I don't know anything in particular about Illinois law

Depends on your state. Some states have laws against this (see, eg, https://www.jacksonlewis.com/resources-publication/michigan-establishes-minimum-privacy-protections-social-security-numbers) I don't think there is any federal law on the topic.

1. Closing costs are going to be at least double what you have estimated
2. Room and board includes food. You haven't budgeted for that in here
3. Do you all have 2 years of income history to show the lenders?
4. What happens if someone drops out or moves to a different college?
5. Interest rates are generally above 5% right now.

See https://www.keepertax.com/posts/ebay-1099 which shows where to deduct returns and costs of goods.

I'm not seeing the phrase "safe harbor" either in my post or OP's.

>If I go to Wells Fargo with RMB and deposit it, won't it be converted to USD value in the account?

On a standard US Dollar based account yes. But you can open an account with banks that are denominated in other currencies. See https://www.expat.hsbc.com/multi-currency-accounts/ for example.

And for IRAs, you only have 120 days to close from the withdrawal, so this wouldn't qualify even if it was from an IRA.

That should work. Technically it is as long as it is less than 60 days from the check being cut to the check being deposited.

Better approach though would be to get the old 401k to make out the check still to Fidelity, but mail it to you. You can then overnight it to Fidelity. That way if it gets a problem again, there is still no 60 day clock. Or get the old 401k to overnight it. But the old 401k might not cooperate with either approach.

A free consultation could at least point you in the right direction.

The laws on this are going to vary from state to state. A post at r/legaladvice might get some help.

If you want to inherit his estate, you'd need to file with the local court wherever he lived. If he had no will and one or more of his parents are still alive, they would likely inherit anything he had first. You'd be next if both his parents are deceased (it depends on the state, but this would be true in most/all states).

Any assets with value that he has would first need to go to paying off any debts he had. Given that he was in and out of the hospital, there is a good chance of a decent medical debt, so it is likely there would be no assets to inherit and donate.

Many lawyers will do a free initial consultation on cases like this.

Sounds like things will be a little tight, but doable, in the short term. Longer term once your gf gets an income things should be more flexible. Or if you get a promotion/raise.

And how much of that ~$3,500/month were you saving every month? If less than $1,500, what cuts would you make to your budget to be able to afford the mortgage payment?

A $200,000 house is pretty reasonable considering your income. You are able to put 20% down and not even use half of your savings. That's better than most people.

How does $1,500 in "rent" (I assume you mean mortgage payment) fit into your overall budget? Are you including property tax in that number? Will you still be able to save 15% towards retirement with that payment? How much will be left over for other savings?

> My mom is over 60

So the big decision you/she will have to make is when to claim her social security benefits and/or her survivor benefits. She can claim as soon as 60 and as late as 70. The longer she waits the higher the monthly payment is. She also can claim one, then switch to the other. It will depend on how much she has earned over her career versus him, and how much money she has saved up otherwise for what makes the most sense. You'll want to do a bit of research before making a decision because it is generally irrevocable once you decide to claim benefits, so don't rush into it too quickly. (Unless she is over 67, then file the claim for survivor benefits now) There are some good calculators online that can help.

If he made about $80k per year, that would be about $6k in federal income tax and $12,000 in self employment (FICA; medicare/social security) taxes. So if that is about his income it sounds right. If he never filed then interest and penalties could be a significant part of the $20k, so you could owe that much even with significantly less income.

Good advice automod. OP, you can confirm the phone number a the link I included.

I'm sorry you are dealing with this.

Usually the funeral director can help with tasks like this, if you don't have the time or energy.

1-800-772-1213 to report the death.

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html has good info on survivor benefits. Things like:

• Was your dad receiving social security payments yet?
• Is your mom over 60?
• Are you or your siblings under 19?

will effect whether you can/should apply for survivor benefits.

Credit reports aren't really a thing you get on a historic basis. You get your current report and it will show you what has happened over the last few year. It will show any credit inquiries in the last 2 years, any missed or late payments for the last seven years, any bankruptcies for the last 7-10 years.

Not sure what you are trying to do with the credit report, but that is usually good enough for most people.

Ideally you'd have more saved up. Preferably 20%. You also need probably ~$5k for closing costs, although that amount can vary a lot from place to place. That said, $50k in income should be enough to get a $100k loan. If you are going more towards the top of the range, you might run into trouble, but probably not worth paying extra tax over.

Without doing the math, I'd write off whatever you legitimately can. Every dollar in you pocket is a better position. But how much do you think you can save up over the next two years? How low would your taxable income get if you write everything off? How would the DTI compare on the mortgage to guideline rates?

Probably. You'd need to look into the terms of the particular program you are signing up for.

Adding someone to the mortgage involves who is responsible for paying for the debt, not who owns the house. Get a will.

If you file separately you will likely pay more in taxes. Your tax guy can tell you how much more. It would then be up to you to decide if it is worth it to get lower student loan repayments.

I wouldn't count on this. Sometimes they are up in the evenings, sometimes they aren't.

I assume you mean w4, not w9.

That was never allowed. You are required to fill out your w4 accurately and will owe penalties if you under withhold too much.