If you choose to enroll in an MA plan, you need to pay the MA plan’s premium and your Part B premium. However, some MA plans are free and will even pay all or part of your Part B premium for you. You may be wondering how they can afford to do this and if it makes sense to enroll in a “free” Medicare Advantage plan. Why Are Some Medicare Advantage Plans Free?...

A hold can be placed on your checking account for a variety of reasons. Usually, a bank places a hold on a check or deposit you make into your account. The bank will do this to ensure the funds clear before they are made available in your account. A hold is put in place to protect you as much as it protects the bank. If you spend the money you received from the check but it is returned to the bank and not paid, then you will have to cover the negative balance....

Stocks have been under pressure, falling into correction territory this week as tensions mounted and Russia launched a major military invasion of Ukraine. Because Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of oil and global supplies are already low, investors are concerned the war could drive up the price, already at an 8-year high, fueling inflation and impeding economic growth. The Russian assault on Ukraine was widespread, with attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and other major cities throughout the country....

The company you’re interviewing with may wonder if you would stay with the organization if you received a better offer. They also may be concerned about why you would work for a smaller paycheck. During interviews, be prepared to discuss why you’re interested in a job with a lower salary. There are several reasons you might work for less pay. Job-Specific Reasons If you’ve always imagined yourself in a certain role, or working for a particular company, taking the job might be worth it even if the salary is lower than at your current position....

A Day Trading Daily Stop-Loss? The day trading daily stop-loss is the amount of money you allow yourself to lose in a day before you call it quits (for that day). This is different than a stop-loss order, which controls the risk of an individual trade. The daily stop-loss forces you to realize that today likely isn’t your day, and preserving your capital for another day is the best option. Once losses start to mount, it can become very tough to stay focused and not get into “revenge trading” mode, which typically results in even bigger losses....

How many women participate in the labor force, exactly? And what challenges do they still face in the workplace? Learn more about women and the workplace. What Percentage of Women Work? In July 2022, the labor-force participation rate among women was 56.9%. A slow but steady rise has defined women’s workforce participation. In 1840, about 10% of women had jobs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the proportion of all women 14 years old and older in the labor force increased from around 20% in 1900 to 26% in 1940....

Withdrawing the assets would most likely require you to pay taxes on untaxed amounts, but you generally have three other options for dealing with 401(k) assets in a former employer’s plan. You can leave them in the plan or you can roll them over, moving them into a rollover IRA or a new employer’s 401(k) or another qualified retirement plan. The rules are slightly different for SIMPLE IRA assets, however....

PeopleImages / Getty Images If the latest Senate version of the American Rescue Plan is approved by the House this week, those who collected unemployment payments in 2020 won’t have to pay income taxes on the first $10,200 they received, as long their household made less than $150,000. Assuming a 10% tax rate, the forgiveness could save people as much as $1,020, lawmakers estimate. The provision, which was added to the relief package last-minute after being introduced in February as separate legislation, covers both regular state-administered unemployment benefits and payments received as part of temporary federal pandemic relief....

Job seekers who are in high-demand fields and employees who have a strong track record of career success are often in the enviable position of being able to choose their next job from multiple opportunities. What should you do? What’s the best way to decide on the next step of your career path? Here are some tips. Find the Best Fit If you have the right skill set and experience, you can afford to be picky....

Whether it was the rise of inflation, rebalancing of home prices, setbacks for the stock market, or the downfall of cryptocurrency, a few stark numbers spoke volumes about the economy and personal finance during the year. Here are 10 of the most important figures that together tell the story of how our financial lives changed in 2022. 1.9 That’s how many job openings there were per unemployed person in March, highlighting how workers gained the upper hand as the economy reopened and recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic....

Start Saving For Retirement The sooner you start saving for retirement, the better off you will be when it comes time to retire. If you start with your first paycheck, you will not miss the money because you are adjusting to a new salary and living expenses. If you do not qualify to invest in your 401(k) right away, you can open an IRA and start contributing to it each month....

Here’s how to tell whether they’re fixtures—and whether they’re included with the sale. What Is a Fixture and What Isn’t Here’s what a typical sales contract says is a fixture and is therefore included in the sale of a property: As a general rule, if removing an item takes a screwdriver or would damage the property, it’s considered a fixture. Items customized to the property are also usually fixtures....

Variable Annuities as Insurance Products Annuities are insurance products, so take the time to understand what it is that you are insuring. Think of the annuity fees like an insurance premium. You are paying the insurance company to bear the risk. They may be insuring your future retirement income by providing a guaranteed withdrawal benefit rider, or insuring a specific amount of death benefit to go to your heirs, or insuring a minimum return....

Building good credit habits early in life can lead to a stronger score and your credit still needs to be nurtured once you reach retirement. While you may not have immediate plans to borrow in retirement, there are some key credit score questions to consider later in life. 1. Will Closing Credit Card Accounts Hurt My Score? Closing credit card accounts in retirement can affect your credit score if you’re still carrying a balance when the account is closed....

If you’re concerned a less-than-stellar credit report will keep you from finding a place to live, you can take one or more of these actions to increase your chances of getting the rental unit you want. Know What’s in Your Credit Report Check your credit report before you start apartment hunting so you know what’s in your credit history. The three major credit bureaus all have created credit reports on you, and you should check all three since the landlord could access any of them....

Here are eight concepts to consider to help you determine if you should start a business, along with advice about preparing for the business startup process. Have I set goals, and do I have a plan for reaching them? Will I be able to follow my plan without breaking laws or regulations? Have I fully considered the financial implications? Is my support network in place? Do I have what it takes to make it as a business owner?...

Saving Money vs. Investing There is a huge difference between saving and investing. Both saving money and investing money have a place in your life, but they play very different roles. How you handle these two things can have big implications for your financial success and stress level, and how wealthy you will ultimately become. It can even mean the difference between suffering through a recession or depression and sleeping soundly through the night, knowing that you have enough spare liquidity on hand....

At the outset of 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic had finally loosened its grip on our activities, and global supply chains began healing, offering the promise that economic life would return to its pre-pandemic rhythm. Then in February, Russia invaded Ukraine and overturned our expectations. Vladimir Putin’s tank columns had a seismic effect on people’s finances half a world away in the U.S., setting off financial chain reactions that are still reverberating....

How Does the Primary and Noncontributory Clause Work? Let’s look at an example. Carla owns a laundry and dry cleaning business called Casablanca Cleaners. She plans to open a new store in the commercial space she has leased in downtown Pleasantville. In order to install a sign at the new location, Carla must obtain a sign permit from the city. Carla reads Pleasantville’s permit application and notes that it contains insurance requirements....

Here are some important things to understand about various tax-deferred saving and investment options. Tax-Deferred Accounts An account is tax-deferred if there is no tax due on the contributions or income earned in the account. The ability to defer taxes on the returns of an investment benefits individuals in two different ways. The primary benefit comes in the form of tax-free growth. As an alternative to paying tax on the current returns of an investment, taxes are paid only at a future date, allowing the investment to grow without current tax implications....