There are a number of people lamenting the demise of professionalism, and bemoaning the lack of formality amongst the rising generation. While few hiring managers and employers actually expect a college student to be super formal, many of them would like to see a little more professionalism. If you are about to attempt to enter the workforce with a newly minted degree, here are some tips on improving your image as a professional:Continue Reading
We are at a unique place in business history. The recent recession forced many people to get creative about how they make money, and technology has provided the means for many entrepreneurs to start businesses from home. The good news is that today’s online economy is providing plenty of opportunities for almost anyone to work from home — starting businesses in their homes without worry about a dress code. I know this first hand; my first couple of hours of work take place in my pajamas. The only reason I get dressed as early as I do is because I need to leave the house to take my son to school.
One of the biggest questions many have when it comes to financial planning has to do with how much life insurance they need.
There are some rules of thumb, such as getting seven times or 10 times your yearly salary in coverage, but, really, how much life insurance you need comes down to your personal financial situation, and what you hope your life insurance will accomplish.
Peer to peer (P2P) lending has been gaining in popularity — especially since the recession began. Part of the reason for this is due to the difficulty associated with getting loans from banks. Another issue is that traditional banks, in some cases, charge higher interest rates. If you are looking for a way to get a loan, in some circumstances it might make sense to turn to P2P lending.
At the end of last year, Congress hurried through a tax package.
One of the credits that was allowed to expire was the Making Work Pay tax credit. However, our representatives replaced the Making Work Pay tax credit with a reduction in the payroll tax paid by employees. This means that you should be seeing a paycheck that is a little bit bigger.
Our leaders, of course, want you to go out and spend that money, pumping it back into the economy. The whole point of tax cuts is to encourage you to spend so that we can keep the economy, which relies a great deal on consumer spending, moving in a direction of positive growth. However tempting it might be to spend that extra money, though, it is a good idea to consider how that money can help you down the road.
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Tax Day seems to be suddenly staring you in the face.
You’ve known for a while that it’s been coming, but it still takes you by surprise.
If you can’t seem to track down the documentation that you need, or if you are uncertain that you will be able to file by Tax Day (April 17 in 2012), you may want to file for an extension.
Just about anyone can file for an extension using Form 4868. You can even file this form electronically. It’s convenient, and you get an extra six months to prepare your tax return.
However, it is important to note that it’s not as simple as filing some paperwork.
This year, you have until April 17 to file your tax return.
But those extra few days don’t necessarily mean that you are ready.
You might want a little more time to get things together, or you might need to make changes to an already-filed return. It is important to understand the difference between a tax extension and an amended return.
One of the ways you can improve your financial stability and freedom is by cultivating income diversity. Income diversity means that, rather than relying on a single source of income, you actually develop different income streams. One way that you can increase your income streams is through income investing.
Here in America, we view the housing market as one of the main pillars of the economy. As a result, when the real estate market moves slowly, our leaders are concerned about what could happen to the economy. This was a big concern in late 2007 and early 2008 as signs of a housing meltdown really began manifesting. Even before the financial crisis, leaders were trying to prevent a real estate market collapse, and they began offering a first-time homebuyer tax credit to encourage citizens to buy homes.
For the last couple of years, we’ve heard about the tight credit market. It’s been more difficult to qualify for credit. Even credit card issuers reduced the amount of money they were providing. However, mailboxes are starting to see an influx of credit card offers, and things are getting a little bit easier (although we are still far from the heady days of easy money seen in the years leading up to the financial crisis). It might be a little easier to get approved for a loan or credit card now than it was last year, but that mean it’s a good thing?
