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To be an employee (W2) or independent contractor (1099) is a legal distinction. See the IRS [Independent Contractor vs. Employee?](http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc762.html).
How to plan my Finances when about to have a baby: What are some considerations to be aware of?
I'm revisiting my budget and the amount I have slated for electricity was off by roughly 30 dollars or 50 percent. I live in an all electric apartment, no gas or fireplace. Here in Kansas we get cold winters and hot summers, but I've always had a hard time estimating the kwh and total cost. Given that my utility com...
How do I budget for heating & cooling?
should a $150K mortgage @ 6% be paid off with $150K from a 401K at retirement?
should a $150K mortgage @ 6% be paid off with $150K from a 401K at retirement?
Only select items. First - I agree, beware the Goldfish Factor - any of those items may very well lead to greater consumption, which will impact your waistline worse than your bottom line. If one is interested in saving on grocery items, the very first step is to get familiar with the unit cost (often cents per oun...
There are a few considerations: **Purely Financial:** If you think you can make more than 6% (adjusted downward for the tax benefits of home interest deductions) on that $150K then no. Otherwise yes. Update: A good point was made in another answer, if the 401K is not a ROTH, the tax consequences of withdrawin...
I converted my IRAs to Roths last year, and with the extension of the tax cuts*, I've decided to split the tax burden over 2011 and 2012, even though I can afford to pay them for 2010. Given that I have this money that is not really mine, what would be some options for risk free returns I could get for one and two y...
What credit card companies offer virtual credit card number generation for one-time purchases for extra security over the Internet? I heard that PayPal offers this for their debut card, but am not sure it is still offered. I also heard that Citibank and Bank of America offer it. Please confirm with actual rece...
What are the available credit card companies that offer virtual credit card number generation?
How can I get credit inquiries bumped off my Equifax credit report?
should a $150K, 30 yr mortgage @ 6% be paid off with $150K from a 401K at retirement?
I am considering reopening my Bankruptcy Chapter 7 that was discharged last year for the purpose of reaffirming my mortgage for the purpose of boosting my FICO score by adding a mortgage to my mix of credit. Will doing this change the date of discharge date reported to the credit bureaus and result in it looking lik...
Does reopening a Bankruptcy Ch7 to reaffirm a mortgage change the date of discharge for reporting to bureaus?
Does reopening a Chapter 7 bankruptcy to reaffirm a mortgage change the date of discharge for reporting to credit bureaus?
Options for risk-free investment or savings over one and two years?
Should a $150K, 30 year mortgage @ 6% be paid off with $150K withdrawn from a 401K account at retirement?
Should a $150K mortgage @ 6% be paid off with $150K withdrawn from a 401K at retirement?
Are the contributions to a traditional IRA taxed differently than the earnings when withdrawn and/or are they both considered taxable income when withdrawn? And at what rate? Capital gain or regular income tax?
I see an offer for a 15 year fixed jumbo at 4.5% with a 4.622% APR while on the some advertisement it shows a 5/1 ARM jumbo at 3.875% with a 3.283% APR. Why is one APR higher and the other lower?
Why does APR sometimes show as lower than the stated mortgage rate?
Can anyone tell me, or point me to documentation that shows the historic relationship between gold and silver prices? Or, better yet, can anyone point me to a source that shows monthly or weekly gold and silver prices for perhaps the last 50-75 years? I thought I read somewhere that silver has always traded at some ...
Disclaimer - I am going to refer you to [Fairmark][1]'s web page. I have no relationship with this company, but the page is great to show you your marginal rate. Updated for 2011 and you can go back to prior years. I would first ask you what tax bracket you are in. And then, I'd likely suggest you withdraw only eno...
Simple question. If Person A makes $150,000 at their regular job (W2) and brings in $5,000 on a side job (1099-MISC), do they may more in taxes on the $5,000 versus Person B, who earns $50,000 (W2) at their regular job?
Side work taxes higher if regular job salary higher?
Simple question. If Person A makes $150,000 at their regular job (W2) and brings in $5,000 on a side job (1099-MISC), do they owe more in taxes on the $5,000 versus Person B, who earns $50,000 (W2) at their regular job?
Investopedia does have tutorials about investments in different asset classes. Have you read them ? If you had heard of CFA, you can read their material if you can get hold of it or register for CFA. Their material is quite extensive and primarily designed for newbies. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Investment-...
To reach a prudent asset allocation, I need to add a small cap mutual fund to my portfolio. I'm a little concerned that I am "buying high" because all the small cap funds I'm considering (below) have had 20%+ yields in the last **1 year**. I would like to "buy low, sell high" and not sure how to apply it here. I don't ...
How can I tell if a mutual fund is overinflated?
Here are the top hitters in my (recent) experience, in highest-first order: **Child Care** By far the biggest potential cost is childcare, whether this be a full-time nursery/kindergarten, child minder, live-in Nanny/Au-pair or just paying a baby sitter when parents need a night off. This needs careful thought...
The NASDAQ composite index was up just over 25% in 2010. So the returns you show are in line. Chasing returns, by going after last year's winners, or bottom feeding by chasing last year's losers, are both bad ideas. I recommend staying with an asset allocation and not market timing. How would this strategy (which I'm...
To reach a prudent asset allocation, I need to add a small cap mutual fund to my portfolio. I'm a little concerned that I am "buying high" because all the small cap funds I'm considering (below) have had 20%+ returns in the last **1 year**. I would like to "buy low, sell high" and not sure how to apply it here. I don't...
Why are gasoline prices so hugely different between America and Europe?
I am trying to do a portfolio re-balance starting this year. To do that I want to divide my investments into different asset buckets. I have chosen to use the following type of asset allocation -- - Stocks (Large, Mid, Small) - Fixed Income (long ,mid, short term) - Real Estate - Precious metals - Cash ...
re balancing portfolio by only buying more or by both selling and buying under and over allocated assets?
Hi I am using Zecco trading platform's options strategy builder. I noticed that if I set the view to be calendar spread I get a lower premium when I sell Jan 2013 call option compared to selling regular covered call expiring at the same date and same strike price. The difference is upto 4 times lower. I am trying...
Even though normally we all use a specified inflation rate per country for financial calculations (i.e real returns, salary increases, etc..) isn't it possible for the inflation rate to have different impact on different individuals? In that case, is it possible to estimate one's individual inflation rate as opposed to...
Is it possible to estimate individual rate of inflation for a person as against the avg inflation rate for that country?
I am trying to do a portfolio re-balance starting this year. To do that I want to divide my investments into different asset buckets. I have chosen to use the following type of asset allocation -- - Stocks (Large, Mid, Small) - Fixed Income (long ,mid, short term) - Real Estate - Precious metals - Cash ...
When filling out a TD1 form, there's a section entitled **Tuition, education, and textbook amounts (full time and part time)**, where it states: > If you are a student enrolled at a university or college, or an educational institution certified by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and you will pay more ...
The main question you need to answer is *what you will be using the TFSA for*. Are you looking to invest or for medium-term savings? Certainly not for short-term savings, as you shouldn't be depositing and withdrawing too many times in a year. It will be necessary to keep track of transactions such that you don't overc...
I am using ZECCO options strategy builder. I am trying to sell C (citi) call options expiring 2013 Jan at $5.00 in 2 different modes. Calendar spread mode: Sell 1 call option expiring Jan 2013 strike price $5.00 - premium received is 0.24 Covered call mode: Sell 1 call option expiring Jan 2013 strike pri...
I am using ZECCO options strategy builder. I am trying to sell C (citi) call options expiring 2013 Jan at $5.00 in 2 different modes. **Calendar spread mode**: Bid Price is $0.24 **Covered call mode**: Bid Price is $1.01 1)Why is there a difference in the option bid value? 2) Does the software tool have ...
Can the bid price for selling the same call option in calendar spread be different from covered call? I am trying to sell C (citi) call options expiring 2013 Jan at $5.00 in 2 different modes. **Calendar spread mode**: Bid Price is $0.24 **Covered call mode**: Bid Price is $1.01 1)Why is there a difference ...
I am trying to sell C (citi) call options expiring 2013 Jan at $5.00 in 2 different modes. **Calendar spread mode**: Bid Price is $0.24 **Covered call mode**: Bid Price is $1.01 1)Why is there a difference in the option bid value? 2) Does the software tool have bugs or am I understanding something wrong?
Can the bid price for selling the same call option in calendar spread be different from that in covered call?
Assume a Canadian contractor is working remotely from Canada for a US based contracting company. Is it advisable to incorporate, in Canada, in this situation? Also, once incorporated in Canada, is it possible for the contractor to solicit other US based work, assuming the corporation is a sole-proprietorship and doe...
Is it worth incorporating, when working in Canada as a contractor for an employer in the US?
Assume a Canadian contractor is working remotely from Canada for a US based contracting company. Is it advisable to incorporate, in Canada, in this situation? Also, once incorporated in Canada, is it possible for the contractor to solicit other US based work, assuming the corporation has a single owner/employer, and...
We're a US company. We got a check from a Canadian company and usually the check will say "USD" on it. Otherwise when we deposit it, the check will clear as CAD. This check has no indicators on it. Just the amount written as "$100". Is there something visible on the check (a code in the numbers) that determin...
Is there something on a check (cheque) that determines what currency it is?
This might seem like a silly question, but I'm trying to work out how much something will cost if I pay for it on my credit card instead of paying monthly to the company at their interest rate. The problem is that my online card account only shows the rates in monthly (1.2916%), and the company offering credit only sh...
Is there a way to convert from a monthly rate to annual?
I'm a little concerned because I just payed to get access to Spotify Premium and it only asked for my card number and 2 other details that were on the card. Nothing like a PIN. Also I noticed that at an airport the ticket machine just asked you to put the card in and it never needed a PIN, yet a transaction was made. H...
Are PINs always needed for paying with card?
I work for a non profit and as such my retirement plan is a 403(b) rather than a 401(k) plan. I know these refer to different parts of the same law, but I don't know if there are any substantive differences in the plans. Does anyone know if there are big differences or is it really just a different name for the same ...
Are there important differences between a 401k and 403b plan?
I've never quite understood what the purpose of a contribution form was for a post-tax contribution form. I'm not getting a deduction for it or anything, after all. Is there any consequence if a person were to forget to document a Roth contribution in income tax filings?
Do I really need to add Roth IRA contribution information to my tax return?
I'm working for a company as a computer programmer, but 90% of my work is done at my apartment. Let's say I have an exclusive space for the work in my apartment, can I claim tax deduction for the renting space? My company has an office but there's no desk for me in there, and I bought my PC and everything by myself. ...
They are very similar. Basically, a 403b has lower costs and reporting requirements and isn't administered by your employer. Your employer just collects your contributions and turns them over to the financial provider. One thing that is different is that you often have a number of investment options, and they may or...
My employer uses a 401(a) plan, or "FICA Alternative" to social security. Every quarter I get a statement of my balance, which has grown quite a bit. I'm wondering, can this 401(a) balance ever be rolled over into a Roth IRA? I have no prior experience with social security alternatives like this.
Can 401(a) be rolled over into Roth IRA?
My employer uses a 401(a) plan, or "FICA Alternative" to Social Security. Every quarter I get a statement of my balance, which has grown quite a bit. I'm wondering, can this 401(a) balance ever be rolled over into a Roth IRA? I have no prior experience with Social Security alternatives like this.
Can 401(a) "FICA Alternative" plan be rolled over into Roth IRA?
Given the crash of 2008, how you explain to a person in their 20's or 30's why a good portion of their retirement funds should go into the stock market? (And if you wouldn't, what you recommend?)
Is the stock market too risky for long term retirement funds? Why should a 20- or 30-something person invest in stocks?
Can I claim a tax deduction for working from home as an employee? I work there 90% of the time.
Look. [Here's a graph of the S&P 500.][1] It's up **1200%** since the start of the 70's, our late recession notwithstanding. You're **not** going to get that kind of return on bonds or commodities or savings accounts. (Maybe real estate stands a chance, if your real estate wasn't in, say, Detroit. It's not as easy to d...
> **Possible Duplicate:** > [How are 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) tax-advantaged retirement plans different? How are they alike?](http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/725/how-are-401k-403b-and-457b-tax-advantaged-retirement-plans-different-ho) <!-- End of automatically inserted text --> I work for a non profit...
The stock market, as a whole, is extremely volatile. During any 3 year period, the market could go up or down. However, and this is the important point,the market *as a whole* has historically been a good long term investment. If you need the money in 5 years, then you want to put it in something less volatile (so...
Well, since September, I have been renting out a room so I could commute to my university. I signed a lease stating that I would be renting out this room until May 2011. Out of nowhere, space in the dorms opened up and was offered to me... and I have less than a week to decide if I will accept the offer, and if not,...
How painful is it to break a room occupancy lease?
Is there ANYTHING in the lease that allows you to break the lease legally, did landlord break any rules? Sometimes you can break a lease with an advance notice (few months). Read the lease. If not you'll have to negotiate with your landlord, the best thing is to find somebody to take over the place, so the landlord ...
This [google chart][1] offers a view of the gold and silver prices (through an ETF) side by side. Unfortunately, the ETFs have only been around for 5 or so years. I'm only including this as another view; @chrisfs answer is definitely more complete. [1]: http://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=1&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1...
Given the crash of 2008, how do you explain to a person in their 20's or 30's why a good portion of their retirement funds should go into the stock market? (And if you wouldn't, what would you recommend instead?)
I've never quite understood what the purpose of a contribution form was for a post-tax contribution to a Roth IRA. I'm not getting a deduction for it or anything, after all. Is there any consequence if a person were to forget to document a Roth contribution in income tax filings?
Like email and spam, fighting creditcard fraud is a cat and mouse game, with technology and processes constantly being developed to reduce fraud. The CVV on the back of the card is just one more layer of security. Requiring the CVV generally requires you to physically have access to the card. CVV should not be stor...
What is the best practice to keep finances after you get married?
Which practice to keep finances after getting married: joint, or separate?
Echoing Justkt, different approaches will work for different couples. It also depends on your background, life experience, age, maturity.... - If you're both older and have both earned an independent income for many years, and neither has any intention of giving that up, then it makes sense to maintain separate acc...
How do I simulate a trailing limit order, since many brokerages don't offer this? Details: - XYZ last traded at 10 and I want to buy it at 9 or lower. - However, if XYZ rockets to 12, I'm now willing to pay up to 10.80. - In other words, I'm willing to pay 90% of the highest value XYZ has reached sin...
Some things are nearly universal, and have been mentioned already. My "favorite" forseeable expenses in this category are: - Disaster preparedness (hurricanes in my locale) - Car fees - Licensing/registration - Inspection - Car repair - Items that break, such as engine, transmission, etc. The car ...
I was surprised to see this announcement from Zach's Investment Research re: AAPL stock: "We maintain our Neutral rating on the stock and raise our price target to $354.” But AAPL is today trading only $10 lower than that at $344. Is Zach's expressing the opinion that they believe AAPL will only increase $10 (from $3...
Is an analyst's "price target' assumed to be for 12 months out?
I was told by my Bankruptcy attorney that debt discharged is not income due to my being insolvent. Therefore, did Discover card err in sending a 1099-C Cancellation of Debt form to me that says "debt discharged in bankruptcy" on line 6. Do I need to get them to send a corrected form 1099-C?
Well, you used the word "prudent" to describe your desired asset allocation, which you have determined should include some small-cap stocks. That indicates that you've thought about it carefully and think that this is what you want to do, right? I was going to recommend P/E ratio, but the NASDAQ doesn't publish tha...
I have been in Canada for 6 months. My husband and I have recently separated. I have a 4-year old son living with me. I am currently working but the income is very low. I earn about $800/month. Which benefits may I apply for and how?
Benefits available to single-mom with low income, in Canada?
Is an analyst's "price target" assumed to be for 12 months out?
The question is related to [this one][1], but I am more interested in investments than savings. Here's my situation. I'm in my 20s and I'm currently in the US, but a EU citizen; I have saved up a bit of money in the past few years (about my current income for ~6months). In the summer I am planning on relocating bac...
How does moving to another country affect ones savings & investment plans?
I'd like to get to get some theoretical knowledge about finance before I start to invest. My goal would be to eventually trade on the stock market. What are some good books/resources for beginners that cover finance basics without getting too much into the details of investment?
Totally new to finance, economy, where should I start?
Say you have the following situation: * You have pre-IPO stock options * Half of the options have vested, the other half will vest over the next 2 years * Your strike price is S * The fair market value of the stock is now F, where F > S * It seems likely the company will go public in a year or so What are th...
What are the tax implications of exercising options early?
With 1500+ questions on this forum, I'm sure the question I'm about to ask has been asked multiple times. I tried to search the archives but couldn't exactly locate the questions because of lack of very fundamental knowledge on the subject. I'm from India. I'm a fresh graduate recently got a job. My friends have sta...
If one spouse is American and the other Canadian. What are the gifting rules for this Couple? Is the couple still limited to 26,000 or can they specify that the American is gifting 13,000 and the Canadian gifting 100,000. That is in regard to a property they are selling to their adult child.
What are the rules for gifting for a couple when one is a us citizen and the other a Canadian?