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Do “Instant Approved” credit card inquires appear on credit report?
Those two hard inquiries will only count as one on your score because you applied for the two cards immediately one after the other. Credit bureaus see this as just credit card shopping, so will hit your score only once as a single hard inquiry. If you had applied for these two cards days apart, then your score would h...
Can you recommend some good websites/brokers for buying/selling stocks in India?
Most of the Indian Brokers started offering API's to retail client these days. And NSE Exchange also supports algo trading at retail level. Currently two levels of API are offered. 1)Semi-automatic or one touch trading (Retail Traders) 2)Fully Automatic ( Dealers) I had tested the API with a discount broker www.tradeji...
I have a 2008 HHR under finance it needs a new engine
I'm leaning more towards trading it in can anyone give me some pointers on how to get the best deal? Information is key to getting the best deal possible. That is why I would strongly suggest getting a second opinion on the repairs. A misfire could be caused by many things. From cheap (bad spark plugs or cables) to mid...
Why is the total 401(k) contribution limit (employee + employer) so high?
Some 401k plans allow you to make "supplemental post-tax contributions". basically, once you hit the pre-tax contribution limit (17.5k$ in 2014), you are then allowed to contribute funds on a post-tax basis. Because of this timing, they are sometimes called "spillover" contributions. Usually, this option is advertised ...
Why are big companies like Apple or Google not included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index?
That is a pretty exclusive club and for the most part they are not interested in highly volatile companies like Apple and Google. Sure, IBM is part of the DJIA, but that is about as stalwart as you can get these days. The typical profile for a DJIA stock would be one that pays fairly predictable dividends, has been aro...
What are the advantages of a Swiss bank account?
For an American it nearly impossible to open a Swiss bank account. Even a Swiss person want to open a bank account, we have to fill out a document, which asks us if we have a greencard or other relationships with the united states. Some Swiss banks have transferred the money of Americans to Singapore to protect their c...
Currently sole owner of a property. My girlfriend is looking to move in with me and is offering to pay 'rent'. Am I at risk here?
I have been renting rooms out of my house for over 7 years now. When renting to non-family, the arrangement is usually successful. People leave for various reasons, an occasionally I will ask someone to move out if they are not working out. In the USA, this works well because by keeping things formal (rental agreeme...
Why invest for the long-term rather than buy and sell for quick, big gains?
Plenty of good answers here, but probably the best answer is that The Market relies on suckers...er...investors like you. The money has to come from somewhere, it might as well be you. So-called "day traders" or "short-term investors" are a huge part of the market, and they perform a vital function: they provide capi...
Joint Account for Common Earnings
Short Answer: Go to the bank and ask them about your options for opening a business account. Talk to an attorney about the paperwork and company structure and taxes. Long Answer: You and your buddies jointly own an unincorporated business. This is called a partnership. Yes, there is paperwork involved in doing it prope...
I'm upside down on my car loan and need a different car, what can I do?
Before buying a new car, determine whether you really need one! If there's an automotive discussion, you should ask there FIRST to get opinions on how much all-wheel-drive helps. You may not want to change cars at all. Remember, most of us in the Northeast are NOT driving all-wheel-drive vehicles, and all cars have all...
Are my parents ripping me off with this deal that doesn't allow me to build my equity in my home?
Yes, you are getting shafted. In the end, you will have paid the full price of the condo, but still own only 25% of it. Your parents' stake in the home should decrease as you repay the loan. The way it is now, they're getting 75% of your condo for free!
I spend too much money. How can I get on the path to a frugal lifestyle?
Get on a written budget at the BEGINNING of the month. If you dont write down where your money goes BEFORE you spend it, you have no way of keeping track of it. I couldn't do a thing until I got on a written budget but now that I am, I've paid off $10,000 in 7 months.
Does Apple have $0 of treasury stock?
Treasury stock is not really represented in the Balance Sheet as a "Treasury stock" line item in the assets. Some companies will break out Treasury Shares as a line item in the "Shareholders Equity" heading of the balance sheet but Apple hides it in the "Shares Issued and Outstanding" counts under the "Shareholders Eq...
Is it common in the US not to pay medical bills?
Is it common in the US not to pay medical bills? Or do I misunderstood what had been said? I would feel comfortable saying that most people who face medical bills don't pay them. They are unable. If they were able, they would have gotten medical insurance. In America, something like 55% of individuals do not have ev...
InteractiveBrokers: How to calculate overnight commissions for CFD?
IB's overnight financing cost for US CFDs below $100,000 is the Benchmark Rate + 1.5% for long positions and the Benchmark Rate -1.5% for short positions. You can check the IB CFD Contract Interest for their full list of financing costs for share CFDs. IB's commissions for an executed trade (where your monthly volume ...
What happened to buyers of ABT right before the split?
The trades after that date were Ex-DIV, meaning after 5 pm Dec 12, new trades did not include the shares that were to be spun out. The process is very orderly, no one pays $60 without getting the spinoff, and no one pays $30 but still gets it. The real question is why there's that long delay nearly three weeks to make...
Yahoo finance vs SEC filings fundamentals
Sure, Yahoo Finance makes mistakes from time to time. That's the nature of free data. However, I think the issue here is that yahoo is aggregating several line items into one. Like maybe reporting cash equivalents plus total investment securities minus loans as "cash equivalents." This aggregation is done by a compu...
What is the meaning of realization in finance?
Realization is, literally, when something is made real. For example, let's say that you own some stock. You bought the stock for $1000, and after many years the stock is worth $10,000. Your investment has gained $9,000. However, you don't actually have this $10,000; you just own stock that is supposedly worth $10,00...
Advice for college student: Should I hire a financial adviser or just invest in index funds?
Though @mehassee mentioned it in a comment, I would like to emphasize the point that the financial planner (CFP) you talked to said that he was a fiduciary. A fiduciary has an obligation to act in your best interests. According to uslegal.com, "When one person does agree to act for another in a fiduciary relationship...
Why does quantitative easing negatively affect stocks?
Can you isolate the market impact to just the Fed's quantitative easing? Can you rule out the future economic predictions of low growth and that there are reasons why the Fed has kept rates low and is trying its best to stimulate the economy? Just something to consider here. The key is to understand what is the great...
Why do so many people trade a bankrupt company's stock?
It may have some value! Investopedia has a well-written quick article on how stock holders may still get some portion of the liquidated assets. While there is generally little left for common shareholders if the price of those shares is tiny and some money does come back to shareholders there can still be significant...
buying a stock while the price is going down, and buy it at a lower price
In the US, it is perfectly legal to execute what you've described. However, since you seem to be bullish on the stock, why sell? How do you KNOW the price will continue downwards? Aside from the philosophical reasoning, there can be significant downside to selling shares when you're expecting to repurchase them in the ...
Should you diversify your bond investments across many foreign countries?
The Vanguard Emerging Market Bond Index has a SEC yield of 4.62%, an expense ratio of 0.34%, a purchase fee of 0.75%, and an average duration of 6.7 years. The Vanguard Emerging Market Bond Index only invests in US Dollar denominated securities, so it is not exposed to currency risk. The US Intermediate Term Bond Ind...
Multi-year profit/tax question
This is called "Net Operating Loss", and it is in fact applicable for individuals as well. You can, under certain circumstances, have NOL even as an individual. But it is far more common in the corporate world. What happens is that you can carry it back or forward, and get refund on taxes paid or adjust income for taxe...
How can I get the most value from my employer's ESPP?
A 15% discount is a 17.6% return. (100/85 = 1.176). For a holding period that's an average 15.5 days, a half month. It would be silly to compound this over a year as the numbers are limited. The safest way to do this is to sell the day you are permitted. In effect, you are betting, 12 times a year, that the stock won'...
Car financed at 24.90% — what can I do?
You could look into refinancing with a bank or credit union. But to weed out options quickly, use a service like LendingTree, which can vet multiple options for you a whole lot more quickly than you could probably do yourself. (I don't work for, or get any benefit from LendingTree.) Whatever you do, try to do all th...
Currently a Microsoft Money user on PC, need a replacement suitable for Mac
I switched from Quicken for Mac to Moneydance, and have not regretted it. I see only one weakness in MD compared with Quicken: its reporting is not very good. Your information is all there and well organized, but sometimes it's hard work to extract it in a convenient form. Of course a lot depends on what you need fr...
Buy a parking spot and rent it out, or invest savings in an interest-bearing account?
From strictly a gross revenue point of view, the parking spot is going to yield a higher rate (5.4%) versus a 3% savings account, assuming you have it rented all year. Your break-even point (not considering other expenses) is 7-8 months of rent per year. So, what are things to consider? Here's a few to start with. The ...
Does a failed chargeback affect my credit score?
I think your confusion comes from the negative impact when a creditor writes off your bad credit and ceases attempting to collect it. "Chargebacks" as you call them are an attempt to undo fraudulent charges on your card, whether from stolen credit card info or from a merchant who is using shady business practices. For ...
I need a car for 2 years. Buy or lease (or something else)?
Your short-term time frame makes buying used the best option, but it seems you already are aware of that. Look into a certified pre-owned model if you are concerned about lemons. You will usually get some sort of warranty. However, be aware that any car can be a headache with repairs. I would not recommend a lease b...
What happens if one brings more than 10,000 USD with them into the US?
The $10,000 mark is not a ceiling in importing cash, but rather a point where an additional declaration needs to be made (Customs Form 4790). At 1 million, I suspect you might be in for a bit of an interview and delay. Here's an explanation of what happens when the declaration isn't made: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/l...
Interactive Brokers Margin Accounts
Scenario 1 - When you sell the shares in a margin account, you will see your buying power go up, but your "amount available to withdraw" stays the same until settlement. Yes, you can reallocate the same day, no need to wait until settlement. There is no margin interest for this scenario. Scenario 2 - If that stock is...
Should I pay more than 20% down on a home?
A few thoughts off the top of my head: Advantages of more than 20% down: Disadvantages of more than 20% down:
What's a good free checking account?
Check with a small local bank or credit union, they might offer better terms. That said, my local credit union still charges $6/month for a checking account if you don't have a direct deposit into it.
W-8BEN? What's the tax from selling my software to a U.S. company, from abroad?
I realize this is a stale topic, but to anybody who may swing by looking for an answer to this question (on the recently revised W-8BEN), a foreign taxpayer can get an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) without being resident in the US. However, an ITIN will often not be necessary for W-8BEN purposes if ...
How are investment funding valued when invested in a company before it goes public?
This is a question of how does someone value a business. Typically, it is some function of how much the company owns, how much the company owes, how risky is the company's business, and how much the company makes in profit. For example if a company (or investment) make $100/year, every year no matter what, how much w...
Why does the Fed use PCE over CPI?
Consumers aren't the only economic participants impacted by a change in the Fed rate.... Inflation has WIDE ranging implications from the future liabilities of pension funds to the ongoing cost of our national debt. It doesn't make sense to consider only consumer inflationary experience. PCE is considered because it ...
Borrow money to invest in a business venture with equity?
It's clearly a risk, but is it any different than investing in your own business? Yes, it is different. If you own a business, you determine the path of the business. You determine how much risk the business takes. You can put in extra effort to try to make the business work. You can choose to liquidate to preserve...
Is it possible to trade CFD without leverage?
You can but there is no point trading CFD's seeing you may still lose more than your investment due to slippage
Does payment in goods count as “income” for tax purposes?
The IRS defines income quite specifically. On the topic What is Taxable and Nontaxable Income, they note: You can receive income in the form of money, property, or services. This section discusses many kinds of income that are taxable or nontaxable. It includes discussions on employee wages and fringe benefits, and inc...
How is taxation for youtube/twitch etc monetization handled in the UK?
Unless your video does very well, it's unlikely that your income from it will exceed your expenses incurred in making it, such as the purchase prices of your computer and video camera and the cost of your broadband connection, so there shouldn't be any tax to pay.
What to make of historical stock market volatility?
The first thing to realize is that the type of chart you saw is not appropriate for long-term comparisons. The vertical axis uses a linear scale, where each unit occupies the same amount of space. This is visually misleading because the relevant information at any point in the chart is "how much is the value going up...
Do precious metals and mining sector index funds grow as much as the general stock market?
Metals and Mining is an interesting special case for stocks. It's relationship to U.S. equity (SPX) is particularly weak (~0.3 correlation) compared to most stocks so it doesn't behave like equity. However, it is still stock and not a commodities index so it's relation to major metals (Gold for instance) is not that ...
Tax benefits of recycling
They are certainly only suggesting that the money you pay to recycle the bulbs is tax deductible as a donation, assuming that they are indeed a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations of goods are only deductible at fair market value. Light bulbs that no longer light up have no market value, so only the payment could possibly ...
What to consider before buying (exercising) a family member's private company employee stock options, about to expire?
First, you mentioned your brother-in-law has "$100,000 in stock options (fully vested)". Do you mean his exercise cost would be $100,000, i.e. what he'd need to pay to buy the shares? If so, then what might be the estimated value of the shares acquired? Options having vested doesn't necessarily mean they possess value,...
Filing taxes on stocks
You need to talk to an accountant who practices tax accounting, preferaby someone who is an Enrolled Agent (EA) with the IRS, and possibly an attorney who specializes in tax law. There are multiple issues here, and the executor of your father's estate might need to be involved here too. Presumably you were a minor in...
What expenses do most people not prepare for that turn into “emergencies” but are not covered by an Emergency Fund?
Some things are nearly universal, and have been mentioned already. My "favorite" forseeable expenses in this category are: However, I also advocate saving for expenses that are specific to you. Look back on your expenses for the last 12 months, minimum (18 or 24 may be better). Ask yourself these questions: I ask ab...
Can an unmarried couple buy a home together with only one person on the mortgage?
I will expand on Bacon's comment. When you are married, and you acquire any kind of property, you automatically get a legal agreement. In most states that property is owned jointly and while there are exceptions that is the case most of the time. When you are unmarried, there is no such assumption of joint acquisiti...
What should I do with the change in my change-jar?
Are you in an occupation that regularly collects change or is this change left in your pocket at the end of the day? Here in the US it is typically worth it to invest in some automatic coin counters if you are in an occupation that regularly collects coins. In your case you can collect the little baggies from the bank...
Auto Insurance: Adding another car to the existing policy (GEICO)
They'll refund your money (though maybe with a small service charge). I'm sure they regularly deal with new car sales gone wrong.
Is the MBA an overrated degree/qualification?
There is a distinct difference between 'having a degree' and 'being genuinely smart and business savvy'. If you're genuinely smart and business savvy you could theoretically break into the business world with no degree and make a decent salary. The trouble there is that many people aren't smart and business savvy until...
How can a credit card company make any money off me? I have a no-fee card and pay my balance on time
Of course they make money. They double dip in a lot of instances they make 2 - 3% plus $0.30 per transaction from the merchant and then whatever interest you pay on your card. So let's just say in one day you make stops at Starbucks for a $4 Latte, then at Wendy's for lunch for about $8, then you put about $20 worth of...
Is there an advantage to keeping a liquid emergency fund if one also has an untapped line of credit?
People treat an emergency fund as some kind of ace-in-the-hole when it comes to financial difficulty, but it is only one of many sources of money that you can utilize. What is an emergency? First, you have to define what an emergency is. Is it a lost job? Is it an unplanned event (pregnancy, perhaps)? Is it a medica...
How to resolve imbalances and orphan transactions in Gnucash?
The GnuCash manual has a page with examples of opening new accounts. The tl;dr is: use the Equity:Opening Balance to offset your original amounts. The further explanation from the GnuCash page is: As shown earlier with the Assets:Checking account, the starting balances in an account are typically assigned to a specia...
A friend wants to use my account for a wire transfer. Is this a scam or is it legitimate?
As a woman who was once married to someone who worked offshore in the North Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Nova Scotia, in fact all over the world...and my husband's rig was contracted through Exxon (by the way, Exxon contracts rigs, but doesn't own any), this is most certainly a scam. Even if you do not...
Can I send a money order from USPS as a business?
Sure you can. You can fill in whatever you want in the From section of a money order, so your business name and address would be fine. The price only includes the money order itself. You can hand deliver it yourself if you want, but if you want to mail it, you'll have to provide an envelope and a stamp. Note that, si...
Looking for good investment vehicle for seasonal work and savings
Most online "high yield" savings accounts are paying just above 1%. That would be 1.05% for American Express personal savings, or 1.15% for Synchrony Bank‎ (currently). Depending on the length of the season, you might want to work in some CD's. Six months CDs can be had at 1.2%, and 9 month at 1.25%. So if you know ...
Layman's guide to getting started with Forex (foreign exchange trading)?
I definitely can recommend you a site called babypips. Their beginner course section is great to get a good overview what you "could" do in FOREX trading. For starting out I definitely recommend a dummy account! (NEVER use real money in the beginning!)
How do I factor dividends and yield into the performance of a security?
Usually I've seen people treat the dividend like a separate cash flow, which is discounted if the company doesn't have a well-established dividend history. I've never really seen dividends rolled into a total return chart (except in the context of an article), probably because dividend reinvestment is a nightmare of re...
Paid cash for a car, but dealer wants to change price
I'm sorry to hear you've made a mistake. Having read the contract of sale we signed, I do not see any remedy to your current situation. However, I'm interested in making sure I do not take advantage of you. As such, I'll return the vehicle, you can return my money plus the bank fees I paid for the cashiers check, tax...
New or Used Car Advice for Recent College Grad
Never buy a new car if cost is an issue. A big chunk of the price will disappear to depreciation as you drive it off the lot. If you want a shiny new car with the latest equipment (and if you can afford it!), buy a lightly-used car. Normally I would recommend a 1-3 year old car. 95% of the value, with a big cost saving...
In the event of a corporate spin-off, how can I calculate the correct cost basis for each company's shares?
From my understanding: Original Holding: Siemens - 10,000 units at 80 Euros/unit Cost = 800,000 euros Spin-off: Every 10 Siemens get 1 OSRAM On July 5th, 2013: Siemens closing - 78 Euros On Monday, July 8th: Ex-date (opening) - 75 Euros Hence: Market value for:- 1. Siemens: 75 * 10,000 = 750,000 euros 2. OSRAM: (10,...
I received $1000 and was asked to send it back. How was this scam meant to work?
This is a very trivial scam. Flow is like this: Send money to Mr. X (you, in this case). Call Mr. X and ask for the money back, because mistake. Usually they ask for a wire transfer/cash/gift cards/prepaid cards or something else irreversible/untraceable. Mr. X initiates transfer back to Scammer. Accept the transfer fr...
Why are U.S. credit unions not open to everyone?
It's required by law. 12 USC 1759 (b) requires that membership in a credit union be limited to one or more groups with a "common bond", or to people within a particular geographic area. For lots more gory details on how this is interpreted and enforced, you can read the manual given to credit unions by the National Cr...
Is there any reason not to put a 35% down payment on a car?
Makes sense so long as you can afford it while still maintaining at least six months living reserves. The sooner you own outright a decreasing asset the better which should be considered when selecting your loan term. However, with today's low rates and high performing stock market you may want to consider allowing tha...
Money put down on home
You should have drafted a contract of purchase that stipulated out equity stake in the home based of his down payment and yours, along with future monthly payments. But morally, if the house sells, yielding 100,000 profit (after fees/taxes/etc), you should get ( To Calculate Your Cut: (20,000 + Your Total Mortgage Pay...
Can't the account information on my checks be easily used for fraud?
That's accurate. Here is another risk with the current checking system, which many people are not aware of: Anyone who knows your checking account number can learn what your balance in that account is. (This is bank-specific, but it is possible at the major banks I've checked.) How does that work? Many banks have a ...
Offered a job: Should I go as consultant / independent contractor, or employee?
To be honest I don't know how any of this work in the US so my answer will be of very limited value to yourself, I suspect, but when it comes to the UK if you're going to get the same pay gross either way than being independent makes very little sense. Running your own business is hassle, is generally more risky (alth...
Why does financial investor bother to buy derivatives and then hedge the position?
Sometimes hedging is used if you have a position and you feel the market is going against your position, so one would hedge that position in order to protect their capital and possible profits instead of closing the position and incurring capital gains tax. Personally if the market was going against a position I had op...
How do I determine how much rent I could charge for a property or location?
Check out the property websites to get an idea of how much, the property in question, could yield as rent. Most give a range and you can get a good idea of it. Just one example from zoopla. Likewise you can refer mouseprice or rightmove and get yourself an idea. Property websites do a lot of data crunching to do an upd...
Brokerage account for charity
If the charity accepts stock, you can avoid the tax on the long term cap gain when you donate it. e.g. I donate $10,000 in value of Apple. I write off $10,000 on my taxes, and benefit with a $2500 refund. If I sold it, I'd have nearly a $1500 tax bill (bought long enough ago, the basis is sub $100). Any trading along ...
Are car buying services worth it?
I went through the Costco program for the so-called "no-hassle" bargain price when I bought my Prius. According to other Prius owners that I've met on forums and TrueCar's web site, I paid "average." Lots of people in my area managed to negotiate a better price by $1-2k. So much for getting a deal. I do not plan to use...
What is the purpose of property tax?
Property taxes are levied by the local authorities to pay for their services. Since the services are continuous - so are the charges. You need someone to pave a road to your house, to build infrastructure, to maintain the police force, fire department, local schools etc. That's what your property taxes are going to. Ho...
Is it prudent to sell a stock on a 40% rise in 2 months
Did you buy near the bottom? Suppose you did then the price is still 16% below. 50% fall and then 40% increase leaves a 16% gap. So there could still be upside. However, it appears that you are talking about a small-cap that is volatile. I wouldn't hold it. I would take the money and invest elsewhere. If you have a lot...
Is it smart to only invest in mid- and small-cap stock equity funds in my 401(k)?
The benefit of the 401K and IRAs are that reallocating and re balancing are easy. They don't want you to move the funds every day, but you are not locked in to your current allocations. The fact that you mentioned in a comment that you also have a Roth IRA means that you should look at all retirements as a whole. Look...
Calculating Future Value: Initial deposit and recurring deposits of a fixed but different Value
But how do I bring the initial deposit into the equation? Basically, you can't. Unless you combine two different formulas from Math of Finance into a single expression. The single initial deposit of $1000 will compound for 20 years at 5% compounded annually. The final amount for this part of the deposit will be: V1 = ...
Do credit ratings (by Moody's, S&P, and Fitch) have any relevance?
I like Muro questions! No, I don't think they do. Because for me, as a personal finance investor type just trying to save for retirement, they mean nothing. If I cannot tell what the basic business model of a company is, and how that business model is profitable and makes money, then that is a "no buy" for me. If I d...
How much of a down payment for a car should I save before purchasing it?
Do you need the car, or is this an optional purchase for you? Do you currently have a car that is in good working order? If you can continue to save for the car instead of buying now, you'll be getting interest on what you've saved -- and that's a lot better than 0% financing.
Investing small amounts at regular intervals while minimizing fees?
I was going to comment on the commission-free ETF answer, which I agree with, but I don't have enough reputation. TD Ameritrade has a list of commission-free ETFs and has no minimum deposit required to open an account. Another idea is to keep gifts in cash until a certain threshold is reached. For instance, $100 for bi...
Interaction between health exchange and under-65 Medicare coverage
First off, you should contact your health plan administrator as soon as possible. Different plans may interact differently with Medicare; any advice we could provide here would be tentative at best. Some of the issues you may face: A person with both Medicare and a QHP would potentially have primary coverage from 2 s...
As a 22-year-old, how risky should I be with my 401(k) investments?
Current evidence is that, after you subtract their commission and the additional trading costs, actively managed funds average no better than index funds, maybe not as well. You can afford to take more risks at your age, assuming that it will be a long time before you need these funds -- but I would suggest that means ...
What's the smartest way to invest money gifted to a child?
American Century has their Heritage Fund: https://www.americancentury.com/sd/mobile/fund_facts_jstl?fund=30 It has a good track record. Here are all the mutual funds from American Century: https://www.americancentury.com/content/americancentury/direct/en/fund-performance/performance.html A mutual fund is a good wayway...
Bollinger Bands and TRENDING market
Bollinger Bands are placed standard deviations away from the moving average. Therefore if the price is volatile, the bands diverge from the mean. During consolidation the bands would converge. They do not provide a clear indication of whether the price is trending or not.
How much does it cost to build a subdivision of houses on a large plot of land?
The estimated cost of $200 sqft of living space is achievable by builders who are following one the their standard plans. They build hundreds of homes each year across the region using those standard plans. They have detailed schedules for constructing those homes, and they know exactly how many 2x4s are need to build ...
stock option grant being cancelled because strike price greater than FMV and replaced with a new grant at a higher strike price
Both you and the Company were probably benefitted by this decision. Specifically an option grant that was not FRV or more would require you to recognize the option as income whether you had exercised it or not. Additionally a host of other 409A tax issues/penalties could have been levied against you as an employee re...
What will happen when a bid price is higher than an ask price?
The situation you're proposing is an over-simplification that wouldn't occur in practice. Orders occur in a sequence over time. Time is an important part of the order matching process. Orders are not processed in parallel; otherwise, the problem of fairness, already heavily regulated, would become even more complex. Fi...
Choosing the limit when making a limit order?
Never. Isn't that the whole idea of the limit order. You want a bargain, not the price the seller wants. And when the market opens it is volatile at the most, just an observation mayn't be correct. Let it stabilize a bit. The other thing is you might miss the opportunity. But as an investor you should stick to your gun...
What is the difference between a 'trader' and a 'stockbroker'?
Traders trade for a living, stockbrokers tell people to get involved in trades for a living. To be employed as a trader, you need a proven track record of being able to consistently make money. To be employed as a stockbroker, you need to get licensed but you don't need to prove you can consistently make money.
Freehold and Leasehold for Pub/Bar?
You should be aware that many pubs in the London (indeed, the UK as a whole) are sold as a leasehold with a beer tie. This typically means you pay less rent for the building and premises, but must enter a contract with the Pub Company to buy their beer and day-to-day supplies. You have the legal option to instead pay m...
How to help a financially self destructive person?
I'm afraid your best recourse may be legal. I don't know that internet is a necessity, but the court would frown upon anyone paying $4K for rent but not being able to afford to heat the water or turn the lights on. $48K a year net should be enough for her to at least keep the kids with these things. I don't know that ...
How are option contracts enforced?
By their agreements with the central counterparty - in the US, the exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation, which interposes itself between the counterparties of each trade and guarantees that they settle. From the CCP article: A clearing house stands between two clearing firms (also known as member firms or parti...
Why do people buy insurance even if they have the means to overcome the loss?
Insurance isn't a product designed to protect against financial loss. The product is designed to allow people to pay a small fee (the premium) for peace of mind. This allows the insured to feel as if their purchase was worthy (they see the potential of loss as a concern and the premiums small enough to allow them to no...
Why is the price of my investment only updated once per day?
Mutual funds are collections of investments that other people pay to join. It would be simpler to calculate the value of all these investments at one time each day, and then to deem that any purchases or sales happen at that price. The fund diversifies rather than magnifies risk, looking to hold rather than enjoy a q...
I need a car for 2 years. Buy or lease (or something else)?
Any one of your three options is viable and has its advantages and disadvantages. Personally, I would go for the used option, but I am can-do kind of person. If you don't like micro-managing a car, you may prefer leasing. A new car is sort of the middle of the road option. Leasing will be most expensive and most liabil...
Why do consultants or contractors make more money than employees?
The benefits and taxes thing, in my opinion is the biggie. Most people don't realize that the cost to the company for a full-time employee with benefits can be 2x or even 3x the amount they see in their paycheck. Health plans are extremely expensive. Even if you are having money taken from your check for health insura...
Isn't an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) a surefire way to make tons of money?
My big gripe with the ICO name and corresponding mania is that it has no similarity to an IPO. At best an ICO is a seed stage investment in a wholly unproven technology/idea/theoretical use. A developer team gets together to write a fancy whitepaper, then build out a nifty website to display the idea they are working ...
Equity or alternative compensation in an LLC?
I'm not sure 1099-MISC is what you should expect. Equity means ownership, and in LLC context it means membership. As an LLC member, you'll get distributions and should receive a K-1 form for tax treatment, not 1099 or W2. If the CEO is talking about 1099 it means he's going to hire you as a contractor which contradicts...
Selling property outside the US - gains are taxable, but how do they convert?
Since you did not treat the house as a QBU, you have to use USD as your functional currency. To calculate capital gains, you need to calculate the USD value at the time of purchase using the exchange rate at the time of purchase and the USD value at the time of sale using the exchange rate at the time of sale. The ca...
Is giving my girlfriend money for her mortgage closing costs and down payment considered fraud?
With the standard "I am not a lawyer" disclaimer, consider this question: If you and your girlfriend split up sometime after purchasing the house but before getting married, would you expect her to repay you for the closing costs and downpayment? That is, if you write her a check for $5k, and 6 months after she signs ...
Covered call when stock position is at a loss
An expired option is a stand-alone event, sold at $X, with a bought at $0 on the expiration date. The way you phrased the question is ambiguous, as 'decrease toward zero' is not quite the same as expiring worthless, you'd need to buy it at the near-zero price to then sell another covered call at a lower strike. Edit ...