Property passes to heirs-at-law in a process known as “intestate succession” when someone dies without a will. In most states, this means his spouse or direct descendants inherit first. Direct descendants include his children or grandchildren. Parents and more distant family members, such as siblings, would only inherit if the decedent weren’t married and left no living children or grandchildren. If a decedent were survived by three children, but only two were provided for in his will, the third child should have legal standing to file a will contest, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she would win the case....

A Bank’s Foreclosure Strategy When a bank-owned home comes on the market as a foreclosure home, it can attract many buyers if it’s priced attractively. Say, for example, the bank wants to sell the foreclosure for $250,000. The bank might price that home at $240,000, hoping that buyers will easily see the home is priced far less than it is worth and be drawn like moths to a flame. Underpricing is one way a bank can get multiple offers for a foreclosure home....

How Much Does College Cost? Attending college is a much pricier prospect today than it was in decades past. However, the amount you have to spend on college varies widely depending on what type of institution you attend. For instance, two-year community colleges offer much lower tuition and fees per year than a four-year university. Out-of-state students will pay even more, while private universities tend to charge the highest rates overall....

Nonprofit organizations struggled under the same circumstances. Charities often faced increased demand, while attempting to fundraise in uncertain times. A gala might be planned, then cancelled as cases rose; arts nonprofits suffered cancelled performance dates; staff or volunteers faced concerns over illness. Inconsistent giving complicated matters, according to various local and national reports. In the past two years, certain sectors suffered more, including small nonprofits, arts-based nonprofits, and urban-based nonprofits....

Effects of Market Crashes A crash signals a massive loss of confidence in the economy, and when that confidence is not restored, it leads to a recession. A crash also frightens consumers into buying less. That’s a huge hit to the economy since consumer spending is the largest component (70%) of gross domestic product (GDP). Lastly, a declining U.S stock market slows global economic growth. First, it will cause the other stock indexes to decline, although a recession might not follow a crash right away....

Apps for Tracking Expenses The first challenge in taxes is wrangling all the receipts and expenses. These apps help you track this data for easy sorting and report creation at tax time. Several options allow you to scan receipts for easy data input. Don’t forget to track any expense you have related to these apps, as those are tax-deductible business expenses. Expensify Available for both iOS and Android—free and paid versionsTrack and report expenses, including travelUse SmartScan to input your receipt informationCreate expense reportsReimburse cash expenses...

Operating Expenses Restaurants may deduct most business expenses, as long as they are “ordinary and necessary” for your business situation. Ordinary expenses are common and accepted in the restaurant industry, like expenses for kitchen supplies. Necessary expenses are helpful and appropriate for your restaurant, like expenses to promote your business to get new customers. Here are some typical deductions for restaurant operating expenses. Advertising Expenses You may have been doing a lot more advertising to drive business, and you can deduct those advertising expenses, which include signage, social media advertising, and promotions....

The N-11 include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, and Vietnam. Most of the group’s total gross domestic product (GDP) comes from Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey, whose economies have grown significantly over the past few years. Next Eleven Growth Prospects Investors are interested in the Next Eleven, all of which have economies with significant 21st-century economic growth. These rates have generally risen all across the group, despite the 2008 economic crisis, while dispersion in growth remains at relatively low levels, suggesting that the countries’ economic performance is stable....

kate_sept2004 About 23 million children, mostly in low-income families, would benefit if the government removed restrictions on who is eligible for the $2,000 Child Tax Credit, a new study has found. The tax break is intended to help families bear the costs of having children, but it is laden with provisions that reduce the ability of low-income households to claim the credit, mostly hurting Black and Hispanic families. Currently, about 6....

Budgeting takes work, especially in the first few months. You’re still getting organized, adjusting to any potential lifestyle changes, and simply getting used to the idea of being on a budget. These five budgeting backs can help and just may give you the push you need to stick to a budget once and for all. Some other common areas for overspending include groceries and entertainment money. If you want to look at how you spent the money within these categories, keep the receipts....

Get Out of Debt One of the most important things you can do is to work on paying down your debt, especially your credit card debt. This will help to improve your credit score and can affect the mortgage you will qualify for. It may seem like an unnecessary step, but paying off debt means that you will not need to stress as much about finances when you do buy, and everything will be easier....

On top of that, collaboration can increase interest and enjoyment in your work. If you are not convinced that collaboration is really worth the time and effort, here are five reasons you should care about collaboration in your small business. 1. Collaboration Will Inspire You It is easy to get into a routine during the day-to-day operations of your business and forget that there may be a better way to do something, different techniques to try, and new tools that can save you time and money....

To many, creating an online presence may just sound too complicated or too risky. But there are many good reasons to begin selling (and running your business) online. 9 Reasons You Should Start Doing Business Online While in many cases, the steps for setting up an online presence for a brick-and-mortar company are very similar to those if you wanted to start an online business, there are some things that make an online presence for a brick-and-mortar business unique....

Estate Planning During Uncertain Times Many people don’t think about planning for their eventual demise until triggered by an outside influence, such as a global pandemic or natural disaster. Planning for your estate requires official, legally recognized documentation to be prepared and notarized to verify its authenticity of origination. Notaries must be able to witness signatures for them to validate that documents are actual. Problems arise when there are times when you cannot get to a notary....

When writing an academic CV, make sure you know what sections to include and how to structure your document. Tips for Writing an Academic CV Think about length. Unlike resumes (and even some other CVs), academic CVs can be any length. This is because you need to include all of your relevant publications, conferences, fellowships, etc. Of course, if you are applying to a particular job, check to see if the job listing includes any information on a page limit for your CV....

It involves paying attention to the conversation, not interrupting, and taking the time to understand what the speaker is discussing. The “active” element involves taking steps to draw out details that might not otherwise be shared. Active listening is a helpful skill for any worker to develop. It helps you truly understand what people are saying in conversations and meetings (and not just what you want to hear, or think you hear)....

What the Interviewer Wants to Know Why do interviewers so often inquire about weaknesses? There are a few reasons. For one thing, you might identify something as a weakness that’s key to the role. That’s information that’s valuable to a potential employer. Plus, this question is a tricky one, so it can also show interviewers how you respond to challenging situations. Your answer also reveals if you have self-awareness. Finally, the way you respond can show if you just accept a weakness as a given, or if you’re working to improve in that area....

Active vs. Passive Funds Core bond funds can either be active, which means that the managers frequently change the portfolio’s makeup to capture opportunities or avoid risk, or passive, which means they track an index. An essential difference between the two is that active managers attempt to achieve better than average market results, while passive funds try to match the return of the corresponding index—that is, to do no worse (or better) than the average....

Financial Strength AM Best insurance rating organization rates Allstate Insurance with an “A+ Superior” rating as of July 2021. The company is also a Fortune 500 company and has annual revenue of $50.6 billion in 2021. Customer Service Ratings According to customer surveys by Insure.com, customers gave Allstate a five-star rating. Of the Allstate customers surveyed, 90% would recommend Allstate. Allstate was given an overall satisfaction rating of four stars. The highest ratings was for customer service (4 out of 5 stars)....

Are we heading into a recession? It depends on whom you ask—some economists think a recession sometime in the next couple of years is pretty certain, while others think it’s much less likely. Many opinions are somewhere in between, putting the chances at around 30% in some cases. Here are their arguments. In the first camp are those who think the Federal Reserve’s inflation-fighting campaign is what will send the economy into a recession....