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It may seem like on-time payments are on-time payments, whether you’re repaying a loan or keeping the electricity on. Unfortunately, paying your utility bills typically doesn’t impact your credit scores since utility companies don’t report payment history to the credit bureaus. But there are some important exceptions: If lenders use an “alternative” credit-scoring method, utility payments can help your score.If you fall too far behind on utility payments, your credit will most likely suffer if accounts get transferred to collection agencies....

But every once in a while, there’s a problem that simply won’t go away, even after several visits to the dealership for service. If you find yourself in that situation, you may be able to return your vehicle to the dealer for a full refund or replacement, thanks to federal and state lemon laws. What if you have taken out a loan on your car, and it turns out to be a lemon?...

Leaders that can adapt to change are motivated, not easily discouraged, and are usually more creative than the average employee. Adaptability in project managers, for example, reflects the manager’s ability to integrate various moving parts of a project and deliver a quality product or service in a timely manner. Adaptability is important because as new technology evolves, companies established in the “old ways” may have difficulty competing with major players in their industry....

What are Unemployment Taxes? Unemployment taxes are paid by employers to the federal government and states in order to fund unemployment benefits for out-of-work employees. The unemployment program for employers works like insurance, meaning that employers pay for the coverage. The rate charged (it’s called a tax) is based on the type of business. How Much Must I Pay for Unemployment Taxes? Federal unemployment taxes (called FUTA taxes) are paid by employers based on the gross pay of employees (wages or salaries)....

How to Tell the Difference Between Inflation and Deflation There are five types of inflation. The worst is hyperinflation. That’s when prices rise more than 50% a month. Fortunately, it’s rare. It’s historically only caused by massive military spending. On the other end of the scale is asset inflation, which occurs somewhere almost all the time. For example, each spring, oil and gas prices spike because commodities traders bid up oil prices....

401(k) Spouse Beneficiary First, let’s look at the rules that apply when inheriting a 401(k) plan from your spouse. If Your Spouse Was Over Age 72, and You Are Over Age 72 If your spouse was over age 72 (or 70 1/2 if they turned 70 1/2 before January 1, 2020) and had already started taking required minimum distributions (RMD) at the time of death, and you are also over your RMD age, the rule is that you must continue to take out at least the required minimum distributions....

Escaping work and responsibilities for a much-needed vacation should be nothing but fun, but there’s one major hurdle before you can kick back, relax, and enjoy yourself: the perils of air travel. Your flight itself may not be that bad, but you have to endure airport security checkpoints, crowded terminals, and overpriced food and drink for hours on end. Same goes if you’re flying on business. Before you can pitch the winning deal, you have to juggle connections, layovers, or boarding delays, all while checking in regularly with the office....

When you buy a bond, you are loaning money that the issuer uses to invest. High-quality bonds are among the safest types of assets you can invest, offering you very little risk of losing any money, if held to maturity. However, there’s much more to know if you want to invest in bonds like a pro. Why Invest in Bonds? One of the main appeals of bonds, from the point of view of the bond issuer, is that they lower the cost of capital....

Investors bought 67,943 homes in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2021, up 15.1% from the first quarter and the highest number since real estate broker Redfin began collecting data in 2000. They spent $48.5 billion on those homes, which included multifamily dwellings, single-family homes, and condos, for an average price of $439,600. Home prices have surged this year, and the amount investors spent per home was 23.7% higher than a year ago....

Between 2009 and 2020, post-baccalaureate (which includes master’s and doctoral programs) enrollment increased by 10%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES projects that enrollment will be another 6% higher in 2030 than in 2020. Should you join those going back to school? Let’s look at graduate school’s benefits, whether the financial cost can be offset, and other questions to ask before diving in. How Will Graduate School Help My Career?...

As a car owner, you’ve probably imagined worst-case scenarios involving collisions, bad weather, vandalism, or theft. But you may not have considered the damage that rodents can cause. From chewing on essential wiring to building nests and hiding pounds of food inside your engine, rats and other rodents can cause an incredible amount of damage to your vehicle—and headaches for you. What Damage Do Rodents Cause? The main concern with rodents is the wiring issues they cause, which can be particularly tricky for a mechanic to fix....

But one potential buyer, Thomas Malone, is going ahead with his home search anyway, even though he has no expectation that things will get better anytime soon. Malone is an economist for real estate data company CoreLogic, where he analyzes housing trends. He believes home prices are in for a long haul of either slow declines or stagnation, but doesn’t see a price crash on the horizon. Call it a “stall” rather than the crash some buyers have been hoping for....

As CEO and co-founder of HerMoney and former financial editor for NBC’s The TODAY Show, she believes that money is an important life skill for people of all ages. She has dedicated most of her professional life to helping people understand money issues and promoting financial literacy. And Jean attributes much of her career success to her ability to make difficult subjects understandable. Jean has written books on a wide range of topics, from money and happiness (“The Ten Commandments of Financial Happiness”) to women and money (“Women With Money” and “Make Money, Not Excuses”), and how to succeed in a tough economy (“The Difference”)....

The U.S. economy added 559,000 jobs in May, below economists’ expectations of as many as 1 million, but double April’s lackluster numbers, seasonally adjusted government data released Friday showed. The leisure and hospitality industry gained 292,000 jobs, accounting for most of the increase, as people leave home and spend money on outings. Nearly every sector posted gains, pushing the unemployment rate to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic, down to 5....

Average wages and salaries for all civilian workers rose 1.5% in the three-month period ending in September—the highest quarterly jump since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping track with its current methodology in 2001, according to the bureau’s latest report on employment costs, released Friday. Combined with previous pay increases, wages were 4.2% higher than they were the same time last September, also the highest since 2001. The rising wages reflect the desperation of employers to fill a near record number of open positions amid a persistent labor shortage created by the pandemic....

Using simple math, you can figure out the dividend yield of stocks. You can even get the yield for your entire portfolio. It can be a useful tool when you are looking at new investments. It can also help you plan for retirement. Dividend yields don’t often show the whole picture, however. They shouldn’t be the only factor when you are investing. Definition and Examples of Dividend Yield Since it’s a ratio of yearly dividend to stock price, dividend yield simply tells you how much cash flow your investments generate....

Legal insurance can be an affordable way to get the help of a lawyer when you’re not sure you understand your legal rights or when you need legal counsel. Who Can Benefit From Legal Insurance? Almost anyone can benefit from buying a plan. Legal insurance doesn’t cost very much, which means many people can take advantage of it. It can help you find advice for many situations that come up as you’re starting out in life, buying a home, or starting a family....

Coverage for Rental Car Agreements The standard business auto policy includes contractual liability coverage. This coverage is provided via an exception to a contractual liability exclusion that appears under auto liability coverage. The policy covers liability you assume under an insured contract, as that term is defined in the policy. The definition encompasses several types of contracts, including the following: This means that a typical car rental agreement qualifies as an insured contract....

Causes Central banks are in charge of managing liquidity with monetary policy. Their primary tool is to lower interest rates to encourage borrowing. That makes loans inexpensive, encouraging businesses and families to borrow to invest and spend. It’s like stepping on the gas to increase the engine’s speed. When you push the gas pedal, the car goes. A liquidity trap often occurs after a severe recession. Families and businesses are afraid to spend no matter how much credit is available....

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a bulletin last week cautioning loan servicing companies that they could face enforcement actions if they fail to identify borrowers who qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), or otherwise mislead or omit information about the program. Servicers who violate these rules could have to make direct payments to borrowers, the bureau said. The PSLF program wipes out remaining student loan balances when people who work for government or nonprofit organizations have made payments for 10 years....