Category: personal finance

Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Apr. 27)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for June delivery rose 46 cents to $74.76 a barrel Thursday. Brent crude for June delivery rose 68 cents to $78.37 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for May delivery fell 2 cents $2.53 a gallon. May heating oil fell 2 cents $2.35 a gallon. June natural gas rose 5 cents to $2.36…


How to Take the Pain Out of Saving Loose Change

I am not one to spend coins. I prefer to save them. In fact, I go out of my way to make sure I get plenty of change. But I hate to carry loose change, so my husband and I routinely dump the day’s accumulation into a container to save for a trip or to…


Small Businesses Attempt to Hire Layoffs From Big Tech

Layoffs at American tech companies have become an opportunity for small businesses, as highly skilled workers look for new work. Small businesses with less than 250 workers employed 58 percent of the total workforce in 2020, according to the U.S. Census. Tech startups have posted far more job offers than Big Tech firms in recent…


Gambling Law Updated for ‘Smartphone Age’ but Tory MP Says It Curbs Individual Freedom

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has unveiled proposals to reform Britain’s betting laws to “bring the regulations into the smartphone age” and protect those with gambling addictions. Writing in The Times of London on Thursday, Frazer said gambling apps on mobile phones had brought Las Vegas to people’s homes, but she said they had become “a…


11 Ways to Make Financial Planning Easier

Financial planning may be necessary but it’s also notorious for being a decidedly unpleasant experience. For many people, dealing with intimidating life events such as children in college or reaching retirement age, can trigger much emotional or mental stress. Still others may feel overwhelmed as they explore various possible scenarios, challenges, and solutions. Without doubt,…


Is De-Dollarization a Real Possibility?

Former president Donald Trump warned that the U.S. currency was crashing and wouldn’t be the world standard any longer. He may have been onto something. Recently, Russia, China, and Brazil have been part of the growing list of countries that have embarked on policy of de-dollarization. Understanding dollarization and how it affects both the United…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Apr. 26)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for June delivery fell $2.77 to $74.30 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for June delivery fell $3.08 to $77.69 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for May delivery fell 4 cents $2.55 a gallon. May heating oil fell 8 cents $2.37 a gallon. May natural gas fell 19 cents to $2.12 per 1,000…


Considering Buying Your First Rental Property in 2023? Here’s What You Need to Know to Succeed.

By Dave Spooner Picture this: It’s New Year’s Eve, 2022, and you’ve finally committed to a resolution you really want to keep. In the coming year, you want to buy your first rental property and start investing in real estate. But what will real estate look like in 2023? Will housing prices continue to drop?…


NTD Business (April 26): Disney Sues DeSantis After Privileges Revoked; House Republicans Vote on Debt Ceiling Bill

The House is voting on a Republican bill to raise the U.S. debt limit. What are lawmakers saying, and does it have any chance to pass? Disney is suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, escalating the conflict to new heights. The company just had its special taxing powers revoked. Both Microsoft and Google had a heavy…


The Banks Are Still in Trouble

The last few days have revealed just how bad the first quarter was for the banking sector. Credit Suisse, which in March collapsed into the arms of its main competitor UBS, recently reported that it had lost $69 billion of customer deposits in the first quarter, bringing the six-month total to an astronomical $225 billion…