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gradyreese / Getty Images Ways Liability Insurance Protects You Being involved in a lawsuit could cost you everything. Personal liability insurance protects you in a few ways. This type of insurance protects your current and future assets. It’s available through your homeowners insurance or renters insurance policy. It may provide coverage for your legal defense in the event a lawsuit is brought against you. It helps you avoid having to pay legal-defense fees out of your own pocket....

How Do Secured Personal Loans Work? Secured personal loans are a type of personal loan that you can borrow for your personal needs, but to get your loan, you need to put up collateral. Your asset serves as payment in case you default on your loan, at which point your lender can keep your collateral. For secured personal loans, your lender determines what type of property or asset you can use to secure your loan....

What’s the Difference Between a Realtor and an Agent? Requirements for Realtors A Realtor can be a real estate agent, a broker-associate, a managing broker, or an exclusive buyer’s agent, and this is just the beginning of the list. What sets them apart is that they must subscribe to the Realtor Code of Ethics for membership, and this includes 17 separate articles that contain various underlying Standards of Practice. The NAR Code of Ethics The NAR Code of Ethics was adopted in 1913 and is strictly enforced by local real estate boards....

Both types of taxes are assessed based on the value of your property. The key differences are what counts as real property vs. personal property and how each type of property is taxed. It’s understandable if you’re confused, but you don’t have to be. Read on to learn the important differences between real estate taxes and personal property taxes. What Are Real Estate Taxes? Real estate taxes are levied on “real property,” which the IRS defines as land and anything that’s built on or permanently fixed to it....

Back in 2021, when mortgage interest rates hit record lows, getting an ARM (pronounced “arm”) was pretty much unheard of. Why take a gamble when you could lock in a rock-bottom rate for the next 30 years? But since then, ARMs have made a big comeback: They made up 9.5% of all mortgage applications the week ending Aug. 26, almost six times as many as in January 2021 according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)....

But it’s important to be sure that your letter contains the right information. Learn what to include in a reference letter for a high school student and see sample letters to inform your writing. How To Write a Reference Letter for a High School Student Your reference letter should include information on: How you know the studentHow long you have known the personWhat the student has accomplishedWhy you are recommending themHow to contact you for follow-up questions...

Knowing the difference is important when you’re borrowing money and prioritizing debt repayment. What’s the Difference Between Secured and Unsecured Debts? You don’t fully and legally own the asset tied to the secured debt until the loan is paid off. The lender should remove the lien and release the asset at this point, and the title should be transferred to you free of any liens. Lenders of unsecured debts do not have rights to any collateral....

Agents who are REALTORS® are not allowed to talk to the seller in a manner that would be deemed unethical. However, not every agent is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. Even an innocent question could turn into a complicated answer, some of which could affect the seller in a bad way. Questions a Seller Should Not Talk About With a Buyer Sellers never think they are saying anything that could come back to bite them....

Not surprisingly, many aspiring travelers borrow the money they need to see the world. Typically, they do so via either a personal loan (see our monthly payment calculator for these below) or a credit card, although they may also borrow money from family and friends. Is borrowing money to travel a good idea? Usually not, but that doesn’t stop some people who are determined to pursue their wanderlust. If you’re going to borrow money to travel, the best thing you can do is set some ground rules and research the best loan options available....

If you’ve lost your job, are working fewer hours, or you’ve faced a pay cut, you might consider intentionally delaying your divorce until the economy recovers. Here’s what you should think about when it comes to divorcing during an economic downturn. Can You or Your Spouse Afford Support Payments? If you or your partner has lost a job and can’t afford spousal or child support payments, divorce may be out of the question....

Breaking your phone brings up an important question: Does it make more sense to repair it or replace it? While the answer depends on various factors, like your personal financial situation or the enormity of the damage, these tips can help you decide when to fix a broken phone or invest in a new one. Factors to Consider When Fixing a Smartphone There are several factors that can influence whether you should attempt to repair a damaged smartphone, including:...

The fact is, once you share any secret with another person, it may no longer be a secret. It isn’t that the agent would intentionally reveal what you’ve told them, but an agent can’t reveal what they don’t know. Why You Should Not Tell Your Agent Your Top Price Right after writing an offer, it’s common for first-time homebuyers to play through scenarios in their heads. They can drive themselves crazy with this process, but can’t seem to help it....

There are several different types of moving averages. They each create a line on a chart that can help show you which direction a price is moving. Learn the different types of averages used by traders and what they tell you about a price. Simple Moving Average Calculation The simple moving average (SMA) calculates an average of the last n prices, where Px represents the price in a period, and n represents the number of periods....

When deciding to purchase a home, one of the most important things you can do is make sure you fully understand the terms of your mortgage. Most mortgages are 15- or 30-year mortgages, although some may go up to 40 years, and the interest rate you receive will largely depend on your credit score. A credit score of 620–639 could land you a rate of around 4.3%, while a score above 760 could get you a rate around 2....

Pros and Cons Small-cap companies have greater growth potential. It’s easier for them to grow because they have a smaller operational and financial base. Their small size also makes them riskier investments. They don’t have the financial cushion to withstand crises or poor management. Small-cap companies do especially well early in an economic recovery. That’s because interest rates are still low. It gives them easy access to funds to invest in their growth....

If the state of your residence has a reciprocal agreement with the state you work in, you would not have to file nonresident state tax returns for your state of employment, assuming it follows all the rules. You can simply provide your employer with a required documents. Reciprocity can greatly simplify tax time for people who live in one state but work in another, something that’s relatively common among those who live near state lines....

On the other, you can’t always count on future returns to match past ones. Despite some consistent patterns, election years are no exception. Election Years and Market Theories According to the 2021 Dimensional Funds report, the market has been favorable overall in 20 of the 24 election years from 1928 to 2020, only showing negative returns four times. When you further examine the years between elections, however, it becomes apparent that year three of a president’s term is usually the strongest year for the market, followed by year four, then the second, and finally the first....

Tax Avoidance Tax avoidance is the legitimate minimizing of taxes and maximize after-tax income, using methods included in the tax code. Businesses avoid taxes by taking all legitimate deductions and tax credits and by sheltering income from taxes by setting up employee retirement plans and other means, all legal and under the Internal Revenue Code or state tax codes. Some Examples of Tax Avoidance Strategies Taking legitimate tax deductions to minimize business expenses and lower your business tax bill....

The interior of the suitcase has lots of conveniences like an internal compression system, which is particularly useful for over packers. There’s also a hidden water-resistant laundry bag and an additional compartment to separate clothing from shoes. Even more, business travelers will like the removable battery with USB port. This battery can charge your phone up to four times before needing to be recharged, and it’s even ejectable for charging on the go....

Whether you need to sort a large number of coins or simply need to organize pocket change, see below for the best coin sorters for your needs. Drop your coins into the hopper, choose your function, then start. Coins are sorted straight into the correct coin wrapper. Just insert preformed coin wrappers into the coin tubes for easier wrapping and rolling. Since the coin sorter includes two rows of coin tubes for each denomination, you can process more coins at once....