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5930
How come I can't sell short certain stocks? My broker says “no shares are available”
[ "35500", "277760", "114214" ]
[ "In finance, short selling (also known as shorting or going short) is the practice of selling assets, usually securities, that have been borrowed from a third party (usually a broker) with the intention of buying identical assets back at a later date to return to the lender. Remember your broker has to borrow it fr...
5931
Are there statistics showing percentage of online brokerage customers that are actually making a profit trading forex/futures/options?
[ "365025", "394924", "76466" ]
[ "\"Finding statistics is exceedingly hard, because the majority of traders lose money. That is, not only they don't \"\"beat the markets\"\", not only they don't \"\"beat the benchmark\"\" (S&P 500 being used a lot as reference): they just lose money. Finding exact numbers, quality statistics and so on is very diff...
5932
Why does a ETN that is supposed to track Crude Oil like UWTI show constant decline every year? And am I an idiot for investing in it?
[ "467373", "66460" ]
[ "After looking at both S&P GSCI Crude Oil Index Excess Return (INDEXSP:SPGSCLP) and CS VS 3x LC ETN NYSEARCA: UWTI they seem to track well (using Google Finance). I'm not seeing where your statement this ETN loses whether oil is gaining or not holds true. Both have posted a year-over-year loss. In the past year...
5933
Is it better to pay an insurance deductible, or get an upgrade?
[ "171642", "53678", "599182", "172838", "365632" ]
[ "\"You asked for simple, and I promise you this is... it just looks a bit math-heavy to start with because we have to handle a couple of different scenarios. Bear with me :) I find the best way to deal with these kinds of questions is to put together a \"\"Total cost\"\" for each option, for a sensible amount of ti...
5934
Is it better to buy a computer on my credit card, or on credit from the computer store?
[ "425352", "307807", "463992", "277971", "162723", "148271" ]
[ "Using your credit card: Applying for a store credit card: In general it is far better to not buy bigger items like a computer until you can pay cash, or pay for it on credit card (to get reward points) and then pay off the card the next month so you don't pay interest.", "Since you have a credit card, I recommen...
5935
Split buying a house 3 ways. How do I approach this?
[ "179052", "531299" ]
[ "\"Get everything in writing. That includes ownership %, money in, money out, who is allowed to use the place, how much they need to pay the other partners, who pays for repairs, whether to provide 'friends and family' discounts, who is allowed to sell, what happens if someone dies, how is the mortgage set up, what...
5937
Is it a good idea to get a mortgage when buying a house, for credit reasons?
[ "192641", "507151" ]
[ "It may or may not be a good idea to borrow money from your family; there are many factors to consider here, not the least of which is what you would do if you got in serious financial trouble and couldn't make your scheduled payments on the loan. Would you arrange with them to sell the property ASAP? Or could they...
5938
Stock market order execution
[ "192125", "134430" ]
[ "I used to work on the software in the front office (and a bit of the middle office) of a brokerage firm. This page describes the process pretty well. Basically there are three parts: So to your question: how does an order get executed? ETFs work the same since they are effectively shares of a mutual fund's assets....
5939
Discount Rate vs. IRR
[ "162389" ]
[ "The IRR is the Discount Rate r* that makes Net Present Value NPV(r*)==0. What this boils down to is two ways of making the same kind of profitability calculation. You can choose a project with NPV(10%)>0, or you can choose based on IRR>10%, and the idea is you get to the same set of projects. That's if everythin...
5943
Why would a company like Apple be buying back its own shares?
[ "321108", "5846" ]
[ "A Breakdown of Stock Buy Backs has this bottom line on it: Are share buybacks good or bad? As is so often the case in finance, the question may not have a definitive answer. If a stock is undervalued and a buyback truly represents the best possible investment for a company, the buyback - and its effects - can be v...
5945
Are 'no interest if paid in in x months' credit cards worth it?
[ "141622", "247343", "125497", "545327" ]
[ "You can't buy it outright. You can't take the time to save up. if the remaining choice is between a card that charges from day one, and a card with this kind of grace period, the grace card is the better choice. Plan wisely, pay it in full before that rate starts to be charged. One additional note - There are two ...
5946
Why are stocks having less institutional investors a “good thing”?
[ "139699", "5572", "449500", "473776", "535110", "191080" ]
[ "\"Institutional investors are the \"\"elephant\"\" in the room. When they \"\"sneeze,\"\" everyone else \"\"catches cold.\"\" They're fine, if they're buying after YOU do. They're not bad, if you want to buy after they sell en masse. But when you read about moves of 10 percent, 15 percent or more in a single day, ...
5947
What are the usual terms of a “rent with an option to buy” situation?
[ "472936", "167702", "91040", "78267" ]
[ "\"Things I would specifically draw your attention to: the contract typically allows for an \"\"option\"\" to purchase; it does not typically compel purchase, although this is seen the purchase price is negotiated before anything gets signed the option to buy is typically available to the renter for the period of t...
5948
Harmony Gold Mining Company is listed on the NYSE and JSE at different prices?
[ "430974", "79410" ]
[ "The quotes on JSE are for 100 share lots. The quotes on NYSE are for single shares. That still leaves some price difference, but much less than you calculated. (EDIT: Equivalently, the price is quoted in 1/100th of a Rand. The Reuter's listing makes this explicit since the price is listed as ZAc rather than ZAR...
595
What should I be aware of when renting a home to a corporation instead of an individual?
[ "368165" ]
[ "This is business as usual, except that you need to keep in mind that the corporate entity is separate from the individual. As such - all the background checks and references should be with regards to the actual renter - the corporation. You should be cautious as it is not so easy to dissolve an individual (well......
5952
What fees should I expect when buying and/or selling a house?
[ "386864" ]
[ "Typical costs to buy might include: One piece of advice if you've never bought, fixing problems with a house always seems to cost more than the discount in price due to the problems. Say the house needs a 15K new kitchen it seems like it will be just 7K cheaper than a house with a good kitchen, that kind of thing....
5954
I have made all the payments on a car I cosigned. Do I have to fight for possession of the vehicle?
[ "347050" ]
[ "Ordinarily a cosigner does not appear on the car's title (thus, no ownership at all in the vehicle), but they are guaranteeing payment of the loan if the primary borrower does not make the payment. You have essentially two options: Stop making payments for him. If he does not make them, the car will be repossesse...
5956
Do there exist any wikipedia type sites for evaluating financial service providers?
[ "213182", "414062" ]
[ "It is always a good idea if you are worried about customer service and hidden gotchas to visit http://getsatisfaction.com - they operate as an independent complaint board for many companies. http://getsatisfaction.com/bankofamerica for example alerts you to many problems with using BofA. In addition, googling for ...
5957
What does the average log-return value of a stock mean?
[ "173052", "201272", "8003" ]
[ "\"Probably the best way to investigate this is to look at an example. First, as the commenters above have already said, the log-return from one period is log(price at time t/price at time t-1) which is approximately equal to the percentage change in the price from time t-1 to time t, provided that this percentage ...
5958
What to do with $50,000?
[ "315930", "345052", "246114" ]
[ "Here is some good advice, read your UCO prospectus. It seems to hold 20% of it's value ($600MM out of $3B) via 13800 of the Apr 21st 2015 contracts. (expiring in 30 days) Those will be rolled very quickly into the May contracts at a significant loss of NAV. (based on current oil futures chains) Meaning if cr...
596
Quickbooks custom field for computing a value
[ "460175" ]
[ "Custom fields are limited to non-calculated values. Read more here: http://qbblog.ccrsoftware.info/2008/07/custom-fields-in-quickbooks/ To do this you will need an add-on. I would reccomend CCRQInvoice, but only because its the only one I've tried and it worked. More here (this is an order form example, but it...
5960
How accurate is Implied Volatility in predicting future moves?
[ "577062", "391063", "570993" ]
[ "Historical volatility of a stock is going to be based on past performance, basically its current trend. That can be useful, but really is no indication of how it will perform in the future. Especially with a big swing in the market. Now if you're talking about implied volatility (IV) of an options contract, that...
5961
Credit rating in Germany
[ "530987", "319052" ]
[ "The SCHUFA in Germany works a bit different from the FICO score in the US. My background: I am a German currently living in the US. The information others want to see from the SCHUFA are a bit different. If you want to example rent a house or an apartment, the landlord often wants to see a SCHUFA statement which o...
5962
Is dividend included in EPS
[ "433210", "347510", "42984" ]
[ "\"EPS is often earnings/diluted shares. That is counting shares as if all convertible securities (employee stock options for example) were converted. Looking at page 3 of Q4 2015 Reissued Earnings Press Release we find both basic ($1.13) and diluted EPS ($1.11). Dividends are not paid on diluted shares, but only a...
5963
If I get a bill (e.g. for internet service), is that a debt I owe? If no, what are the practical difference between a bill and a debt?
[ "484981", "374730" ]
[ "From accounting perspective, an unpaid bill for internet services, according to the Accruals Concept, is recorded as a liability under 'Current Liabilities' section of the Balance Sheet. Also as an expense on the Income Statement. So to answer your question it is both: a debt and an expense, however this is only ...
5965
Can I be building a house with the bank forever?
[ "256042", "158918" ]
[ "No, you can't do this indefinitely. For one, you can't just take money out as home equity with no strings attached. The cash out is done as a loan (often a HELOC) or second mortgage and you have to make payments. The lender will always make sure you are able to afford the payments. At some point, you won't qualify...
5966
How much more than my mortgage should I charge for rent?
[ "274147", "271023", "34308", "408029", "86864", "368872", "297898", "384098", "209249", "47054", "248206", "409147" ]
[ "I am sorry to say, you are asking the wrong question. If I own a rental that I bought with cash, I have zero mortgage. The guy I sell it to uses a hard money lender (charging a high rate) and finances 100%. All of this means nothing to the prospective tenant. In general, one would look at the rent to buy ratio in...
5968
Which tax year does a bonus fall under?
[ "81328" ]
[ "From HMRC Note that the rule is when a person becomes entitled to payment of earnings. This is not necessarily the same as the date on which an employee acquires a right to be paid. For example, an employee's terms of service may provide for the employee to receive a bonus for the year to 31 December 2004, payable...
5969
Issuing bonds at discount - computing effective interest rate
[ "415738", "272093", "222924" ]
[ "In this case the market interest rate is the discount rate that sets equal the market price (current value) of the bond to its present value. To find the market interest rate which is also referred to as promised yield YTM you would have solve for the interest rate in the bond price formula A market price of bond ...
597
Are individual allowed to use accrual based accounting for federal income tax?
[ "449387" ]
[ "Yes. But once you chose the method (on your first tax return), you cannot change it without the IRS approval. Similarly the fiscal year. For individuals, I can't think of any reason why would accrual basis be better than cash, or why would an individual use a fiscal year other than the calendar year." ]
5976
Do financial advisers in Canada who work at the bank, make investing decisions not in your best interest?
[ "215620" ]
[ "The way this works, as I understand it, is that financial advisers come in two kinds. Some are free to recommend you any financial products they think fit, but many are restricted in what they can recommend. Most advisers who work for finance companies are the second kind, and will only offer you products that the...
5977
Which is the better strategy for buying stocks monthly?
[ "176335", "278607", "446948", "177912" ]
[ "\"You will invest 1000£ each month and the transaction fee is 10£ per trade, so buying a bunch of stocks each month would not be wise. If you buy 5 stocks, then transaction costs will eat up 5% of your investment. So if you insist on taking this approach, you should probably only buy one or two stocks a month. I...
598
If I take a loss when I sell my car, can I claim a capital loss deduction on my income tax return?
[ "97348" ]
[ "\"While you'd need to pay tax if you realized a capital gain on the sale of your car, you generally can't deduct any loss arising from the sale of \"\"personal use property\"\". Cars are personal use property. Refer to Canada Revenue Agency – Personal-use property losses. Quote: [...] if you have a capital loss, ...
5982
Why REIT prices are not going down while bonds are being hammered?
[ "509197", "24822" ]
[ "\"There are five main drivers to real estate returns: Income (cash flow from rental payments); Depreciation (as an expense that can be used to reduce taxes); Equity (the gradual paydown of the mortgage the increases underlying equity in the property); Appreciation (any increase in the overall value of the property...
5983
Dad paid cash for house and we want to put it in my name
[ "264330" ]
[ "\"If your parents are not on the deed then I am not sure how it could be their house. It seems like the sale was done unofficially. If your parents or aunt pass away this could be a real mess. Make this official ASAP. It might be possible for your aunt to gift you the house. This may have tax implication but the a...
5984
Typical discount for cash purchase on $1+ million homes?
[ "540592", "42604" ]
[ "First, I assume you understand that 'Cash Offer' doesn't mean you really show up with cash (in a duffel bag...), but is an expression that designates that you don't need a mortgage approval, but have the money in your accounts. The advantages for the seller are With both cases depending on the seller's situation, ...
5985
Consolidate my debt? Higher APR, but what does that actually mean?
[ "319915", "48454", "318191", "63088", "494306" ]
[ "\"There's a cliche, \"\"out of the frying pan and into the fire\"\". I've never had the occasion to use it till now. I understand some people find they have a dozen cards and struggle to keep organized. An extra percent or two seems worth the feeling of just one payment to make. In your case, 3 checks (or online ...
5987
“Correct” answer on Visa credit quiz doesn't make sense
[ "243983", "119075" ]
[ "I agree with you. The quiz was looking at it differently, as if you had a huge card balance and were making minimum payments. The fact that I run all my spending through my cards somehow looks like my card payments are 60-70% of my budget. But when you break it out, zero of that is interest, and it's just a budge...
5989
How can I help my friend change his saving habits?
[ "528162", "457847", "47179", "589476" ]
[ "\"If he's not used to cooking, recipes might not be enough. Maybe he needs cooking lessons. I used to think if you could read, you could cook -- but I grew up \"\"helping\"\" my mom in the kitchen and in the process learning what all the instructions in cookbooks meant. But it also might just be force of habit, in...
5992
Understanding differences between S&P500 index-tracking ETFs
[ "70898", "230997" ]
[ "\"Regarding SPY: \"\"One SPDR unit is valued at approximately 1/10 of the value of the S&P 500. Dividends are distributed quarterly, and are based on the accumulated stock dividends held in trust, less any expenses of the trust.\"\" (source) These are depository receipts, not the actual stocks. Regarding IVV: \"...
5997
I've tracked my spending and have created a budget, now what do I do with it?
[ "428570", "456408", "118204", "460064", "384396" ]
[ "\"I'm reminded of a conversation I had regarding food. I used the word 'diet' and got pushback, as I meant it in sense of 'what one eats'. That's what a diet is, what you eat in an average week, month, year. That list has no hidden agenda unless you want it to. If your finances are in good shape, debt under contro...
5999
What's the catch with biweekly mortgage payments?
[ "258647", "64257", "468473", "487503", "526472", "229505", "381751", "402875" ]
[ "When you pay monthly, you're making 12 payments / year. Assuming you have a payment of $1000/mo, that's $12,000/year that you're paying for your mortgage. When you opt for bi-weekly, they're saying that you can pay half of your mortgage ($500) bi-weekly (can be configured to align with your paycheck). Since there ...
6
“Business day” and “due date” for bills
[ "560251", "188530", "564488" ]
[ "I don't believe Saturday is a business day either. When I deposit a check at a bank's drive-in after 4pm Friday, the receipt tells me it will credit as if I deposited on Monday. If a business' computer doesn't adjust their billing to have a weekday due date, they are supposed to accept the payment on the next bus...
6000
Name first on car loan can you also be the cosigner
[ "267182" ]
[ "\"I want to first state that I'm not an attorney and this is not a response that would be considered legal advice. I'm going to assume this was a loan was made in the USA. The OP didnt specify. A typical auto loan has a borrower and a co-borrower or \"\"cosigner\"\". The first signer on the contract is consid...
6006
What's The Best Way To Pay Off My Collections?
[ "4412" ]
[ "If you can pay it then there's no need to involve a credit counselor. After all, their main role when you use them is to negotiate payments with creditors so you can pay off your debts. In this case you have the funds to pay, so why make it any more complicated than it needs to be? To be honest, a 597 score is g...
6008
Rejecting a second hand car from a dealer under UK Consumer Rights Act
[ "276466" ]
[ "Dumb Coder has already given you a link to a website that explains your rights. The only thing that remains is how to execute the return without getting more grief from the dealer. Though the legal aspects are different, I believe the principle is the same. I had a case where I had to rescind the sale of a vehicle...
601
How to know if I can have NOL (U.S. tax)?
[ "490176" ]
[ "\"Individuals most definitely can have NOL. This is covered in the IRS publication 536. What is the difference between NOL and capital loss? NOL is Net Operating Loss. I.e.: a situation where your (allowable) expenses and deductions exceed your gross income. Basically it means that you have negative income for tha...
6010
What is most time-efficient way to track portfolio asset allocation?
[ "51721", "143020", "55845" ]
[ "I found that an application already exists which does virtually everything I want to do with a reasonable interface. Its called My Personal Index. It has allowed me to look at my asset allocation all in one place. I'll have to enter: The features which solve my problems above include: Note - This is related ...
6012
How to find a good third-party, 401k management/advice service?
[ "466619", "576807", "136270" ]
[ "Any fee based financial adviser should be able to help you. I don't think you need to worry about finding a 401K specific adviser. I'm not even sure that's a thing. A good place to start is the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. The reason I specifically mentioned a fee based adviser is that the ...
6013
Ask FBI permission to withdraw large sums from your checking or savings?
[ "12924", "144561" ]
[ "Is it true you have to file papers with the government in the US to withdraw large sums of cash at your local bank branch? It's true that a currency transaction report (CTR) gets filed with FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) when you make a cash transaction in excess of $10,000. Banks have systems tha...
6014
Is there a way to roll over short-term gains and avoid capital gain tax
[ "431443" ]
[ "\"If the investments are in a non-retirement, taxable account, there's not much you can do to avoid short-term capital gains if you sell now. Ways to limit short-term capital gains taxes: Donate -- you can donate some of the stock to charity (before selling it). Transfer -- you can give some of the stock to, say, ...
6015
Can the U.S. government retroactively tax gains made earlier in the fiscal year?
[ "244561" ]
[ "\"You're certainly referring to \"\"Ex Post Facto\"\" laws, and while the US is constitutionally prohibited from passing criminal laws that are retroactive, the US Supreme Court has upheld many tax laws that apply tax code changes retroactively. You might ask a similar question on Law.SE for a more thorough treatm...
6017
How can I understand why investors think a particular company should have a high PE ratio?
[ "540719" ]
[ "\"Does the company see itself expanding into new product lines or new territories? What is the current predicted growth for the company's earnings for the next 5 years? These would generally be where I'd look for growth in companies. In the case of Costco, there may be a perception of the company as being a \"\"sa...
6018
How to spend more? (AKA, how to avoid being a miser)
[ "465172", "538638", "327880", "474739", "272664", "107398", "183462", "228917", "471878", "115802", "594308", "61539", "275223", "217168", "440652" ]
[ "\"I spend hours researching two comparable products to try to save $3. Me too! I have also argued for hours with customer support to get $5/month off a bill (that's $60/year!), and I feel guilty every time I eat out or do something remotely luxurious, like getting fries with my $1 McChicken. Geez, even when I play...
602
What does “Income generated in the U.S.” mean?
[ "355369" ]
[ "It means you must pay federal (and possibly state) tax on any income you produce in America -- including Internet and mail-order sales. Tax treaties may keep you from having to pay tax on it again in your own country, or may not." ]
6021
How Does A Special Memorandum Account Work
[ "112136", "272754" ]
[ "Here is another explanation of an SMA. SMA refers to the Special Memorandum Account which represents neither equity nor cash but rather a line of credit created when the market value of securities in a Reg. T margin account increase in value. For example, assume the market value of securities purchased at a cost...
6023
I can make a budget, but how can I get myself to consistently follow my budget?
[ "530690", "429480", "377061", "424313", "261208", "262251", "347759", "54978", "477938", "538410" ]
[ "It's simple, really: Practice. Fiscal responsibility is not a trick you can learn look up on Google, or a service you can buy from your accountant. Being responsible with your money is a skill that is learned over a lifetime. The only way to get better at it is to practice, and not get discouraged when you make ...
6025
Will I, as a CS student, be allowed to take loans for paying the fees of Ivy Leagues?
[ "75773", "217831" ]
[ "This article gives the very good advice to simply contact one of the schools in question and ask how to apply for financial aid as an international applicant. Most Ivy League schools admit so many international students that they will have answers to any financial question you can imagine. They may even already ...
6027
Why can't a US state default, but a EU state can?
[ "298847", "443828", "14687" ]
[ "\"But do you know about a US state risking to go default now or in the past? In 1847 four states - Mississippi, Arkansas, Michigan, and Florida - failed to pay all or some of their debts. All of these states had issued debt to invest in banks. From the detailed source listed below: \"\"...it should be remembere...
6029
$200k in an IRA, unallocated. What's the safest investment?
[ "348663", "574359", "454871", "541566", "400356" ]
[ "\"Note that long term you need to plan for possible inflation, so \"\"a little bit of return\"\" generally wants to be at least high enough to offset that plus \"\"a little bit\"\". Which is why just shoving it in a bank, while extremely safe, isn't usually the best choice. You need to make some decisions about...
6030
Basic Info On Construction Loans
[ "5728", "400801" ]
[ "\"Construction loans are typically short term that then get rolled into conventional mortgages at the end of the construction period. Since the actual construction loan is short term, you cannot combine it with a long-term land loan as well. You could do the two separate loans up front to buy the land and finance ...
6031
Digital money pots?
[ "197703", "51325" ]
[ "If you can live with managing the individual category amounts yourself, this is trivial. Just set up a spreadsheet listing each category (and a column for the total amount of money in the account), adding or subtracting as you deposit or withdraw money to the account. To the bank it will be just one (physical) acc...
6032
Previous owner of my home wants to buy it back but the property's value is less than my loan… what to do?
[ "578906", "326214", "519661", "503056", "510805" ]
[ "I would tell the former owner that you will sell him the house for you current loan balance. He wants the home, he may be willing to pay what you owe. You can't really do a short sale unless you are behind on your payments. Banks only agree to a short sale when they think they are going to have to foreclose on the...
6034
Given a certain yearly savings, how much can I spend on a capital improvement? NPV of future cash flow
[ "353042", "193783", "445290" ]
[ "This investment does not have a payback period as the net present value of your investment is negative. Your investment requires an initial cash outlay of $40,000 followed by annual savings of $2060 for the next 20 years. Your discount rate is 5% at which the NPV is $-14327.85 as calculated below by using this Jav...
6037
Can I deduct child's charitable deduction from my taxes?
[ "39734" ]
[ "No, you may not deduct the charitable contributions of your children. The Nest covers this in detail: The IRS only allows you to deduct charitable contributions that you personally funded, whether the contribution was made in your name or in someone else's. If your child or dependent makes a donation to a charity,...
6038
Looking for advice on rental property
[ "158153", "111454" ]
[ "I think the first step is to be thankful that your relationship with this person has not degenerated into lawsuits and bickering. That would greatly affect your cash flow and valuations! It also seems that this person is open to a variety of solutions. This truly is a gift. I see two options without taking a mo...
6042
What is the best source of funding to pay off debt?
[ "297288", "19479", "157923", "37276" ]
[ "\"Thirty thousand in credit card debt is a \"\"big elephant to eat\"\" so to speak. But you do it by taking a bite at a time. One positive is that you do not want to borrow from your 401K. Doing so is a horrible idea. The first question you have to ask yourself and understand, is how you accumulated 30K in cred...
6043
Does it make sense to buy an index ETF (e.g. S&P 500) when the index is at an all-time high?
[ "218947", "412257", "57844", "461217", "112117" ]
[ "\"Here is, from Yahoo Finance, the S&P 500 over the last ~60 years (logarithmic scale): The behavior since ~2000 has been weird, by historical standards. And it's very easy, looking at that graph, to say \"\"yes! I would have made so much money had I invested in March '09!\"\". Of course, back in March '09, it wa...
6044
Why index funds have different prices?
[ "473150", "148721", "410123" ]
[ "Price, whether related to a stock or ETF, has little to do with anything. The fund or company has a total value and the value is distributed among the number of units or shares. Vanguard's S&P ETF has a unit price of $196 and Schwab's S&P mutual fund has a unit price of $35, it's essentially just a matter of th...
6045
In which situations is it better to consider a loan instead of paying cash?
[ "58005", "49069" ]
[ "Your practice of waiting until you can pay cash is a good one. It will certainly prevent you from getting into debt! Now, to be clear, your question puts a credit card in the same category as a loan, but it doesn't have to be. You could use a credit card almost like cash, if you are careful. I'm not familiar with ...
6046
Can I pay into a Stocks & Shares LISA as well as a regular S&S ISA?
[ "574691" ]
[ "Yes, this is fine: You can save up to £20,000 in one type of account or split the allowance across some or all of the other types. You can only pay £4,000 into your Lifetime ISA in a tax year ... Example You could save £11,000 in a cash ISA, £2,000 in a stocks and shares ISA, £3,000 in an innovative finance IS...
6049
Credit Card Purchase - 'it is the bank's money no[t] yours' ?
[ "328760", "529786" ]
[ "Yes, they're referring to the credit card dispute (chargeback) process. In the case of dispute, credit card company will refund/freeze your charge so you don't have to pay until the dispute is resolved (or at all, if resolved in your favor). If the dispute is resolved in your favor, your credit card company will c...
605
Do the activities of my LLC need to be limited to a particular field?
[ "244856" ]
[ "No. When you file your Articles of Organization, simply state that your business will operate under the law. You don't need to give any further specification." ]
6053
How does a no-limit charge card affect your credit score?
[ "89403" ]
[ "Apparently it is up to the credit card company on how they want to report your available balance. Another disadvantage to the no-limit credit card may not be apparent to most people, but it is something noted by organizations like The Motley Fool, which is expert in many issues of finance and investment....
6054
(Theoretical) Paying credit cards with other credit cards
[ "410728", "133795", "20261" ]
[ "If you had a CC issuer that allowed you to do bill-pay this way, I suspect the payment would be considered a cash advance that will trigger a fee and a pretty egregious cash advance specific interest rate. It's not normal for a credit payment portal to accept a credit card as payment. If you were able to do this ...
6056
collateralized mortgage obligations
[ "319471", "71857", "175975" ]
[ "I think the definition of overcollateralization on investopedia will answer this question for you. Namely this part: For example, in the case of a mortgage backed security, the principal amount of an issue may be $100 million while the principal value of the mortgages underlying the issue may be equal to $120 mil...
606
Deductible expenses paid with credit card: In which tax year would they fall?
[ "201546", "300749", "153520", "106265", "399199" ]
[ "\"According to this discussion, there was a Tax Court ruling that likened deductibility for charitable giving by credit card to business expenses incurred by businesses operating under cash-basis accounting. (The point is made by Larry Hess on that site.) Short answer: According to this argument, you can claim th...
6062
Isn't the subtraction of deprecation and amortization redundant in the calculation of Owner's Earnings?
[ "204917" ]
[ "\"This formula is not calculating \"\"Earnings\"\". Instead, it is calculating \"\"Free Cash Flow from Operations\"\". As the original poster notes, the \"\"Earnings\"\" calculation subtracted out depreciation and amortization. The \"\"Free Cash Flow from Operations\"\" adds these values back, but for two differ...
6064
Starting long-term savings account as a college student
[ "319760", "400500" ]
[ "Great question and great of you to be paying attention to this. Right now having the ability to save $2K per year might seem very out of reach. However with the right career path and by paying attention to personal finance saving 2K per month will become possible sooner than you may think. As a student you are a...
6065
In Australia, how to battle credit card debt?
[ "571246", "109880", "386611", "361698" ]
[ "To confirm: you say you have credit card debt of $18,000 with min. repayment of $466.06, plus on top of this you are also paying off a car loan and another personal loan. From my calculations if your monthly interest on your credit card is $237, the interest on your credit card should be about 15.8% p.a. Is this c...
6069
Cash or Bonds (UK)
[ "427707" ]
[ "The 'appropriate' amount of cash/bonds to hold will be largely a matter of opinion, but here are the general reasons why having at least some is a good idea: Cash is very liquid, and bonds are often mostly liquid. This means you can access them very quickly, without taking on losses. To get the most liquidity out ...
607
Transfering funds from India to the US
[ "205556" ]
[ "Can I transfer funds from India to USA which I have borrowed in India. Funds borrowed in India may not be transferred outside of India as per Foreign Exchange Management Act. Loans in rupees to non-residents against security of shares or immovable property in India:- Subject to the directions issued by the R...
6070
car purchase loan versus car collateral loan
[ "566234" ]
[ "Generally speaking personal loans have higher rates than car loans. During fairly recent times, the market for car loans has become very competitive. A local credit union offers loans as low as 1.99% which is about half the prevailing mortgage rate. In comparison personal loans are typically in the 10-14% range...
6072
How to approach building credit without a credit card
[ "78230", "66018", "67066", "193506" ]
[ "Ways to build credit without applying for credit cards: It takes some time for these types of actions to positively affect you. I'd say at the very least 6 months. You won't get the full benefit for several years. However, the earlier you get started, the better.", "Apply for a secured credit card (several fi...
6073
End-of-season car sales?
[ "150810", "557579" ]
[ "\"Manufacturers sometimes give incentives to car dealers to ensure that the prior year models are sold out before the year is up. However, dealers are usually pretty smart on only ordering the cars they know they can sell before this happens. Also, manufacturers are usually pretty good about only producing enoug...
6075
Do the gain and loss during futures rollover each month will be even out in long run?
[ "122557" ]
[ "There are 2 schools of thought in determining the price of a future contract in a day prior to expiration. The cost of carry model, states that the price of a future contract today is the spot price plus the cost of carrying the underlying asset until expiration minus the return that can be obtained from carrying...
6076
Where can I find company filing information in Singapore?
[ "559105" ]
[ "If you are refering to company's financial reports and offerings, the required source for companies to disclose the information is the SGX website (www.sgx.com) under the Company Disclosure tab. This includes annual statements for the last 5 years, prospectus for any shares/debentures/buy back/etc which is being ...
6077
Will having a secondary signee with bad credit on a mortgage raise or lower interest?
[ "129177", "44105" ]
[ "between two people purchasing a house together, one with good and one with bad credit, will having both persons on the loan raise the interest rates. If the house deed is on both names, generally the Bank would insist the loan should also be on both of your names. This to ensure that Bank has enough leverage to re...
6078
Responsible investing - just a marketing trick?
[ "454222", "471964" ]
[ "\"You are correct that, barring an equity capital raise, your money doesn't actually end up in the company. However, interest in their stock can help a company in other ways; Management/board members hopefully own shares or options themselves, thus knowing that \"\"green\"\" policies are favorable for the stock pr...
6079
Should I participate in a 401k if there is no company match?
[ "147889", "509124", "151153" ]
[ "With a match, the 401(k) becomes the priority, up to that match, often ahead of other high interest debt. Without the match, the analysis is more about the cost within the 401(k). The 401(k) is a tax deferred account (let's not go on a tangent to Roth 401(k)) so ideally, you'd be skimming off money at 25% and sav...
608
Replacement for mint.com with a public API?
[ "7066", "169008", "236972" ]
[ "Check Buxfer here are the details about the API: http://www.buxfer.com/help.php?topic=API", "Yodlee's Moneycenter is the system that powered Mint.com before Intuit bought them. It works great for managing accounts in a similar fashion to Mint. They have a development platform that might be worth checking out."...
6082
Most common types of financial scams an individual investor should beware of?
[ "517573", "145322", "564542", "437994", "428552", "235119", "569588", "751", "508896" ]
[ "\"Affinity fraud. You see, Madoff really didn't have to sell himself, people recommended him to their friends. In a similar way, it's easy once a scammer reels in one sucker to keep him on the hook long enough to get 10 friends to invest as well. I've written about Mortgage Acceleration scams, and the common thr...
6085
Which student loans to pay off first: Stafford or private?
[ "462312", "135954" ]
[ "At the current rates, stated in the question, I would push additional funds towards your Stafford loans as their higher interest rates will incur interest charges almost 3 times faster than your private loans. With my loans I have not seen much information regarding private loans jumping the interest rate close to...
6086
Impact of RMD on credit worthiness
[ "569056", "378359", "309698" ]
[ "I feel like this has nothing to do with income, and as such RMDs will not really help or harm you. After a person passes, credit card companies are unlikely to collect any outstanding balance. Debts cannot be inherited, however, assets can be made to stand for debts. Many assets pass to heirs without the probate...
6087
Why do so many NFL (pro football) players have charities?
[ "263440", "445099" ]
[ "\"In addition to tax-related benefits, one answer may be that it helps them avoid being inundated with requests to support other foundations. Most charities have access to public records that indicate potential donors based on income and demographic. They can use that info to solicit for donations. \"\"Hey NFL Pla...
609
Expensive agenda book/organizer. Office expense or fixed asset?
[ "539511", "119857" ]
[ "If your business pays taxes, it is in your best interest to expense it. Even if you don't pay taxes, setting your capitalization policy low enough to capitalize an office organizer (even a nice one) will give you headaches when your business grows larger.", "I cannot imagine an organizer being worth enough to co...
6093
How should I be contributing to my 401(k), traditional or Roth?
[ "158907", "586909", "47747" ]
[ "\"I wrote a brilliant guest post at Don't Mess With Taxes, titled Roth IRAs and Your Retirement Income. (Note - this article now reflects 2012 rates. Just updated) Simply put, it's an ongoing question of whether your taxes will be higher now than at any point in the future. If you are in the 25% bracket now, it wo...
6099
23 and on my own, what should I be doing?
[ "235415", "564408", "85837", "590426", "569628", "585288" ]
[ "\"Congratulations on earning a great income. However, you have a lot of debt and very high living expenses. This will eat all of your income if you don't get a hold of it now. I have a few recommendations for you. At the beginning of each month, write down your income, and write down all your expenses for the mon...
61
How to Deduct Family Health Care Premiums Under Side Business
[ "524134" ]
[ "\"No, not on schedule C, better. Its an \"\"above the line\"\" deduction (line 29 on your 1040). Here's the turbo tax article on it. The instructions for this line set certain limitations that you must take into the account, and yes - it is limited to the net profit from the business. One of the following statemen...
610
Are ACH transfers between individuals possible?
[ "478781" ]
[ "\"Yes, many banks offer such a service. Often such payments can be made through their \"\"bill pay\"\" interface. You log in to your account on the bank's website, enter the recipient's routing and account numbers, and off you go. You could ask your bank whether they offer this. If not, you could change banks to o...