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Is insurance worth it if you can afford to replace the item? If not, when is it? | Extended warranty or insurance is a tricky thing. In general, the big screen TV, or other electronics are going to become obsolete before they fail. Laptops, even Macs, are at risk for higher failure rates than other electronics. The question remaining is whether after the item has reached its 3rd or 4th birthday, if... |
Double entry for mortgage | The £500 are an expense associated with the loan, just like interest. You should have an expense account where you can put such financing expenses (or should create a new one). Again, treat it the same way you'll treat interest charges in future statements. |
How does the importance of a cash emergency fund change when you live in a country with nationalized healthcare? | Unanticipated unemployment is usually the triggering factor for drawing on an emergency fund. Ask yourself: what happens if I lose my job tomorrow? Or my spouse becomes unemployed? What happens if I become disabled and can't work for x amount of time? Sure, you can discount your chances of needing such a fund if you ha... |
Legality of facilitating currency exchange between private accounts | I can't answer from the Indian side but on the UK side, if you and your friend are not related then there is no tax implication - you are effectively giving each other gifts - other than a possible inheritance tax liability if one of you dies within 7 years of the transfer and has an estate above the IHT allowance. |
How to account for Capital Gains (Losses) in double-entry accounting? | Capital is an Asset. Decreasing value of capital is the decreasing value of an asset. When you buy the forex asset * DR Forex Asset * CR Cash When you sell * DR Cash * CR Forex Asset The difference is now accounted for Here is how: Gains (and losses) are modifications to your financial position (Balance sheet). At the... |
Mortgage vs. Cash for U.S. home buy now | If you are investing in a mortgage strictly to avoid taxes, the answer is "pay cash now." A mortgage buys you flexibility, but at the cost of long term security, and in most cases, an overall decrease in wealth too. At a very basic level, I have to ask anyone why they would pay a bank a dollar in order to avoid payin... |
Safe method of paying for a Gym Membership? | I once was reviewing one of those contracts with plenty of bad clauses in it, sitting across from the salesman whose commission depending on me signing it. I started crossing out all the bad clauses, initialed them and said I would sign it if he'd initial the changes as well. Oh, and there was one clause that said so... |
Will prices really be different for cash and cards? | I would say minimal price differences. Stores will need to remain competative, and the difference (if any) will likely be to cover the cost of the transaction that Visa and other card companies charge them. |
How to sell option with no volume | A few observations - A limit order can certainly work, as you've seen. I've put in such an order far beyond the true value, and gotten back a realistic bid/ask within 10 minutes or so. That at least gave me an idea where to set my limit. When this doesn't work, an exercise is always another way to go. You'll get the ... |
Official Bank Check | The legal department at the Bank left me a message telling me that the bank check was paid & the recipient got the funds. Call up the bank and find out who the recipient was. Generally it can only be cashed by the person whose name is on it - the original business partner to whom it was intended. It is unlikely to be c... |
What is the median retirement savings in the United States today? | If you dig deeper and look at the original study, what's being measured is "retirement-plan participation": specifically, money in 401(k) plans and IRAs. This omits every other possible source of retirement money: things such as general savings, non-retirement investments, property ownership, pensions, etc. As an extr... |
In what cases can a business refuse to take cash? | Apartment complexes have had a long history of not accepting cash for payment of rent. This eliminates the problem of robbery and strongly reduces the risks of embezzlement. THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE Article 1, Section 10 of the US Constitution states: No State shall ... make any ... |
I can make a budget, but how can I get myself to consistently follow my budget? | Lazy man's budget. Four separate accounts for timing of expenses: short (monthly; utilities etc.), medium (quarterly+; property taxes), long (yearly+; house improvements) and retirement. Set target levels for each account, to cover 1 full cycle. The short target is smallest; it should comfortably cover a month. Fo... |
How to motivate young people to save money | Teach them that money can help solve most (if not all the problems) in life. If they truly appreciate the value of saving every single penny, eventually they will come to realize that if you don't touch your money (waste it on useless things you don't need such as eating out) that it can grow. Also teach them the value... |
What is Fibonacci values? | Usually when a stock is up-trending or down-trending the price does not go up or down in a straight line. In an uptrend the price may go up over a couple of days then it could go down the next day or two, but the general direction would be up over the medium term. The opposite for a downtrend. So if the stock has been ... |
How can one go short in Uber? | The answer to this question is related to another question: How would I invest in Uber? Given that Uber is a privately-held company, the average investor cannot directly buy stock. However, there are some indirect methods that you can use to invest in Uber, and as a result, it is also possible to indirectly short Uber... |
what would you do with $100K saving? | 4) Beef up my emergency fund, make sure my 401(k) or IRA was fully funded, put the rest into investments. See many past answers. A house you are living in is not an investment. It is a purchase, just as rental is a purchase. Buying a house to rent out is starting a business. If you want to spend the ongoing time and ef... |
Can two companies own stock in each other? | Yes, this can and does certainly happen. When two companies each own stock in each other, it's called a cross holding. I learned about cross holdings in reference to Japanese companies (see Wikipedia - Keiretsu) but the phenomenon is certainly not exclusive to that jurisdiction. Here are a few additional references: |
Is person-person lending/borrowing protected by law? | By protected you mean what exactly? In the US, generally you'd get a promissory note signed by B saying "B promises to repay A such and such amount on such and such terms". In case of default you can sue in a court of law, and the promissory note will be the evidence for your case. In case of B declaring bankruptcy, yo... |
The Benefits/Disadvantages of using a credit card | I just want to stress one point, which has been mentioned, but only in passing. The disadvantage of a credit card is that it makes it very easy to take on a credit. paying it off over time, which I know is the point of the card. Then you fell into the trap of the issuer of the card. They benefit if you pay off stuff ov... |
What does it mean “sell on ask” , “sell on bid” in stocks? | Honestly, I wonder if the other answerers aren't overthinking it. Their answers are detailed and correct, but what your coach may be saying is this: When you have bought a stock, on cash or margin, and you are watching it rise you are evaluating when you sell on the price of the stock you are seeing. In reality, you sh... |
Currently a Microsoft Money user on PC, need a replacement suitable for Mac | Long time Quicken user, but I have Bootcamp on my Mac, and one reason is so I can run Quicken Windows. That's one solution. You didn't mention what version of the Mac OS you're running, but Bootcamp is one alternative if you have (or can purchase) a Windows license. Be advised, Bootcamp 4, which is available with OS 10... |
Using credit cards online: is it safe? | You're right that someone who, say, photographed the front of your card at the store could use it to make some online purchases. Schemes like Visa's 3-D Secure provide additional online security by having you enter your password on the issuer's website, but they aren't common yet in the US. But as littleadv says, you a... |
Paid credit card bill, but money didn't leave my checking account [duplicate] | This is normal for credit cards. As long as you make the credit card company's cutoff time, they will make the funds available on your credit card rather than make you wait for them to actually get the funds from your bank. The amount of time this takes actually can vary significantly from bank to bank. You do want to... |
What's the best use for this money? Its only a small amount but can make a big difference to me | First and foremost, it's about changing habits. It seems like you've learned a painful lesson with the car financing. That's a good start. I'd work on developing the habit of making a budget every month before you spend a penny. As for this money, I would pay off the Apple loan and put the rest in savings. Then pay... |
Is the repayment of monies loaned to my company considered income? | I'm a Finance major in Finland and here is how it would go here. As you loan money to the company, the company has no income, but gains an asset and a liability. When the company then uses the money to pay the bills it does have expenses that accumulate to the end of the accounting period where they have to be declared... |
What is a “fiat” currency? Are there other types of currency? | There's two types of categories at play that define currency types - but I think the first is more like what you are after. The first is there are essentially three currency types now recognised - see them described here: http://finance.mapsofworld.com/money/types/ The second is currencies can be categorised by the ty... |
Mortgage or not? | Short answer: No. Longer answer: The only reason to move would be to get out of the condo and into a SFR of equal cost because condos can be quite difficult to sell and you don't really want that potential burden later on. Moving is expensive though and you can't afford to spend more when you are already living on t... |
Comparing/reviewing personal health insurance plans for the self-employed | Health insurance is tough, as you know, because the offerings vary dramatically by State, and there is the added complication of the Affordable Care Act, which depending on where and who you are has had either a good or bad impact on the available options. If you are a sole proprietor or other business person, I'd advi... |
How expensive is it to keep minimal cash at a brokerage? | Losses at a brokerage firm due to fraud are insured up to $500,000 per account for securities by the SIPC (Securities Investors' Protection Corporation), which is the stock market version of the FDIC (that insures deposits). The protection amount for cash is $250,000. That's small comfort to "big" players in MF Global... |
Could the loan officer deny me even if I have the money as a first time home buyer? | A financial institution is not obligated to offer you a loan. They will only offer you a loan if they believe that they will make money off you. They use all the info available in order to determine if offering you a loan is profitable. In short, whether they offer you a loan, and the interest rate they charge for tha... |
what is difference between stock and dividend? | stocks represent ownership in a company. their price can go up or down depending on how much profit the company makes (or is expected to make). stocks owners are sometimes paid money by the company if the company has extra cash. these payments are called dividends. bonds represent a debt that a company owes. when yo... |
Found Mistake on 2013 1120S Form | I don't know if it's common or necessary to include capital stock as a liability? Yes, if you look at the title of the nonasset part of the balance sheet it actually is titled "Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity". Your capital stock is a component of Equity. This sounds like it was reported in a reasonable manner. ... |
What are some good ways to control costs for groceries? | Definitely don't grocery shop when you're hungry. Also, watch for sales, and then buy in bulk and freeze it. |
Taxes paid in USA for sending money to parents in India | I'm not certain about international transfers, but that amount is large enough that it could be subject to gift tax. https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Frequently-Asked-Questions-on-Gift-Taxes Note that the threshold for this tax is "per person, per person". For example, if you gave your fa... |
Buying my first car out of college | nan |
1040 Schedule A Un-Reimbursed Business Expense Reporting | It would be unusual but it is possible that the expenses could be very high compared to your income. The IRS in pub 529 explains the deduction. You can deduct only unreimbursed employee expenses that are: Paid or incurred during your tax year, For carrying on your trade or business of being an employee, and Ordinary an... |
Boyfriend is coowner of a house with his sister, he wants to sell but she doesn't | Rent the property?? Is that a possible solution? Since selling the house is not an option and living in it isn't either, then perhaps renting it is the way to go? Since no explanation for the sister's motives is given, i'd speculate it is a mixture of emotional and financial concerns. Maybe mostly emotional. I imagine ... |
Scam or Real: A woman from Facebook apparently needs my bank account to send money | Yes, it is a scam. Think about it: Why would a stranger offer to give you money? Why would she need you to pay her own employees? She wouldn't. It is a scam. You have more to lose than just the $25 that is in the account. Just as has happened to your dad before, you will be receiving money that is not real, but payin... |
How do I get rid of worthless penny stocks if there is no volume (so market/limit orders don't work) and my broker won't buy them from me? | Your broker should be able to answer this. Many brokers will buy it from you for the cost of a commission, if there's no legit buyer. |
How can I find out which ETFs has holdings in a particular stock? | An ETF does not track any one individual stock. It "is a marketable security that tracks an index, a commodity, bonds, or a basket of assets like an index fund." Check out this link to learn more about ETFs. The easiest way see what ETF tracks a stock is to determine what sector and industry that company is in and find... |
Is insurance worth it if you can afford to replace the item? If not, when is it? | The answer to this question is very different depending on the type of item. From a purely financial perspective you would want to answer these questions which you may not have enough information to answer: Realistically the question I prefer to ask are: When something fails there is a big difference to me between hav... |
Cash out 401k for house downpayment | Absolutely never.Even in a hot market, it's like picking up dimes in front of a bulldozer. It's just plain stupid. If you can't afford a 20% down payment and a 15 year mortgage, just rent. |
Are there special exceptions to the rule that (US) capital gains taxes are owed only when the gain materializes? | Normally, you don't pay capital gains tax until you actually realize a capital gain. However, there are some exceptions. The exception that affected Eduardo Saverin is the expatriation tax, or exit tax. If you leave a country and are no longer a tax resident, your former country taxes you on your unrealized capital g... |
How fast does the available amount of gold in the world increase due to mining? | Approximately 5.3 billion ounces have been mined. This puts the total value of all gold in the world at about $9.5 trillion, based on $1800/oz. Total world net worth was $125T in 2006. There's an odd thing that happens when one asset's value is suddenly such a large percent of all assets. (This reminds me of how and wh... |
Sales Tax Licence/Permit - When is it required and how can I make a use of it as a non-US resident selling in USA? | Sales tax permits come from the state in which your business is operating. You need a business license first for them to issue you one. US sales taxes are collected by the business and remitted to the government, you need the permit in order to do this. A bigger question is whether it's legal for you to engage in busi... |
What to do when a job offer is made but with a salary less than what was asked for? | What's relevant to whether you accept the offer should be the compensation package (including salary and benefits) they're offering, the work you'll be doing, and the conditions in which you'll be doing it. The communication history between you and the recruiter isn't really that relevant, since you probably won't deal... |
Multiple mortgage pre-approvals and effects on credit score | Johnny. I recently bought my first home as well, and I have worked in the credit business (not mortgage), so I think I can answer some of your questions. Disclaimer first that I'm in NY, and home buying does vary from state to state. In my experience, pre-qual is not too different from pre-approval. Neither represen... |
Why is the dominant investing advice for individuals to use mutual funds, exchanged traded funds (ETFs), etc | Why is that? With all the successful investors (including myself on a not-infrequent basis) going for individual companies directly, wouldn't it make more sense to suggest that new investors learn how to analyse companies and then make their best guess after taking into account those factors? I have a different perspec... |
Slow destruction on co-signed property | First off learn from this: Never cosign again. There are plenty of other "tales of woe" outlined on this site that started and ended similarly. Secondly do what you can to get off of the loan. First I'd go back to her dad and offer him $1000 to take you off the loan and sign over the car. Maybe go up to $3000 if yo... |
What to bear in mind when considering a rental home as an investment? | Here would be the big two you don't mention: Time - How much of your own time are you prepared to commit to this? Are you going to find tenants, handle calls if something breaks down, and other possible miscellaneous issues that may arise with the property? Are you prepared to spend money on possible renovations and ot... |
Is 401k as good as it sounds given the way it is taxed? | when you contribute to a 401k, you get to invest pre-tax money. that means part of it (e.g. 25%) is money you would otherwise have to pay in taxes (deferred money) and the rest (e.g. 75%) is money you could otherwise invest (base money). growth in the 401k is essentially tax free because the taxes on the growth of the... |
Stock Certificate In two names | The common way to frame the "should I sell" question is ask yourself "would you buy it today at the current price". If you wouldn't, sell it. Is sounds like this may be a paper certificate. You will have to research how to present the certificate to a broker to trade it, or if the company has a direct shareholder pr... |
Why don't banks print their own paper money / bank notes? | Who says they don't? In the United Kingdom the Bank of England and the Bank of Scotland print the money. In some other countries (like Hong Kong, Israel, and the US) commercial banks were issuing the currency at some point of time, but now the governments do that. The problem with commercial banks issuing currency is t... |
Why aren't there solutions for electronic itemized receipt for retail in-store purchases? | In some stores that is done. When I shop at the Apple store or at the Farmers market the receipt is automatically sent to my email address. Why don't others do it? If the target of the itemized receipt is a credit card company they would be sending data that they spent collecting to another corporation. The grocery sto... |
How do I figure out the market value of used books? | Half of original MSRP at Amazon is a good option for books that are in good condition. Another option would be to use eBay, specifically Half.com. |
What to do with your savings in Japan | The reason for these low interests is that the Japanese central bank is giving away money at negative interests to banks. Yes, negative. So, short of opening your own bank, you'll have to either choose less liquid investments or more risky ones. Get Japanese government bonds. Not a great interest, band not that liquid,... |
Pros/cons of replicating a “fund of funds” with its component funds in my IRA? | In your entire question, the only time you mention that this is an investment inside an IRA is when you say Every quarter, six months, whatever Id have to rebalance my IRA while Vanguard would do this for the fund of funds without me needing to. Within an IRA, there are no tax implications to the rebalancing. But if th... |
Investing/business with other people's money: How does it work? | Basically, you either borrow money, or get other people to invest in your business by buying stock or something analogous. Sometimes you can get people to "park" money with you. For example, many people deposit money in a bank checking account. They don't get any interest or other profit from this, they just do it bec... |
Found an old un-cashed paycheck. How long is it good for? What to do if it's expired? | The typical rule in the US is 180 days, but some banks do it differently. However, even if the check is dead, you should be able to call the payroll department for your old job. They can stop payment on the old check and issue you another one. |
Should you co-sign a personal loan for a friend/family member? Why/why not? | My personal rule is to not loan money (or co-sign) for any amount that I am not willing to give away. It can go wrong in so many ways, and having a family or friend involved means making a "business" decision is difficult. If a bank won't loan the person the money, why should I? Being a co-signer is the same as borro... |
Find out the difference between two stocks of the same company (how to identify ADRs, etc) | Generally, when I run across this kind of situation, I look for the Investor Relations section of the corporate website for a 'Stock Information' (or similar) tab or link. This usually contains information explaining the different shares classes, how they relate (if at all), voting and/or dividend rights, and taxatio... |
Upcoming company merger with company I have stock in, help me interpret what is happening | The "par value" is a technicality that you can ignore in this case, and it has nothing directly to do with the merger. When a company issues stock, it puts a "par value" on the shares. If it later issues more shares, they cannot be issued at less than par value. The rest of the notice seems to be as you said: If you ... |
The Asset Allocation Paradox | I recommend you take a look at this lecture (really, the whole series is enlightening), from Swenson. He identifies 3 sources of returns: diversification, timing and selection. He appears to discard timing and selection as impossible. A student kinda calls him out on this. Diversification reduces risk, not increase ret... |
Using financial news releases to trade stocks? | Yes, there are very lucrative opportunities available by using financial news releases. A lot of times other people just aren't looking in less popular markets, or you may observe the news source before other people realize it, or may interpret the news differently than the other market participants. There is also the ... |
Is it bad practice to invest in stocks that fluctuate by single points throughout the day? | The strategy has intrinsic value, which may or may not be obstructed in practice by details mentioned in other answers (tax and other overheads, regulation, risk). John Bensin says that as a general principle, if a simple technical analysis is good then someone will have implemented it before you. That's fair, but we c... |
Freelancer: Should I start a second bank account? | I feel the need to separate my freelance accounts from my personal accounts. Yes, you should. Should I start another savings account or a current account? Do you need the money for daily spending? Do you need to re-invest in your business? Use a current account. If you don't need the money for business expenses, put it... |
What risks are there acting as a broker between PayPal and electronic bank transfers? | The sting here is definitely in the tail, the PS that says We are starting to call you from the same day when we get your details. The initial email doesn't ask for details, it asks for commitment. Once committed, you will be more relaxed about providing details. This makes me think that this is more serious than a sim... |
How does the U.S. wash sale replacement stock rule work? | From Pub 550: More or less stock bought than sold. If the number of shares of substantially identical stock or securities you buy within 30 days before or after the sale is either more or less than the number of shares you sold, you must determine the particular shares to which the wash sale rules apply. You ... |
When should I start saving/investing for my retirement? | Start now. It's a lot easier to save now than it is to start to save later. |
Tax benefits of recycling | If they charge a fee to accept an item, it's reasonable to assume the item has insignificant value, so the only tax-deductible bit would be the money you donated to their charity. What you describe sounds like a fee for service, not a charitable donation. The organization should provide a fee breakdown to show what per... |
How to calculate the value of a bond that is priced to yield X% | The idea is correct; the details are a little off. You need to apply it to the actual cash flow the bond would create. The best advice I can give you is to draw a time-line diagram. Then you would see that you receive £35 in 6 months, £35 in 12 months, £35 in 18 months, and £1035 in 24 months. Use the method you've p... |
What determines price fluctuation of groceries | No. Some grocery stores may discount specific products based on inventory to drive sales using "loss leaders" where the product is intentionally priced as a loss for the business. While commodity futures may impact some prices, I'm not sure one can easily extract the changes solely due to futures shifts. |
How safe is a checking account? | In the case of bank failures You are protected by FDIC insurance. At the time I wrote this, you are insured up to $250,000. In my lifetime, it has been as high as $1,000,000 and as low as $100,000. I attached a link, which is updated by FDIC. In the case of fraud It depends. If you read this story and are horrified ... |
Why is stock dilution legal? | Here's another way that I look at it: Say you and me were 50-50 partners in a small business. Suppose we wanted to expand our business but that needed money. Someone (let's call him Warren) has the money we need & hence in return for the money we offer Warren an equal stake in the business. i.e. All three of us own 3... |
How big of a mortgage can I realistically afford? | If you are not planning on living in your condo for at least 10 years don't do it. For about 5 years your mortgage will be more then rent, after 5 years you start to break even and may start paying less. On the other hand, if you plan to be there for 10 years or more it might be a great savings tool, |
Opening American credit cards while residing in the UK | To build a US credit record, you need a Social Security Number (SSN), which is now not available for most non-residents. An alternative is an ITIN number, which is now available to non-residents only if they have US income giving a reason to file a US tax return (do you really want to get into all that...). Assuming ... |
What happens to the original funds when a certified bank check is not cashed? | The answer probably varies with local law, and you haven't said where you're located. In most or all US states, it appears that after some statutory length of time, the bank would transfer the money to the state government, where it would be held indefinitely as "unclaimed property" in the name of the recipient (techni... |
Are there any rules against penalizing consumers for requesting accurate credit reporting? | I think you're off base here. The bureaus only remove information if the creditor cannot verify any dispute within 30 days, or if the information's super old. If the creditor can provide corrected information, then the credit bureau is required to apply it to its own database. A dispute can be about the entire accou... |
How Do I Fix Excess Contribution Withdrawl | You didn't have a situation of "excess contribution". If you have proof that someone in Fidelity actually told you what you said, you might try to recover some of your losses through a lawsuit. However, their first (and main) defense would be that they're not in the business of providing tax advice, and it is your prob... |
Is it worth trying to find a better minimum down payment for a first time home buyer? | If you are putting down less than 20% expect to need to pay PMI. When you first applied they should have described you a group of options ranging from minimal to 20% down. The monthly amounts would have varied based on PMI, down payment, and interest rate. The maximum monthly payment for principal, interest, taxes, an... |
What should I do with $4,000 cash and High Interest Debt? | With all due respect to The David, the $1000 is best put against 20%+ debt, no sitting in checking as part of some emergency fund. I'd agree with the decision to pay off the lower rate card. Why? Because we can do the math, and can see the cost in doing so. Low enough that other factors come in, namely, a freed up car... |
Assessing risk, and Identifying scams in Alternative Investments | I have personally invested $5,000 in a YieldStreet offering (a loan being used by a company looking to expand a ridesharing fleet), and would certainly recommend taking a closer look if they fit your investment goals and risk profile. (Here's a more detailed review I wrote on my website.) YieldStreet is among a growing... |
Retirement Savings vs. Student Loan payments | Your plan sounds quite sound to me. I think that between the choices of [$800 for Loans, $300 for Retirement] and [$1100 for loans], both are good choices and you aren't going to go wrong either way. Some of the factors you might want to consider: I like your retirement savings choices - I myself use the admiral ver... |
Why is it good to borrow money to buy a house? | You can explore the scenarios in which it is better to rent or to buy using this application: http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/BuyOrRentInvestmentReturnCalculator/ In the possibly unlikely scenario shown below, at the term of the mortgage (20 years) the tenant and the buyer have practically the same return on investme... |
How much will a stock be worth after a merger? | It depends. If you accept the offer, then your stock will cease existing. If you reject the offer, then you will become a minority shareholder. Depending on the circumstances, you could be in the case where it becomes illegal to trade your shares. That can happen if the firm ceases to be a public company. In that ... |
Is buying a lottery ticket considered an investment? | There is a clear difference between investing and gambling. When you invest, you are purchasing an asset that has value. It is purchased in the hopes that the asset will either increase in value or generate income. This definition holds true whether you are investing in shares of stock, in real estate, or in a comic b... |
How to know if I can have NOL (U.S. tax)? | 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 that year,... |
Conservative ways to save for retirement? | Buy gold, real coins not paper. And do not keep it in a bank. |
How do day-traders or frequent traders handle their taxes? | There are two ways to handle this. The first is that the better brokers, such as Charles Schwab, will produce summaries of your gains and losses (using historical cost information), as well as your trades, on a monthly and annual basis. These summaries are "ready made" for the IRS. More brokers will provide these summa... |
Why does it seem unnecessary to fully save for irregular periodic expenses? | If you just had one expense once a year of $1200, you would put in $100 a month. The average balance is going to be $600 in that case - the 0 and $1200 months average to $600, as do the $100 and $1100, the $200 and $1000, and so on. If you had one expense twice a year of $600 and put in $100 per month it will average t... |
Are long-term bonds risky assets? | Bonds have multiple points of risk: This is part of the time value of money chapter in any finance course. Disclaimer - Duff's answer popped up as I was still doing the bond calculations. Similar to mine but less nerdy. |
How should I save money if the real interest rate (after inflation) is negative? | (Real) interest rates are so low because governments want people to use their money to improve the economy by spending or investing rather than saving. Their idea is that by consuming or investing you will help to create jobs that will employ people who will spend or invest their pay, and so on. If you want to keep thi... |
Possible to use balance transfers to avoid interest with major credit cards? | In theory, yes. In practice: So it can be gamed, but the odds are not on your side :) |
Is the money you get from shorting a stock free to use for going long on other stocks? | You will be charged a stock borrow fee, which is inversely related to the relative supply of the stock you are shorting. IB claims to pay a rebate on the short proceeds, which would offset part or all of that fee, but it doesn't appear relevant in your case because: It is a bit strange to me that IB would not require y... |
Leasing a car I intend to buy | What does not seem reasonable about your plan is the payment and buyout. While $200/month payments are possible (but hard to find), buyouts are more typically in the five figure range. Given that your savings and desired payment for a car is low (the average car payment today is about 450/month), can you really afford... |
Why most of apple stock price since 10years have been gained overnight? | I'll answer this question: "Why do intraday traders close their position at then end of day while most gains can be done overnight (buy just before the market close and sell just after it opens). Is this observation true for other companies or is it specific to apple ?" Intraday traders often trade shares of a company ... |
Why is property investment good if properties de-valuate over time? | There are many different reasons to buy property and it's important to make a distinction between commercial and residential property. Historically owning property has been part of the American dream, for multiple reasons. But to answer your questions, value is not based on the age of the building (however it can be i... |
How much money should I lock up in my savings account? | One issue which I don't see addressed in the answers so far is how to structure bank accounts to get the highest return possible. What you're describing sounds like a certificate of deposit (CD): 'ranging from 1% for 9 months to 2.3% for 5 years' There is a concept which was once more common called a CD Ladder, which s... |
Best way to start investing, for a young person just starting their career? | Warren Buffett answered this question very well at the 2009 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. He said that it was important to read everything you can about investing. What you will find is that you will have a number of competing ideas in your head. You will need to think these through and find the best way to sol... |
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