Your agent’s phone habits don’t have to derail an otherwise productive relationship if you know and establish the ground rules upfront. Start on the Right Foot You should have ample time at your first meeting to voice all your concerns and ask your prospective agent numerous questions. Take advantage so you won’t have to make a phone call or otherwise reach out each time you’re confused by something if you decide to work together....

For many people, a chronological resume will not be the best choice. Perhaps your career path has taken a few zigs and zags. Maybe your most impressive skills would wind up buried toward the bottom of the page where busy hiring managers might not see them. A functional resume format would be a better choice in this case—unless employers request a work history as well. A combination resume lets you highlight the qualifications that will make the best impression on recruiters and employers, while still including your work history....

Here are some tips for writing your high school resume. Take Inventory Start by thinking through what information you want to include on your resume. Take some time to write a list of any awards, accomplishments, and extracurricular activities you engage in. Do you want to get a specific job, or are you looking to highlight your work for a college application? Once you have a sense of the information you wish to include in your resume, review the various parts of a resume, resume skills for high schoolers, and tips for writing your first resume as a high school student....

Recent industry data suggests that supply chains that had been fouled up during the pandemic have been improving. For example, the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, a measure of disruptions in shipping and manufacturing by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has fallen more than three quarters since its worst reading in December 2021. Those supply chain-related cost savings should eventually work their way through the economy to the prices we see on store shelves, economists say....

The effect depends on the type of inflation. For example, walking inflation is 3% to 10% per year. Creeping inflation is milder than walking inflation while running inflation implies a more aggressive rise in prices that could be a precursor to hyperinflation. Rising prices may be an indication of an economy growing very fast. People buy more than they need to avoid tomorrow’s higher prices, which fuels the demand for goods and services....

Intergovernmental vs. Public Debt The intragovernmental debt is what the government owes the Social Security Trust Fund and other federal agencies. It’s not part of the public debt and it doesn’t impact the interest on that debt. It’s money the government owes itself. The debt held by the public—$24.29 trillion as of October 2022—is held in the form of Treasury bills, notes, and bonds, as well as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), savings bonds, and other securities....

What is Work Philosphy? Your work philosophy is the approach you adopt in your work. It shows your potential employer whether or not you will fit in with the style or culture of the company. Interviewers ask these types of questions to build up a picture of your values and to determine whether your philosophy is consistent with the orientation of their organization. Determining Your Work Philosophy Don’t be daunted trying to define yourself....

Also, note that organizations look for employees who are plugged in to the latest trends impacting their field and eager to keep pace with changes in technology and best practices. They also recognize that no employee is perfect and look for evidence of self-awareness and a willingness to address any weaknesses. Keep this information in mind when creating or updating your professional development plan so you are well-prepared to answer questions at your job interview....

Difference Between Invoices and Receipts Both invoices and receipts are used to record the sale of goods or services between a business and its customers, however, the two key differences between the two is when they are generated and how they are accounted for. An invoice is a detailed document that itemizes products and services and calculates what a customer owes you for time, work, and materials. For example, if you’re a graphic designer who created a graphic for a client, you’d invoice them for the time it took you to create the graphic....

One option is to form an irrevocable life insurance trust, also known as an “ILIT,” to take ownership of the policy. What Is an ILIT? An ILIT is a type of living trust that’s specifically set up to own a life insurance policy. You can transfer ownership of an existing policy to the ILIT after it’s been formed, or the trust can purchase the policy directly. You can’t serve as trustee of the trust, however....

Married filing separately is a tax status for couples in which each person submits a tax return on their own, with their own income, deductions, and exemptions. There are generally more benefits when couples file as married filing jointly. But filing separately may make sense in some cases. Understand the ins and outs of this tax status to know if it’s right for you. What Is the Married-Filing-Separately Status? Married filing separately is a tax status that you can choose to file if you do not want to be responsible for any of your spouse’s income or taxes....

But you must itemize to claim the deduction, and itemizing isn’t always in everyone’s best interests after the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The TCJA more or less doubled the standard deduction beginning in 2018 through 2025. It would take a good many itemized deductions to surpass your standard deduction and make itemizing worth it. You Can’t Deduct the Whole Registration Fee Registration fees are based on a few factors in most states, including your vehicle’s weight, age, and value....

As part of a sweeping set of initiatives planned over the next five years, JPMorgan said it would increase homeownership, make housing more affordable, and improve access to banking services. Loans, equity investments and direct funding will also be put toward small businesses, improving workforce diversity and increasing philanthropy in underserved communities of color, the bank said in a statement. JPMorgan joined a growing chorus of the corporate world making financial commitments to help reduce the racial wealth gap....

Retail sales in July fell 1.1% from the month before, according to seasonally adjusted data released Tuesday by the Census Bureau. The drop was larger than the 0.2% decrease economists expected. Consumers moved away from buying items that were staples earlier in the pandemic, purchasing less furniture, clothing, and sporting goods. Retail sales nonetheless have soared to record levels during the pandemic. Even with July’s decrease, sales are still above levels seen before the pandemic shut down the economy—17....

Disinflation doesn’t refer to the direction of prices (as inflation and deflation do). It refers to the rate of change: It’s a slowdown in the rate of inflation. For example, deflation would be an inflation rate of -1 percent, while disinflation would be a change in the inflation rate from 3 percent one year to 2 percent in the next. Disinflation Disinflation is a much more common condition than deflation, and even though it means inflation is slowing, the inflation rate still remains positive....

While both types of stocks represent an ownership share in a business, the contrasting size of the companies that issue them means they can act very differently in your portfolio. What’s the Difference Between Large-Cap Stocks and Small-Cap Stocks? While there isn’t a single set definition, large-cap stocks generally are issued by any company worth $10 billion or more, while small-cap stocks come from those worth between $250 million and $2 billion....

The chart below shows two APR scenarios—15% and 20%—which are common fees when opening a credit card. Check Your Credit Card Statements First, gather your credit card statements together. It’s important to know your credit history, payment schedule, and other important details before calling your credit card company and asking for a reduced rate. Note your current interest rate so you can negotiate, and you may also want to compare your rate to that of average credit card rates to see where you stand....

Even with the federal government suspending payments for the vast majority of student loan borrowers through the end of the year, only 46% of people born between 1981 and 1996 said their debt was “probably” or “definitely” worth it given their current financial situation, according to a survey taken in September and released this week by the research firm Morning Consult. That’s down from 56% of millennials who answered the same way when asked the question in March 2019....

For parents, guardians, or even educators, these milestones create opportunities to talk openly and honestly about money. Your discussions of topics such as car insurance, saving money, or student loans can help launch broader conversations about money. If you’re not used to or comfortable talking about money, that’s OK. To give everyone a place to begin—no matter your financial situation or educational background—The Balance created this collection of resources focused on four key teenage money moments: bringing home their first paycheck, beginning to drive, getting ready for college, and starting to build credit....

MoneyGram has been slow to transmit funds in a timely manner, holding up the transfers “unnecessarily,” while also failing to accurately disclose how long the transfers would take, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and New York Attorney General Letitia James charged in a civil lawsuit Thursday. MoneyGram also failed to train its employees in dispute resolution and neglected to put policies in place that would help it comply with money-transfer laws, the suit said....