.

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 9:05 AM. Reason : ]

9/27/2011 8:57:23 AM

Quote :

" MAYBE YOU PEOPLE "

9/27/2011 9:01:11 AM

^^you can always re-contribute, to the year's maximum, either in current year, or previous year.

9/27/2011 9:05:32 AM

Well, you might be right then. I don't have my account with SECU. I'll have to re-read my stuff with Vanguard. The re-contributing seemed pretty clear that it wasn't an option when I just glanced at that statement but I could still definitely be interpreting that wrong.

Either way, if you have the money to max out the Roth and still put separate money away for the house it is a much better option.

Then again, I'm really strict on retirement savings and keeping regular savings/investments separate from retirement. Any money I put toward anything related to retirement savings is viewed as a DO NOT TOUCH unless it is an extreme emergency.

I'll explain why I am uneasy about viewing the Roth as a short term investment spot. As someone who bought his first house within the past 1.5 years my advice is this:

1) Get your retirement contributions set before you start saving for and most definitely before you buy a house. Once you are paying a mortgage and paying for stuff that goes along with owning a house it can suddenly be much harder for people to justify reducing their spending money even further to contribute to retirement - let alone be paying make-up contributions to catch up on the Roth. It will be much easier to say you "can't afford" to contribute as much as you want to your retirement once you have the mortgage if you didn't set your contributions and view them as hands-off.

2) By getting the minimum contributions "set" I mean at least meeting your company 401k match (if available) and maxing your Roth IRA (without the intention of tapping into it).

3) Once you have that in order you can start looking at when you want to buy a house (determined by how much you have left over to save each month and how much you need for a down payment) and how much house you can afford. If you can't afford to do #2 now while saving for a house or after you have the mortgage, you probably aren't financially ready to buy a house or are planning on buying a more expensive house than you can really afford.

Not trying to be mean either. This is the advice I took when I graduated and I bought a house 3 years later. It may not be for everyone but it worked for me and it allowed me to buy a house while still feeling financially secure. Once the house was purchased and I wasn't needing to save as much toward the big down payment I upped the 401k as well. It took a couple years of focusing a lot more of saving than spending (ie trimming some fat to save up for the huge purchase that is a house) but if you really want to own a house it is worth it.

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 9:34 AM. Reason : ]

9/27/2011 9:16:42 AM

Quote :

"well, considering I have a long-term girlfriend in a serious relationship... such thoughts aren't southern girl dreamish. maybe you people don't know the legal definitions of single, etc."

Well I think you can understand the confusion when you say, "young, single male."

But alas...I'm in a similar situation and plan on being married in the next year or so as well.

9/27/2011 9:27:59 AM

At 3.44%, nobody is really suggesting tying up that kind of cash (assuming $10k+?) into a car and paying it off now, are they?

9/27/2011 9:40:44 AM

^^yeh, it didn't hit me until a few minutes ago that people were confusing the definition of single. should have been more clear... single in the eyes of the IRS/financial institutions; otherwise I'm in a relationship.

^^^I completely agree and would like to keep savings & retirement separate, and plan to do so for long-term. My question (again, should have been more clear) was regarding using the Roth as a short-term vehicle to throw what I can in it and in case SHTF in the next year, I can still withdraw from it without issue. I figured if I can max out the Roth now, I have that set and I have maxed out my highest yielding account, meanwhile that money is still liquid enough in the short term, should it be needed. If things don't go bad in the next year, then that Roth money stays put.

Since you seem to know a great deal about Roths, I'm confused on how Roths are coupled with investment accounts... I think my dad has his linked to investments (mutual funds, etc.); however, I'm not sure how to do this... SECU doesn't do this. I guess I should look at something like fidelity?

^eh, some have said pay it off; however it is >$10k and I thought that @ 3.44, it wouldn't be all that bad to let it sit a while and have that money to use/invest/save for the mean time.

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 9:48 AM. Reason : .]

9/27/2011 9:45:48 AM

Yes, there are a lot of different options out there for Roth IRAs. Just about all of the big online brokers have them and with some minor restrictions you can invest in just about anything you want. I have all of my Roth money with Vanguard because the fees are the smallest and I have the option to invest in just about any stocks, mutual funds, etc. that I have with my non-retirement Vanguard and E-trade accounts.

SECU and other credit unions tend to have limited low risk/low reward type options as opposed to being exposed to the full market.

9/27/2011 9:50:23 AM

I'd max out the roth contributions at 5K but I never advise doing it through a bank. I have one with Vanguard and another with a different brokerage account. 2% won't even beat inflation. Furthermore I'd view this as a retirement fund and not an emergency/house fund to tap in the near future. I'm also not sure what you mean by "take and replace" If I invest 5K this year, I can't take out 3K in a few years and then invest an additional 3K above the cap later on.

I'm single and have owned my house for 4+ years and no complaints thus far.

Also, I'd max out retirement account before paying day the car loan.

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 11:46 AM. Reason : ]

9/27/2011 11:46:10 AM

Susie Orman recommends about 8 month emergency fund.

9/27/2011 9:01:22 PM

At 3.44%, I would probably just make the normal payments and keep the cash on hand.

Also, build up an emergency fund (at least a few months worth of necessary expenses), max out your 401k to the extent that you receive a match, then max out your Roth IRA. That much is pretty clear cut. After that, if you want to invest more (you should if you can, and if you can't, you should be working towards that end), you could either put more into the 401k, or invest it via a taxable brokerage account. You can also slowly and continually expand that emergency fund.


As far as budgets, I hate them. I set financial goals and used historically expected returns to figure out how much I needed to invest per year/month along the way. I have that money automatically drafted from my pay every month. I don't touch those retirement accounts, ever. I then feel OK about spending any other money however I want...I don't really keep close track of any of the rest.

9/27/2011 10:46:16 PM

Fuck Suzie Orman. I hate her and Dave Ramsey.

That being said, I have a 6 month emergency fund.

9/27/2011 11:13:32 PM

haha, same here, except my "emergency fund" is probably more like 2 years. 18 months, for sure. It isn't really an emergency fund so much as "money I haven't yet brought myself to spend on frivolous stuff".


Dave Ramsey is better than what most people do, so in that sense, I guess he's a net positive factor. On the other hand, he takes a very simplistic and not optimized approach. It's at least bordering on misinformation, and it's not really much tougher to understand how to do things in a smarter way.

9/27/2011 11:21:16 PM

unfortunately, I'm contracted, so no benefits at all for now.

I buy my own insurance and set up my own Roth, thus no 401k, etc. Right now, I'm splitting my savings between the Roth and a money market (which is mainly a temporary stash until I can figure out how/what/where to invest).

I'll have to look at one of the investment banks (or whatever they're called) for a new roth/investment account.

and it seems that most people now agree at sitting on the car loan.

9/28/2011 8:28:15 AM