Right now, I’m leaning toward Erste or Royal Bank. Royal Bank is a bit pricier, but at least you can find an ATM whenever you need one. Bank of America? They're bottom of the barrel.
Raymond Palmer3 said:Well, why didn't you just open a multi-currency transaction account? As far as I know, that covers both your USD and domestic accounts in one go.
I honestly don't know. The guy told me I could accept payments in USD, but only if they were sent in dollars, which isn't an option for me because of those conversion fees.
(By the way, Bank of America is still bottom-tier.)
Foreign currency accounts are my top priority. It feels incredibly stupid to be hit with a mountain of extra fees just because I maintain accounts at two different banks. A Visa card should be the industry standard by now. But apparently, they always find a way to mess things up.
Turns out I didn't end up at Wells Fargo after all. I went with Bank of America instead, and honestly, it was because of one incredibly stupid oversight—Wells Fargo doesn't offer a Visa Electron card for foreign currency 😵😵😵😵😵 . That means you can't even use it on PayPal. They only have this ridiculous prepaid card option. Total amateurs.
Look, here’s the deal. Things aren't exactly perfect over at Wells Fargo. Sure, you can hold multiple currencies in one account, but they charge you extra for it. $0.67 monthly for USD, $2.25 for EUR, and so on. Over at Goldman Sachs, the fee is fixed—I think it’s about $2.75 once it's converted back to whatever currency you actually hold. With Wells Fargo, you can't just wire money overseas through their app or online banking; you have to physically go into a branch. That said, the fees are a bit lower than what Goldman Sachs charges. Honestly, it’s a bit of a hassle. I’ll have to give it some thought.
briskjackal5 said:You can actually hold a bunch of different currencies in your JPMorgan Chase foreign currency account too, if that's what you're looking for!
-Joe
Four years ago, when I moved my money from JPMorgan Chase to Goldman Sachs, they didn't offer that. They're still behind the curve.
I had one last hesitation regarding Goldman Sachs. I really liked that you can hold all your different currencies in a single foreign currency account there, but I just realized Wells Fargo offers that same feature on their accounts too.
Basically, Wells Fargo has ATMs everywhere, plenty of branches, and you can withdraw cash at any local Post Office or through major payment processors. Their debit cards are Visa, the mobile app is excellent—I checked out a demo and it has everything Goldman Sachs's app does, including fingerprint login—and it integrates perfectly with federal digital ID services.
I keep my checking account at JPMorgan Chase just because there are no fees. Honestly, though, their service is incredibly sluggish. My husband uses them for his business too, and the level of incompetence they let slide is just unbelievable.
I’m a pretty low-maintenance customer. I don't need credit lines or overdraft protection; all I really want is a solid checking account, some foreign currency options, and functional online banking.
I'm thinking about moving my money over to Goldman Sachs. There isn't a single ATM in my neighborhood, and they have zero intention of installing one. It's pretty rude, honestly. I've been looking into Bank of America, but I'm not sure if their mobile banking actually works well. Also, can you link their cards to PayPal?
I’ve always hated birth control pills and never touched them. My go-to method has always been pulling out, and honestly, it hasn't failed me once in 15 years. 🤣
It just hit me how much it used to drive me crazy during the early stages of my pregnancy. Everyone was constantly acting shocked that *I* was the one pregnant. Like, really? As if it couldn't be me. I know I'm not Doris Day, but seriously... 🙄 That phase passed quickly, though. Now, everyone is telling me how great my baby bump looks. 😁
Roger Rodriguez said:Look, I don't really have the energy for an argument. If it makes things easier for you, I'll just say it: I don't love my child, and I'm prepared to burn in hell for it. Honestly, people like this just drive me up the wall. Don't they realize how frustrating they can be?
What would you say to my boyfriend? He thinks he’s going to be traumatized if he sees the baby covered in that newborn vernix when they're born, claiming the kid will look like they crawled straight out of hell. 😢
😂
There'll be enough stomach-churning material to go around. 😛
Keith Allen4 said:You actually admitted that you have to force yourself to feel those maternal instincts... It’s sad that people like that exist—though, honestly, "sad" isn't even the right word—it's more that I find it completely incomprehensible... the idea that someone would ever have to manufacture an emotional connection regarding their own child 😲
Don't be so quick to judge her. We aren't all wired the same way. Just because she hasn't fully processed everything yet doesn't mean she won't feel it later.
What would you say to women who choose abortion? 😲
Roger Rodriguez said:So basically, my kid will be stupid too? 🙂 🙂 🙂 😬 I actually agree with what you're saying. Age isn't the deciding factor; if you aren't ready to be a parent at a certain age, then the number doesn't matter, though it can definitely impact your mood and behavior during and after Pregnancy. I didn't plan on having a child either—I never even gave it much thought (I actually wanted to adopt since my family isn't exactly my cup of tea)—but now that it's happening, I realize I don't have the luxury of waiting for "motherly instincts" to magically appear; I have to force myself into it within a few months. To be honest, I’m more stressed about everything that happens *after* the birth than the actual pregnancy itself. I can handle the nausea, the heartburn, the near-disability from sciatica, the blood pressure issues, the tears, the contractions, and the fears—that all passes eventually. But after the delivery, I won't get six months or a year of blissfully bonding with a baby and worrying about bottles and strollers; I'll have maybe two weeks to recover before I'm back at college studying. And then there's the constant worry about whether the nanny is actually reliable. I'm not happy because I know that after the struggle of labor, I won't be heading home to enjoy time with my baby, but rather straight into more stress and constant separation. And for the record, I'm still not buying into the myth that everything just snaps back to normal afterward. 🙂
🤣 🙂
Those feelings just hit you naturally the moment you see them. At least, that’s what my friends told me after having similar experiences.
To be honest, I’ve never been much of a baby person, and dealing with the chaos of kids was never really my thing.☕ But when I think about my own child? Everything changes.
It really comes down to priorities. Age doesn't matter if you planned for this and actually want to be a parent. That’s the bottom line. If this had happened to me earlier, I would have been completely livid. It wasn't about money; it was because I just didn't feel the need for a child. Motherhood was never my thing.
My point was simply this: women who don't view parenthood as a top priority—or even a tenth of their life—usually mature into motherhood later on, if they ever do at all.
Plus, according to various studies, children of older parents tend to be more intelligent on average. It’s often because people are more educated by the time they reach that stage of life. Don't take me too literally or try to overcomplicate things. There's obviously a massive range of experiences here. There are downsides to being an older parent, sure. But if there are perks, there are clearly enough to talk about.
Since everything is so subjective 🤷 I always planned on having a Pregnancy around age 33. Honestly, it’s been great (mostly). No morning sickness, no other nonsense. Plus, I actually enjoy being pampered by everyone, and I can afford certain luxuries that I usually wouldn't 😁
My hips still ache, which is something my aunts constantly nag me about, while the men don't lift a finger. It isn't even about the pregnancy; sexism just gets under my skin regardless.
Roger Rodriguez, there’s a wide spectrum here. Roughly speaking, I feel like we older moms—I'm 34 myself—especially those of us having our first, are in a slightly different life stage than you guys at 25. Isn't it perfectly understandable that the stress levels hit you much harder?
I can’t even imagine being pregnant at 25. 😁 So, hats off to you all. Keep pushing forward.