Inflation is often measured using the consumer price index (CPI) indicators, which calculate a currency’s purchasing power relative to a diverse basket of consumer goods. The CPI is also divided into sub-indexes and sub-sub-indexes to remove certain outliers, such as energy prices, that may have risen due to other geopolitical factors and may not reflect true inflation. Effects on Bonds Inflation is perhaps most pronounced in bond prices. These prices tend to have an inverse correlation with inflation, since higher inflation leads to higher expected yields, and higher yields lead to lower bond prices....

What IRAs Are Eligible? You can claim a deduction for traditional IRA contributions, but not for Roth IRA contributions. Roth accounts are treated differently for tax purposes. Withdrawals from Roths are tax free after retirement, because you don’t get a tax break on the money at the time you contribute it. SEP, SIMPLE, and SARSEP IRA contributions are deductible, but these plans can be subject to slightly different rules. The guidelines cited here apply only to traditional IRAs....

One wrong move can cost a big chunk of your savings, so you need to be ready to take the right steps. What You Can Do With Your Old 401(k) When You Leave If you are a job-changing employee and must decide what to do with an old retirement plan, you can leave the account where it is, roll the balance directly into a new or existing IRA or your new employer’s plan, make an indirect rollover, or take a cash distribution....

A typical interview question about teamwork is, “Give us some examples of your teamwork.” What the Interviewer Wants to Know An employer will ask this question to learn how you have worked with other personnel in the past. This will give the hiring manager an idea of how you might get along with colleagues at his or her company. Employers want to hire people who are team players, so respond in a way that will show the hiring manager that you’re able to work well with others....

The average rate offered to homebuyers using a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage—the most popular type of home loan—rose to 3.60% from 3.50% the previous business day. That’s the highest it’s been since 2020. (Our daily mortgage rate data goes back to April 2021, but our data on yearly highs and lows dates back to 2020, so we know it was higher in March 2020, when it hit 4.71%.) The average for a 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 2....

The average rate offered for a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 5.69% from 5.67% the previous business day. Last month it reached 6.19%, its highest point since at least 2019, and likely much farther back. The average 15-year rate rose to 4.79% from 4.77% the previous business day. Its recent peak was 5.26%, also the highest since at least 2019. (Our daily mortgage rate data only goes back to April 2021, but our data on yearly highs and lows dates back to 2020, so we know rates weren’t higher in 2020, and if other measures are any indicator, may have hit their highest point in over a decade....

5 Car Buying Mistakes to Avoid When you’re in the market for a new vehicle, the best thing you can do for yourself is be prepared. So here are the 5 biggest mistakes to avoid when purchasing your next vehicle: Thinking in Terms of Monthly Payment Not very many people walk into a car dealership and plan on writing a check or paying cash for their vehicle, and the salespeople know this....

Prior to the internet, marketing, especially to the masses, was difficult and expensive. The internet has changed that. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for traditional marketing methods alongside internet marketing. What Is Marketing? Marketing is essentially anything you do to promote your business to entice customers and clients to buy from you, including advertising, publicity, sales, social media, merchandising, and distribution. Fortunately, with the growth of the internet, you have two categories of marketing in which to spend your marketing time and dollars: traditional marketing and internet marketing....

The White House / Handout Calling the $2.2 billion Democratic plan passed by the House last week “a bailout” for “poorly run, high crime, Democrat States,” Trump tweeted: “I am rejecting their request, and looking to the future of our Country. I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business....

Bonds can be formed into a basic spectrum of risk and return, so chances are that you’ll be able to find a bond, or even many, to suit your goals. Savings Bonds Savings bonds are the safest investment there is, since they’re backed by the U.S. government, and they’re guaranteed not to lose principal. They don’t offer very high yields, but they are among the most secure options in the bond market....

Companies offer bonuses to attract candidates for employment, retain, motivate, and reward employees, and increase productivity. There are many different types of bonus plans employers can use to incentivize employees. What companies offer will depend on the company policy and the job you’re working at. Review information on the types of bonuses companies offer to new hires and employees, how to find companies that offer bonuses, and tips for evaluating bonus plans in a job offer....

Defining a Chargeback A chargeback is a reversal of charges after purchase. A payment gets returned to a buyer from the seller’s account. Chargebacks are probably most popular for credit card purchases, but they are increasingly used for other types of payment, including: Debit card purchases Payments made through payment services (PayPal, Square, and others) Electronic bank drafts Chargebacks offer consumer protection. Buyers are promised they will not be responsible if their accounts have fraudulent activity, and they might even be able to reverse charges when they are dissatisfied with a product or service....

As an example, in a November soybean futures contract, a seller has the right to deliver 5,000 bushels of soybeans in November and a buyer has the right to stand for delivery of the soybeans. Some futures only have a few delivery months and others have a delivery mechanism in all 12 months. ​A futures contract expires after the designated date in the delivery month. In the case of oil, the “CL” stands for the underlying futures contract....

Investments—such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds—each have their own risk profile, and understanding the differences can help you more effectively diversify and protect your investment portfolio. How Much Risk Are You Willing To Carry? The risk of keeping your money in a standard savings or money market deposit account is that you’ll fall behind the pace of inflation. Still, the risk with other types of investments with the potential for high reward is that you could lose everything....

Property Managers Handle Many Transactions In most states, by far the greatest number of consumer complaints, commission penalties, and license suspensions and revocations are related to property management. It’s not that those licensees doing property management are inept. It’s that this is a very transaction-intensive business. While an average agent might do a dozen sale transactions a year with a purchase agreement and related documents, the average property manager might do hundreds of smaller transactions....

Value Investors The value investor, perhaps more than any other type of investor, is more concerned with the business and its fundamentals—such as earnings growth, dividends, cash flow, and book value—than other influences on the stock’s price. Value investors are also buy-and-hold investors who are with a company for the long-term. If the fundamentals are sound, but the stock’s price is below its apparent value, the value investor knows this is a likely investment candidate because the market has incorrectly valued the stock....

The World Trade Organization defines a unilateral trade preference similarly. It occurs when one nation adopts a trade policy that isn’t reciprocated. For example, it happens when a country imposes a trade restriction, such as a tariff, on all imports. It also applies to a state that lifts a tariff on its partner’s imports even when the favor is not reciprocated. A large country might do that to help out a small one....

When the velocity is low, each dollar is not being used very often to buy things. Instead, it’s used for investments and savings. This low demand doesn’t generate as much production. What Is the Velocity of Money? The velocity of money is how often each unit of currency, such as the U.S. dollar or euro, is used to buy goods or services during a period. The Federal Reserve describes it as the rate of turnover in the money supply....

Although there are many similarities between the two (PayPal owns Venmo), there are also important differences that sometimes make one better than the other. We reviewed both platforms based on cost and fees, ease of use, transaction limits, ratings, where each can be used, and more. Venmo vs. PayPal at a Glance Accessibility: Venmo vs. PayPal Both Venmo and PayPal can be accessed using a desktop or mobile browser or their native apps....

What Does It Mean to Diversify Income? A diversified income derives from more than one source. A diversified portfolio is one that has investments spread across assets such as equities, fixed income, commodities, and cash, and is recommended to limit risk. It also spreads out the holdings within each asset class. The same concept of spreading your exposure can apply to the ways you earn money, even while you’re holding down a full-time job....