I filed for chapter 7 about five years ago. This bankruptcy is actually what inspired my interest in finance. I’m trying to become a financial planner to help others never get get in the position I was in. I have a 700 credit score today and about 31k worth of student loan debt. No other loans or debt. Would a big company like Schwab hire me?

I have about $30k of consumer debt that I want to aggressively pay down. I had some life and job setbacks the past couple years and stuff just compounded... it's embarrassing, but is what it is and I'm dedicated to wiping it out ASAP.
With the credit cards some of my 0%APR deals will be ending soon, and I don't want to just keep taking out more credit card balance transfers... a lot of times the fees on those make sense in the long run but in the short term it makes the debt go even higher and mentally it's hard for me to do it. I was looking at one yesterday and I'd be paying almost $200 in origination fees.
My 401k through Fidelity will allow me to take up to $30,000 as a loan right now and I can choose to pay it back over 60 months. My plan was to take $15-20,000 as a loan, and immediately wipe out the majority of my consumer debt.
If I leave/lose my job, I do not have to pay it back immediately. I can amortize the loan for monthly payments (equal to the 2 biweekly payments), and if for any reason I can't keep up with the payments, it simply defaults to an early withdrawal. So, not an ideal scenario, but as a worst-case, probably better than bankruptcy or having my home foreclosed on or anything like that. I'd basically just get hit with the 10% penalty and taxes on the remaining balance.
I am actually looking for a new job right now, but knowing I can take it out for 60mos. and essentially treat it as a normal loan is pretty reassuring, as I don't plan to leave without another job lined up and even if I did get fired, I have a little bit of an emergency fund that would get me by for a few months with the payments. (Besides unemployment.)
I feel like all the worst-case scenarios are pretty decent compared to more credit cards or personal loans or HELOCs.
Just looking for someone to give me the negatives I might be missing here, besides the whole idea of removing investments from the 401k... I realize I could miss out on gains if the market suddenly surges, but I feel like any of those gains would probably be offset by the interest on the cards once these 0APR's end, and I know nobody has a crystal ball but I wouldn't be surprised if the market goes down in the next year rather than up -- so it's a bit of a gamble but I would rather take it out now and take that risk versus wait too long and then the market goes down and I'm cashing out after a big sell-off.
What do you guys think of this plan? In my situation and with the flexible Fidelity options would this be a decent choice to quickly pay off the bulk of my debt? I know it's ultimately one debt for another but I think I would mentally feel so much freer and feel much more motivated with my budgeting moving forward, just knowing I don't have as much credit card and consumer debt on my back.

My friend got laid off after ten years and now he's training his minimum wage replacement. He still has college loans to pay off yet, this person he's training.. gets the education for free? For the price of being paid the federal minimum? He's too chill to be upset. I am.

I know, I post here a lot, but I'm still learning after 300 hours and this has been immensely helpful. I started a game as Mongolia, and things have generally been going well. I own most of manchuria, most mongolian culture land, and a decent army, it's been 45 years. But while I can almost certainly beat Ming in a war, my economy is in the toilet. 26 loans out of a 30 maximum, losing 13 ducats a month to interest, and am losing 12 ducats total a month, even with army maintenance at 0%. I heavily considered going bankrupt (something I've never had to do, despite my constant loan issues), as there was no one around me who was likely to attack me and win. I was a tributary of ming, and my strongest enemy (chagatai) wasn't, so I figured I would be fine. But then, before I could declare, my tributary status was cancelled. I can't fight off chagatai without Ming, and I certainly can't fight ming with the nasty -50% army morale. I would attack ming now, (as I can beat them right now, without any bankruptcy) but I would lose so much money in the war that I fear forced bankruptcy would occur. What should I do? any advice would be wonderful (possibly important factors: I have no expensive advisors and firing them wouldn't help that much, no corruption, loans are 163, still a tribe so no burgher loans)

Did anyone else see this?!?!?! I just got the letter and can't fucking believe it.
The Biden administration announced May 1 that the Department of Education (ED) would automatically forgive all remaining federal student debt for people who attended any Art Institute campus between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 16, 2017. ED will also refund all payments borrowers made toward student debt used to pay for an Art Institute education.
ED worked with attorneys general from Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania to make this decision. Investigations from these states found that the Art Institute and former owner Education Management Corporation (EDMC) misrepresented job placement rates, post-graduation salaries, and job opportunities for graduates during a nearly 14-year period.
https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/biden-admin-forgives-six-billion-in-debt-for-former-art-institute-students/#:~:text=The%20Biden%20administration%20announced%20May,16%2C%202017.

Is this a golden email? Text:
On April 19, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced several changes that will help borrowers get closer to or achieve forgiveness under income-driven repayment (IDR) regardless of whether or not you have ever participated in an IDR plan. With these changes, you are now eligible to have some or all of your student loans forgiven because you have reached the necessary number of payments under IDR.
The U.S. Department of Education will work with your servicer to process your IDR forgiveness over the next several months. If you would like to opt out of IDR forgiveness for any reason, contact your loan servicer no later than 06/05/2024 and tell them that you are not interested in receiving IDR forgiveness. Some reasons why you might want to consider opting out include concerns about a potential state tax liability.
If you decide to opt out of IDR forgiveness, you will be expected to continue paying your loan(s).
Loan Servicer Information
Don't know who your loan servicer is? Log in to StudentAid.gov, find "My Aid," and select "View loan servicer details." You can also call us at 1-800-4-FED-AID, and we will connect you with your servicer.
If you have federal student loans with multiple servicers—or if your loan(s) is being transferred—and you want to opt out of IDR forgiveness, you should contact all your servicers with eligible loans.
If you don't opt out, here's what happens next: 1 We will send your information to your loan servicer(s) after 06/05/2024.

2 

Your loan servicer(s) will notify you if and when your IDR forgiveness has been processed. It may take some time for your loan servicer to process your forgiveness and for your account to reflect this change.

3 

If you have loans with multiple servicers, each servicer will notify you if and when they have applied forgiveness to your account with them. President Biden and the U.S. Department of Education are committed to supporting borrowers and ensuring they get the credit towards loan forgiveness that they are entitled to. Learn more about IDR forgiveness and the one-time account adjustment actions the Biden-Harris Administration announced last year.
Note: This letter is not an attempt to collect a debt or a demand for any payment.

Hi everyone!
Like many of you here, my parent had to take out a parent plus loan to help finance my education. Long story short, my financial aid package went from total coverage to none in the span of a year. Here are the details about my parent's current loans: 5 direct loans that are a mix of subsidized/unsubsidized, and 1 very large parent plus loan. The monthly payments for these loans combined is exponentially higher than what we combined can afford and I am really stressed trying to figure this out.
I just learned about the double consolidation loophole. To my current understanding, consolidating all the direct loans FIRST online through the student aid website with Nelnet as the servicer could be my first step. Then, after Nelnet confirms that direct consolidation, I can do a paper consolidation to consolidate the new remaining loan (the single parent plus loan) and the old load (the direct ones) through Mohela. Afterwards, I would fill out a paper Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plan Request, choosing the SAVE plan, and mail it to my servicer.
Here are my issues: most of the information regards having TWO parent plus loans at least. Is this still possible with only 1 parent plus loan seeing that there are so many separate direct loans? If anyone has gone through the process with similar loan details I would really appreciate the help/tips. Thank you!
Here's where I got my information thus far for reference: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/repayment-options-for-parent-plus-loans#:\~:text=What%20if%20I%20have%20at,new%20more%20affordable%20SAVE%20plan.

Date: 05/15/2024

Reading time: 11 minutes, 2384 words

🪖 Military

The ceremony of withdrawal of peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh took place

Russian peacekeepers were in Nagorno Karabakh based on a statement of November 9, 2020. The military group was supposed to stay in the region until 2025, which could be extended for another five years. The population of Artsakh was subjected to forced displacement, more than 100 thousand people moved from Artsakh to Armenia.

CivilNet

Armenia and Slovakia discuss issues of military-technical cooperation

Armenia participated in the IDEB-2024 defense exhibition in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the invitation of the Slovak Ministry of Defense. A number of agreements have been reached between Armenia and Slovakia.

Armenpress, Armenia, Slovakia discuss expanding defence cooperation

Armenia and India plan to create a working group on defense issues

The first defense consultations between the Ministries of Defense of Armenia and India took place under the chairmanship of Levon Ayvazyan. The progress and development prospects of Armenia-India cooperation in the field of defense were discussed, including military-technical, personnel military education and tactical training, exchange of experience and other fields.

CivilNet, Armenian and Indian Defense Ministries hold first defense consultations in Yerevan, Armenia, India hold first defense consultations

🏛️ Politics & Government

Over 52% of respondents in Armenia support Tavush for Homeland movement to certain extent, Gallup phone poll shows

A total of 35.1% of respondents in Armenia said they “fully support” the Tavush for Homeland movement, Aram Navasardyan, head of the Armenian office of GALLUP International Association, said at a press conference on Wednesday. 17.8% said they feel “more than positively” about the movement, 10% - ‘more than negatively’, 10.5% “absolutely negatively”; 13.6% found it difficult to answer the question.

ArkaAm

Civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan

People demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation again blocked streets in Yerevan on May 15.

PanArmenian

The Baku court has extended the terms of detention of Artsakh officials for five months

Former presidents Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Davit Babayan and Davit Ishkhanyan are speaking. The detention period of the former President of Artsakh Arkady Ghukasyan was also extended by five months. 23 Armenian servicemen and civilians were arrested in September 2023, after a one-day war against Artsakh.

CivilNet

Political consultations held between foreign ministries of Armenia, Georgia

The Republic of Armenia and Georgia held a round of political consultations in Tbilisi on May 13-14. It is noted that the participants of the meeting reviewed the existing relations between the two countries.

Armenpress, Political consultations held between Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Georgia

Education reforms, institutional development, peace agenda implementation: PM delivers speech at EBRD annual meeting

Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the Republic of Armenia. Armenia's economy has grown by almost 30 percent since the People's Nonviolent Velvet Revolution of 2018.

Armenpress, Prime Minister highly values the partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Armenian PM and EBRD President discuss joint projects and perspectives, EBRD plans to invest up to 500 million Euros in Armenia in 2024, EBRD and InecoBank bolster science innovation hub in Yerevan

Border delimitation between Armenia, Azerbaijan should become a key tool for learning peaceful coexistence - PM

Armenia and Azerbaijan lack experience and knowledge of peaceful co-existence, says Prime Minister. Pashinyan: "What you don't know brings uncertainties, concerns, tensions, which you understandably formulate and perceive based on your experience"

Armenpress, Moscow welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan foreign ministers' negotiations in Almaty, Demarcation should become one of the tools that will teach Armenia and Azerbaijan to live peacefully – PM Pashinyan

PM Pashinyan sends congratulatory message to the Prime Minister of Serbia

Nikol Pashinyan congratulates Miloš Vučević on occasion of his election to the post of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia. The message reads as follows: "Armenia values friendly relations with Serbia based on mutual respect and trust"

Armenpress

Armenia and EBRD sign €236 million agreement for Sisian-Kajaran road construction

The EBRD signed a loan agreement worth €236 million for the construction of the 24.2 km southern section of the Sisian-Kajaran North-South Road. The project is a strategic priority for Armenia, ensuring its connectivity and access to Europe and beyond.

Armenpress, EBRD plans to invest up to 500 million Euros in Armenia in 2024, EBRD grants Armenia 12 million euros for the construction of a logistics center in Syunik, EBRD funds largest road project in Armenia

Armenia and France expand cooperation in civil aviation sector

Meeting was held between the Director General, Mihran Khachatryan, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Republic of Armenia, Olivier Decottignies. Issues of strengthening and expanding cooperation between Armenia and France in the field of civil aviation were discussed.

Armenpress, French Development Agency to extend cooperation with Armenia’s government, Armenia, France extend partnership in civil aviation, Armenia and France are expanding cooperation in the field of civil aviation, Armenia, French Development Agency to expand cooperation

The delegation led by Tigran Avinyan leaves for Paris

The Yerevan delegation will visit Paris from May 15 to 19. They will meet with the president of the regional council of Île-de-France.

Armenpress, Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19

Moscow sees the need to resume the work of the tripartite group on the issue of de-blockade

Moscow considers it necessary to resume work of tripartite working group co-chaired by deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on blockade issue. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said about it in an interview with the News.ru website: "We do not use the term Zangezur Corridor, but in favor of the complete unblocking of economic and transport communications in the South Caucasus. He also spoke about the role of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh.

CivilNet

Armenia is waiting for the decision to join the European Peace Foundation. Pashinyan

Pashinyan: We are waiting for the decision to include Armenia in the European Peace Fund. The fund was established in 2021 to promote world peace, prevent conflicts and supply non-lethal weapons to countries in need. In mid-April, the media wrote that a preliminary agreement was reached in Brussels to provide 10 million euros to Armenia from this fund, but Hungary blocked the decision.

CivilNet

Mirzoyan to take part in Council of Europe ministers’ Committee session in Strasbourg

Ararat Mirzoyan will travel to French city of Strasbourg for a working visit on 16-17 May. He will take part in the 133rd session of the Committee of Ministers, devoted to the celebration of 75 years since the foundation of the Council of Europe.

ArkaAm, Armenian FM to participate in the session of CoE Committee of Ministers

High-Tech Minister: Armenia considers creating investment fund

Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan discussed a potential creation of an investment fund in the country with Noubar Afeyan, the founder of venture capital firm Flagship Pioneering. Fund is expected to improve cooperation between Armenian authorities and the private sector.

ArkaAm

Armenia's policy is to diversify its foreign relations - Pashinyan

Armenia's policy is to diversify its foreign relations in all areas, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at Copenhagen Democracy Summit. "We are happy about the deployment of the EU Civilian Monitoring Mission on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said. The prime minister said that the EU decision on Armenia's inclusion in the European Peace Facility is now awaited.

ArkaAm

Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity”

The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said.

PanArmenian

Uruguay Chamber of Representatives votes to submit draft law on the Armenian Genocide Memorial Day to executive branch

Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay on May 14 unanimously passed the draft law declaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day in Uruguay, 74 votes in favor by the 74 MPs present. After the executive's approval within 10 days, the law will come into force immediately, the Armenian Embassy in Uruguay said in a post on Facebook.

Armenpress, Uruguay House of Representatives approves billdeclaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Slovak PM in ‘life-threatening condition’ after being shot

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times following a government meeting. Fico's condition is life-threatening and he’s being flown by helicopter to hospital for emergency treatment.

Armenpress, Slovak PM Fico in hospital after being shot, Violence has no place in politics: Armenian PM wishes speedy recovery to Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Slovak PM in life-threatening condition after assassination attempt, Slovak PM Fico in hospital after being shot

Zelenskiy cancels visit to Spain and Portugal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has cancelled a visit to Spain and Portugal, authorities said on Wednesday. CNN Portugal and other media reported it was because of renewed fighting in his country. Spain's King Felipe of Spain had been due to hold a reception and host a meal in his honour. He had also been expected to sign a bilateral security cooperation agreement.

Armenpress

The Power of One Dram Sums up the Two-Year Program with Teach for Armenia

During November and December 2021, AMD 9,328,753 was transferred to the “Teach for Armenia” educational foundation. The amount gathered within the framework of “The Power of One Dram” initiative of IDBank and Idram. As a result, two schools of Aragatsotn Region have been conducting an education program based on change for two years.

Armenpress, Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia

Blinken, guitar in hand, sings ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ in Kyiv bar

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plays guitar and sings Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" with a local band. Blinken assured Ukrainians they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid on its way will make a "real difference" on the battlefield.

Armenpress

Armenia’s ruling party frames anti-government protesters as ‘Russia-backed’ on social media: DEMOCRACY WATCH #4

A CivilNet investigation has found that the campaigns, mostly on Facebook, are generated by the country’s ruling party. Among the main targets is the leader of the protest movement Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the Primate of the Tavush Diocese. They circulate videos and photos suggesting his involvement in a “Russian plan to destabilize Armenia”

CivilNet, Echoes of Déjà Vu: Reviving Resistance in Armenia, Archbishop Bagrat: This is our first victory

India and Iran have announced the launch of the Chabahar port development project

India and Iran signed a ten-year agreement on the development and operation of Iran's Chabahar port. The agreement aims to expand regional communication and facilitate trade, particularly between India, Iran and Afghanistan. India has invested in the infrastructure and modernization of the port, making it a viable transit route for Indian goods to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

CivilNet

U.S. warns Georgia not to side with Moscow against the west

Georgia has been warned by the U.S. not to become an adversary of the west by falling back in line with Moscow.

PanArmenian

💵 Economy

EBRD predicts Armenia’s economy to grow by 6.2% in 2024

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development expects Armenia’s economy to grow by 6.2% in 2024 and 4,8% in 2025. The EBRD forecasted a 4.5% economic growth in 2024 for Armenia in its previous report, published in September 2023. The World Bank expects the Armenian economy to. grow by 5.5%, the IMF predicts 5% growth for the country's economy in 2024.

ArkaAm

VTB (Armenia) expands opportunities for cross-border money transfers by phone number

Retail customers of VTB Bank (Armenia) can receive money transfers from Russia by phone number. Funds are credited instantly to the recipient's account or card in national currency. In 2023, the bank's retail customers received more than 94 thousand money transfers.

ArkaAm, VTB-Armenia Bank has expanded the possibilities of international transfers by telephone

EBRD has significantly improved the forecast of the growth of the Armenian economy in 2024 to 6.2%

The EBRD predicts 6.2 percent economic growth in Armenia in 2024, and 4.8 percent in 2025. The World Bank expects that Armenia's economy will grow by 5.5 percent in 2024. The IMF predicts a 5 percent growth for the country's economy in 2024 and 2025.

ArkaAm

Donations to Armenia:

Himnadram
ServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund

Interesting situation here. I work at a company that pays 5k/year towards continuing education. I have applied for fafsa graduate loans that are at 7% to pay for the tuition. My company will reimburse me after I pass the classes. In theory, I’m using the fafsa money to pay for the semesters I’m currently enrolled in. But what if instead of using my company 5k to pay back the federal loans I used it to pay off my staggering 40k I owe to Sallie Mae (at 18% interest)? Is this legal and/or recommended?

On New Year of 2023 I got to know that my mom has breast cancer with metastasis in the bones. I live in the US, and she lives with my dad in another country. I am a healthcare professional, and I felt guilty immediately. I should’ve checked if she does mammogram every year. I don’t know why I didn’t think about that. She has always been overweight, and I’ve been concerned about cholesterol, atherosclerosis and diabetes, and constantly been nagging her about diet, lab work, meds. But I never asked if she had mammograms done every year. Her mom (my GM) had breast cancer too. Maybe I assumed that mammogram is such a basic thing, that everyone has it done, including my mom. In fact, she hadn’t done it for a few years. If only I asked and pushed her to do that, we would have caught it earlier, and she would have gotten surgery and chemo and everything would have been fine. Then, my home country is not particularly good at treating cancer. She started chemotherapy, but at some point our country run out of it, and she waited a few weeks without treatment, until I managed to buy it and get it delivered. Maybe I should have brought her to the US for treatment? Or another country? I could have gotten a loan to pay for medical bills. I couldn’t pay out of pocket at that time, but I would pay it later eventually. I’m here in the US on working visa myself, so I would have to pay 100% out of pocket, because she would not get insurance. But I still could have done that. But I did not. Then, in June 2023 we found out that her cancer had metastasized to the brain. She underwent whole brain radiation and it helped until 2024 New Year. Then her condition started to deteriorate again. She developed dysphagia and dysarthria. Could barely walk. I scheduled my vacation for June to come and be with her for 4 weeks. I blame myself that I didn’t go immediately. I could have quit my job and bring my husband and kids to our home country for a few months, it is not such a big sacrifice. We would go back eventually and I would find a new job. But I decided not to do that. I decided that my kids education is more important. Maybe I gave up on my mom, knowing that stage 4 breast cancer with brain involvement is a no hope situation…. I can’t forgive myself for that. Even if it is a desperate situation, I could have spent these last few months by her side. All her life she did everything for me and I didn’t pay her back. In the beginning of April she tried a new chemotherapy. She was scared of possible side effects, but she kind of believed that it would help. I should have stopped her and explained that she didn’t need chemotherapy at that point. That she only needed to make herself as comfortable as possible for the time that she had. But I didn’t say that. I said let’s try and if you develop side effects, we can stop. So she took the first dose, and she developed severe pain in her legs. She could not walk anymore. And her PCP only gave her NSAIDs for pain, huge doses and forgot to tell to take omeprazole. And I forgot too. I was so dumb that I didn’t even think about mentioning that, like it’s a common sense and everyone knows. So, back to 2 weeks ago. She developed GI bleeding, but doctors didn’t recognize that. She called EMS, her BP was 80/50. Refused to go to the hospital. They gave fluids, raised BP to 90/60 and left her home. She stopped answering the phone and when I called my dad, I noticed that she is not looking at the phone, and barely spoke. So I immediately flew to my parents. Dad told me about “black tarry stools” and only then I realized that she deteriorated so fast from GI bleed. We did CBC at home, her hemoglobin was 4.3. She was in pain, but she always refused opioids. However, I talked to PCP and we decided to stop NSAIDs and start tramadol and diazepam for agitation. In 2-3 days after we started medications she became more and more confused and disoriented. Now she sleeps all day long and only open her eyes for 1 second to loud noises. I was not ready for that. I hoped she would be pain free, but still somewhat alert. I feel like I made her unconscious. Stole her last ability to be present in this world. And I feel that she was not ready for that either. The last thing she told me was “have some rest, workaholic”. I was cleaning her room at that moment. Was she blaming me for not being this her while she was sick all these long months? For not sitting next to her during these last moments of lucidity?? We are going to take her to hospice, because I have to go back to work, and my dad can’t take care of her at home. And because I want her to have adequate pain management, which is only possible inpatient. But I know for sure that she did not want to die in the hospital. I’m afraid that she will never forgive me for all I have done and not done. I should have handled that differently. I just hate myself and don’t know how to live after all this.

6-minute read.

political consultations were held between foreign ministries of Armenia and Georgia about "adherence to European values" and regional issues

It was the first bilateral consultation after the recent signing of the AM-GE Strategic Partnership agreement. Economy, trade, transport, energy, tourism, culture, and education were noted as the main pillars of this cooperation.
The demarcation of the AM-GE border will remain a priority on the agenda.
Regional developments were also discussed. The parties reiterated univocal support to each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The discussion also included the role of Armenia and Georgia in supporting peace and regional development, as well as adherence to European values.
In other news. Armenia's foreign ministry says they held discussions with Georgian colleagues regarding the recent decision by Tbilisi to require all tourists visiting Georgia to have health insurance. Armenia says the June 1 deadline reported earlier has been postponed.
source, source,

EU reportedly plans to freeze Georgia's membership bid to EU if "foreign agent" bill becomes law

Financial Times, citing a person briefed on the discussions between Georgian and EU officials in recent days

source, source,

EBRD's international forum was held in Yerevan: Day 2

TLDR video, full video in English, other video, Pashinyan's speech in English, sanctions compliance by banks,

EBRD bank funds its largest-ever road project in Armenia

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is lending €236 million to Armenia to build the southern section of the Sisian-Kajaran road. Details and how much faster the road will get in May 8 news digest.
The loan agreement was signed today between the Finance Ministry and EBRD during the latter's annual business forum held in Yerevan.

This important infrastructure project, part of Armenia's international North-South, is aligned with EU flagship initiatives for improved land transport connectivity and building resilience in the southern regions of Armenia.

EBRD: We appreciate Armenia’s aspiration to develop a transport and logistics infrastructure that will enhance its regional connectivity and integration with external markets. We support this project because it meets our strategic objectives in Armenia and the region.
source,

EBRD and InecoBank will co-finance the development of a new TUMO Convergence Centre for Engineering and Applied Science in Yerevan

See the architectural design and details about the new TUMO tech/science/innovation/education center here: TUMO.

is a unique STEM hub in Yerevan, focused on sparking innovation. It is where academia and industry come together and where Armenia connects to the world. Designed by the world-renowned Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, the Convergence Center’s flagship building will be an innovative horizontal skyscraper. Only six stories tall but stretched over 200 meters at the edge of the Hrazdan Gorge, the building occupies 17,000 square meters. It is made up of 300 modular spaces arranged inside a giant hall that creates a unique interior ecosystem.
The goal of the Convergence Center project is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that will accelerate the growth of high tech, engineering and applied sciences in Armenia.

EBRD and InecoBank will chip in €7.25 million each. The EU Delegation to Armenia will also contribute.
source,

EBRD plans to invest €500 million in Armenia this year

EBRD: This is a historic figure and it shows that we are working closely with public and private sectors. We have already invested €640 million over the past 5 years, half of which is in the private sector.
The events in Ukraine have increased the need for stable connectivity between Europe and Asia, making the South Caucasus region and Armenia in particular an attractive area for international trade and investment. //
source,

Day 7 of anti-Pashinyan protests organized by pro-Russian opposition forces

CHAPTER 1
Yesterday the co-organizer Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan invited everyone to join a "big rally" near the opera building on Wednesday, the area where the EBRD is holding the international business forum attended by over 3,000 international and local officials. The police brought a large number of forces to protect the area.
GALSTANYAN (yesterday): At 5 pm on Wednesday there will be an international forum in our opera hall. Numerous international economic organizations will be present, and the leader of this government will give a speech there. Each one of you has the opportunity to be there and express your disagreement towards this illegal demarcation of our border. Come in big numbers. Tomorrow we must express our peaceful but strong dissent. //
The aerial view of Galstanyan's rally near the opera building on Wednesday: video
Galstanyan's followers attempted to block the movement of buses serving the EBRD economic forum attendees. video
CHAPTER 2
5 protesters + 4 trash cans = 9 video,
CHAPTER 3
A group of low-income residents from Vanadzor, who were registered with humanitarian organizations as aid recipients, reported to police that someone bribed and duped them to join the ongoing protests.
AUTHORITIES: On April 24, the suspect used vehicles to transport 7 people to join the protests in Voskepar, Tavush, in exchange for cash. The residents joined the protests and shut down roads until late evening. Upon return, the participants received the promised ֏3,000 ($8).
On May 9, the same suspect organized the transfer of several low-income food bank recipients to Yerevan's Republic Square to take part in "Տավուշը հանուն հայրենիքի" protest. They received ֏3,000 ($8) on the spot and were taken home to Vanadzor in late evening. //
Authorities published the audio of testimony by participants. Some of them were duped; they were told it was going to be a simple "road trip". One witness said there were 3 GAZelle vans transporting several participants. audio
CHAPTER 4
The protest organizers are in touch with former Ambassador-At-Large Edmon Marukyan's party LHK, Ruben Vardanyan's party Aprelu Yerkir, and "Hayaqve". These parties joined the Archbishop/ARF-led protest on May 9 and held political discussions with Galstanyan on Wednesday morning. Galstanyan urged his followers to ramp up the strikes and road closures starting tomorrow.
source, source, source, source, source, video, source,

Russia's foreign ministry responds to speculations and conspiracy theories that began after Pashinyan's recent meeting with Putin

Backstory: Former Ambassador-At-Large Edmon Marukyan has strained relations with several pro-West figures. The pro-West figures had accused Marukyan of serving the interests of Russia by providing pro-Russian advisory to Pashinyan. In turn, Marukyan accused the pro-West figures of unprofessionalism.
Pashinyan recently asked Putin to withdraw Russian agents from the Zvartnots airport and the AM-AZ border. After that meeting, Russia released a statement that included a phrase stating that Pashinyan asked Putin to preserve the troops along the border with Turkey and Iran.
Edmon Marukyan released a video in which he was simply "asking questions" to the pro-West figures. He wanted them to explain what exactly happened that Pashinyan "asked" Russia to preserve its forces on the borders with Turkey and Iran. Marukyan's video could be perceived as an attempt to incite a conflict between Pashinyan and pro-West figures by presenting Pashinyan as a "pro-Russian" figure who was supposedly given an opportunity to withdraw ALL Russian forces but "asked" them to stay.
Russia's foreign ministry was asked to comment on Wednesday.
REPORTER: The official statement reads that the Armenian side asked for the Russian guards to remain on the TR and IR borders. At the same time, we know that the Russian guards on TR and IR borders were installed under a different - bilateral state agreement. Does this mean that during the Pashinyan-Putin meeting, Putin offered to withdraw forces from TR and IR borders as well and that Pashinyan asked them to stay?
RUSSIAN MFA: No, Russia did not offer a complete withdrawal of all border guards from Armenia. Some other outlets claimed that the withdrawal is a result of an AM-AZ agreement not to deploy 3rd party forces on the border; these are all false. In reality, the Armenian side wanted to discuss the withdrawal of Russian border guards from several regions near the AM-AZ border as a result of the completion of their duties.
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Armenia and French Development Agency will expand cooperation

PM Pashinyan hosted Bertrand Walckenaer, the representative of the French Development Agency.
PASHINYAN: We highly appreciate the cooperation with the FDA and we hope to expand it to new areas. Armenia is interested in expanding cooperation with France in all fields.
WALCKENAER: We plan to expand the directions of cooperation and the scope of programs for the development of various infrastructures in Armenia. //
They discussed the ongoing construction of the large Vedi reservoir.
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Armenia and France expand partnership in civil aviation

The countries signed a technical agreement this week to exchange knowledge and experience.
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Armenia's Economy Minister and U.S. Department of Agriculture discussed the possibility of increasing agricultural exports to U.S.

Minister Papoyan's U.S. trip continues. They also discussed providing technical assistance in the field of agriculture.
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second round of major army leadership appointments and rotation in Armenia

Seven new appointments to various army departments, including Territorial Defense Forces.
DEFENSE MINISTRY: This is within the framework of ongoing army reforms in connection with the approval of the new statutes and structure of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Armenia.
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the ceremony of the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from Nagorno-Karabakh was marked in Ivanyan on Wednesday

Ranking army officials from Russia and Azerbaijan participated in the ceremony. The decision to withdraw without waiting for the 5-year term to end was made on April 17.
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Armenia and Slovakia discuss expansion of defense cooperation

Deputy MOD Brutyan visited the IDEB-2024 defense exhibition in Bratislava where he met Slovak MOD Kaliňák and representatives of their military industry. The talks touched upon defense and technical cooperation between Armenia and Slovakia and resulted in a number of agreements.
In other news. The pro-Azerbaijan Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico was shot by a left-wing activist and is in a life-threatening condition. The assailant was detained by police. A crowd was waiting outside a cultural centre when one of them started shooting. He was reportedly shot in the arm and abdomen.
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I have fallen behind on taxes and my income has been dropping year over year due to business taking a downturn. I am now up to date on all my business and personal taxes filed. Here is the situation. Includes all late penalties etc..
Personal $58,800 ( much of this from when I was a sole proprietor with late penalty)
Corporate $17,140 (PR) $21,100(TaxGst) $18,700(Corp Tax) Total =$56,940
My business took a dive in 2022-2023 eating up all savings and causing me to fall behind. I’ve been told to talk to an insolvency trustee as I’m not sure I could make much of minimum payments required as I have put all money into my business to keep it afloat thus far. The positives is I could likely increase my income over the next couple years by working longer weeks to possible cover payments required to pay this off over a 2-3 year period. Will the CRA work with me on this? I have been in communication and will be following up with them again next week as I would not like to claim bankruptcy as I would like to save towards a home once this is all resolved. The CRA told me I need to take out a loan and pay off a big part of the balance but I could not get approved for anything as my credit is poor now. Any advice is much appreciated if anyone has been in similar situation and dealing with the CRA and what options I may have.

Need some tips
Currently thinking of filing for bankruptcy chapter 7 hopefully but not sure
I have 25k personal loan 8k in credit cards 28k on one car left - financed 18k on another car left - leased Paid of car worth about - 6k
I make 90k a year and wife does not work right now stay at home mom with our baby.
Would I qualify? Only I’m declaring bankruptcy , the other question is both cars have my wife’s name on the loan as well, not sure how I go about that.

I just cashed out some gifted stocks in my family's company and will be receiving 50,000 dollars in cash by the end of the week. I'm not sure what the wisest way to utilize the money would be.
I have almost 70,000 dollars in student debt, but I am on a payment plan and am in good standing. I am a social worker so I hope to have my loans forgiven in the future on the PSLF. I have no retirement, nor do I have any savings to speak of.
I work part time and bring home 55,000 a year. I am not married but have a 3-year-old with a partner I've been with for 12 years. He is starting a new business and is pretty sloppy financially. I don't imagine he will be a source of financial security for our family any time soon.
When my daughter is older I will work full-time and hopefully increase my income with a higher level of licensure. Until then, what would be the wisest way to use this money to help ensure a better future for my child? Should I invest it or put it in an educational fund? I'm financially illiterate and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Please note this is the original submission I sent Refinery29. In the current post,they have given me a second credit card with a 100$ balance, as well as generational trauma from World War II and cut context for other things. I am trying to get that fixed.
Per previous discussion in comments here: The espresso machine is a Bezzera, which ranges from 2-5K. We got ours on sale for 1.7K, it’s a work house and we use it everyday, still hurts that we spent that money on a coffee maker.
I do understand mortgage is debt but when you compare it to rent to a lesser value condo in Vancouver it feels like not debt at all, which is how I tend to think of it. Yes I owe my mortgage but also I get my house instead of renting-which may not have become clear.
Please see in full the diary, below (edit for formatting via mobile)
Occupation: Sr Business Analyst
Industry: Tech
Age: 30
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
Salary: 92,000$ (Spouse makes 60,000$ for a combined income of 152,000$ before tax)
Net Worth: ~ 1.2 Million ( house is valued at 989,000$ currently, we have a combined 150,000 in pension, and ~60,000 in various company stocks, and GICs)
Debt: 3,000$ in a zero interest credit card for a 10 month period. We balanced transferred and pay 400$/month. Debt was acquired in Q4 2023 when we had to buy Snow Tires, and do a full break replacement as well as Christmas. 480,000$ in a mortgage, we refinanced in September 2023 for five years fixed rate at accelerated biweekly, however I don’t consider our mortgage debt due to the equity we are gaining, and that our mortgage for a five bedroom, 3 bath single family home is less than rent for a two bedroom condo in Vancouver
Paycheck Amount (Every 2 Weeks): 2,555$ after taxes. (Just mine). Spouse makes 2,308$ after taxes. Our pay periods are alternating.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses Mortgage: 1450$ biweekly (100$ extra to the principal).
Utilities: ~200$ (includes water [paid quarterly], hydro [paid bimonthly], gas, sewetrash [paid quarterly] phone [highly discounted due to work plans for spouse and myself] and car gas) Loan Payments: 400$/Credit Card
Car Insurance: 84$
Life Insurance: 167$ combined (67$ me, 100$ spouse)
Health & Dental Insurance: 60$ deducted from pay (coverage for myself and spouse from my employer. Spouse also has coverage for both of us deducted from pay)
Retirement Contribution: 400$ (Employee matches me), (Spouse has a defined pension through work and contributes ~200$ month)
Union fees: 70$ Spouse
Subscriptions: Crave 22$/month (Recent splurge for Binge watching the Rookie), Playstation Plus 100$ (annual bought on Black Friday Deal), Amazon Prime 80$ (Annual), BCAA 120$ (annual) Gym 30$/month (we both have one so 15$/pp)
Note: My spouse and I have completely commingled finances. I will be tracking both as it’s essentially I spent whatever they spent
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
There was always the expectation. My father was very clear, we were very smart. There was no way we’d be wasting our potential. He wanted me to be a lawyer, but unlike other immigrant parents, I got to choose my major and went into social sciences and got my masters in history. I deferred my PhD too much so I got dropped by the program.
I chose my university by where I got a full first year scholarship and then after that took about 15k in student loans for my undergraduate. My parents paid my rent and I got a part time job for food.
For my masters, I had a student line of credit and 5 k student loans otherwise it was all my savings and scholarships. With the line of credit, I had a total of 30K in student loans and paid it off in about four years.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Save. We talked about how you get a dollar allowance and half of it goes into long term saving with 25% in short term and 25% in spend.
Investing came after I was eighteen. Family would like us to invest in property, however I don’t really want to be a landlord, but also we wouldn’t get to really enjoy profit of owning a rental property due to other family circumstances.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
Ice cream parlour I was twelve and my parents made me get it for responsibility. I lasted three weeks because I hated it.
Did you worry about money growing up?
I grew up thinking we were not rich, because we didn’t get big plane vacations (I didn’t count flying from Toronto to Vancouver every summer as a vacation since we were just seeing family but staying in a house my parents owned) and I had only been to Disney twice.
But we had a big new build house in the rich end of town, my mom stayed home to raise all of us. We had to work for things (like going to see a movie opening night or a new CD) but we always had money and got what we wanted. In retrospect, my family was/is fairly well off.
Both my parents grew up poor, with parents working multiple jobs and different shifts to make ends meet, the strive/drive to not have that childhood, and for my father to be able to retire his parents really impacted mine and my siblings and cousins lives. My father showed me the apartment he grew up in Chinatown a few years back. It’s light years away from the house my grandparents owned when I was a kid and how I grew up.
Do you worry about money now?
Of course. Inflation is real and we are actively planning a wedding for the next year, as well as a baby in the next few years. We also need to buy a second car, so we’re saving for that.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Fully financially responsible? Twenty five. I lived in a family property where I didn’t pay rent in one of the most expensive cities in Canada, so even though I paid all my bills (food and phone), I didn’t have to pay rent. I in fact made money, as I rented rooms out and used the income for house utilities, and paying my student loans down faster. When I moved in with my spouse, I just paid condo fees until we bought our house two years ago which gave me plenty of time to save.
Our financial safety net is family, and our savings. I know my family would bail us out. My spouse’s father would as well. Conversely, we are my spouse’s mother's safety net and we have to keep all our plans in mind that we will be subsidising her.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain. Yes, I received 50K from my parents once they sold my childhood home, as did both of my siblings. I have also received 10K from one set of grandparents which paid off my car and part of my student loans when I was 21. I will be receiving another inheritance when probate is done for around ~100K. My spouse also has received inheritance which allowed them to buy their first condo in their early twenties when the market was much better. That condo, 50k, and the subsequent upgrading helped us afford our house.
Day 1
10 AM: I drive to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Not how I want to start my Sunday morning but y’know. Normally I’d walk since it’s about 20 minutes but I have a UTI. I’m “lucky” that despite not having a dr because of the health care shortage, my work pays for the Maple app so I could get a dr to write the prescription and order the lab work at 1 am. I’ll do the lab work later this week when I can get an appointment but will take the relief now. Insurance makes the antibiotics free, but I also buy hydrogen peroxide because we’re out and we have a dog that thinks everything is meant to be in her mouth. We’ll buy a bigger one at Costco later. I also bought some oral wound mouthwash because we were out. I come home and my spouse made us breakfast.
Total: 15.90$ paid with debit.
1-2:30 PM: We do our taxes. I have a mini meltdown when I realize the part time bakery job I had for a few months didn’t take off income tax last year, so I owe 800$. Luckily, my partner is getting a refund so we net out positive 400$. The bakery took off income tax in 2022, so unsure why they didn’t in 2023. I made us lunch.
3-6:30 PM: We walk the dog, and watch the Rookie. Some time during that time period, a venue emails us back and is surprisingly affordable at 3k. I also get told that the tattoo artist I want to book with, has not chosen me.
6:30-7:30 PM: I explain what lazy girl dinner is to my spouse and make a lazy girl dinner. After not really grocery shopping since Feb for things besides fresh veg, we need to do a big pantry shop and neither of us want that. We debate about buying a food saver and if we should wait for a sale. My spouse is more frugal than me and has determined we should.
8-9:30 PM: We start season 3 of The Rookie, and then after two episodes we go to bed
Day One Total: 15.90$
Day Two
5:45-8 AM: Wake up and start work. I get up to date with what’s happened on the weekend and check that my automated reports. Sometime before 6:30, I get the kettle on for my spouse’s pour over before I go back to my meetings. There’s a twenty minute gap where I get changed and do my skin care and brush my teeth. I’d love to be a skin care person but honestly I’ve spent too much money on product that I don’t use and that just goes bad. Washing my face and using sun screen is a win.
I also make sure that Spouse’s lunch is in his bag and I get our travel mugs ready. Before, we used to go to Starbucks every day. Starbucks used to do free refills on coffee and tea if you were a rewards member if you bought a coffee or tea so it would cost us $5/day (2.5/pp), and we could get refills all day. While that’s 20$/week, 80$/a month and yes, we could have saved it but back then, that 80$ wasn’t turning the dial anywhere significantly for us—a privileged view.
But now, after COVID where I stopped drinking tea after one day working from home having like 10 cups and thinking I was dying, and Spouse has bought a good grinder and we recently splurged on a stupidly expensive espresso machine we call his Engagement Espresso since it costs the same price as my stupidly expensive ring, we bring our coffees.
8-8:30 AM: We drive to work. Prior to buying our house, we were both work from home and lived in a city with amazing transit. We only needed the one car. Since buying the house and moving to a city where public transit is a joke (the one bus goes past our house every 1.5h), Spouse changed jobs and is in office every day and I have to go in 3 days a week. We need a second car or the e-bike rebate to come through. We debate this in the car, since I’m done at 1 pm, and Spouse works normal hours, I either have to take the bus home, or go to the gym for three hours. Today though, I drop Spouse off. I will pick him up later as he has a half day because of the dentist
8:30-12:30 AM/PM: Work. I find a tech manager and ask them to get me more triple a batteries. Work won’t provide or let me expense batteries for my mouse, despite them replacing my usb mouse with a battery one. The poor admin had to tell me the decision is that we’ll all supply our own batteries. Luckily the tech managers have to have batteries on hand and give them out freely.
I ask my boss how the work from home tax forms work, and he is going to find out.
I run more meetings and work on a request for a dashboard and a business case for a new feature that I have to convince leadership to spend money on.
12:30-1 PM: I drive back to my Spouse because he has a dentist appointment.
While I wait for a spouse, I am incredibly hungry. I’m usually not hungry/don’t eat a proper meal until around 1 in the afternoon and my two granola bars I already ate at the office. I go to the bakery by Spouse’s work and buy a cheese bun for me (3.65$), and an apple pie scone (2.55$) for Spouse as a snack. Spouse points out he won’t be able to eat until after his appointment.
Total: 6.20$ debit
1-1:30 PM: I drop Spouse off, and the car stops working. The engine won’t catch. I try multiple times and then run into the dentist to dramatically announce to Spouse and the receptionists that the car won’t start. Spouse asks me what he wants me to do about this, since he’s about to go into an appointment. A very kind receptionist tells me it might be the alternator. I don’t know what that is.
I go back to the car to Facetime my father. He also asks what I think he can do to help since he lives 3000 km away. Weirdly, and sexistly, I thought a man who grew up at race tracks, in a racing family, or the man who has collected and worked on sports cars for forty years might be able to help.
Spouse texts me to remind me we have BCAA while my father also tells me that. I finally get the engine to catch and drive the very long way home, going the speed limit and getting stuck in traffic, construction and a bus. It takes me 20 minutes to get home instead of 10.
1:30-2:30 PM: I walk the dog, mail a (late) birthday card and then start researching what an alternator is. The car is over a decade old and until the house, the most expensive thing I ever bought at 12K back in 2015. We have the funds for the cost, but it’s my first car and the fact it might be the end of its life is scary.
Alternators can cost between 400-800$ repair with labour, so that’s fun.
My dad calls me back and apologises for asking me what he could do away. He advises me that there’s probably a bald spot on the alternator and advises me to go to the mechanic to check or replace it, if the car doesn’t start again.
I call the mechanic to book an appointment, and to also get the snow tires off and to buy new rims for the snow tires. The mechanic lets me know that the alternator part is 500$, and an hour of labour so with taxes we’re looking at around 700$
That future appointment next week (we’re going down a highway this weekend which requires snow tires) will cost ~1.5K, assuming we replace the alternator.
I make lunch and sigh.
2:30 PM: The car starts thankfully. I drive incredibly slow. I pick up Spouse by idling the car. We get an email back from a venue saying they cost 75,000$ minimum. The timing is hysterical.
Due to the nature of the dentist, Spouse owes 618$, as they haven’t flipped it under my insurance. They split it in half, as he has a follow up in two weeks. After the next appointment they will flip the whole amount under me and we’ll get reimbursed for the whole amount.
Total 309$/credit card.
3-10 PM: We walk the dog, make dinner (Spouse makes white sauce pasta, with chicken and peas) and watch The Rookie. There are thirteen episodes in season three, and we will be busy every night this week besides Friday and Sunday, and I would like to finish season three so we can start season 4 next Monday. I don’t want to pay for more than one month of Crave. We have five episodes left
Day Two Total: 315.2$
Day Three
1 AM: 100$ is automatically transferred from our account to the credit card debit. We have an auto transfer of 100$/every Tuesday to a Visa where we balance transferred both our cards. We have an offer for 0 interest for 10 months, so we did that for some of the bigger expenses (snow tires, break replacement and general Christmas) and are on track to pay it back within the next 6 months. That visa is our emergency card that we just have in the back end and utilise for promos like this. It allows us to keep our two cards balances manageable and lets us pay in an easier way than taking big chunks out of our various savings.
Total: 100$/direct deposit
5:45-9 AM: Work. Meetings, reports, trying to convince a colleague that the process does include them and refusal to follow it means that their requests won’t be done. Spouse has another half day so I can go into the office at my leisure—if the car starts
9-9:20 AM: The car starts, I get into the office and refresh a data flow before a meeting with a new stake holder. It takes longer to drive into work today because the tourists are starting to come and their van builds or campers are not exactly highway speed and with a two lane highway, if you don’t merge over fast enough you’re stuck.
10:05-10:20 AM: Meeting done, car starts again and I drive home for more meetings. The least amount of time in the office is preferable for me.
10:30-11AM : Meeting with my manager where we discuss future salary and promotion. I am due for a promotion in the start of Q2, which would push me to six figures. I’ll believe it when I see it but, I’m really excited at that possibility for my family.
11:15 AM: Spouse leaves for work, we discuss what groceries are needed, as well if he’ll go to Home Depot tonight to buy more clover seeds for the yard, as we need to reseed before it starts raining. I eat a muffin and my dog and cat decide to try and eat each other.
11:15-1:30 PM: Work runs late. There’s some issues with the data and we can’t figure it out. We call it a night, and I’ll record the video presentations tomorrow, once we fix the data.
1:30-4 PM: Nap time! It’s bad for me, but honestly I don’t sleep well during the night so naps are what keep me alive.
4-6 PM I prep dinner (smash burgers and fries), and get chores done and walk the dog.
6-7:30 PM: Spouse comes home, we eat dinner. Groceries come to 96.83 for two 7 pound pork loins, two packs of bacon, chicken nuggets, coffee, pop, 8 pack of peppers, milk, tomato, pickles, rice, avocado, mushrooms, sour cream and lettuce.
Not too bad, we average about 300$/month in groceries because we can buy bulk and have a second freezer.
For the month of March we are currently at 123.61$ for groceries and there is twelve days left. We went on a small weekend away, so we ate out a fair bit but even then our current food budget is 272.27$ today.
Total: 96.83/ debit
7:30-10 PM: Spouse makes a coffee and plays video games with his friends. They do it every week. I have a shower, fold and put away laundry and read in bed.
Day Three Total: 196.83
Day Four
1AM: Our biweekly accelerated mortgage payment comes out of 1450$. I’m tracking it here to be honest on our spending but I tend not to think of it as money spent because in my head it’s already money gone. To pay for a house equivalent in Vancouver, the mortgage would be over 6k. Renting a two bedroom condo would be 3K. It feels like the mortgage is just cheaper rent, even though each time I own more of my house.
5:45-9 AM: Work. I find out the limits of how many people I can invite to a Teams Meeting as well as that the Thursday before Good Friday is a catholic holiday when a few people ask me to reschedule a training forum for over a thousand people. Sometime in there I make us coffee, make sure Spouse has lunch packed (leftovers). Spouse has walked the dog and has the recycling and compost out for pick up. I drop Spouse off at work.
10-11:45 AM: I leave the office for home and more meetings. I walk the dog and go record training videos. I get an email that Amazon is doing their big spring sale. I send a link to a robot mop and vaccum that’s on a big discount to Spouse. We want one, but I’m not in charge of the research on it. I send links to play grounds to my friends with toddlers
11:45-12:30 PM : I shove lunch in my mouth, last night’s left overs. I’m running late, and decide to get myself later by collecting all the random dishes and mugs that just show up places and start the dishwasher. I get to the lab ten minutes early but need to buy gas on the way home.
I tell my team I’ll be MIA for a bit and leave the work phone in the car.
I buy 15.6L of gas for 30$ at 1.879/l it sucks. I don’t fill up because we’re going to my in laws this weekend and there’s a Costco Gas Bar there.
Total: 30$/credit card
12:30-1:30 PM: Work goes long again.
1:30-2:30 PM: Nap!
2:30-4:30 PM: Walk the dog and drive to the gym. I usually go three times a week but with last week’s weekend away and this week’s weird half days from Spouse, today’s the only day. I make it up by doing both upper and lower body and a 30 minute circuit.
4:30-7:30 PM: I pick up Spouse and we go to Costco. We pick up nachos, ham, cheese buns and some other items. We debate buying our friend’s kid a toddler set of clothes and decide no. We end up buying work pants for Spouse, and a garden hose. It comes out to 116.90
I order our Costco dinner of hot dogs and fries for a grand total date night of 6.41$
Total: 123.31/ credit card
8-9 PM: Dance class! We bought a series of six lessons of introduction to ballroom back in December for a new date night idea. We paid 60$/pp and this is the fifth lesson tonight.
9 pm: We’re home, we let the dog out. Spouse spends an undetermined amount of time watching ballroom videos while I sleep.
Day Four Total: 1603.31$ or 153.31 excluding the mortgage payment.
Day Five
5:45-9 AM: Work. All the meetings. Thursday is the meeting day. I debate with a friend what’s the earliest call we’ve had. 4:30 am still wins. I pack lunch for Spouse and his coffee and he leaves. I end up cleaning up cat puke as the cat decides to drink milk from Spouse’s cereal and vomit it up on camera in a meeting.
9-9:30 AM: I make myself a matcha and walk the dog.
9:30-1 PM: Work and I treat myself to a lunch of a cheese bun and ham sandwhich. We used to eat it every Sunday while growing up but the cost of ham has been outrageous. The deal at Costco yesterday was 1.5$/100 g which is really good.
1-1:30 PM: I seal the wooden deer Christmas decoration we bought last year. It sits outside our front door and needs to be weather proofed, and I’ve been putting it off for five months. But the weather is good and we have newspapers. We have left over wood sealer after the sign we bought a year ago so I use that. The dog and the cat both don’t like my wooden deer.
1:30-4 PM: Nap!
4-5 PM: I basically just watch youtube and drink a root beer. I have no energy.
5-6:30 PM: Spouse comes home, we walk the dog and I make dinner (Kraft Dinner and nuggets–I swear we eat veggies but today is not that day). We discuss the possibility of our dog at our wedding as a flower girl, and if she’ll be in a tutu or a cheongsam like me. I am now researching if they make dog cheongsams and if she can match us. The cat, despite all my heart wanting it, won’t physically be there because he will have an anxiety attack and probably die.
6:30-10:30 PM: Board game night! We go to a friend’s to repeat the same scenario we’ve lost two weeks in a row.
10:30-11 PM: I pack Spouse’s breakfast (oatmeal and frozen berries), lunch (spicy tuna and mayo) since he’s trying to go to the gym before work, and feed the animals before we go to bed.
Day Five Total: 0$
Day Six Friday
5:45-9 AM: Work. I have a deep focus block which means I can get the script for the training I have to run. Public speaking is not my strong suit and it’s a group of a thousand people so I’m not looking forward to it. Spouse almost makes it to the gym. I get an email that my new work phone has shipped. I’m surprised because they wouldn’t order us any for the past four years, but I guess my new iPhone will show up next week. I might give my old work phone to my mother in law, since she smashed the camera on the phone we bought her last year.
9-9:30 AM: I walk the dog, make a matcha and make a todo list for what we have to get done before we leave to my in laws tomorrow. I text my mother in law happy birthday, and hope that she got the card in time. She did.
9:30-11:30 AM: My last meeting for the week ends and I’m debating calling it a day so I can nap. Instead I make lunch (cheese bun and ham), text my other mother in law our plan for Saturday, and unload and reload the dishwasher and go back to work for at least another hour.
12:30-1 PM: I shower and do skin care
1-3 PM: Nap! Somewhere in this time FedEx comes and since I’m sleeping, we have to pick up on Monday. I’m not too sure what it is, I assume it’s our custom address stamp from Etsy because that’s the only thing I’ve bought recently but not too sure. I just realized in retrospect, this might be my new work phone.
3-5 PM: I prep dinner (nachos), unload the dishwasher, pack my overnight bag and confirm all our venue tours by email. I start a load of laundry and do a quick clean. I feel like this is not the best image of our diet. I swear we generally eat healthy but we both have been feeling really blah over the past two weeks so have been going for quick and easy over healthy and balanced. I do have three whole peppers and two whole avocados in the nachos though.
5-7 PM: Spouse comes home, we walk the dog, have dinner, and plan out next week. We have a big Wednesday next week (mechanic, I have a nails appointment, dance class), and we are having our friends over for Easter so we need to prep for that. We pack the car so tomorrow is a very easy start.
Spouse also gets paid today. We’re lucky that we’re on alternating pay periods, we used to be on the same and it always felt stressful. Spouse also lets me know his union has secured a 3% cost of living raise to start in Q3. I really like his union for negotiating a base 2% year of cost of living raise, with potential addition raises depending on inflation. It’s a bit away but that’s still good news.
7:30-10:30 PM: We finish The Rookie Season 3 and head to bed. Crave reminds me that I have 10 days until I’m charged again. Sadly, I think we’ll have to pay for 2 months.
Day Six Total: 0
Day Seven Saturday
8:30-9:30 AM: Wake up. No one (except the dog) slept well so we’re not in a morning mood. Spouse makes coffee and walks the dog, while I finish packing the car and give the cat a lot of attention. Our first venue tour is at 11 and the one that is the most expensive (8-10K), but also the one we probably want the most. We live about an hour away but the highway is two lanes and one accident can back everything up for hours.
10:40-1 PM: We visit our dream venue. We stay way longer than expected. Basically if the quote is under 10K, we’ll get it. Just waiting now.
1-2 PM: We get to our in-laws and have a lunch of egg salad sandwhichs. We need to buy gas. My in laws drive us to a pottery painting store.
2-4 PM: We paint pottery. My mother in law only wanted to do this for her birthday. They’ll pick it up in a week after it’s been thrown. I paint a vase (28$), Spouse paints an Easter egg (18$), father in law paints a mug (30$), and mother in law paints a plate (50$)
Total:143.36/credit card
4-5 Pm: We see another venue. It’s an instant no. My in laws decide they want to try Korean fried chicken. We call ahead for take out to get two fries and 16 pieces of half and half. It comes to 50.83$ that my in laws pay for.
5-10 PM: We come back and see that our dog has pooped in their house and also has gotten into their pantry and eaten an entire bag of dog food. It is not a fun night.
We spend the night drinking wine and discussing the wedding and watching TV.
10PM: We go to bed. That’s the end of this week, but tomorrow we will be buying gas and probably lunch for my other mother in law as we will be touring another venue.
Day Seven Total: 143.36$

Hello, so I(25,F) got into Carnegie Mellon university, Pittsburgh on a fully funded Graduate program. My tuition is fully paid, but I cannot afford the additional expenses that amount to $15k to $20k yearly. The opportunity is once in a lifetime, my course takes only 6 people per year, I got extremely lucky (but also, worked 24/7 for this). I don't want to let this go, but if it eventually comes to this, I would do so. My parents are well to do, but the costs of grad school are too much for any average Pakistani family. I don't have much savings either, just barely enough for a plane ticket. What do you guys suggest I do? Are there educational loans for Pakistani students, without nerve wracking interest rates?
Edit: I cannot thank everyone of you enough for the overwhelmingly uplifting response. I am considering all of the advices below. :)

Hi friends
I suppose I am looking for some validation, even as pathetic as it may sound, but I FINALLY graduated college
Most of my friends and family do not seem to give much of a shit about it and aside from the standard “good job” or “congrats,” it just feels so whatever to all of them I will admit that I just turned twenty five and this is something I should have done a few years ago like many of the other people in my life but my college experience was a bit unconventional lol
Yes, i understand that there is no “correct” way to go about your education, but growing up in the northeast it definitely deviates from the norm
I originally got into a polytechnic institute on a cross country/track scholarship to study environmental engineering and was attracted to attending a top 50 school and knew engineering was a lucrative profession (hey i was 18 and knew i needed a scholarship if i wanted to attend college so this worked)
However i fucking hated math and running at this point, and eventually dropped out after my first year and started attending community college at home and tried to figure out what my next steps were going to be. During this time I really struggled with my eating disorder to the point that i had to do residential treatment and once again…drop out of school
So anyways, after 5 months of treatment, I moved to San Diego while working at a summer camp to get away from home and shit just really hit the fan and found my way back home to the east coast after 8 months and essentially was disowned by my mother
At this point, i had no financial support and after working at a bar and odd jobs I realized the only way I can move up in the world was with a college degree So I was sleeping on a twin mattress on the concrete floor of my dad’s basement and I managed to afford ONE class at a community college at 20 which launched the long and exhausting quest to get my undergrad.
I was also dating a god awful guy at the time who was 10 years older than me and active in his addiction and took every chance to remind me that i was a piece of shit
But I wanted to prove everyone wrong and told myself that I would do it and get this shit done, somehow and someway As we all know, college is not cheap and had to do some questionable things to afford school (I think you guys can assume what i mean…thnx seeking)
So whatever, this shit took me seven years and I completely turned my life around during this period. I found a job in a field I was passionate about and worked my ass off to prove myself and move up in my position so that i could earn more money
Over the course of six years - I managed to pay for my entire degree on my own without loans, live on my own in a beautiful apartment, get out of a toxic relationship and found the man of my dreams who only loves and supports me, buy a new car, strengthen the bonds between my friends and family, develop a healthy relationship with my body and self, get into graduate school, and graduate SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Waaaaaaah idk if you told nineteen year old me that this is where i would be by my 25th birthday, i wouldnt have believed it but here i am fucking am and yeah i fucking did it But I suppose no one cares or do not even know the lengths in which I took in order to get here or how much this degree actually means so maybe this is just an off my chest and now i can finally move on and forget it because it wraps up one chapter and now we are on to the next wooooo

I am a high school teacher and view myself as a public servant. I’ll likely get 100k of undergraduate and graduate loans forgiven in July/August. I made my 120th qualifying payment in May and according to Mohela, I am actually a month ahead in my payments because they royally screwed up or tried to screw me further back in March where they “accidentally” thought I didn’t re-certify income, but I didn’t need to because I benefited from the loan rehabilitation program.
I am older and wiser now and I still, despite everything, want to remain a public servant, but I am starting to explore career options because if educational policy regarding cell phones in the classroom and the pervasive apathy affecting teachers, students, administrators, and parents doesn’t change soon, we have lost our purpose in conducting the great American educational experiment. I firmly contend we should be striving to ensure all students learn at high levels, working together to do so, and that teachers should be not be afraid to use their first amendment freedom of speech, even if controversial, as long as they are being responsible in good faith.
Learning is what sets us apart from all other species on this planet and philosophically, I chose to hold that learning is why I’m here in order to use what I’ve learned to leave the world a little better than how I found it.
I don’t see myself ever not doing public service, but I’m exploring options like law school where I could potentially be a judge or a lawyer working in civil rights or focusing on the separation of church and state.
So my question is, if I took out law school loans, got a job with a qualifying employer, and made another 10 years of qualifying payments now that I’m wiser and getting better with money, could I get PSLF again down the road?

Coming here for some advice. Just had my 341 meeting, very standard ch7 on my part. Just a bunch of unsecured credit cards and personal loans. Vehicle from previous loan has been paid off for nearly 5 years and is my only form of transportation valued at only 3-4k.
Issue is that it's really on its last legs. I'm pretty sure the transmission is going out and is going to blow sooner rather than later. I'm trying to limp it until I get my discharge, but in the event it does break down my work situation would require me to get a new vehicle.
I'd be looking for a used vehicle around $20k, I have a few thousand down and luckily, a perfect credit cosigner through family.
My main question is if the car dies before I get my discharge am I able to finance a car even though I haven't gotten my official discharge yet? 341 meeting was about 2 weeks ago. I asked my lawyer about this, working with him has not been the best experience as far as getting questions answered. Seems like his office has automated alot of their bankruptcy case work so I'm waiting a long time between responses to questions and not getting a ton of detail.
His response was just "I recommend waiting until you get your approval and discharge from the court." With no other information, so I'm kind of stuck wondering what to do if that ends up not being an option and the car dies early.

Hi, I have a education loan of 18.9 lacs approx I would be paying 24800 ish in emi from next month onwards. My elder brother is the co-borroweguarantor in this loan and currently the emi deduction is mapped to his account. My query if I pay transfer the 24800 monthly and he then pays the 24800 from his account. Will he be able to claim it as a tax deduction? Because as per 80E you can claim the entire interest paid on education loan. If anyone has can has any idea and can shed some light on this? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.