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Commodity prices for natural gas are closely linked to the rates paid by households. The standard benchmark price, measured at the Henry Hub pipeline delivery point in Louisiana, rose to $4.71 this week for 1 million British thermal units of gas (a measure of the heat content of fuel) from $2.35 the same time last year, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The chart below shows the steady uptick, with a spike in February caused by production disruptions in Texas....

For example, in December 2019, a family making between $50,000 and $74,999 a year could afford 450,223 listings, and a family making between $75,000 and $99,999 could afford 656,200 listings, the group found. By December 2021, the number of affordable homes had dropped to 165,277 for the first income bracket and 245,257 for the second. (For reference, the median household income in the U.S. as of 2020 was $67,521). Households earning $100,000 to $124,999 have also seen their choices shrink, but they could afford 306,632 homes on the market in 2021, so their options aren’t nearly as scarce....

A cash-only budget can be a great, low-maintenance way to keep your spending on track so you can work toward your many financial goals. Here’s a quick overview of how a cash-only budget works, and how your finances can benefit from it. How a Cash-Only Budget Works As you might have guessed from the name, a cash-only budget involves using just cash for all of your spending needs. No credit or debit cards are allowed....

Some Important Points about Extension Applications There is only one extension allowed per tax year. You can’t get multiple extensions. The extension is automatic for both types of extensions (personal or business). Just be sure to file the extension by the tax due date. Even if you don’t owe any tax, file an extension if you can’t file your return by the due date. If you aren’t sure how much to pay when you file your extension application, you can run a calculation of estimated tax due....

You might think you trade based on objective input while staying focused on your investment goals. But you’re human. You buy a stock because you saw a pundit talk about it on TV. You sell a stock because it’s lost some value, and you’re freaked out. You might even buy or sell stocks simply because it feels good to make a money move. Even if you haven’t traded based on your feelings, there may have been other times when you haven’t made the best investment choice due to a lack of information....

What Is Depreciation? Depreciation is something that you can get a deduction for in the current year even though you might not have spent money to buy it in that year. For instance, you bought a computer system in 2017 for $5,000. The life of a computer is 5 years, so you will get a write-off the $5,000 over the next five years (taking the expense to reduce your business taxes)....

If you are looking for a new position, it’s helpful to have a thorough understanding of the many tactics used to recruit employees. That way, you can make sure you’re visible in the places where companies seek qualified applicants. What Is Recruitment? The recruitment phase of a hiring process takes place when companies try to reach a pool of candidates: Companies use job postings on company and external websites, job referrals, and help wanted advertisements, as well as resources on college campuses and social media to reach potential applicants....

A Dental Credit Card Requires a Credit Check Because dental credit cards are a credit product, you’ll have to qualify to be approved. The credit card issuer, not the dentist office, will review your credit history to determine whether you have any serious delinquencies or high balances. If you have poor credit, you may not be approved. Unfortunately, if your dental credit card application is denied, you’ll have to seek another way to finance your dental expenses....

How Safe Is Safe? Although banks are safe places for your money, they do lend your money out and invest it to earn a profit. If these investments go sour, what happens to your money? When your account is FDIC insured, you are generally protected from any losses. However, FDIC coverage has limits. Certain types of accounts are not insured, and you’re only covered up to $250,000 per depositor per bank....

Should your company purchase FVWC coverage? The answer depends on the types of workers you employ (whether they are U.S. citizens or foreign nationals), their travel destinations, and the length of time they spend outside the U.S. State Workers’ Comp and Extraterritorial Travel To understand why foreign voluntary workers’ compensation (FVWC) coverage might be something you need, it helps to understand where state workers’ comp coverage falls short. Most state workers’ compensation laws provide short-term coverage for workers who travel outside the state or country temporarily....

Insurance company guidelines and state laws can dictate how long after an accident you can file a claim. Although it’s a hassle, insurers require you to follow procedures and submit supporting documentation when filing a claim. Knowing how long you have to file a claim after an accident can ensure you handle your claim the right way. How Long You Have To File a Claim After an Accident The required timeline for filing a car insurance claim can vary by insurer or state....

If you choose not to have any taxes withheld and you underpay your taxes, you could end up owing taxes plus an underpayment penalty. To avoid those fates, you’ll want to estimate your income for the year and set your tax withholding appropriately. Determining the Amount of Taxes You Should Withhold If you are newly retired, it can be difficult to figure out how much in taxes to withhold from your pension, because your tax rate depends on your household sources of income and deductions....

But how do you know what constitutes fair pay for you? Understanding the market will help you determine your salary value based on your skills, education and training, work experience, and geographic location. Once you know the landscape, you’ll have a sense of how and when to negotiate a job offer, promotion, or raise. Why Research Salaries? Conducting salary research before starting a job search or negotiating a raise ensures that your request is in line with the market....

You’ll feel more confident if you’re prepared to handle unexpected questions. Here’s a look at some of the trickiest interview questions, along with suggestions on how to answer them and sample answers. What the Interviewer Really Wants to Know Interviewers know that you’ve probably practiced all of the traditional questions, so they try to stump you with trickier ones. Interviewers ask challenging questions to get a better idea of your background, your communication skills, and how you’ll perform should they offer you the job....

The U.S. Department of the Treasury might pay it for you, with or without your consent. This process is called a “tax offset,” and it’s perfectly legal. Even worse, the Treasury can continue to seize your federal refunds until your debt is paid if the total of what you owe is greater than your refund each year. The Treasury Offset Program The federal Treasury Offset Program (TOP) is the force behind tax offsets....

Learn about some common ways you can minimize the capital gains tax you pay on the sale of different asset types. How Capital Gains Tax Works Capital gains taxes work differently from taxes on what the IRS calls “ordinary income,” or earnings from an employee or from business operations. Capital gains taxes are imposed on the sale of capital assets, items you own and use for yourself or your business or for investments, including stocks and bonds, business equipment, houses, and business buildings....

Lots of statistics and measures can help you learn about mutual funds. Many of them can help you decide whether or not to add a fund to your portfolio. Others aren’t necessary for investing success. Knowing a mutual fund’s turnover ratio, though, can reveal some important things about where that fund might be heading. This can include its potential future performance and taxation. What Is a Mutual Fund Turnover Ratio?...

Online portfolios are a great way for job candidates to showcase their work, any licenses or certifications, and feedback or recommendations from previous employers, teachers, or clients. If you’re applying for a job, an online work portfolio is required or expected for some fields. Once you’ve identified an internship or job, the common practice of applying is submitting your resume and cover letter. The resume is a professional document that briefly describes your previous educational and professional experiences....

Any money left over goes to pay selling, general, and administrative expenses. which include salaries, research and development, and marketing. They appear further down the income statement. With all else being equal, the higher the gross profit margin, the better. A Crucial Business Metric The gross margin serves as a useful metric within industries and sectors, because it allows for a better apples-to-apples comparison among competitors. A company that sustains higher gross profit margins than its peers almost always has better processes and more sound operations....

Defining the Contribution Margin Companies often look at the minimum price at which a product could sell to cover basic, fixed expenses of the business. Fixed expenses do not vary with an increase or decrease in production. They include building rent, property taxes, business insurance, and other costs the company pays, regardless of whether it produces any units of product for sale. This minimum-sale-price analysis is called a break-even analysis. One of the important pieces of this break-even analysis is the contribution margin, also called dollar contribution per unit....