Posts

The stock market crash included the three worst point drops in U.S. history. The drop was caused by unbridled global fears about the spread of the coronavirus, oil price drops, and the possibility of a 2020 recession. Although the 2020 market crash was dramatic, it didn’t last. The stock market experienced a surprising recovery, even as many areas of the U.S. economy continued to experience trouble. The Fall From a Record High Prior to the 2020 crash, the Dow reached a record high of 29,551....

Those in the United States looking to diversify may begin looking beyond the amber waves of grain to the capital markets of other countries and regions. Europe is a particularly attractive choice, as it is home to many of the world’s preeminent corporations that have rewarded owners with decades of capital appreciation and dividends. Here are four methods an investor, portfolio manager, or financial advisor may use to add European market stocks to a well-constructed basket of holdings....

Why Would Your Home Policy Get Cancelled? Insurance companies are businesses, and very often people think that insurance will always be there. However, if you don’t meet the conditions set forth in your policy, the company could cancel your contract. Insurers deal in risks, and being able to assess risk and avoid losses is part of how they meet their bottom line. People have issues and circumstances that often fit outside the norm....

Allows You to Prioritize Your Spending Minimalism encourages you to embrace the things that are most important to you. This will naturally carry over into how you spend your money. If you are not focused on acquiring certain items but more focused on specific experiences, the way you spend your money changes. Realizing what is most important to you will help with your spending priorities and this can carry forward into the way that you handle your money overall....

Originally designed specifically for Mac users, the cloud-syncing app is now also available for both Windows and Android users. This financial tool syncs easily between all your devices and accounts to generate detailed reports that are customizable to help you reach your personal financial goals. Below, we outline the pros and cons of MoneyWiz. Pros of MoneyWiz MoneyWiz provides the user with the ability to sync accounts automatically, and the user experience is relatively intuitive—especially if you are an avid Mac user....

Upsides of Credit Union Credit Cards A credit union credit card is issued by a credit union rather than a bank. Credit unions are nonprofit organizations that allow members to borrow from pooled deposits at low interest rates. Major credit card issuers, on the other hand, are for-profit banks that must always keep their stockholders in mind when making decisions. Lower Interest Rates Credit union credit cards often have lower interest rates, lower fees, and can be more consumer friendly than credit cards from major credit card issuers....

But the IRS still considers income in the form of tips taxable. People who earn tips are obligated to report their income and remit the government’s share to Uncle Sam. Unlike traditional wages, which are subject to automatic withholdings, those who earn tips must calculate and withhold their own taxes. Read on to learn more about the tax process when it comes to tips. Are Tips Taxable? The short answer is yes....

The academic study, “The Assessment Gap: Racial Inequalities in Property Taxation,” Black and Hispanic households pay 10% to 13% more than white households for the same public services. This information can be attributed to something known as the ‘Black Tax,’ which is specifically relevant to property tax. In this article, learn more about how it works. What Is a ‘Black Tax’ in Property Assessment? According to the “Assessment Gap” study, the problem is nationwide....

Petty’s corporate credits include building a market-leading systems business unit within Panasonic, Inc. and guiding a little-known software firm on life support to become an acknowledged marketplace leader in data quality tools. Serving as a senior vice-president for Satori Software, Petty helped build the team and strategy that vaulted this unit into a leading market position in postal automation and contact data quality software and services. Whether serving as an educator, coach, executive, or speaker, Petty’s passionate and no-nonsense guidance for navigating strategy, driving change, and promoting organizational health through values-centered leadership is widely respected....

The start of the new year is usually when balance transfer offers abound, as card issuers appeal to consumers who have made resolutions to pay down pricey debt once and for all. Right now, the balance transfer offer market is subdued because many banks dialed back their promotions to avoid additional financial risk during the coronavirus pandemic. “Balance transfers represent risk because the people who take them are the ones who need credit and a place to move debt,” said Moshe Orenbuch, an analyst with financial research group Credit Suisse....

However, to diversify risk, the investor could invest half of their portfolio in bonds with five-year maturities and the other half in bonds with 15-year maturities to achieve an average maturity of ten years. The barbell strategy is so named because the portfolio is heavily weighted on two sides, just like a barbell. A bond barbell doesn’t necessarily need to have equal weight on both sides—it can be heavier on one end, based on an investor’s outlook and yield requirements....

The 30-year mortgage rate will vary by the type of loan you get (e.g., conventional vs. FHA-insured), the size of the loan (i.e., conforming vs. jumbo), and your credit profile (e.g., prime credit vs. subprime credit). When looking for the best mortgage rates, consider other common fixed-rate loan terms: 20-year, 15-year, and 10-year. The Best 30-Year Mortgage Rates Today Keep in mind, while the amount of principal and interest you pay won’t ever change, your actual monthly payment might change....

The gas that burns to fuel cars is a major source of pollution. Transportation contributes 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Cars and trucks combined contribute 82% of all transportation-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Electric cars can be charged with power generated from more environmentally friendly sources, which make them one potential solution to this problem. Electric-vehicle exchange-traded funds (ETFs) typically invest in companies involved in producing electric cars or the technology surrounding them such as high-capacity batteries....

However, some mutual funds are appropriate for short-term investing. Learn the types of funds that can provide some return on investment while keeping the principal amount you invest relatively safe. What Is Short-Term Investing? Short-term investing involves a financial investment that can be easily converted to cash, typically within a three-to-five-year timeframe. Many investors seek better short-term investment options than a savings account or a certificate of deposit (CD). The national average interest rate for savings accounts in mid-April 2021 was just 0....

What Is the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index? The Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index or “the Agg” is a broad benchmark index for the U.S. bond market. The index covers all major types of bonds, including taxable corporate bonds, Treasury bonds, and municipal bonds. How To Invest in the Aggregate Bond Index Investors can capture the performance of the overall bond market by investing in a mutual fund or an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that seeks to replicate the performance of the index....

Bookkeeping is the practice of recording your business transactions in your general ledger, the book or software program that contains all the financial transactions for your firm since its inception. Accounting is the practice of analyzing the information in the ledgers and developing insights into your business’s financial decisions. Bookkeeping Bookkeeping is the process of the daily record-keeping of all a company’s financial transactions. Bookkeepers record the sales, expenses, cash and bank transactions of the business in a general ledger....

Because you were older, the amount of your monthly check would be higher. All the cash you had received over the years from the SSA was like an interest-free loan from the government. That loophole was closed in 2010, so you can no longer “borrow” money from the SSA. If you file for benefits before age 70, you now have only 12 months after you start receiving payments to suspend them until a later date....

Your decision to file for bankruptcy might have more to do with where you live and what property you and your spouse own than it does with who owes what debt. To determine your best course of action and whether to file if your spouse doesn’t want to, you have to look at the household’s overall debt-and-asset picture for both of you. Example Situation Consider a hypothetical married couple, Mark and Ellen, who resides in Texas—a community property state....

Maskot / Getty Images Buyers are writing personalized letters in hopes of standing out from the flood of above-asking-price offers that often pour in as soon as a house is listed for sale, real estate agents from around the country say. One woman in New York waxed nostalgic about how the flowers in the yard reminded her of the ones her grandmother had. A buyer in Virginia gushed about the lovely mural in one of the rooms, making the daughter of the sellers, who had painted it, cry....

Your eligibility for both of these accounts depends on the limits and restrictions imposed on them, but many people are able to invest in both. Investing in Both a 401(k) and a Roth IRA A 401(k) is a qualified plan that’s set up by an employer. It lets eligible workers invest a portion of their wages into an account. You make pre-tax contributions (from earned dollars that aren’t taxed) to a traditional 401(k) through deductions from your paychecks....