I’ve been using bunq for a month now and have tested out nearly all the features. I will give an honest review, both the positives and negatives.
Positives: - It is really quick and easy to set up. - Ordering a card is 100% FREE. - You get a free trial for a month and can switch between plans to test them all out so you know what one suits you best when your free trial ends. - Bunq is very secure and safe, money is insured. - You can have multiple bank accounts (Ibans), this is really useful for sorting currency’s or to have a local Iban for another country. - The saving interest rate (In Ireland currently) is 2.46% which is a good standard. - There is a lot of customisation tools to make the app personal to you which is a great. They have helpful budgeting tools so you can see visually what you are spending your money on. - They recently added a new feature where you can check the currency exchange rate of other countries, check what plugs (sockets) they use, check if tipping is expected and what percentage you should tip. They also advise how much cash you should withdraw when visiting that country. - You can store all your loyalty cards on the app for quick access to them. - They have an Ai Bot called Finn which is really helpful and can answer any question. - The human customer support is also really helpful, any issues I’ve had have been resolved almost immediately by them. - They help the world by planting trees for you for free when you use the app, spend money and engage with fun features like the wheel of fortune. - They give FREE travel insurance as a benefit if you use their premium plan.
Negatives: - It’s not free, there is a free plan but to make the most of the app you want a paid plan, its monthly subscription and there is different plans and prices to choose from to best suit your budget and needs. - One thing I noticed is that the physical card quality is not the best, all the functions of the card work exceptionally well but I just find the physical card to feel flimsy, it also picks up scratches easily and the printing quality of the name and numbers on the back isn’t the best compare to other cards I’ve had. This is a very minor flaw though and doesn’t affect the quality of the actual service in any way. I would hope they would bring back metal cards which they had before but discontinued them. - Although the customer support agents are really helpful.. they can take a while to reply, I found on average around 4-7 days. They do have emergency SOS help which I have only used once and they replied within minutes. This is only to be used if there is a series issue like money being withdrawn from your account that you didn’t approve of. - Not everything is customisable, you can change the picture and colours of some accounts and balances, and others you can’t. I think they need to allow everything to be customised, including loyalty cards. This would overall improve the aesthetic of the app.
Overall I think is a great bank and I will continue to use it as my main bank. The negatives are very minor and the positives definitely make this a great choice. If your on the border of trying it, just do it. You won’t regret it. If your someone who likes travelling too this is definitely the best option you will find. The team is constantly improving the app too with great, regular updates. Hopefully the team read this too and work towards tweaking a few of the negatives I listed. Thanks for reading :)

Does amex business platinum have a way to earn additional card members for free? The lowest I see in the terms and conditions is $45 for a green card.

So I decided to purchase a game from Ubisoft during their current sale. They have a coupon anyone can use to save $10 on an order.
I go to checkout after applying the coupon, and their website will not let me check out. I try a few times. Log out. Log back in. Clear my cart. I try a different web browser. The checkout button literally does nothing once I'm in my cart.
So I decide to purchase it through Ubisoft Connect. For some reason my store isn't showing up, but restarting the app fixes that. It's not their fault though, ubisoft Connect is just in beta which is why they forced it on all users a few months ago.
So I put my order in, add the coupon, add my credit card. Order screen shows that my purchase is applying the $10 coupon.
The order goes through and the order complete screen does not show the coupon. I immediately click the "Request refund" button to try to redo the order and apply the coupon again. Nope it won't let me refund due to "the policy".
So I reach out to scrUbisoft support and let them know about the situation. After some back and forth collecting information, they say that I didn't apply the coupon. Yeah I know that's what your order says ubisoft, that's why i'm reaching out to your support. I didn't need your support person to tell me that I was billed for the full price. That's the issue I'm reaching out with.
Then they suggest I try for a refund. I explain that I've already tried this and they send back a "too bad so sad" and mark my support ticket as complete.
So now I have two options, I can do a credit card charge back and get my account banned along with all of my ubisoft games, or I can suck up the $10.
Don't worry Ubisoft, you've taught me my lesson. I'm never purchasing a game from you again. You're a dogshit company who has made a lot of terrible decisions over the years, and now you'd rather generate bad will with me than give me credit for a coupon that literally everyone has access to.
Please feel free to chime in with how scrUbisoft has screwed you or your favorite games over the years.
Sauce: https://imgur.com/a/e6o2FbU

BUSINESS OPERATION
I will Start this Short Presentation by listing the topics we will cover here. My Business, what I personally can offer for your sincere benefit, financial and otherwise.






CRYPTOCURRENCY & BLOCKCHAIN
Set up unlicensed crypto to fiat and fiat to crypto exchange companies Set up licensed companies to store crypto currencies S et up licensed companies to mine crypto currencies for others
Set up companies doing ICO (initial coin offering)
Assist with corporate accounts in crypto friendly banks Assist with personal accounts in crypto friendly banks Assist with merchant accounts for crypto businesses Assist with debit card issuing for crypto business
• Set up licensed crypto to fiat and fiat to crypto exchange companies and providing supporting services • TOTAL MANAGEMENT OF CORPORATE LEVEL ACTIVITY
this is some company establishment idea for Estonia which is a cryptocurrency friendly country.
Imagine a miniature hedge fund with lifelong savings and benefits of cold storage of assets and 3x per —-> year ROI dividend -—> —-> From highly intelligent and aware cryptocurrency experts who are programmers and developers themselves, creating blockchain, smart contracts, rootstock, lightning network, Test Net Blockchain Infrastructure for massive over heap ‘’ leak ‘’ profits such as and being at the centre of the cryptocurrency & digital growth and assets of high yield crypto hold investment portfolio fiat drained to Crypto revolution is starting to see in small quantities. Me and my colleagues will provide the highest quality blockchain crypto investment strategies for massive and luxurious leverage of capital.
WORLDWIDE OPPORTUNITY - MILLIONAIRE BUSINESS STRATEGY COACH High End Business Strategy Consultation and DFY Business Packages and Coaching **The method I’ve personally have used, is to set up a bank account online, make with the initial deposit with the above methods, and then pay all my Credit Profile debts through that bank account. Do not go to a bank that you are currently with or currently owe money to. Wells Fargo, US Bank and Bank of America are great institutions to do business with. Do right by them and they will take care of you. * DUNS Number Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) provides a DUNS Number (a unique nine-digit identification number) for each physical location of your business. DUNS Number assignment is FREE for all businesses required to register with the US Federal government for contracts or grants. WORLDWIDE OPPORTUNITY - LEGAL MILLIONAIRE Open Credit Line's Credit Cards High Credit limit 26x max 50000 Business Loan 250K-1,000,000 Business Funding/Credit line Car Loans, Private Mortgage build it as far as you envision. Incrporation, Credit Line VIP - worldwide opportunity Private High End Business Consultation & Mastermind DFY BUSINESS INCORPORATION / ESTABLISHMENT / BUSINESS / PRODUCT / PORTFOLIO / SERVICE / AGENCY / MARKETING / INVESTING & START UP HEDGE FUND

It’s been a few days now and I’m still hurt over how my bf treated me on Mother’s Day. First off, he put no thought into a gift, no flowers, not even a card.. then he decided to play video games all morning instead of helping with our kids and then turns around and picks a fight with me because I asked him to get off. He gets mad and says he’s not doing anything with me. So I got us ready and went to a families house to celebrate. Meanwhile he got to sit at home from 2-8:30pm enjoying his free time doing whatever he wanted… so now I want to treat him the same way he treated me on Father’s Day I just am a good person and I want my kids to celebrate their dad… I hate to stoop to his level of disrespect but I want to not even acknowledge him on Father’s Day just because he hurt me… I know he is but does that make me an a**hole too.. ugh.

Hi all,
Been researching for a week and I need help here to make the final decision please. I sit about 2.5 feet from the monitors, and feel 27 to 28 inch inch is the right sweet spot. Given that, the consensus here seems that 2K is enough and 4K is not needed given the viewing distance. I am based in Canada, so limited to Canadian selection.
Usage: 2 monitors, gaming happens on one (HZD for example). No curve (doesn't work well with two monitors I feel), needs to be left right adjustable. Given one monitor is relatively static with Windows bar at bottom (and same with second when not gaming), I am worried about Burn in and decided against OLED.
20% time is used for gaming, rest is browsing, Nextflix, etc.
Video card: RTX 4080 super
CPU: i7 13th gen (not i17, that would be something else!)
Monitors (right now): 2 x MG28UQ
I have narrowed the selection to the following, though I am open to other suggestions if you feel these aren't the best. Open to up to 1K for gaming monitor especially if I can pay less for second one.
LG 27GP850-B (rtings)
ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q (rtings)
Alienware AW2723DF (rtings)
Gigabyte M27Q (rtings)
Thank you!

I'd call it Monopoly Ultimate Edition. It would incorporate Free Parking Cash, Snake Eyes = M1000, and Optional Auctions (the most popular house rules). You would play on a Cheaters Edition board with the handcuff, the speed die, cheat cards, and the GO rules from Ms. Monopoly. There would also be some new cards, including:
Uno +4: Forces you to draw four more Chance cards and perform the actions.
Uno Reverse: Reverses not only the direction of turns, but the way pieces move around the board as well.
ONO 99: Sends any player to Jail and forces them to stay there until they pay exactly M99.
There would also be a whole game of Monopoly Deal going on in the middle of the board, also incorporating UNO, DOS, ONO 99, Skip-Bo, and Phase 10 cards.
M1000 bills from the Mega Edition are here, along with M5000 bills (new), and M10k-M5m bills from Monopoly City (purely for compression).
You can now have 2 Hotels per space and, once that is fufilled, you can build Skyscrapers (from the Mega edition).
Train Depots can now be built on Railroads (like the Mega Edition).
Wild Properties from Monopoly Deal can be carried over to the main game of Monopoly for one action each (in Deal), and M100 (normal game). They add the 2nd tier rent listed on the card times 10.
The Empire Towers from Monopoly Empire are here as well, including the Billboards.
The game only ends when all of the following are met:

1. A player's Empire Tower is completely full.
   
2. Monopoly Deal has been won, it doesn't matter which player won it.
   
3. The Bank has run out of money.
   
4. Every Property on the board is owned, including Railroads and Utilities.
   
5. A player has obtained a M5m bill.
   
6. The game has been reversed at least 7 times.
   
7. Only two players remain.
   

The player with the most money, a full Empire Tower, AND a M5m bill wins.

Back in the old system, every new card used to release at S5. Players, myself included, didn't like this. SD introduced "flexible drops". Shortly after they did, the Spotlight system took over, and series drops stagnated.
Cards in the old system also used to drop in a predictable pattern. Almost invariably, a card would drop from S5 (or Season Pass) to S4 in two months, and from S4 to S3 in three months. That means that (aside from Big Bads) you would be guaranteed to get each card, for free, within 5 months of its release.
Compare that to what we have now.
We haven't had a new card release as S4 since Miek, in January. That's four months.
Further, we now only get series drops twice a year. We'll get one in June, and the last two we got were in June 2023 (which included a whopping three cards), and January 2024.
Seeing as how no card has ever dropped directly from S5 to S3, this all leads me to a baffling, yet inescapable conclusion.
Despite our current system ostensibly having "flexible drops", it now takes longer for a S4 card to drop to S3, than it took for a S5 card to drop to S3 in the old system.

My local Costco gas station has several rows, with each row having three pumps on each. Since the people at the back of the line can't really see what's happening at the two pumps toward the front, there are indicator lights at the top of each row that show whether each pump is free or currently in use.
A few days ago, I am in line for gas. The three pumps in my row are taken and there's one car in front of me in line. I see the light turn green, indicating that the front pump is now available. I wait for the car in front of me to move up, but nothing happens. So, I start waving and pointing to the light in the hopes the driver will notice that the pump is open. Still, nothing happens. So, I give my horn a light couple light taps to wake them up or make them look up from their phone or whatever, and continue pointing at the light. The car doesn't move. I briefly thought about getting out of my car and knocking on their window, but that didn't seem safe.
At this point I'm thinking to myself that this person is probably nervous about driving in between the cars to get to the front pump, or maybe just have a preference for a certain one; I don't know. The only thing I know for sure is that for whatever reason they don't seem to want the available gas pump, so I take it. I pull my car up, line it up, dig around in my bag for my cards, and then step out of my car and approach the pump only to hear a voice from behind me saying "You went out of line!"
I turn around to see a guy (let's call him Kyle), and I say "Excuse me?"
Kyle (K): You went out of line!
Me: Oh, were you in the car in front of me?
K: Yeah, and you know you went out of line!
Me: Well I'm sorry but I waited a long time for you. I even tried to point out the free pump to you, but you didn't seem to want it.
K: But you went out of line!
Me: So you didn't want to take the available gas pump but I wasn't supposed to take it either?
K: No, because you went out of line!
Me: What did you want me to do exactly? Would you rather I have just laid on my horn until you moved?
After that he just shook his head and turned his back to me, grumbling under his breath the whole time. I just finished pumping my gas and went about my day. But seriously, wtf? You don't want the free pump but I'm not supposed to take it either? What the heck is that all about?

Wise (formerly known as TransferWise) is the cheapest way to transfer money internationally!
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Wise (formerly known as TransferWise) is the cheapest way to transfer money internationally!
If you use my link to set up a new account, you will get physical Wise Debit Card for completely free! (Otherwise it costs 💰 USD 9!)
Here is the latest referral / invitation link (Valid from May 2024):
https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/honnamk
ℹ️ Note: if you have created a Wise account without using a referral link, you can still add my referral link to https://wise.com/invite/use-invite-link to claim the rewards!

General

Name: Rango
Epithet: The Cryptid King, The Jester
Age: 30
Height: 6'5
Race: Clownfish Fishman
Appearance: A clownfish Fishman. He possesses dark orange skin, with black hair and a beard. His hair is generally short. He has white rings around his neck, chest, wrists and ankles, as well as a similarly colored vertical marking on his left arm. This marking bears the appearance of a pointing arrow, pointing upwards towards his neck.
Rango wears a sea anemone on his head. It's name is "Noodle". This anemone grants the appearance of Rango wearing a turban and long dreadlocks.
Personality: Rango is a Duplicitous man. To the people of 5-star Island, he is both an idiot and a prankster, always wearing a goofy smile and making light of himself. However, to his enemies, he is known as a cruel man. He is known to "prank", however these gags far more violent.
Skills: An engineer, Rango tends to invent and modify whatever he finds an interest in. He is also a skilled interrogator, and uses his engineering know-how as a means to gather information.
Occupation: Rango is in charge of the Security of an island called 5-star Island, largely serving as the sheriff and prison warden of this island.

Abilities

Fishman Karate: Rango is rather proficient at Fishman Karate, however he is in no way considered an expert.
Weapons/Equipment: Rango's favorite weapon is a harpoon spear, which he uses in lieu of a trident. He keeps this stored in a small satchel which has infinite storage space (More on this in the Devil Fruit sections)
He also possesses a revolver that he himself developed. Rather than firing bullets, however, it can fire any fluid with the force and power greater than that of a cannon. It possesses an improved iron sight for accuracy, as well as a longer barrel. Rango is known to have deadly accuracy with this weapon
Inherent Traits: As a clownfish fishman, Rango is naturally immune to the poisons of Anemone. He is also passively resistant to most other types of poisons, primarily those found in sea life. This resistance has allowed him to develop a symbiotic relationship with an Anemone he named "Noodle" (because it kinda looks like a bowl of ramen)
"Noodle": Noodle is a sentient anemone that sticks to Rango. While it cannot speak, it evidently communicates to Rango in some way. The Anemone seems to have a serious personality, being the voice of reason to Rango's erratic behavior, and actively chastising him when he "Misbehaves".
Interestingly, however, Noodles connection to Rango grants it a level of control over Rango's body. At times, especially when he is unconscious, Noodle will take over and take Rango to safety. This symbiosis has proved especially useful when fleeing under water, as noodle will Drag Rango away through a seabed in a pinch.
Otherwise, Noodle almost exists as an extension of Rango, its tendrils being used as extra arms most of the time. Noodle emits an "Electrotoxin", which is to say that contact with the tendrils will both electrocute and Paralyze a living target
Haki: Observation and limited armament.
Devil Fruit: The Up Up fruit
Rango has eaten the Up Up fruit, a devil fruit that allows him to enhance anything he wants. This is done by creating cyan Arrow-shaped beams. When an object is struck, an arrow pointing upward will be embedded on their body. The "Strength" of the upgrade is directly related to the length of the arrow.
Rango uses this fruit to enhance weaponry, as well as turn normally harmless items into weaponry. For example, he may Upgrade the sharpness and hardness of a toy sword, making it comparable to a high-grade blade. Or he may upgrade an innocuous object like a playing card or Billiard Ball to turn them into deadly projectiles
A weakness of this ability is that an individual can only be upgraded once at a time. Further upgrades will require removing the original and replacing it. However, the scope and scale of an upgrade can encompass multiple aspects, so long as they have some relation. Further, Rango must choose what he upgrades. If he is not aware of something, he cannot upgrade it. This requires him to have a passing knowledge of whatever he is enhancing.
Releasing an upgrade will return the target to their original state

Techniques

All applications of upgrade involve Rango targeting and enhancing a certain aspect of a person, it Even the person as a whole.
Monster-Grade - A technique that is largely used on animals, although it can also be utilized on Zoan-type or humanoid beings. This enhancement amplifies the animalistic properties of a target, turning them into "Yuuma" (jp) or "Cryptids" (en)
Servant-Grade - This is technically not a separate upgrade, but instead an Inherent property of the technique. Any target upgraded by Rango can have their body or mind hijacked by him, forcing them into fulfilling his commands.
Rango has utilized this ability to enslave criminals on his island, forcing them into becoming servants as part of a luxury resort.
As a side effect of this control, individuals will have glowing purple eyes.
Devil-Grade - Rango enhances the devil fruit of a target. This will either enhance the element of a user in the case of element-type fruits or provide an additional property for other such fruits. (Zoan upgrades will apply the Monster-Grade effect)
Health-Grade - An ability that is technically split into two. The first is Recovery Enhancement. This ability will grant an individual a passive ability to heal and mend wounds and injuries. This is rather slow, however, and will generally take a few hours to a day to complete depending on the injury. The second is Full Recovery, In which Rango will "Upgrade" a target to full health, regardless of injury or cause. However, because this change is a result of the upgrade, and not a side bonus as the other, once this upgrade is released, a target will return to their injured state. Generally speaking, this is only best in an emergency.
Stolen-Grade - An offshoot of "Servant-Grade", Rango uses his upgrade ability to hijack an object or weapon that traditionally cannot be used by individuals other than the original user.
Presently, Rango has used this ability to "Steal" a mirror owned by Brulee, granting him free access to her mirror dimension without her knowledge.
Castle-Grade - An upgrade that enhances the natural defense of a target
Hyper-Grade - An Upgrade that enhances the natural speed of a target
Ballistic-Grade - By upgrading a projectile attack, Rango can enhance its power and force of impact. Largely speaking, he uses this mostly on bullets to grant the power of a cannon
Split-Grade - A technique that allows Rango to bypass the original limitation of his fruit. He will split the upgrade into two branches of a whole, allowing him to upgrade multiple related aspects, but at half the original efficacy. This results in the arrow on a target branching into two separate arrows.
Downgrade - an inversion of his ability done by upgrading his own fruit. This allows Rango to instead reduce or weaken aspects of a target, such as their durability or speed.

Equipment

Rango has a series of equipment that he has enhanced to have useful properties
Mirror Portal: A mirror stolen from Brulee. This allows Rango to access his own section of the Mirror dimension. However, he can only enter an exit this section through this mirror, and does not have access to any other nearby mirrors.
Infinite Sachel: A satchel enhanced to have storage space equivalent to that of a large crate. Rango uses this satchel to store his armory of weapons.
Trace-A-Rang: A boomerang that is enhanced to lock onto a target and strike them, and then afterward always return to the user. This makes for the perfect projectile weapon, although it isn't very strong damage-wise.
Boost Rations: Small packages of rations that are enhanced to provide increased vitality and health when eaten.
Perfect Gauntlet: A pair of gauntlets enhanced with the strongest defense enhancements possible. This makes these gauntlets nearly unbreakable.

Let me preface by saying this isn't an ad, I fucking hate Comcast.
Today that thing happened where my bill jump 30 bucks for some reason only to find out it was a sign up deal that expired (I asked a million times if that would happen when I first signed up, they lied)
ANYWAY - after exploring my downgrade options as a stop gap until I switch to Verizon Fios, I noticed their rewards program which I never saw, and even more I saw this $180 gift card for all military members and veterans.
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/military-service-offers
I looked around and saw a post in the airforce subreddit telling people about it so I figured I'd share here, and it looks like a quick easy redeem if you already confirmed your military status. I didn't, but confirming my status was as easy as putting in my birth year and discharge date and I was instantly approved - the biggest catch is waiting 3.5 MONTHS for a VIRTUAL card....but still, don't leave 180 bucks on the table!
TL;DR: FREE MONEY FOR ALL MILITARY AND VETERAN COMCAST USERS - IMMEDIATELY IF YOU'RE ALREADY CONFIRMED WITH THEM, 3.5 MONTHS OF WAITING IF YOU CONFIRM TODAY, ALSO FUCK COMCAST
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https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/military-service-offers

Tapping into your retirement funds, specifically 401(k)s, to help beef up a down payment is a reoccurring topic on this subreddit.
Accessing retirement funds is a big decision. And like with any big decision, you should understand the ins and outs before you move forward.
An important note before we get started: 401(k)s are not IRAs. 401(k)s do not have the same rules as IRAs. This post is for education regarding the implications of accessing 401(k) funds early - via loan or withdrawal - specifically for the purpose of purchasing a home.

How 401(k)s Work

Your 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan. It is an account within which you can invest in various funds for growth until retirement. All transactions that occur within the 401(k) account are tax sheltered. This means that any income or investment gains are exempt from all forms of taxation. Investments can be bought and sold, dividends can be collected, and Uncle Sam will keep his grubby hands off of the proceeds - for as long as they remain within the 401(k).
In a nutshell, there are two types of 401(k)s: Traditional and Roth.
Traditional 401(k): No taxes now, taxes later
Employees contribute a portion of their pre-tax income to their Traditional 401(k) account through payroll deductions. This means that the money is taken out of their paycheck before taxes are calculated, reducing their taxable income for the year. Investment gains within the 401(k) account grow tax-deferred, meaning taxes are not owed until withdrawals are made in retirement. Some employers offer matching contributions to their employees' traditional 401(k) accounts, which is essentially free money added to the employee's retirement savings.
Penalty-free withdrawals from a Traditional 401(k) are permitted at age 59^1/2. These withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income in retirement. This means that when employees start taking distributions from their account, they will owe income tax on the amount withdrawn, rather than capital gains tax, as is typical for investment gains.
Roth 401(k): Taxes now, no taxes later
Employees contribute a portion of their after-tax income to their Roth 401(k) account through payroll deductions. Unlike traditional 401(k) contributions, Roth 401(k) contributions do not reduce taxable income in the year they are made.
While employers may still offer matching contributions to a Roth 401(k), these matching contributions are made on a pre-tax basis and are deposited into a separate traditional 401(k) account. This means that while employees contribute to their Roth 401(k) with after-tax dollars, employer matches are made with pre-tax dollars, and taxes will be owed on withdrawals of the employer contributions.
Penalty-free withdrawals from a Roth 401(k) are permitted once an account has been open for 5 years, and the owner reaches age 59^1/2. These withdrawals, inclusive of investment gains, are tax-free. Since contributions are made with after-tax dollars, employees have already paid taxes on the money they contribute, so they do not owe taxes on withdrawals in retirement.
^(\Roth 401(k)* funds can be accessed earlier than 591/2 in some cases. See:)) ^{Rule of 55, Rule 72t}

Early Withdrawal Taxes and Penalties

Withdrawing funds early from your 401(k) is costly. For both Traditional 401(k)s and Roth 401(k)s, a 10% penalty is paid on the distributions. So, let's say you withdraw $10,000 for your downpayment. The distribution will be reduced to $9,000. Uncle Sam is taking $1,000 for touching your retirement savings early. Ouch!
And he isn't done.
Traditional 401(k): Taxes on Early Withdrawals
Any amount withdrawn from a traditional 401(k) is generally treated as ordinary income for tax purposes. This means that the withdrawn amount is added to your taxable income for the year in which the withdrawal is made. When made early, you will owe federal income taxes on the withdrawn amount at your marginal\* income tax rate. Additionally, depending on your state of residence, you may owe state income taxes on the withdrawal as well.
Roth 401(k): Taxes on Early Withdrawals
When understanding the rules around early withdrawals from a Roth 401(k), it is important to differentiate between your contributions (money you earned outside the account and put into the account) from your investment gains (money earned by your investments within the account).

• Contributions: Since taxes were already paid on the employee (your) contributions, you can always withdraw them *tax-*free (but not penalty-free).
• Gains: Taxes have not been paid on the investment gains, so taxes will be owed on the withdrawal. The withdrawn gains will again be taxed at your marginal* tax rate.

^\)^{Note: The early withdrawal penalty can be waived in some circumstances. A FTHB purchase is not one of them. Note: column 3 is 401(ks. Column 4 is IRAs, which are not discussed here.})
What is a marginal tax rate, and why is it important?
Your marginal tax rate is the tax rate you pay on the last dollar of your income. In a progressive tax system like that of the United States, tax rates increase as income rises. Your marginal tax rate corresponds to the highest tax bracket into which your income falls.
For example, let's say the tax system has three brackets:

• 10% for income up to $10,000
• 20% for income between $10,001 and $50,000
• 30% for income above $50,000

If you earn $60,000, your marginal tax rate would be 30% because that's the rate applied to the last dollar you earned, which falls within the highest bracket.
Your early withdrawals fall into the "last dollar you earned" category. Meaning every (taxable) dollar withdrawn will be taxed at the highest rate possible - 30% in the example above. Your marginal tax rate could be above or below this number. See what your marginal tax bracket is for 2024 here.
Example: Early Withdrawal from Traditional 401(k) for down payment
John and Emily are a 30-year-old married couple looking to purchase their first home in Florida. They earn a combined $150,000/year. Emily has liberally funded her Traditional 401(k) and has amassed a balance of $100,000. They have also been saving for a downpayment on their first home. They have managed to accumulate $50,000 for a down payment and feel ready to start shopping.
John and Emily find themselves under contract on a $250,000 home that suits all their needs (lol, i know, bear with me). They expect closing costs of $15,000. Unfortunately, their mortgage lender decides they are only willing to extend $200,000 (John has some credit card debt and drives a Ferrari he bought with 0 down).
Uh oh. John and Emily do not have enough cash for both the down payment and the $15,000 in closing costs. Good thing Emily has some extra money stashed away for retirement, right? Let's see what it costs for Emily to tap into her Traditional 401(k)...
Emily withdraws $15,000 for the closing costs. The withdrawal will first be hit with the 10% penalty, which is $1,500.
John and Emily file jointly, putting them in the 22% marginal federal tax bracket. They will be subject to an additional $3,300 in taxes from the distribution.
Fortunately, they're in Florida, so there are no state taxes owed.
It cost Emily and John $4,800 to withdraw their $15,000.
John and Emily walk away with $10,200 cash to show for their $15,000 withdrawal. Had they never touched that $15,000, it would have been worth $261,741 by the time they retired at age 60.
See how expensive an early, unqualified Traditional 401(k) withdrawal would be for you.
Ok, so withdrawing seems like a bad idea. What about borrowing from a 401(k)?

What is a 401(k) loan?

A 401(k) loan is a loan taken out by a participant in a 401(k) retirement plan, where the individual borrows money from their own 401(k) account balance and agrees to repay it according to the terms set by the plan administrator, typically with interest.
By borrowing the money from your 401(k), the money is removed from what it was invested in. If those investments return 25% during the period which the money is borrowed, you, unfortunately, do not reap the rewards. Conversely, if those investments return -25%, you, fortunately, do not bear those losses.
Sounds like an even-sided risk, right? It's a 50/50 chance the market goes up or down? Not necessarily.

401(k) Loan: The Costs to Borrow

Traditional Borrowing Costs: Fees and Interest
401(k) loans typically cost $75-$125 to apply and originate the loan, which is actually pretty good. For those of you looking at your settlement statements, this looks pretty attractive compared to your mortgage origination fee and other up-front borrowing expenses.
Typically, retirement plans charge the current prime rate (8.50%, currently) plus 1% or 2% in interest on 401(k) loans. That interest, along with your repayments, is deposited into your account, and reinvested. Your repayments are deducted from your paycheck, although this time, after-tax. That means, for every $1 you pay back to the loan, you need to earn about $1.30 (give or take, depending on your state and federal tax bracket).
It is important to note that, although you are "paying yourself back", the interest is not free.
Interest on 401(k) loans is designed to keep you on track for retirement. As previously stated, your money is withdrawn from the market, so it will miss out the full benefits of compound growth during the repayment period. In other words: returns that would have otherwise been earned passively, you are now footing the bill for - with after-tax dollars - and it still might not be enough.
Opportunity Cost: Not Seen, but Felt
The typical 401(k) loan term is 5 years, although it can be paid back quicker. Historically, the stock market sees positive returns over a 5-year time frame. Over the past 5 years (as of April 30,2024), the S&P 500 has seen returns of 70.94%, or 11.32% annualized. The S&P 500 Index delivered its worst five-year return of -6.6% per year over the five years ending in February 2009.
As you can see, it's not quite a 50/50 shot at whether the market will see positive returns over a 5-year period. As you increase the time frame, positive market returns become even more reliable.
Even at today's higher prime rate, the interest rate on a 401(k) loan would not have kept pace with S&P 500 over the last 5 years. This means you would end up with a lower 401(k) balance, and you foot the bill for the growth.
Example: Taking a loan from a Traditional 401(k) for a down payment
Anne borrowed from her 401(k) in 2019 at a 6% interest rate in order to increase her down payment on her condo.
Assuming $10,000 borrowed at 6%, Anne will have made $11,580 in total payments by the end of the term. That $10,000, if left never borrowed, would be worth $15,357.
In order to pay that $11,580, the Anne earned $15,054, and had to pause normal contributions to the 401(k) that would have otherwise deferred taxes on those earnings.
In the end, that someone has $11,580 in their 401k - all paid in with after-tax dollars. Had the money never been borrowed, and Anne contributed that $15,054 earned to their 401(k), her 401(k) balance would be $30,411 - a difference of $18,831 at the end of the 5-year period.
After 30-years, that difference is somewhere in the ballpark of $548,000.\*
^(\Calculation assumes $15,054 in earnings was invested monthly at a flat rate of $250.90/month for 60 months at a 11.32% average annual return, then compounded at 10% average annual monthly return with no additional contributions.)*
Caveat: that $10,000 was invested in her condo, and that is important to factor.
Assuming her condo has increased in value by 50% over the past 5 years (8.45% annualized rate of return), that $10,000 is worth now worth $15,000 in home equity.
Concluding the 5-year period, Anne as a total of $26,580 to show for her decision to borrow between her $11,580 401(k) balance and $15,000 home equity. Her net worth is $3,831 less than it would be had she not taken out the loan.

Summary

While accessing 401(k) funds for a down payment on a home may seem like a viable option, it's crucial to weigh the associated costs, penalties, and long-term implications. Understanding the intricacies of early withdrawals and loans from 401(k) accounts empowers individuals to make informed financial decisions that align with their short-term goals and long-term goals.

Two years ago, Corey Vash got abducted by aliens, and a few months after that, he saved the universe -even if it was mostly on accident. Thanks to the skills of his new bounty hunter friends and no small amount of luck, Corey Vash saved the day, but hero status isn’t all its cracked up to be. The parades and the free drinks are over, leaving the bounty hunters with nothing but the expectations of a frightened universe and the overbearing attention of governments who want picture perfect heroes the only mostly sober crew aren’t cut out to be. With the shadow of another invasion still looming, a murderous new threat starts to stalk their every move, forcing Corey and the crew of the Wild Card Wanderer to move past the mess of bullets, booze, and blind luck that’s kept them alive and become actual heroes -even if they aren’t very good at it.
[First Book][Previous Chapter][Cover Art][Patreon]
Though Kamak did not accept the “job” to attend the new military installation’s unveiling, he still kept an eye on it. The Wild Card Wanderer had taken to the stars, orbiting Centerpoint at a distance, to watch the installation far away from any pomp and ceremony. The massive gun battery drifted into place and was joined to the rest of Centerpoint’s honeycombed platforms, fusing the weapons to the neighboring residential and business districts. The platform full of short-range cluster armaments was an effective deterrent to any Horuk attacks, and a blighted eyesore on the otherwise sleek, modern space station.
Kamak scowled. Centerpoint had been designed as the shining beacon for universal society, the best of everything cooperation could accomplish. Now they’d strapped a gun to it. There had always been outlying defensive stations and security fleets, but seeing a cluster of guns the size of a small city right next to the arts district felt different. It felt wrong.
“I don’t like any of this,” Kamak said. “Smells like they’re up to something.”
Kamak had, naturally, gotten his crew up to speed on everything Ghost had said, to predictably mixed reactions.
“Luckily for us, I think their intent is fairly transparent,” Farsus said. “They see more value in us as propaganda than as bounty hunters.”
“It’s never that simple,” Corey sighed.
“No offense, Corvash, but you’re a little paranoid to begin with,” Tooley said. “And the whole Morrakesh thing probably didn’t help.”
Corey owned a laser sword now, and he still carried a knife in his boot everywhere he went. He’d also insisted on installing an upgraded security system in the Wild Card Wanderer, and, thanks to the fact that Tooley now slept next to him regularly, she knew he was an incredibly light sleeper, frequently waking with a start at even the smallest noise.
“How is some secret Ghost assassin guy showing up to threaten us not something to be worried about?”
“I just think Farsus has a point,” Tooley said. “Now that we’re bigshot heroes they want us retired so we can’t fuck up and get ourselves killed or embarrass ourselves.”
“I’d think you’d be more offended by that,” Corey said.
“I am very offended, but they’re also giving me lots of money,” Tooley said. As boring as the rich people gigs were, they paid well. “It’s creating some very conflicting emotions.”
Tooley had an ego the size of a galaxy, but a love of money that was just as big if not bigger. She had already paid off the sizable cost of the Wild Card Wanderer, and was stocking up savings for the future, and maybe even a new, better ship.
“God, I know,” Kamak said. The money was making it very hard to be as mad as he wanted to be. Having been on the bad side of a conspiracy to make the entire universe hate him, he found it hard to be mad about a conspiracy to keep him famous and successful. “I’d almost rather they were being assholes about it. It’d make it a lot easier to be mad.”
“We keep being stubborn about it, we’ll probably get them there,” Corey said.
“Well I’m real good at being stubborn,” Kamak said. “So I guess we’ll find out.”
“Do we have to?”
All eyes went to Doprel. His massive frame looked hollow and deflated.
“What’s the point?” Doprel asked. “What’s the endgame? Where’s our win condition? Even as a matter of pride, like, to prove we’re not fuckups, isn’t saving the universe enough for that?”
Kamak nodded. That was a pretty big boost to the ego.
“Maybe it is a good idea for us to quit while we’re ahead,” Doprel said. “Even just logistically speaking, it’s going to be fucking hard to top stopping the Invasion, guys.”
“Yeah, well, that’s an easier choice for you guys to make than me,” Kamak said. “Rest of you fuckers are going to be dead in a few decades. I still got the better part of three centuries in me, at least.”
Kamak leaned back in his seat and watched the guns on Centerpoint spring to life, scanning the stars for any sign of an incoming threat. For a moment, one of the colossal guns turned their direction, and Kamak stared right down the barrel. Corey watched the guns turn as they all drifted through empty space.
“Do you guys want to take a vacation?”
“Vacation? Now?”
“Yeah,” Corey said. “We haven’t really taken a breather since we stopped the Invasion. I think maybe we all need to take some time to relax and unpack.”
“I don’t know. Feels like we’d be giving these assholes a taste of what they want.”
“Let them think that,” Corey said. “Let’s take a break. Not think about work for a while, and see how we feel about retiring or not retiring in a week or two.”
“You want to take some time off, I won’t stop you,” Kamak said. “Take your vacation, if you want.”
“If he’s going, I’m going,” Tooley said.
“Ah, of course you are,” Kamak said. “I try to forget you two are shacked up.”
“You can always pay for shuttles,” Tooley said. “I’m not the only pilot in the universe. Even if I am the best.”
“Not ditching me that easily,” Kamak said. “Fine. You kids pick somewhere to go and take your fucking vacation. I’ll get dragged along.”

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