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1500 questions
83
votes
22 answers
Why would you ever turn down a raise in salary?
Related to a comment on this question:
Is it true that Income Tax was created to finance troops for World War I?
Does it ever make financial sense to turn down a raise at your job? It was mentioned for tax reasons it did no good, but would not…
MrChrister
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82
votes
7 answers
Is this work legal? Someone promises payment for converting money transfers to Bitcoin
An online company hired my friend as an account assistant. They told him they are a business consulting firm, and that they need an account assistant in every area. His job is the following:
Some companies send money to my friend's account by…
ashif antor
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82
votes
11 answers
Dissuading my girlfriend from a scam
A significant portion of my girlfriend's family have fallen for, what seems to me, an obvious Ponzi scheme.
They take money, in cash, to a casino in the area. They give the casino the cash, and one month later get 150% back. This amount is always…
Omegastick
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82
votes
8 answers
Company stopped paying my salary. What are my options?
UPDATE 4: I'd be remiss if I didn't update this post with the outcome: I was able to recover about 1.5x lost wages (after employment attorney fees). The advice below I followed included: (1) finding an employment lawyer ASAP (2) Counting the bonus…
Scott Skiles
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81
votes
4 answers
Someone wants to send me cash by DHL. How's this scam supposed to work?
This raises a bunch of red flags (also confirmed by googling the email address it came from), but I don't quite understand how this scam is actually supposed to work. So, here it goes:
I put up an ad (for a guitar, 90€) on LeBonCoin (the French…
Jonas Czech
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81
votes
12 answers
A friend asks me all the time to pick up money for her (Western Union, Moneygram)
A friend of mine trades Bitcoin and often asks me to pick up money for her, i.e., someone sends money to me (on my name) and I just pick it up and give it to my friend. The amounts are usually around $500.
Is this legal? Can I get into trouble…
ApexAdam
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81
votes
11 answers
Why does a company pay dividends at all?
If a company can lower the dividends and even stop paying them at all during hard times, why would they re-install them at all?
If I understand correctly a company pays dividends so that investors that buy stock from that company have a bigger…
Pablo Fernandez
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80
votes
4 answers
Bank claims debit card was physically scanned - half a continent away. What could have happened?
I have had the same debit card for several years, and I've never had a problem with any fraudulent charges until yesterday. I am careful about where I use my debit card number online, and I am fairly vigilant about computer security, although…
user
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- 9
80
votes
4 answers
The USA "self-employment tax dodge" mystery
For non-US readers:
In the US, for those who are self-employed, there are many specific taxes. One particular tax is the confusingly named "The Self-Employment Tax".
Thus, if you are self-employed, you pay a number of specific taxes, all of which…
Fattie
- 13,768
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80
votes
6 answers
Why has bitcoin gained so much in the past year?
Over the past year, the value of bitcoin has gone from 1030.82 USD on 3 Jan 2017 to 10755.89 USD today. That's a price increase of 1000%. I'm only an amateur investor, but in my mind that increase is astounding.
I've got a couple of non-digital…
stanri
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80
votes
10 answers
Buying from an aggressive salesperson
I am shopping for a new, high-end musical instrument. In the US anyways, pricing is opaque and must be negotiated, and dealers sometimes adopt aggressive sales tactics.
I am considering buying a particular instrument from a particular dealer. I…
Anonymous
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79
votes
9 answers
Should I sign the back of my credit card?
When getting a new credit card, what is the policy in regards to signing the strip on the back? Should I sign it? Should I write "See ID"? Should I leave it blank? Should I sign it AND write "See ID"?
I see all sorts of different advice but it…
Fixed Point
- 975
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79
votes
15 answers
Are small insurances worth it?
Small insurances like phone insurance, tire insurance, etc. Are these worth it?
In general I always have a bad gut feeling about any insurance. I just don't like the idea of paying for stuff I never really use (especially medical insurance) But…
Paul Kruger
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76
votes
6 answers
Pay online: credit card or debit card?
I have a credit card and a debit card. I could use both to pay online. Credit card is only a bit less convenient since I have to transfer the money back in the credit card account later.
Is it safer to pay with a credit card though? I'm thinking…
ibz
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76
votes
14 answers
What emergencies could justify a highly liquid emergency fund?
I've seen several questions (e.g. here) that challenge the need for complete liquidity in an emergency fund. Answers often focus not just on the potential for market downturns to affect your ability to liquidate assets, but even the 2-3 day delay…
Nicholas
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