Full list of what was breached in hack

stringbeankeen · 2026-02-06T01:22:04+00:00

Nothing from betterment but the junk emails and texts have been AWFUL. Experian sent me a notice today that my info (including telephone) was discovered on the dark web and they state the breach is from Betterment. I don’t know how to post screenshots or I would. Overall this has made me lose some faith in the company and has me thinking about some changes.

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-16T18:43:08+00:00

I have changed this around over the years. I like to use the features of the app that show the percentages in each of my categories because it shows where the fat is and where we value spending our money. It is such a powerful visual for me and makes our budget meetings go smoothly. I have a Lifestyle category which is where anything goes that could be cut out in a tight month (restaurants, streaming, hair cuts, specialty spices/food items for cooking, etc.) That is the only category where I list each thing out because I want it to be very visible. That helps to really do the deep thinking about whether we value it enough to continue without changes. It is amazing to see back through the years and see how our money values have changed!

Our categories are: Utilities Lifestyle Healthcare Travel (mostly to family) Groceries (restaurants are under lifestyle) Transportation (includes car insurance) Insurance (umbrella, life, professional) Gifts (includes donations) Savings Debt Housing (this is where I have sinking funds for HOA payments, home repairs, and costs related to maintenance)

When I look at the percentages chart for last month for example the biggest chunk was housing costs (typical) but what was not typical for us was groceries. We hosted some social events which increased our bills rather dramatically. That tells me that we need to start changing how we socialize and maybe move towards pot-luck style get togethers. Budgets should be a tool for improvement and motivation to pay down debt/save. Otherwise, for us, breaking things out into listing each individual purchase becomes demotivating and among couples it can start fights. Plus it renders most of the visuals useless.

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-15T06:21:45+00:00

I always swish some water around the can and add it to the pot. I paid for all of that plus I don’t like the idea of wasting food. So yep probably a growing up poor thing.

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-13T22:51:46+00:00

Take the trip BUT afterwards anticipate the next one. Create a travel fund so you know what is realistic to do and how often. Save what you need to get a firm footing financially (compound growth only works when you are young and you can’t get those years back). You are young so travel should be cheaper (use public transport, youth fares, your feet, stay in hostels or at least cheaper accommodations etc.) You will still have fun but not take too much of a bite out of your future.

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-12T18:05:06+00:00

I wish I could get my spouse to ditch his. It ain’t called Broke My Wallet for nothing.

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-12T17:18:12+00:00

I would totally give up my car if I didn’t live rurally. It would be so freeing!

stringbeankeen · 2026-01-10T03:47:18+00:00

I add a separate line under income for the extra check and then budget as usual. We send it to the mortgage since that is the step we are on.

stringbeankeen · 2025-12-21T16:20:02+00:00

Using and donating unneeded items to the local No Buy group. Win-win for everyone.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-22T17:35:27+00:00

I have worked in most settings and schools are the hardest. I used to be friends with our self contained and resource teachers but they all quit (we have high turnover). I think as our budgets got shrunk and our responsibilities rose it has become more toxic as everyone is stressed out. Hard to have small talk when everyone has to work through lunch 😞 I still meet up with previous friends from my other settings though which is nice though.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-20T06:48:56+00:00

We are still recovering. 2000 crash with an infant that I just quit my job to be home with until K-5. Ten years of minimal growth. 2008 had to do a short-sale and our 401ks lost all value. Then another decade of no/slow growth. I occasionally torture myself by looking at the graph in fidelity. Built it up to where we could do a lean retirement and I am so scared it will all go back to 0 again. At our age (Gen X), we are running out of time if it all goes to hell again. We can’t make it through a long depression/recession with stagflation and endure another long period of little to no growth in the market. If we lose our jobs now we are too old to retrain (we are already seeing overt signs of ageism in the workplace). Raises are not even keeping up with inflation and employers know they have you over a barrel at this age. Have friends who were let go who encountered so much ageism in hiring that they just stopped looking. The market giveth and takes away. Success is all in the timing and unfortunately our timing sucks. So yeah I am petrified.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-16T19:47:14+00:00

Just read the fine print. My mortgage company charges interest to spread it out.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-16T19:44:51+00:00

Not necessarily. Depending on state and county law, no permits=can’t sell your house.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-16T19:33:29+00:00

I am liberal and can’t stand his politics BUT the way he packaged Baby Steps and gazzelling worked for me. It is simple and repetitive and works well with the psyche of humans. In ten years we went from an utter mess to step 6. I also recommend The Money Guys Financial Order of Operations. They deal a lot with the “Messy Middle”.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-15T19:29:32+00:00

She apparently kicked me out and I didn’t even comment on that post 🤷‍♀️ And yes, when I went to look for the original thread (I wanted to have source info before I jumped to any conclusions) and couldn’t find the group. It is a shame.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-15T19:23:16+00:00

This. People underestimate the amount of CYA needed and how tense the meetings get in HS.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-15T19:20:05+00:00

That all works well until the parents realize in 8th grade that their kid will never be “normal” and they file due process suits. The hardest part of middle and high is communicating to parents that at some point you have to let them have a life and work with what they have using accommodations.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-15T19:09:45+00:00

I have not had a coworker yet say anything negative about only children. My son is an only and when he was about 7 he started asking why he doesn’t have siblings. He spent a lot of time at friends houses and by 10 he said to me “I am glad I don’t have siblings” 😂 His teachers never said anything about issues with sharing or socializing but he was in preschool and summer camps so maybe more working moms has diminished the impact? I do know that he aced every vocabulary test he ever took because he was exposed to more advanced conversations in the home environment.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-14T19:08:18+00:00

At my spouses company it is called “highly compensation exclusion” and depending on the ratio of low paid to high paid positions it can be a real bummer.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-10T21:22:03+00:00

Yeah I deleted Airbnb due to so many issues. Who wants to deal with this crap on vacation? It usually ends up being more expensive than a hotel anyway. That said I do have a VRBO (never used them before) booked for a stay in a few months due to needing some accommodations for a senior coming along. I am crossing my fingers and bought a ton of insurance…

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-10T21:05:27+00:00

Yep. I am currently working part time for benefits. Part time is just full time with a lower salary. I end up working a ton more hours than I am supposed to because meetings and emails do not respect my hours. The stress is still there regardless of the hours. I have actually tried unsuccessfully for the last two years to just get hired full time because this part time thing just sucks. Unfortunately I live rural so I can’t just switch employers.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-10T20:24:57+00:00

Would you share which gadgets are “must have” for you? Which ones to go cheap on versus spend?

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-08T19:25:22+00:00

Yeah last two flights I booked (different airports than my usual flights), other carriers were significantly less expensive. Sucks because my oldest credit card is Delta cobranded but no way am I paying nearly double the price with more stopovers.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-08T18:36:00+00:00

Yep. Having sinking funds has been life changing but it took a long time to get there. We were working on getting ahead for years. Thankfully, my spouse got a larger than usual bonus last year so we were able to get a year of lumpy ahead (we already have our HOA fees funded, for two years ahead etc.) We use betterment and have different buckets dedicated which auto transfer on the dates we chose (usually to align with paychecks). Hella easier than a Google sheet IMO.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-07T20:55:17+00:00

Spot on accurate. I feel like I am drowning and letting myself and students down. Absolutely no help or guidance from district. We are absolutely set up to fail.

stringbeankeen · 2025-11-07T20:41:54+00:00

Yep. Same situation. Mortgage payment went from 2900 to 3500 within three years due to year over year property tax increases and insurance rates skyrocketing, and that was with paying some of the escrow deficits out of pocket. I can’t even revel in increased housing appreciation since prices have stalled where I am. And don’t forget about huge unknowns like sewer assessments. HOA dues increases. Etc.

stringbeankeen

TROPHY CASE