Author: Press Room

The signs are getting clearer that more labor disruption—colloquially known as millions losing existing jobs, new opportunities, income, and safety—are likely on their way. “Employment rose less than expected in March according to ADP’s estimate of private payrolls,” said Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica CMA Bank, in an emailed statement. “The ADP report, like yesterday’s report of a big drop in job openings, supports the Fed holding interest rates unchanged at their next decision in May.” The report yesterday in job openings was the ongoing jagged declination that began after the historical peak in April 2022, as the graph…

Self-employed women, broadly speaking, felt the full brunt of the Covid downturn at greater numbers than nearly any other group. The rate of self-employed mothers working at least 30 hours a week, for instance, dropped by more than 40% in one month from March to April 2020, according to Federal Reserve data. The rates of self-employed fathers working at least 30 hours a week dropped by 18% in comparison. That number has reversed, according to new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. In the years that followed the initial Covid surge, the number of women and mothers that…

Estate tax planning experts and many affluent taxpayers are aware of the multiple advantages of what are known in the technical jargon as “Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts” (IDGTs), which are irrevocable trusts that are intentionally drafted to trigger grantor status. This means that all income and deductions of the trust for federal income tax purposes are considered to be income and deductions of the grantor. This type of trust is also known as “disregarded.” Grantor trust status can result from any one of a number of provisions within the trust, including allowing the grantor to replace trust assets with assets…

Riverfront homes come with the built-in benefit of backing up to a tranquil, natural setting. In Vero Beach, Florida, houses along the Indian River, just inland from the Atlantic Ocean, have the added advantage of being located on one of the most ecologically diverse estuaries in North America. “There are only so many places in the country where you can wake up and enjoy a cup of coffee and see dolphins and manatees swimming in your backyard,” says agent Michael McCauley of Dale Sorensen Real Estate. Along with wildlife sightings and spectacular sunrises, residents enjoy fishing and boating as well…

Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as “Credible” below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders who compensate us for our services, all opinions are our own. Based on data compiled by Credible, mortgage rates for home purchases have remained unchanged for three key rates and risen for one rate since yesterday. Rates last updated on March 31, 2023. These rates are based on the assumptions shown here. Actual rates may vary. Credible, a personal finance marketplace, has…

Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as “Credible” below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders who compensate us for our services, all opinions are our own. Rates for well-qualified borrowers using the Credible marketplace to refinance student loans rose this week for both 10-year fixed-rate loans and 5-year variable-rate loans. For borrowers with credit scores of 720 or higher who used the Credible marketplace to select a lender during the week of March 13, 2023:Rates on 10-year…

In light of a volatile interest rate environment, millions around the globe opened their first credit products in the past two years, a new study found.  And in the U.S., many new borrowers’ ability to pay off debt was slightly less favorable than that of more established credit-served customers, according to the Empowering Credit Inclusion study by TransUnion.New-to-credit (NTC) consumers who opened credit cards over the last two years reflected higher credit card delinquency rates after the first six months following opening their accounts, compared to people with established credit and similar credit scores who opened new credit cards during…

Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as “Credible” below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders who compensate us for our services, all opinions are our own. Borrowers with good credit seeking personal loans during the past seven days prequalified for rates that were higher for 3-year loans and lower for 5-year loans compared to the previous seven days. For borrowers with credit scores of 720 or higher who used the Credible marketplace to select a lender between…

Sixty-one percent of U.S. companies said they plan to lay off employees in 2023 and are likely to pause hiring this year, according to a recent survey. Additionally, of the business leaders that said layoffs were imminent, 57% said they planned to layoff 30% or more of their workforce this year, according to a ResumeBuilder.com survey. A still-too-tight labor market has been cited as one of the Federal Reserve’s concerns over the effectiveness of its monetary policy in achieving its 2% inflation target.  The economy added 517,000 jobs in January, a significant jump from the previous month, beating expectations, according to the latest employment…

What does the Club consider the minimum improvement in cost basis before buying more shares? Thanks, Tim As with many investing issues, the answer is, “It depends.” The two biggest things to keep in mind: you don’t want to keep buying shares at the same price; and you want each purchase to matter — meaning that it would materially lower your basis and/or provide you with a more attractive yield than your last buys. The reason we can’t provide a hard-and-fast rule is that each stock has its own characteristics. The volatility of a stock, its valuation, investor perception, along…