Things People Don't Take Advantage Of

[TheHamburglar]

if you're paying full price for directv you're doing it wrong.  also if you have receivers that are over a year old you're doing it wrong.

This is true for any cable/internet service.  A 3 minute phone call stating your thinking about switching will get you $40-$50 off each month.  I haven't paid anything close to regular price for cable/internet in 5 years.

(hint: this worked for anything subscription based.  I went 16 months with gopo for free before rivals finally stopped giving me free extensions and offered me $4 per month.  I declined and just let it expire.)

[slobber]

ESPP (employee stock purchase plan) at a 15% discount. At one point, we were allowed to sell it 30 days after buying it and people were still not signing up. Now we have to hold it a year and people are all  . Bunch of idiots. Buy the crap our of it. If you think your company is going under, not buying discounted stock is like number 10 on the list of smart things you should be doing. Finding a different employer is #1.

[hemmy]

If you have kids you should have a FSA or a HSA. If single then probably not.

Yeah thats wrong....

which part? i have kids so i only focus on the first part. kids go to the doctor frequently enough that even if you're just setting $50 aside each month to cover the copays you're better off for it.

It is good for a single person, or just in general people with little to no medical costs because you can invest the money in various mutual funds, bonds, etc. Using me as an example, I already max out my 401k, I max out my Roth IRA, and I max out my HSA. I also have another brokerage account for non-retirement investing. The only other place that $3,250 headed toward the HSA could live would be my checking account (no point for it to be there, with non-existent interest) or the brokerage account. Putting in there I could potentially earn more from stocks that I could from the selection of mutual funds/bonds the HSA provides but I would also miss out on the tax advantages.

It helps that I have virtually 0 expenses, medical or otherwise so I may be a bad example, but for me it works out.

[TheHamburglar]

When I was in college I would max out my student loans on the type that wouldn't start charging interest while you were in school.  I would take that money and go put them in 9 to 12 month CDs at 3%-4% interest.  When I graduated I cashed them all in, paid off the loans, and made $600.  I tried to tell anyone that would listen to me, but no one else did.

[wetwillie]

When I was in college I would max out my student loans on the type that wouldn't start charging interest while you were in school.  I would take that money and go put them in 9 to 12 month CDs at 3%-4% interest.  When I graduated I cashed them all in, paid off the loans, and made $600.  I tried to tell anyone that would listen to me, but no one else did.

That sounds really dumb. 

[TheHamburglar]

When I was in college I would max out my student loans on the type that wouldn't start charging interest while you were in school.  I would take that money and go put them in 9 to 12 month CDs at 3%-4% interest.  When I graduated I cashed them all in, paid off the loans, and made $600.  I tried to tell anyone that would listen to me, but no one else did.

That sounds really dumb.

Why does that sound dumb?  The government gave me free money.  I took it and used it to make guaranteed money.  I made $600 on literally no risk. 

[slobber]

HSA = good.
Max it. Everyone.

[The Tonya Harding of Twitter Users Creep]

December to Remember events

[Saulbadguy]

I sign up for lots of free crap for my birthday

[EuroCat]

When I was in college I would max out my student loans on the type that wouldn't start charging interest while you were in school.  I would take that money and go put them in 9 to 12 month CDs at 3%-4% interest.  When I graduated I cashed them all in, paid off the loans, and made $600.  I tried to tell anyone that would listen to me, but no one else did.

That sounds really dumb.

You should probably not go in the investing thread.

[hemmy]

When I was in college I would max out my student loans on the type that wouldn't start charging interest while you were in school.  I would take that money and go put them in 9 to 12 month CDs at 3%-4% interest.  When I graduated I cashed them all in, paid off the loans, and made $600.  I tried to tell anyone that would listen to me, but no one else did.

Of course now you couldn't get anywhere close to 4%.

[Willesgirl]

If you have kids you should have a FSA or a HSA. If single then probably not.

Yeah thats wrong....

which part? i have kids so i only focus on the first part. kids go to the doctor frequently enough that even if you're just setting $50 aside each month to cover the copays you're better off for it.

It is good for a single person, or just in general people with little to no medical costs because you can invest the money in various mutual funds, bonds, etc. Using me as an example, I already max out my 401k, I max out my Roth IRA, and I max out my HSA. I also have another brokerage account for non-retirement investing. The only other place that $3,250 headed toward the HSA could live would be my checking account (no point for it to be there, with non-existent interest) or the brokerage account. Putting in there I could potentially earn more from stocks that I could from the selection of mutual funds/bonds the HSA provides but I would also miss out on the tax advantages.

It helps that I have virtually 0 expenses, medical or otherwise so I may be a bad example, but for me it works out.

Hemmy is the smartest person here by like, a lot.

[mocat]

the credit card thread seems way too daunting for me at this point. need an abridged version with highlights

[ksucrcoop]

lube

[TheHamburglar]

the credit card thread seems way too daunting for me at this point. need an abridged version with highlights

Get a Sapphire Preferred.  Don't read the rest of the thread.  Once you have it and have a specific question, go back and ask it in the thread.

[Rams]

the credit card thread seems way too daunting for me at this point. need an abridged version with highlights

www.millionmilesecrets.com

that blog is essentially an abridged version with highlights

[ChiComCat]

I sign up for lots of free crap for my birthday

I do this and lie about my birthday to put it about a month out (giving them time to process crap).  I end up with emails telling me I get a free entree or whatever at random times during the year.

[puniraptor]

FSAs rollover incoming, makes fsas way better for us poor saps who dont get HSAs

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/01/242394351/irs-change-allows-rollover-for-flexible-spending-accounts

[Emo EMAW]

FSAs rollover incoming, makes fsas way better for us poor saps who dont get HSAs

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/01/242394351/irs-change-allows-rollover-for-flexible-spending-accounts

eff. YES.

[mocat]

FSAs rollover incoming, makes fsas way better for us poor saps who dont get HSAs

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/01/242394351/irs-change-allows-rollover-for-flexible-spending-accounts

TOPICAL!

[Emo EMAW]

[ednksu]

not sure if Lukes, National Parks. 

[raquetcat]

FSAs rollover incoming, makes fsas way better for us poor saps who dont get HSAs

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/01/242394351/irs-change-allows-rollover-for-flexible-spending-accounts

eff. YES.

It's not mandatory for employers to allow it though :(

[HerrSonntag]

If you have kids you should have a FSA or a HSA. If single then probably not.

Yeah thats wrong....

which part? i have kids so i only focus on the first part. kids go to the doctor frequently enough that even if you're just setting $50 aside each month to cover the copays you're better off for it.

I don't have kids and I have an HSA, I don't put a ton of money in it, but I figure my high deduct plan is loads cheaper than a co-pay plan, so I split half that savings into an HSA and pak with the other half, I don't see the downside to it.   I don't get sick a lot so I don't have to put much in it each year and its already accumulated more than I would foresee me using.

[ShellShock]

PS, HSAs get small interest but its so small that anyone who knows money can crush it.

The funds that my company's HSA are invested in gained 7% overall this past year. Company matches everything we put in up to the federal limit. There's no reason to not invest in it since it's not "use it or lose it" like an FSA.

Also, I heard they're shutting down the cash out rule. Any truth to that?