How the Public Health Crisis Affects Your Remote Employees Here are some new laws affecting your business and your employees working from home, and some continuing to work remotely throughout 2021. Several new laws help businesses and employees during this emergency. Sick Pay and Family Leave Pay Introduced with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) are provisions to help employers give sick leave and family leave benefits to employees. The legislation directly affects small and midsize employers (with fewer than 500 employees), and it gives tax credits to help you pay for these benefits....

How Does the PAYE Plan Work? One of four income-driven repayment plans offered for federal student loans, PAYE was first offered in December 2012. You can apply for PAYE through your student loan servicer to lower student loan payments if you’re eligible. But PAYE could also increase your total amount repaid as well. These lower payments will mean you’re paying less toward your principal balance each month. And since the amount you owe is also what you’re charged interest on, if it goes down more slowly, you’ll pay more total interest....

What Is a Commission? The U.S. Department of Labor defines a sales commission as a sum of money paid to an employee when a task is completed, usually selling a certain amount of goods and services. Commissions can also be paid as incentives to increase worker productivity. Some examples of commissions: Sales Employee: May receive a sales commission, usually in addition to base pay, for meeting or exceeding a specific sales target in a specific period of time....

Learn more about the consequences of driving without insurance in Utah. What Auto Insurance Is Required by Utah? Utah is a no-fault state, which means that your insurance is responsible for paying for your medical costs in the event of an accident, even if it’s not your fault. In some circumstances, you may be able to file a third-party claim for medical expenses, which is a claim on the other driver’s insurance....

When dealing with penny stocks, you’ll want to know what to look out for and what to avoid. Where to Trade Penny Stocks There is a wide range of stock markets upon which penny stocks can trade. However, these exchanges are not all created equal. One of the most effective methods of avoiding the risks of low-priced shares, while dramatically improving your potential odds of success, is knowing where to trade....

What’s the Difference Between Pre-Tax and After-Tax Accounts? With a pre-tax account, you or your employer put money into a retirement account before taxes are assessed with a pre-tax account. These are also known as “tax-deferred” accounts because you defer paying taxes on the money you contribute until you withdraw from the account in the future. With an after-tax account, you earn the money, pay income tax on it, then deposit it so it can earn interest and grow....

Bank advertising departments know that you’re busy and that you probably never received formal education on financial topics. Some even try to take advantage of those conditions to trick you into opening an account. Here are six gotchas to watch for when you evaluate banks. A bit of scrutiny can help you avoid getting stuck in a disastrous long-term relationship as well as feelings of disappointment with your bank. If banks are “less than forthcoming” about their services, what does it say about the bank’s advertising and management teams?...

Without including the effects of inflation, the return on an asset is its percent increase in value over the original cost. The yield on an asset is slightly different, as it describes the amount of income, such as dividends, that have been returned on an asset relative to its original cost. Note that the yield calculation does not include capital gains, while the return calculation does. How to Calculate Real Return and Real Yield The real return is simply the return an investor receives after the rate of inflation is taken into account....

Before you get your hopes up about a cleaner credit report, it’s important to know that the credit reporting time limit not the statute of limitations dictates how long debts stay on your credit report. Credit bureaus can continue reporting delinquent debts even after the statute of limitations has expired. Two Time Limits for Debts The statute of limitations is the amount of time that a debt is legally enforceable, meaning the amount of time a creditor or debt collector can use the court to force you to pay a debt....

Republicans promote supply-side economics. That theory says reducing costs for business, trade, and investment is the best way to increase growth. Investors buy more companies or stocks. Banks increase business lending. Owners invest in their operations and hire workers. These workers spend their wages, driving both demand and economic growth. Republicans define the American Dream as the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. That’s achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investment by individuals....

Forward mortgages, which are loans to help you buy a home, are how most people finance the purchase of a home and start to build equity. A reverse mortgage, on the other hand, allows you to tap the equity in your home. Learn more about the differences between forward mortgages and reverse mortgages, including eligibility, maturity, and payment structures. Also learn how to use each loan type for different purposes so you can determine which one may meet your needs....

Beyond the basics, each type of card has its own pros and cons. Exploring the details of both can help you determine the best card for your business. What Is a Business Charge Card? The most distinguishing feature of a business charge card is the monthly payment requirement. In general, you’re required to pay your full balance rather than paying your balance over time with minimum monthly payments. Partial or missed payments are penalized with steep interest charges and late fees added to your balance....

Using a personal loan to pay off credit card debt is one option you might consider. This type of debt consolidation could help you save money on interest and pay off credit cards faster. Understanding how consolidating credit cards with a personal loan works can help you decide if it’s right for you. Personal Loan vs. Credit Card Debt: What’s the Difference? Personal loans and credit cards represent two different types of credit....

Good Agents Know Good Lenders First, consider what’s most expeditious. Your agent can help you find a mortgage lender much more quickly and easily than a lender can help you find a good agent. Most agents have a plethora of lenders in their referral database, and a group of lenders that they’ve personally worked with in the past. Agents can be trusted to refer a mortgage lender with a proven record and one that can close loans, while mortgage brokers might only refer agents who send them business, which means nothing....

If you’ve been living together, things can get even more complicated. Unless your breakup is timed with the end of your lease, you will still be responsible for paying the remainder of the lease. It is even more complicated if you purchased a house or condo together. While you may think it’s easier to go through a breakup if you aren’t married, you do not have the same protections as a married couple, though you may be facing similar problems to the financial ones caused by a divorce....

Standard Deviation Definition - Mutual Funds Standard deviation is a statistical measurement that shows how much variation there is from the arithmetic mean (simple average). Investors describe standard deviation as the volatility of past mutual fund returns. In simple terms, a greater standard deviation indicates higher volatility, which means the mutual fund’s performance fluctuated high above the average but also significantly below it. Therefore many investors use the terms volatility and standard deviation interchangeably....

Fortunately, with proper planning, investors can use a mix of different fixed-income products and create their own stream of monthly income to support themselves in retirement, or even in very early retirement. Mutual Funds Designed for Monthly Income The idea of living off your investments with a steady monthly income stream isn’t new, and multiple financial firms offer mutual funds designed to produce that income stream. When evaluating possible mutual funds as investments, take a close look at the ratio of stocks to bonds....

The Balance surveyed 1,000 adults in the U.S. who manage their own personal finances and have at least one financial account—such as checking, credit, or savings—in their name. People responded to the survey between Feb. 8-12, 2021, answering questions about how their personal finances have fared during the pandemic. Many Thrashed While Others Thrive Notably, respondents are split on how the pandemic has impacted their finances: 30% of Americans say the pandemic has made their financial situation worse, while 30% say it has made their financial situation better, signaling a K-shaped recovery that pulls different individuals or groups out of a recession at different rates, times, or magnitudes....

Sample Outstanding Check Notification [Today’s Date] [Payee Address] Dear [Payee], Our records indicate that we issued a payment to you more than 60 days ago, and the check is still outstanding. The details of this payment are below: [Payment Date][Check Number][Payment Amount] Note that our policy is to void outstanding checks after 90 days. In addition, state law may require that we turn these funds over to the State of [State Name] as unclaimed property if we do not receive your response by [Deadline]....

Another guideline experts often give is the one-third rule, which suggests that families contribute one-third of the cost of college from savings, one-third from current income, and one-third from loans. Find out more about how each of these rules of thumb works to determine if one might be a good fit for your family’s college financing plan. Where Does the $2k Rule of Thumb Come From? The $2K rule comes from Fidelity, one of the largest U....