Detachable vs. Fixed Cables: Pros and Cons in Mobile Audio

[AbuHossam]

ASK: At what point do you stop contributing to it?* My daughter is 19, working two jobs for about 40hrs/week and not ready to go back to school. She would like to work and explore her options which i fully support.* She is also prepared to pay her auto registration (astronomically Ca high) this year and has kicked the idea around about helping to pay for her auto insurance.*

We have a good chunk of change in her 529 and rerouting that money to BS6 would be great.* She is ok with this idea.** I am feeling a little guilty even though it would increase my shovel

Thoughts?**

Thanks!!

[AbuHossam]

ANSWER
Since I was 16, my parents (DR followers) told me that I'd have to pay for all my car expenses, including the car purchase itself. Insurance, gas, repairs, inspections, gas, etc. They were SO mean, I was so jealous of all my friends who had nice cars while I had my 2005 Cavalier. I also had to pay my portion of the cell phone bill (which back then was $20 a month when I was 14). But- now at 28, in steps 4 & 6, I couldn't be more thankful for their tough love and teaching me the finances of the real world. I should be an "Every day millionaire" soon. I worked so many odds jobs, babysitting, cleaning storage units, pet sitting, lawn mowing, helping elderly neighbors with errands, the list goes on and on. Even now I still work side gigs after my 9-5. I learned real work and life balance. I sometimes think it can be more cruel to children's future to not prepare them for real life bills and budgeting. I think it is the way to go.

[AbuHossam]

ASK: Why is it that when someone asks a question on this forum about what they should do, and you respond with your opinion does your comment get deleted!!! I feel like no matter what anyone says it’s always wrong? The poster asked a question, (this or that) and you give your opinion your deleted.. Then why let anyone ask the question if admin can’t let you respond

ANSWER 1
Because it's really confusing for new people to come to a dave ramsey named group and to have wildly differing advice--half of it not aligning with the dave ramsey principles. Stick to the plan. There are plenty of other groups to share non-DR advice.



ANSWER 2
That’s because this is a Dave group they lean heavy into Dave’s core principles, if you don’t answer in line with those it my get deleted. Look in to an Dave-ish group or FI group if you want something outside of DR steps. Good luck on your journey.


ANSWER 3
Rule Number 3
Your comments can not contradict Dave’s advice. If you give anything against the baby steps/Dave’s ideals then your comment is removed.
If you do not follow rule 3 it’s removed. It’s not an opinion group it is a DR community and therefore only DR principals are allowed.
(I am not saying this is right/I agree just explaining the rule to answer your question)

MY solo – TwitterLover

Justin Adams
You cannot have an opinion on the matter if it differs from the group rules. I’m in a lot of groups & this one by far is the most cult-like. But you also notice a lot of individuals within this group work in some sort of financial advice field. So if you’re giving an opinion, that doesn’t agree with what they’re trying to sell, comment deleted.

[AbuHossam]

ASK
(&#129326 and finding it so hard to meet guys who see debt the way I do or have the same approach to money. Has anyone found this to be a problem when meeting people and do you just stay on your own path and hope they jump on board or hold out to find someone of like "weird" mindedness?


ANSWER 1
My boyfriend.... before he became that .. he had a home, a car, a stable long term job. I knew he could take care of himself that's what mattered. In his personality he completely amazed me from the get go. One year later and he has paid off all his debt and has his emergency savings... I guess when I'm saying is give them a chance if it's the right person the financial part will get figured out...


ANSWER 2
Well, I haven’t been single in a long time, but if I were you, I would check out may be finding someone at a church, going to one of the events, or I’m sure there’s gotta be a DaveRamsey site for singles. Check those out instead of reinventing the wheel.


ANSWER 3
I'm not interested in casual dating, but would rather seek a Godly woman with whom I would be compatible to intentionally court for marriage. Most people have no idea how difficult it is to find someone with whom I would be on the same page in terms of faith, finances, family goals, and in-laws (the topics Dave emphasizes that you agree on before getting married). The struggles I've had with how difficult it is to find that person, and the number of times I've been asked about it by family members, are super frustrating. "Evangelical dating" or "missionary dating" don't interest me either because those types of relationships leading someone to the Lord are likely more of the exception than the norm. My goal is definitely to find someone who doesn't believe in spending recklessly and living beyond her means.


ANSWER 4
I can’t be with you more! This is one of the reasons I’m getting divorced. I believe in 0 debt and he went and put himself only in his name thank god in $16 thousand in cc debt -and behind my back. Then lost his job . No mother or wife should have to deal with that type of stress. He also didn’t budget or know how to and I taught him. Plus there was other factors too.

[AbuHossam]

The Question
Every lender and every source seems to say something wildly different. Like for a $220,000 house some say closing costs are around $7,000 and others up to $20,000. Not including down payment. We are trying to save up down payment and closing costs before starting to look and of course it will take us a lot longer to save $20k than $7k for closing costs. But at the same time, we don’t want to save $7k for closing only to find out we actually needed $20k for closing!


Would love some real life feedback from home owners! We are in Buffalo NY for context!


ANSWER 1
I don’t remember what my closing costs were, but my lender set me up with a grant program that gave me $5k towards closing costs as a first time homebuyer.

Look for all the free money you can get!


ANSWER 2
You should check out NACA. No down payment, no closing cost, no credit score requirement, no mortgage insurance and a below market fixed rate.


ANSWER 3
It's not just the price of the house it's the price, the type of loan, so much changes it. It truly can vary that much. You need to get with a great lender. They will get you pre-approved for the type of loan that best fits your needs(conventional,USDA,FHA,VA, ect) and then they can give e you a better estimate. It still won't be set in stone but it will be closer. But you absolutely can always ask for the sellers to pay your closing cost or a portion of your clsoing cost as part of your offer, when you make an offer on a property. But by the time you're making an offer on a property you will be settled on a loan and will have a closer estimate of the actual cost.



ANSWER 4
Stick to local lenders, not the big name internet companies. A national bank or statewide company is fine, but only if they have a branch you can walk into to talk to the loan officer. Call at least three lenders. Costs and rates very quite a bit sometimes.

If you have your Realtor, ask them for at least three people they trust. They know who the best lenders are in your area.

[AbuHossam]

The Question
I don’t have a lot of debt, but I do have a car loan, personal loan, and two c.c all this amount is about 52,971.09. I make 55,000 yr.

My wife has separate finances then me due to us making poor decisions in the past together with finances. Tonight we are having a discussion on finances.

I’m not sure if we should continue with our separate accounts and bills or join back together. WWDD?

ANSWER 1
If you’re married, then you both have to be accountable to each other. It’s really the only way it works since my husband and I have shared finances and do a budget meeting nearly every week we do far better. Our net worth is over $500,000 and climbing every day.

 I’ve been married almost 36 years. There were some ups and downs, but ultimately when you care about somebody, you’ve got to be working together as a team think of it as being those Budweiser Clydesdales moving together in unison, pulling a wagon.


ANSWER 2
Dave wells tell you you are joined as one and that should be in everything. Unity is important to marriage and to money. A good way to sink a shop and a marriage is for two people to rowing in docent directions.

Take Financial Peace University together. Have a budget meeting, one that has zero judgement towards each other, where both of you are honest about income, debts, savings, and get it all on paper, no secrets even if they look ugly. Having unity and trust takes complete honesty. List everything together, not seperate. Combine your income for one budget. List all debts together smallest to largest regardless of whose name is on it.

This will take commitment, honesty, working together, lots of conversations, budget meetings, and grace from both if you because it will take time to get it right.

ANSWER 3
Glad you are sitting down to discuss. This is the first step. I have been married 37 years. My wife is my partner, we are one. In everything. Our finance are in one account. The income is ours. The bills are ours. I highly recommend you do it as one, because that is what you are. Make a list of all the debts. Make a zero balance budget. And get at it. The reward at the end is freedom. Nothing like it. You can do it.



ANSWER 4
Absolutely join finances. My husband and I had separate accounts for years, and once we decided we were truly a team and joined forces, we not only paid the debt off, but we drew closer together. Every monthly budget meeting brought us closer and we began to dream together again.

[AbuHossam]

The Question
WWDD? About to sell my house. After paying off my debts and ffef I will have about $15k. I am scheduled to attend college part time- covered by scholarship. Do I stop school to work a second job to make sure I am living in my means? Or do I continue school and use the $15k to cover my spending more than I make?

I am working on reducing expenses as well but it’s been kind a trial and error at this point. It will take me about 3 years to finish school and then I should be able to get a promotion and pay raise because of the degree.


ANSWER 1
I think Dave would tell you that you will get the biggest ROI from YOU so put the 15K away as an educational sinking fund and then budget to live within your means while going to school and working. Then the 15K is there if you need it for additional ed expenses so you aren't tempted to get a loan and if you don't need it, it's available during the transition from school to next job.


ANSWER 2
Why are you selling your house? Is it more than you can afford? Do you plan to buy another or rent? What are the rent prices in your area? Plus rent usually goes up every year and recently those are higher than in the past. It could easily be more than your current mortgage.

Do you have a written budget? One that accounts for monthly income and ALL expenses detailed?

I saw in one of your responses you are a single mom. Don't forget child related costs, clothing, one extracurricular activity within an affordable range and age appropriate etc. Add the child support payments into your monthly income if you receive any. Or better yet, set it aside and live off just your income if possible. Children are much more resilient than we give them credit for. Scour your local community postings for free or low cost weekends activities you can work around school and your job. Kids are way more intested in spend family time and creating memories than monetary programs. It's also what they'll remember as they grow. Not how much you spent.

Don't quit school or give up the scholarships.

Personality I'd continue my job, full-time if possible. You said you want to promote, but need the degree to do so. It's silly to think of giving up the job that has the potential to advance.

Read the details of the scholarships closely, take only the minimum number of credits each semester to maintain the scholarships. Also your employer may offer tuition reimbursement. It could open up some of the scholarship funds to cover living expenses depending on the scholarship.

It sounds like you have a city/ federal government job. The benefits and job security that provides is difficult to give up and/or replace.

ANSWER 3
Do not stop school, it will help you in the long term. Work as muchbas you can while going to school. Congratulations on having a scholarship! You are doing amazing. Keep going...



ANSWER 4
What are you going to school for? My daughter is graduating college tomorrow and has worked full time since she was 16. She went to college on a scholarship. Most degrees you can work at least part time and most of the time full time while going to school.

[AbuHossam]

The Question
So my wife and I were working hard in baby step 3 and then our AC just went out and was replaced, will likely soon need to repair our garage floor starting to cave in ($2100) and the biggest thing now on top of that is having water leaking through the bottom of the basement wall into the floor of the basement, signaling a need for foundation repair ($6000+?) and a mold expert to come in and redo that whole section of the basement ($25,000+).

We could have never expected to be dealing with all of these all at once and taking away our years-in-the-making lump sum of savings (our income was just barely above breaking even from a small shovel to hole ratio) plus another $25k in the hole, all in a span of just over a month.

Dave never seems to talk about what kind of debt to allow yourself to get into if you find yourself in a predicament like this. There are usually financing options available with the mold company, personal loans at the bank, home equity loans, and home equity lines of credit. (Not sure what else I am missing besides being extra stupid with a credit card.)

How would a smart financial person handle this besides working more hours and beans and rice, rice and beans? If you know you have to fall into the hole [including debt], what is the right way to fall into it?

ANSWER 1
Take a deep breath, make a list to prioritize, and just start taking steps to repair what you can/what's most important first . You can (and will) rebuild that EF. Check with your homeowners insurance first thing. We just went through a big mold remediation, and had to continually fight with the insurance but in the end they did end up paying most of it.


ANSWER 2
Your homeowner's might cover the mold because it sounds like it was a secret leak issue that you didn't know about. Check your policy to see if it's covered. Although 25K is steep - get another estimate


ANSWER 3
Dave will tell you no new debt. Period. That's hard, I know.

But there are many ways to solve this problem, and some of them are temporary. You need to get multiple experts in to get a range of solutions. Be honest with them about your budget. Also don't forget to check with your insurance about coverage for the mold.

We had similar foundation/garage issues. I had quotes for filling in the voids under the garage for about $8k, but a structural engineer told us we didn't need to do anything. So we didn't. We also had a crack in the basement wall that was leaking. We were able to install some piers for about $2k to shore up the cause of the cracks, and another $1k to seal the cracks (vs' thousands to dig out and repair from the outside. Both came with lifetime warranties but never needed them.

Long story short, don't panic. Work through your options. Find ways to stabilize and do things piecemeal as you can afford.


ANSWER 4
Get a few quotes. We have a few people we are talking to about an issue, and comparing itemized quotes is helping us with picking and getting best price & quality. For instance, 2 companies, same resolution but one is charging $500 for permits the other $1,200. Now we can approach the more expensive and pry on their reasoning. Things like that. Always helps to talk to a few people

[AbuHossam]

The Question
I have read Dave’s book but am not sure where to start for my situation. My annual net income between my wife and I is around: $50,400

I have around 4 main debts at this point:

1 - 2021 Toyota Hybrid Camry with 30k miles on it, we owe about $32k on it - $564 per month

2 - a small unsecured personal loan worth $3900 - $163 per month

3 - newly acquired precomputed loan for $7850 - $263 per month

4 - My home loan of $33k - $277 per month for another 12 or so years.

My main question is what should I do? Should I sell my car and possibly take on negative equity?

I am in the process of trying to get my precomputed loan to become a secured simple interest loan to avoid a stupid amount of interest being charged to me by putting our other paid off vehicle as the collateral.

I’m kind of at a loss. I will be getting a significant amount back for taxes, and will also be gaining money from something’s I will be selling for the next few months. If all goes well I could get up to 8k from the sales. These are tickets to a local sports team.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

ANSWER 1
First, sell the car. If there's negative equity in it, then borrow the difference, and get you a cheap $3,000 car for the time being. That can be a small loan, because at least you're trading a large debt for a small debt. Next, start hammering away at the personal loan, then the other loan. Home loan will be last. Adjust your W2 so your tax refund isn't so much in 2024, and that should increase your take home pay, which will help. Once all the loans except the house are paid off, build up an emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses, then attack the remainder of the home loan. Also sell as much stuff as you can, take on extra jobs, and stay laser focused on killing this debt like the cancer it is.


ANSWER 2
2,3,1,4 then snowball payment amount onto the next debt as each is paid off. Minimums on each except smallest. Throw everything possible at it until it’s gone then move up the line.


ANSWER 3
BS 7 If you can have the car and all smaller paid of in 2 years or so you can keep it other wise sell car al get a cheaper one and put the difference in a loan look a vehicle that will do you for a few years.



ANSWER 4
Sell the car, pay cash for a used yes used car! Save $1,000 for your starter emergency fund , list all the other debts small to large amount total then pay the min amounts on all except the smallest throw what extra you can at it and knock it out and take that money and use it for the next debt bill

[alwakrah]

Hi AbuHossam, thanks for sharing your experience about reducing debt and making more money. Here is what I did in a similar situation. I foremost took an effort and closed all my credit cards. Simultaneously, I started to save 20% of my salary and created an investor portfolio. About 20% of this portfolio I invested into forex trading, but not earlier than reading forex comparison and choosing the right broker. There are a few details that matter in this process.

[moroccos]

Thank you very much!

[AbuHossam]

The Question
I know this has been a topic in the past.

Currently we are on Verizon, we love the service it provides but it’s gotten out of hand as far as costs go. We have 3 lines. (1 is a kiddo, bare minimum line) And owe on 1 phone, $300ish that can be paid off whenever but currently sits tied into the monthly bill.

My main concern is service. I’m a busy mom and I need to be in contact. So spotty service is a no go!

Was just approached about switching to xfinity mobile but I don’t know enough about it to want to take a leap!

Budget masters tell me, Who do you use? Pros? Cons?

ANSWER 1
Check your plans. I am currently paying about 160 3 lines with Verizon. I have had to change plans over the years, but my cost has gone down considerably over the 20 years I have had them.


ANSWER 2
Spectrum has a great deal right now if you have their internet. Also uses Verizon towers. Search for MVNO providers who use Verizon towers and you'll come up with a bunch. We are on US Mobile right now and it's going good! $40 for two phones with 5gb of data each phone


ANSWER 3
We had Verizon for over 15 years but lately the prices were killing us, 120.00 for 2 lines and only 2 gigs to share, we were always going over and getting hit with major overage charges. We live in a rural area and a lot of other carriers don't get good service here. I was really nervous about switching since I use my cell for my job too, no land lines, but we switched to Straight Talk and I haven't noticed a difference one time in almost a year. We now pay 35.00/line for 10 gigs each which is more then we ever use!



ANSWER 4
We just switched to xfinity a few months this ago. No issues with service so far. We had tried t Mobil a few years ago and it literally didn’t work in our house. We are just outside of town in the “country” (but not really lo) we also got a $200 Visa card after using xfinity for 60 days

[AbuHossam]

The Question
He wants to go back to school to get into the medical field, which has been a distant dream for years. I think it's a great career path for him, but the timing is not great (but is it ever?)

The program he wants to go into is 2 years, including summers, and starts in January. He's going to try and take as many prerequisites this summer and Fall before the main program starts in January.*

The entire program is only 3.5k, closer to 5k with textbooks. We are hoping to get financial aid and use some of our tax return toward it.

When he starts the program he will be in school 8-4 and is going to find a night shirt job. He's done night shift before and it was absolutely miserable for me and our three children. But, what other option do we have?

My concern is him finding time to sleep between school and work.

His income is an average of $4800/month (take home) and he's hourly. He earns $31/hour, but this company and work environment has eaten away at him so badly for the past 8 years that he is having major mental health issues. He needs out. Now.

*please don't suggest he just "suck it up" and keep going. That's not an option any longer.

I teach kindergarten 4 days a week at a private school. My income is only about $1500/month (take home) and I use my paycheck to pay for our youngest son's preschool tuition ($475/month). Both my paychecks and our son's tuition will stop after May, but start back up again in August.

Our bills are high, with his student loans being the biggest one 46k. After bills and groceries are paid for, we only have about 50-100 left each week. I am already pooling as much as possible into our savings, which is not much right now (about 1k).

So. He's applied at a few places that will pay enough to keep us afloat, but I'm not sure what to do in the meantime. We have bills weekly and tomorrow is the last paycheck my husband will get. Multiple small jobs wont pay enough.

I'm trying not to stress out. How do people do this? We have 3 children and I can't work this summer without having to pay for camps/care for them. Even teaching I would still need to pay for all three of their tuitions.

What's the best plan of action so we don't sink?

Again, please be kind.

ANSWER 1
I think you should utilize Family Leave Medical Benefits before making any life changing decisions. This guarantees that he can be off work 12 weeks and his employer must hold his job for him. You can google how FMLA works. That will give him the mental break he needs and a chance for you as a family to really take the time to decide what is best. Best Wishes to you!


ANSWER 2
Mental health in the medical field is likely not going to be better. The biggest employer in my area is a hospital, it is grueling work. I would have him find a better work environment and knock out the debt you have before chasing a new dream right now.


ANSWER 3
I honestly left the medical field for mental health reasons. He may need to look into working through those issues before pursuing a different field.



ANSWER 4
This is a great way to increase your income! You will need to look into your state's laws regarding how many children you are allowed to care for in your home without a license, but during the summer I bet there are a lot of parents that would pay for a trusted teacher to watch their kids while they work. Mental illness is tough on the whole family and it sounds like it's definitely time to get out of that situation. I wish more people treated this sort of thing as an emergency, because it really is.

[AbuHossam]

The Question
Hubby has not worked in almost 2 years.* We have had talks about how we need more income coming in.* I’m already working FT, PT & even started donating plasma to help.* So working 7 days a week, 74+ hours a week for 2 1/2 years.

I had the hard conversations with him back in June that I didn’t feel like I had a partner anymore.* That I felt like he wasn’t participating in this marriage either financially or emotionally & that I couldn’t continue to do this on my own.* He said that he heard me & understood.

In late October we talked that the only reason we were okay for the last few months of the year was due to some extra money on my paychecks that would end as of January & would he consider getting a temporary season job for those 10 weeks since we’ll be $900-$1000 short for January.

He said ‘sure’ but the way he said it I knew he wouldn’t.* He would usually end all of our monthly financial meetings with ‘guess I’ll have to get a job’

All during this year he has been working hard to get something going that will be his main source of income & I totally support him doing that, but in the mean time we need some income coming in!

He just can’t or won’t go get any type of job to help us.

I feel like I’ve expressed myself on what I need from him & our marriage, I’ve had the hard conversations about the lack of having a partner & the stress this money shortage is having on me.* He said he might be depressed, he said he might want to talk to someone.* He didn’t.* He says he’ll ‘get a job’.* He hasn’t.* I’m not happy anymore.

Our youngest is graduating high school in June & I feel like selling the house & going our separate ways might be best for both of us.

The other part of me says we said for better or worse…is this the worst?* Do I just keep killing myself working 2 jobs?

No he won’t go to counseling.

Need some people who don’t know me personally to weigh in…

ANSWER 1
If he won’t do anything to address this issue (like getting a job this week or making a therapy appt this week), I’d start to explore your options. I understand this is likely mental illness/psychiatric in nature, but we can’t help people who won’t help themselves.


ANSWER 2
You have been so very patient with him.
If he doesn't change (which looks like he won't) plan on your exit plan.
You can't make/force him do anything. Take care of yourself and be prepared as a single person completely. I'm so sorry. I was in a similar situation holding onto divorce papers and kept waiting for him to change- and then I had my sign and he didn't change.
I filed the next day


ANSWER 3
Please quietly, without a word to your husband, seek counseling of both an attorney and mental health professional. I have a friend who was in this situation and ended up paying him alimony. It is very important that you understand the legalities and legal ramifications of divorce in your state and that you have the support of a mental health professional as you embark whether you get a divorce or not.



ANSWER 4
This sounds like depression. Something has triggered it and he needs help. They have virtual counseling. Medication will help too if he’s in need. It’s not something he can control if it’s depression, but he can manage it way better. I’ll pray for you and your decision.

[AbuHossam]

The Question
That appears to severely limit our options as we would apparently have to go from Phoenix via London with BA or AA and it seems that most flights are very booked. Alternatively, it appears we would go via Philadelphia with AA and a lot of those seem to be booked as well at this stage. Have not heard great things about TAP.

We are locked into 1 particular week, leaving Phoenix either Friday September 29th or Saturday September 30th and departing Lisbon to arrive back in Phoenix BY the late evening of Sunday October 8th.

I really would prefer to fly, if on AA or similar, Preferred Economy or Premium Economy.

Will do Business if available and forced to 😉

If there's alternative flights, airlines, we will do it. Nothing else is popping up in searches for us.

If we have to pay for our seats, we will. I have AA credit to burn.

I also have the following:

250,000 American Airlines Miles

100,000 Chase UR Miles

125,000 Capital One Miles

150,000 Anerican Express Membership Rewards Points

Just the 2 of us.

We will be traveling with hand luggage only.

Any advice or options you could offer would be gratefully appreciated.

Hard to believe with PHX being the 5th biggest city in the US that we don't have more international destination options.

ANSWER 1
I’ve generally had good luck with biz and my October travels. Maybe out of LAX? Or just find something to Europe anywhere then hop a quick flight to Lisbon

Just depends on flexibility of cities I think


ANSWER 2
Why would you need to go to Philly? You could reposition to any airport in the US with a nonstop option to Lisbon. Or heck, you could go to Madrid or somewhere else and take the train or LCC. You're limiting yourself way too much.