That’s what I would do. Focus on car first before student loans pick up, and maybe pay off a chunk of student loans before August so principle is lower while there’s no interest and probably shave off a couple months at the end of the loan. But still save more for the downpayment as you do this. And I wouldn’t do it all at once with that $50K

Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it — everyone has their own starting point! And having saved 50k is no small accomplishment, so that’s something to be proud of on its own.

There is no capital gain tax treatment in a retirement account. If a portion of withdrawal is subject to tax, it is going to be ordinary income tax.

1. Withdrawing contributions: No tax, no penalty.
2. Withdrawing taxable conversions: No tax. 10% penalty within 5 years.
3. Withdrawing nontaxable conversions: No tax, no penalty.
4. Withdrawing earnings: Taxed as income. 10% penalty for unqualified withdrawal.

How much do you expect the Roth IRA to grow before you withdraw?

Also, are you going to become "nonresident alien"?

I do have collision, yes.

Just from reading your "Financial Stats" it was obvious you lived like no one else in order to, later on, live like no one else. You paid the price now go reclaim the some sort of life you don't currently have. You are already ahead of 80% of Americans take the WIN.

Let’s revisit the home sale.

You currently own a home with a mortgage. What happened to the money from the sale of the previous house?

> Should I put a small amount into a year CD and the rest into a longer one?

You can do that, sure.

Do you have a stock broker (say Fidelity) that you use?

I have Fidelity and buying CDs thru them are easy, just select the time-frame you want and pick one. They also have automatic “ladders” that you buy and it is split between different time-frames. You just have to fund money to them from your bank account after you link them (takes a few days).

Do a CD ladder. 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Divided equally. When the 3 month matures, convert it to a 12 month. When the 6 month matures convert that to a 12 month and so on. Eventually, you will have 4 - 12 mont CD maturing every 3 months. This gives you access to some of your cash while still allowing you to earn interest.

I quickly explained that, but make sure you do your research on it.

It doesn't necessarily have to be 3 months apart. Do intervals that work for you

No, I can't depend on anyone financially so this is really my only option. If I don't pay off my card I can't get to work and if I can't get to work I can't pay off my debt. I can wait for the iPad. I can't wait for my credit card bill.

Make sure it is not a second mortgage or HOA foreclosing. After the GFC we use to see people that think they got a bargain and then found out there was a first mortgage they had to pay off.

If your parents are letting you stay there for free be very very grateful. Thank them for that. Also make sure you are doing more than your fair share of chores/work around the place. It was unclear if your girlfriend also lived there. If so, make sure she is also helpful. They are doing you a big favor

The cheapest and I think best option is to continue to live with your parents. This option allows you to put the max amount against the debt and get it paid off as quickly as possible.

You can make a few percent here and there by not paying off the loans …but don’t think it is that much if you run the numbers. I think the satisfaction of being debt free is worth way more than the few dollars you may make by not paying off the debt as fast as you can. Being debt free feels awesome!

It’s too soon to buy a house Also you don’t want to buy a house with a girlfriend. That’s a bad idea. Can get messy and complicated

You have $50,000 saved. Wow Good job 👍

If it was me Thank my parents!! Keep living with parents Pay off car loan Pay off student Loans but maintain a $20,000 emergency fund Keep working on paying off remaining student loans Don’t think about moving out until all debt is paid Get a second job

Good luck!!!!

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I use my credit card to get places. I have a $500 credit limit that is almost maxed out. If I don't pay my credit card bill I wont be able to get to work is what I am saying.

What's your personal recommendation? Sounds like I'm in the safe bet but S&P 500 might be riskier but with greater returns? Are these the most commonly used options? Is this something I can change easily? If so, would I need to track things closely to see when to change it back and forth? Or once you pick, you pick and it just sits?

I'm willing to put in the time to educate myself using online resources, but do you think I would ever need to entertain consulting or hiring a financial planner?

First, congratulations to you and your wife for already saving so much at age 30, which is a remarkable accomplishment. While you missed the opportunity to put your savings into a tax-advantaged account, there are still many ways to increase your retirement savings.
You mentioned that your employer doesn't offer a match, so you might consider contributing to a traditional 401k or a Roth 401k. A traditional 401k allows you to take a tax advantage when saving because your contributions are deductible on a pre-tax basis. a Roth 401k, on the other hand, saves after taxes, but you will enjoy tax-free earnings and withdrawals at retirement.
In addition, you can also consider Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), which also offer tax benefits, similar to a 401k. If you qualify, you can also contribute to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA. In addition, you may want to consider using a tax-advantaged investment account such as a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a 529 college savings plan.
In summary, while you may be missing out on some of the tax benefits of saving, there are still many other options available to help you increase your retirement savings. I recommend that you speak with a financial advisor or retirement savings specialist to help you choose the best savings option for you.

Lolll YES, they kept transferring me between their IRA and 401k department

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Unless you spoke to the plan rollovers department (someone at Fidelity finally gave me their number after I complained that I was transferred over 15 times), most of them don't really know the tax stuff.

> Some states allow you to break a lease without a penalty ... or if you join the military active duty

Just some added info, this specific reason is actually a federal law known as SCRA, and lessors don't have a choice in it. There's specific rules but they must let you break the lease early. Some states have more strict SCRA laws (for lessors), but they can't be less strict than the federal version.

What happens other than denial of the purchase is the vendor asking you for some money out of some other pocket of your money to pay its charges and you not being able to come up with a substantive enough reimbursement request to the scheme operator to give you back your money from "FSA."

At $175k, assuming no family, still a very comfortable income. From your numbers, it seems there's a spending problem.

Oh yeah the time horizon is just the over the amount of time I've had the 401k, so about a year and a half. Thanks for the book rec, I'll check it out!

As for the other rec, would one of the ways I would accomplish this is by reducing my Roth 401k contribution to the company match and then using that money? What kind of "account" do I open with them? Is that what a Roth IRA would be or this is something different?

Also, for my federal student loans, should I just pay those off monthly once it resumes? Any reason to explore just paying them all off at once right now?

> Basically my question is, how much of a screw up is this?

You just missed out on less taxes. It’s not like you have lost any money.

Just do tax-advantaged accounts in the future.

>I just didn't have enough money to meaningfully invest in the S&P

The minimum to invest in the Fidelity 500 Index Fund is $0:

https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mutual-funds/summary/315911750

Debt: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/debt