As a landlord, I say sell. Doing it long distance is not going to be fun. You can't rely on your family to drop everything when your tenant discovers a roof leak or broken toilet. Hiring a property manager will cost you 10% of rent. Your potential margin may look good on paper, but you will be responsible for upkeep, cosmetic fixes between tenants, new appliances, etc. - if you are realistic about how much those things cost you will quickly see that your profit is unlikely to be worth the headache.

I own a condo with a super who handles all of the headaches for me, and even so, I wouldn't want to do it long distance.

Well, yes - that's the point of diversification. Sometimes the small cap sector of the market will be up while the large cap sector is down, which is why you'll see small cap funds outperforming large caps. If you own two separate funds, you'd have to "average" your results to see the true picture of how your investments are doing. With a target date fund, all of those separate funds are already inside and they do the "averaging" for you (that's why target date funds are sometimes known as "funds of funds"). On paper, the overall performance of target date funds will never be as high as a pure stock fund, but it also won't dip as low when the market is down.

Because you can't really compare apples to apples with these fund choices, I would suggest that you ignore returns and focus mostly on expenses, diversification and asset allocation. The target date fund is BY FAR the best way for you to get appropriate diversification and asset allocation at a reasonable cost.

Some mutual funds are designed to provide complete diversification in a single fund - most target date retirement funds are designed this way. This means that by buying just one fund, you are getting the full spectrum of the stock market (i.e. large and small companies, international and domestic companies) as well as bonds (usually short, medium and long term) in a proportion that provides appropriate risk for your age. When you have one of these funds, buying others doesn't really provide extra diversification because the underlying stocks are just duplicates. You can use other mutual funds to "tilt" your investments (e.g. invest more heavily in a certain sector, like small caps or precious metals, etc.) but there is really no need to do this.

Other funds are designed to track a certain sector of the market and as such are not meant to be a one-stop fund. Among the ones you listed, the Vanguard Small Cap index and the American EuroPacific fund are two such. If you wanted to create a diversified portfolio using those two funds, you would also need to add a large cap fund, a bond fund and probably a couple of others to make sure you were properly diversified across all sectors.

Since you are just getting started, the target date retirement funds are perfect for you. Choose the one that comes closest to your estimated retirement date (or one a little farther out if you want to be a bit more aggressive) and put all of your money in it. Instant diversification and appropriate asset allocation.

BTW- fees on mutual funds vary wildly and can REALLY eat into your returns. IMO, there is no reason on earth to pay a higher ER than that of the target retirement funds, especially since you are not a sophisticated investor (yet!). I'm guessing that the Dodge, Harbor and American options have ERs north of .5 while the Vanguard funds are all under .2? Stay away from those! You don't need anything beyond the target date anyway.

Debt consolidation (through a reputable program) might help, but it doesn't solve the underlying lifestyle issue. She is living a lifestyle she can't afford, period. The car is contributing to that for sure. Has she gone over her spending with a fine toothed comb to see where else she can cut back? How much equity does she have in the car?

Regardless, she needs to pursue child support - it is grotesquely unfair to her child not to do so. That money is to ensure their needs are met. I would do this before selling the car or considering bankruptcy.

I would absolutely forget about the rural house - you don't like anything about it except the price. It sounds like it's also a bank foreclosure which could mean issues with big ticket repair items. Mediocre schools are the cherry on top - it would be a shame to move your daughter to a poor district when she is so close to finishing K-12.

The $282K house may be a bit of a stretch financially at current interest rates, but your income should grow and you can always refinance when rates drop. You also won't have to deal with a ton of maintenance issues right away since it's a new build (you hope, anyway). Keep your lifestyle spending at the same level as it was when you were making $60K and you should be fine.

Are you employed? Does your employer offer a 401k? Do you want to save this money for retirement or a shorter-term goal?

By the time you understand enough about your finances to properly research/vet a potential financial advisor, you'll know enough to do it yourself. You're already off to a good start maxing your IRA and 401K. I recommend getting a couple of good personal finance books and spending some time at bogleheads.org - the advice you'll get there is worth its weight in gold.

You have sufficient equity in your current home to cover the down payment on a larger/more expensive new one, most likely, but given that you are a sole breadwinner for a family of 7 I don't know that I would feel comfortable spending more than you are now. Given interest rates, you'll pay quite a bit more monthly for the same size loan you have now anyway. If you change locations, can you get a larger place for around the same price? How many years before your spouse intends to re-enter the work force (if ever)?

There's not enough information here for us to give you any sensible advice. Why do you want a new home? Has your old home appreciated at all? What is your annual income?

The Roth would be instead of throwing money into your taxable brokerage account, not in addition to (unless you wanted to save/invest more). We tend to think of Roth money as untouchable until retirement, but that's not actually true - you can withdraw your contributions at any time without penalty. Only the earnings are subject to penalty for early withdrawal. I would max the Roth space before putting any more in taxable (full disclosure - this is what I do).

At your ages I would be prioritizing retirement accounts over a regular brokerage account. The tax deferral is a big benefit and having the money "locked" away can prevent you from spending it rashly (although it sounds like you are generally very responsible). At the very least, open a Roth IRA to take advantage of the tax benefits for that money - in a Roth you can always withdraw your contributions without penalty, and your earnings will also be tax free.

No, you can't contribute more than you make. The cap is $6500 or your annual income, whichever is less.

Open a Roth IRA with a low-cost provider like Vanguard, Fidelity, etc. and put as much into it as you possibly can (yearly limit is the the lesser of your annual earned income or $6500 starting in 2023). Invest the money in a low-cost index fund (a Total Stock Market fund is perfect) and don't mess with it. Time is your best friend when it comes to retirement investing and you'll have a huge leg up by starting at 17.

Yes, I need to make at least some of our donations monthly - especially things like the food pantry where the need is consistent and urgent throughout the year. Thanks for the reminder!

Complete my charitable giving for the year and get ready for backdoor Roth. Otherwise, nothing different than I do at the end of any other month.

If you're seeing zeros by the Fed tax withholding lines, then probably no withholding on those SS payments. Do you have (or can you get) statements for their pensions?

Why do you want to close it?

Is tax being withheld from their pensions and SS? If so, it may be worth filing to get that money back. At their income level they will be eligible to Efile for free - no need to pay an accountant or tax preparer for such a simple return.

While it may be worth a look, you really can't put a price tag on that kind of flexibility, especially when your kids are young. It sounds like at least one of them has special needs as well, making the flexibility even more necessary and valuable. I would probably wait until they are in full-day school to consider a job that doesn't promise the same schedule. Remind your husband that he CAN do the higher paying, less flexible job because you are there to handle the kids' needs.

Max the 401ks. Does your health care plan come with an HSA? If so, max that too. Take advantage of any other pre-tax perks your employer offers (transit benefits, etc). Beyond that, there's not much you can do to reduce taxable on your W2. Do you have a hobby you can monetize so that you can claim biz expenses on Schedule C?