Whether we admit it or not, taxes drive a lot of our personal finance decisions. Avoiding or lowering them can influence where we choose to live, what kind of car we buy, where we send our children to school, whether we purchase a house, and many other everyday decisions. Everyone tries to limit the amount
Selecting the best brokers for international trading ultimately comes down to who has the most products in the most markets, but we also judge the best international trading platforms in terms of their quality and tools. Interactive Brokers (IBKR) emerges once again as the overall winner with the best online broker for international trading and
Intel Foundry Services will manufacture multiple chips for MediaTek for a range of smart edge devices, the two companies said on Monday. Fabian Bimmer | Reuters Markets are expected to remain volatile for the remainder of the year or at least until inflation shows some sign of stabilizing without jeopardizing economic growth. Indeed, stocks sold
When it comes to managing your money, keeping large amounts of cash on you at all times isn’t generally considered wise. About 95% of American households include at least one person with a bank account, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Though they are just two of the possible account types offered by
When you take out a certificate of deposit (CD), you agree to leave your money in the bank for a set period of time. When the term of the CD ends, the bank will release the money to you, along with the interest it earned. This is known as the CD maturing. When your CD
Certificates of deposit (CDs) provide a way for consumers to make a little more interest on their savings than they can get by keeping their money in a standard savings account. The customer is promising not to withdraw the money for a specific period of time. The longer the time period, the higher the interest
Certificates of deposit, or CDs, have become such a familiar financial product that it may seem like they’ve been around forever. They actually date back to the early 19th century in the United States, although their roots go back much farther. Key Insights Banks in the U.S. have been issuing certificates of deposit since the
When contemplating an investment, few questions are as important as “What is your time horizon?” The answer can help you decide what type of investment vehicle you should consider, which investments to avoid, and how long to hold your investment before selling. It is important to note that the passage of the Setting Every Community Up
Is buying a house near an airport advisable? Suppose your real estate agent shows you a property that is virtually perfect in all other aspects. Does all that good outweigh the one bad point? And, really, is it a negative at all? Of course, any home purchase is inevitably fraught with questions. To help ensure
A Roth IRA is a tax-advantaged retirement savings vehicle that allows for tax-free withdrawals if certain conditions are satisfied. A Roth IRA forms an integral part of many investors’ retirement planning, but they are not available for everyone. If you earn too much in a year, you will not be able to make contributions to
When it comes to your retirement accounts, comparing how much you have saved with the national average can help you benchmark your savings. For most employees, an employer-sponsored 401(k) account is a significant piece of their retirement planning. Knowing how the balance in your 401(k) stacks up against the averages for your age range may
Listen to Preston’s podcast about studying billionaires here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-investors-podcast/id928933489 Carl Icahn is part of the top 50 richest men in the world with a net worth of $16.9 billion, according to Forbes. He is widely known as one of the most polarizing people in Wall Street with a reputation for delivering controversial decisions and initiatives
What is a call option? You might have heard about option contracts in the past. There are calls and puts. When you’re buying a call, it means you’re looking for the stock to go to the upside, which is a bullish outlook. You can also sell a call, which means you’re looking for the stock
Preferred Stock ETFs add diversification and stability to your portfolio, in addition to juicy yields (PFF, VRP). ISHARES US PREFERRED STOCK ETF: http://www.zacks.com/funds/etf/PFF/profile?cid=cs-youtube-ft-card POWERSHARES VARIABLE RATE PFD PORTFOLIO: http://www.zacks.com/funds/etf/VRP/profile?cid=cs-youtube-ft-card Follow us on StockTwits: http://stocktwits.com/ZacksResearch Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZacksResearch Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch
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