Cars are indispensable for most of us who don’t live in New York City. While it’s common knowledge that car expenses traditionally rival only dwelling expenses in the standard household budget, is it true that cars have gotten correspondingly more expensive over the years? Henry Ford achieved business immortality by democratizing the car. Of his
Operating margin and EBITDA are two measures of a company’s profitability. They are related but provide investors and analysts with different insights into the financial health of a company. Operating margin, which is expressed as a percentage, is a measure of the revenue left over after accounting for expenses. It is the amount of profit that a
Inflation can have a negative impact on fixed-income assets when it results in higher interest rates. Central banks, like the U.S. Federal Reserve, typically have inflation targets. When inflation begins to exceed the desired threshold, officials will increase interest rates. Since the interest payments from existing fixed-income assets become less competitive relative to newer higher
An asset-protection trust can help seniors in need of constant nursing care pay the substantial costs of assisted living or skilled nursing facilities and at-home help. Average daily nursing home costs can exceed $297 and can be significantly higher in certain metropolitan areas, according to a 2021 Genworth survey. Medicare, the federal health care program
Bonds and interest rates have an inverse correlation: as interest rates increase, bond prices fall. However, the more the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, the better news potentially for municipal bond investors. Municipal bonds (or “munis”), long touted as among the safest, most tax-efficient debt investments available, were hit hard in the wake of the
Free on Board Shipping Point vs. Free on Board Destination: An Overview International commercial laws have been in place for decades and were established to standardize the rules and regulations surrounding the shipment and transportation of goods. Having special contracts in place has been important because international trade can be complicated and because trade laws
Life insurance can be a valuable financial tool to provide for your loved ones after your death. Having life insurance can help you plan for the future and bring you peace of mind. While life insurance can offer a number of advantages for many people, but others may have reasons why buying life insurance may
Investors’ demand for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continues to grow. ETFs are a cost-effective way for novice investors to begin investing in the stock market and they remain a great diversification tool for experienced investors. The attraction of ETFs is owed to their lower fees, as well as the lower risks they provide through broad diversification.
Some factors that have served as headwinds for the electric vehicle (EV) industry include economic uncertainty, inflation and supply-chain issues. However, the industry is still at an early growth stage. One segment of the industry that’s positioned for explosive growth are EV batteries. In uncertain market conditions, it’s a good time to consider exposure to
Individual investors have continued to surge into the market in 2021, with the pandemic playing a key role in giving people the time to take control of their portfolios. Comparing costs has become less straightforward, however, as most online brokers have eliminated the trading fees that were the easiest method of direct comparison. To evaluate
Professional forex traders have long known that trading currencies requires looking beyond the world of FX. Currencies are moved by many factors, including supply and demand, politics, interest rates, speculation, and economic growth. More specifically, since economic growth and exports are directly related to a country’s domestic industry, it is natural for some currencies to be heavily
If you’re an investor in real estate, especially in a large metropolitan area, you might have considered opening your rentals to Section 8 tenants. This federal program assists those with low incomes to find housing by subsidizing a portion of their monthly rent. As a landlord, there are pros and cons to accepting housing vouchers.
The task at hand for this article is to find some tech stocks that are screaming buys right now. Given the S&P 500 tech sector is down 16.4% year-to-date through Aug. 25, that shouldn’t be too difficult. The big question: Where do you start? Based on the 47 tech stocks in the index, 37 are
Founded in 2010, Pinterest (PINS) is a San Francisco, CA technology company that is best known for its pinboard-style photo-sharing website. Users leverage the platform to create and manage theme-based photo collections of hobbies, events, or anything else of general interest. Pinterest went public through and initial public offering in April 2019 and the stock
In this article SGEN PTON FTCH AFRM Electronic Arts (EA) signage is displayed on the back of a chair at the company’s campus in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Ben Nelms | Bloomberg | Getty Images Electronic Arts (EA) signage is displayed on the back of a chair at the company’s campus in Burnaby, British Columbia,
Mortgage rates were generally up in tiny increments Thursday. The 30-year average added just a basis point, though the 15-year average saw a minor dip. Today’s National Mortgage Rate Averages The 30-year average climbed a single basis point Thursday, rising to 6.04% and keeping it above the notable 6% threshold. On June 14, the flagship
The notion of a looming housing market crash appears to be picking up steam. There are multiple signs the ongoing correction could morph into something worse. For example, August marked the eighth straight month that homebuilder confidence levels have fallen. National Association of Home Builders chief economist Robert Dietz has gone so far as to
When most people reach the age of 50, they start thinking about retirement. At this age, you need a strategy in place about housing, working and income before retiring. For instance, should you pay off the mortgage, or sell your house and downsize to a smaller home? Similarly, income during retirement is a vital consideration,
If you are taking a protected leave of absence from work under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you may need to fill out FMLA forms to satisfy your employer’s requirements. The act was signed into law by President Clinton in February 1993. It requires that certain employers allow eligible employees access to unpaid time
Few things are more exhilarating than finding “screaming buys” in the stock market. When everything lines up and you know you’re buying a stock at an insanely low price, the adrenaline flows. In this column, I have decided to focus solely on tech stocks. Tech stocks have been performing poorly lately. The sector is battered,