expecting 6k in tax return & want to not spend, but save. What would be the best thing to do with my return?

Question

I'm 40yrs. old, single mom w/2 kids, hardly any savings & rent an apt.
I really want to use my tax refund wisely; the only debt that I have is my car payment.

Answer 1

First, review you financial plan for your kids' college education.

Second, purchase adequate renter's, medical and life insurance.

Finally, invest in a balanced portfolio of no-load mutual funds and CD's, continue to contribute to this portfolio regularly and never withdraw from it until absolutely necessary such as medical emergency exceeding insurance coverage or when buying your primary house. It is never too late to start saving for your retirement.

Answer 2

The answer depends on your income level and the interest rate on your car payments. If it is a high rate loan (say, greater than 6 or 7%), then it would be unlikely that any liquid investments you make would earn as much as that. Money markets and CDs are around 5% right now. So if your car payments have a higher rate of interest, using a portion of that money to retire that debt would be a wise investment.

However, you should have at least some money available for emergencies. I like to see 3-6 months worth of expenses in the bank. Provided that you don't have that, start a savings account. And DO NOT carry an ATM card for this account. This should be for emergencies, not Starbucks.

The real issue is that you need to continue to save, and not count on sudden windfalls to fund your cushion. You should consider seeing a credit counselor (try the local CCCS) to see if there are ways for you to be saving more. While it is great that the only debt you have is the car, depending on how much car debt you have and you income, you may still be living at or above your means. A credit counselor can help you prepare a budget so that you can get yourself to a better financial position. I wish you nothing but the best of luck.

Answer 3

Federal law allows you to contribute up to $4000 dollars a year towards a Roth IRA. The only downfall is that you will not have access to it until retirement age. I would also go to the www.scottrade.com. I do a lot of my finances through there. You can set up mutual funds thru them. I like their website because there is not that many fees, and its very easy to use. In addition, if you fill out their questionnaire then someone from a nearby office will contact you.

Here are some other ideas
1. Put a little money aside for a Christmas account
2. Money market
3. Put towards your kids college
4. Pay off your car
5. Use it as downpayment towards a house!!!

Answer 4

Would be good to put some of it into an IRA if you're eligible, then put the rest away someplace safe so you have a cushion if something goes wrong and you need it - something like car repairs, or an extra expense for one of the kids.

For the savings part, you could put most of it in CD's, and some (for sudden unexpected expenses) into a savings account, or a credit union if one is available to you.

Good luck.

Answer 5

You may want to make an advance payment or two on your car loan. If you have a high interest rate, paying down the loan can dramatically decrease the cost of the loan. Same with credit card debt.

Otherwise, look for a no-load or low-load mutual fund, which gives you the opportunity to invest in a diverse group of stocks without having to choose them all yourself. These funds are professionally managed - READ the prospectus and other information about the funds' performance in the past.

Another option is to invest in a certificate of deposit or Treasury bond through your local banking institution. This will lock up your $$ for a defined period of time, so make sure you can afford to part ways with it for a while. The return generally won't be as high as you might see with a mutual fund, but it is less risky if you are risk-averse.

Check web sites like etrade or charles schwab for info and advice on basic investing.

Just please educate yourself about investing and don't hand your $$ off to somebody with a fancy certificate on his or her walls who promises huge returns. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Answer 6

Go to www.hsbc.com and view their savings plan. I started with a few thousand in an account. You can withdraw the funds out any time you choose. It's very simple to transfer from the HSBC savings account to your checking account and vice versa. I have made hundreds in interest off my savings with them. It's really hard to find 5 to 6% earnings anywhere without locking up your funds such that you can't get to them readily. I donot work for them ..............merely have a savings account with them. It's so nice to transfer into that account when I have spare cash. One day that account will be large enough to buy a new car if I need one. At least go to their site and check it out. And I'm a single guy so it's easy to save.

Answer 7

Your economic project has replaced and the commercial organization will probable now no longer allow you to do a short sale. a short sale is a loss mitigation technique for a lender. Now, on paper, it probable appears like you should discover the money for the deepest loan back and they quite haven't got any incentive to take a loss for you. in case you pick out of the abode (and ought to lose $one thousand a month) you opt to get out of the abode. locate a thanks to promote it. positioned the $6000 in the direction of having out of the abode. Take a personal loan to help some thing of it. merely get out. $one thousand a month is a huge form of bleeding (and that became with a renter). so a ideas as 'paying yourselves first' with the tax go back. this isn't mad funds. this isn't a clean resource of income. This became funds that became 'over-witheld' out of your income. Paying a tithe (as an get jointly) out of this funds is a double dip out of your preliminary income and isn't any longer needed. eliminating your $one thousand a month situation is major. i understand you opt to freshen up the mastercard debt, etc. Noble makes use of for the money, yet that mastercard will be acceptable back in case you're dropping $one thousand a month on the abode. Use the money to get out of the abode. Did I aspect out that you should apply the money to get out of the abode? $one thousand a month will sink you quickly! good success!

Answer 8

1.5k divivde it into three holders, so that you three get 500.00 dollars each..as for the kids ..put it in towards college funds. and pay 3 month worth of ur rent ahead n that'll be around $500-$1000.00 a month ..should be roughly $1500.00-$3000.00 as for the left over just keep it for your car payment....or for any urgent usage.

Answer 9

Start savings by saving 3 months of total living cost to start out, bills, food, everything. Then have fun with the rest!

Answer 10

Make that 6k work for you! (hint: put it to work, where it will bring in 5-8% interest, with low risk,) use part of it to educate yourself,on investing, and personal finance!