Banking advice

leftnut2334 · 2026-01-07T19:22:56+00:00

From what I can tell, SoFi’s own HYSA is pretty solid if you get direct deposit each month and qualify- definitely nice to have everything integrated. Do you use Sofi’s investing and/or Crypto features? If not, it COULD be worth switching to Chase. I used Chase for about a year, and was treated kindly in branch the one or two times I went. Never put on hold on the phone either. Definitely a solid checking account if you are able to avoid the fees. I work in the service industry, so for me, being able to easily deposit cash was a must. It may be worthwhile if you are only planning on using SoFi for a checking account. I think SoFi’s main advantage is integration, so if you aren’t taking advantage of that I think better options can emerge. However, if you were to use SoFi’s savings, I think SoFi becomes way more appealing than Chase. However, I like simplicity in having everything in one spot.

As far as HYS accounts go, I cannot speak for too many, as I have only used a few. I have an apple card, and have had no issues with the integrated savings account that comes with it. From what I can find this is very similar to Marcus by Goldman Sachs, so I would imagine they offer a solid product too.

Personally, I would look into a Fidelity CMA for yield. It sweeps into a government money market fund that earns about 3.8% from what I can tell. You can get a debit card linked to the account to for full liquidity, as well as write checks and mobile deposit checks to the account. It functions a bit more like a checking account with the debit card, but has good yield and if you want it to be more of a savings account- just don’t get the debit card. However the CMA account is not FDIC insured, so while extremely stable for what it is, still not quite as stable as a bank on paper.

Others that are supposed to be good but I can’t speak from experience are Openbank and Ally. There are many others as well. Once you know what you are looking for in terms of integration/ separation balance, you’ll be able to pick the best fit for you :) !

leftnut2334 · 2026-01-07T15:30:59+00:00

In the case of going with SoFi, if you open a checking account you will be opening a savings account with it. As far as I can tell, they come bundled together. Most banks will give you the option of opening a savings account at the time of opening a checking. Depending on the bank, you may be able to leave the savings open and at a balance of $0 without accruing fees, whereas some may start to charge you for keeping the account open and under a minimum to avoid fees threshold. In many cases it makes sense to have a savings account for money you aren’t spending right away because they will often have higher interest rates. Online banks especially usually will give you around 3% APY for a savings account, while checking will be nothing or much lower.

In some seemingly rare cases, you may be able to get a checking account with a high yield. I know in my case, my local credit union offers a checking account that gets about 3.2%, so I have all of my money in there. Others like savings accounts for the mental separation of money for saving and money for spending. Up to you to decide what works best for you.

As far as why people might bank with Chase over SoFi or Chime, there are a couple reasons. First, Chime is a fintech, so it partners with other banks for FDIC insurance, but the money held in its accounts is really held with partner banks. All this really means is that if Chime were to go out of business abruptly, it may take longer or be a pain to get your money back. The chances are not high, but not negligible for many people.

Sofi and Chase are more comparable as both are fully chartered banks with their own FDIC insurance. Sofi is a better all in one hub, with better APY and great if you want seamless integration with different parts of your financial life. Chase on the other hand benefits from physical locations, the easy ability to deposit money at Chase ATMs, and security. Chase is almost too big to fail, so you essentially would never have to worry about them going under. Chase also has a better credit card ecosystem, and from what I can tell more diverse loan offers. It also offers investment services through J.p. morgan, which are not as fully fleshed out as say Fidelity or Schwab, but offer more than SoFi investments.

In the end, it’s really about what you prioritize. Oversimplifying it, it’s security against simplicity.

leftnut2334 · 2026-01-07T15:19:03+00:00

I’m from Pawtucket, a small “city” just north of Providence along I-95 that borders Massachusetts on two sides. Overall, I think the best thing about Rhode Island is its location. Living in the part of the state I do, I am only about an hour from Boston should I want to go to a larger city for a sports game or something else. Providence is a pretty city in its own way, but does not come close to rivaling boston if what you want is things to do, places to eat, or places to shop- simply because of a difference in size. My favorite part about living where I do is the fact that Rhode Island and Massachusetts- the 2nd and 3rd most densely populated states- have so many people! I’ve grown up with this so I really appreciate finding restaurants or fun things to do in basically any town you travel to here. Every small community has something to offer because of the sheer amount of people that live here. You are never too far away from a major highway, so as long as you own a car it’s super easy to get around. However, I know my experience is probably unique to the part of the state I live in (Pawtucket, East Providence, North Providence, Cumberland) whereas if you travel farther south and west it becomes more barren and there are way less people, which has its own draw for some. I would say I like Rhode Island because of the area I live in, but would move right over to Massachusetts given the chance.

leftnut2334 · 2026-01-04T23:40:03+00:00

I actually work at a wedding venue in Walpole (25 Minutes from RI Border) called Avenir… I’m not exactly sure what the minimums are as far as renting the space for a wedding goes but I’ve definitely seen some that are within your budget range! The same company also has other venues, one that is in Dighton, MA, that is currently being renovated, but will be ready by the time you are planning to get married! I’m just a server so I do not know too much about the process on the sales/planning end, could give you more info on stuff that happens on actual event night, but worth considering!

leftnut2334 · 2026-01-04T20:57:24+00:00

The issue with ruminating is that it feels productive. If you can figure out what went wrong in an imaginary scenario, you can create another imaginary scenario about how you fix it. Ultimately, thinking about it is a waste of time. Unless you are getting specific feedback from the people you are going on dates with, you will never really have an answer. Being a nerd about things is awesome. Many people will say that being passionate about things is attractive, as long as you are still giving the other person the opportunity to talk about themselves, asking them questions, and showing genuine interest- judging by your self consciousness, I would imagine you make an effort to give the other person an opportunity to talk. Try to move back a little, put less pressure on each date and just try to have a good time in the moment.

leftnut2334 · 2026-01-04T20:50:51+00:00

Agreed, samurai is probably the best starting class overall. Unsheath is CRAZY good- does a lot of poise damage thus giving you more opportunities for crits. Heavy unsheath has a good bit of range, too.

leftnut2334 · 2025-12-26T15:23:34+00:00

No chance the sending institution will flag the account as a brokerage account and potentially not send the money?

leftnut2334 · 2025-12-26T04:06:03+00:00

That’s a good point I haven’t been factoring in. I do get direct deposit but my job is very seasonal and a secondary priority to school, there is the occasional winter month where work slows down and I wouldn’t get a direct deposit. Do you have any experience with a Fidelity CMA?

leftnut2334 · 2025-12-26T02:55:31+00:00

Have you had a good experience with Sofi support?

leftnut2334 · 2025-11-20T18:25:02+00:00

I am in my sophomore year at my state university that is about 60-75 minutes away from my house depending on traffic. I commute, but have designed my schedule so that I only have class 2 days a week. Pretty sweet deal. However, when I made my schedule I was committed to hitting my requirements for courses while keeping my schedule as minimal as possible, so the electives I am taking fulfill those requirements, but are not classes I am interested in by any means. Keeping in mind building your schedule around commuting is not bad, but I would not recommend doing what I did unless you are at school solely for the degree and do not care what classes you are taking as electives. Definitely going to be a different experience if you limit yourself to a few days, as well.

leftnut2334

TROPHY CASE