By Peter Anderson10 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited November 5, 2018.
When starting to invest one of the first things that you’ll have to decide is how you want to invest.
Will you choose a tax advantaged retirement vehicle like the 401k or Traditional IRA?
Will you use a Roth IRA that is funded with post-tax dollars?
Will you go down the road of taxable investing through a brokerage account?
Will you use something new like peer-to-peer lending?
All of these are things you are important to consider when setting up your retirement accounts, as it can affect many different aspects of your financial picture.
For me I don’t consider myself a super-savvy investor, but I do feel like I’ve got a pretty good hold on what I want to do for our savings and retirement accounts. I want to invest in mostly passive index funds, and invest in the following account types – in this order:
Invest in Roth IRA to max: First, I want to invest in our Roth IRA to the max of $6000 per investor – $6000 each for my wife and I.
Invest in company 401k to max: Next we’ll be investing in my company 401k up until the max. I’m not sure we’ll be meeting that maximum this year because of other expenses that have come up.
Investing in taxable accounts: Next we would be investing in taxable investments, most likely through an account with Betterment, Wealthfront or one of the discount online brokerages.
So why am I starting our investing via a Roth IRA?
Why We’re Investing With A Roth IRA First
There are a few reasons why we’re investing with a Roth IRA first.
Tax advantages: We really like the idea of investing our money in a Roth IRA, letting it sit there, and never having to pay a dime more in taxes on the contributions or earnings as long as we wait until retirement to withdraw it.
Tax diversification: The Roth IRA is a part of our tax diversification plan, where we invest in both pre-tax and post tax investments so as to hedge our bets when it comes to current and future tax rates and which will be higher or more to our advantage. We’re investing a portion in Roth, and a portion in our 401k which will be taxable at withdrawal.
The Roth allows for flexibility: One thing we like about the Roth IRA is the fact that you can take out your contributions at any time without having to pay it back like the 401k. While it isn’t a good idea to be withdrawing your retirement funds, it can be good to know that in a pinch you can withdraw those contributions. (Note: You can’t withdraw earnings without penalty, only contributions).
College savings and home purchase withdrawals: The Roth IRA also allows account holders to withdraw from contributions and earnings to use the funds to pay for their first home, or for college bills. Normal early withdrawal penalties are waived in these cases.
Easy to start, and tons of options: Opening a Roth IRA is super easy and can be done within a half hour to an hour if you want. Plus companies like Vanguard are making it easier to start, reducing their minimum investments in a wide range of funds to only $1000 to start. Most people should be able to scrape together $1000 to start their Roth IRA! In addition, the companies are making a wide range of investments available to account holders, with many more choices than a traditional 401k.
Roth can be passed down to heirs tax free: While it wasn’t one of our main reasons for choosing the account, the fact that your heirs can withdraw the money tax free from the account upon your death is a plus. The withdrawals are tax free, just like for you.
So those are some of the pluses of the Roth IRA, and why we’re choosing to invest in those accounts first. Of course, we’re hoping to also invest in our company 401k after our max Roth contribution has been reached, as well as possibly some other taxable investments later on if we have a good year and can max out both the Roth and 401k (unlikely).
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Roth IRA Rules
If you’re looking to invest in a Roth IRA as well, here are some posts you might find helpful.
So are you investing in a Roth IRA? If so why? If not, why not? Tell us your thoughts on whether the Roth is the best place to start investing in the comments.
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Most of the time when you apply for a life insurance policy, you need to provide a urine sample as part of your medical examination.
This is one way the insurance company reviews your health along with also giving you a short physical, check your medical records, and drawing a blood sample.
There are a few important reasons why insurance companies perform a urinalysis as part of their application process.
Why Do Insurance Companies Use Urinalysis?
Insurance companies usually perform two main types of tests as part of a urinalysis. First, they do a chemical analysis of your urine. This is so they can check for nicotine or illegal drugs in an applicant’s system.
They also perform a microscopic review of your urine to check for a number of diseases and health conditions.
When you apply for a policy, the insurance company will send over a medical professional to give you a quick medical exam. You can usually pick where and when you want to meet.
Part of this exam will be to take a blood and urine sample. The medical professional will then take these samples back to a lab for the actual testing.
Urinalysis Medical Tests
A urinalysis can detect several health problems. First, the insurance company will check whether there is sugar in your urine. This is known as glycosuria and could be a sign of undetected diabetes.
The urinalysis will also review the proteins in your urine for signs of kidney disease. The urinalysis will also check whether red and/or white blood cells are showing up in your urine. Red blood cells could be a sign of a blood disorder or problems with one of your organs. White blood cells could be the sign of an infection.
Beyond these medical tests, the urinalysis also tries to detect traces of nicotine and illegal drugs as some applicants lie about their tobacco and drug use on their applications.
What Happens After the Urinalysis?
The whole medical review process, including the urinalysis, takes some time, usually a few weeks. The insurance company will use the results of the tests plus your medical records to come up with your insurance rating. This will determine whether you qualify for a policy and at what price.
Once the insurance company comes up with your rating, your insurance agent will reach out to you with the decision. If you don’t have any major health problems, you’ll likely qualify for a normal rating or may even get a discounted policy. If the urinalysis or other reviews showed some health problems, you may get a more expensive, rated policy or may be denied coverage.
In all cases, the insurance agent will tell you why the company made its decision so you’ll know if a health problem showed up. If you receive a policy offer, at this point you can decide whether or not you want to buy the coverage.
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Can I Avoid the Urinalysis?
While most insurance policies require a urinalysis, not all do. If you are buying a small insurance policy, usually one that is for less than $50,000, the insurance company might not require a urinalysis. They’ll make a decision based only on your medical records.
There are also no medical exam life insurance policies that offer coverage without any sort of testing. These policies are more expensive than regular life insurance because they take on all applicants.
There will also likely be restrictions on your coverage like your coverage only applies if you live at least two years after buying the policy. While no medical exam policies have their flaws, they are a good choice if you can’t qualify for anything else.
However, if you don’t have any serious medical problems, you are better off just applying for a regular policy and going through the urinalysis. It’s a quick test and will ensure that you get the best price for your life insurance.
Calculating your Life Insurance Needs
When you see an ad for life insurance most of them will show a random face value, could be $300K or $500K. It makes sense then that most people assume that is the amount to purchase. But what if your needs are greater? How do you really know that proper amount of insurance to buy? Below we’ll talk through some steps on how you should calculate the exact needs of your family should one of you pass away.
You first need to figure out your current debt situation. How much is left on your mortgage, car loan, and other large expenses that need to be paid off. Adding these up should give you a baseline of the minimum amount of face value to buy.
Once you’ve looked at the major debts you then need to think about the income that will need to be replaced. Because if the insured passes away then your family will be left without a major portion of monthly and yearly salary. So think about multiplying that number by a few years. It should be long enough where you feel comfortable that your survivors will be taken care of in the event of a death.
Aside from having the perfect kind of insurance, you need to guarantee that your family will have the money that they need. Don’t purchase too little and have your family struggle with loads of debt. Take care of the situation today and feel confident you’ve provided them some financial breathing room.
Getting Affordable Life Insurance Coverage
The urinalysis is only one part of the life insurance application. However we need to talk about the other components that add up and affect how much you could end up being quoted for coverage. These tips outline several simple changes that you can make to get that affordable premium.
The first thing that you can do is to start a healthy diet and get regular exercise. Both of these are going to help you get better rates from the medical exam, which is going to translate into lower premiums and more money in your pocket. Getting the recommended amount of exercise every week, and making healthier meal choices can help you shed the pounds needed to help cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease.
We truly believe that your top chance at find affordable coverage lies in finding a helpful, independent insurance advisor. These advisors can put together a list of insurers that are highly rated, and ones that look at your health situation favorably. They also can get you a quote that shows premiums for up to 10 companies at one time! It saves you energy and frustration to reach out to our employees and have them simplify your search. .
There are dozens of different kinds of plans to compare and thousands of companies to choose between, but our agents can help you find the best plan in a matter of minutes. Help secure a great future for your family by contacting us today. If you don’t start the process now, when will you? Your family is counting on you so it’s time to count on us.
Before making a commitment to their clients, life insurance companies require you to take a medical exam in order to find out the best policy for you.
To get the best possible coverage without having to pay a stiff price, you must have an idea how to pass the life insurance exams.
You have a few options when getting your medical exam but most opt for a paramedic exam to be performed at their home or place of employment.
Whichever the case may be, you should follow the proper steps on how to pass your life insurance exam as it could significantly change the cost, quality and coverage of your life insurance.
1) Know What To Expect
If you have relatives or friends who have been into medical exams from the same life insurance company, ask what tests were included. You may also get information from the insurance company by asking what you would need to bring and what you can and cannot do on the day prior to the exam.
If applying for a life insurance policy through us, here’s what you can expect. We will schedule a free medical exam (if required) at a convenient time and location for you. The qualified medical examiner will:
ask you medical questions;
measure your height, weight, blood pressure and pulse; and
collect blood and urine specimens.
2) Detoxify
Having a fiber-rich diet and taking a lot of fluids will really help in flushing out toxins from your body. Do not drink coffee, tea or soda as caffeine will make you look bad on the results. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Having high levels of nicotine or alcohol in your system will make them consider you a high-risk client and will certainly not help in getting the best insurance policy. If you have a pre-existing condition, reference our resource page on getting approved for high risk life insurance.
Warning: Do not smoke or chew tobacco a few days before the exam. I actually had a client that did this even though they aren’t typically a smoker and it more than doubled their rate. Life insurance rates for tobacco users is not cheap!
3) Watch Your Diet
Eat the right foods well ahead of schedule. Avoid eating foods that are abundant in salt, cholesterol, fats and sugar. Insurance companies will certainly be looking if you have kidney or heart problems, hypertension and diabetes. Showing health problems in any of these areas will have a major effect on the price of the insurance policy you will be getting.
4) Have Enough Rest
You should get enough sleep and avoid strenuous activities within 24 hours of the exam. Certain critical parameters could get affected by lack of rest, like high blood pressure. Although elevated readings maybe temporary, the effect on your insurance policy could be long-term.
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5) Avoid Pain Medications
Certain medications skew the results for tests aimed at evaluating the health of your liver. Under the guidance of a medical professional, avoid taking medications at the day of your life insurance medical exam. However, if you do take pain or other medications, inform the medical staff and insurance representative about the kinds you are taking. You may also have to provide the contact information of the doctors giving the prescription.
6) Fast
Stop eating 8-12 hours before the test. This will have the direct impact of lowering the amount of cholesterol and sugar in your bloodstream. For this reason, it is also best to take the medical exam for life insurance early in the morning, so you would not have to fast until lunchtime. Knowing how to pass life insurance exam will not only help you save and get the best insurance policy. If you have the willingness to apply the ways mentioned above for the long run, they will surely have a positive impact on your overall health and well-being; enabling you to enjoy life more.
Getting Better Results from the Medical Exam
Now that you understand how to pass your life insurance medical exam, you need to understand ways that you can get lower rates for your policy. The medical exam is the pivotal part of your premiums. If you have bad results on the exam, you’re going to receive expensive quotes.
To get started, it’s time to make some hard decisions. If your’e a smoke, the first thing to do is quit that bad habit. You can either continuing smoking or you can get cheap life insurance. You can’t do both.
After you’ve stopped those bad health habits, you need to get in shape. Losing weight will save you money. If you’ve been meaning to trim down your waist, it can also trim down your premiums.
No Medical Exam Life Insurance Policies
Now that you understand what’s going to happen during the medical exam and how to pass it, you may decide that you no longer want to go through the medical exam process. One option is to purchase a no medical exam policy.
Before you buy one of these plans, you need to weigh the pros and cons. In most cases, we think the cons outweigh the pros.
No exam life insurance is more expensive and you can’t get as much protection.
No exam means higher premiums and the insurance companies are going to cap your protection at around $300,000 worth of coverage.
Life Insurance and Medical Exams
There are a lot of people that are worried about the medical exam and everything that has along with that exam. If you’re applying for insurance, don’t worry about the exam. It’s easier than having to go to the doctor. The whole process will take less than an hour.
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When they’re finally ready to make the jump from renting to home ownership, most first time homebuyers enlist a real estate agent to help them through the process. No wonder: buying a home is complicated and when it’s your first time, you feel like you could use some hand-holding.
Real estate agents provide a valuable service and are generally well-paid as a result. There’s nothing wrong with that. But money does have a way of distorting relationships — even when honest people are involved.
Here are some tips that will help you, as a first time homebuyer, take full advantage of today’s real estate market and get the most out of your relationship with your real estate agent.
1. Your agent is your agent
When you’re new to the process, it is easy to believe that the guy with 20 years’ experience calls the shots. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Your real estate professional is your agent: he or she works for you, gives you advice and negotiates on your behalf. He doesn’t make decisions for you and you should not expect him to.
2. Only fools fall in love
After you’ve looked at a few houses that weren’t quite right, your agent will probably tell you not to get discouraged, and that eventually you will “fall in love” with the right property.
Love makes you do stupid things. Stupid things like paying too much or looking past costly repair items. As a first-time homebuyer, you should develop a healthy ‘like’ for a property, but keep the relationship open, see other houses. There will be plenty of time for “love” after you’ve put in the 300 hours of sweat equity to make your house a home.
3. Be willing to walk away
If you never fall in love with a piece of real estate, you’ll never cry when you have to walk away from it. Real estate agents often use the phrase “my client will walk away” and some use it quite loosely to stress the importance of a point for negotiation. If you want to retain the full strength of your position as a buyer, you’ll need “I’ll walk away” to mean that you are done if your demands aren’t met.
For your agent to communicate this correctly to the seller, he needs to know that you mean what you say. And yes, if it reaches that point, you will need to walk away from a property. Not to worry: there are others out there. But don’t be surprised if you hear back from the seller a week later that he is willing to work with your demands.
4. Time is on your side
Your agent is going to tell you that you have to move quickly and make the best offer possible when you find the right property. This is not always the best advice. As a first time homebuyer, you are in a unique position of strength in terms of the real estate transaction. You aren’t selling your home, so you don’t have to move. You can look at and make offers on many properties. You can start with a low offer and negotiate upwards if the seller balks. You can table a counter-offer and look around a bit before deciding to pay more. The opposite is generally true of sellers in a buyer’s market. They need to sell the property and are motivated to move as quickly as possible. Use time to your advantage.
5. Your agent is not your friend
Your agent performs valuable services in the real estate transaction, but he really doesn’t make anything until you buy a piece of real estate. That makes him a salesman. Being a salesman, he wants you to feel like he is a friend who has your best interests at heart.
The reality is that your interests and your agent’s may not be aligned. He is actually better off financially if you make a quick decision and pay too much for a property. This is, after all, likely the largest business transaction of your life. Make sure that your agent, regardless of how personable he is, understands that you are a customer and that you need him to drive the best business deal for you.
6. The listing agent just might be your best friend
In the New York Times best-selling book Freakanomics, authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner point out that real estate agents typically market their own homes for 10 days longer than they market their clients’ homes. Is this because they are so busy with their clients that they don’t have time to market their own homes?
No, it really comes down to how we incent real estate agents with commission. When an agent is selling his own home, he enjoys the full benefit of any increase in sales price so he is extremely motivated to market for as long as possible to get the best sales price possible. But when it comes to a client’s home, an extra week on the market might lead to a higher sales price for the seller — but the agent will only enjoy a very small amount of that increase in the form of marginal increase to commission. Meanwhile, marketing a home for another week would take him away from marketing someone else’s property. As such, the listing agent is highly motivated to convince the seller that your offer is the best offer he is going to receive. Use this to your advantage and make offers that are good for you.
7. There is no such thing as an embarrassingly low offer
When it comes to a property that has been sitting with no action, there is no such thing as an offer that is too low. Some agents will tell you that that you could offend the seller or that your offer is embarrassing. A good agent will encourage you to make strategically low offers. Offers are really not a lot of work and the worst thing that can happen is that your offer is not accepted. Often, however, in a buyer’s market a low offer will turn into a counter-offer. Think of the first offer as the starting point for negotiations and be prepared to consider counter-offers.
8. Online real estate companies can save you money
Over the past decade, online real estate companies have started to take market share away from traditional brick-and-mortar agencies. They’ve grown by offering discounts and rebates on the traditional 3% real estate commission. RedFin, one of the leading online real estate companies, offers buyers a rebate of up to 50% of the commission at close. RedFin also compensates their agents with salary as opposed to commission, which alleviates some conflict of interest issues. Granted, the service may not be as extensive or personalized — but the extra cash may offset the drawbacks.
8 Home Buying Secrets Your Real Estate Agent Won’t Tell You was provided by CreditSesame.com
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Executives from two major AI companies asked senators on Tuesday to pass regulations for the ground-breaking but nascent technology as rapid innovation raises ethical, legal and national security questions.
Speaking to a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised the potential of the new technology, which he said could solve humanity’s biggest problems. But he also warned that artificial intelligence is powerful enough to change society in unpredictable ways, and “regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigate the risks.”
“My worst fear is that we, the technology industry, cause significant harm to the world,” Altman said. “If this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong.”
Read more: How advisers can embrace AI tools without sacrificing human connection
IBM’s chief privacy and trust officer Christina Montgomery focused on a risk-based approach and called for “precision regulation” on how AI tools are used, rather than how they’re developed.
It’s unclear whether Congress is up to the task. Political gridlock and heavy lobbying from big technology firms have complicated efforts in Washington to set basic guardrails for challenges including data security and child protections for social media. And as senators pointed out in their questions, the deliberative process of Congress often lags far behind the pace of new tech advancements.
Demonstrating AI’s power to deceive, Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat who chairs the panel, played an AI-written and produced recording that sounded exactly like him during his opening statement. While he urged AI innovators to work with regulators on new restrictions, he recognized that Congress hasn’t passed adequate protections for existing technology.
“Congress has a choice now. We had the same choice when we faced social media,” Blumenthal said. “Congress failed to meet the moment on social media. Now we have the obligation to do it on AI before the threats and the risks become real.”
Read more: Is your manager trying to replace you with AI?
As Tuesday’s hearing got underway, senators questioned the potential for dangerous disinformation and the biases inherent in models trained on internet content. They raised the risks that AI-fabricated content poses for the democratic process, while also fretting that global adversaries like China could surpass US capabilities.
Blumenthal asked about “hallucinations” when AI technology gets information wrong. Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn asked about protections for singers and songwriters in her home state, drawing a pledge from Altman to work with artists on rights and compensation.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, asked whether AI will serve to be as transformative as the printing press, disseminating knowledge more widely, or as destructive as the atomic bomb.
“To a certain extent, it’s up to us here and to us as the American people to write the answer,” Hawley said. “What kind of technology will this be? How will we use it to better our lives?”
Much of the initial discussion focused on generative AI, which can produce images, audio and text that seems human-crafted. OpenAI has driven many of these developments by introducing products like ChatGPT, which can converse or produce human-like, but not always accurate, blocks of text, as well as DALL-E, which can produce fantastical or eerily realistic images from simple text prompts.
But there are boundless other ways that machine learning is being deployed across the modern economy. Recommendation algorithms on social media rely on AI, as do programs that analyze large data sets or weather patterns.
Read more: No more ChatGPT? Here’s what the ‘pause’ on generative AI means for the workplace
Required Registration
The Biden administration has put forth several non-binding guidelines for artificial intelligence. The National Institute of Standards and Technology in January released a voluntary risk management framework to manage the most high-stakes applications of AI. The White House earlier this year published an “AI Bill of Rights” to help consumers navigate the new technology.
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan pledged to use existing law to guard against abuses enabled by AI technology. The Department of Homeland Security last month created a task force to study how AI can be used to secure supply chains and combat drug trafficking.
In Tuesday’s hearing, Altman focused his initial policy recommendations on required registration for AI models of a certain sophistication. He said companies should be required to get a license to operate and conduct a series of tests before releasing new AI models.
Montgomery said policymakers should require AI products to be transparent about when users are interacting with a machine. She also touted IBM’s AI ethics board, which provides internal guardrails that Congress has yet to set.
“It’s often said that innovation moves too fast for government to keep up,” Montgomery said. “But while AI may be having its moment, the moment for government to play its proper role has not passed us by.”
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You’ve got someone moving into one of your spare bedrooms. You’re hiring a new housekeeper or nanny. You’re renting out your house. You’re dating someone and you’re curious about his or her debt and credit management skills. Or, maybe your spouse passed away and you need to see what’s on their credit report. There are many reasons why you’d be curious to see what’s on someone else’s credit reports that have nothing to do with lending them money.
Permissible Purpose
There are dozens of websites where you can buy or claim YOUR credit reports but getting someone else’s credit report isn’t quite as easy. The only way you can legally pull someone else’s credit report is if you have what’s referred to as Permissible Purpose. Permissible Purpose is a term straight from the Fair Credit Reporting Act and it defines the conditions under which a credit reporting agency may furnish a credit report. And, as you’ve probably already figured out, getting your girlfriend’s credit report simply because she’s your new girlfriend isn’t on the list.
There is, however, more than one way to skin a cat and if you’re diligent and creative then getting your hands on someone else’s credit report might not be impossible. You can certainly ask that your prospective tenant provide you with a credit report, which they can get at any number of websites. Yu can also buy their credit report from one of the many tenant screening companies but you will need to have their permission and cooperation.
Proxy Ordering
You can also proxy order their credit report from any of the credit bureau’s websites. Proxy ordering is when you are entering the other consumer’s personal information as if you were them. You’re still going to need their permission and cooperation because you’ll have to “authenticate” their identity, which means they’ll have to answer a few questions that only they know the answers to. These questions come directly from their credit report, so it’ll be something along the lines of “Your credit report shows a mortgage loan opened in 2004, who is the lender?” I’ve done this before and it’s very efficient, as long as you’ve got a cooperative consumer.
Deceased Spouse
If you need a credit report of a deceased spouse, then you’re going to have to go directly to the credit bureaus to get it. According to Rod Griffin, Director of Public Education at Experian, “You can request a copy of your deceased spouse’s credit history by mailing a letter stating you are the deceased’s spouse and that you are requesting a copy of his or her credit report.” You will need to provide the following documentation:
For the deceased: – Name (First, Middle, Last, Generation (Jr., Sr.)) – Mailing address at time of death – Social Security number – Date of birth – Previous addresses for the prior two years – Copy of the death certificate
For the living spouse: – Your name (First, Middle, Last, Generation (Jr., Sr.)) – Address the report should be mailed to – Copy of documentation verifying you are the spouse If you are not the spouse but are the executor of the estate you will need to send a copy of legal documentation naming you as the executor (signed and sealed from the court).
Mail your request to: Experian PO Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013
Clearly, this is going to be much less prevalent than requesting a credit report for a living spouse or a roommate, but I did get several questions this past year from consumers wanting to know how to get their deceased spouse’s credit reports. But, it wasn’t nearly as common as people wanting help getting their boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé’s credit reports. That took the cake… by a long shot.
John Ulzheimer is the President of Consumer Education at SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for Mint.com, and a contributor for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. He is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. The opinions expressed in his articles are his and not of Mint.com or Intuit. Follow John on Twitter
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The unemployment benefits system is a lifeline for those who have lost jobs through no fault of their own and need help before they can find another position.
This federal unemployment program is administered by the states, and the rules differ, depending on where you live. However, there are some basic guidelines for how to file for unemployment no matter what state you’re in.
Here’s what you need to know about filing for unemployment.
What Is Unemployment?
Unemployment insurance is meant to assist a specific group of people that lost their jobs by temporarily replacing a portion of their wages. You must meet specific eligibility requirements to collect unemployment. Collecting unemployment benefits could help you survive a layoff.
While unemployment requirements vary by state, generally, you need to have lost your job through no fault of your own and worked a certain amount of time or earned a specific amount of income. Some states have additional requirements. Be sure to check with your state’s unemployment office.
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Filing for Unemployment
The first question to ask is if you’re eligible for benefits in the first place.
Typically, to be eligible for unemployment you need to have worked a salaried job for an employer. Employers pay federal unemployment tax to fund the unemployment account of the federal government. Businesses also may have to pay state unemployment taxes.
By working a set amount of time — it varies from state to state — for an employer that pays that tax, you become eligible to receive unemployment benefits.
The first part of eligibility relates to how you work. The second part relates to how you stop working.
Unemployment is designed to assist those who are no longer working “through no fault of (their) own,” according to the Department of Labor. While each state’s exact rules are different, the general guideline is that you are only eligible for unemployment if you’ve lost your job for economic reasons on the part of your employer as opposed to having been terminated for cause or having left voluntarily.
If you meet the two conditions, you can usually then apply for unemployment benefits from your state. You can use these funds to pay your bills during a job loss.
There are some basic commonalities among the states: You will need to provide your address, phone number, address of your former employer, Social Security number, and the dates that you were employed by your former employer.
How Much Will You Receive?
It varies by state, but the average maximum benefit amount in the third quarter of 2022 was $392 a week, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Your unemployment benefit is based on your former wages, with higher-wage workers typically getting more benefits, up to a cap.
The amount you get varies by state and it ranges widely. Having an emergency fund can help tide you over until you find a new job.
This is also a good time to create a budget so that you can carefully track your spending and savings.
Which Kind of Benefits Are You Eligible For?
If you receive a Form W-2 and lose your job through a layoff, you will typically be eligible for unemployment Insurance.
If you’re self-employed or an independent contractor, you generally can’t receive unemployment because you haven’t paid into the unemployment fund. However, it may depend on the specific law in your state. Check with your state’s unemployment office to find out if you may be covered.
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When to Apply
Apply as soon as possible. It can take weeks for claims to be approved, so apply right after you lose your job, if possible. You can apply through your state’s unemployment office.
How to Apply
This varies state by state, and you should check on your state’s procedures. You can typically apply online or over the phone.
How Long Does It Take to Receive Benefits?
The Department of Labor says it typically takes “two to three weeks” to receive benefits, but it can take longer.
You will receive benefits for the full amount of time from when you successfully applied (in some states there’s a one-week waiting period), not just from when you started receiving benefits.
How Will You Receive Benefits?
Once again, there are variations among states about the form in which your unemployment benefits are received.
Some states offer direct deposit, meaning you can receive your unemployment benefits as you would your paycheck, directly into your bank account.
Others disburse benefits through a debit card mailed by the state.
One benefit of using a debit card is that an unemployment recipient does not need a bank account in order to access benefits. While this is convenient for those without bank accounts, there are some downsides, like limits on ATMs that can be used without fees, and the general limitation on which merchants accept debit cards.
Using a debit card also puts you at the mercy of the mail before you can start using benefits. If you were getting paid from your job via direct deposit, you will likely receive your benefits faster.
You may want to consider opening a bank account, if you don’t have one, to get your unemployment faster and easier via direct deposit.
How Can You Remain Eligible for Benefits?
Again, this varies by state, but generally you need to have a record of seeking work to remain eligible for unemployment benefits. States may have some kind of form or portal that you’re required to fill out or log into to show that you are looking for work.
Recommended: How to Handle Student Loans During a Job Loss
How Long Do Benefits Last?
Unemployment benefits last 26 weeks in most states. However, several states provide fewer weeks of benefits, and two states (Massachusetts and Montana) currently offer a bit more.
The Takeaway
If you lose your job through no fault of your own, unemployment insurance can cover some of your lost wages as long as you meet the eligibility requirements. File for unemployment with your state unemployment office as soon as you can, since it can take several weeks to receive benefits.
You may obtain your benefits faster through direct deposit. With a SoFi Checking and Savings account, your unemployment funds can be deposited directly into your account. You’ll also earn a competitive APY, which can help your money grow, and you’ll pay no account fees. Nor is there a minimum balance to meet.
Open a new account today with SoFi Checking and Savings.
The SoFi Bank Debit Mastercard® is issued by SoFi Bank, N.A., pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated and can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
SoFi members with direct deposit can earn up to 4.20% annual percentage yield (APY) interest on Savings account balances (including Vaults) and up to 1.20% APY on Checking account balances. There is no minimum direct deposit amount required to qualify for these rates. Members without direct deposit will earn 1.20% APY on all account balances in Checking and Savings (including Vaults). Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 4/25/2023. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances. Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners. SOBK0523016U
SoFi is a nationally chartered, online-only bank that offers customers a high 4.20% on savings, an interest-earning checking account, and a host of other benefits for being a member. The bank currently has more than 5.5 million customers, which it calls members, and has an extensive rewards system in place to help your money go further and grow faster.
Find out why SoFi is a top-rated bank, as well as one of the fastest growing financial technology companies offering loans, an investment platform, and a rewards credit card.
SoFi at a Glance
SoFi became a nationally chartered online bank in early 2022, following the fintech’s acquisition of Golden Pacific Bancorp. SoFi started as a company that provided student loan refinancing, and evolved to provide personal loans and other services.
Its status as a national bank enables the fintech to help even more people. “This incredible milestone elevates our ability to help even more people get their money right and realize their ambitions,” said SoFi CEO Anthony Noto in a press release following the acquisition.
SoFi Products
Today, the online bank offers a variety of products to help American consumers meet their financial goals. The parent company, SoFi Technologies, is the parent company of SoFi Bank, Member FDIC. Products and services include:
SoFi checking and savings
SoFi personal loans
Credit card
Student loans and student loan refinancing
Mortgages
Investment and Retirement Products
Find out how these products compare to competitors in the industry in our SoFi reviews below.
SoFi Checking and Savings Account
SoFi offers a combined checking and savings account to customers. You cannot open one without the other, but this provides tremendous benefits and an incentive to save. Currently, when you open a SoFi checking and savings account, you can earn up to $250 when you set up direct deposit within the first month.
That’s in addition to all the other perks, including an account with no monthly maintenance fees, no overdraft fees (for qualifying customers), and no minimum balance requirement. Plus, deposits are FDIC-insured up to $2 million through SoFi’s network of partner banks, which exceeds the federal limit of $250,000 per account holder, per account type.
SoFi Checking
Your SoFi checking account comes with a cash back debit card that pays up to 15% cash back on debit card purchases when you shop at local businesses. Your SoFi debit card also offers fee-free access to more than 55,000 AllPoint ATMs for cash withdrawals, cash deposits, and balance transfers. You can also check account balances at any ATM with no fees.
Your SoFi checking account also has many other benefits you may not find in a traditional bank account. You can get paid two days early with early direct deposit. Plus, your SoFi checking account earns interest at a rate of 1.20% APY.
If you enable overdraft protection, SoFi will pull from your savings account to cover checks, debit card purchases, and ACH withdrawals, including online bill payments, loans, and P2P payments. It will not pull from savings you have designated in vaults for specific purposes.
SoFi Savings Account
Your SoFi checking account offers a 4.20% APY, which is one of the highest available for online savings accounts. Be aware that to earn this high rate, you’ll need a qualifying direct deposit of any amount each month. Otherwise, you’ll earn 1.20% on all account balances.
The savings account also helps with cash management by offering automatic savings features and savings vaults. You can designate a specific amount of each ACH direct deposit or cash deposit to go directly into your SoFi savings account or into a specific savings vault. Unlike many traditional banks, there is no limit on savings withdrawals or transfers.
SoFi Pros and Cons
Your SoFi bank account has a number of desirable features that make it one of the best online savings and checking accounts for many people.
Pros
High 4.20% APY on savings
1.20% APY on checking account balances
Early direct deposit
No ATM fees
No bank fees
Overdraft protection for qualifying customers
Cons
No CDs
No money market accounts
No branches for in-person service
SoFi Membership Features and Additional Perks
SoFi members who open a fee-free combined checking and savings account also qualify for other benefits. There is no minimum opening balance or minimum balance requirements to be considered a SoFi member.
Some of the membership benefits include:
15% off estate planning
Free access to career coaching
Free financial planning services
Member events that can help with money management
SoFi Member Rewards
A few of the SoFi member benefits stand out, including the SoFi Member Rewards program. To join, download the SoFi app. You will earn points when you take actions like:
Using your debit card
Checking your credit store
Saving money
Investing
As you earn points, you can convert those points to cash deposited into your SoFi bank account. You can then redeem points to help may loan payments, convert points into fractional stock shares through SoFi Active Invest, or even cash in points for a statement credit.
SoFi Referral Program
SoFi’s Rewards don’t stop with actions you take within your account. If you share SoFi with friends using your unique link, you’ll earn additional points you can cash in.
Currently, SoFi offers 2,000 rewards points for every person you refer who opens a SoFi checking and savings account with at least $10. You will also earn 2,000 points for friends who open a credit card, SoFi Credit Score Monitoring Account, or fund a Lending Product within 90 days of registering for SoFi using your link. Your friend will also earn 2,000 points.
Note that you can only earn points for one account per friend, so your friend may open a bank account and a credit card, but you will each only earn 2,000 points.
SoFi Stadium Perks
You might not think of SoFi as a travel or entertainment rewards card, but SoFi’s Stadium Perks program does provide unique benefits for Los Angeles residents and tourists. SoFi members earn 25% cash back on purchases at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, when you use your debit or credit card.
Plus, gain access to the exclusive SoFi Member Lounge and fast and easy entry to the stadium through the SoFi Member Express Entry line. If you need to check your bag, SoFi will reimburse the fees to your checking account or credit card.
SoFi Plus: Premium Membership
SoFi Premium members earn even more perks. Unlike many premier programs, SoFi Plus does not require an additional monthly purchase or subscription fee. To qualify, just set up direct deposit with your checking and savings account. When your first direct deposit clears, you’ll gain access to all the premium benefits.
Qualifying direct deposits for SoFi Plus must reach $1,000 per month or more to gain access to all the features of SoFi Plus. This includes no-fee overdraft coverage and rate discounts on SoFi loans. Other features, including the 4.20% APY, 2X rewards points, and preferred access to IPOs through SoFi Invest, apply to all SoFi Plus members.
How to Open a SoFi Account
Opening an account online is easy. You’ll need to provide some information, including your address and Social Security number. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to qualify.
There is no minimum opening deposit, but you’ll want to fund your account to take advantage of high interest rates and access all the benefits. You can deposit cash or checks to fund your account for the first time through:
ACH direct deposit
Mobile check deposit
a GreenDot debit card
Instant Funding
To take advantage of Instant Funding, link your existing Visa or Mastercard debit card to your SoFi account. Click “Transfer Instantly” and you can transfer up to $500 into your account in minutes. To use this method, you must be a new SoFi customer and deposit a minimum of $50.
SoFi Credit Card
The SoFi credit card lets you maximize the points you can earn. The card delivers 2% cash back rewards on every purchase and has no annual fees. To qualify, you’ll need a “good” or “excellent” credit score.
The card has a standard variable Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of between 17.74% up to 29.74% based on your credit score and financial history. Cash advances carry an APR of 31.74%.
The card carries fees comparable to other top-tier rewards cards, including a late payment/returned payment fee of up to $39, and balance transfer or cash advance fees of $10 or 5% of the transaction amount, whichever is greater.
You can redeem your cash back as a statement credit, cash back into your checking or savings account, or as a deposit for investing through SoFi Invest.
SoFi Investing
SoFi is not just an online bank, but a full-fledged financial services firm that includes planning, management, and investing. The online stock trading app provides automated investing or hands-on options. You can trade:
Stocks
ETFs
Fractional stocks
Crypto
IPOs (for qualified SoFi Plus members only)
SoFi Investing at a Glance
SoFi offers active investing for stocks, ETFs and even IPOs. You can start investing in some of the highest market cap companies on the S&P 500 and other stock indexes with as a little as $5. SoFi does not charge commissions on trades. When you open an Active Investing account with at least $10, you could win a bonus of stocks valued at up to $1,000 by playing the “Claw Game” promotion.
If you prefer not to engage in active investing, you can set up an automated investing account with as little as $1. Invest a set amount one time or set up automated recurring payments to watch your investments grow.
You will need to answer some questions so that SoFi can determine your risk tolerance and choose the right portfolio for you. SoFi automatically rebalances your investments quarterly and keeps your portfolio diversified based on your goals and risk tolerance.
SoFi also gives investors access to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, Dogecoin, Solana, and 25 other popular cryptocurrencies. When you make your first crypto trade with a $10 minimum, you will earn a $100 bonus in Bitcoin within seven days. SoFi charges a mark-up of 1.25% on all crypto transactions.
SoFi Retirement Accounts
In addition to active and passive investment services through stocks, bonds, and ETFs, SoFi’s investments include Roth, SEP, and Traditional IRAs for retirement. You can choose active or automated investing. SoFi financial planners can help you create a retirement strategy that will work for you.
SoFi Investing Pros and Cons
As with all investment platforms, SoFi: Invest has many benefits and a few drawbacks.
SoFi Invest Pros
Active or automated investing
Investments in crypto, stocks, ETFs
Fractional shares permitted
Options investing
Intuitive app
SoFi Invest Cons
Options investing may require advanced knowledge
Not every investment will earn money
Odds of winning a $1,000 stock bonus are slim
SoFi Student Loans
Unlike many online banks, SoFi offers student loan refinancing with fixed interest rates as low as 4.99%. To qualify for the lowest interest rate, you will need to set up autopay for your loan payments.
SoFi can help you pay down your student loans faster with fixed APRs of 4.99% up to 9.99% or variable APRs of 5.74% to 9.99% APR. You may qualify for a SoFi student loan if you are gainfully employed, starting a job within 90 days of your loan application, or have sufficient income from various sources. You should also show a solid financial history and monthly cash flow indicating you can make the SoFi loan payments.
SoFi Mortgages
SoFi offers a broad range of mortgage products, including:
Conventional mortgages
Jumbo loans
Home equity loans
Cash-out refis
Short-term bridge financing for investment properties
With interest rates rising, SoFi’s “Lock and Look” feature lets you lock in today’s rates for up to 90 days while you shop for your dream home. Checking for your rate won’t affect your credit score.
First-time homebuyer loans may require as little as 3% down, while other home mortgages require just 5% down. Mortgages with a loan-to-value ratio greater than 80% will require private mortgage insurance.
SoFi offers conventional, fixed-rate mortgages with terms ranging from 10 to 30 years. If you take out a 30-year mortgage, you may qualify for a 0.25% pricing special or interest rate discount. To qualify for the lowest rates, you’ll want to have a strong credit history, an excellent credit score, and a low debt to income ratio.
SoFi Personal Loans at a Glance
SoFi may offer one of the top-rated online checking accounts today. But SoFi was founded as an online loan company in 2011, providing personal loans with no fees and loan amounts from $5,000 to $100,000. You can check your rates quickly with no impact to your credit score.
SoFi Personal Loans Review: Members-only Perks and Competitive Rates
A SoFi personal loan offers low fixed rates based on your credit history. Repayment terms range from two to seven years, while loan amounts run from $5,000 up to $100,000. SoFi borrowers pay no origination fee. You won’t suffer a prepayment penalty if you want to pay off your loan early. You can receive loan funds as quickly as the same day you apply.
SoFi personal loan interest rates range start at 8.99% according to the SoFi website. Secure the lowest rates with automatic payments directly from your SoFi account. SoFi Plus borrowers with qualifying monthly direct deposits may receive a rate discount as well. The higher your credit score, the lower your interest rate.
SoFi offers unemployment protection for borrowers, which can help with cash flow if you lose your job. You can modify your SoFi personal loan payments while you look for a new job. SoFi’s career coaching can even help you find new work.
Best for Fee-Free Debt Consolidation Loans
As one of the top online lenders today, SoFi can help you save money by consolidating high interest credit card debt into one, low, monthly loan payment. SoFi personal loans have no origination fee. Credit card consolidation can help you get out of debt faster and make it easier to pay your bills with one monthly payment directly from your account.
If you are planning to consolidate credit card debt through a SoFi personal loan, you can choose Direct Pay. Loan proceeds will go to your credit card companies directly, saving you time and hassle. You’ll also earn an interest rate discount with Direct Pay, making SoFi a great choice for credit card debit consolidation.
SoFi Personal Loans: Pros and Cons
SoFi personal loans have a number of benefits compared to other online lenders. Let’s look at the pros and cons of your SoFi personal loan.
Pros
No origination fees
Unemployment protection
Receive funds the same day you are approved
No prepayment fees
Loan amounts up to $100,000
Cons
Must be a U.S. citizen-permanent resident
Risk of charging up credit cards again after debt consolidation loan
Excellent credit scores required to qualify for the lowest rates
Hard credit pull to obtain a loan may reduce your credit score temporarily
What You Can Use SoFi Loans For
You can use SoFi loan money for virtually anything, including home improvements, credit card debt consolidation, family planning and IVF, or even luxuries like weddings and travel. With competitive rates, easy automatic payments, and unemployment protection, a SoFi personal loan might make sense to pay for one-time events where you might normally use a credit card.
How to Apply for a SoFi Personal Loan
Applying for a personal loan is easy. You may want to check your credit report first to ensure that all the information is accurate. A solid financial history can help you secure the best loan rates and highest loan amounts.
You will first want to open your SoFi bank account and set up direct deposit as well. SoFi Plus members can get interest rate discounts and even earn reward points for their loan. Once you are ready, visit SoFi.com, select personal loans from the drop-down menu of products, and click “View your rate.”
You’ll need to submit some information, including your name, address, Social Security number, loan amount, and income.
Bottom Line
SoFi Money encompasses all the banking, lending and investing services SoFi bank offers. SoFi ranks as one of the top online financial service companies, with excellent customer service and a wide range of products.
You can reach SoFi customer service via email, using the online virtual assistant chatbot, or by phone. Hours vary depending on the service you need. A wide range of financial products, low rates, and FDIC insurance up to $2 million for deposits set SoFi apart from competitors.
By Peter Anderson8 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited April 20, 2017.
A couple of weeks ago I did a review of Betterment, a cool new super-simple investing platform that I had discovered. I have since signed up for an account, and am now investing a portion of my money with them. What I like about them is that they keep everything extremely simple for newer investors or average Joes, giving just a few options to choose from when investing. You just choose your stock/bond allocation, link your account, and start investing. You can even make it automatic every month – and they’ll re-balance your portfolio on a regular basis. Simple, and very accessible to new investors.
It seems like a lot of companies are realizing that new investors want to be able to invest, but sometimes they’re just intimidated by the number of options available to them when they sign up for a brokerage account, and they want things simplified. Because of that there has been a trend towards simplifying the process for people through sites like Betterment, and now through one of my favorite banks and brokers – ING Direct.
This week ING Direct announced that they would be renamed from ING Sharebuilder to ING Direct Investing. While the name change isn’t that big of a deal, there are also some significant changes in the works for their site as well that aim to make the site even simpler and less time consuming for self directed investors.
ING Direct ShareBuilder Renamed To ING Direct Investing
So first things first – ING Direct ShareBuilder is being re-branded as ING Direct Investing, Inc. Why the change? I reached out to Jeff at Sharebuilder:
Over the past ten years, ING DIRECT has become synonymous with simplifying savings. The thought behind ShareBuilder’s new site was to make investing as simple as possible, without all the unnecessary information that you’ll find elsewhere. The name change (ShareBuilder will always be ShareBuilder, now it’s just located under the ING DIRECT Investing umbrella) is just one aspect of trying to bring our customers a simplified investing platform.
So basically they wanted everything to start out fresh with their new website and platform that they’re launching this month. Start everything off with a clean slate. The new name is certainly direct and to the point. ING Direct Investing. Who they are and what they do right in the title. Simple.
ShareBuilder Background
From Wikipedia:
ShareBuilder Corporation, is a United States based online stock brokerage firm founded in 1996 (as NetStock Direct). It encourages recurring, automatic purchases of shares of stock, ING Mutual Funds (Class O) and exchange-traded funds. All transactions occur online and are entirely at the discretion of the account holder, thus it is an execution-only service. The company does not have brokerage sales representatives or advisors.
Account holders can use ShareBuilder’s online research tools to investigate stocks, similar to other online brokerages such as Scottrade, TD Ameritrade and Fidelity. In 2005, ShareBuilder began offering 401(k) plans to small businesses. On November 19, 2007, ShareBuilder Corporation was purchased by ING Direct, a subsidiary of ING Group for USD 220 million. In June of 2009, ShareBuilder moved its headquarters from Bellevue, Washington to 83 King Street, in the Pioneer Square district of Seattle, Washington.
ING Direct New Website And Tools
So why did they decide to simplify the website, and hopefully make it more accessible? Their press release says it loud and clear – they’ve been doing market research and found that people found doing research and investing was too complicated and confusing.
A new online survey among 1,009 investors conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of ING DIRECT Investing shows that information overload is not helping investors make better financial decisions. More than four in ten investors (44 percent) say the amount of research available to consult — graphs, charts, financial news, social media — is “complicated,” “confusing” or “overwhelming,” according to the survey. Just 18 percent of investors say the available information is easy to understand.
“Brokerages have created a perception that investing in the stock market is complicated and incredibly onerous,” said Arkadi Kuhlmann, President and CEO of ING DIRECT. “We’re challenging these notions and offering an alternative approach that won’t force investors to be a slave to their portfolio. ING DIRECT Investing solves the issue of complexity and confusion by eliminating unnecessary bells and whistles and investing jargon.”
So 44 percent of investors find the amount of research available overwhelming and hard to understand. It’s no wonder they decided to take some steps towards simplifying.
So What Has Changed At ING Direct Investing?
So there’s a lot of talk of simplifying and making it easier to investors to invest – and not get bogged down in un-necessary details. So what specifically is changing?
Simpler, wider design: They’ve taken the site’s design and made it wider, removed un-necessary components and cut out un-needed and technical investing jargon.
More focused research: Less of the information you probably don’t need, and more focused research from Standard & Poor’s, TheStreet.com and Sabrient.
Important information where you need it: A new floating quote toolbar lets investors see important information from their account at a glance. Searches are also tailored towards users historic interests.
Portfolio management tools improvements: Their new tools will allow investors to see investments by sector, region, assets and market cap as well as by performance ratios, returns, historical pricing and more.
Better integration with ING Direct Bank accounts: You can now automatically connect your ING Direct Savings or ING Direct Checking account directly to ING Direct Investing – and set up automatic investing.
ShareBuilder Fees, Commissions And Minimums
For the most part ING Direct’s fees, commissions and minimums remain the same.
Stock Trades Cost
$9.95 stock trades
Automatic investment trades for only $4
Options Trades Cost
$9.95 per online trade, + $1.25 per contract
$7.95 per online trade, + $0.75 per contract if you’re on the advantage plan
Fees And Minimums For An Account
ING Direct Investing currently has no account maintenance fees, monthly minimums or inactivity fees. All prices are charged on a flat rate, and what you see is what you pay.
Conclusion
Personally I think that the trend towards simplified investing is a good thing as it makes investing accessible to a whole lot more people than it has been in the past – simply because they were scared off by the complexity of things. Whether ING’s changes will actually result in making it easier remains to be seen. To check it out for yourself, sign up for a free account through the link below.
Sign Up For The New Simpler ING Direct Investing
Tell us what you think of the new ING Direct Investing name, along with their redesigned site in the comments!
This post may contain affiliate links, which helps us to continue providing relevant content and we receive a small commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the full disclosure here.
52k salary is a solid hourly wage when you think about it.
When you get your first job and you are making just above minimum wage making over $52,000 a year seems like it would provide amazing opportunities for you. Right?
The median household income is $68,703 in 2019 and increased by 6.8% from the previous year (source). Think of it as a bell curve with $68K at the top; the median means half of the population makes less than that and half makes more money.
The average income in the U.S. is $48,672 for a 40-hour workweek; that is an increase of 4% from the previous year (source). That means if you take everyone’s income and divided the money out evenly between all of the people.
But, the question remains can you truly live off 52,000 per year in today’s society since it is barely above the average income and yet still below household incomes. The question you want to ask all of your friends is $52000 per year a good salary.
In this post, we are going to dive into everything that you need to know about a $52000 salary including hourly pay and a sample budget on how to spend and save your money.
These key facts will help you with money management and learn how much per hour $52k is as well as what you make per month, weekly, and biweekly.
Just like with any paycheck, it seems like money quickly goes out of your account to cover all of your bills and expenses, and you are left with a very small amount remaining. You may be disappointed that you were not able to reach your financial goals and you are left wondering…
Can I make a living on this salary?
$52000 a year is How Much an Hour?
When jumping from an hourly job to a salary for the first time, it is helpful to know how much is 52k a year hourly. That way you can decide whether or not the job is worthwhile for you.
For our calculations to figure out how much is 52K salary hourly, we used the average five working days of 40 hours a week.
52000 salary / 2080 hours = $25.00 per hour
$52000 a year is $25.00 per hour
Let’s breakdown how that 52000 salary to hourly number is calculated.
Typically, the average workweek is 40 hours and you can work 52 weeks a year. Take 40 hours times 52 weeks and that equals 2,080 working hours. Then, divide the yearly salary of $52000 by 2,080 working hours and the result is $25.00 per hour.
Exactly $25 an hour.
That number is the gross hourly income before taxes, insurance, 401K, or anything else is taken out. Net income is how much you deposit into your bank account.
You must check with your employer on how they plan to pay you. For those on salary, typically companies pay on a monthly, semi-monthly, biweekly, or weekly basis.
What If I Increased My Salary?
Just an interesting note… if you were to increase your annual salary by $3K, it would increase your hourly wage to over $26 an hour – a difference of $1.44 per hour.
To break it down – 55k a year is how much an hour = $26.44
That difference will help you fund your savings account; just remember every dollar adds up.
How Much is $52K salary Per Month?
On average, the monthly amount would be $4,333.
Annual Salary of $52,000 ÷ 12 months = $4333.33 per month
This is how much you make a month if you get paid 52000 a year.
$52k a year is how much a week?
This is a great number to know! How much do I make each week? When I roll out of bed and do my job of $52k salary a year, how much can I expect to make at the end of the week for my effort?
Once again, the assumption is 40 hours worked.
Annual Salary of$52000/52 weeks = $1000 per week.
$52000 a year is how much biweekly?
For this calculation, take the average weekly pay of $1000 and double it.
This depends on how many hours you work in a day. For this example, we are going to use an eight-hour workday.
8 hours x 52 weeks = 260 working days
Annual Salary of$52000 / 260 working days = $200 per day
If you work a 10 hour day on 208 days throughout the year, you make $250 per day.
$52000 Salary is…
$52000 – Full Time
Total Income
Yearly Salary (52 weeks)
$52,000
Monthly Wage
$4333
Weekly Salary(40 Hours)
$1000
Bi-Weekly Wage (80 Hours)
$2000
Daily Wage (8 Hours)
$200
Daily Wage (10 Hours)
$250
Hourly Wage
$25.00
Net Estimated Monthly Income
$3308.50
Net Estimated Hourly Income
$19.09
**These are assumptions based on simple scenarios.
52k a year is how much an hour after taxes
Income taxes is one of the biggest culprits of reducing your take-home pay as well as FICA and Social Security. This is a true fact across the board with an all salary range up to $142,800.
When you make below the average household income, the amount of taxes taken out hurts your hourly wage.
Every single tax situation is different.
On the basic level, let’s assume a 12% federal tax rate and a 4% state rate. Plus a percentage is taken out for Social Security and Medicare (FICA) of 7.65%.
So, how much an hour is 52000 a year after taxes?
Gross Annual Salary: $52,000
Federal Taxes of 12%: $6,240
State Taxes of 4%: $2,080
Social Security and Medicare of 7.65%: $3,978
$52k Per Year After Taxes is $39702
This would be your net annual salary after taxes.
To turn that back into an hourly wage, the assumption is working 2,080 hours.
$39702 ÷ 2,080 hours = $19.09 per hour
After estimated taxes and FICA, you are netting $39,702 per year, which is $12,298 per year less than what you expect.
***This is a very high-level example and can vary greatly depending on your personal situation and potential deductions. Therefore, here is a great tool to help you figure out how much your net paycheck would be.***
Taxes Based on Your State
In addition, if you live in a heavily taxed state like California or New York, then you have to pay way more money than somebody that lives in a no tax state like Texas or Florida. This is the debate of HCOL vs LCOL.
Thus, your yearly gross $52000 income can range from $35,542 to $41,782 depending on your state income taxes.
That is why it is important to realize the impact income taxes can have on your take home pay. It is one of those things that you should acknowledge and obviously you need to pay taxes. But, it can also put a huge dent in your ability to live the lifestyle you want on a $52,000 income.
My 52k Salary Hourly Calculator
More than likely, your salary is not a flat 52k, here is a tool to convert salary to hourly calculator.
Many of the starting freight broker salaries are in this range (and before commission)!
Many teachers are hovering in this range, which may make you wonder do teachers get paid in the summer?
52k salary lifestyle
Every person reading this post has a different upbringing and a different belief system about money. Therefore, what would be a lavish lifestyle to one person, maybe a frugal lifestyle to another person. And there’s no wrong or right, it is what works best for you.
One of the biggest factors to consider is your cost of living.
In another post, we detailed the differences between living in an HCOL vs LCOL vs MCOL area. When you live in big cities, trying to maintain your lifestyle of $52000 a year is going to be much more difficult because your basic expenses, housing, transportation, food, and clothing are going to be much more expensive than you would find in a lower cost area.
To stretch your dollar further in the high cost of living area, you would have to probably live a very frugal lifestyle and prioritize where you want to spend money and where you do not. Whereas, if you live in a low cost of living area, you can live a much more lavish lifestyle because the cost of living is less. Thus, you have more fun spending left in your account each month.
For many, this is when they are looking at upgrading their car to something nicer, but you must be aware of is a car an asset or liability.
As we noted earlier in the post, $52,000 a year is slightly below the average income that you would find in the United States. Thus, you still have to be wise with how you spend your money.
What a $52000 lifestyle will buy you:
If you are debt free and utilize smart money management skills, then you are able to enjoy the lifestyle you want.
You are able to rent in a decent neighborhood in LCOL and even MCOL city.
You should be able to meet your expenses each and every month.
Ability to make sure that saving money is a priority, and very possibly save $5000 in 52 weeks.
When A $52000 Salary Will Hold you Back:
However, if you are riddled with debt or unable to break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, then living off of 52k a year will be pretty darn difficult.
There are two factors that will keep holding you back:
You must pay off debt and cut all fun spending and extra expenses.
Break the paycheck to paycheck cycle.
Not using one of the millionaire quotes for motivation.
It is possible to get ahead with money!
It just comes with proper money management skills and a desire to have less stress around money. That is a winning combination regardless of your income level.
Find low-stress jobs that pay well without a degree now.
$52K a year Budget – Example
As always, here at Money Bliss, we focus on covering our basic expenses plus saving and giving first, and then our goal is to eliminate debt. The rest of the money leftover is left for fun spending.
This is how zero based budgeting works.
If you want to know how to manage 52k salary the best, then this is a prime example for you to compare your spending.
You can compare your budget to the ideal household budget percentages.
recommended budget percentages based on $52000 a year salary:
Category
Ideal Percentages
Sample Monthly Budget
Giving
10%
$202
Savings
15-25%
$780
Housing
20-30%
$1190
Utilities
4-7%
$152
Groceries
5-12%
$325
Clothing
1-4%
$26
Transportation
4-10%
$173
Medical
5-12%
$217
Life Insurance
1%
$11
Education
1-4%
$11
Personal
2-7%
$35
Recreation / Entertainment
3-8%
$87
Debts
0% – Goal
$0
Government Tax (including Income Tatumx, Social Security & Medicare)
15-25%
$1025
Total Gross Monthly Income
$4333
**In this budget, prioritization was given to basic expenses and no debt.
Is $52k a year a Good Salary?
As we stated earlier if you are able to make $52000 a year, that is a decent salary. You are making more money than the minimum wage and almost double in many cities.
While 52000 is a good salary starting out in your working years. It is a salary that you want to increase before your expenses go up or the people you provide for increase.
However, too many times people get stuck in the lifestyle trap of trying to keep up with the Joneses, and their lifestyle desires get out of hand compared to their salary. And what they thought used to be a great salary actually is not making ends meet at this time.
This $52k salary would be considered a lower middle class salary. This salary is something that you can live on if you are wise with money.
Check: Are you in the middle class?
In fact, this income level in the United States has enough buying power to put you in the top 95 percentile globally for per person income (source).
The question you need to ask yourself with your 52k salary is:
Am I maxed at the top of my career?
Is there more income potential?
What obstacles do I face if I want to try to increase my income?
In the future years and with possible inflation, in many modest cities 52,000 a year will not be a good salary because the cost of living is so high, whereas these are some of the cities where you can make a comfortable living at 52,000 per year.
If you are looking for a career change, you want to find jobs paying at least $60000 a year.
Is 52k a good salary for a Single Person?
Simply put, yes.
You can stretch your salary much further because you are only worried about your own expenses. A single person will spend much less than if you need to provide for someone else.
Your living expenses and ideal budget are much less. Thus, you can live extremely comfortably on $52000 per year.
And… most of us probably regret how much money wasted when we were single. Oh well, lesson learned.
Deep Dive: What Is A Good Salary For A Single Person in Today’s Society?
Is 52k a good salary for a family?
Many of the same principles apply above on whether $52000 is a good salary. The main difference with a family, you have more people to provide for than when you are single or have just one other person in your household.
The costs of raising children are high and will steeply cut into your income. As you can tell this is a huge dent in your income, specifically $12,980 annually per child.
That means that amount of money is coming out of the income that you earned.
So, the question really remains can you provide a good life for your family making $52,000 a year? This is the hardest part because each family has different choices, priorities, and values.
More or less, it comes down to two things:
The location where you live in.
Your lifestyle choices.
You can live comfortably as a family on this salary, but you will not be able to afford everything.
Many times when raising a family, it is helpful to have a dual-income household. That way you are able to provide the necessary expenses if both parties were making 52,000 per year, then the combined income for the household would be $104,000. Thus making your combined salary a very good income.
Learn how much money a family of 4 needs in each state.
Can you Live on $52000 Per Year?
As we outlined earlier in the post, $52,000 a year:
$25.00 Per Hour
$200-250 Per Day (depending on length of day worked)
$1000 Per Week
$1000 Per Biweekly
$4333 Per Month
Next up is making $55000 a year.
Like anything else in life, you get to decide how to spend, save and give your money.
That is the difference for each person on whether or not you can live a middle-class lifestyle depends on many potential factors. If you live in California or New Jersey you are gonna have a tougher time than in Oklahoma or even Texas.
In addition, if you are early in your career, starting out around 43,000 a year, that is a great place to be getting your career. However, if you have been in your career for over 20 years and still making under $45K, then you probably need to look at asking for pay increases, pick up a second job, or find a different career path.
In fact, this might be a good time to learn how to trade stocks with the best Travel and Travel course.
Regardless of the wage that you make, if you are not able to live the lifestyle that you want, then you have to find ways to make it work for you. Everybody has choices to make.
But one of the things that can help you the most is to stick to our ideal household budget percentages to make sure you stay on track.
Learn exactly how much do I make per year…
One of the best ways to improve your personal finance situation is to increase your income. Here are a variety of side hustles that are very lucrative. With time and effort, you can start enjoying the lifestyle you want.
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