Using an attorney can be incredibly costly, and not everyone has the cash on hand to pay for professional help. Even a simple will can cost hundreds of dollars, and you can end up spending thousands if you want to get fancier and create a living trust. But there are several very sound reasons why you might not want to wing your estate plan on your own. You’re not just paying someone to write up some documents for you when you hire a professional....

With a few simple steps, you can develop a budget that accounts for your obligations but leaves plenty of room for enjoyment. Importance of a Retirement Budget Many factors can affect your retirement income: inflation, rate of return on savings and investments, your retirement date, taxes, spending, part-time earnings, Social Security, and pensions if any. You have the most control over one critical factor: your spending. Once you’ve retired, it may be tempting to see that sizable nest egg you’ve saved as a good excuse to start checking items off your bucket list....

Active investing means you (or a mutual fund manager or another investment advisor) are going to use an investment approach that typically involves research such as fundamental analysis, micro, and macroeconomic analysis and/or technical analysis because you think picking investments in this way can deliver a better outcome than owning the market in its entirety. Using the NFL Investment Analogy Using the NFL analogy, you would study all the players and coaches, go to preseason training, and based on your research make an educated bet as to which teams would be on top for the year....

What Is a Board of Directors? The Board of Directors of a corporation is the group of individuals who are charged with running the corporation. The board of directors is sometimes called a board of trustees (for a non-profit corporation), a board of governors, or executive board. How Is the Board of Directors Selected? Before board members are selected, the corporation needs to have bylaws, rules that govern the duties and actions of the board members....

What Is an Amortization Schedule? An amortization schedule is a complete table of periodic blended loan payments, showing the amount of principal and the amount of interest that comprise each payment so that the loan will be paid off at the end of its term. While each periodic payment is the same, when you begin repayment, most of each periodic payment is interest. The percentage of each payment that goes toward interest diminishes over time and the percentage that goes toward principal increases....

While some bonds may be a safer investment than many stocks, there are a lot of variables that could affect the relative risks of the two securities. When investing in any type of security, it’s important to consider the unique risks of the investment, the price of the investment, and the broader market conditions. Here are a few of the primary reasons why bonds can be—but aren’t always—safer than stocks....

What Are Airline ETFs? Airline ETFs invest mostly in the stocks of airlines or related companies. These may include those involved in passenger services, manufacturing, air freight and logistics, and airport services. Most airline ETFs track an index, which would include airline company stocks. The passive nature of index-based ETFs can provide low-cost access to a basket of securities, in contrast to putting your money into individual securities. Outlook for Airline ETFs Consumer spending makes up nearly 70% of the U....

As a marketing major, you’ll develop a broad range of valuable marketing skills and knowledge you can apply to jobs in a variety of sectors. Skills Marketing Majors Need Students who major in marketing develop several skills that are used across industries. Crucial skills for marketing majors to develop and master include: Effective Research: To assess the needs and preferences of consumers, marketing professionals need both quantitative and qualitative research skills....

Whether you have to work, want to supplement your income, or just hope to stay active in retirement, part-time work can be the answer. But not all part-time jobs are created equal. Some are better for older workers than others. Let’s face it: no matter how fit you are, you’d probably prefer to leave the physically challenging stuff to younger workers who aren’t as worried about getting a chronic injury....

Location matters, just as it does with real estate. Here are some tips for managing your Gen Z savings if you’re ready to start growing a cash cushion. Save for Short- and Long-Term Goals It helps to think about what you need or want your savings to do for you before you start stashing your cash in an account. This means clarifying your short- and long-term financial goals. Short-term goals might include:...

The following questions are intended to help you build a detailed picture of the person’s occupation. Use these informational and functional questions as a guideline to get started. Take the time to research the person’s job and make notes of what you’d like to learn more about. Prepare for the Informational Interview Take the time to prepare for each informational interview you contact. Learn more about the employer or career field in question, rehearse your question list, and set up your interview....

Keep reading to learn more about the key aspects of a business loan agreement. What Is a Business Loan Agreement? A business loan, otherwise known as a commercial loan, is any kind of loan that is for business purposes. The document that outlines the details of that loan is known as a business loan agreement. Other than the funds’ intended uses, a business loan isn’t much different from a personal loan....

Although many for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) sellers will pay a commission to a buyer’s agent, some will not. Some FSBOs want to sell without any real estate agent involved in the transaction. In the industry, these types of sellers are considered “unrepresented.” Learn more about buying a house without a realtor and how to avoid costly mistakes. How Does Buying a House Without a Realtor Work? When buying a house without a realtor, follow the same steps that you would take with a realtor....

Getting Started with CalendarBudget Although CalendarBudget’s main mode is the calendar view, which is different from the account register which most other personal finance software programs default to, setting up your accounts with the software is simple. There is a New Account wizard to walk you through the steps, and a help video offers support right from the first dialog window. Importing Transactions in CalendarBudget There is no automated transaction importing function in CalendarBudget, but you can import transactions from an OFX (Open Financial Exchange) file or Quicken’s QFX file, which most financial institutions provide through online banking....

If you’re wondering if you can write yourself a check, the short answer is yes—but it’s not necessarily the best answer. You have several options available, ranging from old-fashioned to high-tech practices. Learn how to write yourself a check, but be sure to consider all of your options for paying yourself first. Write a Check A simple option, which might be available to you right now (without opening new accounts or dealing with passwords), is to write yourself a check....

When the Supreme Court struck down the federal eviction moratorium last week, a major lifeline for financially struggling renters remained intact: the first-of-its-kind, $47 billion federal rental relief program, which pays utility bills and up to 18 months of rent for tenants who have been unable to pay because of the pandemic’s financial impacts. Since its inception in December, the program has been plagued by red tape and slow to get off the ground, though officials have been trying to make it easier for hard-hit renters and landlords to claim money they’re eligible for....

What Is Commuting? Commuting is considered getting to and from your place of work. Commuting is a daily thing, different from business travel, which may be overnight. You may drive to work, as many people do. The cost of driving from your home to your main work location or regular place of work is a commuting expense. Commuting also may be done by bus, trolley, subway, taxi, bike, electric scooter, or another mode of transportation....

The good news is yes, you can use money from a Roth IRA for a down payment on a home. However, it’s crucial to understand the pros and cons of doing so, as well as some rules that apply to Roth IRA withdrawals. Let’s dive in to see who can pull money out for a down payment, how to get the funds without paying taxes, and more. Using Money in a Roth IRA for a Down Payment A down payment is the amount you pay toward the purchase of a home (as opposed to the money you borrow)....

The new Quicksilver Student credit card is a student version of Capital One’s Quicksilver Cash Rewards credit card and offers a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases without limit. The Savor One Student credit card, meanwhile, offers 3% cash back on entertainment, dining, groceries, and streaming services, as well as 1% back on everything else. Cardholders also earn 8% back on purchases from concert and event ticket-vendor Vivid Seats through January 2023....

History The CME Group trades in agricultural products, currencies, energy, interest rates, metals, stock indexes, and weather. Its diversification resulted from a rollup of various exchanges over the years—CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX. 1848: Back to the Futures In 1848, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) opened its doors as the first futures exchange in the world. CBOT handled many agricultural products. Producers (farmers) and consumers were able to use the exchange to lock in or hedge agricultural commodity prices....