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Retail sales for August unexpectedly rose, edging up 0.7% to $618.7 billion from July, according to seasonally adjusted data released Thursday by the Census Bureau. (Economists had forecast a slight decline of less than 1%.) Sales at nonstore retailers, including online stores, jumped 5.3%, while sales at furniture stores rose 3.7%, grocery stores, 2.1%, and department stores, 2.4%. The effect of the delta variant of the coronavirus was felt in other ways, too, with sales at restaurants and bars holding steady (it was the first time since February they haven’t increased) and gas stations posting their smallest gain since the decline in gas sales in April....

What Are Corporate Executive Jobs? C-level jobs (the highest ranking roles at an organization) are the top corporate executive positions in a company. They are the leadership team of the organization. However, nearly all corporate executive jobs require leadership and recruiting skills, along with the ability to develop and implement a strategic vision to support the organization’s goals. Top Corporate-Level Positions With the advent of the internet and the burgeoning start-up world, new C-level positions have proliferated....

Even a very small business needs money to operate and that money costs something unless it comes out of the owner’s own pocket. Companies aim to keep that cost as low as possible. What Is Capital? Capital is the money businesses use to finance their operations. The cost of capital is simply the interest rate it costs the business to obtain financing. Capital for very small businesses may just be credit extended by suppliers, such as an account with a payment due in 30 days....

Large public companies include a Sources and Uses of Funds statement in their annual reports, but even small businesses can find sources and uses statement helpful. The worksheet discussed here is a simplified, slightly different version that you can use to show a lender how much you need for startup financing and how much collateral you will contribute. Lenders like the Sources and Uses statement because it is an excellent summary of your financial plans, showing where the money you need is coming from and what it will be used for....

This 60-day period is twice as long as what it was before 2009, thanks to the Credit CARD Act. Before that act introduced a number of consumer protections, card issuers could begin imposing a penalty APR after just one missed payment. Additionally, lenders must now provide a 45-day notice after the payment is delinquent before they can actually implement the rate change. As the above chart shows, credit card delinquency rates have been on a general decline since 2009, even with a recent uptick....

Credit card return protection is an insurance-style protection provided by certain credit cards that allows you to get a refund if the retailer you made your purchase from doesn’t allow a return. However, return protection isn’t as common as other card benefits, and you’ll need to carefully review restrictions on what’s reimbursable. Find out more about what credit card protection is (and what it isn’t), how credit card protection works, exclusions, and cards that could help you get a refund for a brand-new toy, blender, or shirt that you’ll never use....

Cryptocurrencies like Dash have become a popular investment opportunity in recent years. Before you start purchasing Dash coins or any other digital currency, it’s important to understand what you’re getting yourself into. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Dash and how to start investing. What Is Dash Coin? Dash is a cryptocurrency based on a decentralized peer-to-peer network. Like many digital currencies, it’s designed to allow for fast, easy, and affordable online payments without going through the traditional financial system....

How Does Debt Financing Work? When you use debt financing, you are using borrowed money to grow and sustain your business. Equity financing, on the other hand, is allowing outside investors to have a portion of the ownership interest in your firm. Each form of financing has different characteristics. Small businesses usually open by using funds from the owner. The owner may use their personal savings for the startup. Alternatively, the owner may leverage what is usually their largest asset to start the business, which would be their home....

There are many different terms and financial concepts incorporated into income statements. Two of these concepts—depreciation and amortization—can be somewhat confusing, but they are essentially used to account for decreasing value of assets over time. Specifically, amortization occurs when the depreciation of an intangible asset is split up over time, and depreciation occurs when a fixed asset loses value over time. Depreciation Expense and Accumulated Depreciation Depreciation expense is an income statement item....

Indirect costs are fixed expenses a business incurs to keep the company running no matter the activity level. These costs, often known as overhead, include administrative, full-time staffing, property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), and utility-related expenses. If you’re a business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, it’s important to know the difference between these two expenses your company will incur. Understanding how to categorize such expenses can also help you make decisions about hiring, contracting, or outsourcing manpower, buying or leasing equipment, developing in-house or sourcing products and services, budget better based on those decisions, and file for tax deductions....

Incentive Trusts The use of an “incentive trust” has become a popular topic for discussion among estate planning professionals and their clients. Incentive provisions in a trust are designed to encourage particular behaviors, address specific problems, or promote a general philosophy of life. The incentive offered is financial. If the trust beneficiary exhibits the desired behavior, then he or she receives more money from the trust. (In some circles that’s called bribery....

Hannah Mentz Driving in another country can be both scary and confusing. Doing some research ahead of time will make it go a whole lot smoother. Here, learn what you need to know before driving internationally and how it will impact your insurance policy. What Is an International Driver’s Permit? An international driver’s permit (IDP) is a document that allows you to drive in 150 countries if you have a valid driver’s license in your home country....

Learn more about how credit affects car insurance premiums and how to minimize your costs after filing for bankruptcy. How Credit Affects Car Insurance Premiums Many studies have found that drivers with poor credit file insurance claims more frequently than drivers with good credit. As a result, most insurers now do a quick credit check when figuring out what to charge a new applicant. The higher your score, the less you can expect to pay for coverage....

Peter Cade / Getty Images More single-family houses sold before starting construction in March than any month since 2006 at the peak of the housing bubble, according to Census Bureau data released in its monthly report on new housing sales. And by the end of the month, there were just 37,000 newly constructed houses for sale, the smallest number since 2013. Overall, sales of new houses were up 20.7% to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate just over 1 million, more than bouncing back from a weather-induced sales slump in February, and marking the fastest sales rate since 2006....

Our analysis looked at the minimum-wage workforce, the total number of workers in the U.S. making the minimum wage for the state in which they work. Because the federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009 and some states have their own minimum wage rate, only workers in states with a minimum wage of $8.75 or higher as of 2021 have seen their wages keep pace with inflation. Workers who are still earning just $7....

Origins of Fibonacci Levels Fibonacci levels are derived from a number series that Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa—also known as Fibonacci—introduced to the west during the 13th century. The sequence starts like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89… Each new number is the sum of the two numbers before it. As the sequence progresses, each number is approximately 61.8% of the next number, approximately 38....

Paying Taxes on Commodity Trading If you trade commodities, you should receive a 1099-B Form from your broker before Jan. 31, following the end of the tax year. It will state your profits and losses from the previous year’s commodity trading. Subtract the losses from your profits, and that will give your capital gains. Your capital gains from commodities will be taxed in two ways: 60% of the capital gains are taxed at long-term rates40% of the capital gains are taxed at short-term rates...

It may be easier than you think to build a sound foundation for your later years. Master these 20 money skills in your 20s, and you’ll be thanking yourself in your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. Learn How To Create Your Budget Your first step is to take a look at your income and create a budget. A budget will help you decide when and how to spend your money, giving you the power to decide where your money goes....

Selling Your Time This is the source of income that most people think of when it comes to earning money. This is the money you receive for selling your time to an employer, often represented as salary or wages. You’ll often hear well-intentioned parents telling their children to find a “good job," preferably one with benefits. The rate you receive for your time depends on how rare and in-demand your skills are....

Federal Student Aid Website Federal Student Aid is an office of the U.S. Department of Education, and its website is the logical first place to start. The site provides detailed guidance on preparing for college, choosing a school, types of financial aid, who gets aid, applying for aid with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and how to repay student loans. The site offers advice and information for both students and parents, including checklists for academic and financial preparation....