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Sometimes—but less often—capital preservation is taken to mean protecting the inflation-adjusted purchasing power of the asset. This protection is done so that a given pile of money can still buy the same quantity of goods and services by the end of the holding period. Only after the first or second condition is satisfied does the portfolio owner or manager look to earning an actual, real return on the position. Learn more about capital preservation and how it works....

The federal gift tax can apply when U.S. citizens or resident aliens receive certain gifts from other U.S. citizens or resident aliens, but it’s payable by the donor, not the donee. The federal government doesn’t impose an inheritance tax on its citizens, although it does tax multiple forms of income. Gifts or inheritances received from foreign estates, corporations, or partnerships are subject to some special rules, however. Which Gifts Are Taxable?...

Learn the causes of recession by understanding gross domestic product and the laws of supply and demand. Know how the federal government uses fiscal and trade policy. Realize how the Federal Reserve fights inflation while spurring growth with monetary policy. See how financial markets on Wall Street influence Main Street and your neighborhood. That has happened throughout the history of U.S. recessions. When the economy contracts for years, it’s called a depression....

Lower Your Tax Bill by Timing Many businesses have found that they can minimize business taxes year-to-year by considering carefully when to make payments to increase expenses and tax deductions and push receipts to create income at the end of the tax year. In general, you want to move income into a year of lower taxes and expenses into a year of higher taxes, although your situation may vary. Cash Accounting and Year-End Timing The first thing to check before you move payments and income between two years is what accounting method you are using....

Many employers use their internship programs as a proving ground for the hiring process and are able to save money in their recruitment efforts by trying out potential new employees prior to extending an actual job offer. If you are interested in turning an Internship into a full-time job after graduation, you can use some specific techniques to increase your chances of getting hired. Make a Good Impression As an intern it is your responsibility to show your supervisor and others within the organization that you have what it takes, both personally and professionally, to fit in with the corporate culture....

Treasuries come in the form of Treasury bills (T-bills), notes (T-notes), and bonds (T-bonds). T-bills are securities that have a short maturity span of up to a year. The maturity rate of T-notes ranges from two to 10 years, while T-bonds have a maturity rate of 30 years. The options provided by these U.S. Treasuries, combined with Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, Floating Rate Notes, Series I Savings Bonds, and Series EE Savings Bonds, provide investors with government-backed investment options that are guaranteed to pay their face values when held to maturity....

Net asset value, along with any dividends you receive from your investment, will impact your portfolio’s total return in the long-run. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) also use NAV to price share price. Learn what net asset value means and why you need to know it before you make investing decisions. How Mutual Funds Are Structured Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are types of pooled funds. This means the fund manager will collect all individual investments and then invest that money into other assets....

The website, launched Monday by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), contains information about unemployment insurance identity theft, as well as how and where victims can report stolen benefits. Pandemic relief programs have broadened eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits, and the DOL said Monday that organized criminal groups have taken advantage of the increased number of filings to fraudulently collect benefits across multiple states using personal information stolen in past data breaches....

More than $1.5 billion in funds from the Emergency Rental Assistance program was handed out to eligible households in June, according to Treasury Department data released Wednesday, by far the largest single-month amount since the program began in January. About 85% more households received funds last month than in May, with 290,000 getting assistance, up from 160,000 in May and 100,000 in April. “This represents significant progress, but there is still much further work to go,” a Treasury statement said....

As a result, the United States became the world’s largest crude-oil producer. The U.S. oil industry found the right balance, increasing the supply slowly enough to maintain prices that pay for more exploration. Shale Oil Reduces Reliance on Foreign Oil Thanks to shale oil production, U.S. reliance on foreign oil imports plummeted. In 2019, domestic production met 60% of the U.S. demand of 20.46 million barrels per day. In November 2018, this increased supply sent U....

Convenience Credit cards give you spending power without the inconvenience of carrying around large amounts of physical cash. A single card is all you’re responsible for, and it can fit in your wallet or purse with ease. You also get the convenience of purchasing items now and paying for them in the future, which gives you time to get the funds if you don’t currently have them available. As long as you pay your bill in full each cycle, you won’t pay interest on any purchases....

“The delta surge dissipating a bit, vaccination rates increasing, looser travel restrictions, and the holidays coming up are all great incentives to travel,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. In addition, international borders are reopening, encouraging foreign travel, she said. Singapore, Fiji, and Indonesia are among countries that have recently announced easing restrictions on visitors from other countries. Overall, the survey of about 3,000 U....

In the short term, though, you’ll need to pay for an attorney. Learn more about how to file bankruptcy with no money. Take Advantage of Free Consultations The first thing to remember is that many, if not most, bankruptcy attorneys provide free consultations. A qualified bankruptcy lawyer can look at your circumstances, help you decide whether bankruptcy is a good fit for you, which type of bankruptcy to file, the timing for the case, and how to pay for it....

It isn’t just the lack of Medicare benefits that early retirees have to plan for. Here are some of the milestone ages for retirees, along with some ways for early retirees to work around them. Early Retirement Comes With Challenges There’s a reason most people continue to work until traditional retirement ages, and it isn’t because they love their jobs. Retiring early comes with serious financial challenges. The primary challenge is ensuring that you have enough assets to provide an acceptable level of income throughout your remaining years....

FAAMG is an acronym that refers to five specific stocks: So why these stocks and not a different set of companies? The simple answer is that these five stocks are among the largest in terms of market capitalization. Market capitalization is a way to measure a company’s value. It’s calculated by multiplying a company’s total outstanding shares by its per-share price. The largest companies by market capitalization are referred to as large cap....

The most common types of precious metals that people invest in are gold, silver, and platinum. Other types of precious metals are iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium. Definition and Examples of Precious Metals Precious metals such as gold and silver have long been used as a means of storing and exchanging value. They also have been used to either mint governmental currencies or to back the value of a government’s currency....

Tier 1 cities, such as New York City, have well-established markets that may not see much additional growth. Tier 3 cities are less developed with lower populations and may not have the infrastructure or population support for major real estate investments. Tier 2 cities, such as Denver, are somewhere in between. How Do Real Estate Market Tiers Work? The tiers are used by investment research companies and real estate firms to segment investments....

The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks how many hours per week the average American works and releases that information as part of the monthly Employment Situation Summary. As of 2021, Americans worked an average of 38.7 hours per week. What Are The Average Hours Worked in the US? The average work hours per week for U.S. workers are shown below, along with a further breakdown by age, gender, race, ethnicity, and marital status....

Here’s why that happened. On July 17, 2012, the 5-year TIPS had a yield of -1.21%, the 10-year stood at -0.64%, and the 20-year at -0.01%. Only the 30-year had a positive yield of 0.37%. Learn how TIPS can have negative yields and real returns and why investors still flock to these securities. How TIPS Can Have Negative Yields The answer is that the yield on a TIPS bond is equal to the Treasury bond yield minus the expected inflation rate....

How Long Is a Credit Card Number? Credit card numbers may be ten to 19 digits long. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards most often are 16 digits long, and American Express cards typically have 15 digits. Parts of a Credit Card Number Credit card account numbers, also known as primary account numbers (PANs), consist of three main parts: Information about the card issuerYour account informationA check digit Credit card numbers fall under identification card standards set by the International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC)....