I went back to school to get some certificates. During the two years since I finished, I have never received even one invoice for my education debt. I have not been contacted in any way. I can't even figure out who I owe money to. Am I going to be in trouble?
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posted by matt_arnold
on May 16, 2013 -
25 answers
Here's what I'm wondering. I recently discovered that an old respected friend is studying to become a Dianetics Auditor. My friend had a rough patch a few years ago and ended up feeling happier after undergoing Dianetcs Auditing. Good for her, I say. All I know of the church makes it seem like a nonsensical cult-like place that takes your money, but she's happy.
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posted by kinetic
on May 16, 2013 -
41 answers
I saw a post on tumblr, about why some larger bills have little stamps on them. The reason they gave is that drug dealers will stamp the bills to keep track of them. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
So question one is, does this sound accurate? Does anyone have any way of saying if this is or isn't true?
Question two, why the heck are these stamps on bills?
Here's a
picture of a purported drug dealer stamped bill.
posted by trogdole
on May 11, 2013 -
8 answers
Many years ago I read an essay that was pretty critical of the way so much fantasy fiction could not build believable societies with plausible economic underpinnings. The author was fairly concise and snarky, arguing that (I'm paraphrasing here) she could suspend disbelief about dragons and magic, but that she couldn't slog her way through a book where not the least bit of thought had been given to how all these characters and their associates could make a living, grow or acquire food, and otherwise acquire money and engage in trade. I
think it was an essay by Joanna Russ in Fantasy & Science Fiction in the 70s, when she had a regular book review column there, but I could be conflating like mad.
posted by maudlin
on May 7, 2013 -
6 answers
Our house is entirely plumbed in copper. Even the ginormous pipe that leaves the house to go out to the sewer.. whenever people see the maze of pipes in our basement, they comment on how valuable it is. But really? I mean, besides all the work of tearing it out and dealing with the weight, etc etc, how would a normal person like me turn it into money????
[Not that I want to; I just ponder these things sometimes.]
posted by Tandem Affinity
on Apr 27, 2013 -
15 answers
I'd like a resource, be it a website, blog, book, etc. for learning about money, such as explaining inflation, compound interest, types of savings accounts, etc. I'm basically trying to learn how money works. Thanks. :)
posted by Cybria
on Apr 22, 2013 -
7 answers
So, I just found out about
SmartyPig, which offers a 1% APR. I've been using INGDirect (now Capitol One360) as my primary savings account for years, and while I've been generally happy with them, they only offer 0.75% APR. Are there downsides I'm not seeing to switching over to SmartyPig? Have you had excellent/terrible experiences with either of them that would lead you to recommend or vehemently oppose their use?
I'm not sure if it makes any difference, but my checking account is with BBVACompass, who's the bank behind SmartyPig.
Any insight would be much appreciated!
posted by csox
on Apr 19, 2013 -
9 answers
Asking for a friend. YANHL. A couple has divorced, wife has a local civil service pension and husband a federal civilian pension. The judge ruled they would split each pension 50/50, instead of letting them keep their own. She has sent her court order to his pension board and has received acknowledgement. She has been unable to get any answers from the pension board about what happens now. He has left federal service but has not retired.
Does she have to wait until he retires to start receiving her monthly checks from the federal system? Can she start getting them when he reaches retirement age even if he's not retired? Who can she contact that will answer her questions? Would CC'ing her Senators/Rep on her emails help or hurt? Thanks.
posted by 1066
on Apr 4, 2013 -
6 answers
My main squeeze is moving in! Our finances are starting to be a little more comingled and I'm looking for the best, healthiest way to start having a regular "money check-in" as part of our new life together. He is on board with this. How do we structure the conversation? Is there a sample agenda? Do we make it a date night? Help, please.
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posted by amoeba
on Mar 26, 2013 -
12 answers
Short version: Outpatient facility acknowledges they owe me money but has not paid up. Their eternal answer is "The check will go out Thursday. We know it was supposed to go out last Thursday but it will go out this Thursday. Promise!" It's been over a month now, and I've called several times a week. How do I get my money back? More details inside if you want them.
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posted by rednikki
on Feb 26, 2013 -
10 answers
I'm desperately trying to become an adult (finally!), but I can't wrap my head around 'classic' budgeting software. Suggestions and tips to find what I really need?
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posted by hanov3r
on Feb 14, 2013 -
28 answers
I live in a cooperative household in California - 8 people total - and we have a house bank account that we use to pay for communal food, toilet paper, etc. as well as rent. We all deposit $ in the account, and our house treasurer writes one big check for rent that our landlord cashes. Now the local credit union wants us to pay taxes on the money going in and out of that account, which we've never encountered in the ~5-10 years the house has been running things this way. What to do?
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posted by wintersonata9
on Jan 31, 2013 -
14 answers
A friend in the same field as me, who was underemployed last year, helped me on a project last year. Over the whole year it was a total of 32 hours (I paid him at $50/hr). Now he's asking for a W2. I think it's pretty clear that he was not an employee (W2), but rather an independent contractor (1099). Aside from inventing a time machine to go back and clarify the terms (which I didn't think would be a problem, considering our friendship), what should I do here? What's at stake?
posted by Anonymousness
on Jan 30, 2013 -
14 answers
I would like to transfer $ 5000 from an account in Italy to my bank account here in the State. Can it be done electronically and if so, how?
posted by francesca too
on Jan 29, 2013 -
9 answers
I have a few new couple acquaintances that are on their way to becoming friends. Here's the trouble. As I get to know them more, i realize that there is a common thread about most of them. They are all quite pre-occupied with "how do i make more money" in life.
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posted by gadget_gal
on Jan 27, 2013 -
11 answers
Do I have any recourse against my employer, who misled me about the terms of my hire, and can you recommend some resources to
quickly find work and make him my ex-employer?
I'm in Ontario, I am already a recipient of assistance (because I) do not get enough work to be eligible for unemployment.
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posted by windykites
on Jan 17, 2013 -
11 answers
Chegg contacted me to ask if I wanted payment or credit for what appears to be someone else's books -- I'd like for the actual seller to earn the money, but it's hard to contact Chegg by phone or chat.
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posted by neitherly
on Jan 17, 2013 -
6 answers
What are your best tips for saving money in ways that don't impact your quality of life and don't require much effort?
I'm talking about things like: cut the dryer sheets in half, get twice as much out of a single box, impact on quality of laundry = 0, effort = nearly 0.
posted by bq
on Jan 14, 2013 -
57 answers
What is the most prudent way to go about choosing, managing, and strategizing my "future" real estate empire?
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posted by locussst
on Jan 14, 2013 -
13 answers
So I'm looking to move from SF to Seattle (in part to save money) - can I get a loan and buy a place? Would that make sense?
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posted by alaijmw
on Jan 7, 2013 -
13 answers
Job hunting and money hacks for less-than-shoestring budget while returning to school? Help me not become a fatality of class warfare. Very complicated and snowflakey stuff inside.
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posted by Ephelump Jockey
on Jan 1, 2013 -
20 answers
My husband and I have a bunch of money leftover at the end of each month after bills have come out, but we don't know where it is.
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posted by ThaBombShelterSmith
on Dec 3, 2012 -
57 answers
UK Rental filter [posted for a friend]: My friend paid the deposit + first month's rent for an apartment, but has yet to sign the lease; his circumstances have changed suddenly and he now wants to back out - can he get his money back?
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posted by gmb
on Dec 2, 2012 -
5 answers
I read
this article and I'm fascinated by the effects of current events on how money moves through the world and how money seems to affect other money. I've found a new interest! But, I don't even know what it's called! How can I study this?
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posted by windykites
on Nov 8, 2012 -
8 answers
Parents bought a $1.8k plane ticket for my friend and now she's agreeing to wire back $900 into my account. She had agreed to pay back the full price initially. How do I get the rest of the money back?
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posted by lyinlion
on Nov 7, 2012 -
34 answers
Is there a best way to go about finding and hiring a financial planner? I'm in the Western suburbs of Chicago and am not sure where to start the process or what are the key things to look for.
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posted by Slack-a-gogo
on Oct 29, 2012 -
7 answers
You have your own business (or like me, help manage one). You have an initial consult fee which is lower than your hourly rate but still a high number ($250). When you receive cold calls, how do you broach the number without clients freaking out. We do not to any free consultations. Examples inside.
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posted by Danithegirl
on Oct 29, 2012 -
20 answers
I do NOT want to come in to work today. My shift begins in 3 hours and I'm seriously considering just not showing up. One week working there and I already want to quit - HELP!
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posted by HiphopAnonymous
on Oct 21, 2012 -
39 answers
Have you ever manned a booth at a carnival, fair, or expo? I'm running a booth and selling items at a weekend fair that will benefit a volunteer organization. What do I need to know?
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posted by Fairchild
on Oct 5, 2012 -
23 answers
A little more than a month ago, I started a full-time telecommuting job that I thought was my dream job. When I took it, I was working part-time (and had been since my son was born two years ago). This is my first full-time job since becoming a mom. I now think I made a big mistake.
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posted by trillian
on Aug 14, 2012 -
21 answers
I had a routine ladyparts exam a few months ago. It qualified as "preventive care" and I didn't have to pay a copay. (Yay! Thank you, ACA!) I got a rundown of what they charged my insurance a month or two ago -- one of those THIS IS NOT A BILL things -- and promptly lost/forgot about it, since I owed nothing. Today I got a check, made out to me, from the doctor's office for a couple hundred bucks. Do I get to keep it?
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posted by fiercecupcake
on Jul 14, 2012 -
10 answers
My '03 Hyundai Accent has serious mechanical issues. I'm working poor. Would it be wiser to see if it's worth it to shell out for repairs or immediately pass her on and do without a car until I can get a replacement (that might not be much better)?
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posted by batmonkey
on Jul 10, 2012 -
12 answers
My 401(k) has changed - any financial gurus able to explain how I am going to be affected?
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posted by erstwhile
on Jun 15, 2012 -
9 answers
How long will it take me to feed a couple gallons worth of coins into a Coinstar machine?
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posted by bondcliff
on May 14, 2012 -
30 answers
If the "top 1%" pulled their money out of the banking system and stored it in, say, a shoebox (a LARGE shoebox, I guess), would that crash the entire financial system of the country? What if only, say, Warren Buffet or Oprah pulled their money out? Would it have any effect on our banks?
posted by Spyder's Game
on Apr 10, 2012 -
13 answers
How much did long distance telephone calls cost in the late 1970s and early 1980s? I'm mainly interested in hearing about rates for the USA but data from other countries would be welcome as well.
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posted by jason's_planet
on Mar 31, 2012 -
21 answers
Are there any online banks that allow recurring automatic transfers to another bank?
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posted by zazzles
on Mar 26, 2012 -
18 answers
Doubts after a breakup: hit me with that frying pan one more time and I might actually get it.
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 16, 2012 -
43 answers
I'm in the US. I have a niece in Denmark with a birthday coming, and I'd like to send her $50. How?
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posted by Runes
on Mar 4, 2012 -
13 answers
