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My daughter is a grad student in MO. We live in VA. I won't be claiming her on my taxes as a dependent in the future, as we realized she could get subsidized health insurance as a grad student way cheaper than I can keep her on my company health insurance. (She has better insurance than I do...) Plus she is pretty damn independent and it would be a stretch to meet the legal definition of a dependant with her. [more inside]
posted by COD at 11:56 AM - 6 answers

I'm moving Monday, and my new landlord uses Quick Pay to accept rent payments. Cool! I don't need to write checks! But... how do I pay her? She says all I need is her email address. Does anyone here use this Quick Pay? What do I have to do to be able to pay her? Do I need a special account? [more inside]
posted by Weeping_angel at 11:51 AM - 5 answers

I've just finished my master's in library and information science (yeah, I know), anyway, I'm now starting to apply for jobs and I'm stumped by what to write in a cover letter for an academic library internship. I'm supposed to write statement regarding my career goals and interest in academic librarianship. I don't have any career goals beyond "get a job in a library" so how am I supposed to articulate something more than that? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:29 AM - 7 answers

I’m looking to buy a house in Seattle and a couple of lenders are aggressively competing for my business. A quick Google search tells me they stand to make quite a bit in commission. How can I as the borrower get the best deal and lowest closing costs?
posted by Dragonness at 7:54 PM - 7 answers

I am about to graduate as valedictorian from a top tier program. In decision paralysis about what to do next, and wondering if my mental approach to it is not the right one. [more inside]
posted by treetop89 at 11:32 AM - 8 answers

I am in the beginning stages of hiring more clients for my writing career and want to make sure I cover all my bases legally and specifically for new work outside of a large company's context. I work in the NJ/NY area and want to make sure I don't get rolled over by unscrupulous clients. [more inside]
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 7:23 AM - 2 answers

I am a dual US/UK citizen living in the UK. I will soon be selling my house and moving into accommodation provided by my new job for the forseeable future. Therefore I'll have a bit of money to invest but don't know how. [more inside]
posted by hazyjane at 12:35 AM - 4 answers

In the old days, I'd write all transactions in my checkbook. Nowadays, when I use a check to pay for something big (like my son's daycare tuition), I have a written record, but it doesn't get tracked online with all my Chase debit card purchases. Is there any way to add notes about pending checks to my Chase account? [more inside]
posted by HeroZero at 6:49 AM - 6 answers

Recently, I've been getting very little work done, despite an abundance of it to be done, and flexible, reasonable working conditions. How do I escape this rut? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:25 PM - 6 answers

I have come into a significant amount of money, and am thinking about quitting my job. What are some of the things I should be thinking through before making the decision? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:25 PM - 28 answers

I've spent my entire career (admittedly a 4 1/2 year career) working in open plan offices and it's never really been an issue until now, but we've just moved to a new area and we get the coffee machine gossip, the personal phone calls, the "let's sit somewhere an collaborate" talking, on and on and on. I would like suggestions for noise-blocking devices that are comfortable over the course of a the workday. Or other suggestions to make my desk location less annoying. [more inside]
posted by hoyland at 5:59 PM - 21 answers

I have, after years of consideration, decided to quit my desk job in Seattle and find a farming job next spring. What do I need to know?? [more inside]
posted by leafmealone at 5:01 PM - 6 answers

The company with whom I had my HSA apparently cashed it out and gave it to my ex-employer. Was this even legit? What do I do now? [more inside]
posted by nirblegee at 4:51 PM - 4 answers

I cancelled Verizon internet on the 28th of February and Verizon actually got around to disconnecting service on the 04th of March (with email confirmation on the 28th of both these things). They're now trying to charge my for the entire month of March as a "closing statement", which I'm a bit mad about. Mainly as it looks like I'm paying up for their inability to act on canceled service in a timely fashion? [more inside]
posted by Slackermagee at 3:40 PM - 10 answers

I had surgery on February 19 and have a hospital bill (just the hospital, not the surgeon, anesthetist, etc) of about $2200, which I know in the scheme of things is not terrible but it makes my financial situation even more precarious in my newly-divorced, newly-employed, looking-at-more-expensive-surgery-and-treatment-soon state. Can I negotiate this down? What do I say? I could possibly pay it in cash if they would knock it down like 20%. Is it better to talk to them sooner or let it sit for a while? All advice welcome.
posted by HotToddy at 12:35 PM - 16 answers

I’m a late 20s/early 30s (vague to protect my identity!!!) white woman in tech in Silicon Valley. Is there any actual research on how people in my field, in this region, react to how I might dress? [more inside]
posted by stoneandstar at 7:01 PM - 4 answers

I'm trying to take better control of my finances this year. I have $10k of debt. I want to know the best way to pay them off. The problem I have is that ALL of my debt is in zero interest cards. So debt repayment calculator view them all as equally pressing. [more inside]
posted by galaxypeachtea at 5:39 PM - 6 answers

I recently accepted a job starting in a month. I no longer wish to accept this position as taking it would mean moving to a new city, which I knew when I applied, and I now can not make the move. I need to write an email to quit the position I've accepted. What sort of things should my letter say or even a pointer to a appropriate form letter would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:37 AM - 12 answers

I have a last-minute invite to a job interview in the development/aid industry and I’m looking to prepare. If you have been to such an interview before, what questions were you asked?
posted by EatMyHat at 11:15 PM - 4 answers

I recently revamped my resume with the help of my usually super helpful career counselor at my grad school. But there was one thing she very strongly recommended that made my internal record skip/screech: Putting a professional summary on my resume. Deets below the fold. [more inside]
posted by executive_dysfuncti0n at 5:05 AM - 22 answers