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But there are some circumstances when an estate doesn’t need to be probated. To help you navigate the process, we’ll explain how probate works, as well as the situations when an estate doesn’t require probate. We’ll also cover some assets that pass outside of probate. What Does It Mean to Probate a Will? Probate is the court-administered process of settling a person’s estate, accounting for assets, paying taxes and creditors, and distributing property to beneficiaries....

Let’s learn more about Medicare’s role in covering urgent care treatment. What Is Urgent Care? Urgent care is the treatment of a condition, illness, or injury that isn’t severe enough to require emergency room care but does require immediate medical attention. It’s for problems that aren’t life threatening, but require medical attention within 24 to 48 hours. Typically, urgent care centers offer walk-in care that doesn’t require an appointment. Urgent care can address conditions such as:...

The plan can state that the price workers pay per share is less than the stock’s fair market value. A qualified ESPP (one that meets all of the rules laid out in ​section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code) can offer discounts of up to 15% on the purchase price of the stock. Understanding how to include the gains in your tax plan can help you determine whether ESPPs are a good option for you....

Relocating for business reasons can be difficult—and expensive—for an employee. That’s why many employee moving expenses are paid by employers. Here is a look at how the process of paying employee moving expenses works, including what’s deductible to you as a business, how to document these payments, and how to report these expenses on employee W-2 forms. Tax Law Changes and Moving Expenses Reimbursements by your business to employees for moving expenses are considered fringe benefits....

Easy Access to Credit For most people, this is the biggest reason for overspending. Just take a look in your mailbox and you’ll quickly see why. People are flooded with a credit card, mortgage, auto loan, and refinancing offers on a daily basis. Oftentimes, simply filling out the short form or jumping on their website will be all it takes to obtain a new line of credit. It can almost feel like free money....

Highlight Your Achievements The candidate’s most impressive accomplishments, quantified by dollar amounts and percentages, are highlighted in a dedicated “Recent Accomplishments” section preceding the traditional “Experience” section. Showcasing these tangible achievements will help to ensure that the candidate immediately stands out among their competition. The strongest accomplishments are highlighted with bold text. Different bulleted achievements are then also incorporated into the “Experience” section, once again serving to illustrate the impressive contributions this executive has made to the companies they’ve worked for during their career....

Before making a final decision, try to get a handle on the following factors that can affect your student. Beyond Student Loans While a lot has been said about determining the net cost of attending a college, there are a few additional costs to take into consideration. You initially want to determine tuition and other costs to attend each selected college and then subtract the amount of “free” money available in grants and school scholarships....

Because of the many variables, it’s a good idea to take the time to comparison shop among several different car rental companies. Keep in mind that renting a car is a lot like shopping for an airline ticket in many respects. Prices are constantly changing, even from minute to minute, so if you happen to catch an extra-low price, don’t hesitate to book the offer, because you probably won’t see it again even an hour later....

Enacted in 1993, FMLA requires certain companies to provide employees unpaid leave for issues related to family (such as caring for a newborn or adopted child) or health issues (your own or a family member’s). However, not all employers need to adhere to FMLA, and not all employees are eligible. Your company might even provide additional benefits, like paid maternity leave, or you may be eligible for disability insurance. Some organizations will offer more liberal leave policies in order to attract and retain talent especially in industries where there is a shortage of qualified workers and during tight labor markets....

Is Farmers Insurance Right for You? Farmers Insurance may be a good fit if you need auto, home, renters, landlord/rental property, life, business, motorcycle, recreational, or umbrella insurance. The insurance company serves all ages, and even offers a rewards-earning credit card. If you have an unusual insurance need, Farmers may be able to help. Farmers Insurance can perhaps offer such a wide range due to the network of companies it oversees, including Foremost (which insures specialty property such as mobile homes and watercraft) and Toggle, which exclusively insures renters....

The fed funds transaction, although it behaves as a loan, is technically a sale. The “lending” bank charges a small fee. This is the federal funds effective rate. The Federal Reserve uses this rate to control the nation’s interest rates. The Fed uses open market operations to encourage banks to meet this target. It buys securities, replacing them with credit, and giving banks more fed funds to lend. When it wants the effective rate to rise, it removes credit from the banks, replacing it with securities....

Derivatives are often used for commodities, such as oil, gasoline, or gold. Another asset class is currencies, often the U.S. dollar. There are derivatives based on stocks or bonds. Others use interest rates, such as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. The contract’s seller doesn’t have to own the underlying asset. They can fulfill the contract by giving the buyer enough money to buy the asset at the prevailing price....

Assets include cash, accounts receivable, short-term investments, and inventory. The quick ratio offers a more stringent test of a company’s liquidity than the current ratio. Explaining the Acid Test The acid test or quick ratio formula removes a firm’s inventory assets from the equation. Inventory is the least liquid of all the current assets because it takes time for a business to find a buyer (or buyers) if it wants to liquidate the inventory and turn it into cash....

It might seem like a small thing, but formatting choices like margin size make a big difference in how your resume will be perceived. Leave too much space, and you might look like you’re trying to disguise a lack of experience; leave too little, and prospective employers might struggle to scan the text. What are standard margin guidelines for resumes? Read on for all the information you’ll need about margins, text alignment, and how to reduce margins if you need extra space....

It’s not just about the money. “One of the most difficult aspects of splitting an inheritance is the emotional component,” said James Miller, a licensed psychotherapist and host of the Lifeology radio show. “When a parent passes, all children will have their way of expressing their grief.” Unfortunately, it may come out as resentment or hostility if someone has an issue with how the estate is distributed. How Is Property Divided Among Siblings?...

There were 9.21 million job openings in the U.S. on the last business day of May, 16,000 more than April’s revised level (it was originally reported as 9.29 million) and more than in any month since data was first collected in December 2000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. There are 31% more job openings now than there were in February 2020, the last full month before the pandemic began....

Using a credit card over the holidays can make it easier to shop online, and you could earn some valuable rewards on purchases. But it’s important to get familiar with holiday credit-card dos and don’ts before filling up your shopping cart. Making the most of your credit cards over the holiday shopping season means knowing the smartest ways to use them. Keep these good practices in mind as you map out your shopping strategy....

That’s according to data from CoreLogic’s Home Price Index released Tuesday, which showed nationwide prices fell 0.2% in November, the fifth month of declines since prices peaked in June last year. Higher mortgage rates in recent months have hurt buyers’ budgets to the point where they’re pulling back and cooling down the market. But whether you’re eager for prices to plummet or dreading the prospect, the trend so far has yet to make a major dent in the massive price hikes seen during the pandemic, as a chart of monthly price changes shows....

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index rose to its highest reading ever in July, according to data released Tuesday. The nationwide, seasonally adjusted index, which has been rising steadily since 2012, posted four of its steepest monthly gains between March and June, while the most recent reading in July showed the sixth-steepest increase since the index was created in 1987. Home prices in July were a record 19.7% higher than a year earlier....

Here’s a quick look at the most significant economic indicators of the day and what they tell us. Mortgage Applications The recent spike in mortgage rates is definitely putting off potential homebuyers. A weekly index measuring the volume of mortgage applications decreased 12% last week, dropping to the lowest level since the early days of the pandemic, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Volatility in the stock market and concerns about the economy may also be giving would-be buyers pause, said Joel Kan, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting....