Finance Advice Thread

[CelticBaller]

Paying interest and profiting from interest are two very different things. Interest is among the worst of sins because it compounds, same with gambling. Sex before marriage is a sin as well, but that is something that is sinned for the one act. When it comes to money, whatever you spend from that profit becomes sin, even if it's for good.

Just for an example (albeit for gambling, not interest, but nonetheless the two are up there when it comes to sins), it is said to be less of a sin for us to eat half a pound of pork everyday for the rest of our lives than it is to gamble once. I learned that only recently, I dabbled in gambling before but strictly stay away now. And besides, just because I sin by having sex and smoking doesn't mean I should go all out and do all the sins.

Anyway, I don't want this to turn into a religious discussion, I respect you making this thread and feel like it would be best to keep this strictly financial, just wanted to answer your question.





My company is pretty dope with 401k tbh, they do it in a way I haven't seen any other company practice. Whatever your salary is (lets say 60k, not what I make) you get a percentage of your salary on top of that for benefits. So 60k is your take home salary, and then you get 20k (33%, depends on length at company..but lowest is 25) on top to invest in health insurance, 401k, etc.


After all my insurance packages, dental, whatever..I am left with 6k invested in my 401k annually. Not a dime from my salary.

No, I am not maxing my contributions. Is this really the best way to go though? I feel like I can do more for myself with cash on hand rather than waiting till I retire.

Where do you work again lol

[Bosnian Sajo]

Where do you work again lol

I'd rather not say here, altho if you have a discord we can pm.


It's a small (150-200 employees) research facility, and as you know I do database work.

[CelticBaller]

Nvm, those benefits sounded like ones from a F100 company.

[Bosnian Sajo]

Nvm, those benefits sounded like ones from a F100 company.

I wish. One day in the future, hopefully.


But yea, the benefits are awesome here.

[sammichoffate]

No, I am not maxing my contributions. Is this really the best way to go though? I feel like I can do more for myself with cash on hand rather than waiting till I retire.

Definitely max every year, without question. It's literally free money that the company is giving you, and at 10% that's godsend compared to most companies these days. The main advantage of 401k is it lowers your taxable income so you pay less in taxes at the end of the year since you're in a lower bracket afterwards, your money that gets put away also won't get taxed until you take it out at age 59.5. So essentially it lowers the effect of taxes on you dramatically until you retire, you won't be paying anything on that income for 25-30+ years depending on how old you are right now. Employer match is the cherry on top, for you it's like triple the amount regular people on average are getting

[Bosnian Sajo]

Definitely max every year, without question. It's literally free money that the company is giving you, and at 10% that's godsend compared to most companies these days. The main advantage of 401k is it lowers your taxable income so you pay less in taxes at the end of the year since you're in a lower bracket afterwards, your money that gets put away also won't get taxed until you take it out at age 59.5. So essentially it lowers the effect of taxes on you dramatically until you retire, you won't be paying anything on that income for 25-30+ years depending on how old you are right now. Employer match is the cherry on top, for you it's like triple the amount regular people on average are getting

Maybe I am misunderstanding what he meant by "maxing my contributions". I thought by max, he meant the max that an employee can contribute which is $18.5k?


In that case, I'd have to throw in 12 grand of my own money to max it, which right now doesn't seem like the best thing for me to do. I say that because I wanna own a piece of property within the next 3-4 years (the quicker the better), and I'm still junior enough to where 12k would be a SOLID chunk of my salary lol. It'd be another story if I were making $80k, but I'm not at that level just yet.


My company doesn't match, like I said said earlier they give you your benefit money straight up and you do what you want with it. If you wanna add more to the 401k after whatever you allocated from the benefits package, that would come from your salary with no match.

[sammichoffate]

Maybe I am misunderstanding what he meant by "maxing my contributions". I thought by max, he meant the max that an employee can contribute which is $18.5k?


In that case, I'd have to throw in 12 grand of my own money to max it, which right now doesn't seem like the best thing for me to do. I say that because I wanna own a piece of property within the next 3-4 years (the quicker the better), and I'm still junior enough to where 12k would be a SOLID chunk of my salary lol. It'd be another story if I were making $80k, but I'm not at that level just yet.


My company doesn't match, like I said said earlier they give you your benefit money straight up and you do what you want with it. If you wanna add more to the 401k after whatever you allocated from the benefits package, that would come from your salary with no match.

Oh, yeah the cap this year is $19.5k. A general rule of thumb to maximize your money is to max out to that $19.5k annual limit if an employer matches tho, because it's not subject to volatile changes like real estate can be. It'll lower your income level so you'll end up paying less taxes and qualify for credits/deductions.

I'm not a financial advisor in any capacity so that's just a disclaimer, I work in IT and just started a new job. I'll qualify for a 401k myself in a few months so i'll prob end up in your position soon . It's really hard to say, I believe you're in (Tampa?) so I have no idea what the housing market is like there since i'm not a realtor and i'm in South FL myself. There's a lot of fees w/ owning a property like taxes, hiring someone to manage it for you, insurance, etc. so I would seek a professional opinion on that.

Oh, it's probably some form of bonus and/or profit sharing then I misunderstood. If you really wanted to, you could roll over your 401k contributions into an IRA then use it to invest in realty tax-free.

[Bosnian Sajo]

Oh, yeah the cap this year is $19.5k. A general rule of thumb to maximize your money is to max out to that $19.5k annual limit if an employer matches tho, because it's not subject to volatile changes like real estate can be. It'll lower your income level so you'll end up paying less taxes and qualify for credits/deductions.

I'm not a financial advisor in any capacity so that's just a disclaimer, I work in IT and just started a new job. I'll qualify for a 401k myself in a few months so i'll prob end up in your position soon . It's really hard to say, I believe you're in (Tampa?) so I have no idea what the housing market is like there since i'm not a realtor and i'm in South FL myself. There's a lot of fees w/ owning a property like taxes, hiring someone to manage it for you, insurance, etc. so I would seek a professional opinion on that.

Oh, it's probably some form of bonus and/or profit sharing then I misunderstood. If you really wanted to, you could roll over your 401k contributions into an IRA then use it to invest in realty tax-free.

Ayyyy, what part of Florida? Yea man IT is booming over here in Tampa, especially cyber security (although based off of what I see some of my colleagues working on, I'm so happy I picked SQL lol).

The market here is expensive asf, but since we have been steadily growing for a long time now I see potential in investing in the cities AROUND Tampa. You can find some steals, especially with foreclosed homes. The reason I say around Tampa is because within the city itself, shit is just too expensive esp for my current budget. You can find some steals in these rural areas right outside of the city, and esp in the foreclosed market.

[sammichoffate]

Ayyyy, what part of Florida? Yea man IT is booming over here in Tampa, especially cyber security (although based off of what I see some of my colleagues working on, I'm so happy I picked SQL lol).

The market here is expensive asf, but since we have been steadily growing for a long time now I see potential in investing in the cities AROUND Tampa. You can find some steals, especially with foreclosed homes. The reason I say around Tampa is because within the city itself, shit is just too expensive esp for my current budget. You can find some steals in these rural areas right outside of the city, and esp in the foreclosed market.

Fort Lauderdale, that's good I couldnt get shit down here til last month cuz I only started last year (I do service desk now) and because the market sucks for new people.

Gotcha, yeah i have a plot of land myself somewhere in palm bay I think, probably gonna sit on it forever tbh lol. If you find a good agent, they can definitely get you some nice return after you fix some places up. Florida has no state income tax like Texas, and alot of old people so that means job opportunities. I think it'll always have people coming down to escape the cold and shit

[Hawker]

Paying interest and profiting from interest are two very different things. Interest is among the worst of sins because it compounds, same with gambling. Sex before marriage is a sin as well, but that is something that is sinned for the one act. When it comes to money, whatever you spend from that profit becomes sin, even if it's for good.

Just for an example (albeit for gambling, not interest, but nonetheless the two are up there when it comes to sins), it is said to be less of a sin for us to eat half a pound of pork everyday for the rest of our lives than it is to gamble once. I learned that only recently, I dabbled in gambling before but strictly stay away now. And besides, just because I sin by having sex and smoking doesn't mean I should go all out and do all the sins.

Anyway, I don't want this to turn into a religious discussion, I respect you making this thread and feel like it would be best to keep this strictly financial, just wanted to answer your question.





My company is pretty dope with 401k tbh, they do it in a way I haven't seen any other company practice. Whatever your salary is (lets say 60k, not what I make) you get a percentage of your salary on top of that for benefits. So 60k is your take home salary, and then you get 20k (33%, depends on length at company..but lowest is 25) on top to invest in health insurance, 401k, etc.


After all my insurance packages, dental, whatever..I am left with 6k invested in my 401k annually. Not a dime from my salary.

No, I am not maxing my contributions. Is this really the best way to go though? I feel like I can do more for myself with cash on hand rather than waiting till I retire.

Thanks for responding back.

I understand making money off interest can be a conflict of interest for you due to your religion. What I would say is although you aren't making money directly off of interest, your parents likely would not have received a loan if that lender could not make interest on it. If your business is marking a profit then you're indirectly making money off of the concept of lending with interest. I would seriously doubt there are zero islam businesses in America that didn't take a loan without interest.

Furthermore, inflation is currently at 1.8% That's lower than the average I believe.

Therefore, if you don't at least have your savings in a high yield interest account, you're losing buying power because your money is losing value due to inflation. The high interest in a bank isn't a lot but it will at least keep your money above inflation value.

Your company's practice is quite different so I can't really comment on it. I kinda like that idea since it forces you to shop around for the best health insurance and 401k deal.

When I said maximize your 401k contributions, I meant really just putting in the maximum amount you can every month so you don't spend it and lower your taxable income.

You want cash on hand for your daily expenses - definitely. You also want cash on hand for the leisure activities that you enjoy - meals, hobbies, hanging with friends as well as cash on hand (in a high interest savings account) for future holidays and vacations.

You definitely want to enjoy today but everyone gets old man and I want to at least minimize the amount of work I have to do and live off my passive retirement income.

I don't agree with the FIRE advocates since there's no way you can live a satisfactory life in the now.

[Hawker]

Maybe I am misunderstanding what he meant by "maxing my contributions". I thought by max, he meant the max that an employee can contribute which is $18.5k?


In that case, I'd have to throw in 12 grand of my own money to max it, which right now doesn't seem like the best thing for me to do. I say that because I wanna own a piece of property within the next 3-4 years (the quicker the better), and I'm still junior enough to where 12k would be a SOLID chunk of my salary lol. It'd be another story if I were making $80k, but I'm not at that level just yet.


My company doesn't match, like I said said earlier they give you your benefit money straight up and you do what you want with it. If you wanna add more to the 401k after whatever you allocated from the benefits package, that would come from your salary with no match.

If you're saving for a property, generally its ok not to max out your 401k but it's something you can work towards. It's so critical to own your own residence in retirement so you don't have to shell out rent with your retirement income.

As I've said before, I'd put your house savings in a high yield interest account. And save for at least a 20% deposit.

[sammichoffate]

Checked my credit score this morning, at a 757 boyos

[Draz]

Finally hit $100k today.

Feels amazing but now I don't know what else to work towards.

[PullupJay]

Finally hit $100k today.

Feels amazing but now I don't know what else to work towards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trNP2uorkLQ

[Draz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trNP2uorkLQ

I stopped listening and will finish the video tomorrow but I stopped at one key point:

Your net worth is your network.

Very true. I disconnected from a lot of friends this year and kept only the people serious about how hard they work. I've kept a close eye on those I've worked with and noticed I've outshined everyone with my work ethic and in comparison, the only difference is the people in my wife's family that are making triple my income doing city jobs and they've lucked in through knowing someone in the system to get them in ($40, $42 per hr, sanitation, MTA).

I'm going to be investing into myself by changing fields completely though. I'm looking to obtain my IT certifications (A+, Net+, CCNA) within the next year and by 30 I should be lifting off into the field.

However, I'm destined to get a supervisor job where I'm at now as I've been recognized as the person who brought this shelter back to life single handily. I just don't know what the pay is and don't know if my mental health can get any worse than what it is now working as hard as I do already (8 hours straight no lunch breaks, intensive paperwork, deadlines and goals).

A lot of decisions need to be made. I'll continue to take a mental hit and save up for these certifications on another account and built time to complete them. In the long run this career has killed me inside out