Alternate names: Emerging economies, developing countries A few examples of emerging markets are Brazil, China, India, and Russia. How Emerging Markets Work There are five defining characteristics of an emerging market: These characteristics are found in emerging markets of all sizes. Low Income Spurs Rapid Growth The first defining characteristic of emerging markets is that they have lower-than-average per capita income. Low income is the first important criterion because this provides an incentive for the second characteristic, which is rapid growth....

While you’re job searching, check to see if you have any contacts at the companies where you’d like to apply. If you do, then perhaps your contact can help you get a job referral and get a reward from the company in return for their effort. What Are Employee Referral Programs? Employee referral programs are formal programs employers have instituted to encourage employees to refer candidates for jobs at the company....

Direct hires are among the most desirable types of positions. That’s because you’ll be working directly for your employer in a full-time permanent capacity with employee benefits. These benefits may include health insurance, paid leave, investment and retirement options, and wellness benefits. Direct-hire positions can be harder to find than other types of work, including part-time or temporary jobs and contract work. A CareerBuilder survey reported that 40% of employers planned on hiring full-time workers in 2019, compared to 47% for part-time and contract workers....

The project isn’t for the faint of heart. Building a house from the ground up is a different experience than buying and moving into an existing home. Before jumping into the new construction market, learn what you need to know about the pros and cons, financing options, and timelines—plus how much new construction costs. Pros and Cons of Building Your First Home Pros Explained Ability to customize according to your lifestyle and needs: Designing your house from the foundation to the roof allows you to create a space that works for you, rather than working from someone else’s preferences....

This doesn’t occur right away, however. The government taxing authority should send you several notices and bills for the taxes due before finally filing a tax lien against your property as a last resort. How To Prevent a Tax Lien You can prevent the IRS from filing a federal tax lien against you if you’re able to pay the tax in full before the lien is filed. You can also prevent a lien by setting up a payment plan or installment agreement with the IRS if you’re unable to do pay the tax debt in full in a single lump sum....

You should receive a letter from the IRS telling you that this has happened. It will tell you how much you owe. Example of a Substitute Return Suppose you’re a self-employed graphic designer. You work for various companies as an independent contractor. These firms send you copies of 1099-NEC forms each year to report the income they’ve paid to you. They send the originals to the IRS. You neglected to file your 2019 and 2020 tax returns....

Many people don’t want to pay collection agencies, perhaps because there’s no immediate benefit for paying off the debt—other than ending debt collection calls. However, before you decide to not pay off a debt in collection, make sure you know the consequences of ditching the outstanding balance. Credit Report Impacts Debt collectors report accounts to the credit bureaus, a move that can impact your credit score for several months, if not years....

Some debt may outlive the person who signed up for it, but that doesn’t mean that loved ones are responsible for paying off the balance. If you have debt that you’re worried about passing on, or a loved one has died and you’re settling affairs, here’s what you need to know. What Happens to Your Debt When You Die? In general, money from a person’s estate goes toward paying off their debt, and surviving relatives aren’t personally liable, although there are some exceptions....

When your application is denied, the creditor is required to send a letter letting you know the reason or reasons you were denied, and insufficient credit references will be listed on the letter if that is one of the reasons. This adverse action notice should come in the mail a week to 10 days after your application is denied. Denied Because of Insufficient Credit References There are many different reasons you could be denied, one of them being “insufficient number of credit references....

Market regulators adopted circuit breakers in 1988 in response to the 1987 stock market crash, in an effort to create a cool-down period during times of extreme market volatility. Most recently triggered in March 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, these regulatory safety features help prevent panic selling and allow investors the time to better understand what’s happening with the market. What Is a Circuit Breaker? A circuit breaker is a regulatory safety net that halts trading anytime S&P 500 losses reach a certain threshold....

What Are Citi Flex Plans? The Citi Flex Plan is a credit card feature that allows some Citi cardholders to leverage their line of credit in two ways: Citi Flex Pay lets you make a credit card purchase, and then pay it back over a period of time with a fixed rate.Citi Flex Loan allows you to borrow from your card’s available credit and repay it using a fixed monthly payment....

Alternate name: Condo fee, HOA fee, HOA dues For example, condo homeowner associations can specify the design, color, and finishes that are required on the exterior of the home. They can dictate what landscaping must go in, what animals can be kept on the property, and even what color your curtains must be. Condo homeowners should take into consideration the CC&Rs when shopping for a home, as they go hand-in-hand with condominium fees....

Credit card issuers are different from payment processing networks like Visa and MasterCard. Networks authorize and process transactions, set the terms of transactions, and help facilitate payments among merchants, credit card issuers, and cardholders. American Express and Discover act as both credit card issuers and the payment processing networks for their credit cards. The top U.S. credit card issuers in 2020 were: The name of the bank or credit union that issues a credit card often is on the front of the card, along with the logo for the affiliated network, such as Visa or Mastercard....

One recent example of an FPO occurred in April 2021 when the company Upstart Holdings, Inc. filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company announced it was offering an additional 2,000,000 shares of common stock in a public offering, as well as an additional 300,000 as an optional purchase for the underwriters. Before the FPO, Upstart had roughly 73.63 million shares outstanding. Because the company increased its outstanding shares by a relatively small number compared to the total number of shares outstanding, it wouldn’t have had a significant impact on each shareholder’s stake in the company....

You might take out a second mortgage to tap your home’s equity, or it may be necessary to get a junior piggyback mortgage to avoid private mortgage insurance when you’re purchasing a home. But it’s important to understand the financial considerations involved before you take out a junior loan. Definition and Examples of a Junior Mortgage A junior mortgage is a second mortgage loan that you take out against your home’s equity using the property as collateral....

Let’s look at how insurance coverage can lapse, the consequences you could face, and how to prevent or resolve a lapse. What Is an Insurance Lapse? An insurance lapse is the period where you didn’t have insurance because your policy ended and you didn’t have new coverage to replace it. This can happen for reasons including: You miss a premium payment. The premium payment wasn’t received by the due date....

Alternative name: Pay-as-you-go card How Does a Prepaid Debit Card Work? You can get prepaid debit cards from a bank or credit card company. You may even be able to buy them over the counter at a store. Prepaid cards are reloadable, so you can add money to them whenever you need to replenish the funds. Adding Funds to Your Card Some cards come with funds on them. You buy a card with a set value, and that’s how much money comes with the card....

Stablecoins are typically linked to major exchanges or cryptocurrency projects. For example, crypto exchange Coinbase helped found USD Coin, and Binance, another exchange, helped launch USD coin. Other stablecoins track the price of currencies like the euro and even the price of gold. How Do Stablecoins Work? You can buy, sell, and hold stablecoins like any other cryptocurrency using a crypto exchange or a cryptocurrency wallet. Whenever you make a transaction, it’s recorded on a public ledger known as a “blockchain....

How Does a Stock Split Work? Publicly traded companies, including multi-billion dollar blue-chip stocks may do this. The firms grow in value due to acquisitions, new product launches, or share repurchases. At some point, the quoted market value of the stock becomes too expensive for investors to afford, which begins to influence the market liquidity as there are fewer and fewer people capable of buying a share. Suppose publicly traded Company XYZ announces a two-for-one stock split....

Credit unions and banks offer several savings account options that can work for your wedding fund. For example, America First Credit Union offers money market and share savings accounts that allow you, your future spouse, and loved ones to contribute money for the wedding. The bank also provides announcement cards for guests. How Does a Wedding Savings Account Work? Having a designated wedding account can help reduce the risk that you’ll withdraw funds for other purposes....