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Learn About Safe Investments No investment is entirely safe, but there are five (bank savings accounts, CDs, Treasury securities, money market accounts, and fixed annuities) which are considered the safest investments you can own. Bank savings accounts and CDs are typically FDIC-insured. Treasury securities are government-backed notes. Money market accounts are considered very low risk, and fixed annuities typically have guarantees written into their contracts. Annuities are also insurance contracts and have some protections in place if the insurance company fails....

Here’s what you need to know to write an effective company description for your small business. What Is a Company Description? The company description section of your business plan is typically the second section, coming after the executive summary. The company description outlines vital details about your company, such as where you are located, how large the company is, what you do, and what you hope to accomplish. Parts of a Company Description The exact elements included in your company description can vary, but some elements are more common than others and most likely should be part of the section:...

HSAs and FSAs have different qualifications and advantages, however. Here’s everything you need to better understand HSAs and FSAs before signing up. What’s the Difference Between an HSA and an FSA? You can only open a flexible spending account through your employer or other group offering it, but there are no additional qualifications or restrictions as there are with an HSA. Qualified Health Expenses HSAs and FSAs are meant to cover qualified health expenses....

Thankfully there are many types of accounts available that can help you avoid getting stuck with high out-of-pocket costs and medical bills. A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a fund that you draw from to pay for eligible medical expenses, while a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) is run by your employer to offer reimbursement for medical expenses that you pay for first. If either of these options is available to you, it’s important to understand how an HSA compares with an HRA, and the functions and perks of each....

Learn more about what human resource management is and how it works. What Is Human Resource Management? Human resource management is also a strategic and comprehensive approach to managing people and the workplace culture and environment. Done well, it enables employees to contribute effectively and productively to the overall company direction and the accomplishment of the organization’s goals and objectives. The department members provide the knowledge, necessary tools, training, administrative services, coaching, legal and management advice, and talent management oversight that the rest of the organization needs for successful operation....

Sincerely, Back Taxes Dear Back Taxes, Yikes! Filing for 2022 taxes is about to begin, so you’re going to want to fix this ASAP. The government is always happy to recoup any money you owe, so this is a situation you can solve. It’s always better to file late than not at all! I’m going to assume you haven’t filed your taxes on either the federal or state level, so I’ll go through them separately below....

It’s both, economists say—but likely enough the latter that job hunters shouldn’t feel discouraged. Evidence generally points to the ball still being in the worker’s court, with wages rising faster, initial claims for unemployment ticking down, and an increasing share of small businesses saying they’re struggling to fill positions. “I don’t think we’re at the point yet where workers are losing the upper hand,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics....

How to Handle an Immediate Resignation What’s the best way to handle a resignation when you’re not able to give notice? In this case, you may find yourself at a loss for words as you prepare to confront your soon-to-be-former manager when you give notice. Should you share personal reasons for leaving? Should you still offer to help, even if you know that the interaction may be awkward after your sudden departure?...

There are benefits and drawbacks to accepting cash and paying in cash in a small business, as well as important tax considerations. Accepting Cash Is Legal But Not as a Way To Avoid Taxes Accepting cash and paying in cash is legal. Making cash transactions to avoid taxes is not legal. The IRS actively pursues businesses who underreport income and who pay in cash to avoid payroll taxes and other tax reports and payments....

Gas prices are breaking records daily (we’re into $5 territory now), grocery bills are crazy, and interest rates are rising for the first time in years. Higher mortgage rates have house hunters deciding those skyrocketing home prices are just not feasible with the added borrowing costs—and rents are no better. Even increases in the average wage, which had been a saving grace in the high-inflation economy, may be slowing down (although some economists say that could actually be a good sign for inflation in the longer run)....

What the Interviewer Wants to Know Employers ask this question for a variety of reasons. They might want to know that you are organized and can do all of your work in the allotted time. They also might want to make sure you maintain a decent work-life balance (which many employers believe will ultimately make you a happier, and thus better, employee). However, some employers really are looking for people who make work the center of their lives, and want to assess just how dedicated to the job you will be....

By the time you’re done reading this content and working through the linked resources, you should know enough about bond investing to ask informed questions of your broker, financial adviser, registered investment advisor, or asset management company. The biggest benefit is that you can feel more confident, objective, and less emotional about your investment decisions when you understand the language and risks. What Are Bonds? Bonds are a type of investment that results in an investor lending money to the bond issuer in exchange for interest payments....

Anyone who has invested in the FAANG companies over the years may have made a lot of money. And given their market capitalization, it’s likely that most investors have some exposure to these firms even if they do not directly own shares. The term “FAANG” gained popularity from famed CNBC anchor Jim Cramer. (He originally referred to only FANG, leaving out Apple from the list.) Cramer credited the term to Bob Lang, a technical analyst he once worked with....

Supplemental wages can be taxed differently than regular wages, and this can result in some taxpayers paying more in increased income tax withholding. What Types of Wages Are Supplemental? Supplemental wages include: Commissions Overtime pay (if paid separately from regular wages) Payments for accumulated sick leave Severance pay Reported tips (if paid separately from regular wages) Awards, prizes, and bonuses Back pay Retroactive pay increases Payments for nondeductible moving expenses...

Who Can Benefit From a Roth IRA Not everyone can contribute to a Roth IRA. The Internal Revenue Service bases eligibility on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) and tax filing status. To make the maximum contribution in 2022, your MAGI must be less than $129,000 if you are a single filer (up from $125,000 in 2021) and less than $204,000 if you are a married couple filing jointly (up from $198,000 in 2021)....

What Is Disability Insurance? Disability insurance is also known as disability income insurance. That’s because it pays part of your income if you are injured, sick, or unable to work. . Disability insurance covers many severe illnesses and injuries. To help you decide if disability insurance is something you should purchase, here’s a look at some of the events it can help you through: Pregnancy CancerMental health challengesHerniasBroken bonesMusculoskeletal disorders...

Short-term disability coverage typically for up to a year. It usually pays a percentage of your salary, which can be based on the number of years you’ve worked for your company, the type of coverage you have, and the type of disability. Whether your short-term disability benefits are taxable, and what portion of them can be taxed, depends on whether and how you contribute to the premiums. When Is Short-Term Disability Taxable?...

The paper adds to a growing body of research about the minimum wage, which has become a hot topic in the pandemic era. An effort by President Joe Biden and other Democrats to more than double the federal minimum wage to $15 ran aground in the Senate last year, but 21 states raised it on their own at the outset of 2022. n addition to the improvement on payments, however, there was a surprising downside for renters, the study showed: Landlords hiked rents over the three months following the minimum wage increases by an average of 7....

With the addition of Florida last week, there are now at least 24 states requiring some form of personal finance education to graduate from high school—up from just seven in 2000 and 21 in 2020—according to the latest survey from the Council for Economic Education (CEE), an advocacy group. At the same time, growth in the number of states investing in economics classes has stalled, with just 25 requiring it for graduation, CEE data shows....

If you invest in mutual funds, you should be thinking about whether your fund is best formed to meet your goals and comfort with risk. There are quite a few factors that go into choosing the stocks in your fund, such as market capitalization, objective, credit quality, and maturity. Stock Funds and Market Capitalization Stock funds are first categorized by style in terms of the average market capitalization. The “market cap” is used to measure the size of a business and is expressed as a figure of the single share price times the number of outstanding shares....