Example Harry owns Happy HVAC Supplies, a company that sells heating and air conditioning equipment. Harry’s company owns several trucks that it uses to deliver equipment to customers. The trucks are insured for liability under a business auto policy that lists Happy HVAC Supplies as the named insured. One day, Harry asks Bill, a Happy HVAC employee, to deliver an air conditioner to a customer named Fred. Bill loads the air conditioner onto a company truck and drives to Fred’s business location....

1. Simple: Mutual Funds Are Easy to Understand Because they are easy, you can invest and succeed with mutual funds, no matter your skill level. They require no background in economics, financial statements, or financial markets. For beginners, here is a simple definition of mutual fund: A mutual fund is a security type that lets investors pool their money into one professionally managed investment. Mutual funds can invest in stocks, bonds, cash and/or other assets....

Find out how target date funds work and you’ll know whether they’re smart investment choices for you. What Are Target Date Funds? Target date funds are often mutual funds that invest in an asset mix of stocks, bonds, and other investments. What makes these funds unique, compared to other balanced funds, is that the asset allocation gradually shifts over time in a way that is appropriate for investors retiring during a certain target year or decade....

Benefits of Mutual Funds By the time many people reach the age of 30, they have either started investing for retirement or are seriously thinking about it. There is no one-size-fits-all investment strategy for anyone, but there is no doubt that mutual funds are one of the best investment types for savers of all kinds. Here are some of the reasons mutual funds can be best for middle-aged investors: Simplicity: Investors in their 30s and 40s typically don’t have large nest eggs or complex financial needs yet....

The BlockFi Bitcoin Rewards Credit Card, available next year, will function much like a traditional cash-back rewards card. Once approved, cardholders will have a credit limit they can spend against to earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase, all in U.S. dollars. Then, unlike typical credit cards, BlockFi will convert that cash back into Bitcoin and place it in the cardholders’ BlockFi Interest Accounts each month. Those accounts are like high-interest savings accounts for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies....

The reference you write may recommend the business to other clients or, in general, provide an endorsement of a contact for business purposes. It’s important to be honest in your assessment of the company’s offerings: Don’t agree to write one if you haven’t had a good experience with the company. Instead, gracefully decline to provide a reference if you don’t feel that you can provide a strong recommendation. What to Include in a Business Reference Letter A reference letter can be sent via post or email and should maintain a professional appearance, tone, and formatting....

In fact, one Bitcoin is worth less than half its all-time high of almost $69,000, reached in November 2021, and it slipped below $30,000 at one point on Tuesday before bouncing back up a bit. Ethereum, the second-most popular digital coin, has declined 17.5% since the Super Bowl. Many other digital coin prices have plunged too, falling prey to a general collapse in tech investment and a rise in the value of the dollar, as well as increased investor aversion to risky assets, economists said....

The CCC time is dependent upon how a company finances its purchases, how it allows customers to pay (credit and the collection period), and how long it takes to collect. A lower CCC is an indicator of a faster inventory-to-sales process. A higher CCC indicates a slower process. A low CCC is generally accepted as more desirable, although this depends on your business, industry, and capabilities. Elements of the Cash Conversion Cycle Calculating the CCC may seem intimidating at first, but once you understand the elements involved in the calculation, it isn’t as confusing....

Before you turn in your resignation, learn what your employer can and can’t do when you resign—and how to protect yourself if you’re asked to leave. When Can a Company Fire You After You Give Notice? In most cases, an employer can fire you and stop paying you immediately after you give notice. That’s because most U.S. workers are employed at will. This means that the company can terminate your employment at any time, for any reason—or no reason at all—provided that they’re not discriminating against you....

A lot of factors dictate whether your business will be successful or not. Some, such as the economic environment, are out of your hands. But others, like your own character traits, play major roles in the fate of your business. What Is a ‘Successful’ Small Business? There’s no one definition of what makes a business “successful.” Different small business owners might view it in different ways. But according to a 2018 study of how outside stakeholders such as customers and banks measure success in a small business, it boils down to the following major factors:...

The new card, which carries an annual fee of $250, is the fourth United card from Chase and follows the launch of the no-annual-fee United Gateway Card earlier this year. It offers cardholders a large bonus, competitive travel perks, and a variety of ways to earn airline miles on non-travel purchases. The fuller suite of United cards now squarely competes with frequent flyer cards from other major U.S. airlines, namely Delta Air Lines and American Airlines....

Initial investment: This is how big a starting deposit you’re making. Contribution amount: If you’ll be making additional deposits, how much will you add, and how frequently? Not all investments require additional deposits, but many allow it. Interest rate: This is the return on your investment. Then select how frequently the interest compounds. This is how often interest will be calculated on your deposit. This can vary, and might be daily, monthly, annually, or for some other time period....

“Home equity loans are based on your home’s current equity, while construction loans are based on the future value of the home; [it’s] financing based on the new-home value when the construction is done,” Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage, told The Balance by phone. These two loan products have differing qualification requirements, and once you’ve qualified, your costs for each also will vary. Choosing the right loan for you will hinge on how much home equity you have in your current residence, how much you need to finance for your upcoming build, and your preferences for things like fixed or adjustable interest rates....

The survey used for the index measures how people feel about the present and future prospects of the economy and their own finances, and also asks about their plans for major purchases in the near future. It details buying intentions, vacation plans and consumer expectations for inflation, stock prices and interest rates. “These back-to-back declines suggest consumers have grown more cautious and are likely to curtail spending going forward,” the Conference Board, a non-partisan not-for-profit economics researcher, wrote in a report citing the delta variant of COVID-19 for dampening enthusiasm....

Almost two-thirds of consumer spending is on services, like real estate and health care. Other services include financial services, such as banking, investments, and insurance. Cable and internet services also count, as do services from non-profits. The remaining one-third of our personal consumption expenditure is on goods. These include so-called durable goods, such as washing machines, automobiles, and furniture. More frequently, we buy non-durable goods, such as gasoline, groceries, and clothing....

The 11.8% rise in consumer spending, the fourth-largest increase in 74 years of quarterly data, was spurred by $1,400-per-person stimulus payments issued in March, as well as fewer restrictions on business and movement. (The biggest-ever spending jump was 41.4% in the third quarter of 2020, following the economy’s initial reopening, with the other big gains coming in the early 1950s.) Thanks to the pumped-up spending, real gross domestic product, or GDP, increased at an annual rate of 6....

Job seekers often wonder if it’s appropriate to contact the hiring manager on LinkedIn after they have applied for a job. There isn’t a simple yes or no answer. In general, though, it won’t hurt your application to send a quick “I’m very interested” message. Should You Contact the Hiring Manager on LinkedIn? Whether it’s worth reaching out depends on the company, the hiring manager, and how you contact the individual....

What Is a Conventional Loan? Conventional loans are mortgages that aren’t insured or backed by government agencies. They come from private lenders, and while most follow government rules and regulations, they aren’t offered or backed by government entities. Those that follow government rules and regulations are referred to as “conforming loans.” Conventional loans usually require private mortgage insurance (PMI) if you put down less than 20% of the sales price as a down payment....

Keep reading to learn more about asset correlation and how it can help inform your investment choices. Measuring Asset Correlation A correlation of 0 means that the returns of assets are completely uncorrelated. If two assets are considered to be non-correlated, the price movement of one asset has no effect on the price movement of the other asset. Correlation and Modern Portfolio Theory Under what is known as modern portfolio theory, you can reduce the overall risk in an investment portfolio and even boost your overall returns by investing in asset combinations that are not correlated....

Example Businesses grow and change over time. When a business expands, it often requires new property. Here is an example: Denise owns Divine Delights, a retail bakery business. Divine Delights operates out of a small building Denise purchased six years ago. Denise wants to expand her business, but her current location is too small. Divine Delights needs additional space, so Denise is purchasing the building next door. She plans to use her current location for production purposes....