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[ad_1] Realogy CEO Ryan Schneider The record climb in home sales and staggering increase in home price has not necessarily translated into success for the biggest U.S. residential real estate companies. Zillow, Compass, and Redfin each posted nine-figure losses in 2021. However, at least one significant player did capitalize on housing’s banner year. Brokerage and franchise conglomerate Realogy reported its yearly financials Thursday, and the Madison, New Jersey-headquartered company tallied $343 million in net income for 2021. The profitability marked a dramatic turnaround from 2020 when Realogy lost $360 million. Realogy’s revenue also grew to $8 billion, a 28% jump from 2020. That revenue figure includes the full commissions on home sales, which mostly are returned to the real estate agent on the deal. Once the $4.8 billion in commissions and other related costs are subtracted, Realogy’s revenue is just $3.2 billion. Still, the figure compares favorably to bitter rival Compass, which posted $1.1 billion in revenue after deducting agent’s cut of the commissions. Ryan Schneider crowed on an earnings call about the company’s best financial year since Schneider became CEO in 2017. “Realogy is on a transformation journey,” Schneider said. “We have gained market share. We have driven greater profitability, and we have massively improved our balance sheet.” Regarding the latter, Realogy reported $2.3 billion in corporate debt, and $735 million cash on hand. In regard to market share, Realogy’s brokerage operations, which include branches of Sotheby’s, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Better Homes & Gardens, and Corcoran, may no longer generate more sales volume than Compass, which reported 68% year-over-year leap in sales volume. However, Realogy also includes vast network of franchisees. Agents affiliated with Realogy franchise outlets participated in 245,000 homes sales in 2021, the company reported, while the brokerage took part in 75,000 deal sides. The brokerage, however, does more high-end deals. The average home sold by the brokerage cost $609,000, while the average franchise sale was $394,000. Unclear is how long Realogy’s solid financial performance can last. Schneider repeatedly cautioned on the call that seasonality was returning to the housing market. He predicted that the company’s first quarter 2022 operating income “will be the smallest of our four quarters and well below” the first quarter of 2021. Also, Realogy feels the pinch from the clock striking midnight on the mortgage refinancing bonanza. In 2020, Guaranteed Rate Affinity, a partnership known as a joint venture between Realogy and Chicago-based mortgage lender Guaranteed Rate generated $126 million in earnings for Realogy, mostly through homeowners refinancing their 30-year, fixed rate mortgage. That figure fell to $49 million in 2021 and is likely to fall further in 2022 amid higher interest rates. Schneider asserted that Realogy is pursuing multiple “seven and eight figure” range acquisitions for 2022, in the vein of acquiring longtime Manhattan brokerage Warburg Realty this past year. The company is also ramping up RealSure, an iBuying joint venture with Blackstone Group-owned Home Partners of America. RealSure was the talk of the company’s third quarter earnings call, but few additional details were provided Thursday. The post Can the good times continue at Realogy? appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Interest payments can be a fact of life if you carry a credit card balance, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay the typical rate of 19.99% or more. Credit cards are like any other consumer product: It pays to shop around. When you choose a lower-interest credit card, like the MBNA True Line Mastercard, you could save hundreds of dollars a year. Read on to learn just how much you could save by switching from a higher-interest card. How much interest are you paying? Open your wallet and select the two or three credit cards you use the most. What interest rate does each one charge? (If you’re not sure, look online or at the documents you received with the card.) If yours are typical Canadian credit cards, the interest rates are likely around 20%. That means that for every $1,000 in debt you carry, you’ll pay around $200 in interest annually.  All about credit card interest in Canada The first step to minimizing your interest payments is understanding exactly how they’re calculated. Your credit card’s interest rate is expressed as an APR, or an annual percentage rate, but interest is charged actually on a monthly basis. This makes sense because the amount of debt you owe will fluctuate as you make payments and purchases. You can determine how much interest you’ll pay on your debt with some basic math. Your APR is your annual charge. To find your daily interest rate, divide the annual rate by the days in a year: APR / 365 (days in a year) = daily interest rate If your APR is 19.99%, your daily rate is 0.055% (19.99/365). Multiply your outstanding debt by this number to see how much interest you’re charged daily. If you owe $1,000, for example, you’d be charged $0.55 per day. Your monthly payment is simply your daily payment multiplied by the days in the month. In this example, you’d accumulate $16.50 ($0.55 x 30) in interest, for an annual amount of $198 ($16.50 x 12 months). The amount you owe on your card will get smaller with each payment of principle plus interest, which will also reduce the interest you pay. The opposite is also true. If you fail to make a payment for one billing cycle, you’ll accumulate interest on the principle plus interest—in this example, $1,016.50. This is called compound interest, and it is the reason why unpaid debt can grow quickly. How a lower-interest card can help you erase debt Lower-interest credit cards can be a real lifesaver for those who carry credit card debt. Not only will you accumulate less interest on purchases, but many cards also include helpful balance transfer promotions that can set you up for success. Take the MBNA True Line Mastercard, a no-fee card that has a 12.99% interest rate on purchases and balance transfers (24.99% on cash advances). That means you’ll pay 7% less than you would with a card that charges the more typical 19.99% rate. Over a year, that’s nearly $70 per $1,000 in debt that you won’t have to pay. But that’s not the only way this card can help. When you transfer debt from another credit card to your True Line card within 90 days of opening an account, that debt will accumulate zero interest for a year. (This offer is not available for residents of Quebec.) You’ll pay a transaction fee equal to 3.00% of the amount of each balance transfer (minimum $7.50). This welcome offer halts the compound interest effect and gives you 12 billing cycles to pay down your debt load without interest being applied. After the year is up, any remaining debt will accumulate interest at 12.99%. Debt reduction is the headline perk for the MBNA True Line Mastercard, but it holds a lot of value for those without debt, too. The MBNA Payment Plan makes it a snap to pay for large purchases while managing your budget. And if you need a quick cash injection, you could also use available credit on your credit card to transfer funds right to your chequing account. The bottom line Getting out of credit card debt isn’t rocket science—it’s math. When you move your debt from a card charging 19.99% to the MBNA True Line Mastercard, you’re giving yourself a full year without interest to reduce your credit card balance, and a much lower interest rate going forward. MBNA True Line Mastercard* The MBNA True Line Mastercard checks two key boxes for cost-conscious cardholders: it has no annual fee, and its 12.99% interest rate is much lower than that of a typical credit card. Annual fee: $0 Welcome offer: Get a 0% promotional annual interest rate (“AIR”) for 12 months on balance transfers within the first 90 days of opening the account. Interest rate: 12.99% on purchases and balance transfers, 24.99% on cash advances Additional benefits: Discounts at Avis and Budget car rentals. Note: This offer is not available for residents of Quebec. Get more details about the MBNA True Line Mastercard* Go to Site What does the * mean? If a link has an asterisk (*) at the end of it, that means it’s an affiliate link and can sometimes result in a payment to MoneySense (owned by Ratehub Inc.) which helps our website stay free to our users. It’s important to note that our editorial content will never be impacted by these links. We are committed to looking at all available products in the market, and where a product ranks in our article or whether or not it’s included in the first place is never driven by compensation. For more details read our MoneySense Monetization policy. The post Are you paying too much credit card interest? appeared first on MoneySense. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] If you’ve been maxing out your employer-sponsored 401(k) plan, a Solo 401(k), or any other tax-advantaged retirement plan, you’re doing way better than the vast majority of workers. After all, the average retirement savings by age is absolutely paltry with most workers under the age of 35 having barely $6,000 in savings. By contrast, individuals saving for retirement could contribute up to $19,500 to a 401(k) plan in 2021, which was increased to $20,500 for 2022. Meanwhile, self-employed workers and entrepreneurs could save up to $58,000 in a Solo 401(k) in 2021, including both the employer and the employee contribution. Amazingly, this maximum was increased to $61,000 for 2022. Not only that, but these maximums don’t include the “catch-up” contributions those ages 50 and older can save. In 2022, catch-up contributions let individuals save another $6,500 in either of these accounts! If you’ve maxed out your 401k or retirement account, you probably feel like you’ve made it. But, what do you do to grow wealth after you’ve maxed out your 401(k)? Recently, a reader named Luke submitted this question to my podcast. If you want to hear my complete answer to his question, you can listen to the podcast here. Also, feel free to submit your own questions on my contact page! #ap4725-ww{padding-top:20px;position:relative;text-align:center;font-size:12px;font-family:Lato,Arial,sans-serif}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-indicator{text-align:right}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-indicator-wrapper{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap4725-ww-text{display:block}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap4725-ww-label{display:none}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-text{margin:auto 3px auto auto}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-label{margin-left:4px;margin-right:3px}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-icon{margin:auto;padding:1px;display:inline-block;width:15px;height:15px;min-width:15px;min-height:15px;cursor:pointer}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-icon img{vertical-align:middle;width:15px;height:15px;min-width:15px;min-height:15px}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-text-bottom{margin:5px}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-text{display:none}#ap4725-ww #ap4725-ww-icon img{text-indent:-9999px;color:transparent} Ads by Money. We may be compensated if you click this ad.Ad #ap4725-w-map{max-width:600px;padding:20px 0 10px;margin:0 auto;text-align:center;font-family:”Lato”, Arial, Roboto, sans-serif}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-title{color:#212529;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;line-height:27px}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-subtitle{color:#9b9b9b;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;line-height:24px}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-disclosure{margin-top:10px;font-size:12px;color:#9b9b9b}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map{max-width:98%;width:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:65%;margin-bottom:20px;position:relative}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg{position:absolute;left:0;top:0}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg path{fill:#e3efff;stroke:#9b9b9b;pointer-events:all;transition:fill 0.6s ease-in, stroke 0.6s ease-in, stroke-width 0.6s ease-in}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg path:hover{stroke:#1261C9;stroke-width:2px;stroke-linejoin:round;fill:#1261C9;cursor:pointer}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g rect{fill:#e3efff;stroke:#9b9b9b;pointer-events:all;transition:fill 0.6s ease-in, stroke 0.6s ease-in, stroke-width 0.6s ease-in}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g text{fill:#000;text-anchor:middle;font:10px Arial;transition:fill 0.6s ease-in}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g .ap00646-w-map-state{display:none}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g .ap00646-w-map-state rect{stroke:#1261C9;stroke-width:2px;stroke-linejoin:round;fill:#1261C9}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g .ap00646-w-map-state text{fill:#fff;font:19px Arial;font-weight:bold}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g:hover{cursor:pointer}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g:hover rect{stroke:#1261C9;stroke-width:2px;stroke-linejoin:round;fill:#1261C9}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g:hover text{fill:#fff}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-map svg g:hover .ap00646-w-map-state{display:initial}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-btn{padding:9px 41px;display:inline-block;color:#fff;font-size:16px;line-height:1.25;text-decoration:none;background-color:#1261c9;border-radius:2px}#ap4725-w-map #ap4725-w-map-btn:hover{color:#fff;background-color:#508fc9} Get Access to Online Financial Experts That Will Help You Plan and Manage Your 401(k) Online Stock Brokers use basic asset allocation strategies to keep you invested towards your retirement goals. Click on your state to get the ball rolling TODAY. HawaiiAlaskaFloridaSouth CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaTennesseeRIRhode IslandCTConnecticutMAMassachusettsMaineNHNew HampshireVTVermontNew YorkNJNew JerseyDEDelawareMDMarylandWest VirginiaOhioMichiganArizonaNevadaUtahColoradoNew MexicoSouth DakotaIowaIndianaIllinoisMinnesotaWisconsinMissouriLouisianaVirginiaDCWashington DCIdahoCaliforniaNorth DakotaWashingtonOregonMontanaWyomingNebraskaKansasOklahomaPennsylvaniaKentuckyMississippiArkansasTexas Get Started 9 Financial Strategies for a Maxed Out 401(k) Believe it or not, this scenario is fairly common among high earners and super savers. Sometimes you do everything right and max out your 401(k), and you still have money left over to invest. What should you do in this case? I’m going to break down nine different strategies to consider after you’ve maxed out your 401(k). Just keep in mind that some of these strategies may work better for some than others and that your best options depend on your situation.  #1: Pay Off High-Interest Debt If you have already maxed out your 401k or retirement account or you plan to this year, your next step is taking a closer look at all the debts you have. This includes debt like car payments and student loans of course, but I’m mostly talking about any high-interest debt you have, such as credit card debt. While there is so much focus on investing to build wealth, people don’t realize that paying off debt can be just as helpful. After all, the average credit card interest rate is currently well over 16%, and that’s a much better return than you’ll get with most investments.  By paying off credit card debt, you are essentially getting the equivalent of your credit card’s APR on your investment. In the meantime, paying off debt can help you simplify your financial life and sleep better at night, so why not? After you pay off any high-interest or unsecured debt, you can move on to options like your student loans and your car loan. While the interest rates on these debts are probably lower than you’re paying on credit cards, you should still try to wipe these debts out of your life. After all, both car loans and student loans can prevent you from getting where you want to be — even if these debts feel “normal.” Believe it or not, you do not need to have an auto loan! And when it comes to student loans, it’s easy to fall into a state where you have D.D.S. or Debt Denial Syndrome. This happens all the time with student loans because borrowers convince themselves they’ll “outearn” their loans one day.  Maybe you’re in school to be a doctor or a lawyer, and you think the amount of student debt you have doesn’t matter as a result. That could be true, but student debt could still prevent you from achieving different life goals you don’t even know you want. For example, student debt could prevent you from starting your open business or embarking on a new path altogether.  Believe me — I have seen this happen to hundreds of people over the years! Next up is your mortgage, which is more controversial. While some believe you should never pay off your mortgage due to today’s low-interest rates, I think it can make sense to prepay the mortgage on your forever home. My wife and I are doing exactly that, mostly because we don’t want to spend the next 30 years or our lives making mortgage payments.  While prepaying a low-interest mortgage doesn’t make a lot of sense on paper, the strategy we’re using is going to save us more than $450,000 in mortgage interest. That’s some serious cash! If you’re curious why we’re paying off our home and how we’re saving so much, make sure to check out Episode 114 on my podcast.  #ap81121-ww{padding-top:20px;position:relative;text-align:center;font-size:12px;font-family:Lato,Arial,sans-serif}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-indicator{text-align:right}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-indicator-wrapper{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap81121-ww-text{display:block}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap81121-ww-label{display:none}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-text{margin:auto 3px auto auto}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-label{margin-left:4px;margin-right:3px}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-icon{margin:auto;padding:1px;display:inline-block;width:15px;height:15px;min-width:15px;min-height:15px;cursor:pointer}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-icon img{vertical-align:middle;width:15px;height:15px;min-width:15px;min-height:15px}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-text-bottom{margin:5px}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-text{display:none}#ap81121-ww #ap81121-ww-icon img{text-indent:-9999px;color:transparent} Ads by Money. We may be compensated if you click this ad.Ad #ap81121-w-text{padding:20px 0 10px;margin:0 auto;text-align:center;font-family:”Lato”, Arial, Roboto, sans-serif}#ap81121-w-text #ap81121-w-text-title{color:#212529;font-size:20px;font-weight:700;line-height:30px}#ap81121-w-text #ap81121-w-text-subtitle{color:#9b9b9b;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;line-height:24px}#ap81121-w-text #ap81121-w-disclosure{color:#9b9b9b;margin-top:10px;font-size:12px}#ap81121-w-text #ap81121-w-text-btn{margin-top:25px;padding:9px 13px;display:inline-block;color:#fff;font-size:16px;line-height:20px;text-decoration:none;background-color:#1261c9;border-radius:2px}#ap81121-w-text #ap81121-w-text-btn:hover{color:#fff;background-color:#508fc9} Debt relief won't fix all your

[ad_1] Whoa! Don’t miss this HOT full-sized sample of Vicks Kids Melatonin Gummies! Hurry to sign up for a FREE full-sized sample of Vicks PureZzzs Kids Melatonin Gummies, while supplies last! This will go quickly since it’s a full-sized sample! [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Ship carrying Porsches and Bentleys ablaze near Azores, towing boats en route [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] By Ruchit Purohit Despite the large issue size and volatile market conditions, marquee institutional investors have given a thumbs up to the Life Insurance Corporation’s (LIC’s) initial public offering (IPO) during roadshows. The state-run insurer’s market dominance and the possibility of its inclusion in global indices like the MSCI after listing have made it attractive to investors. Despite the volatility in equity markets, merchant banking sources told FE on Friday that institutions have the appetite for the mega listing. Typically, investment bankers meet 200 institutions during these roadshows, but a lot more institutions are expected to participate as it is comparable to the likes of Alibaba and Saudi Aramco. Market sources claim that the interest in this IPO has not been impacted despite imminent rate cuts across developed markets. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have continued to sell risky assets for the last few months in anticipation of the unwinding of the post-pandemic stimulus. However, institutions that participated in LIC’s roadshows say that there would be sufficient demand for LIC’s offering. Some of the foreign investors that have participated in the roadshows are Fidelity International, Capital International and GIC Singapore. Domestically, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund and HDFC Mutual Fund are among the top names in the book, merchant banking sources told FE. LIC’s officials are burning the midnight oil to ensure success of the public issue by talking to institutional investors all through the day across time zones. The first observance letter from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) can be expected on March 5, sources indicated, following which the issue would open to public. Virtual roadshows are being held everyday for investors at home, in Europe and the US. “Typically, for such large issuances, the target is nearly 200 institutional investors in the roadshows ahead of the IPO, however, for LIC, the numbers will go higher than 200,” said the person cited above. Sovereign funds, pension funds and other institutional investors are some of the investors targeted by lead managers, considering the issue size of the offer. They further added that the value of the insurance giant is likely to be around 2.7 times the embedded value Rs 5.4 lakh crore. As a result, the company could be valued at Rs 14.5 lakh crore. The offer is expected to be launched by mid-March and the issue size could range between Rs 65,000 crore and Rs 75,000 crore, sources said. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Each week, Cut the Crap Investing founder Dale Roberts shares financial headlines and offers context for Canadian investors. Earnings season picks up the pace: Shopify crashes Shopify Canadian tech darling Shopify (SHOP) stole the headlines north of the border. Shopify crashed 16% after earnings were released.  Source: Seeking Alpha Amazon (AMZN) leads with 41.0% market share of U.S. e-commerce sales in 2021, and SHOP comes in second at 10.3%.  Source: Shopify earnings report  SHOP stock fell hard after earnings, but it was mainly due to outlook and not to the realized results. Revenue of US$1.38 billion comfortably beat consensus estimates of US$1.34 billion. Non-GAAP (non-generally accepted accounting principles)income of US$1.36 per share also beat consensus estimates of US$1.31 per share. It grew profits by 60%, revenue increased by 41%.  It was the forward guidance from the company that brought the stock down. Shopify expects earnings and revenue growth to decline. Shopify was already a very expensive stock heading into earnings season.  Shopify is a wonderful company. And funny enough, a year ago I looked at the dazzling Shopify earnings and I wrote:  “Many will suggest that Shopify is a great company, but perhaps it is not a great stock at today’s levels.”  You’ll see charts in that column showing that Shopify has been expensive in comparison to Amazon. Shopify is down over 50% from the time of that post. Yes, earnings matter.  Source: Google Walmart  And now switching to the lower growth (and defensive stock side) of the ledger, Walmart (WMT) continues to deliver on the slow-and-solid growth promise. Below figures are courtesy of Seeking Alpha: Q4 Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.53 beats by US$0.03 Revenue of US$152.87B (+0.5% year-over-year) beats by US$2.67B—revenue was negatively affected by US$32.7 billion related to divestitures Sam’s Club comparable sales increased 10.4% over 1-year, and 21.2% over the last 2 years, membership income increased 9.1%  For 2023, the company expects net sales to increase about 3% The stock price was up 4.1% on Wednesday after releasing earnings Walmart increased its dividend by a modest 2% and it bought back $10 billion in shares in 2021. The company generated US$24.2 billion in operating cash flow and returned US$15.9 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.  I own Walmart. And I truly appreciate those boring stocks. I’ll leave the growth to Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Nike (NKE) and others.  TC Energy  And speaking of steady, TC Energy (TRP) reported comparable EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) increased 3% year-over-year to CAD$2.4 billion, compared with CAD$2.37 billion analyst consensus estimate. For the full year, TC reported comparable earnings rose to CAD$4.2 billion compared to CAD$3.9 billion for the comparable period in 2020.  It increased its dividend by 3%. I own TC Energy and I’m happy to collect that juicy dividend. TC Energy shares have gained 17% during the past year and 12% year-to-date.  Airbnb  Last week, I wrote about Disney as a “go out and play stock,” that will grow with the pandemic restrictions slowing down. This week Airbnb (ABNB) saw revenue increase 78% year over year, with bookings up 91%.  This comes from its earnings report:  “As such, for the first time since the pandemic began, we expect Q1 2022 Nights and Experiences Booked to significantly exceed Q1 2019 levels, which we believe will result in our strongest quarterly Nights and Experiences Booked on record.” Airbnb is up over 10% year-to-date. I will be keeping an eye on this trend for the “other side of the pandemic” momentum. The stock is up 28% over the last six months, while the U.S. market (IVV) is flat. Disney has another solid week, up over 2%.  It’s all riding on February now 🙂   In a recent column, I looked at the “January effect”: As goes January, often goes the rest of the year. Here’s a clip from that: “The takeaway here: The S&P is usually positive during January (over 60% of the time) and generates a much better return during these years with positive returns in the first month of the year. The difference is remarkable with an average annual return of +15.5% in up years, versus +2.2% in the down years.”  To add to that: Low- to modest-return years are very rare for U.S. stocks. And a weak February can make it challenging for stocks to fight back.  To see what I mean, here’s the stock market history of the “January effect” in February, thanks to DataTrek. (I have edited to condense.)  1. The S&P has posted a modest positive annual total return (from 0.0% to +5%) in only six years over the last six-plus decades, versus an average total return of +12.2%.  It’s happened less than one-tenth of the time (9%) since 1958. 2. During so-so years, the S&P is usually down in January, but comes back up in February: The S&P dropped two-thirds of the time in January in the above-mentioned years, and the average return for this month was -2.5%.  The index rose in February in all of those mediocre years, with only one exception. The average return was +2.3%.  My derived takeaway: When the S&P performs modestly positive for the year, it starts off negative for January, but it recovers most of those losses come February. So far this year, the index was down 5.3% in January and it has fallen by another 2.5% so far this month. 3. In the below years of modest returns, the S&P bottomed for the year between Q2 and Q4. Of course, Q1 ends March 31. Historically, this is when the previous bottoms occurred in the modest return years.  1960: October 1970: May 1994: April 2005: April 2011: October 2015: August 4. On average, the S&P is down 11.9% when it hits its intra-year bottom during those six instances.  The range of decline in those six years: down 5.9% to down 24.7% The recovery through year-end: +4.6% to +33%The strong +33% snapback came from quick and aggressive monetary policy (rate cutting)

[ad_1] Did you know the average bank is paying .06% in interest on their savings accounts? That seems crazy enough on its own, but it’s even crazier that my bank is paying even less than that. That’s right; my own bank is paying a fraction of the average savings interest rate….actually .01%. Even worse, my bank (U.S. Bank) has been paying close to the same paltry rate for years. I think my bank hates me.  Can you relate? You can see exactly what I mean in the screenshot below. I have more than $329,000 in one of our savings accounts, and I only earned $2.88 in interest during the month I grabbed this photo. That’s pretty sad when you think about it, but I know I’m not alone. Half the people reading this post are probably earning about that much on their savings if anything at all.  We all know that interest rates have been hovering at or near record lows for years, and banks can offer almost nothing as a result. Fortunately, we don’t have to settle for earning next-to-nothing on our savings accounts. In fact, there are several banking alternatives to earn more on your savings than what a traditional bank will offer.  One of the options I share in this post is paying 850X more than the average traditional bank! Before we dive into the top banking alternatives though, I do want to say how important it is to have an emergency fund. It’s always possible you’ll lose your job or face an unpredictable financial emergency, and your long-term savings could be the only thing that helps you avoid all kinds of financial mayhem (you can check out some of the best savings account rates here). Some experts say you should have three to six months of expenses stashed away in emergency savings, and I tend to agree. However, I think you need to tailor the size of your emergency fund to your unique situation and needs.  For example, you may want to have a bigger emergency fund if you’re self-employed or you have kids, whereas you can get away with a smaller e-fund if you’re single, you have really low expenses, or your job is extremely secure. Either way, the banking alternatives I’ll dive into below are not for your core emergency savings. After all, you want your e-fund in a secure account with FDIC insurance. You may not earn a lot of interest with a regular bank, but you won’t lose any money from your savings, either. Also, note that you can check out my banking alternatives podcast on Spotify if you prefer listening over reading. You can check out the podcast episodes here and here. #ap8678-ww{padding-top:20px;position:relative;text-align:center;font-size:12px;font-family:Lato,Arial,sans-serif}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-indicator{text-align:right}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-indicator-wrapper{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap8678-ww-text{display:block}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap8678-ww-label{display:none}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-text{margin:auto 3px auto auto}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-label{margin-left:4px;margin-right:3px}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-icon{margin:auto;padding:1px;display:inline-block;width:15px;height:15px;min-width:15px;min-height:15px;cursor:pointer}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-icon img{vertical-align:middle;width:15px;height:15px;min-width:15px;min-height:15px}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-text-bottom{margin:5px}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-text{display:none}#ap8678-ww #ap8678-ww-icon img{text-indent:-9999px;color:transparent} Ads by Money. We may be compensated if you click this ad.Ad #ap8678-w-map{max-width:600px;padding:20px 0 10px;margin:0 auto;text-align:center;font-family:”Lato”, Arial, Roboto, sans-serif}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-title{color:#212529;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;line-height:27px}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-subtitle{color:#9b9b9b;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;line-height:24px}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-disclosure{margin-top:10px;font-size:12px;color:#9b9b9b}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map{max-width:98%;width:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:65%;margin-bottom:20px;position:relative}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg{position:absolute;left:0;top:0}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg path{fill:#e3efff;stroke:#9b9b9b;pointer-events:all;transition:fill 0.6s ease-in, stroke 0.6s ease-in, stroke-width 0.6s ease-in}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg path:hover{stroke:#1261C9;stroke-width:2px;stroke-linejoin:round;fill:#1261C9;cursor:pointer}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g rect{fill:#e3efff;stroke:#9b9b9b;pointer-events:all;transition:fill 0.6s ease-in, stroke 0.6s ease-in, stroke-width 0.6s ease-in}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g text{fill:#000;text-anchor:middle;font:10px Arial;transition:fill 0.6s ease-in}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g .ap00646-w-map-state{display:none}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g .ap00646-w-map-state rect{stroke:#1261C9;stroke-width:2px;stroke-linejoin:round;fill:#1261C9}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g .ap00646-w-map-state text{fill:#fff;font:19px Arial;font-weight:bold}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g:hover{cursor:pointer}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g:hover rect{stroke:#1261C9;stroke-width:2px;stroke-linejoin:round;fill:#1261C9}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g:hover text{fill:#fff}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-map svg g:hover .ap00646-w-map-state{display:initial}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-btn{padding:9px 41px;display:inline-block;color:#fff;font-size:16px;line-height:1.25;text-decoration:none;background-color:#1261c9;border-radius:2px}#ap8678-w-map #ap8678-w-map-btn:hover{color:#fff;background-color:#508fc9} If you are a beginner stock trader or investor, choosing the right stockbroker is super important. Online Stockbrokers will guide you with their vast knowledge, so you can wisely invest your hard-earned dollars. Don't give it a second thought and click on your state today. HawaiiAlaskaFloridaSouth CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaTennesseeRIRhode IslandCTConnecticutMAMassachusettsMaineNHNew HampshireVTVermontNew YorkNJNew JerseyDEDelawareMDMarylandWest VirginiaOhioMichiganArizonaNevadaUtahColoradoNew MexicoSouth DakotaIowaIndianaIllinoisMinnesotaWisconsinMissouriLouisianaVirginiaDCWashington DCIdahoCaliforniaNorth DakotaWashingtonOregonMontanaWyomingNebraskaKansasOklahomaPennsylvaniaKentuckyMississippiArkansasTexas View Results 9 Banking Alternatives to Earn More Interest With that in mind, the banking alternatives I recommend are for any excess funds you have in addition to your true emergency savings. This is money you won’t necessarily need in the next few years, so you can take on more risk. Which banking alternatives am I talking about? I break down all nine of them below. #1: Neobank “Neobank” is somewhat of a hipster term used to describe an online-only bank that doesn’t have any brick and mortar locations. This doesn’t mean Neobanks aren’t real; it just means you won’t drive around and run into a physical bank location. And without a physical location to deal with, these banks have lower overhead. This means they can pay you more interest on your savings. I recently read that there were more than 300 digital banks around the world. Some of the biggest include SoFi, which started off more as a student loan refinancing company. Another online bank worth noting is Chime Bank, which is currently paying an 0.50% annual percentage yield (APY) on its savings accounts. Lending Club is one more online bank that has been around for a while. Lending Club used to be a peer-to-peer lender, but they now offer an online savings account that is currently paying a 0.60% annual percentage yield.  #2: Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) If you think inflation is only going up from here, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) could provide an excellent place to stash your excess cash. TIPS automatically adjusts based on the CPI Index, which is the Consumer Price Index that measures the prices of different goods and services. This makes it another great banking alternative. While some may disagree that TIPS is actually keeping up with inflation, you can go to TreasuryDirect.gov to read more about this investment option and other bonds that are issued by the government.  TIPS are issued in increments of $100, so you have to have at least $100 to get started investing. Another major benefit of TIPS is the fact you don’t have to pay state or local taxes on your returns. Note: With TIPS, you do have to pay federal taxes on your gains. #3: Online Investment Apps Online investment apps (a.k.a. online brokerage services) are

[ad_1] The post 7 Best Lockscreen Cash Apps for 2022 appeared first on Millennial Money. It seems like everyone is talking about passive income these days — and why not? Extra cash for minimal labor is something that’s sure to pique a lot of interest from a lot of people. If you’re short on spare time but still want to make money online, there are plenty of ways to do it.  One of the easiest ways is to install a lockscreen app on your phone. These apps are 100% passive, unless you count picking up your phone as labor. Not sure what a lockscreen app is? You’ve come to the right place.  In this post, I’ll cover all of the best current lockscreen apps. But first, keep reading to learn more about what these apps are and how they work to decide whether it makes sense to install one on your device.  What Is a Lockscreen Cash App? If you aren’t familiar with lockscreen apps, the concept is pretty simple. When you download and use a lockscreen app, you’re effectively selling ad space on your phone.  Each app works a little differently. But in general, you can expect to earn rewards and points each time you open your phone while the app is running.  Many of these mobile apps are available on Android devices but not iOS. This is due to privacy restrictions that tend to be a little stricter for Apple product users. So, unfortunately, you won’t find them in the App Store.  Before we get started, here’s a quick disclaimer: Lockscreen apps tend to come and go, and there are a number of previously popular apps that aren’t online anymore. Here are a few that are no longer available in the Google Play Store: Adme, Fronto, SurveyCow, Whaff Locker, BillsBoard, Locket, ScreenKarma, and Slidejoy. Now that you’re familiar with some of the defunct apps in this space, let’s move on to the highest-paying options that are available so you can start earning lockscreen cash rewards today. 7 Best Lockscreen Cash Apps ScreenLift S’more Ad It Up MYTOZ Current Rewards Giftloop XLOAD Swipe 1. ScreenLift ScreenLift is one of the most popular lockscreen apps on the market, with more than 100,000 users worldwide. The app allows you to customize the first screen you see on your phone. When you open this screen, ScreenLift will populate it with trending news articles. Each time you see one, you earn points, called Lifts. You don’t need to actually read the articles unless you want to; an impression is all that’s required. The longer you keep the app running, the more Lifts you can earn. When you build up enough to earn a payout, you can exchange your Lifts for PayPal cash or gift cards from a variety of brand-name retailers.  You’ll also get a boost if you refer your friends to use the app. For each person you bring in, ScreenLift will give you a cut of their lifetime earnings. If you’re an exceptionally popular and persuasive person, this could lead to a decent passive income stream.  2. S’more S’more is a U.S.-only lockscreen app that’s as simple as it gets. When you use it, you’ll see a tailored ad each time you unlock your phone, and you’ll earn points as long as the app is installed.  To get an ad off your home screen, all you have to do is slide up. You can also click on it if it’s interesting, but you’ll earn points whether you do or not.  If you want to earn even more with S’more, you can also complete offers, play games, and make referrals.  Once you have enough points, you can cash out for Walmart, Target, Visa, or Amazon gift cards (to name just a few). Unfortunately, S’more pays out only in gift cards — not real money. This is a big disadvantage. I always prefer services that pay you in cold, hard cash. S’more is only in the Google Play Store, where its Android app holds an impressive 4.4-star rating (out of 5). 3. Ad It Up If you’re a Cricket Wireless user, you should check out Ad It Up. The app offers credits toward your wireless bill when you use it regularly.  With Ad It Up, you earn points each time you unlock your phone, watch a video, complete an offer, or take a survey. You can also play games or download sponsored apps to build up your point balance. To maximize your points, you need to opt into the lockscreen function, which is the easiest way to get ahead. Then, in your downtime, you can click into the app and complete its various tasks. When you earn enough for a payout, you can choose to apply your credits to your Cricket bill or get a free Amazon gift card. Ad It Up is one of the best-rated lockscreen apps available on the market today, with a stellar 4.8 stars (out of 5) in the Google Play Store. 4. MYTOZ For online shoppers, MYTOZ is an interesting option.  The app populates ads on your lock screen, but you can also head directly into the app to view more. Like most lockscreen apps, you don’t need to actually engage with any ads. The more you see, the more you earn.  Every time you see an ad, you get points. Unfortunately, the only way to spend your MYTOZ points is to shop in its online store. MYTOZ operates as an affiliate marketer, so you can use your points to shop with a wide variety of merchants and retailers.  5. Current Rewards Current Rewards is perfect for those who want to earn by listening to music. The app comes with a free music player, which gives you access to more than 100,000 radio stations. When you listen in, you earn rewards.  On top of using its lockscreen music player, there are a bunch of other ways to earn with Current, including: Taking surveys Playing games and

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