Consider the following expenses when thinking about schools, which could help you better map out your strategy, such as how many schools to apply to and when to start the process. Learn how to save money on college applications, and where to find more information. Application Fees Each college or university you apply to generally charges an application fee. The Balance analyzed application fees at 14 public and private universities across the country, and the average fee was about $64, but ranged from $30 to $90....

That definition has expanded though. Back in 2009, the US-based Nadex exchange created options that allow traders to buy or sell an option at any time up until expiry. This creates a wide range of scenarios, as a trader can exit for less than the full loss or full profit. No matter which binary options you trade—Nadex options or traditional binary options—“position size” is important. Your position size is how much you risk on a single trade....

Sincerely, April Dear April, Congratulations on starting your personal finance journey—making a budget is the best place to start since it will help you set aside money for emergencies, to invest, and also to buy things that you want. Thanks to technology there are easy ways to plan a budget and track your spending—without needing a pen, paper, and calculator. We’ve looked at all the most popular budgeting apps so you don’t have to, and Mint is our top choice....

7 Different Factors To Score Investor Sentiment CNN looks at seven different factors to score investor sentiment on a scale of 0 to 100—extreme fear to extreme greed, respectively: If used properly, the Fear and Greed Index can be used as a guide for making profitable investments. Here are some do’s and don’ts when using the FGI to help you invest. Understanding the Fear and Greed Index Some skeptics dismiss the index as a sound investment tool as it encourages a market-timing strategy rather than a buy-and-hold strategy....

What Is an Extended Car Warranty? Let’s get something straight right from the beginning: Almost all new cars come with a limited warranty that covers you for the first three years or 36,000 miles of owning your vehicle, whichever comes first. If you are willing to pay for the privilege of not having to worry about the cost of unexpected repairs for a bit longer, an extended warranty might be for you....

As a day trader, you want trading volume and price movement. Both of these tend to occur as a market open nears. For instance, take the E-mini S&P 500 (ES); the stock market officially opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the E-mini tracks the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Trading volume on the E-mini tends to escalate about an hour before the open. When 9:30 rolls around, volume and volatility increase dramatically; typically, it continues to do so for the next couple of hours....

No matter how stressful the situation, bills still need to be paid, lights need to stay on, and food needs to be on the table. If you’ve recently been struck by a financial emergency, there are steps you can take to cope while reducing the negative economic impact. Evaluate the Situation As soon as you realize a financial emergency has struck, take a moment to sit down and carefully evaluate your situation....

Some isolated energy-related tax credits are available for the average homeowner, however. Routine Repairs and Maintenance vs. Capitalization “If you repair stuff, you can deduct it,” according to Steve Nelson, a certified public accountant who has written extensively about deducting repairs on the Evergreen Small Business blog. “If what you do is considered to be a betterment, a restoration, or an adaptation, the rules say we’re going to make you capitalize it and depreciate it unless it’s such an amount that it’s small potatoes....

What Are Articles of Organization? All U.S. states have a required formation document for a new limited liability company (LLC). This document registers the business entity with the state. Each state has different requirements for information, but there are a few common requirements. Most states call this document “Articles of Organization,” but some states use a different name: “Certificate of Formation” or “Certificate of Organization.” The Process of Filing LLC Organizing Documents To fill out and file your articles of organization, follow these steps:...

You might have to file multiple state returns if you lived or worked in different states during the tax year. But your home state should give you a tax credit on your resident return for taxes you pay to another state, thanks to the Supreme Court decision. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia additionally have agreements in place between them that will let you avoid filing more than one state tax return if you live and work in these jurisdictions....

After all, everyone—recruiters and hiring managers included—receives a lot of emails. Make sure that your emails stand out because of the content, and not because of sloppy mistakes, poor formatting, or overly casual language Here’s what to include when sending business-related correspondence and the email message format you should use to send professional email messages. How To Format an Email Message Your email message should be formatted like a typical business letter, with spaces between paragraphs and no typos or grammatical errors....

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, is a government department created to assist in various matters related to America’s housing needs, including loans to homebuyers who may not otherwise be able to afford a home purchase. Both HUD loans and FHA loans are backed by the government and allow for lower down payments and easier credit qualifications. When You Might Need a HUD Loan One reason you might be looking to purchase a short sale is that you may not be in a position to purchase a home for full price....

However, it may be difficult for you to get a bank loan to start a business if you have no business history or no prior relationship between you and the bank. So how do you improve your chances of getting a loan in the face of these obstacles? Determine How Much You Need Being approved for a business loan boils down to reliability and assurance. Banks don’t want to loan money to someone who may not be able to pay it back....

It’s important to encourage innovation in your small business, but how? Here are some ideas for how you can innovate at your company. Realize That Innovation Can Be Simple We tend to think of innovation as a formal and complicated process, but it doesn’t have to be. Innovation is just a fancy word for improvement and invention. For example, when you come up with better packaging, find a supplier who will give you a better rate, or try out a new marketing idea, you are involved in innovation....

How to List Freelance Jobs on a Resume The good news is that organizing your freelance jobs is simple once you know how. Essentially, you’re writing a functional resume, concentrating on your skills and achievements, rather than a chronological resume, which provides your work history in chronological order, starting with your most recent job. Tailor Your Resume to the Prospective Client or Job Writing a freelance resume can be liberating because the focus is on what you’ve done and what you can do, not on where you went to school or whether your career has proceeded in an orderly fashion....

To help take the stress out of the holiday season, consider creating and sticking to a holiday budget. Not only will a holiday spending plan help lessen your stress, but it will also keep you from overspending and potentially racking up debt this holiday season. Learn how to start budgeting for the holidays in order to make the most of it, and lessen the blow to your wallet. Begin With a List of Holiday Expenses To start saving ahead of the holidays, it helps to create a plan....

Money and Relationship Satisfaction Research has found that there is a strong connection between responsible financial behavior and relationship quality. One study discovered that couples who underwent greater economic distress were more likely to consider divorce over a 5-year period. Meanwhile, couples who shared financial assets such as mortgages were more likely to get married and succeed in their relationships. This may be because buying a home together often requires both individuals to save for a down payment, earn steady income to cover a mortgage, and work together to become a stable, financially secure couple....

How can you lessen the impact of high inflation rates? What can you do to protect your wealth so that you can sleep soundly at night? There are no foolproof methods, but there are some things you can look at with the help of a good financial planner. If done the right way, these moves may help reduce your risk from the effects of inflation. Learn about three methods for fighting inflation: scaling back on long-term bonds, owning stocks with pricing power, and investing in commodities....

Learn more about what the home negotiation process looks like, what’s negotiable (hint: it’s not just the list price), how market conditions factor in, and a few tried-and-true tips to help you score the best deal possible. Why Should You Negotiate a House Price? Negotiating a home price can be one of the more challenging aspects of buying a home. However, it ranks among the most important actions you can take because you’re spending a lot of money—negotiation is your chance to get the best deal possible on the home you want....

Bond Interest Rate Sensitivity Sensitivity of a bond’s price to changes in interest rates depends, to a large extent, on the bond’s duration. The idea is, the longer it takes the bond to mature, the greater the chances of changes to the interest rates. As a rule of thumb, for every percentage point change in interest rates, the bond’s price should ideally move in the opposite direction to the extent of its duration....