Most variable annuity (VA) contracts include an insurance component that provides a death benefit. The death benefit is usually triggered by the passing of the annuitant, although there are contracts in which the contract owner’s death triggers the benefit. That’s because annuities allow for the owner and annuitant to be different people. Key Takeaways Death
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If you are taking a protected leave of absence from work under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you may need to fill out FMLA forms to satisfy your employer’s requirements. The act was signed into law by President Clinton in February 1993. It requires that certain employers allow eligible employees access to unpaid time
Few things are more exhilarating than finding “screaming buys” in the stock market. When everything lines up and you know you’re buying a stock at an insanely low price, the adrenaline flows. In this column, I have decided to focus solely on tech stocks. Tech stocks have been performing poorly lately. The sector is battered,
With the latest updates to Berkshire Hathaway’s (NYSE:BRK-A, NYSE:BRK-B) list of equity holdings, Warren Buffett stocks are again making headlines. Investors large and small like to follow his portfolio moves. That’s not surprising. The “Oracle of Omaha” is considered to be one of the greatest investors of all time. On Aug 15, Berkshire filed its quarterly
If you borrowed money to pay for school, your first question might be how best to pay off your student loans. The short answer is that there’s no magic bullet, but there are definitely things you can do to make paying back education debt easier. Student loan debt reached an all-time high of $1.61 trillion
President Joe Biden campaigned on an economic platform to shore up the middle class, extend health care, raise taxes on the wealthy, and invest trillions of dollars in green energy infrastructure, among other issues. On March 11, 2021, Biden won his first major economic victory when he signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Some fans of neo-banking firm SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ:SOFI) might evangelize for the company, but is it the best fintech business to invest in? When we compare SoFi to rival fintech company PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL), the results might surprise you. In the end, the data points will undoubtedly convince you to choose PYPL stock instead of SOFI stock. Sure,
As U.S. Fed Chair Jerome Powell prepares to discuss monetary policy to try and tame inflation that could slow the U.S. economy, Chinese officials outlined new stimulus measures to give the world’s second-largest economy a boost. China’s State Council rolled out a trillion yuan package in economic stimulus. The latest $146 billion in assistance will
Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Electronic Arts (EA) – The video game company’s stock jumped 6.2% in the premarket on a Swedish media report that Amazon.com (AMZN) will announce an offer today to buy EA. Gap (GPS) – Gap rallied 6% in premarket trading after the clothing retailer reported an unexpected
There are a wealth of companies to choose from when you’re looking for the best sports betting stocks. Sports betting stocks have been one of the more compelling investment options for investors since 2018. The U.S. Supreme Court green-lit sports betting; since then, multiple states have legalized the sector. Around 30 states have legalized sports
Identifying the highest dividend-paying stocks is as simple as a few internet searches, but an investor who buys stocks based on their dividend yield alone will likely face trouble. High dividend yields, while attractive, also signal risk. The general relationship is that the higher the yield, the greater the risk. In short, investors should consider
I generally associate growth stocks with an adrenaline rush. On the other hand, blue-chip stocks provide a peaceful night’s sleep. With global markets remaining significantly volatile, I would prefer to go overweight on blue-chip stocks. Blue-chip stocks offer two main advantages. First, these are low-beta stocks and therefore help in capital preservation. Second, these stocks
Previously obscure Helbiz (NASDAQ:HLBZ) stock suddenly received a lot of attention among traders recently, likely due to a resurgence of the meme-stock movement. Cautious traders should observe that Helbiz isn’t a profitable company, though, and would be wise to stay out of the trade altogether. Helbiz’s main business is micro-mobility services, which might sound intriguing. However,
Engaging in a child custody battle can be time-consuming and expensive for all parties involved. The average child custody lawyer may cost anywhere from $1,200 to $4,500 to hire, though the cost may be higher if the case drags out over an extended period of time. When one parent makes significantly less than the other
Australia might not be on people’s radar as a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity, but several business magnates have made their mark in the Land Down Under. Here we briefly catalog three of Australia’s most noteworthy and successful entrepreneurs including John Ilhan, Rupert Murdoch, and Katie Page. Key Takeaways Australians have made their mark on the
As of June 2020, the trailing twelve months’ net profit margin for retail or commercial banks was approximately 13.9%. This is a sharp decrease from June 2019, when the net profit margin for commercial banks was 27.6%. For comparison, the net profit margin for commercial banks in June 2018 and June 2017 came in at
Pedestrians walk past a Gap Inc. store in Shanghai, China. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images Check out the companies making headlines in extended trading. Affirm — The buy-now-pay-later darling’s shares slid nearly 14% after hours when it reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss of 65 cents per share, according to Refinitiv. It also issued
When you’re in need of credit, it can be easy to fall victim to predatory lending scams. Whether demanding an exorbitant interest rate on a payday loan, taking your car title as collateral, or pushing a bigger mortgage than you can afford, there are many ways unscrupulous lenders try to take advantage of borrowers. Predatory
Does the debt from your college days seem overwhelming? You’re not alone: Student loans in the U.S. total more than $1.6 trillion. That’s second only to the size of the nation’s mortgage debt. Ironically, the burden of student loans is making it harder for college graduates to buy a home. Politicians are debating what to
If you’ve recently graduated or left college, you might be surprised at how much of your student loan payment goes just to the interest portion of your debt. To understand why that is, you first need to understand how that interest accrues and how it’s applied toward each payment. Key Takeaways Federal loans use a