Questions you want answered.

Sounds like the easiest solution is to move to Canada. *wipes hands*

Imma just throw this link in here.

Canada has lots of opportunities for people to immigrate.

The deal for universities in Canada providing residency is amazing (which I'm slowly learning as counselor for universities in US, and a very few Canada applications).

For every year you go to university, you can stay a year in Canada (maybe max four years?), but then there are like...12 different pathways to more permanent residency or citizenship. While at university, you can work 20 hours per week off campus during school, but 40 hours per week during summer (so you don't have to leave to afford it). They really, really want people to stay when they graduate.

F-1 Student Visa for international students studying in US doesn't let them work off campus at all.

I think I asked this question a billion years ago.

How do I create links that attach to individual entries on GWJ? Like what's the coding for it? How do I know what it is when I click F12?

Don't you just click the "Permalink" icon, on the right side above the particular post you want to link to? Then you can do with it as you wish. (This assumes you want to link a post and not a page or full discussion).

Has financing/loaning gone complete evil yet?
I am wondering if I finance an $800 item for $100 a month for 12 months, if I pay $600 in the first month, do I still owe $600 or do I just owe $200?

I am waiting for the moment the banks go "no, the second you sign the deal, you owe us $1200 no matter how fast you pay it off. There is no such thing as principal and interest. Interest gets folded into principal on signing day one."

Is this a thing? Yet?

I HAVE A VERY STUPID QUESTION FOR SOMEONE MY AGE

So... uh, I filed my tax return like, at 1 AM on the 23rd. Like, as soon as the IRS stared taking them, I filed.

TurboTax told me I probably wouldn't get my return until the 13th, which I was fine with, but I checked my balance today and... uh...

....apparently, I just got it? Like nearly two weeks early?

I am a charter member of team "If it seems too good to be true, it is" so I'm just a smiiiidge confuzzled and concerned, which I know is absurd and it's probably fine. I checked the name of the service that deposited the money, and it's definitely from Turbo tax and it's all there, nothing is missing, it's just... early.

This is fine, right? I'm just being a weirdo for no good reason?

I know there are loans like that, and have been for a looong time. I believe they are called "pre-computed interest" loans. I had one for a car once. It means that paying it off early didn't matter, because I still had to pay the full amount plus interest computed for the total life of the loan.

It's a way for the dealer to still make money on small margins, without the risk that the customer will negotiate a deal that only gives profit through interest, and then denies them the interest with a surprise lump sum payment. In that context, it makes sense. (If you offered them a lump sum, the up-front cost would seem higher because they'd have to figure in their profit all in one payment.)

Note that a well-run car dealership will look to make their money on the backend, with services so good you'll pay the prices they charge just to get good, reliable mechanics to work on your car. In fact, you can probably use "I'll be using your Service Department", even pre-paying it, to see if they will drop the cost of purchase of the car.

Its fine. A lot of tax software now will advance your return in lieu of the IRS accepting it if you are at zero risk of audit.

I agree, we've had that happen with no claw-backs.

Fantastic.

OFF TO THE COCAINERY

I believe they are called "pre-computed interest" loans.

Thanks I'll keep an eye out.
The reason I'm asking is because of looking at an electric scooter upgrade. I don't have the cash to pay it outright. But I can pay it off if broken up into 3-4 payments. So I'd rather not pay a hefty premium because I can't pay it all at once. And paying it over months rather than weeks isn't tremendously easing the financial burden.

fangblackbone wrote:
I believe they are called "pre-computed interest" loans.

Thanks I'll keep an eye out.
The reason I'm asking is because of looking at an electric scooter upgrade. I don't have the cash to pay it outright. But I can pay it off if broken up into 3-4 payments. So I'd rather not pay a hefty premium because I can't pay it all at once. And paying it over months rather than weeks isn't tremendously easing the financial burden.

Also make sure there isn't a prepayment penalty in the terms of the loan.

Robear wrote:

Don't you just click the "Permalink" icon, on the right side above the particular post you want to link to? Then you can do with it as you wish. (This assumes you want to link a post and not a page or full discussion).

Thanks

I live to serve.

merphle wrote:

Also make sure there isn't a prepayment penalty in the terms of the loan.

That. Read the small print. If you don't understand it, find someone smarter than you to read it and explain it in smaller words.

A lawyer friend once said to me "there are no limits to what can be written into a contract - you may have grounds to sue for unenforceable clauses after the fact, but by that point, you've already lost."

fangblackbone wrote:

Has financing/loaning gone complete evil yet?

Oh buddy thanks for that, I needed that laugh.

I've had tradespeople forget things like labor for a project, and they have to fall back on their business insurance; the contract wouldn't let them out even though I had wanted to give them a break.

Is there a thread for dealing with conundrums?

...now, that's a poser, Max...

Prederick wrote:

I HAVE A VERY STUPID QUESTION FOR SOMEONE MY AGE

So... uh, I filed my tax return like, at 1 AM on the 23rd. Like, as soon as the IRS stared taking them, I filed.

TurboTax told me I probably wouldn't get my return until the 13th, which I was fine with, but I checked my balance today and... uh...

....apparently, I just got it? Like nearly two weeks early?

I am a charter member of team "If it seems too good to be true, it is" so I'm just a smiiiidge confuzzled and concerned, which I know is absurd and it's probably fine. I checked the name of the service that deposited the money, and it's definitely from Turbo tax and it's all there, nothing is missing, it's just... early.

This is fine, right? I'm just being a weirdo for no good reason?

The IRS's official time frame for direct deposit is 21. Any software or preparer that will actually give you a date will just go off of the 21 days. In my experience (as somebody currently stuck preparing taxes for a living), a week is a little quick but it's not crazy. Sometime between a week and two weeks is the norm.

fangblackbone wrote:

Its fine. A lot of tax software now will advance your return in lieu of the IRS accepting it if you are at zero risk of audit.

If you're talking about advancing the refund, that's not something that will happen without your knowledge (unless you literally never read what you are clicking). You have to apply for it because it's technically a bank loan that gets paid back by your actual refund. Those kinds of advances will be disbursed within 24 hours, not a week.

If you're talking about pushing the return through early, that's not really a thing. It literally takes minutes between return submission and IRS acceptance unless there's an automatic rejection. The IRS will take returns before the date e-file opens to test their systems but that's at the IRS's discretion. The software or preparers have no control over that.

Robear wrote:

...now, that's a poser, Max...

I don't understand.

"A poser" is a conundrum.

MaxShrek wrote:

Is there a thread for dealing with conundrums?

A day later and I still can't come up with a good 8 out of 10 Cats joke.

Edit: I could at least attempt to be helpful. There is a thread for asking about threads.

-BEP

I thought when I got my CostCo credit card there was something saying it gives a 2-year extension to manufacturer's warranties when you use it to purchase things.

I'm going to call CostCo / Citibank / Whomever later when I have time, but wondered if anyone has dealt with it before.

Has anyone ever tried to use that feature, assuming it is real and I'm not dreaming it?

-BEP

bepnewt wrote:

I thought when I got my CostCo credit card there was something saying it gives a 2-year extension to manufacturer's warranties when you use it to purchase things.

I'm going to call CostCo / Citibank / Whomever later when I have time, but wondered if anyone has dealt with it before.

Has anyone ever tried to use that feature, assuming it is real and I'm not dreaming it?

-BEP

Yes i have, I honestly can't remember what it was for, I only remember I did it at the suggestion of a Goodjer when the thing broke like a month after the manufacturers 1 year warranty expired, and that I got the thing replaced for free. Totally worked out!

bepnewt wrote:

I thought when I got my CostCo credit card there was something saying it gives a 2-year extension to manufacturer's warranties when you use it to purchase things.

I'm going to call CostCo / Citibank / Whomever later when I have time, but wondered if anyone has dealt with it before.

Has anyone ever tried to use that feature, assuming it is real and I'm not dreaming it?

-BEP

I work for Costco.

This was a thing with the Costco Visa, but it was just removed a few weeks ago. The additional warranty coverage continues for purchases made prior to the perk's removal, but moving forward there's no extended warranty unless you pay extra for it.

More details here:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/citi-c...

Looks like the cutoff was 1/22/23.

Best free alternative to Photoshop?

Krita bar none

There is also Affinity Photo that is not free but almost. It goes for $25

Photopea.com is a handy replacement for quick one-off stuff. Banner ads, but balanced out by nothing to install.