Local authorities, for fire inspections, building codes, health and safety issues, and possible Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violationsState agencies, for sales tax, business registration, and employment issuesFederal agencies, including OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Agency), the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, the Wage and Hour section of the Department of Labor, and immigration/customs (ICE). Here’s a list of state and federal agencies that can audit or inspect your business....

Pay Going Forward, Not Backward This is the most important rule in salary reductions. The employer must pay you the agreed-upon salary for work you’ve already done. Bosses can absolutely lower salaries just like they can raise salaries. But, what they can’t do is lower your salary without telling you in advance and you (the employee) must agree to it. Does this mean that if your boss says, “I’m cutting your pay” that you can say, “No thanks, I’ll continue at the higher rate of pay"?...

What Is Debt Counseling? Debt counseling, also called “credit counseling,” is provided by trained counselors who can help you create a budget, review your credit report and scores, and even create a debt management plan to pay off your debts over time. How Debt Counseling Works Credit counseling services match you with a credit counselor who can provide a personalized action plan to address your financial challenges and help you reach your goals....

For the 20 years ending December 31, 2019, the S&P 500 Index averaged 6.06% per year. The average equity fund investor earned a market return of only 4.25%. Why is this? Investor behavior is illogical and often based on emotion. That does not lead to wise long-term investing decisions. Here’s an overview of a few typical money-losing moves that average investors make. Buying High Studies show that when the stock market goes up, investors put more money in it....

Focusing on the Wrong Thing As a trader, your goal is to focus on the task at hand and not get caught up thinking about how big your account is or isn’t. In trading, your purpose is to execute the entry exactly as practiced, place your stop loss where it is supposed to be, and adjust it accordingly—if needed—and take profit when your trading plan dictates. As soon as you start thinking about money, your emotions get involved....

Your purpose, of course, is to make money on your trades. Unfortunately, the majority of beginning Forex traders lose money; they generally spend less than four months reaching the point where they have lost so much that they will close their trading account. It doesn’t mean that the Forex market is a scam, as some critics have maintained, but Forex scams do abound. Making money on highly leveraged currency trades is harder than it looks and, at a minimum, requires developing expertise that many novice traders fail to acquire....

I’ve lobbied for a raise with little success: First my manager told me they would “check the budget,” but then the pandemic came along and we were told pay increases were frozen until further notice. We’ve since started hiring more people, and people are getting pay bumps, except me. Every time I bring it up to my manager (and even her manager) I’ve been told to “wait my turn.” I’ve started hunting around for other opportunities and know I could get a substantial raise if I leave, but I really would love to stay at my current company....

To further complicate matters, most people do not look at financial compatibility when they start dating, so when it is time to combine finances, differences of opinions come out, tempers can flare, and there can even be the occasional shock about your partner’s spending habits or debt. If you want to sidestep these surprises after your honeymoon, then avoid these 10 financial mistakes as a newlywed. Sit down and talk about these things before you get married....

1) Be Passionate You don’t have to love whatever your business is about (and probably shouldn’t), but you do have to be fired up about it. You’re going to devote a lot of time and energy to starting a business and building it into a successful enterprise, so it’s really important that you truly deeply enjoy what you do, whether it be running fishing charters, creating pottery, or providing financial advice....

Let’s take a look at some first-time homebuyer tips and common pitfalls you’ll want to avoid so you’ll be well informed before your purchase. 1. Prepare Your Finances One of the most important tips for buying a home is that you must prepare your finances. Your new home is an investment, but a home loan is also an investment for your bank. It’s looking for low-risk customers for loans, so you’ll have to show financial stability....

The question is, what should your financial safety net cover? When putting together your money rescue plan, there are three tools to include that can all help play a vital role in protecting you and your family from life’s curve balls. Emergency Fund Your emergency fund is your go-to stash of liquid savings that you can access easily when an unexpected expense crops up. Financial advisors and experts often suggest having enough in emergency savings to cover your living expenses for at least six months in case you lose your job, become ill or can’t work or experience another emergency, like a natural disaster....

Buying a Car Takes a Backseat Buying a car was the top milestone to be delayed due to recent price increases, with 1 in 5 survey respondents saying they are planning to hold off on buying a car over the next year. Among those who were thinking of buying a car over the next year, 76% are now planning to delay or reconsidering. New cars have gotten less affordable due to continued supply shortages, with the average cost of a new car in the U....

Debt is the biggest taboo money topic, the survey found, turning off 25% of daters. Only discussions of marriage or children were more likely to squash your chances at a second date. For 36% of those surveyed, marriage talk was off limits on the first date, while 28% said conversations about children were a turnoff. The Balance surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18 to 40 who described themselves as dating or seeking partners....

There are plenty of advantages that come from this dynamic – you are passionate about your business, you work long hours and will do anything to get the job done, you are willing to make sacrifices for your work, you are loyal to your customers and clients. But there are also disadvantages – you rarely take breaks, you tend to lose your objectivity when talking about business matters, you do it all in your business and often have difficultly delegating and letting go....

Paying a collection agency often is painful because the product or service associated with the debt has long since been consumed. If you’re debating if you should pay a debt you owe, here are five benefits of getting the collections agency off your back for good. Paying the collection won’t automatically remove it from your credit report, but the money it costs to bring the balance to $0 might be well worth it if it that debt is what was standing between you and the need for a home or a car....

In the beginning, the number of steps involved can seem daunting. But if you break these five key steps down, you’ll be well on your way to a successful launch. 1. Talk it Out with Trusted Allies Once you have a business idea that you think has real potential, don’t keep it to yourself! Share it with trusted associates for their help in refining and perfecting your vision, especially if they’re within your target market as a potential customer for your business idea....

Your real estate agent can be a big help to you if you ask for advice. They have probably handled many closings just like yours and can refer companies and individuals who can help to make your move go more smoothly. An experienced agent will most likely be able to spot potentially troublesome situations and prevent problems from happening in the first place, too. Here are five things that you can do to make moving day a little less stressful....

Pay Your Bills on Time Each Month This is the number one thing you should do every single month to avoid bad credit. Payment history is the biggest factor affecting your credit score, so it’s no wonder that missing payments (by 30 days or more) can devastate your credit score. A single late payment can drop your credit score several points and consecutive late payments can lead to worse things like foreclosure, repossession, charge-offs, and collections....

Standard Property Management Fees Initial Setup Fee A property management company may charge an initial setup fee to establish your account with their company. However, not all companies charge an initial setup fee, but if they do, it is usually $500 or less. This fee could also include costs to inspect the condition of the property, as well as costs to notify tenants that they will be managing the property....

Two Approaches to Keeping Accounting Records The first thing to know is that accounting records come in two flavors: single-entry and double-entry. Each has its advantages; single-entry bookkeeping is simpler, as you might expect, and may be the appropriate system for a small business owner. Double-entry bookkeeping – again, no surprise – provides two journal entries for every transaction, a debit entry, and a credit entry. This is more complicated, but because these two entries must finally balance (hence:“balancing the books”), it gives you a way of catching errors and also makes frauds easier to catch....