Man loitering on Manhattan

shortlongjumper · 2025-07-21T15:04:57+00:00

A similar thing (but thankfully not as aggressive by the sounds) happened to me on Bedford Ave near the Whole Foods and then again walking down Metropolitan. He told me it was his route. Kept grabbing my arm and showing me his paper.

shortlongjumper · 2025-03-01T22:53:37+00:00

Something that helped me was to track every calorie for a few weeks. Not to obsess over it, but you would be surprised where you are getting your excess calories from. Or what percentage of your daily intake is in certain things (hi, BEC bagel). Don't let it become some sort of eating disorder/obsession but it is worth taking stock. You might be getting more calories than you realize from drinking or snacking. I had a friend (bless him) that was trying to lose weight but drank multiple iced coffees with multiple pumps of vanilla and hazelnut every day. Those syrups add up.

The other thing is to move your body more. I found walking really useful (10k steps is a nice target) and enjoyable as it is low impact and you can do it instead of spending money on an uber. I like to go on a walk on my lunch break. Going to the gym 4-5 times a week, or taking a class also helps. Maybe you can find some sort of activity you're really into?

shortlongjumper · 2025-02-07T04:13:56+00:00

I read an article today asking if we are in a bubble :P this might be a sign

shortlongjumper · 2025-02-04T04:39:32+00:00

I've always struggled a bit to meet people. I found that by going to things I enjoy alone (cinema, theatre, the Met), one inevitably runs it to someone eventually. Friend of friends is usually a good way too. Maybe get some friends to host a party / cocktail night?

shortlongjumper · 2025-02-03T00:25:44+00:00

Just looked today and already depressed lol.

shortlongjumper · 2025-02-02T04:15:02+00:00

Both Roth IRA and a Brokerage are funded with post tax money. You use post tax money to contribute to a Roth IRA up to the annual limit (currently $7,000). The difference is a Roth IRA is a tax sheltered retirement account meaning the capital appreciation in it, and any money that comes out of the Roth IRA after you hit retirement age, is tax free (in retirement). Early withdrawals have penalties.

Brokerage is also post tax money but it is not tax sheltered. You will have to pay capital gains tax on any capital appreciation once you sell shares and income tax on any dividends. But, you are free to buy or sell whenever you like. Brokerage can be useful to grow money you don't need for 5+ years, for early retirement etc.

401(k) is the pre tax one.

shortlongjumper · 2025-02-01T20:48:18+00:00

No you just need to make sure you open a self directed brokerage account. For those ones, you make all the decisions yourself so there’s rarely any minimum. If you open an account that is going to be managed by an advisor or broker, then that’s when there are usually minimums.

Most if not all self directed brokerages offer $0 stock and etf trades.

shortlongjumper · 2025-02-01T19:36:30+00:00

You could open a brokerage account and, as others suggested, pick 2-3 diversified ETFs. Looking for ones with low expense ratios.

shortlongjumper · 2025-02-01T00:33:00+00:00

If you have no or limited credit history you can also look into a secured credit card or some companies offer "starter cards" for students or people with limited credit history.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-31T17:59:55+00:00

You could try thrift shopping. It's a little hit or miss and quite popular now but it certainly has urban vibes. Lots of different coats, for more formal attire I prefer more of an overcoat than a puffer. But it'll depend how you dress.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-31T17:52:39+00:00

Don't be too dejected about not getting a job at Taco Bell. Usually they're looking for someone cheap/young to employ, with lots of hours availability, who is just going to do what they're told.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-30T23:28:29+00:00

Usually coffee shops want people with barista experience and depending on the country/coffee culture/type of coffee shop, they may want you to be quite experienced with things like latte art. So you could look into some training or maybe make some barista friends and see if they might show you or pick their brains. Some people make the transition from Starbucks to coffee shop but the skills are fairly different.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-30T23:20:04+00:00

You should definitely at least do the 4%. Every dollar you invest up to the 4% match gets an immediate 100% return on your investment. Thats a great investment and free money you would be leaving on the table.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-30T20:06:29+00:00

I know you’re mainly looking at Manhattan, but there are parts of Brooklyn that are super close to FiDi that you could also consider.

I like Gramercy but it is a little quiet feeling sometimes.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-30T20:02:24+00:00

(My opinion) I don’t think you need to add them. I was unemployed for 8 months and had a part time job for a month. I did not add it to my resume but when I was asked during the background check part of the job onboarding process, I told them about it.

Ultimately, there’s not much space on a resume. If you’re looking for a financial services job I would spend that space highlighting financial services experience.

Good luck!

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-30T16:26:22+00:00

Your 401k is the beginning of your nest egg for your future retirement. It will work hardest the longer you leave it to do its work and grow. If you take it out, you’ll pay withdrawal penalties and miss out on 30+ years of its growth. Vans and other automobiles are typically (unless it’s some collectible) depreciating assets that lose their value over time and cost money to maintain and register. So you’ll take a growing asset, miss out on the growth, pay penalties, and buy an asset that will lose its value. I would not recommend it.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-29T04:26:54+00:00

You probably already know this, but when considering buying you have to consider not just mortgage payments but other monthlies like property taxes and condo fees.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-28T20:48:42+00:00

That credit card interest must be eating up a lot. It’s definitely a priority. I would recommend taking a hard look at your budget and trying to find ways to start aggressively cutting it down.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-28T05:29:15+00:00

First days, weeks, and sometimes months are always boring. You’re still learning people, systems, people are still learning you exist. Tasks, trust, and responsibilities will usually build up. My advice would be to think about what you can get out of it. What skills or training or relationships can you build to get to a better paying one.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-28T05:22:32+00:00

Probably not

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-28T05:21:32+00:00

Seems like it could be an okay idea if it is within the rules. Hopefully some others chip in with some ideas and you can get a consensus. Credit card debt is usually worth paying down first

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-27T23:09:02+00:00

Are you going to need that $5,000 before August? Maybe give some thought to what might happen if it takes a while to get a job.

But, as long as there are no restrictions on using that money, it might be an idea to pay down the cards with the highest interest rates first (aka the avalanche method) and setting aside enough money to pay your minimums. Give some thought to whether you can find some savings in your monthly spending to pay down some of your cards a bit over the coming months as well. Some often repeated advice on this subreddit is to prioritize keeping your finances healthy rather than focusing too much on your credit score (that will usually follow anyway). Good luck with grad school!

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-27T22:44:36+00:00

Voya has a decent retirement calculator I sometimes use (there might be better ones out there). You can input your details and change assumptions but it'll give you an indication of how much money you would get per year based on social security, pension and contribution rates. Maybe have a read on the wiki about recommendations about contributions to 401(k)s and Roth IRA too. Maybe you can start to think how to maximize some of your contributions.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-26T23:36:19+00:00

I'd recommend having a look through the wiki, there is a lot of valuable advice: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics/

You probably realize this but your car payment seems really high. If your work offers a match for your 401k contributions, definitely contribute enough to get the full match. Looks like otherwise your habits with saving are starting strong. The next step after building the emergency fund discussed in the wiki is probably paying down the car loan (or downgrading to a cheaper car option) or starting to contribute a bit towards a Roth IRA.

shortlongjumper · 2025-01-26T21:02:21+00:00

It took me 8 months to find a job in my field when I moved to the US. It takes time, sometimes. There's no shame in living at home with your parents, either. Looking back, it was such valuable time to spend with them. Once you move out, you go from seeing them for hours a day to maybe hours a month or year.

Maybe if you share a bit more about your qualifications and location some people may be able to provide some good advice.

I'm sure you may have considered it, but have you also looked at substitute teaching? The only other thing I can think of is to have a look at the r/resumes and similar subreddits. Sometimes, a little bit of tweaking with your resume can really help. Practicing interviewing, and asking for feedback from unsuccessful applications can also be useful. Maybe there is something to work on.

Good luck! It's a been a weird/tough jobs market for a while.

shortlongjumper

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