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partner's bonus

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hi all,
My wife has been given a 25K bonus what is the best thing to do with it?
Both 59
we have no mortgage
15k credit card debt
2k savings
any help apricated
Tard

 
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Comments

  • njkmr
    njkmr Posts: 258 Forumite
    100 Posts Second Anniversary
    Personally I would clear the credit card.
    Boring, but will save you money if your paying interest each month.
  • Wonka_2
    Wonka_2 Posts: 903 Forumite
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    Presumably anything that you can do to minimise tax liability depending on current tax status

    Pension ?
  • enthusiasticsaver
    enthusiasticsaver Posts: 16,062 Ambassador
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    What is your tax status? £2k is not a lot in savings so I would keep some in savings and reduce or clear that credit card liability. Check your pension status. 
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free Wannabe, Budgeting and Banking and Savings and Investment boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

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  • Flugelhorn
    Flugelhorn Posts: 7,347 Forumite
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    pay the credit card and put the rest in savings - nice not to owe anything 
  • Rodders53
    Rodders53 Posts: 2,678 Forumite
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    edited 15 March 2024 at 6:46PM
    Pay off CC debt.

    Your wife should treat herself with some of that well earned bonus, and save most of the rest.  You need a good few months of salary (is it meant to be 12, ideally?) as an emergency fund.

    Then try to spend within your means so as to not build up a fifteen thousand pound debt again!

    Do check out both you and her state pension forecasts.
  • sourcrates
    sourcrates Posts: 31,638 Ambassador
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    A week in Vegas, take me with you....
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter
  • Rob5342
    Rob5342 Posts: 2,426 Forumite
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    edited 15 March 2024 at 8:16PM
    If you transfer it to me I can invest it for you :)

    2k savings vs 15k debt needs addressing, id clear the debt and save the rest, possibly with a small treat of a few hundred pounds. You need to be very careful that you don't carry on the as you were before and build up £15k of debt again, it's easy to think "ooh money, treat, treat, treat" and end up back where you were 
  • If a basic rate taxpayer, even with the bonus, the net would be £17000. 

    If all at HR tax net would be £14500. 

    The reality is somewhere in between. 
  • RAS
    RAS Posts: 35,710 Forumite
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    tard said:
    hi all,
    My wife has been given a 25K bonus what is the best thing to do with it?
    Both 59
    we have no mortgage
    15k credit card debt
    2k savings
    any help apricated
    Tard

     
    What does your wife want to do?
    If you've have not made a mistake, you've made nothing
  • EssexHebridean
    EssexHebridean Posts: 24,424 Forumite
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    The use of the onus isn’t the most significant question. 

    Are you fully aware how the debt accrued?
    Are you now living to a proper, well structured household budget, and the card debt is consistently falling month-on-month?
    Are you still actively using credit cards which are not cleared in full each month?

    if the answer to the first two questions are “no” then the risk is that you will use the bonus to clear the debt, but then end up back in the same situation before all that long. The key thing here is to ensure that the causes of the debt are tackled, and that, going forwards, cards are always cleared in full. (Except in the case of a 0% purchase card being used to make a planned and already-saved for large purchase)
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