General Adulthood, Planning for the Future: Business, College, Budgeting, Investments, etc! $$$ - General

Just heard from our solicitor concerning our house purchase. The lender is happy with everything, just have to transfer the money and then discuss exchange and completion! Shit's been stressing me out for the past few months, and it's nearly over

i applied for a posting on monster offering training because why not and after speaking to them and researching there other courses (ITEC) they seem to just be up selling compTIA and microsoft courses trying to profit by getting you to take a loan with crazy APR from them to fund it. its pointed me in a direction though, are the compTIA courses a valuable qualification for someone interested in the IT sector? im in a poor position because i dont have a degree and i havnt worked in a long time because of medical reasons so i have fuck all to put on a cv

are they courses or certs courses mean nothing without the certs

im going to do the certs independently i need to pick the learning materials though i did both A+ and ccna about a decade ago but spent all my time getting wasted and did nothing with them

[QUOTE=Doom14;53047061](thanks dehumanizing job-hunts)[/QUOTE] Speaking of which, I've finally landed my first full-time, salaried, benefits-included position and it pays about 55% more than my highest paying prior job. It only took two really intensive months of searching wherein I got picked up by the company itself, rather than the other way around. I'm so excited I don't even know how to react.

Just nailed a thousand dollar contract and increased my credit limit from 700 to 1000 too. Paid off my balance for it as well so my credit score is well above 700. Feeling good about getting my finances together. My next goal is to pay off my car which has about $6500 left.

[QUOTE=Pascall;53118341]Just nailed a thousand dollar contract and increased my credit limit from 700 to 1000 too. Paid off my balance for it as well so my credit score is well above 700. Feeling good about getting my finances together. My next goal is to pay off my car which has about $6500 left.[/QUOTE] You have that poopy Mirage, don't you? Before you do, please for the love of all that is holy can you look into a trade in, something, any option that doesn't mean you spend any more good money on that....[I]abomination[/I]. It's physically painful for me to think that you owe money on that thing, let alone Six thousand five hundred dollarydoos on it. :v:

[QUOTE=waylander;53108363]im going to do the certs independently i need to pick the learning materials though i did both A+ and ccna about a decade ago but spent all my time getting wasted and did nothing with them[/QUOTE] your A+ and ccna both expired, go redo them as someone who is currently doing the A+, go with professor messer. I bought a book by Mike Meyers and it's so badly organized and hard to learn from that it makes the course twice as hard.

[QUOTE=snookypookums;53118523]You have that poopy Mirage, don't you? Before you do, please for the love of all that is holy can you look into a trade in, something, any option that doesn't mean you spend any more good money on that....[I]abomination[/I]. It's physically painful for me to think that you owe money on that thing, let alone Six thousand five hundred dollarydoos on it. :v:[/QUOTE] If I’m gonna trade it in, I’d really rather trade up... but then I have the issue of still owing money on a car lol. It’s in good condition. There’s nothing wrong with it. So I’m not super keen on letting it go unless I have a really good reason.

[QUOTE=Svinnik;53118535]your A+ and ccna both expired, go redo them as someone who is currently doing the A+, go with professor messer. I bought a book by Mike Meyers and it's so badly organized and hard to learn from that it makes the course twice as hard.[/QUOTE] udemy had the Mike Meyers 901/902 stuff for £20 so i subscribed to that and some other stuff that sounded interesting, i think the A+ materials are video's but i havnt looked at them yet

[QUOTE=waylander;53118772]udemy had the Mike Meyers 901/902 stuff for £20 so i subscribed to that and some other stuff that sounded interesting, i think the A+ materials are video's but i havnt looked at them yet[/QUOTE] Professor Messer's videos are free and he holds weekly study groups + has a live chat on his site. go to the subreddit for Comptia tests, /r/comptia buy the examcram textbook, it's worth it

[QUOTE=snookypookums;53118523]You have that poopy Mirage, don't you? Before you do, please for the love of all that is holy can you look into a trade in, something, any option that doesn't mean you spend any more good money on that....[I]abomination[/I]. It's physically painful for me to think that you owe money on that thing, let alone Six thousand five hundred dollarydoos on it. :v:[/QUOTE] whats wrong with mirages? unless this one in particular is special.

[QUOTE=Pat.Lithium;53119209]whats wrong with mirages? unless this one in particular is special.[/QUOTE] Warning, Long post. It's not particularly special, I don't think - it's just that compared [URL="https://www.thecarconnection.com/compare/mitsubishi_mirage_2017_choices"]to other options available as rivals[/URL], a lightly used bigger car or even a new competitor car (Chevy Spark, Yaris, etc.) would've offered better long term value in my opinion. Admittedly, it does have better mileage than most of them, but even considering moderate gas savings, it still doesn't age well and he has a borderline negative equity situation going on with the car where he's paying off an asset that will not nearly hold its value as well. For example, just spitballing and assuming the car is a 2016-2017 Mirage, [URL="https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Mitsubishi/Mirage?startYear=2016&numRecords=100&sortBy=derivedpriceDESC&firstRecord=0&endYear=2017&modelCodeList=MIRAGE&makeCodeList=MIT&searchRadius=0"]they don't have the best resale value[/URL] (especially considering the amount of money that Pascall owes on it) . Keep in mind that for new cars the bulk of depreciation happens in the first year alone, with the actual factor also having a bit of spin depending on the car brand's equity (Shit brand = resale value drops like a rock, for instance Kia :v: Even if the car is mechanically solid, that badge alone is enough to fuck over the resale value). Not to mention Mitsubishi has not been doing well recently and you have further panic - nobody wants to get a used car whose manufacturer is in trouble for obvious reasons like long-term repairs. It's long and complicated, but there's no way to turn back to clock and besides, more importantly, Pascall is okay with his decision, so it's fine. But yeah, in future, when planning on getting a car, just do the following: a) See how much car you can actually afford in the first place. Do [I]not[/I] get suckered in by low, low weekly monthly payments. A car is a depreciating asset, always remember that. You fail if the car costs you more than you spend to buy it, so the goal is to win both ways. Financing for used cars is absolute shit (banks don't like financing used cars because they can't guesstimate the reliability, whereas with new cars, theoretically the number of problems it has should be zero to start with :v:). b) Window shop a lot for cars, go use the KBB calculator to see how much of a margin is being made on specific cars, look up depreciation values. Look at each of the finalist cars Service Bulletins if you can, as well as recall notices and other problems listed by owners. D c) Look up the car owner manuals and service manuals of the cars you're interested in, read about service intervals and procedures for some of the things you can do yourself (Oil Changes, tyre/brake changes, filter changes, basic maintenance stuff, really) and before even picking up the phone, know exactly what should've been done on the car for that specific listed mileage for it to be considered a good purchase (At least three oil changes, etc.). Anything shockingly off gives you solid leverage for negotiation or is a massive red flag for you to avoid buying it and to walk away. You can even do prelim tests like getting an OBDII scanner to atleast see the sensor codes or to know if anything's been pre-cleared, which is also a warning sign. d) Learn how to inspect a car and always keep the contact of a good mechanic. They can teach you many things and honest mechanics are hard to come by. Think of them as doctors for your cars, so obviously you want one who knows your car well enough and can also perform inspections of used cars for you. e) As a rule of thumb, dealers sell the most expensive used cars (Pre owned, etc.) while private sellers typically offer the cheapest. But without the ability to know for sure if the car is a lemon or not, dealers are typically a safer bet for the premium, especially if the dealerships offer warranties that [I]they[/I] stand by and honor. With private sellers it's a crap shoot - you can get seriously burned if you don't know what you're doing.

Ye it was my first car that's entirely under my name since my Avenger that my dad co-signed for me got totaled by hail lol so I didn't expect to make out like a bandit or anything, especially since I started with nothing. I'll be more discerning with my next one for sure. I'm just kinda stuck with the little blue monster for now. For the record though, it's a 2014 and had only about 24k miles on it. No mechanical problems, just some minor hail dents on the roof from the same hail storm that destroyed my other car. It was only used by an old lady who would use it to take her tiny dogs shopping or something. I needed a car to get around town since public transport sucks and they were willing to give me a deal on it so I went for it lol. I'm hoping to upgrade to something like a Charger some day but that's probably a bit of a ways off.

[QUOTE=Pascall;53119870]Ye it was my first car that's entirely under my name since my Avenger that my dad co-signed for me got totaled by hail lol so I didn't expect to make out like a bandit or anything, especially since I started with nothing. I'll be more discerning with my next one for sure. I'm just kinda stuck with the little blue monster for now. For the record though, it's a 2014 and had only about 24k miles on it. No mechanical problems, just some minor hail dents on the roof from the same hail storm that destroyed my other car. It was only used by an old lady who would use it to take her tiny dogs shopping or something. I needed a car to get around town since public transport sucks and they were willing to give me a deal on it so I went for it lol. I'm hoping to upgrade to something like a Charger some day but that's probably a bit of a ways off.[/QUOTE] Honestly, I'd say keep this as a plan: a) Get a daily driver that's a used econobox that ticks off reliability, a certain level of comfort, great mileage and good boot space. Something like a Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic. Bootspace in this case is especially useful because it helps if you want to move house at some point or even for roadtrips. The cars are boring as all fuck (except that Mazda 3 though :v:) and you get what you want. b) When you have enough money saved up, shop around for a lightly used (ideally within Pre-Certified Owned (PCO) limits, but not necessarily) sporty car that you want to own and drive, in this case a charger, that you can have some fun with. c) Learn/take a basic car maintenance course in a local trade school or just go to the mechanics and ask them to teach you basic stuff or watch on youtube. Take care of most of the daily running issues yourself, learn to diagnose common car issues. That's it - ideally I'd never buy a new car again unless something absolutely compelled me to, but it's better to let someone else the first year's depreciation for you. :smug:

I said this repeatedly in the other thread I mentioned it in, but it wasn't a new car. :v I bought it in 2016. Was already 2 years old.

[QUOTE=Pascall;53119917]I said this repeatedly in the other thread I mentioned it in, but it wasn't a new car. :v I bought it in 2016. Was already 2 years old.[/QUOTE] Oh I remember, I'm just saying in general. :smile:

In other news, I applied for two Disney internships and I'm exceedingly nervous about them since I'm a recent graduate and never got the opportunity to do the College program. Here's hoping I hear something from one of them. One's in the summer and the other is in the fall. I might apply to one more to up my chances, but we'll see.

hello i have some uk questions: 1. where do i begin with pensions? 2. is buying a mazda mx-5 for the summer a bad idea

[QUOTE=codenamecueball;53121875]hello i have some uk questions: 1. where do i begin with pensions? [B]2. is buying a mazda mx-5 for the summer a bad idea[/B][/QUOTE] Use this video (oriented to the US, but sage advice regardless) and you can take a call yourself. Daily driver or not, the same costs apply, but at different levels so if it works for you, go for it! [video=youtube;x-4JlxYvt7k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-4JlxYvt7k[/video] In fact, to get a great, well done primer on how to plan for pensions etc (the actual instruments might differ between the US and the UK, but the planning step is typically the same), just watch all their videos.

i already have a 4 month old car that i use as a daily, so it would just be for fun jaunts

Has anyone else dropped out of college/university. I'm dropping out and have no idea what I'm going to do afterwards.

[QUOTE=codenamecueball;53121875]hello i have some uk questions: 1. where do i begin with pensions? [B]2. is buying a mazda mx-5 for the summer a bad idea[/B][/QUOTE] Old or new? Literally just for the summer? If old and yes then no.

[QUOTE=xVENUSx;53126421]Has anyone else dropped out of college/university. I'm dropping out and have no idea what I'm going to do afterwards.[/QUOTE] why are you dropping out then? I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm trying to understand the choice

[QUOTE=LordCrypto;53126517]why are you dropping out then? I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm trying to understand the choice[/QUOTE] Bad mental and physical health problems have lead to me missing 5 months of lectures and work. There's no way I can catch up and don't want to repeat this year just to accumulate more debt

[QUOTE=xVENUSx;53126522]Bad mental and physical health problems have lead to me missing 5 months of lectures and work. There's no way I can catch up and don't want to repeat this year just to accumulate more debt[/QUOTE] not to say that you're wrong, but the moment you drop out, if the debt you're referring to is federal student loans, they'll pretty much immediately want you to start repaying if you're gonna commit to dropping out, you really need to have a financial plan otherwise you're just gonna get more in the hole

[QUOTE=LordCrypto;53126529]not to say that you're wrong, but the moment you drop out, if the debt you're referring to is federal student loans, they'll pretty much immediately want you to start repaying if you're gonna commit to dropping out, you really need to have a financial plan otherwise you're just gonna get more in the hole[/QUOTE] I'm in the UK so thankfully, I only pay back my loans when I earn over £21k

oh in that case well you're fine there

What do you all do when you think you might be working yourself into a burnout situation? For the past 3 weeks I've been writing a lot for my poetry workshop, and after having perhaps my three greatest poems this semester all written back-to-back, I'm worrying about burning myself out too soon. I'm also falling far behind very fast in one of my other classes because I just can't focus on all the reading (British Literature), and I have my first written exam and essay coming up in it very soon. Then I have my first paper coming up in a different literature class, and a test in another class this week.

[QUOTE=BrandoJack;53127309]What do you all do when you think you might be working yourself into a burnout situation? For the past 3 weeks I've been writing a lot for my poetry workshop, and after having perhaps my three greatest poems this semester all written back-to-back, I'm worrying about burning myself out too soon. I'm also falling far behind very fast in one of my other classes because I just can't focus on all the reading (British Literature), and I have my first written exam and essay coming up in it very soon. Then I have my first paper coming up in a different literature class, and a test in another class this week.[/QUOTE] take a break and learn a new hobby, revisit an old one, go for a hike. something that will take your mind off your work for a couple of days. when you come back you should feel refreshed. [editline]14th February 2018[/editline] there was a great way to avoid burnout but i can't think of it at the moment sorry. [editline]14th February 2018[/editline] my gf needs a new car and we can't afford one out right so i was going to get a car loan. i've looked around and found a bank that offers 8.5-10.5%pa interest. i've never taken a loan out before, my credit history should be very good as i've never missed a payment on a phone bill. we were going to get a personal loan so we'd have a bit extra to fix my car but i really don't think it's worth it since the car loan has a lower interest rate and we'd be paying around $30 weekly for $4000 over 3 years. is there anywhere else i should check before i go through with this?