US Finance World

The conventional wisdom on emergency funds is one should have 3-6 months of fixed costs set aside for a rainy day. The figure is typically cited without context. For example, compare loss of income due to traumatic injury versus an unpaid bereavement leave. Both are equally horrible but each has a different effect on cash flow. Accordingly, how do we ground the emergency fund debate in a more real life scenario?

Assume the best case scenario. Assume a person has back-stopped an emergency situation with short-term disability insurance and long term disability insurance (the different between the two insurance policies is that short-term insurance typically pays out for a shorter period of time and, as such, the insurance premiums tend to be lower).

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Debt to income ratio is the ratio of your total debt payments in percentage against your total income. Thus, this ratio gives a comparative study of the debtor’s income. The higher the debt to income ratio or the DTI, the lesser is the chances of you getting a loan or a new credit card. Whenever you apply for new credit card or loan, the lender or the creditor is bound to check your DTI and if you don’t have a low DTI, the lender or the creditor might take you as a high risk borrower. So, you need to know your DTI and you can do that with the help of a debt to income ratio calculator. Then, what is a debt to income ratio calculator?

The DTI calculator
The debt to income ratio calculator or the DTI calculator is the one that helps you determine your DTI ratio. Amo Read more…

Brazil mining giant Vale ( VALE ) boasts a record that most chief executives can only dream of: year-over-year revenue growth of 127%; earnings growth of 269.5%; a return on assets of 13% and an operating profit margin of nearly 50%. Shareholders should be thrilled: The stock price has tripled since the depths of the financial crisis. So what has been Vale chief executive Roger Agnelli’s reward?

He was basically fired. After years of intrigue, Vale announced this month that Agnelli will be replaced by Murilo Ferreira, a former Vale executive.

For Vale shareholders — and that includes just about everybody who owns an emerging-market mutual fund or exchange-traded fund — this may only be a shot across the bow. No one has suggested Agnelli was removed for incompetence. On the contrary, his very success appears to have made Vale an even more tempting target for political interference.

Vale is the second largest metals and mining company in the world (after Australia’s BHP Billiton ( BHP ) ) and the largest producer of iron ore.

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I have a long running debate with my Dad about dividend stocks. My Dad’s mantra is “dividend yield, dividend yield, dividend yield.” For years, I would ask him to consider factors such as dividend payout ratio, dividend growth rate and the price to earnings ratio but, invariably, he would say “yes, but what about the dividend yield?” and cue the debate again.

After my Dad retired, I came to the conclusion that, in his particular context, a laser-like focus on dividend yield is not necessarily a bad thing for someone with a shorter investing horizon than me (and let’s throw out extreme dividend yields and talk about reasonable yields of 3%-7%).

Let’s recall that dividend yield is calculated as (dividend paid per annum/share price). A higher divi

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Im really in love with the idea of diversifying your income streams.

And I dont mean diversifying as a means to survival i.e. the single mother who NEEDS to work three low paying jobs to pay rent and feed her kids. Its a shame that there citizens in this country that have to do that when there are others who live so extravagantly. But well save that discussion for another day.

I want to focus on diversification out of choice.

In other words, you have revenue from multiple sources, not because you need to. Rather, you want to.

Multiple Income by Choice

Maybe you work a full-time job that more than pays the bills, but youve started up a small business that you work full or part-time on in the evening in order to scratch your entrepreneurial itch or with the future goal of making it your full-time gig.

Maybe you left your day job and are a full-time freelancer and get your income from 2, 3, or 4 different avenues. No single creative endeavor can tie you down!

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The governments proposal for a massive pensions shake-up is good in many ways, but it wont help anyone over the age of 61.

Earlier this month, the government published proposals for a massive pensions shake-up. The heart of the plan is that most pensioners will receive a flat State Pension of £140 a week. This will replace the current basic State Pension which pays £102.15 a week. This is a good idea in many ways. The trouble is, not everyone will benefit.

Now I should stress that these are just proposals at the moment and the government is now asking for feedback. In fact, the government has asked for feedback on two different proposals. The first proposal – known as ‘Option 1′ – is a fairly limited tweak of the current system whereas the second proposal – ‘Option 2′ – is much more radical.

Option 2 is the one that boosts the state pension to £140 a week and is the most likely to be implemented. So in this

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Diesel vehicles have come a long way over the years.

For starters, mass-market diesel cars generally arent noisy like they once were.

They also put out less greenhouse gases and have higher fuel efficiency than their gasoline powered cousins. And diesel engines have always lasted more miles than gasoline so you can buy one and run it into the ground.

But, do they make sense to buy? Americans havent exactly been crazy about them.

Why is Diesel Vehicle Market Share in the U.S. so Low?

Diesel vehicles exceed 40% of the market share in Europe, however, is just 2.2%, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Why?

Smog. Diesel vehicles put out more black sooty particulate matter (PM) and NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emissions, which lead to smog and adverse health effects. The , as a result, has put higher regulation standards on diesel vehicle emissions than the EPA.

As a result, very few vehicles meet both CARB and EPA clean diesel standards and only VW, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and makers of a few heavy-duty trucks have entered the U.S.

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Fancy some extra cash but don’t have much spare time on your hands? Check out Waits top 10 tips on how to make money in your lunch break….

In times such as these we could all do with a few extra pennies in our bank accounts. So if you need to make some money but don’t reckon you have the time to do it, these quick and easy tips might provide you with some inspiration…

1) Online surveys

Many marketing firms will pay you to complete an online survey. These surveys can take between 10 minutes and half an hour and you’ll usually earn between 50p and £10 (if you’re really lucky) per survey. You can sign up at numerous sites such as YouGov, Panelbase and Toluna.

Make sure you sign up to a registration-free website and avoid signing up to American websites as you’ll probably need an American bank account. It’s also wo

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