Let’s say you purchased your first home in October 2021. You and your partner put down 20% on a $700,000 house, and now the two of you are preparing to file your taxes. This is the first time you’ll be looking to file an itemized return rather than taking the standard deduction. You heard that by filing an itemized deduction, you’ll be able to deduct the amount of interest you paid on your mortgage....
In economic terms, reflation refers to inflation rising from a below-average level back toward its long-term trend. Both reflation and inflation refer to an increase in price levels. However, an important distinction between the two is the period in which the price increase occurs. One example of reflation happened during the Great Recession of 2007-2009. The Federal Reserve increased bond buying and bought other assets such as mortgage-backed securities to spur economic activity and increase the U....
In general, a reserve currency is one that: Has the depth and liquidity to allow for reliable and efficient international transactionsCan be freely and easily exchanged for other currenciesIs held by many monetary authorities and institutions, in significant amounts Before the mid-20th century, reserves were mostly gold and silver. Modern reserves are generally made up of strong foreign currencies. Many of them are specifically designated as reserve currencies by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)....
The Value Line Investment Survey If you’re a new investor, you’ve like read about or heard someone mention the Value Line Investment Survey. Value Line’s flagship newsletter tracks 1,700 individual stocks across more than 90 different industries. Each week, the Value Line staff analysts update a batch of 130 stocks. How you receive the updates depends on whether you choose the digital or print option. Value Line’s impressive one-page reports include a tremendous amount of financial data, including:...
A debt-to-income ratio, also known as a DTI ratio, is quoted as a percentage. For example, you might have a debt-to-income ratio of 25%, meaning one-quarter of your monthly income goes toward debt repayment. If your income is $4,000 per month, 25% of that would be $1,000 of total monthly debt payments. How Do You Calculate Debt-to-Income Ratio? To calculate your current debt-to-income ratio, add all of your monthly debt payments, then divide your monthly debt payments by your monthly gross income....
How to Respond if an Interviewer Seems Concerned About Your Age An unethical or untrained interviewer could pose a direct query about your age. Occasionally, a recruiter might fish around with questions that might yield some insight about your age, like asking when you graduated from college. In many cases, it is common for interviewees to sense some concern or hesitation on the part of the interviewer. It isn’t just the presumption that an applicant is “too old” that is a concern for employers....
What can you do if you hate your job, your company, your boss, your industry, or even everything about your working life? We’ll walk through some tips for what to do while you’re still on the job. Don’t Just Quit Don’t just quit your job. The frustration of working at a place you can’t stand can be hard to handle. But most of us can’t afford to resign in haste—not without another job waiting in the wings....
However, the fund itself holds gold derivative contracts that are backed by gold. So, if you invest in a gold ETF, you won’t actually own any gold. The Investing Principle Investors use gold ETFs to track and reflect the price of gold. While the assets in the fund are backed by the commodity, the intent is not for an investor to own gold. A gold ETF gives an investor an opportunity to gain exposure to the performance, or price movements, of gold....
You can apply online or over the phone, although you’ll need to pay attention to specific enrollment deadlines and plan details to make sure you get your benefits set up correctly. The following guidelines will help you figure out exactly when and how you should apply for Medicare regardless of the details of your specific situation. How To Apply for Medicare You can apply online or sign up by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213....
I mean really stopped supporting them. She no longer pays for their car insurance, their health insurance, or their cell phone bills. “How did you do that?” I asked. “It was awful,” she acknowledged, “but it had to happen.” She had just gone through a divorce, and had to focus on making sure she could support herself and start socking money away for her own retirement. So she took a year’s worth of payments for all of these things, combined, gave the kids lump-sum checks and told them “be smart....
How well this system works is sometimes subject to debate. There have been market specialist firms at the New York Stock Exchange fined over $240 million for stealing profits—they were taking trading opportunities they were supposed to give to investors. You may have read about a stockbroker trading an older adult’s retirement account without authorization, for example. In those cases, the system is working, because you’re reading about it, and they have been caught....
Because the IRS has made such a sweeping change in regard to who should send and receive 1099-MISC forms, it’s important to understand those changes and how they might affect you. Who Should Send a 1099-MISC Form? If you make certain payments as a function of your trade or business, you must prepare 1099-MISC forms to show the amounts you have paid to others during the year. The IRS considers a “trade or business” to include: An entity you operate for gain or profit A non-profit organization, including 501(c)3 and (d) organizations A trust of a qualified employer pension or profit-sharing plan A non-exempt farmers’ cooperative A widely held fixed-investment trust...
Why are bond yields rising? Mainly because Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Sept. 22 that due partly to supply bottlenecks, inflation is likely to remain more elevated and to linger longer than originally expected. He also said that if the job market continues improving, the Fed may start paring back its emergency, pandemic-era monetary support sooner than expected to help tame the higher inflation. Those comments sent bond yields into a more elevated range than where they’d been for most of the summer....
Offering lower upfront costs and the flexibility to up and move without taking a huge financial hit, adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) are often just what the career-focused, on-the-move millennial is looking for. The chart below shows the average mortgage rates from 2005 through today, broken down into 5/1 ARMs, 15-year fixed mortgages, and 30-year fixed mortgages. What Is an Adjustable Rate Mortgage? Adjustable-rate mortgages are loans on which the interest rate fluctuates....
WTO Membership Benefits The WTO helps trade throughout the world flow smoothly through its trade agreements. Members of the WTO know what the rules are, and they understand the penalties for breaking the rules—which creates a safer trading arena for everyone. The WTO also provides its members with a fair method to resolve trade disputes; they don’t have to resort to violence or war. How the WTO resolves trade disputes is important....
Zoning restrictions are put in place by cities to keep property values high. The value of that Victorian home is much higher, for example, if it’s next to similar homes instead of a pizza restaurant. An example of an atypical city is Houston, which has no zoning variances. Houston controls building types with deed restrictions and building permits. Why You Need One When you find a location for your business—whether to build, to buy or to lease, you may have been told that you need a zoning variance because your type of business is different from the specified zoning use for that area....
“It probably was a wise thing for them to be proactive in putting this forward,” said Lee Holman, a retail analyst at IHL Group, suggesting Dollar Tree customers have had some time to get used to the price point. “Meanwhile, they’re now more concerned about paying 75 bucks to gas up their car.” While gas prices continue to soar to new records and grocery bills get relentlessly larger, there’s new evidence of just how much inflation—still near 40-year highs—is affecting the entire supply chain....
Government data released Wednesday showed 4.3 million people quit their jobs in January, down from 4.4 million in December and a record 4.5 million in November. But that’s still far above normal—an indication that workers are still in high demand and have their pick of jobs. The number of job openings also slipped slightly, to 11.3 million from 11.4 million in December, also a record high in data going back to 2000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said....
Child Care Costs The cost of day care is expensive and if you plan to continue working after you have a child, you will need to plan ahead for child care costs. In 43 states and the District of Columbia, the average price of center-based care for an infant exceeds 10% of the state median income for a married couple with children, according to a 2019 report from Child Care Aware of America....
One question remains, though, after you decide to create your business online. What online business model is the best for your internet business? While you might decide that it’s best to make a product, such as your winning spaghetti sauce, this is one option, though certainly not the only one. Take the time to consider the best internet business model for your new idea and you will dramatically increase your odds of success....
