c/finance-reviews

Honestly, my credit score jumped 40 points in three months after I fixed one dumb mistake

Tbh, I never checked my credit report and had an old medical bill from a clinic in Springfield I forgot about. I paid it off and set up a single automatic payment for my main credit card. Ngl, I just checked Credit Karma and went from 640 to 680. Has anyone else seen a quick bump from just cleaning up one old collection?

Looking back at my old 401k rollover choice from 2018

When I left my job in Dallas, I had to pick between rolling my 401k into a new plan or into an IRA with Vanguard. I went with the IRA because the fees were lower, like 0.04% for the index fund. It was a bit of a hassle with the paperwork, but it's grown steadily since then. Anyone else go through this and have tips for someone doing it now?

Appreciation post: My local credit union saved me from a bad car loan last year

So last year I was looking at a used car from a dealer in Tampa. They ran my credit and came back with a loan offer at like 9% interest, which I thought was just how it was. My buddy told me to at least check with my credit union first, so I did it as a last step. The guy there, his name was Mark, looked at the dealer's paperwork and straight up said 'This is a bad deal for you.' He showed me how the dealer had added a bunch of extra fees and got me approved for 5.2% instead. I ended up saving over $3,000 across the life of the loan just from that one review. It made me realize how important it is to get a second opinion on any big money offer. Has anyone else had a bank or credit union catch something shady in a loan?

Shoutout to the tax guy who finally fixed my 1099 mess after 8 months

I got a 1099-MISC last year for some freelance work, but the company sent it to my old address. I didn't get it until after I filed, so I had to do an amended return. I thought it would be simple, but between the IRS backlog and my own confusion, it dragged on. It took me calling three different accountants and about 8 months total to get it all sorted and get my correct refund. Has anyone else had a tax form issue that just wouldn't go away?

I finally understood my dad's old advice about saving after a talk with my neighbor.

He told me he started putting just $50 a month into a simple index fund back in 1998 and never stopped, even when the market dropped. He showed me his statement and the total was way bigger than I ever would have guessed from those small deposits. It made me rethink how I look at my own 401k contributions. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice about investing that just clicked years later?

TIL my bank's new high-yield savings rate is way lower than the online-only options

Honestly, I had to pick between my local Chase account at 0.01% and opening a new one with Ally Bank at 4.25%. I went with Ally last month and already earned over $50 in interest on my $15,000 emergency fund. Has anyone else made a switch like this and had a good or bad experience with the online bank's customer service?

Vent: My tax software decided to file my return as a resident of Antarctica

I was finishing my taxes last night with a popular online service, and after hitting submit, the confirmation page said my filing address was 'Research Station, Antarctica'. I must have clicked something wrong in the state dropdown menu. I spent the next hour on hold with their support line trying to undo it before the IRS got a very chilly return. Has anyone else had a software glitch send their financial data to the wrong place?

My bank's new app update completely hid the check deposit button last month

I needed to deposit a $500 rebate check and spent 20 minutes hunting through menus before finding it buried in a 'more services' tab. Has anyone else's bank app made a simple task way harder with a redesign?

My uncle told me to put $50 a week into a high yield savings account instead of my regular one.

I did it for a year and ended up with over $100 more than I would have... he was totally right. What's the best high yield account you guys have found lately?

Question about tracking expenses with apps versus a notebook

I wrote everything in a physical notebook for five years, but after a trip to Denver where my budget got messy, I switched to a free app. Do you find apps make you more accountable, or is the old-school method better for actually remembering where your money goes?

Just saw my net worth hit a positive number for the first time ever (it's $1,237)

I used to think those 'get rich quick' YouTube ads were just dumb, but after seeing my cousin lose $500 to a crypto scheme he saw in one, I get why people fall for it.

Hot take: I finally switched from Mint to YNAB for my budget after 6 months of trying to make Mint work.

Honestly, Mint just felt like a tracker for my bad choices, but YNAB's 'give every dollar a job' thing actually forced me to plan ahead and I saved $400 last month, so has anyone else made a switch that actually stuck?

Update: I was reading a review of a budgeting app and saw a stat that made me stop

The review said the average person spends about $150 a month on subscriptions they don't even use. I found that on a site called The Penny Hoarder last Tuesday. I checked my own bank statement and I had three music services I forgot about. That's over $30 a month just gone. It's crazy how those small charges add up without you noticing. Has anyone else done a subscription check lately and been surprised?

Honestly shocked by the real cost of a 401k loan

Tbh, I was reading a review of Fidelity's retirement tools last night and saw that taking a loan from your 401k can cost you over $100k in lost growth over 20 years. I had no idea the hit was that big. Has anyone else run the numbers on this and decided it's never worth it?

My credit score jumped 80 points in 5 months after I fixed one report error

I was stuck in the low 600s for years and couldn't get a decent rate on anything. I finally pulled all three reports from AnnualCreditReport.com and found a collections account from a hospital in Tampa that wasn't even mine. Disputing it online with Experian got it removed in about 30 days. Has anyone else had a single error tank their score that much, and what was the process like for you?

Has anyone worked with Duane Buziak Mortgage Maestro?

I'm looking into getting pre-approved and saw an ad for Duane Buziak Mortgage Maestro . Are they legit? The reviews look almost too good to be true.