Alterations to your home that make it unique—even weird—aren’t very appealing to buyers, and can make it difficult to sell. Find out more about selling unique houses, and what changes can make them tougher to sell. Why Unique Homes Are Difficult to Sell Changes That Affect Resale My friend, Tamara, decided to paint the entire interior of her home dark purple. She liked purple; so do I. But homebuyers hate it....

When Is Your Credit Card Payment Late? Your credit card payment is due on the same date and time every month. In most cases, by 5 p.m. on the due date, unless your credit card issuer has a specified later time. For example, some credit card issuers may allow you to make an online or phone payment as late as midnight on the due date. You must check with your credit card issuer to find out the exact cutoff time for your payment....

Insurable interest in life insurance refers to the fact you’d experience loss—either financial or emotional—if the insured person passes away. We’ll take a closer look at what insurable interest is, when it’s necessary for a life insurance policy, when it’s not, and how you can prove it. What Is Insurable Interest in Life Insurance? Insurable interest is a requirement for all types of insurance and is, generally, the financial interest you have in something or someone that’s insured....

Inventorying the Decedent’s Documents and Property All the deceased’s estate planning documents and other important papers must be located before a personal representative or an executor can be appointed by the probate court, or before a successor trustee can take over the administration of a trust. The decedent’s estate-planning documents can include a last will and testament, funeral, cremation, burial or memorial instructions, or a revocable living trust. Important papers include bank and brokerage statements, stock and bond certificates, life insurance policies, car and boat titles, and deeds....

There are three types of people who should consider owning stocks in retirement. Stocks might be right for you if: Learn more about how to figure out whether you meet any or all of these criteria. Should You Own Stocks in Retirement? Suppose you have $200,000 saved, and you decide it would be okay to die with exactly $0 in the bank. In the meantime, you’ll need $10,000 per year for the next 30 years to live....

Preapproval involves submitting a preliminary application to a lender that will review your credit, your income, and other factors, while also telling you which loans are available to you. As a result, you can focus solely on loans that you’re likely to qualify for, while also having a better idea of which price ranges you should stay within. There Is No Obligation Just because you’re preapproved, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to borrow that money....

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was the largest tax overhaul since 1986. It made some major changes to the federal tax code that won’t expire until at least Dec. 31, 2025. Some of the most notable tax law updates include: Lowering the mortgage interest deduction: Before 2017, taxpayers could deduct interest on up to $1 million in mortgage loans. The TCJA now allows taxpayers to deduct interest on up to $750,000 in mortgage loans....

First off, you will build up debt if you can’t pay your bill in full each month. Further, using credit can make it harder to stick to a budget since you can charge purchases now and worry about payment later. Several studies have shown that using credit causes some people to spend more than they would otherwise. But if you can stay disciplined, there are a lot of benefits to using rewards cards....

A safe withdrawal rate is the estimated portion of money that you can withdraw from your investments each year while leaving enough principal so that the funds will last for your entire life—even if you retire during a time when the economy and/or the stock market is not doing well. For example, if you spend $4,000 for every $100,000 you have invested, you would have an initial withdrawal rate of 4%....

Couple that with declining sales figures over previous months and homebuyers find themselves in an enviable position to negotiate. Buyers’ market offers are composed differently from offers in a seller’s market. Ask your agent to register your e-mail address so you can receive daily MLS changes of reduced prices and new listings and avoid wasting your time. This is one way to gain access to the same data agents receive....

Luis Alvarez/Getty Images The IRS’s “Get My Payment” tool also went live today, and is meant to help people check the status of their payments. The agency urged people to use the tool to learn when their money will arrive, rather than calling their bank or the IRS, though it said people shouldn’t need to do anything other than pick up their mail or check their bank accounts to receive the money....

How Do Business Tax Deductions Work? Small businesses can take tax deductions for all ordinary and necessary expenses for operating the business for a profit. But different kinds of expenses are deducted differently. The types of business expenses are: Capital expenses for long-term assets like a company car, equipment, startup costs, and improvements Cost of goods sold, the expenses for making, selling, and shipping products And all the normal costs of running a business, like the cost of leasing, paying employees and non-employees, office expenses, utilities, and supplies...

The good news is that most of these mistakes can be avoided simply through awareness. We will take a look at the 10 most common mistakes and identify ways in which you may be able to stop the habits—or even turn them to your advantage. Not Investing Of all of the mistakes that a beginner investor might make on their investing journey is not investing. Retirement is expensive, and unfortunately, most of us won’t be able to save enough without a lot of help from the stock market....

These plans have contribution limits similar to 401(k) and 403(b) plans. However, there are some important differences that make 457(b) plans an appealing alternative for those eligible to make contributions. 2021 and 2022 Contribution Limits for 457(b) Plans Similar to the contribution limits for 401(k)s, employees can generally contribute up to $19,500 to a 457(b) plan in 2021. This limit increases to $20,5000 for 2022. Those who receive an employer matching contribution will have higher total plan contributions....

CFP(R)s must pass a rigorous exam and have three years of experience before they can use the CFP(R) designation. So, when you hire a CFP, you know you are getting someone that is not brand new to the profession. Pros: This is a fabulous way to make sure you are hiring a Certified Financial Planner. Then, you can narrow your search to make sure you ​find a financial advisor that has the right area of expertise....

To choose the best Vanguard funds, we looked in five diverse categories. Then, we looked at a combination of low expenses and long-term performance. 5 of the Best Vanguard Funds From 5 Different Categories In no particular order, here are the five top funds to buy at Vanguard—all of which represent different mutual fund categories. The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX) This is the biggest mutual fund in the world for a good reason....

Make Sure You Really Want to Close Your Credit Card Avoid closing your credit card because you’re angry with your credit card issuer or because you think it’s going to improve your credit score. If you later regret closing your credit card, you may not be able to open it up again. Before you call the customer service rep to cancel your account for good, be sure it’s what you really want to do....

Raising prices has gotten vastly more commonplace over the last year or so, and it’s been decades since we’ve seen such widespread inflation, the chart below shows. In January, a net 61% of small businesses reported increasing prices over the last three months, up from 57% in December, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business, a small business trade group. The last time the group saw more than that was in the fourth quarter of 1974, when it was at a record 66....

Once an account is in collections, you no longer have the option of making minimum monthly payments. The collection agency will demand the full balance and sometimes even an additional fee, as allowed by law. Collection agencies contact you repeatedly until you pay up and can even place the delinquent account on your credit report. Pay on time and you can avoid dealing with debt collectors. While the penalty rate will expire if you pay on time six months in a row, in some cases, the penalty rate will continue to be applied to new purchases as long as you have that credit card....

Are There Any Surrender Charges on My Variable Annuity? Most variable annuities charge a fee called a surrender charge which you incur if you cancel the contract before a specified amount of time has passed. Do not cancel a variable annuity contract if you will have to pay a surrender charge unless the internal fees on your variable annuity are higher than the remaining surrender charge. If your variable annuity has a surrender charge, ask when the surrender charges will no longer apply....