We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!
- How should I go about paying for some medical tourism?
- Was my mom right for being upset when her credit card limit was increased?
- What steps should I take if I want to invest $5,000 locally in my community?
- As we’re enrolling in a Dependent Care FSA (Flexible Spending Account), what should we consider?
- Should I use my HSA (Health Savings Account) funds to pay for medical expenses or to invest?
Additional links
- Here’s that hike Joel was talking about in Chattanooga TN.
- Unfortunately we recorded and referred to the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card during this episode before Chase changed the benefits to a $750 welcome offer. It’s not as great as $1,250 but it’s still the best out there!
- The CDC’s medical briefing on medical tourism – yes you could save some money but keep in mind that there are risks involved. Not to mention the potential for psychological harm of botched surgeries that the CDC briefing doesn’t touch on.
- We referenced this article by the Physician on FIRE about investing in a local brewery.
- Listen back to episode 105 on why we believe the HSA to be the ultimate vehicle for maximizing your retirement.
- A couple movie references in this episode- Whack-Bat from Fantastic Mr. Fox and that donut scene from Dodgeball.
- Sure enough, Sriracha ketchup already exists.
- Credit Card Tool – Looking for the right credit card for you? Then check out our new credit card tool that’ll help you to easily filter through all the cards based on your preferred airline, whether or not they have an annual fee, or simply by the cashback offer! Just toggle the sliders and you’ll know which card to consider.
During this episode we enjoyed a SchmoojeeBox by Imprint Beer Co! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!
Best friends out!
Advertiser Disclosure
* Advertiser Disclosure: How to Money has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. How to Money and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Lastly, the site does not include all card companies or all available card offers.
I have a follow up question on HSA. I don’t have my balance in investments because the monthly fees are too high, in my opinion, and I’ll be essentially paying to invest instead of growing this balance. Does the investment outweigh the monthly fees? And how would I know if the investment increase is more than the monthly fees? Thank you.
I listened to Julia’s question, and it reminded me about something my Mom told me before. When my parents were buying a house in the 90s, they were advised by their mortgage broker to always leave a small portion of debt on their credit cards because it reduced the amount of credit available to them. My mom said that, the way she understood it, banks looked down on people with large amounts of credit available because they might go on a spending spree and rack up large amounts of debt. I wonder if Julia’s mother was advised of something similar?