What Is Jury Duty? Jury duty is your duty as an American to serve as a juror during a court proceeding. When you serve on a jury, you’re ensuring the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial and an impartial jury. If you are called for jury duty, you must appear before the court or risk being held in contempt of court. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked by an employee, including reporting for federal jury duty....
Remove Your Ex’s Authorized User Status If you had your ex listed as an authorized user on your credit card, call the card issuer to remove them before you break up or as soon as you learn about the break-up. That way, your ex won’t be able to use the card to run up big balances. On the flip side, you don’t want to remain the authorized user since your ex could start misusing the credit card....
The buyer would repay the seller in installments according to an agreement. It’s usually easier and cheaper in terms of closings costs to get into a land contract versus a mortgage. In many cases, it can help a buyer who may not qualify for a conventional mortgage. However, land contracts do have some downsides to consider. They don’t have as many consumer protections, and the seller retains the rights to the property until the final payment is made....
While it’s hardly surprising that those with the worst credit scores pay the most in late fees—after all, paying bills late is one of the things that reduces your credit score—the bureau points out those customers are also most likely carrying balances and paying interest on the money they owe on top of the late fees, which may blindside borrowers. In recent months, the bureau has scrutinized what it calls “exploitative junk fees’’ that it says are unfair or unexpected, including credit card late fees and bank overdraft fees....
But even at the lowly (but important) level of simple social graces, a “thank you” in response to an act of kindness or compliment is still followed by another reciprocal gesture of accommodation “you’re welcome.” Not only are we compelled to give something back when a gift is received we are also compelled not to feel indebted to others. The strongest and longest-lasting interpersonal relationships are based on the principle of reciprocity, and this extends far into the best relationships between sellers and buyers....
Long-Term Business Loans Long-term business loans usually carry fixed maturities and interest rates and come with a set repayment schedule. A long-term loan usually has a maturity of two to five years, although some long-term loans may give you a repayment term of twenty-five years. Long-term loans are usually repaid by the company’s cash flow over the life of the loan or by a certain percentage of profits that are set aside for this purpose....
More than one buyer might submit an offer for the same property under these circumstances, resulting in multiple offers on the most desirable homes. Sellers enjoy the luxury of choosing the highest and best when they receive numerous offers. The downside for buyers is that not everyone can buy the same house. Only one will be the lucky bidder, and the others will suffer from offer rejection. Some might be tempted to submit offers on more than one property to increase their chances of success with at least one of them....
Carla applied for disability payments from the Social Security Administration and was approved. Even so, her student loans continued to call her for their $400 per month payments, which constituted a large chunk of her $2,000 a month disability check. She still owes $10,000 in Direct loans and $3,000 for a private loan she took out her senior year to help pay her expenses to study in Paris for a semester....
While the sample surveyed is not necessarily representative of all student borrowers nationwide, it does suggest a certain anxiety among some borrowers as a special pandemic pause on interest and payments draws closer to its Jan. 31 end date. It also points to a heavy financial burden from the loans, with about 28% of all borrowers saying they would have to devote 36% or more of their income to loan payments once they resumed....
Instances When the Mini Miranda Must Be Stated Debt collectors are required to give the full mini Miranda in their initial communication with you, no matter what form. The first time a third-party debt collector speaks with you on the phone or sends you a letter, the mini Miranda statement must be included. The disclaimer keeps debt collectors from tricking you into giving up information that can be used against you....
Rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to an average of 3.04% from 3.13% the week before. The 3.18% seen two weeks ago was the highest for the year so far, and more than half a percentage point above the record low 2.65% reached in January. The recent rise in rates has contributed to a decrease in mortgage application activity—especially for refinancing—as higher borrowing costs deter consumers. Last year and over the winter, low rates made home loans more affordable and were among the factors that propelled the housing market to new heights amid the economic downturn caused by the pandemic....
Some homeowners decide to refinance to take advantage of lower interest rates or to pay off their loan sooner. (For example, as of December 2021, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was about 3.12%.) Others refinance to access their home equity to pay for home improvements or other expenses. If you’re thinking about refinancing your mortgage due to the historically low interest rates in 2021, consider these key facts about the process before you jump in....
Before you buy mutual funds, make sure you know the costs. Here is a primer on all the fees and expenses you might pay (or will hopefully avoid) when buying mutual funds. Mutual Fund Loads Loads are fees charged to the investor when buying or selling certain types of mutual funds. The purpose of loads is to pay a broker or advisor for their services. Therefore, unless you are working with a broker or advisor, you should not pay loads of any kind....
Lyft is also planning a temporary fuel surcharge soon, but didn’t offer details. The national average for a gallon of gas jumped 72 cents to a record high of $4.33 a gallon in the first 11 days of March, before leveling off over the weekend, according to AAA. Gig drivers have said the surging prices make it harder to make ends meet. Lyft said higher prices in the last year had forced its drivers’ gas costs up by an average of 75 cents per hour, as of last week....
A gallon of unleaded gas on average dropped 4 cents in the week through Monday, reaching $3.35, the lowest price since Oct. 20, AAA said. Much of the slump resulted from a sharp decline in oil prices after omicron—the latest variant of the coronavirus—set off a wave of new restrictions around the globe that could crimp oil demand. Oil prices generally account for roughly half the price of retail gasoline....
If you’ve overdrawn your bank account, there are some steps you can take to rectify the situation and prevent it from happening in the future. You’ll need to act quickly, because if you don’t resolve it right away, you could find yourself in a downward spiral of more overdrafts, bounced checks, and fees. Understand Your Bank’s Overdraft Fees Most banks charge you a fee for each overdraft on your account, and some charge additional fees for each day your account is overdrafted....
That day may come sooner if banks continue shareholder payouts at their current pace, the economists wrote in a report Monday. Regulators require banks to maintain a minimum amount of capital and a series of “buffers” on top of this minimum to ensure resilience. The report, which modeled what would happen in different types of economic recovery, warns that in the pessimistic event of a lackluster “L-shaped” recovery from the pandemic, 52 of the 200 largest banks would have to dip into their buffers if they continue paying dividends....
Learn more about part-time employees, the types that exist, and the benefits of hiring them. What Is a Part-Time Employee? The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not define what constitutes a part-time employee. It’s up to individual employers to make this classification. Generally, part-time employees work fewer hours than full-time employees. But employers determine the exact amount of hours their employees must work to be considered part-time or full-time....
Dispose of the Old, and Capitalize the New Suppose you’ve replaced the roof on your rental property. The old roof is no more, but the cost of that old roof was included in the cost of the whole building, and you’ve been depreciating for tax purposes since you first bought it. You paid one price for the property when you bought it, and that was for the land and the building....
Find out more about paychecks, how they’re issued, and how pertinent information is recorded. What Is a Paycheck? A paycheck is a check that an employee is given as payment for services rendered. The employee then cashes the check to receive the money. The employee also could elect to have the paycheck directly deposited into their bank account, so their pay shows up automatically on payday. A paycheck is typically issued every two weeks, although some employers issue paychecks weekly or monthly....
