If you are entering the market for a home, some rules about realtor commissions have changed. Now sellers and buyers will both be responsible for these payments after the decision in a case brought against the National Association of Realtors. They will no longer be able to mandate the seller’s agent make an offer of monies to the buyer’s agent, or set any kind of industrywide standard commissions. Debra Kamin for the New York Times offers best practices for buyers and sellers as these new rules come into play. Buying or Selling a Home? The Rules Have Changed.
Tag: New York Times
Do You Still Use Paper Checks?
When was the last time you wrote a check? Paper checks may seem like a dated form of payment and can cost companies up to $1 to process, but there are still merchants and organizations who receive almost a quarter of their money via check. Ron Lieber for the New York Times explores our cultural relationship with checks and why they will most likely be around for some time to come in, Why Paper Checks Refuse to Die, click to read more.
Tax Return Questions? We’ve Got Answers!
2020 was a wild year. Many collected unemployment, received government stimulus checks, and worked from home, which brings a multitude of questions as tax filing season approaches. Tara Siegel Barnard for the New York Times offers answers to the most pressing tax inquiries and shares tips on how to save money. From teachers to retirees to charitable giving and student loans, she covers the bulk of current issues when filing your return. How the Pandemic Has Changed Your Taxes Need more help? Contact Debra at 512 484 8016.
Make the Best of Black Friday
Want to get the best deals and save the most money on Black Friday? Elissa Sanci for Smarter Living, The New York Times offers tips and shopping best practices in her article: 5 Things to Avoid on Black Friday
Black Friday is a money- and time-sucking vortex. Here’s what not to do this year. She highlights her list with entertaining anecdotes of those who fell victim to the seemingly needed purchases and makes recommendations for how to avoid these pitfalls.
Flash in the Pan
When you hear the word Start-up, what do you think of? Lots of venture capital raised quickly to create showy products that cater to a niche market? Almost daily we see the demise of these companies in the news and the reality of the “Fail Fast” model. But this is not true for all start-ups, such as Evernote which opened in 2004. The company is currently facing the harsh reality of two options: slow death or a complete makeover. Erin Griffith for the New York Times offers a detailed look at Evernote as an example of a long standing, 15 years, start-up in her article, A Unicorn Lost in the Valley, Evernote Blows Up the ‘Fail Fast’ Gospel.
To Buy or Not To Buy
How closely do you monitor your personal spending? Are you worried that every cup of coffee may break the bank? Tim Hererra for the New York Times has some great advice and encouragement for you. Check out his article, Here’s Some Money Advice: Just Buy the Coffee, and for more budgeting with “big picture” finance tips try their 7-day Money Challenge.
Hurry Up and Do Nothing
In our current state of technology overload and the expectations of busyness, we’ve seemingly forgotten our need for quiet and calm. New studies are showing that our bodies need this time to rest, reconnect, and even become more creative. The New York Times article, The Case for Doing Nothing recommends finding the state of “Niksen,” a Dutch word meaning to do nothing. Keeping our bodies in motion and our brains occupied may feel productive but often leads to exhaustion and a reduced capacity to work efficiently. Turns out that we actually need extreme down time, or as they say in the article, boredom. Give it a try! Take an afternoon to sit and daydream, go to the park and people watch, sit on the couch and imagine, then see how you feel afterward.
New Year’s Resolution: Keep Track of Personal Finances
It’s that time of year. When we consider how to improve our lives. Ever wanted to better understand and manage your personal finances? J.D. Biersdorfer for the New York Times offers these tips: The Easy (and Free) Way to Make a Budget Spreadsheet. She discusses a wide range of spreadsheet software and apps that will give you the “big picture” and may make managing your finances easier. After an initial time investment these programs offer the freedom to use on the go or when you have a moment. The prices make these tools available to all as well, ranging from free to about $70/year.
Money Talk
Many of us shy away from discussing our salaries with others. Employers often forbid this practice, although it’s illegal to do so in the private sector. Another reason we may feel uncomfortable talking about money is that we see it as self-worth, not just an amount we are paid to do a job. Tim Herrera for the New York Times, Smarter Living, encourages these discussions as a way to expose pay discrepancies.
“I can remember in the not-too-distant past having been discouraged from talking about wages,” Ms. Cornell said. She added that years ago she learned through a conversation about salaries with a male co-worker that he was making about $50,000 more than her, and that there was “no objective justification for the disparity in pay, but he had been in the position for a longer period of time.”
Herrera encourages co-workers to not be afraid of these conversations but to approach them with genuine interest and the idea of mutual benefit.
Why You Should Tell Your Co-Workers How Much Money You Make
Plan For The Future
Financial planners often encourage clients to plan ahead, but what if the life change you are considering is divorce? There are many factors to consider when separating, including: alimony, prenuptial agreements, business valuation, and other shared assets. Deciding when to end the marriage on paper may be affected by a number or variables in the current tax climate. Paul Sullivan for the New York Times Wealth Matters, sheds light on a number of these elements in his article, Should You Get a Divorce Now or Later?