Type of Stocks Stocks can either be classified as common or preferred, with the former representing the majority of stock held by the public. Owners of common stock have voting rights and the right to dividend payouts, but there is one major drawback: If a company is forced to liquidate or go bankrupt, common shareholders are last in line when it comes to payouts. Preferred shareholders and bondholders must be paid out in full before common shareholders can begin receiving payments....

When you resign from your job via email, it’s important to use a subject line that is very clear. That will help guarantee that your manager or supervisor opens your note. You don’t want to send an email announcing your resignation that ends up in a spam folder or not getting read. In an ideal world, you would send a resignation email two weeks before your planned last day with the company....

Families making under $50,000 plan to cut their holiday spending by 22% on average, paring back to $536 from $688 the year before, according to a survey by consulting firm Deloitte published Wednesday. What’s more, some 11.5% of households—nearly two-thirds of whom (65%) have lower incomes—plan to spend nothing at all, up from 4.9% the year before. Meanwhile, middle- and higher-income households—those making $50,000 and up—plan to increase their spending....

Section 529 plans are IRS-sanctioned accounts that offer tax advantages for educational saving, and allow families to begin contributing to a child’s college fund as soon as a baby is born. Such accounts grow free of taxation and can receive contributions from parents, family members, and friends up to a certain dollar amount each year. All withdrawals used for qualified educational expenses are also exempt from federal income tax, and many states have begun waiving their taxes, as well....

You can purchase a seat cushion to do the job at a fraction of the cost of a new, therapeutic chair. Don’t know where to start? It’s OK, we did the research for you and found the best seat cushions to buy today. Even better, most of these cushions also help soothe already-existing aches and pains that came about after months or even years of slouching and leaning. Keep reading for the best seat cushions to consider....

What Is Umbrella Insurance? Umbrella insurance provides an added layer of liability coverage that applies when the limits on your underlying policies have been used up in the payment of damages. A personal umbrella applies after the liability limits on the insured’s homeowners, personal auto, and boat policies have been reduced or exhausted. A commercial umbrella pays claims after the limits on the insured’s general liability, business auto, and employers liability insurance have been reduced or depleted....

Four-Day Workweek The standard full-time workweek for Americans is eight hours per day, five days a week. When you switch to a four-day workweek, you still work 40 hours, but you work 10 hours per day for four days. You do not have to have everyone on the staff work a four-day week; you can decide based on employee wants and your business needs. The extra day off doesn’t have to be a Monday or Friday so that the employee gets a three-day weekend—although your employees may prefer this schedule over others....

Someone who is self-employed generally works for themselves as a business owner, freelancer, or as an independent contractor for another company. Earnings are usually directly from the business or freelancing, instead of salary or commission-based reimbursement. Learn about the differences between being an employee and being self-employed, including the impact on taxes, unemployment, health insurance, and other benefits. Self-Employed Definition The Internal Revenue Service defines an individual as being self-employed, for tax purposes, if:...

Background information for readers who are new to the concept of using the Greeks to measure risk. Find Your Comfort Zone The best long-term solution for an options trader is to discover your individual comfort zone. If you decide to take the chance of owning negative Gamma positions, then the best method to avert risk is to own positions with limited risk. In other words, for every option sold, buy another less expensive option of the same type (call or put)....

This is complicated enough when building a portfolio through a regular brokerage account, but the complexity is compounded when you invest in tax-deferred retirement plans like Roth IRAs because of their unique tax and regulatory restrictions. To successfully navigate the international waters, there some pitfalls to be aware of before you invest in foreign dividend stock through a Roth IRA. Taxes Can Diminish Roth IRA Dividend Yields Foreign governments generally require U....

Challenges of Living Without Credit Not using credit means that you won’t have a credit history, which means you will have a low credit score. That can make it more difficult to buy things, and re-entering the world where credit scores matter can be painful if your plans change, because it takes time to build a good one. One of the biggest challenges of the debt-free lifestyle is paying for everything with cash....

Texting and the Hiring Process In addition to conversations with recruiters, text job interviews are becoming more commonplace. Some companies even handle the entire process through text messaging. Christian Mairoll, CEO of Emsisoft, says, “We’ve been a fully-remote company for years and, during that time, have always interviewed via text. No face-to-face meetings or even voice calls. Text-only. And we find this to be enormously beneficial. As almost all our communication is via Slack, written communication skills are far more important than verbal skills....

The average rate offered to homebuyers using a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.51% from 5.87% the previous business day, falling from its highest point since at least 2019 and undoing much of the previous day’s jump from 5.41%. The average 15-year rate rose to 5.02% from 4.66% the previous business day, touching a new high since at least 2019. (Our daily mortgage rate data only goes back to April 2021, but our data on yearly highs and lows date back to 2020, so we know the latest peaks were higher than the 2020 highs....

The average rate offered to homebuyers using a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage—the most popular type of home loan—fell to 3.50% from 3.57% the previous business day, when it matched the 2021 high reached in November. The average for a 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 2.56% from 2.61% the previous business day. Fixed mortgage rates tend to track the direction of 10-year Treasury yields, which usually rise with heightened inflation fears (and fall when those fears subside....

The average rate offered for a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage spiked again to 6.72% from 6.51% the previous business day, and is now over 1 percentage point higher than it was at the beginning of June. The average 15-year rate jumped to 5.46% from 5.36% the previous business day. Our mortgage rate data only dates back to 2020, but if other measures are any indicator, both may be at their highest levels in over a decade....

The average on a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.88% from 6.13% the previous business day. Last month it reached 6.19%, its highest point since at least 2019, and likely much farther back. (Our daily mortgage rate data only goes back to April 2021, but our data on yearly highs and lows dates back to 2020, so we know rates weren’t higher in 2020, and if other measures are any indicator, may have hit their highest point in over a decade....

What’s most important is to find a job that’s a good fit for where you are in your career, and where you are heading in the future. Job searching can be hard work. It’s not just a question of finding a job—any job. It’s important to find the right job, a job that is an excellent fit for you now and for the future, either as a stepping stone for your career or as an opportunity you’ll be comfortable with for the long haul....

Learn what makes a business a turnkey business, along with some advantages and disadvantages that come with them. What Is a Turnkey Business? The phrase “turnkey business” refers to a business that requires little-to-no effort to open. A business model (hopefully a successful model) is already in place, and the products and services have been defined, so the startup phase is complete. The idea is that a good business manager can buy a turnkey business and keep it running smoothly—and profitably—with little effort....

Whether inadvertent omissions, inadvertent duplicates, or something more complex, accounting errors made by bookkeepers are important to spot and correct. Common Errors in Small Business Accounting Accounting errors in your small business are often simple bookkeeping mistakes that are of little consequence to your business. Some may not even affect your financial statements at all. Other types of errors, however, can indeed have an impact on your financial statements and even your decision-making as a business owner....

What the State Department Does The State Department manages relationships with 180 out of the 191 countries with which the United States maintains diplomatic relations. It maintains 270 embassies, consulates, and missions around the world. It employs over 13,000 workers. Of these, over 9,000 Foreign Service workers live abroad as U.S. emissaries and ambassadors. The embassies employ 45,000 local workers. They represent America’s interests and assist U.S. travelers in those countries....