Expert advisors are most often used within the MetaTrader 4 or 5 forex trading platforms. You can use a current EA or create your own based on the trading parameters you like. These EAs are written in a programming language called “MetaQuotes Language” (MQL). Find out more about expert advisors and how they can help you trade. What Is an Expert Advisor? An expert advisor is a computer program that is designed to automate forex trading....

Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of investing in total stock market index funds, and other low-cost total stock market index fund options. What Is a Total Stock Market Fund? A total stock market index fund is a mutual fund that invests in a basket of stocks that will closely mirror the stock holdings and performance of a particular benchmark, such as the Wilshire 5000 or the Russell 3000....

RgStudio / Getty Images What Vehicles Qualify for Tax Deductions You may qualify to deduct some of your vehicle-related expenses if you use your car for business purposes. The IRS defines a car as any four-wheeled vehicle—including a truck or van—intended for use on public streets, roads, and highways. It mustn’t exceed 6,000 pounds in unloaded gross weight. Exceptions include ambulances, hearses, vehicles used to transport people or property for money or hire, or trucks or vans that are qualified nonpersonal use vehicles....

For example, suppose a bank is required to keep 10% of its deposits in reserve. If a bank has 12% in its reserve, then it has an excess reserve of 2%. The bank is free to use these funds for any purpose. How Do Excess Reserves Work? Banks make money by taking in deposits from customers, then lending that money back out to others at a higher interest rate. They can’t lend out all their money, though, because they need liquid cash on hand to pay their bills and fulfill withdrawal requests from customers....

You and the lessor sign a lease agreement specifying terms such as the included rights and obligations, lease term length, lease payment amount, late fees, procedures, and options at lease expiration. Your lease payments may either stay the same, increase, or decrease throughout the lease term. Factors affecting the payment include: the lease lengththe asset’s expected residual value (its starting value minus depreciation over the lease term)lease or money factor (similar to interest)applicable taxesdown payments made to reduce the asset’s capitalized costmaintenance costs...

What’s the Same about LLCs and LLPs? Before we look at differences here are similarities between the LLC and LLP business types, look at how they are similar. Both business types are pass-through business types, with owners paying income tax on their share of the business profits (or losses). Although LLCs and LLPs don’t have a board of directors, these businesses must keep good business management records and have regular recorded decision-making meetings, to assure that the business is clearly separate from the owners....

It’s called the tax gap, the amount of money spent in the U.S. economy that isn’t reported to the IRS. The average annual estimated gross tax gap was $441 billion for the years 2011 to 2013 (the last years studied). This is lost revenue to the U.S. government. This article looks at how the IRS goes about auditing cash businesses. What Are Potential Audit Triggers? The IRS is interested in cash businesses that receive most of their income in cash because they have the potential for underreporting that income....

That ratio, which shows the amount of your income that will go towards debt payments, gives lenders a snapshot of your entire financial situation. That helps them understand what you can comfortably afford in terms of a mortgage payment.  What Goes Into a Debt-to-income Ratio Debt-to-income ratios come in two forms: the front-end DTI and the back-end DTI. Lenders look at both of these when considering your loan application....

What Is Deleveraging? Deleveraging essentially comes down to reducing debt. More specifically, it means reducing the relative percentage, or the absolute dollar amount, of a balance sheet funded by debt. It can be accomplished either by generating more cash or selling off assets such as real estate, stocks, bonds, divisions, subsidiaries, etc. The objective of deleveraging is—most often—to reduce risk when the deleveraging is voluntary. It is also used to avoid bankruptcy when done as a result of a change in financial circumstances....

A 403(b) is a tax-advantaged savings plan. Pre-tax contributions and earnings on these amounts are not taxed until they’re distributed from the plan. Money in a 403(b) can grow tax-deferred for decades. You will only pay taxes on the funds when you begin to take withdrawals from your 403(b). If your total income falls within certain limits, you also may be able to take the Savers Credit for contributions to your 403(b) when you file your taxes....

Block trades are common, and while they rarely cause major moves in markets, they can have an impact on prices of specific securities. Definition and Example of a Block Trade Block trades are transactions involving large quantities of a security. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) defines a block trade as a transaction order that’s at least 10,000 shares or has a market value of $200,000 or more. For example, a $120,000 order for 10,000 shares of stock at $12 per share, and a $200,000 order for 2000 shares at $100 per share are both considered block trades....

Thomas Tolstrup / Getty Images Check cards are a popular option for people who want to pay with a card but either can’t get or don’t want to use a credit card. Unlike a credit card, it is not a form of borrowing money. You do not have to pay a bill or interest on your purchases. You also do not build credit with a check card, because you are not borrowing anything in order to use it....

Homeowners could take out a closed-end home equity loan for purposes such as: Consolidating debtPaying for home improvementsBuying a carDebt consolidationCovering a child’s college expenses In most cases, a closed-end home equity loan must be repaid within five to 30 years. Once money has been repaid, it can’t be re-borrowed (as with a HELOC). Some financial institutions’ closed-end home equity loans have fixed interest rates that never change, but adjustable-rate and variable-rate closed-end home equity loans do exist....

You may see condos listed among traditional homes when you’re searching for a house to buy. Condo listings will make it clear the home is a condo, their photos should show the unit is attached to at least one other unit, and they may or may not detail the amenities you receive as an owner. Alternate name: Condo How Condominiums Work When you buy a condo, you’re not only purchasing your unit; you’re also buying a portion of your complex’s property....

Several cryptocurrency exchanges offer these interest-bearing accounts. For example, Gemini Earn is the high-yield savings account offered by cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, offering a maximum annual percentage yield (APY) of 8.05%. Another example is Singapore-based Hodlnaut, which has a savings account supporting several popular cryptocurrencies and an APY up to 7.25% as of June 2022. It provides weekly interest payments and doesn’t require a minimum deposit. Alternate names: Crypto interest account, crypto savings account...

Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore are among the countries that join the U.S. and Canada in using the “$” symbol to represent their currency. Other currency symbols include “€” for the euro, the currency used in 19 out of 27 European Union member countries; the symbol for the Japanese yen is “¥”; the Norwegian krone is typically expressed with “kr” followed by the amount. How Currency Symbols Work Currency symbols are as old as currency itself....

Employer-sponsored health insurance plans can be a significant advantage for employees, especially when the employer pays for part or all of the health insurance coverage. However, there are times when a person may not need the medical plan from their employer. In other instances, an employer may offer medical waivers as part of an employee benefits package. If an employee chooses a medical waiver they could receive an extra yearly payment that would be a percentage of what the company pays for the employee’s insurance coverage....

A grantor may not be in the title at all; they can transfer an acquired interest. For instance, a grantor married to the owner of a property might sign and record a quitclaim deed to transfer any interest the grantor may have acquired in the property to the spouse. The spouse would be referred to as the grantee. Quitclaim deeds only apply to whatever interest a grantor owns at the time of the transfer....

Here’s why this strategy can be beneficial for you, with explanations of how it works. Definition and Example of Roth Conversion Ladder A Roth conversion ladder is a specific investment strategy. This strategy involves converting some—but not all—of your retirement savings into a Roth IRA annually. This investing approach is popular for two reasons. To start, converting in small chunks instead of converting all at once decreases your marginal tax rate and helps you pay less in taxes....

Sandwich lease options are also sometimes used for tenants who agree to rent a property before agreeing to buy it. But these rent-to-own agreements are non-traditional and can be risky for the person in the middle of the two leases. Definition and Example of a Sandwich Lease A sandwich lease occurs when someone leases a property from an owner and then subleases that property out to someone else. The person in the middle has two contracts: a lease agreement from the property owner, and then a lease agreement with the new tenant....