The Small Business Administration (SBA) defines small businesses as follows: Manufacturing and mining industries: 500 employeesWholesale trade: 100 employeesRetail and service: $6 millionConstruction: $28.5 millionTrade contractors: $12 millionAgricultural: $750,000 It’s important to know if you are looking for a small business federal grant or a federal small business loan that most federal agencies and many state and local governments use SBA size standards. The chart below illustrates how many companies employ 1–99 people, 100–999, and 1000+....

The index, which measures a broad array of companies in different industries, was down nearly 18% from its recent peak, just shy of the 20% decline that defines a bear market. Many individual stocks are deep in bear territory already, though. Major retailer Target fell 25% in one day when it announced disappointing earnings, and social media company Snap cratered by 43% Tuesday after reporting similar results. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is in a severe downturn as well, off nearly 30% Tuesday from its Nov....

Structural unemployment can keep the unemployment rate high long after a recession is over. If ignored by policymakers, it creates a higher natural unemployment rate. By looking into the U.S. unemployment rate throughout the years, one can track the health of the country’s economy and get a clearer picture of how structural unemployment can occur. The chart below tracks the U.S. structural unemployment throughout the years. What Causes Structural Unemployment?...

On Tuesday, the White House offered a preview of the Department of Education’s application for student loan forgiveness, which is scheduled to be released before the end of October on the Federal Student Aid website. The application, due by Dec. 31, 2023, is bare bones by the standards of government forms, asking applicants to just provide their name, date of birth, contact information, social security number, and attest that they met the income requirements for the forgiveness (Less than $125,000 for an individual or $250,000 for a family in 2020 or 2021....

Sixty percent of 2,200 adults who responded to a Morning Consult survey from Sept. 17-Sept. 21 said they’ve had a hard time obtaining at least one item in the last month, and 57% of them decided to do without it. Of young adults between 18 and 34 years old, 44% decided not to buy something because it was too expensive—due partly to shortage-related price increases—while 42% of all adults declined to buy because of the expected wait times....

Supply-side fiscal policy focuses on creating a better climate for businesses. Its tools are tax cuts and deregulation. According to the theory, companies that benefit from these policies are able to hire more workers. The resultant job growth creates more demand which further boosts the economy. How It Works Supply-side works by giving incentives to businesses to expand. Deregulation removes restrictions on their growth. It lowers the costs associated with complying....

Susan is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She contributes to professional publications including a book chapter for the Association for Talent Development and an article in The Journal for Quality and Participation. Her articles are recommended as a resource by many colleges and universities, including the ILR School Catherwood Library at Cornell University. Susan is regularly featured in business podcasts and on talk radio including WJR (Mitch Albom Show), WBIX Business in Boston, National Public Radio (NPR), Money and You at wsRadio, San Diego, BNET, Radio Sandy Springs, Atlanta, and other regional shows....

Whether you plan to invest in the short or long-term rental industries or even commercial real estate, we’ve got you covered with our picks for the best real estate investing books. Amanda Han and Matthew McFarland are both certified public accountants, and they draw on their knowledge and expertise to offer a thorough tax guide for real estate investors in “The Book on Tax Strategies.” If you’re not sure how depreciation works, for example, or how to use a self-directed IRA to buy real estate investments, you can get pointers on both here....

The Seed Stage The seed stage of your business lifecycle is when your business is just a thought or an idea. Most seed-stage companies will have to overcome the challenge of market acceptance and pursue one opportunity. Don’t try to take on too much at once. At this stage of the business the focus your focus should be on making sure your idea works well with your skills, experience, and passions....

The best investment banks are large financial institutions that play an important role in facilitating money moving around the economy. Initial public offerings (IPOs), for instance, are an opportunity for investors to help a company raise money. At the same time, they can also get a stake in the business. Full-service investment banks offer a wide range of business and investment services. Many of them also own or affiliate with a consumer bank....

Learn more about economics and how it affects your finances with our picks for the best economics books. The updated version includes a foreword by Bruce Caldwell, a Hayek scholar, who adds clarification and modern takes on Hayek’s works, which have often been misinterpreted. Hayek, a recipient of the Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, taught at the University of London, the University of Chicago, and the University of Freiburg....

From options for bright conference rooms or ones with long battery life for out-of-town presentations, we’ll help you choose the right projector for you. The portable projector has plenty of connection options, including HDMI, VGA, and USB, while it also supports both Windows and macOS-based computers. It comes with a remote for intuitive and easy-to-use controls, and a carrying case is available to protect the unit from damage during travel....

What Is Paper Trading? Paper trading is simply the process of taking hypothetical trades as if you were actually trading real money. The only difference is that you’re not putting your cash at risk. As the name suggests, you only write the buy and sell orders down on a piece of paper and track how well you would have done if you were actually trading with real money. Of course, you can keep a running spreadsheet on your computer if you prefer....

Last week we got a first look at November inflation when wholesale prices tracked in the Producer Price Index showed that inflation, while decelerating from the month prior, still rose more than economists expected. If tomorrow’s CPI figures don’t slow down and the pace of price increases remains persistently high, expect stocks to react badly. In other words, you might not want to look at your retirement accounts tomorrow to avoid the potential heartache....

Today’s report is one of the first major pieces of economic data being released in the new year and is being closely watched as investors, economists, and others have been growing increasingly concerned that a recession could hit in 2023. But with unemployment at a low rate, we might be able to shake off those worries for now. Stocks surged after the strong report, as investors shook off concerns of a recession....

Just how badly do they feel? Well, their sentiment has dropped to the lowest level since 2012 (with the exception of a brief period at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic). Builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes dropped to a reading of 38—half the level it was at just six months ago. Declining housing affordability has put pressure on the real estate market, where interested homebuyers are bowing out, choosing instead to sit on the sidelines and cross their fingers for prices to fall....

The report also showed that people spent less at furniture stores, health and personal care stores, and online in August, while spending at the grocery store was up 0.2%, suggesting that many are likely sticking to the necessities as inflation remains high. Separately, a report from the Labor Department found that unemployment claims fell for the fifth week in a row. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the first time fell by 5,000 for the week of September 10, indicating the job market remains strong amid high inflation and concerns about a recession looming....

Life insurance can be an investment in your family’s future and may even improve your investment portfolio. If you worry about the cost of a life insurance policy or see it as an unnecessary expense, you’re not alone. But as long as you pick the right type of policy for your needs, get sufficient coverage, and can afford the premiums, the benefits can outweigh the drawbacks, especially if other people depend on you for support....

Music Instructor You probably spend a lot of time listening to kids’ music. Become a music instructor for kids and share your love of music with everyone from babies to big kids. There are many music programs for babies, toddlers and school-age kids that are always looking for instructors. After you become a teacher for that particular program, you can set up the hours of your music classes around your own schedule....

The real estate collapse of 2008 put a spotlight on this principle. Many houses that may have had a value derived from appraisals or other means ended up selling for much less money because that was all the market was willing to pay. Determining a Stock’s Value Investors in the stock market can pinpoint a stock’s value by looking at factors such as earnings (past, present, and future projections) and market share....