All Forum Posts by: Ethan S.

I have a child hood buddy who is struggling with his life. He is 24 living with parents and is working as a pizza delivery job. He got his masters in Psychology 5 months ago but is having issues finding a job. His parents are being hard on him to get a job and taking the little energy he has. It's like a downward spiral. He's coming to me seeking support. Recently he started having back issues from constantly sitting in his car. Just the other day he went to get a MRI done and it cost him $1000 which isn't helping his situation. He resorts to pot to solve his issues which is takes away his back pain. I'm not sure how to go about this situation. The household he lives in is disorganized and in disarray. When I mention anything related to personal finances he completely shuts down. 

He originally wanted to rent a place from me to escape his issues but I don't want to entangle a friendship with business. 

What are your thoughts with this situation? 

Is it a hopeless cause for me to help my friend?

How much is too much leverage? What's a smart approach to using debt in a positive way and not negative. I'm completely debt free and looking at purchasing my first rental property. Trying to figure out how much debt I can handle based on my budget. Any advice??

Does it makes sense to switch to a different bank for the interest the savings is yielding? The credit union I am with yields only a .30% APY. I have seen online banks that yield 1.5% APY. In terms of compounding and having a safe place to park liquid cash. Would this be a smart decision or not smart to swap?  

I've been using the popular investing app "Robin Hood" for the past few months. I'm mostly focused on investing in BDC's, REITS, and higher dividend paying stocks. I was wondering if there is a platform that tracks these dividends. Other than creating one from scratch in an excel or google sheets. I have found one app on my phone that tracks dividends Called "Dividend Dashboard" but it's still limited. 

What's your thoughts on dividend investing? Also, about the idea of tracking the dividends. Robin hood is still such a new app that it doesn't have the proper tools to track dividends. I wish Mint was integrated with the Robinhood app but it looks like that wont happen anytime soon. 

I was wondering what kind of vehicles most investors drive. Considering that cars are typically the second most expensive things people own. Are you motivated by the fuel economy/MPG? The appearance/style? The brand/reputation? The price/cost? 

I'm currently driving a 2009 Chevy Silverado and debating on selling it for something more economical. Although, for a truck it gets a fair mileage (20-22mpg). The truck is completely paid off but I think it would make more sense to have something less. 

Awesome to hear about this Helen! I will be there! 

I'm just curious why most people avoid having budgets. I recommend to my buddy a budget app and he doesn't want one until later in life when he has more expenses. What's your thoughts on the idea of having a budget? Should you have one in college? 

I am looking for a new credit card. I have a nearly perfect credit score. I'm just wondering which card to get. I've been told to avoid cards that have annual fees and look for a card with high cash back rewards. I noticed amazon just released a credit card for 5% cash back for online purchases. What advice would you recommend for finding a credit card?

I was wondering which classes in college you would recommend taking?

@Daniel Dexter Wish you the best on your journey towards getting your contractors license! 

@Mark Langdon Thank you! I'll be sure to look over the flash cards.

@Brandon Eleazer I'll look into other articles and blogs related to real estate agents like you mentioned. I'm learning more and more each day from this prelicense. I feel like I have a million questions I could ask. Thanks so much for your response! Very informative!

@Sarah Ziehr I agree, I've prepared and saved for any rainy days to come! Also I'm willing to live below my means too. 

@Max T. I've purchased a couple books off amazon I'm trying to find time to read. Any books that you would recommend?

 @Account Closed Thank you! I figured learning all of the laws and terminology would be the first step towards creating my foundation in REI. I'm very curious where this path will take me. I will keep you posted! So far I am 35% done with the prelicense and expect to finish it before Feb. 1, 2017. Also best of luck to you on finding the coach!