Even if you can’t get the collector to agree to accept a lower payment, you may be able to work out an arrangement to pay off the debt in installments. Knowing how to negotiate with debt collectors will help you work out a payment solution that helps you take care of the debt collection account for good. 1. Understand How Debt Collectors Work Debt collections can happen to even the most financially responsible consumers....

This series focuses on four personal finance goals: blowing up (and improving) your budget, refueling your saving strategy, investing in your future, and attacking debt. Each goal topic is broken down into four or five simple articles that you can read and act on in a couple of hours or less. Money is personal, so feel free to pick and choose which actions to take from this series. Even the smallest tasks can have a positive effect on your money....

Mutual funds offer a way for a group of people to pool their money so they can invest in a wider range of securities and have their money managed through the purchase of one fund share. When you buy a fund share, you’re buying stocks, bonds, and other securities that are held within the fund. A fund passes along its profits (and losses) to people who invest in it. If it does well, you’ll do well....

You might also want to show appreciation for something unrelated to your job search. For example, you might wish to demonstrate appreciation for an employee who has made a contribution to a team, a boss who has provided you with guidance, or a supervisor who recommended you for a promotion. Perhaps you’d like to thank a colleague or client for an introduction or a referral. Why Send an Appreciation Letter In an age of text messaging and “instant communications,” writing thank-you notes and business letters is becoming a lost art....

The more you spend, the more rewards you earn. However, always spend within your means and remember that cash back can never outperform credit card interest rates. If your goal is earning more rewards (and it should be!), you need to cover as many purchases and bills with a credit card as you can. Your daily, weekly, and monthly charges will lead to more points, miles, or money in your favorite rewards account....

In addition to a low initial APR, balance transfers may come with other favorable terms like no late fees or a payment due date of your choice. In some cases, the card will also come with balance transfer checks. While you can put the proceeds from these checks toward other loans (auto loans, for example), the check amounts will be added to the balance of your card at the introductory APR....

Nearly every small town in the U.S. has a bank with a trust department. You can use trust funds to build great wealth, even if you start small. If you’ve been thinking about creating a trust fund for your family’s future, or think you might want to one day, you’ll want to learn about how banks handle these tools. Bank Trust Departments in Brief Bank trust departments are among the oldest and most well-founded areas of traditional banking....

At its core, the concept of insurance is very basic. When you have something to lose, and you can’t afford to pay for a loss yourself, you pay for insurance. By paying money every month for it, you receive the peace of mind that if something goes wrong, the insurance company will pay for the things you need to make life like it was before your loss. What Is Personal Insurance?...

Although rates will be less than a 30-year mortgage, your payment will likely be higher. However, if you’re able to afford a higher payment, you’ll benefit from paying less interest over the life of the loan, and you’ll pay off your mortgage 10 years sooner. The best 20-year mortgages come with low APRs and are available to people with a variety of credit scores. The Best 20-Year Mortgage Rates Today If you’ve had a 30-year mortgage with a higher interest rate for a few years and refinance it into a 20-year mortgage, your payment might not even increase....

Psychology majors typically develop a keen understanding of human behavior, motivations, emotions, and thought patterns. Most psychology majors have strong verbal, writing, and presentation skills. They have the ability to read people and interact in effective and strategic ways. Most colleges now take a scientific approach to psychology, so majors learn how to apply the scientific method to assess variables. They can use quantitative skills and software to analyze data....

Best Mutual Fund Research Websites to Analyze and Compare Funds The best mutual fund research websites will share similar qualities, features and benefits. These research sites should provide detailed information about mutual funds, including performance history, expenses, investment objective, risk attributes, manager bio, and more. Each mutual fund research site has its distinguishing services and tools. Therefore it’s wise to sample each one to see which site fits your needs. Here are the best mutual fund research sites:...

Democrats in Congress have already introduced legislation to enact a federal gas tax holiday through the end of the year, but so far neither the Senate nor the House bills have drawn support from Republicans. The move to drop gas taxes is one that a handful of states—including Maryland, Georgia, Connecticut, New York, and Florida—have already tried at the state level this year. While a federal gas tax holiday would likely result in some savings for drivers, it would also directly impact highway funding through lost tax revenue, critics say....

Each agreement covers five areas. First, it eliminates tariffs and other trade taxes. This gives companies within both countries a price advantage. It works best when each country specializes in different industries. Second, countries agree not to dump products at a cheap cost. Their companies might do that to gain unfair market share. They drop prices below what something would sell for at home or even its cost to produce....

The ease and cost of borrowing depend on the type of property you’re buying: Land that you intend to build on soonRaw land that you don’t expect to develop Land loans can be relatively short term loans, lasting two to five years before the balloon payment is due. However, longer-term loans exist (or you can convert to a long-term loan), especially if you’re building a residential home on the property....

But its growth rate slowed from 7.5% in 2010 to -3.5% in 2015. It recovered with a 1.3% growth in 2018, but fell to -5.8% in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund. Brazil also has stagflation. Inflation was 8.7% in 2016, although it has since slowed to 3.7% in 2019 and 2.7% in 2020. What happened? Brazil’s Future Is Conservative In 2018, frustration with the liberal government led to the election of conservative Jair Bolsonaro as president....

1. The No Money Barrier Having enough money to start a business is one of the biggest reasons many entrepreneurs give up their dreams of business ownership. Forget the fancy office, the cool office chair, and those glossy four-color brochures, and create a successful business by bootstrapping it in the beginning. It doesn’t take big dollars to start a small business; you can get started with virtually no money. 2. No Time to Start a Business Lack of time is a challenge for just about everyone in today’s high-pressure world, not just entrepreneurs....

Some purchases, especially those of a smaller amount, can be expensed, while other purchases, usually equipment, must be depreciated (spread out over time). Equipment and Supplies for Business Use Only First, note that these purchases are for business purposes only, not for personal use. Supplies, such as printer paper, cannot be used for personal purposes. While this doesn’t seem like an important distinction, an IRS audit might find these purchases non-deductible if you can’t prove their use as a business expense....

It’s possible to change your structure at a later date, but it can be a difficult and expensive process. It’s best to make the right decision in the first place, but you have to understand how each structure works in order to do that. These are the basic forms of business ownership available to you in the United States. Choosing a Business Structure There are many choices and factors to consider when you’re setting up the structure of your business....

Gains and losses that are realized in the course of doing business and the sale of non-capital assets are typically ordinary. Those that result from selling or exchanging a capital asset are generally considered capital gains and capital losses. Different rules and tax rates apply to each type of gain and loss. What Are Non-Capital and Capital Assets? Ordinary gains and losses come from the sale or transfer of non-capital assets....

Forewarned is forearmed, so take some steps to protect yourself and to make the process a more pleasant experience with a happy ending. Consider Hiring an Agent You don’t have to use a real estate agent to buy new construction, but you can. And you’ll likely encounter a sales agent when you visit a model home or meet with a home builder, someone who’s been hired by the builder to sell properties in that community....