This information is essential as your prospective Human Resources department makes the determination that your skills and experience will be a good fit for the job. They also need to know whether your professionalism and work style are a good fit for their company culture. Both of these pieces of information should be readily available to them if you have properly prepared your references for HR’s call. How to Properly Prepare Your References Several steps can significantly help you prepare your potential references to truly reinforce your professionalism and competence when they are contacted by prospective HR departments or bosses....

Monitoring the credit activity of customers, partners and suppliers can also alert you to other potential risks that can impact your business. For example, having advance knowledge that a partner is in financial distress or an important supplier is about to go bankrupt enables you to pursue remedies to protect yourself, such as engaging other partners or pursuing alternate suppliers. Monitor Your Own Business Credit Profile Too Monitoring your own business credit profile can be as important as monitoring those of your customers, partners, and suppliers....

Start a Savings Account With Your Teen It’s unrealistic for your teen to save every penny they earn, so encourage them to start small. Even if they only stash away $20 per month, they can make a positive difference in their financial situation. Because most banks and credit unions require minors to open a savings account with a parent or guardian, you’ll likely need to set up a joint account in both of your names....

Learn more about how to sign over a car title, what you’ll need, and what to watch out for. What You Need To Transfer Your Car’s Title What you need to transfer your car’s title will vary a bit from one state to the next. However, there are a few common threads. Buyers will need: The original title assigned to them Approved government-issued identification documents Money to pay for title transfer fees and sales tax (if applicable) Any other documents required by your state (e....

Commodity brokerage firms are known as “introducing brokers” (IB) in the futures sector. There are many IBs registered with the National Futures Association (NFA). Some firms may have only one person, while others have many people and branch offices. Chicago is the hub for commodity brokerage firms, while Florida, Texas, California and New York are other busy places for IBs. Registration Requirements To become an IB, the first thing you must do is sit for and pass the Series 3 Exam if you are not a current broker and registered as an IB with the NFA....

To help you teach valuable lessons about empathy and charity to your children, here are four tips to get you started. Introduce Empathy at a Young Age When talking about interaction with other people, parents should discuss the concept of empathy with their children as soon as possible. As Gordon mentions, developing kids’ capacity to take the perspective of others early on can lead toward collaboration and civility. Very young children may not realize that other people have feelings, ideas, and emotions of their own....

How Money Order Tracking Works Unlike personal checks, money orders aren’t directly linked to your personal bank account—you often buy them with cash (though some places will accept a debit card). If you pay with cash, you won’t see any evidence of the money order clearing in your bank transaction history. However, you can track money order payments by placing a request with the money order issuer. Tracking Money Orders There are different ways to track different money orders....

Let’s focus on some marketing strategy examples for your business plan. How Marketing Strategy Fits Into Your Business Plan The marketing strategy section of your business plan builds upon the market analysis section. The marketing strategy outlines where your business fits into the market and how you’ll price, promote, and sell your product or service. It can also act as a source of important information for potential investors who are analyzing your business....

Show Your Excitement Of course, you’ll want to set a positive tone with your letter. You can use this message as your opportunity to express that you’re excited to return to work. Submit Any Special Requests Regardless of how long your maternity leave is, you’ll experience a back-to-work transition period. Writing this letter is an opportunity to address it. If you can think of anything to help make this transition easier, request it in this letter....

Why You Need a Products and Services Section in a Business Plan The business plan products and services section is the centerpiece of your plan. While other sections of your business plan are important, the products and services section is the essence of your business and the point around which every other part of the business plan is built. What to Include in a Products and Services Section The products and services section of your business plan outlines your product or service, why it’s needed by your market, and how it will compete with other businesses selling the same or similar products and services....

Sincerely, Not Living Lavishly in Louisville Dear Lavishly, I’m sorry to hear that your relationship has recently ended. It’s not just a time of huge emotional upheaval in your life, but also, as you’ve written, a time of financial change. Your household income (HHI) has been halved, and as I’ve discovered, unfortunately, Uncle Sam doesn’t give as many tax deductions to us single filers. So now, with fewer resources and more out-of-pocket expenses, how do you set yourself up so that your divorce won’t ruin your financial future?...

Sincerely, Paula Dear Paula, I’m so glad you decided to start building wealth by investing! This is a long-term journey, so the first thing to do is to keep your emotions in check when it comes to investing. Just because the market is down doesn’t mean you should quit, and just because the markets are up doesn’t mean you can rest. That said, how do you begin? First, you’ll need to open up a brokerage account....

You might be wondering what redemption-in-kind is all about. It’s one of those things that most investors don’t think about until they’re facing it, often at the worst possible time. Mutual Fund Inflows and Outflows A mutual fund is a type of company (or trust fund, depending upon how it is structured) that pools money together from thousands or millions of individuals and institutional investors. An asset management company invests the money according to a particular investment mandate....

What Is Cap Rate? Capitalization rate, “or cap rate,” is a calculation tool used to value real estate—mostly commercial and multi-family properties. Cap rate is the net operating income (NOI) of the property divided by the current market value or purchase price. NOI equals all revenue from the property minus all necessary operating expenses. Determine Property Income That Justifies the Asking Price If your client knows the asking price of a property and the current cap rate for similar properties, you can calculate the net rental incomes necessary to justify the asking price....

10'000 Hours / Getty Images Teamwork doesn’t always mean working with others every second of every workday. There are many jobs in which workers spend much of their time focusing on projects by themselves. But, even the most independent contributor needs to communicate about work and to collaborate in order to achieve the company’s goals. What the Interviewer Wants to Know When asking this question, the interviewer is trying to determine whether you can work with others....

In other words, your answer reveals whether or not you have ambition and some type of plan. You don’t need to know exactly where you’re planning to be in five years, but you need to be pointed in some direction. Employers also ask about goals because they want to be sure you won’t be moving on to another job right away. New hires are expensive to bring on board and train....

The IRS said Wednesday another 900,000 of these supplemental payments have been sent out over the last two weeks, including some with official payment dates of Wednesday. All told, almost 7 million of these payments worth more than $9.1 billion have been distributed by the agency this year. The “plus-ups” are for taxpayers who received their third-round stimulus check based on an outdated tax return. Having reduced income or additional dependents are among the reasons you might qualify for a bigger check....

These well-known direct sales companies are extremely profitable. The four companies named above made more than $18 billion in 2021. But does that mean that becoming a direct seller for a company such as Amway or Scentsy is a good business for you to get into? And how can you tell the difference between a direct sales company and a multi-level marketing (MLM) company? Here’s what you need to know about direct sales and MLM so you can make an informed decision....

What Does Pet Insurance Cover? Pet insurance coverages vary by provider, so it’s essential to read the fine print to see what’s included. The most common policies cover accidents and illnesses, although a few pet owners opt for accident-only policies. Providers typically offer preventive and wellness care as a supplement to accident-and-illness policies. Here are coverages you might see in a very comprehensive plan, including preventive and wellness care: Accidents: Broken bones, swallowed objects, medical procedures, and services aiding recovery, testing and diagnostics Illnesses: Skin conditions, thyroid diseases, medical procedures, and services aiding recovery, testing and diagnostics Behavioral therapies: Excessive marking, licking, and digging therapies Alternative therapies: Acupuncture, chiropractic care, and physiotherapy Prescription medicine, food, supplements: Treatment of acute and chronic illnesses like diarrhea and diabetes Preventive care: Routine exams, annual shots, and preventive heartworm medications...

You can find good penny stocks, but it might take some work. Learn what makes a good penny stock, how you can find one, and what to avoid. What Are Penny Stocks? Penny stocks are shares of small companies that have market capitalizations (or “market caps”) of less than $300 million. For this reason, they are also called “microcap stocks.” If they have less than a $50 million market cap, they are called “nanocap stocks....